Sideways
Directed by that guy who did 'Election' and 'About Schmidt'.
Starring Paul Giamatti (Miles) and that guy (Jack) who played the mecahnic (Lowell! just remembered the name...) on 'Wings'.
Described as a comedy-drama. Your typical buddy picture, week before a wedding, let's head to wine country in Santa Barbara County and bond type of thing. Some really great send-ups of wine aficionados & 8th grade english teachers/aspiring novelists. Funny and painful. Miles is _so_dark_, wow. Giamatti should get an Oscar nod, otherwise, no justice in this America for the anti-Hero. I got a bit teary-eyed in parts, but never for too long. It's a bit heavy handed with the anguish, despair, and mid-life crises. Some nicely shot scenes in the Santa Ynez Valley and a dinner scene that's also shot well. There's some awkardness in the Miles & Jack relationship at first, but then they get comfortable with each other and their relationship seems plausible.
The NYT crossword is featured. You could barely make out the author on the second one... A. A.?
I call it: good stuff.
I couple of times during the movie I imagined it was Bagley and Quigley sitting across from each other at some diner in Los Olivios, CA. I cracked myself up.