Story Publication: Tale of the Black Sea

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SIDEWAYS

      
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 04/05/2005
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
Run time: 127 minutes
Rating: R
Director: Alexander Payne
 
Often, when our kid is away at a sleepover party or overnight camp, my husband pops Sideways in for a night of good-natured adult humor. I bought the DVD quite randomly at a now defunct Hollywood Video store near our home, and this intelligent, down-to-earth comedy about men, women and sex became our favorite.

Set in the beautiful Southern California wine country is a story of two ordinary men, Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on a bachelor trip just before Jack’s wedding. Miles, the intellectual, is depressive and resigned over his recent divorce and struggle to publish his novel. All he wants is to glide through the scenic countryside and escape into first class wine, golf and dining which he hardly can afford. Jack, the flamboyant one, is bent on looking larger than a middling actor well past his modest prime. Seeking a boost, he is eager to sow his wild oats before getting chained to a pretty girl from a wealthy Armenian family. Miles resists the Don-Juanesque slant Jack puts on their journey and freaks out on meeting Maya, a woman he has known and admired for a long while. In turn, much hilarity and drama ensues, as Jack gets some good beating upon conquering one and then another hot chick.

Intellectuality, ignorance, wisdom, stupidity, lust, sentimentality, romance, sadness, depth, superficiality, heartbreak, bravado, crassitude, vulnerability, deceit, integrity – the complexity of the human nature makes the movie sparkle. The dialogue is sharp, and the wine interludes highlight the characterizations. I loved the ending, which was fittingly satisfying but not a generic happy-ever-after.

My rating: Five lilies out of five.

 Available at Amazon.com

Story Publication: Between Iceland and Greenland

My new short erotic story, Between Iceland and Greenland, has been published by Oysters and Chocolate. It is available as a free read here:

 http://oystersandchocolate.com/Stories/2280/BetweenIcelandandGreenland.aspx

Is there any better place for a sex romp than a Boeing cabin, economy class, when the affair might cost the lovers their jobs? Before returning to their offices at rival firms and acting as if there is nothing between them, Karen and Matt cap their secret love weekend in Europe with a hot encounter high above the Atlantic.

Rating: NC-17