AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE AVIATOR

PRINCIPAL CAST Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, Ian Holm, Alan Alda, John C. Reilly

DIRECTOR Martin Scorsese

PRODUCER Sandy Climan, Charles Evans Jr., Graham King, Michael Mann

SCREENWRITER John Logan

COMPOSER Howard Shore

CINEMATOGRAPHER Robert Richardson

EDITOR Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN Dante Ferretti

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR Robert Legato, Pete Travers, Matthew Gratzner, Bruce Steinheimer

THE AVIATOR soars into the stratosphere of classic American filmmaking. Martin Scorsese not only maintains the incredible standards of his career with this modern epic, but also expands its horizons. As bold and brash as Howard Hughes himself, the film is dazzling beyond words, while the visual splendor of the film carries us back to an era of Hollywood gone by. Leonardo DiCaprio embodies Howard Hughes in one of the year's most demanding roles, with two character arcs at play as Hughes rises and falls simultaneously.

COLLATERAL

PRINCIPAL CAST Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith

DIRECTOR Michael Mann

PRODUCER Michael Mann and Julie Richardson

SCREENWRITER Stuart Beattie

COMPOSER James Newton Howard

CINEMATOGRAPHER Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron

EDITOR Jim Miller and Paul Rubell

PRODUCTION DESIGN David Wasco

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR John Sullivan

COLLATERAL takes audiences on a ride they won't soon forget. It's a thrill ride, but it's also a dark, dreamy meditation on morality that stays with you long after your heart stops racing. Director Michael Mann is a true craftsman of the genre, and his comfort in the audience's discomfort allows him always to be a step ahead. Part of the film's allure is that it gives us a tour of Los Angeles after the sun sets, which is beautifully captured with new technologies by cinematographers Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

PRINCIPAL CAST Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood

DIRECTOR Michel Gondry

PRODUCER Steve Golin and Anthony Bregman

SCREENWRITER Charlie Kaufman

STORY BY Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth

COMPOSER Jon Brion

CINEMATOGRAPHER Ellen Kuras

EDITOR Valdis Oskarsdottir

PRODUCTION DESIGN Dan Leigh

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR Mark Dornfeld, Louis Morin

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is an unforgettable love story. Daringly original and heartwarmingly romantic, this film is as challenging and rewarding as love itself. There is no more inventive screenwriter today than Charlie Kaufman, who helps us remember that film is a medium with boundless storytelling possibilities. Jim Carrey's indelible performance is the central force in the film, while Kate Winslet continues to astound with her every look, her every smile. To see the film twice is to enrich your love for it ten-fold.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

PRINCIPAL CAST Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw

DIRECTOR Peter Berg

PRODUCER Brian Grazer

SCREENWRITER David Aaron Cohen and Peter Berg

COMPOSER David Torn

CINEMATOGRAPHER Tobias Schliessler

EDITOR David Rosenbloom, Colby Parker, Jr.

PRODUCTION DESIGN Sharon Seymour

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR Richard Hollander

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS hoists the world of high school football on its shoulder and parades it into the history of mythic American sports stories. Adapted from H.G. Bissinger's non-fiction book about the town of Odessa, Texas, and its passion for the local team, Peter Berg's film demonstrates that sometimes the most dramatic stories are based in reality. The true power of the film lies in its ability to illuminate the hope that lives on Friday nights across America. For many in the stands, these are their heroes; for those who take the field, this is their moment in life, their chance to shine. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS captures these sentiments with grace and eloquence.

THE INCREDIBLES

PRINCIPAL CAST Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

DIRECTOR Brad Bird

PRODUCER John Walker

SCREENWRITER Brad Bird

COMPOSER Michael Giacchino

CINEMATOGRAPHER Janet Lucroy, Patrick Lin, Andrew Jimenez

EDITOR Stephen Schaffer

PRODUCTION DESIGN Lou Romano

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR Sandra Karpman

THE INCREDIBLES lives up to its name in spectacular fashion. This clever and original animated film from writer/director Brad Bird dazzles in its visual splendor, but it is the story that proves most colorful. The Parr family-a.k.a. Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and their two super children-is a nuclear family that imparts a message for all ages-that we all have special talents. Enter the villain, and the film's incredible blend of adventure and wit sets a new bar for James Bond.

