
I had the good fortune to attend the red carpet premiere of
Bottle Shock at the Napa Valley winery where the movie's true story takes place (I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it). Before they screened the movie, which is about the emergence of Napa as a legitimate winemaking region, I got the chance to chat with some of the movie's stars.
First up, the venerable Alan Rickman with whom I'm slightly obsessed.

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called
Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen.

Did you like
Sideways, a quirky indie movie about wine (and relationships)? Then you might dig
Bottle Shock, another indie movie about wine, this time with an emphasis on the history of American winemaking. It may sound like a snoozefest to some of you, but the trailer makes it look incredibly interesting.

As I was leaving the screening of
Sweeney Todd, my mind was swirling with those silly, cliche comments often seen accompanying ads for critically acclaimed movies: "Sweeney Todd is . . .