“Wine is sunlight, held together by water…”
I never win anything… well in prize draw type competitions anyway, so it was with shock and delight that I read in my inbox the other day that I’d won a double pass to the “Westender” preview of “Bottle Shock”.
The movie hasn’t had all that much fanfare surrounding it’s launch this week which usually means either it’s not that good a movie, or it’s an independent release with limited funds available for invasive marketing. I’m not really sure Bottle Shock fits into either category as it’s not an independent flick as far as I know, and it certainly was a fantastic movie for my mind.
I rocked up to the cinema on Burrard and 5th nice and early to guarantee my seats, and I have to say my friend Sheida and I were lucky to even get a spot in the cinema as the paper had obviously given out more passes than the cinema could hold, as people were being turned away in no time.
Anyway, like I said, it was a fantastic, original and entertaining 70 minutes of storytelling which I had a feeling was going to be pretty good considering the attention it got at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Here’s the synopsis from Yahoo! Movies:
There are certain moments in history when America has proven itself to the world: Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon; or the US Men’s Hockey team beating the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. One such moment, however, never got the recognition it deserved: In 1976, a small American winery bested the exalted French wines of the time and sent the wine industry into a tizzy – putting California wines on the map for good.
Based on a true story, Bottle Shock chronicles the events leading up to the famous ‘Judgment of Paris’ tastings, told through the lives of father and son, Jim and Bo Barrett. A former real estate attorney, Jim sacrificed everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted chardonnay. His business, however, is struggling, and he’s not only trying to overcome differences with his slacker son, but is also fighting off the creditors.
Meanwhile in Paris, unwitting British wine shop owner Steven Spurrier hopes to revive his own failing business by sponsoring a competition which will pit the traditional French powerhouse against the California upstarts. Little did Steven and Jim realize that they were both on course to change the history of wine forever.
Featuring a great performance from one of Hollywood’s master “baddies”, Alan Rickman, Bottle Shock is a lighthearted movie I can highly recommend to anyone!
PS. Cheers to Sheida for being my arm-candy for the premier!
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