More on Sideways

So after rereading my post yesterday I realized I really didn't explain what was very good about Sideways. There are moments where Payne shows he has developed as a filmmaker. The first time the four main characters sit down to have dinner together Miles drinks too much wine. The montage of the conversation, the close-ups of Miles growing more and more drunk, and the snatches of dialogue that are heard all add up to a perfect expression of what a wine drunk feels like. A wine drunk is far different than any other drunk (for me at least) and while watching this scene I started to feel the same way I do when I overindulge. Payne managed to physically and mentally put me in the same place with his protagonist and that shows a real humanity and empathy that Payne is often accused (even by me) of lacking. That sequence continues with Miles calling his ex-wife. I've seen the drunken late night phone call to the wife scene at least one-hundred times, but I will say that I think this is the best scene like that ever filmed. Payne chooses to shoot Miles so that as he moves he goes in and out of focus, but I'm fairly sure he is subtly racking focus at the same time so that where he comes in clearly changes during the conversation. This is Giamatti's best scene in the movie, and it shows Payne may grow into a formidable filmmaker - something that coupled with his best scripts may make him the best bet to become the new Billy Wilder (with all apologies to Cameron Crowe who - although devoted to the master - is far too much of a humanist to be like his idol).