Opinion: Acclaimed films finally come to Springfield

January is always a heady time for movie lovers living in secondary markets such as Springfield. It’s usually when the critically acclaimed, if not “blockbuster,” films from the previous year finally start showing up at local theaters. Two of the finest from 2004 – “Sideways” and “Hotel Rwanda” – opened Jan. 21. The former is a nearly indescribable romantic comedy/neo-“buddy” movie and the latter is a serious, heart-wrenching drama based on true events from recent history.

I’ve been a fan of director Alexander Payne since seeing his brilliant social satire “Citizen Ruth” in 1996. He followed that with “Election” in 1999 and “About Schmidt” in 2002.

He’s outdone himself – and nearly every other filmmaker working today – with his latest effort, “Sideways.”

The characters, dialogue and acting performances are so incredibly natural that the viewer gets more a feeling of remembering a story about old friends than watching a movie.

Some of the more prudish may object to the overt consumption of alcohol and one of the main characters’ penchant for casual sex, but neither is portrayed in a gratuitous manner and both are main plot points of the film.

Paul Giamatti, who was so great in “Man on the Moon” and “American Splendor,” raises his status to “A-list” actor in the lead role of Miles Raymond.

Miles is a middle school English teacher, struggling novelist and wine enthusiast. His best buddy, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), is a rather vacuous TV actor who gets more work in commercials than soap operas nowadays.

Jack is getting married in a week. He and Miles take off from San Diego to spend the seven days before the wedding on a final wine tasting/male bonding road trip.

Miles takes wine very seriously, but Jack is more interested in bagging a few babes before his wedding. Jack thinks Miles, who has been celibate since his divorce two years earlier, needs to cut loose and get laid. Miles is more interested in sampling some of northern California’s better vintages. Both things come about in one of the best-written screenplays in recent memory.

“Sideways” is a film that really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. There’s a reason it’s on every critic’s “best of” list for 2004.

My advice is: If you are a wine drinker, get a bottle of your favorite pinot noir to have on hand when you get home.

Rwanda’s 1994 civil war resulted in a million-plus Tutsi being killed by the Hutu who were taking over the country. The rest of the world simply ignored the massacre. After all, Rwanda had no oil or weapons of mass destruction.

Terry George directed and co-wrote the screenplay for “Hotel Rwanda” with Keir Pearson, who was inspired by his trip to Rwanda shortly after the tragedy and his discussions with people who lived through the madness.

Based on real events, “Hotel Rwanda” is a story not so much about the genocide but rather one man’s courage in the face of it.

Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager with the skills of a diplomat. Even before the genocide began, tensions were high in Rwanda, and Paul understood how important it was to bribe military men and see that politicians’ needs were met. He was always a gentleman and always discreet. But he knew what needed to be done.

When the atrocities began, Paul – a Hutu married to a Tutsi – realized how serious things were going to get. Little by little he brought people into his hotel and managed to save the lives of more than 1,200 people.

Nick Nolte does a great job as Col. Oliver, a soldier in the employ of the United Nations. He’s faced with the reality that the world is simply going to turn its back on this devastating situation.

It’s a stirring and powerful film, one that will haunt the viewer for a long while.

Both of these movies are among the best of 2004 and will appear again at Oscar time.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

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