With Shane away, it was Harry McGee of The Irish Times hosting this week's Sunday Show.

The Cultural Toolbox must go on, of course, and John Fardy was in studio to chat with Harry about this week's choice - the acclaimed and award-winning 2004 comedy-drama Sideways:

The film was directed by Alexander Payne (previously of Election fame) and stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh.

The film follows Miles (Giamatti) and Jack's (Haden Church) trip through California's wine country ahead of Jack's wedding - a trip that ends up coinciding with Miles (and perhaps Jack too) having something of a mid-life crisis.

Madsen and Oh star as Maya and Stephanie, who develop relationships with Miles and Jack over the course of the trip.

Harry started by explaining Payne "has made quite a name for himself for making slightly offbeat films that feature very human stories. Nobody is too outlandish, they always have their human foibles and weaknesses, and there's always one guy who is a little bit of an unknowing narrator in each of his films".

John very much agreed, saying "[Miles] is also developing a drink problem, it's very apparent. The movie is very much about wine, but you come to realise that actually all this fancy talk about wine isn't all that different about the guy in a doorway with a can.

"Wine takes on this brilliant symbolism in the film - it comes to represent life. I know that's a bit cliché, but it does," he added.

Although the film packs an increasingly powerful dramatic punch as it goes on, John was eager to stress that "it's also hilarious" - and indeed features some wild slapstick moments.

"One thing that happened as a result of this movie," John also explained, "was that sales of Merlot demonstrably were shown to be well down globally because of a scene in Sideways" - referring, of course, to the iconic "I am not drinking any ****ing Merlot!" scene.

Listen back to the full conversation about the film above, and check out the trailer below.