Sideways
Brooding writer Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his actor friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on a weeklong road trip to California wine country with the idea of playing golf and drinking wine. Miles is dejected and frustrated on account of his divorce and the uncertain fate of his yet-to-be-published-book. But nothing comes between the oenophile and his love for the thin-skinned Pinot Noir grape that grows in highly select conditions. Jack, on the other hand, is a wine virgin, preferring women over grapes to gratify the senses. Meandering through vineyards, sampling wine from different wine makers, they meet waitress and horticulturist Maya (Virginia Madsen) who matches Miles' knowledge of wine, and attendant Stephanie (Sandra Oh). The encounter sets into motion a tragicomic chain of events that leaves the foursome transformed in very different ways. Darkly funny and beautiful with exquisite insights into wine ("A bottle of wine is a whole life," as Maya puts it), Sideways was the toast of the "thinking" movie-watching set when it released in 2004. Celebrate this rich cinematic bouquet with a bottle of Pinot or a Cabernet - Miles doesn't think too highly of Merlot.

Bread and Tulips
Milanese director Silvio Soldini's tender and heartwarming comedy about Rosalba (Licia Maglietta), an Italian housewife who stumbles into the Bohemian life she was always meant for when she is left behind in a restroom by her family on a bus trip. Miffed at being literally forgotten by her brood, Rosalba decides to hitch-hike to Venice instead of waiting for them to come back and get her. Her adventures in the quaint backstreets of Venice and the motley group of people she meets - Fernando, a waiter from Iceland, Grazia, a masseuse and Fermo, a florist who employs her - leaves the free spirit feeling happier and more emotionally fulfilled than ever. Her absence doesn't go down well with her loutish husband who sends a madcap detective to track down his wife. Does Rosalba return to stifling domesticity or does she follow her heart and stay back in Venice? Activate the DVD machine to find out. Check in the foreign movie section of your DVD library for this movie in Spanish with English subtitles.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
A goofball version of Homer's Odyssey, this one sees three convicts, quick-witted Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), temperamental Pete (John Turturro) and sweet, foolish Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) escape from jail to get their hands on some buried heist loot before it's washed away in a flood. Their journey to the treasure is peopled with some decidedly weird characters - a blind prophet, riverside sirens and a one-eyed Bible salesman. Set in Mississippi of the late 1930s, Cohen Brothers' outrageous road comedy is packed with chases, laughs and fast turns. Watch this one for the funnies. The flick is also worthy of mention for its outstanding blue-grass soundtrack.

Thelma and Louise
Ridley Scott's dark classic is likely to top most feminists' top 10 movie list. A weekend fishing trip by two friends, Arkansas houswife Thelma (Geena Davis) and waitress Louise (Susan Sarandon) turns ugly when a man at a roadside Honkytonk tries to rape Thelma. Louise kills him and the two hit the road to escape. Notwithstanding their chalk-and-cheese personalities - Thelma is quieter, more controlled, while Louise is impulsive and trouble-prone - both women are disillusioned with their men. On hit-and-run ride they meet a robber on parole, JD (Brad Pitt) who gives Thelma tips on robbing a bank but promptly decamps with their money. The women also meet a truck driver whom they shoot when he refuses to apologise for making obscene gestures at them. The CBI, which has been on their trail, finally succeeds in cornering them at the Grand Canyon. In a stunningly shot climax, the duo opts to drive off the cliff rather than being captured.