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Sideways [Blu-ray]

Sideways [Blu-ray] Information

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Feb 02, 2010 18:28:08

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Sideways [Blu-ray] Reviews By Customers
The following describes the tasks performed to prepare for a reviewing of the film and the Blu Ray media format as well…

The “Sideways” Blu Ray disc arrived at my house ‘on’ the day it was released (Amazon obviously obtained their allotment prior to the release date). But, I had to wait 2 weeks until everyone who was to participate in the viewing could attend. I do not yet have an HD setup, so one of the attendees’ home was appropriated for the event.

Most of the attendees had already seen the film at least once, and many had viewed it both in the theater and on regular DVD (during it’s popular sales period, found on end-caps of the grocery store wine aisles).

Since this was to be an HD viewing with the proper sound system attached, I strove to find a way to further enhance the proper atmosphere and moods for each scene. To accomplish that feat, I provided various types and qualities of wines to pair with the sequence of events throughout the film.

There was of course much feasting prior to the start of the film, with snakkies consisting of smoked salmon, triple-cream brie, green grapes, and a variety of crackers.

The wine selection started with what I thought would present a ‘cheap’ bland beverage, to accompany the visit to Mile’s mothers home, but it turned out to be an excellent wine (2007 Gruner VELTLINER , pronounced with heavy German accent). Who would’ve thought that an bottle of white wine, contained in what appears to be a green Tanqueray Gin bottle with a beer cap top, would turn out to be a favorite of the evening… (is there a hidden message in there somewhere ?)

Once the evening and the film moved along, the wines progressed into the red variety, with Pinot Noir’s presented at the appropriate moment, as well as (ironically) Merlot, just when it was stated that there shouldn’t be any…

At the end (when the C****l B***c is imbibed) I served a 2002 “Sarah’s Blend” by the ‘original’ Marquis Phillips vineyard (a wine which represents one which ‘I’ take out for special occasions).

Once the film viewing was completed, and several of the attendees had passed-out, I was able to contemplate the quality of the film and the new HD format it was presented in…

The film “Sideways” itself, has already been reviewed by viewers extensively, with ‘half’ praising it, and the other denouncing it as either ‘trash’, ‘boring’ (no light sabers), or ‘making no sense’. I would not argue with any of the points of view, since I’ve come to realize, that the movie as a whole, is itself an allegory to wine. No two people will get the same appreciation, perception, flavor, etc from a particular wine, and this film can be interpreted in so many ways, that everyone comes away with a different perspective as to the quality of the movie, as well as what the storyline really was…

There are people who just do not like wine, and those who will just not like this film. Those that enjoy ‘sweet’, light, critter-labeled, wines, and may only see what’s presented ‘on the surface’ in the movie, and those that taste something different in the same wine every time they serve it, and see a different aspect of the story every time they view the film. I myself thought the whole “Merlot” scene was a slight at that variety of wine, but now (after getting hints from other film reviews) see that it was just another allegory for a character in the movie (I won’t reveal who). The more you watch “Sideways”, the more you understand, and see how the nuances of the dialogue are like those of wine, which change as your pallet learns to discern them. Those who do not like the movie, probably never will. For those who think highly of the film, they will always find enjoyment from watching it again (especially with snakkies and wine).

The only ‘gripe’ from those that complain about the movie, that I can understand, is that it is marketed and hinted-at to be an extreme comedy. Obviously this is not so.. I find the film to be very sad at times, with a general malange that mirrors Miles’ general state of mind. There are ‘cringe factor’ moments and a non-glossing-over of the character’s faults or actions, which, along with the attire of the characters, creates a realism which makes you believe that ‘you’ could be driving down route 101 through that region, and pass them walking along the road (heading to or from the hitching post).

As for the Blu Ray format of the film… I was expecting better. Being a recent production, I had hoped that it was filmed in digital format from the start (was it ?), which should transfer to HD easily. Though the picture was clean, the only moment that it stood out was during the scene (with the gum) where both Miles and Jack hold up their wine glasses (at an angle to check for the water layer on the surface). I was able to judge the clarity, color and the water layer from my seat which was the furthest from the screen (10 feet from a 50″ LCD). I’ve always felt that the quality of an HD video, as well as the equipment used to display it, was best illustrated by ‘glass’, ‘liquid’, and ‘reflections’. The scene with the glasses held aloft had all three elements in view, and I could find no flaws.

Needless to say, I had been drinking while viewing the film, which must be taken into consideration. I intend to watch it again (like many fans of the movie) with my soon-to-be superior HD environment, and will compare the Blu Ray release to the ‘standard’ DVD (which will be played in a 1080P uplifting drive).

