Sideways

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I think there is something beautiful and amazing about being so oblivious to the techniques of cinema and fully understanding the deep meaning. I don’t understand how some awards are given out for a movie, I mean; I don’t fully understand the standard of aesthetics. See, this is the beauty that I am talking about, this wonder, a mixture of fear of being wrong with little bit of hope that everyone has different opinions. Sideways received tons of awards and praises, including an Oscar for the best screenplay.Honestly, the movie was deep but boring. From reading the reviews and critiques, I began to truly wonder what is the standard for a "good movie".

But Sideways really made me think about the mix of coding made by the writer, and the acting that supports the written words, which can ultimately even change the encoding of the meaning of the story for the viewers.

Sideway is such a sadistic comedy. It’s a dry comedy with a mix of life lessons intertwined with finding love, which can be defined in multiple ways. There is just constant flux that takes place in the movie, whether it be the constantly changing mood the feelings of the main character, or thoughts about love, that the only solid thing that grips the audience in place is simply wine.

So the movie is about a week of freedom for a groom-to-be with his best man. They go on a trip to go around bunch of vineyards in California  (even this part made me wonder, WHY? More about that later) But of course, the groom-to-be, Jack, wants more than just wine tasting and talking about pinot. While Jack goes crazy trying to find a girl to enjoy his last minute freedom, the main character, Miles, have way too much going on in his mind, from his ex-wife to his book that’s not getting published for years now. Along the way, he meets a wonderful lady named Maya, who he shares a similar interest in life with. Because of his sour situation in life, Miles is afraid of starting a relationship with Maya. Mile’s complicated and frustrating actions toward love and life makes the entire movie gloomy and hopeless. Actually, even Jack’s dumbfounded way of weighing love so lightly adds to the theme of the movie.

The juxtaposition of wine and life, the forced metaphor, was great. Wine ages and eventually reaches its peak, like people. How beautiful. But except for that, the whole movie is just so sour and really gives off that “deep-purple” mood like the actual wine.

You got to be in one of “those mood” to enjoy this movie. If you were looking for a comedy, DO NOT REACH FOR THIS MOVIE. It’s really one of those movies you ought to watch by yourself with a glass of dark wine, on one of those “I am just a little depressed” days.