DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Sideways (1 Viewer)

[Nick Sievers]

Can't wait for this release, loved it in the theatre. I want to screen it for some friends and hopefully they will come away appreciating wine as much as I do. Everytime we go out i'm usually stuck with a whole bottle to myself.

 

[Elizabeth S]

While I really disliked the trailer for this film, I felt it deserved a shot and I did see it at the theatre. I liked it a bit better than I expected from the trailer, but it wouldn't make my Top 20. I didn't find it particularly funny -- perhaps amusing at times. However, Virginia Madsen's poignant, wonderfully played wine metaphor scene lingers in the memory and I would have loved to see her win Supporting Actress.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Diff'rent strokes and all that. I thought Sideways was EASILY the best of the five nominees. Each of the others has significant flaws of some sort and I honestly think they're varying degrees of mediocre; Aviator is the best of the remaining bunch but it's no classic. but I can think of very little about Sideways that I'd change - terrific little film...

 

[TheLongshot]

No, that would be "Finding Neverland", which was obvious oscar bait.

Jason

 

[Tino]

I disagree. Finding Neverland was the BEST film of 2004 imo, and far from "Oscar bait".

Sideways felt too much like a made for HBO film. I thought it was a bit too slow, with very obvious paralells between life wine and friendships. Thomas Haden Church was terrific in it, and deserved the Oscar for supporting actor, but I felt all the other nomination were undeserved, including Paul Giamtti, who was just playing Paul Giamatti to me. A pleasant little film, but nothing more. Sorry.

But as Colin pointed out, different strokes and all. There is a great discussion thread in the Movies section where we can explore this further as this is not the thread to debate the merits of the fllm, or lack thereof.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Weakest of the five? Million Dollar Baby, he says, as he ducks for cover...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Nothing wrong with having a minority opinion.





Crawdaddy

 

[TheLongshot]

You can certainly believe that. I don't agree with it. I thought it was a solid film, but in the end, it was nothing special. It didn't really stick in my brain afterwards, like a really good film does. Sideways does this for me.

And I'm standing by my "Oscar bait" comment. Emotional drama that tries for 'magical' moments. It doesn't help that it is a Miramax picture, which seems to be why it is here. "Passion Of The Christ" probably was a more deserving nominee. (No matter that I didn't care for the content, it has more artistic intent.)

I don't think Sideways probably should have won it (I haven't seen M$B yet.) and other than Paul Giamatti, I don't think anyone else should have been nominated. (Everyone seems to want to give Virginia Madsen an Oscar just for being in this film. She just has one scene. Not enough for me to hand her a best supporting actress oscar.)

Yes, this is a "small" film, but it doesn't mean it can't be great.

Jason

 

[Marc Colella]

I'll be picking up this DVD at some point.

It was a great film, and IMO the only film of the 5 nominated films that deserved to be nominated.

 

[Marty M]

I have some keys that stick on my keyboard and I paid the price for not proof-reading before I hit the "Submit Reply" button.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I picked this up today and I glad that the picture looked just like it did in the theater. It's not a reference transfter by any means, but it does what it is supposed to do, look the same way it did in the theaters.

I'm so glad that Virginia Madsen has finally been able to put Candyman behind her. She's deserved to break out for so long now. Any guy that sees this movie and doesn't fall in love with her is smoking some serious crack.

I can't wait to listen to the commentary with Giamatti and Church.

I wish that this had been a 2-disc set with the second disc crammed full of material relating to wine and everything about it. Perhaps on the SE?

Just to throw my two cents in, I think this was the second most deserving Oscar nominated picture. No surprise, since it was #2 for the year IMHO.

 

[Bradley-E]

I don't get the attraction to this movie. What am I missing? The 2 main characters are such A--holes! I must be out of touch or something.

 

[Dane Marvin]

Yikes. I enjoyed all five of the nominees. Only change I would have made would be substituting "Eternal Sunshine..." for "Ray". Jamie Foxx's performance in "Ray" was worth his Oscar, but the rest of the movie was too flawed. I haven't seen "Hotel Rwanda", but I don't forsee it replacing "Sideways", "MDB", "...Neverland" or "Aviator" in my book.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Got it today. Can't believe no one is complaining about the awful "anti-piracy" trailer that precedes the presentation. Between that, Fox's standard anti-piracy disclaimer and the new (ugly) FBI warning, I feel like Fox and our goverment has just given me "permission" to show something I'VE ALREADY BOUGHT.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Anyone else enjoy the "Confederacy of Dunces" reference? My favorite book...I was really thrown by that, in a good way.

 

[Casey C.]

Anyone else notice that the actors' reactions on the commentary track are about two seconds behind what's happpening on the screen? Is this the disc, or is my older DVD player failing to sync the audio properly?

It's a funny commentary, although in kind of an overgrown-Yale-frat-boy kind of way as they each tries to out-vocabularize the other. "Nicely done!"

 

[Jon_Are]

Oh, yeah...I got a thrill out of that. 'Dunces' is my favorite book as well.

Jon