Sideways

The (Un)Romantic Path of Literary Fiction: Alfred A. Knopf (Part II)

Rex Pickett | Posted 05.26.2012

Rex Pickett

I had never experienced "writer's block" in my entire life. If an idea -- screenplay or novel -- wasn't working, I just abandoned it and started on something else.

The (Un)Romantic Path of Literary Fiction: Alfred A. Knopf (Part I)

Rex Pickett | Posted 05.20.2012

Rex Pickett

I have made a couple horrible, irremediable decisions in my life, but this decision to accept the writing of The Road Back for Knopf would go down as the worst I have ever made.

Bad Break For Bryan Cranston

The Huffington Post | Michael Hogan | Posted 03.14.2012

Bryan Cranston tried out for a role in Alexander Payne's next project, the road-trip movie "Nebraska," but probably won't get the role, the director t...

The 'Sideways' Publishing Saga -- The St. Martin's Press Nightmare (Part I)

Rex Pickett | Posted 04.16.2012

Rex Pickett

I started to believe I had written a dreadful book, that Sideways was unpublishable. Then I got a call informing me that St. Martin's Press had offered $5,000.

The Sideways Publishing Saga -- Part III: Whiplash; Dismay!

Rex Pickett | Posted 04.09.2012

Rex Pickett

The Academy Awards hold a special place in my heart. I'm somehow miraculously behind two Oscars: the Best Adapted Screenplay for Sideways (based on my novel of the same title) and the writer of the 2000 Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

The Sideways Publishing Saga -- Part II: Exultation

Rex Pickett | Posted 04.04.2012

Rex Pickett

A year after Sideways had been pulled for submission, and the film industry had turned a deaf ear to two guys who go wine tasting in then little known Santa Ynez Valley, my life was in tatters.

The Sideways Publishing Saga -- Part I: Rejection

Rex Pickett | Posted 03.28.2012

Rex Pickett

In this post I will be specifically addressing what happened Sideways in the publishing world. My story, especially for aspiring authors, is not for the faint of heart.

It's the End of the Word as We Know It

Rex Pickett | Posted 03.24.2012

Rex Pickett

You would think with a publishing contract, a high-powered agent, a movie in the works, that I was the most grateful writer on the planet. I was... and then I wasn't.

The Descendants: A Paint-By-Number Masterpiece

Nancy Doyle Palmer | Posted 03.18.2012

Nancy Doyle Palmer

As one of the character puts it, "This is a unique and dramatic situation." But to the audience, The Descendants is simply about saying good-bye.

Movie Review: The Descendants -- The Year's Best Film

Marshall Fine | Posted 01.17.2012

Marshall Fine

I'll say it flat out -- Alexander Payne's new film, The Descendants, is my favorite of the year, a movie that manages to be heart-breaking and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Live from Toronto Film Festival: Tuesday 9.13.11

Marshall Fine | Posted 11.14.2011

Marshall Fine

My hunch about skipping the opening weekend of this year's Toronto International Film Festival has paid off, in more ways than one. Mostly, however, ...

The Dirtiest Scenes In Film History

Posted 09.12.2011

Movies, in many ways, are about fulfilling our wishes and seeing our fantasies lived out on screen. Sometimes, it's being a sports hero or brave soldi...

Talking with Eliza Wing of Sideways

Jeff Rivera | Posted 05.25.2011

Jeff Rivera

Digital technology has brought about a whole new world for book publishing and magazine publishers. Some say it is a world of trouble, others say a wo...

5 Movies That Made Me Fall In Love... Again

Laura Dave | Posted 05.25.2011

Laura Dave

I thought of this old joke: This guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much how I feel about relationships; they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, but I guess we keep going through it because most of us... need the eggs.

WATCH: 15 Movies That Are Better Than The Book

The Huffington Post | Gabe Habash | Posted 05.25.2011

The book is so much better than the movie. We've all said it, we've all heard it. And we all think it's always true, that the book is better than the ...

HuffPost Review: Don McKay

Marshall Fine | Posted 05.25.2011

Marshall Fine

Thomas Haden Church is one of those under-utilized treasures of cinema who only recently has started to get the kinds of roles he deserves.

The Most Important Moment From This Week's Lost

Rob Cohen | Posted 02.10.2010

Rob Cohen

The most important moment in the episode, for me, also involved Kate, but in the Island world.

Astoria Characters: The Out-of-the-Box Actor

Nancy Ruhling | Posted 05.25.2011

Nancy Ruhling

Since July, the world has been watching with delicious delight as Michael Cyril Creighton stuffs his face with Bakeway cupcakes on Jack in a Box, the comedy series he created for YouTube.

When Will it Sink In?

Benjamin Hart | Posted 05.25.2011

Benjamin Hart

A month after the election, there's still an overwhelming sense of novelty when I flip a channel and see Obama at a news conference.

Why I Love Red Burgundy and You Don't

Marlene Rossman | Posted 05.25.2011

Marlene Rossman

We in the U.S. don't love stinky. We grew up on too-sweet soda, Hawaiian punch and Yoo -Hoo, and we want our Pinot Noirs to taste like cherry cola (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Notes from a Sommeliere -- Pet Peeves

Marlene Rossman | Posted 05.25.2011

Marlene Rossman

Lately here has been a great deal of bitching and moaning about restaurant waitstaff and wine service. Having been on both ends of the wine bottle, I can tell you that the feeling is often mutual.