Sideways... Not lost in Translation to Japanese
Wain wa ikaga desu ka?
Remember the enormously successful and slapstick, funny movie, “Sideways” (which boosted sales of pinot noir and all but destroyed sales of merlot)? Well, anyway, a Japanese version of the film, featuring three of Japan’s most famous actors, has been shot in Calistoga. The plot involves a trip to California’s wine country by the principal actor to attend the wedding of a friend, just as in the plot of the original “Sideways.” .... The film is scheduled for release in Japan sometime in the fall of 2009. - St. Helena Star, Variety, DougWilder and Cinematical.
The Japanese are going gaga over the wine picks of their favorite national sommelier. Oh, did I mention he's a cartoon character?
Entire 20,000-bottle shipments of burgundy sell out within hours in Tokyo if he so much as looks at a glass, South Korea's biggest film star is lined-up to play him in a TV drama and he has converted thousands of Asian women into the most discerning oenophiles.
In the rarefied world of superstar sommeliers, there may be none greater than Shizuku Kanzaki. The only snag is that he is a cartoon. - TimesOnLine
Labels: Japanese, Movie, Napa Valley, Sideways, Wine