Feb. 21, 2005 - 9:20 pm
this is the last of the five Best Picture Oscar nominees for this year. everyone remember to watch this coming Sunday. i'll remind you of the time, channel, etc. beforehand. i'll also have to work in the next few days on doing my Oscar predictions for this year.
Sideways is about a couple of middle-aged guy friends who go on a California wine tasting car trip for a week. it's in celebration of Jack's (Thomas Hayden Church's) upcoming marriage the following weekend. Miles (Paul Giamatti) wants to spend the week hanging out, eating great food, drinking great wine, and playing golf. Jack wants to do the same, but he also wants to find a girl for Miles to sleep with so that he won't be so down in the dumps. and he also wants to find a girl for himself. Miles' depression, combined with Jack's constant lack of caution, makes for a very wild week that seems to get everyone hurt but also helps each of them in a way. well, except for one character. they make a lot of mistakes but ultimately it attempts to be a positive movie.
good performances all around in this movie. i also like how they sort of make fun of Thomas Hayden Church's former "star" status when he was a regular cast member on the television show "Wings." i always enjoyed that show. i might like to start watching that on Netflix, come to think of it...if that's even been put out on dvd yet. probably not.
it's a risky script and challenges a lot of taboos that we as a society have. it also makes you sort of think about your own life at times. this is what Alexander Payne seems to be becoming known for in his writing/filmmaking. i can already predict that he will definitely win the Oscar for Best Screenplay based on Previous Material.