Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Sideways

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Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 11-22-2004, 02:57 AM:

...is a very funny movie about two guys who have been friends since college days. One of them is recently dicorced, the other about to get married. They take a trip up to the wineries of Santa Barbara County where the divorced guy wants to show his friends the pleasures of wine tasting and good food, while his friend is hellbent on having a last affair before getting married. They do indeed meet some girls, and from there, things get very complicated.
This movie has witty dialog and very funny and drastic situations, as well as human depth. One of the best movies this year.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 12-03-2004, 07:41 PM:

Good show--lots of fun. I'm not a wine geek, but all the talk about wine made me feel a bit less odd about being that way about other topics. Agreed that this is one of the best so far this year.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 12-04-2004, 10:45 AM:

Theatres should serve glasses of wine to patrons with this movie. [Wink]

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 12-04-2004, 12:37 PM:

Yea, but ONLY if it's Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo county wine! [Big Grin]

Ron Yost .. greets from Paso Robles Wine Country. (I'd put the 'cheers' thingy here, but it's beer! ewww.) [Wink]

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-06-2004, 09:34 AM:

Don't forget the great wines from the Finger Lakes region of New York State:

http://www.finger-lakes-wine.com/

quote:
The beauty of New York State’s Finger Lakes wine region, and the exceptional wines produced there, may once have been a well kept secret, but not anymore!

From the White House to four-star restaurants, Finger Lakes wines are now widely served and enjoyed. This book reveals how the vinifera revolution has produced wines that win awards in international competitions and earn respect from aficionados throughout the world. But you don’t have to be a wine lover to enjoy the lavish full-color panoramic photographs of this premier travel destination.

A good opportunity for cross promotion of "Sideways" with local wineries or liquor stores.

Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 12-30-2004, 01:30 PM:

I absoutely love this movie. Very funny, well made movie. When the show was over, I came home and drank a bottle of wine. One of the better movies of 2004.
4 out of 5 Stars.

Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 12-31-2004, 03:10 AM:

You know, I wasn't going to screen this gem. My friend wanted to see something else. But, we ended up watching it tonight. Pleasantly surprised. Well made, great tongue and cheek comedic lines. And hell, I know very little about wines. Kinda had a 1970s feel to it. Only thing that bothered me was the use of diffusion filters. I would definitely recommend this film. [thumbsup]

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 01-30-2005, 07:06 PM:

Loved it. Had some Pinot at Olive Garden this weekend in celebration of this film. It just really feels real, familiar. I know people like these guys in real life. Out of our Best Picture Nominees, this is the one that should win. Great film making. [beer]

AJG

EDIT: How could I forget: "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I'm not drinking any FUCKING MERLOT!" [Big Grin]

Posted by Ryan Powers (Member # 1059) on 01-30-2005, 10:22 PM:

I am shocked at how many people like this movie. That's what is great about movies, everyone has different tastes. I thought Sideways was just awful. I guess because I went in with such high expectations based on all the four star reviews and awards it has won. Perhaps this is the reason my feeling of disappointment at the half way point turned quickly into hatred. The movie was so boring that after a while I gave up and started counting ceiling tiles, and empty seats. I don't know why I think that would be more entertaining, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I couldn't exactly get up and walk out either, because I was with two other people that I talked up how many great reviews this movie got. At least I didn't feel alone when it was finally over and I asked what they thought. I won't say word for word what they said, but lets just say they clearly hated it too.

There was not a lot of people for a Friday night showing, maybe 20 total. Some critics point out how funny it is. I don't remember hearing anyone laughing at all. One thing I noticed though, and kind of sets a tone for how a people react towards a movie. Once the credits rolled people were quick to get up and out as fast as possible.

Theater/Presentation: AMC 22- Fast service, Clean, Excellent seating, but expensive ticket prices compared to competition. Poor sound this time, almost all sound including dialogue was in the front left speaker. (** out of Four for this visit) Normally the sound issue would be a problem and I would report it, but I could care less about this movie, so I didn't bother getting out of my seat.

