Sideways

I watched Sideways with a couple of friends last night. I think it lived up to some of the hype, though not all of it, perhaps. I agree that Paul Giamatti was wrongly denied an Oscar nomination, and that Lowell (a.k.a. Thomas Hayden Church) rightfully deserved his. I feel that Virginia Madsen was overrated in the film–not that she was bad in the movie, but I didn’t feel she had all that much of a role. At the very least, I didn’t feel the role warranted Oscar recognition. Still, perhaps that’s just a comment on the sorry state of women’s roles in Hollywood right now...

We watched the film while drinking a cheap yet tasty pinot, which seemed quite appropriate. I know next to nothing about wine, and unlike many others, have not been inspired to learn about wine by this film. I am, however, inspired to keep writing after watching this film–partly because it’s a very well-written film, and partly because Giamatti’s character is a writer in the film. He’s not a successful writer, but his writing helps him get the chick, so...