Pizza and Movie night...

Okay, so we didn't watch this movie with the kids last night.

They watched "High School Musical 3" for the eighth time.

But Niki and I tend to make time to watch one film a week.  Usually it's Tuesday night as that night is a little thin in TV-land where we live.

This week we watched "Bottle Shock" a festival darling from last year that didn't make much of a splash theatrically but is beginning to gain some word of mouth momentum now that it's hit DVD.

I saw it for the first time on a flight from Vancouver to Toronto--I'd just finished shooting for days on-end and treated myself to a Coors Light and a movie on the flight home where typically I'd be writing for most of the flight.

Anyway, I loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much that the week I was home I headed over to Blockbuster straight away to try and rent it.  I couldn't find it anywhere, so asked the clerk.  "Oh, it's not out yet..." they said, after I'd had them look it up on the system 'cause they hadn't heard of it.

Their loss.  And mine, 'cause I had to wait a month.

So watched it again with Nik this week and she loved it.  We'd planned to watch it over two nights 'cause we'd started quite late but ended up seeing it through.  It was exactly the kind of movie she loves.  Cool story, beautifully shot and nicely acted, some dramatic stakes but not so much tension that it stressed her out.

Story is about a Father/Son duo trying to make it as makers of fine wine in Napa Valley in the mid-1970's.  Based on a true story, it's a classic story of struggle and triumph.  In fact, 'beating the odds' and 'pursuing your dream' is the theme that runs through the 'A', 'B'  and 'C' story lines.

It's the relationships between the characters that we stay tuned for.  We want to see how the various relational tensions will be resolved.

If you like small, indie films like 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Sideways' but don't have to have the off-color sexualized humor you'll really like 'Bottle Shock'.

There's a wee relational through-line that doesn't pay off to 100% satisfaction but it's not so significant that it ruins the overall experience.

'Bottle Shock'.

Give 'er a try.

T