Movie Review: Bottle Shock - California Wine's Triumph Makes for Great Date Movie

by Tony Dayoub



Bottle Shock could be that little-film-that-could that appears sometime after blockbuster season every year. You know which one. The one that may not open at #1 in the weekend box office tallies, but hangs out in the top ten for 6-8 weeks. Last year it was Juno. The year before... was it Little Miss Sunshine? Slowly building word of mouth, these critical successes snowball into popular ones as well. We shouldn't expect this one to be the year's Juno (heck, I didn't even expect Juno to be that year's Juno), and win any Oscars. But its quiet, amusing, engaging story is a welcome break from the summer bombast that currently populates the multiplex.


Based on a true story, the film follows Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a wine expert, if not an outright wine snob, as he organizes a wine tasting. It is 1976, however, and the French still have the corner on the wine market. So challenged by his his friend, Maurice (Dennis Farina), an American expatriate, Spurrier decides to make it interesting by having the French wines compete with wines from the emerging Napa Valley market. Visiting California to decide whether the local wines are up to the task, he meets local vintner, Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), and his "hippie" son, Bo (Chris Pine). Since this actually took place, I won't be revealing much by saying that it is their Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won over the French wines in a BLIND tasting.

The down-to-earth California vintners are contrasted with the elitist French wine establishment often. Rickman, in particular, is very funny delineating the upper-crust sensibility that Spurrier aspires to, while poking fun at the character, who incrementally learns to appreciate the local flavor of the underdogs. Spurrier's mixed feelings about his part in bringing down the establishment are captured perfectly in a silent scene where he pauses to pull out a map while lost in Napa. Sitting on his front seat is a bucket of KFC he just bought. He opens it and grabs a bite. While initially turned off at the crude flavor, he nonetheless is attracted to the fast food, and a look of fascination spreads over his face.

Otherwise of note is Chris Pine as Bo, a slacker justifying his laziness by indulging in a retro lifestyle. His part is pivotal in the film, first playing the underachieving male bimbo, then shining as the son trying to save his father's business. Sympathetic, funny, and persuasively entertaining, this actor is one to keep an eye on. His boyish good looks, and charming swagger will probably be used to greater effect next year, when he plays the young James Kirk in May's Star Trek reboot.

Another reason to see this movie is the beautiful Napa Valley scenery. Sometimes the camerawork gets a little overindulgent in capturing it, hampering the beauty of a setting that needs no assistance to stand out. But one still feels seduced by the possibility of travelling there to enjoy the wine-making firsthand.

This is a great date movie to see on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Bottle Shock opens on August 6th in theaters across the country.

DVD Review: Juno: Two-Disc Special Edition - Irreverent Oscar-Nominated Gem Packed with Special Features

by Tony Dayoub

Juno is an irreverent little gem that I talked about earlier this year (for a review of the film follow this link). It amusingly follows some of the situations encountered by a high-school girl who gets pregnant and decides to offer the baby to a young couple looking to adopt. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Diablo Cody won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film will be available Tuesday, April 15, on Blu-ray and single or two-disc standard DVD. If you enjoyed the film, then you'll love the DVD. Packed with special features, I really recommend the two-disc version (Blu-ray has all of this one's features and a few extra).

The commentary by Cody and director Jason Reitman is humorous and informative. Cody gives insight about the inspiration for certain elements in the film. For example, since she is part of a blended family herself, she was determined to show that blended families could be just as great as traditional ones. Reitman concentrates more on some of the technical or casting info. But he does concede that a lot of the "expectant parents" elements were informed by his personal experience, having just become a father himself. Cody and Reitman seem to have a genuine rapport in the commentary that exemplifies the teamwork they must have brought to the production.

Their are some other standout special features. I found the documentary on Diablo Cody (not on the single disc DVD) interesting. I was skeptical of her given what a colorful background she has as a former stripper who blogged about her experiences. However, after seeing the short featurette I found her to be very charming. I hope that this is the beginning of her long career, and that she isn't a one-hit wonder. The deleted scenes are fun to watch, especially if you're a fan of Cody's dialogue. But I can understand why they were cut. A little of that goes a long way, and I feel that including these scenes would have made the movie overlong and precious. Definitely check out the scenes, "Mrs. Rancik" and "Cafe Tristé" for some more of Cody's Juno-isms. Some other fun trifles include the gag reel, and the "cast and crew jam" which shows pretty much everyone involved with the film, dancing or air-guitaring to a rocking tune (which I hate to admit I don't recognize). Also exclusive to the two-disc DVD is a digital copy of the film you can download.

All in all, a very complete package for an Oscar-nominated movie. I'm glad that the studio didn't follow the current trend of rushing out a disc only to turn around a year later and upgrade it to a collector's edition.

Still provided courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment.

Movie Review: Juno - Cast For Long Life

by Tony Dayoub



So it wasn't as precious as I feared. And once you divorce the hype behind its Oscar nominations, Juno is a nice little gem of a movie.

See, I was afraid that Diablo Cody's screenplay for it would be so hip, ironic and of-the-moment that it would date the film years from now. And as Entertainment Weekly and Glenn Kenny at Premiere both pointed out, "honest to blog" it will. With too-clever slang like "pork-sword" for the male organ, and curses like "Phuket, Thailand" for "F*** It", the film does tap into today's kids and their crafty doublespeak meant to keep adults out of the loop. Like The Breakfast Club is forever an 80s movie, and American Pie is distinctly 90s, Juno is one for the 00s (double aughts?).

Musings on the Academy Awards or How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Predictions and Love the Oscars

by Tony Dayoub

First Entry - 3:51pm: I've got my Filet Mignon ready to grill, Champagne chilling in the fridge, and will be checking in from time to time today. I will update the blog on random thoughts regarding the countdown to the Oscars. I'll also strive to keep a tally on how wrong I was on my Oscar predictions from my last entry. So keep checking in, and feel free to respond with your own thoughts.

Second Entry - 9:10pm: First upset of the night would have to be Golden Compass winning Best Special Effects over Transformers. Could it have been a case that Transformers' effects were too good to even be recognized as effects?

Oscar Picks 2008

by Tony Dayoub

The writer's strike is over, probably due in no small part to Gil Cates. Cates, producer of The 80th Academy Awards, was the only man in Hollywood sure that the Oscars would go on this year. Makes you wonder if he had some kind of back-channel access to the parties involved.

Whatever the case was, I am glad he made it possible to enjoy my favorite day of the year. There is a case to be made that it diminishes the art by rewarding those who spend money on Oscar campaigns. However, for a movie-lover like myself, there is no more glamorous or celebratory day for American cinema.

And though I may disagree on who should win the awards, here are my picks on who will win the awards.