Perhaps I will then see yet another nuance to the film, or figure out why Miles doesn’t like ‘manipulated’ Chardonnay’s (I ‘do’).
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Sideways – Roy E. West – Bremerton,WA USA
Very funny and sofisticated. Sophistiked? I gave it to my father for his 94th birthday.
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A Payne-ful experience – Frank Leonidas –
I have only seen four of Alexander Payne’s films: Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt and Sideways. These four irreverent films share a common thread. They are each in their own way a meditation on hopelessness and despair. Payne’s gift, or rather his forte, is to coat most of this misery with a black comic enamel. They are mostly all character-driven stories with what can only be described as ‘sometimes-lovable-losers’ at the helm.

In Citizen Ruth it’s Laura Dern as poor “Ruth Stoops” the glue-sniffing titular anti-heroine; in Election it’s Matthew Broderick’s poor “Mr. McAllister” who engages in some highly questionable personal and professional affairs including adultery, student council election rigging and revenge among other things; in About Schmidt it’s Jack Nicholson’s poor “Warren Schmidt” who must come to terms with a life of failed relationships and a future just as worse; and now it’s Paul Giamatti (arguably the biggest loser of them all) who portrays poor “Miles” in Sideways as a wounded man who lives in his own little world but soon finds himself on a precipice and is given the chance to stay put or transform into something more.

Like all of these interesting and inventive characters, Miles’ journey is not an easy one. There are plenty of set-backs, obstacles, awkward sexual encounters and most of all demons that he must face. Miles seems to like his demons however, or at least he’s gotten used to them. I wish we could have learned more about this man other than what he knows about wine and how he responds to his gregarious friend and horny road-trip mate. The only problem I have with Payne’s major body of work is — they are all essentially the same character on the same quest. What makes each of these movies interesting is not necessarily the constant personal misery that the main characters face (or rather resist facing until the end) but the supporting players along for the ride.

In Sideways, it’s Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen (both nominated for Academy Awards for this film). Church’s “Jack” is a mixed bag. He’s equally engaging and completely revolting. It’s no wonder for he plays a spoiled playboy and soap opera actor in this. He is a delight to watch. He is also perhaps the only character in the film who knows exactly who he is as a person even though he never really knows what he wants. Madsen plays “Maya”, the waitress with a heart of gold. What could have been an easily forgettable female protagonist is saved and graced by Madsen with one Oscar-clip moment that in my humble opinion almost elevates the entire film. If you’ve seen the movie or watched the Oscars you know what scene I’m referring to. There’s no tears, no fancy camera tricks, no heightened drama really. It’s simply Maya talking about wine (yet so much more). This brief and wonderful moment made the whole film worth watching for me or perhaps it’s the one bright thing that I have taken away from this movie and held onto inside.

Sideways is a sometimes-funny film (I think it was supposed to be a comedy) but it tries too hard to be about ‘real life’ that it seems more movie-real than anything else. There’s enough anxiety in this film to make even Woody Allen or Albert Brooks blush a little and the great Paul Giamatti handles most of it with deft aplomb but like all of Payne’s miserable losers his character just runs out of steam by the end. I intentionally stayed far away from this one when it first came out. I didn’t want the hype (like near-unanimous critical praise and one Academy Award for Payne’s adapted screenplay) surrounding it to effect my viewing and potential enjoyment. I’m glad I saw this film (like all of Payne’s films) but he really needs to get a new act. I’m starting to think he’s cornered the market on movies with pathetic people resisting the urge to change.

In that respect, I feel Citizen Ruth is his best film. Ruth certainly manufacturers her own problems but she’s also being exploited by everyone else in the system and there’s the difference. It’s also his least cloying and most edgy film to date. Ultimately, I wanted Sideways to be better than what it was. It’s the greatest movie about the art of appreciating wine that I have ever seen. Sure there’s a lot more going on but that’s what I found most successful about it. I think Payne might have been reaching for a little more.
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Blu-Ray Quality Sub-Par – Photoman2010 – San Diego, CA
First and foremost; I want everybody to know that I absolutely love the movie “Sideways.” That being said, do not waste your money on the Blu-ray edition of this particular film. When I dropped the cash for Sideways Blu-ray edition I was expecting to see sharp, crisp, and beautiful scenes of the Southern California vineyards as well as better sound quality. I didn’t get either. What I got instead was a lesson that “NOT” all Blu-ray DVD’s are created equal. There is absolutely “ZERO” difference between my standard DVD version and the Blu-ray version of the movie.

If I had to guess, it may very well go all the way back to the film equipment that was used to film the movie on set and location. Lesson learned for me
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Technical picture quality is poor – I. Toivanen – Helsinki, Finland
Great movie, which I had in DVD. Bought this as BluRay version, but was very disappointed about the very small image improvement over DVD quality.
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