WEBmikey: Sideways : 5 of 5

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Sideways : 5 of 5
9.20.2005 6:15 PM \| Link	Even though this movie had lots of Academy Awards buzz, I missed it at the theater, so I put it in my Netflix queue when the DVD was released. This is definitely one of the most interesting and well-made movies I've seen in quite a while - not as good as Lost in Translation, but it definitely has that same kind of emotional feel in spots. As you probably know, the plot follows depressed Miles as he takes his friend Jack on a bachelor party trip to Napa Valley - there's so much wine drinking going on that I had to open a bottle to watch the DVD! Of course, there are lots of shots of some beautiful California country, and I loved the director's use of slow, barely impreceptible zooms to build almost subconscious tension - the camera work is all really nice. There is some amazing dialogue also, especially when Miles talks about his love for the Pinot Noir grape and its high maintenenance nature (it almost becomes a bit too obvious that he's talking about himself, but the lines are incredible), and then his new love interest Maya responds with some incredible words about how the grape's flavor peaks and then declines, which is such a wonderful metaphor for Miles' midlife crisis. It's interesting how I began to feel even more sorry for his friend Jack as the film progressed, even though he seems to be the "cool" guy. The ending is a work of art, since all signs were indicating total sadness (I was dreading the credits!), and then in the final 60 seconds we hear Maya's phone message saying, "Don't give up, Miles". I finished my glass with a big smile! Labels: dvds


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