Sideways- * out of Four

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-11-2005, 02:17 PM:

A modern version of "The Odd Couple". I really enjoyed the film, and the interplay between the two friends during their "adventures" in wine country. A bit "raunchy" at times, but that's why it was rated "R" .

[Spoilers] The nude guy chasing the car after the wallet scene and Jack trying to crash the car got lots of laughs. The casting was very good, but Maya and Stephanie were perfect in their roles, and Miles was excellent. "Honesty is the best policy", especially in relationships.

The 7:40pm screening at the AMC Empire 25 in NYC (Screen 8) was okay, but the print did look like a blow-up from Super-16. The soft halation "look" may have been deliberate. The AMC snipes showed wear, and the digital preshow had very annoying ground loop hum in the sound. This smaller auditorium had a very nice "screening room" feel, with comfortable leather seats.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 02-12-2005, 02:39 AM:

I liked it!

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 02-12-2005, 10:36 PM:

The diffused soft look was pretty deliberate and I thought worked well for the movie(though when it goes to home video, that look may frustrate those who want to show off their home theater system). Then again, who knows. I just saw Kill Bill Vol2 on starz hidef and scenes which seemed deliberately soft in the theater (like the pei mei scenes and the b&w scenes) were supersharp in hidef. Which was good in my case because the Regal Cinemas Perimeter Pointe 10's projection standards keep falling. I saw Million Dollar Baby just before this and you could see a little jitteriness during the movie which was obvious to the lay person during the title credits.

In any case, really good movie. It is ridiculous that the centerpiece of this movie Paul Giamatti seems to be the only person involved with this movie ignored by the Oscars. Virginia Madsen and Haden Church were pretty good too, but come on. If there were any snubs, I could very easily see Giamatti making it and the other two being left out.

THe movie is one of the better movies. But I think this movie answers the question how a director can be nominated and not a movie and vice versa. Payne's direction for this movie is easily right up there at the top even higher ranked in my own personal lists compared to the movie. Something like Hotel Rwanda, I give more credit to the story than the direction itself.

What took me so long to view this movie despite being a admirer of Giamatti's work was the wine stuff advertised in the trailers. Luckily it doesn't really bore you during the movie.

A must see. Go in a relaxed mood and take in the movie.

Posted by Ari Nordström (Member # 288) on 02-15-2005, 04:07 AM:

I liked Sideways a lot--that is, what I saw of it during the Göteborg Film Festival screening. The coolest touch was afterwards, though: the director, Alexander Payne, was present, answering the audience's questions, and got a bottle of wine from the festival directors. He did offer to share the bottle with the audience but for some reason, nobody accepted.

He ended up drinking some while the patrons left the auditorium. They did ask me but I was busy preparing the next show and had to decline. [Frown]

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 02-21-2005, 02:05 PM:

Having toured vinyards with wine tastings in the Rhineland, Long Island's North Fork, and the Napa and Sanoma valleys, I really enjoyed this extended California wine commercial and satire of the industry and its fans.

The film was an ode to Baccus and the grape, and Myles' seduction of a woman by the answer to the simple question, "Why do you like pinot noir?" was a purple passage par excellance!

Whenever the action involving the two "friendly antagonists" seemed to slow, the plot took an unexpected turn that kept my interest high. While Myles and Jack appeared to be unbelievably opposite in outlook on life, the strong desire of each to please his friend by introducing him to a deeply felt pleasure (appreciation of wine or getting laid) was a neat comedic trick.

I thought the existential theme was the struggle for maturity of two former buddies approaching middle age, but whether they actually mature from their experiences is debatable. True, Myles overcomes his novel's rejection and his painful jealousy to address his ex-wife and her new husband, and Jack goes through with the wedding, but his inability to ignore the opportunity to score with the unappealing waitress shows he has not overcome his addiction to scoring. That incident put him at risk with her husband, and provided a classic slapstick bit of cuckholdry.

At the Kew Gardens Cinema, Queens, NYC.