Just watched "Sideways"

[OhioChick]

and it sucked. Big time. :puke: I thought this movie won so many awards???

[Kire]

1. great commentary

so insightful

:sarcasm:

[GalleryGod]

11. Thanks.

I agree with your :sarcasm:

[radwriter0555]

12. The commentary suited the depth and scope of this film actually.

I think "It Sucked" is the entire encapsulation of this mindless waste of celluloid.

[autorank]

2. The guys had no self respect. It was uncomfortable to watch. I

walked out and went to see "Downfall" again, which I think is one of the 10 best films ever made.

Agreed! :puke:

[Skittles]

8. OOH - the bunker flick?

I LOVED IT - saw it at an Anjelica theater :thumbsup:

I would like to see it again.

[autorank]

25. Me too. I'll buy the DVD for sure!

As I was watching it I realize that we never see one of the main characters, the advancing Red Army. Those Nazi bastards knew that when the Red Army arrived, there would be Hell to pay. Great movie.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. It had a great screenplay which is refreshing for films lately

and it WAS low budget so it gets props for that. The wine was a great metaphor for the tensions in the film. But it did drag a bit..

[Guaranteed]

4. Sorry, just wrong.

Brilliant movie.

[Bombtrack]

5. Most overrated movie in a very long time. The only reason it got it's good

reviews is that pathetic critics related to the main character.

[Lorien]

23. That's pretty much how I felt about it

not just the critics, but the Hollywood establishment. I've worked in the film industry for quite a few years, and most of the people I've worked with have a really tough time with anything outside of the most superficial relationships.

[Hatalles]

6. I've heard good things -- I've heard bad things.

I've been tempted to pick it up at the rental place but end up walking out with other things... I've read the synopsis and despite the nominations, it really hasn't piqued my interest.

[Skittles]

7. I thought it was OK but WAY overrated

I have no idea why it won so many awards

[ClintonTyree]

9. As I watched it....

I kept saying to myself, "what is all the hub-bub about? This is NOT that good a movie". Melancholy, shallow characters not interesting enough to make me feel any compassion or amity toward...all in all, a real stinker that fooled a lot of people. It was painful to watch it was so bad, and that's what I kept doing, looking at my watch to see how long it was until the end. A movie for the tragically hip.

[barb162]

20. those two guys were shallow and anti-social, the one stealing

from his own mother and the other using women like crazy

[barb162]

21. but the one guy running out of his house nude was incredibly

funny especially the hat on his head

[Orangepeel]

24. how can a movie fool people about how good it is?

it's a matter of taste. if you didn't like it, you didn't like it, but people weren't tricked into liking it.

[GalleryGod]

10. These "Sideways Sucks" threads are reminiscent of Talk Radio.

But....movie critques are like.......
oh,never mind.


I loved the Film in first run.

I rented it again on Netflix.

Like it even more.

Res Ipsa Loquitor

[LynneSin]

14. Hell, I loved Sideways so much I bought the DVD

It was brilliant acting and a brilliant screenplay. It was a movie that explored the psyches of these 4 characters and sometimes some of these characters personalities hit to close to our own that made it painful to watch. Director Alexander Payne creates these kinds of movies where the lead isn't always someone you can "admire". Sometimes the lead is just a real loser in life.

You have to take a look at some of the memorable leads that Payne has put in his movies to appreciate the skills this director has. He made Jack Nicholson a real loser in 'About Schmidt' and Nicholson even got an Academy Award nomination for it. And I loved what he did with Matthew Broderick in 'Election'. He made Broderick's character, a teacher in a high school, in the same mold of the principal from Broderick's first big hit - "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". But probably one of my favorite loser lead in a Payne movie has to be Laura Dern in "Citizen Ruth" Payne did an amazing job of putting together a movie that explored both sides of the abortion issue (and being equally critical of both with the extremes they go through to win their cause) and Dern played this Glue-Sniffing addict who finds herself pregnant for the 5th time (her other kids are being raised by her sister). The judge actually orders Ruth to get an abortion or face jail time. By some luck Ruth ends up in a jail cell with a group of anti-abortion protestors and the rest is hilarious.

Payne movies in general are a far cry from what we see with mainstream movies. We're too conditioned to see characters in movies that we're suppose to love and admire but with 'Sideways' it's pretty difficult to love or admire Miles or Jack. But in real life we'll see plenty more Miles & Jacks in the world than these leads in many of the mainstream movies out there today.

I adored this movie - but then again it's the kind of stuff I go for

[Beausoir]

15. Loved it too.

Thanks for the insightful post.

I bought the dvd too and I've watched it quite a few times.

Most of the performances are terrific, although the Maya character is weak, IMHO. I just don't "buy" her.

[tishaLA]

18. I also bought it

I think it's one hell of a good film. To my mind it was the best movie from last year hands down.

[ikojo]

13. I thought it sucked too. I guess it appealed to

some yuppie male mid life crisis sort of vibe.

[Lindsey]

16. Great analysis, LynneSin....

I also love those kind of movies that are way out of the main stream. You expressed exactly what Payne does perfectly. I loved the movie too as well as About Schmidt and Election (I thought Election was brilliant).

[Lefta Dissenter]

17. we rented it last night

and I was asleep within 10 minutes - not necessarily because of the movie, but because I frequently fall asleep once I sit down in the evening (I usually make it longer than that, though). This morning, however, Mr. Dissenter said that he didn't particularly like the movie - he thought it was pretty depressing. Guess we'll just take it back and I won't bother trying to watch it tonight.

[mitchum]

19. It was medium funny

Okay, but certainly no "Election" (or even "Citizen Ruth")

[magnolia]

22. I saw the movie when....

...it first came out and I knew nothing at all about it except that it was a road trip, and I love road trip movies. I loved it!

Sometimes it's just better to see a movie cold rather than after all the hype and expectation builds. Same with "Lost in Translation". I saw it cold, loved it. Then all the hype and people hated it.

Do yourself a favor and find an artsy theatre and see these movies when they first come out. It also helps to see them on the big screen with audience reaction. It's the full movie experience.

It was the same with the "Seinfeld" last show. I was in Europe at the time and set my VCR. Came home and watched it and thought it was absolutely brilliant. I was shocked that people hated it. But I guess after weeks and weeks of promos and snippets expectation was set too high.