KINSEY

PRINCIPAL CAST Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Dylan Baker

DIRECTOR Bill Condon

PRODUCER Gail Mutrux

SCREENWRITER Bill Condon

COMPOSER Carter Burwell

CINEMATOGRAPHER Frederick Elmes

EDITOR Virginia Katz

PRODUCTION DESIGN Richard Sherman

KINSEY is a rich and engaging film biography about Dr. Alfred Kinsey, the revolutionary sex researcher who challenged the conventions of "normal." But this is no science lesson or standard bio-pic, for writer/director Bill Condon has a dynamic storytelling style that finds a heart in the man whose mind is so celebrated, and also beautifully portrays the era that gasped and then embraced his findings. Liam Neeson delivers a monumental performance as Kinsey, while Laura Linney lights up the screen with warmth and forgiveness.

MARIA FULL OF GRACE

PRINCIPAL CAST Catalina Sandino Moreno, Virgina Ariza, Orlando Tobon

DIRECTOR Joshua Marston

PRODUCER Paul Mezey

SCREENWRITER Joshua Marston

COMPOSER Jacob Lieberman, Leonardo Heiblum

CINEMATOGRAPHER Jim Denault

EDITOR Anne McCabe, Lee Percy

PRODUCTION DESIGN Monica Marulanda, Debbie de Villa

MARIA FULL OF GRACE shines a light from above on a dark corner of the American dream. Catalina Sandino Moreno is mesmerizing in her screen debut as a young woman from Colombia who endures a harrowing journey to the United States as a drug mule. Writer/director Joshua Marston's film is presented in Spanish, but speaks volumes about America and the beacon of hope it continues to shine on countries around the world. The film's power lies in its natural storytelling, where nothing is forced, but tension rules.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

PRINCIPAL CAST Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman

DIRECTOR Clint Eastwood

PRODUCER Clint Eastwood, Albert S. Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg, Paul Haggis

SCREENWRITER Paul Haggis

COMPOSER Clint Eastwood

CINEMATOGRAPHER Tom Stern

EDITOR Joel Cox

PRODUCTION DESIGN Henry Bumstead

MILLION DOLLAR BABY is classic American filmmaking by a man at the top of his game. Director/actor/producer/composer Clint Eastwood proves once again that he is American film's true renaissance man. Simple, pure and direct in its storytelling, the film finds power in its lean frame, while taking on issues of family and faith without flinching. Hilary Swank inhabits her character as if she is in a class by herself, and with Morgan Freeman and Eastwood in her corner, there is no more engaging acting ensemble on screen this year. MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a knockout.

SIDEWAYS

PRINCIPAL CAST Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh

DIRECTOR Alexander Payne

PRODUCER Michael London

SCREENWRITER Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor

COMPOSER Rolfe Kent

CINEMATOGRAPHER Phedon Papamichael

EDITOR Kevin Tent

PRODUCTION DESIGN Jane Anne Stewart

SIDEWAYS is vintage comedy that, like a good bottle of wine, will only get better with age. Director Alexander Payne is well established as one of the great directors of his generation, and here he impresses again as the rare filmmaker whose reliance is not on special effects or sleight of hand, but on words and warmth. The film's brilliant cast provides the soul to this compassionate film about friendship and all its imperfections. AFI raises a glass of Pinot noir to the creative ensemble for their remarkable achievement with SIDEWAYS.

SPIDER-MAN 2

PRINCIPAL CAST Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, James Franco

DIRECTOR Sam Raimi

PRODUCER Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad,

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Alvin Sargent

SCREEN STORY Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Michael Chabon Based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Bitko

COMPOSER Danny Elfman

CINEMATOGRAPHER Bill Pope

EDITOR Bob Murawski

PRODUCTION DESIGN Neil Spisak

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR John Dykstra

SPIDER-MAN 2 is a movie sequel at its most triumphant. Glorious, inventive and joyful, Sam Raimi's film creates something deeply human from the pages of a comic book, illustrating for Hollywood how to create a summer blockbuster by investing in the craft of storytelling. SPIDER-MAN 2 swings high through the annals of American superheroes, spinning a story without a reliance on special effects, spectacular as they are. Amidst the film's popcorn-munching fun, its message rings true-with great honor comes great responsibility.