La vita e too short for this rubbish

An interesting compare and contrast exercise this week with watching 2 films; The Grapes of Wrath and Life is Beautiful.

Compare;
- Both are about the behaviour of human beings in the most trying of circumstances
- Both place a value on family and community over governmental authority
- Both use a mixture of gentle humour and shocking moments of seriousness
- Both are in the IMDb Top 250 and did well at the Oscars

Contrast;
- Grapes of Wrath has great acting, tremendous cinematography, sympathetic music and a sensitive understanding of the historical context.
- Life is Beautiful has none of the above, plus horrific misjudgements of tone, a cringingly ingratiating lead, weird plot holes, a clumsily overstated score and an insultingly manipulative manner. This would be bad enough in any movie, but add a shockingly insensitive and inappropriate portrayal of the Holocaust and - bingo! - Forrest Gump is finally defeated in my Dirty Dancing Memorial Award For Worst Movie Of All Time.

I want consciousness expansion, I go to my tabernacle and I sing