sideways
""Sideways," a quirky comedy about two friends on a road tripthrough California's wine country, was picked as 2004's best film bythe Los Angeles Film Critics Association..."
"The movie won four other awards: best director for Alexander Payne;best supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church; best supportingactress for Virginia Madsen; and best screenplay..."
http://tinyurl.com/3txxu
It is exhilarating see the initial honors bestowed upon Sideways by reputable critics, and in all likelihood these merited accolades will not be the last. Of all the movies I saw this year, both in the theaters or rented, Sideways was indisputably the best. Paul Giamatti again proved himself as one of our finest actors - he's come a long way since his uproarious turn as "Pig Vomit" in Private Parts. His performance as Miles Raymond was simultaneously poignant and grandiloquent - a moving portrayal of an ungrudging, unselfish man trampled by life and love, but still clasping at his dreams and the frayed ends of optimism. Thomas Haden Church came back in a big way in his role as Jack, Miles' best friend, a grandstanding, self-absorbed minor-league actor, who endlessly annoys, amuses, and (in his own misguided manner) comforts and supports the downtrodden Miles.
And in another "comeback," a radiant Virginia Madsen excels in her supporting role as Maya, a Wine Country waitress and recent divorcée... and a potential love interest for Miles. There is a scene set on a porch - it's a blamy Northern California night - and Maya and Miles are discussing the elements of a good wine. Their words soon take on the nuance of allegory - delicate fine wine as fragile, burgeoning romance. The moment intensifies, and Madsen captures the chemistry of the moment perfectly (as Giamatti in his discomfiting reaction). From mediocre TV movies and direct-to-DVD film work, it is always invigorating to see an actor given the chance to prove his or her chops with a quality script and director (much like Charlize Theron in Monster - before that she was basically eye candy). Here Madsen shines.
Miles and Jack and their journey through wine country is a coming-of-age story for two men already ensconced in adulthood (more so Miles than the often callow Jack) but rightfully afraid to leave youth and dreams behind. It shows that life can be a tricky path to maneuver, and that the past is consequential upon the future, but not contingent. Sideways is an uplifting slice-of-life that adheres to the truths of human nature and personality. And it is the finest film of 2004, and unequivocally a contender for the best picture of perhaps the last ten years.
"The movie won four other awards: best director for Alexander Payne;best supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church; best supportingactress for Virginia Madsen; and best screenplay..."
http://tinyurl.com/3txxu
It is exhilarating see the initial honors bestowed upon Sideways by reputable critics, and in all likelihood these merited accolades will not be the last. Of all the movies I saw this year, both in the theaters or rented, Sideways was indisputably the best. Paul Giamatti again proved himself as one of our finest actors - he's come a long way since his uproarious turn as "Pig Vomit" in Private Parts. His performance as Miles Raymond was simultaneously poignant and grandiloquent - a moving portrayal of an ungrudging, unselfish man trampled by life and love, but still clasping at his dreams and the frayed ends of optimism. Thomas Haden Church came back in a big way in his role as Jack, Miles' best friend, a grandstanding, self-absorbed minor-league actor, who endlessly annoys, amuses, and (in his own misguided manner) comforts and supports the downtrodden Miles.
And in another "comeback," a radiant Virginia Madsen excels in her supporting role as Maya, a Wine Country waitress and recent divorcée... and a potential love interest for Miles. There is a scene set on a porch - it's a blamy Northern California night - and Maya and Miles are discussing the elements of a good wine. Their words soon take on the nuance of allegory - delicate fine wine as fragile, burgeoning romance. The moment intensifies, and Madsen captures the chemistry of the moment perfectly (as Giamatti in his discomfiting reaction). From mediocre TV movies and direct-to-DVD film work, it is always invigorating to see an actor given the chance to prove his or her chops with a quality script and director (much like Charlize Theron in Monster - before that she was basically eye candy). Here Madsen shines.
Miles and Jack and their journey through wine country is a coming-of-age story for two men already ensconced in adulthood (more so Miles than the often callow Jack) but rightfully afraid to leave youth and dreams behind. It shows that life can be a tricky path to maneuver, and that the past is consequential upon the future, but not contingent. Sideways is an uplifting slice-of-life that adheres to the truths of human nature and personality. And it is the finest film of 2004, and unequivocally a contender for the best picture of perhaps the last ten years.
posted by Walls Falling at 1:23 PM
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