And this week’s (Nov 9-16, 2013) movie of the week is… Life is Beautiful!

Do you find it annoying to watch a foreign movie and have to either endure reading subtitles or watching actors’ dialogues not match up with their mouth movements because of the English dubbing? I sure hope not. Because if you do, you are a LOSER! Ok, that’s too harsh. It’s just that I’ve watched several foreign movies over the past fifteen years that have not only been great to watch, but also very meaningful. Even life changing. I change my mind… those who won’t watch foreign flicks for that reason are definitely losers. Well, at least lazy, stubborn and getting too much red dye #5 in their diet. But that’s not you, right?

There is a reason why it’s been “over the past fifteen years.” It all started in 1998, the year that I saw too foreign movies in a span of a few months; up until then I’m not sure I had ever watched one. The first was Babette’s Feast(1987). I liked it so much it made me want to give foreign cinema another go and see the Italian movie that had made such a big impression at the Oscars that year. 1997’s Life is Beautiful had won three academy awards the past spring, including best actor. And though I had missed the Oscars that year I had definitely heard how about the Italian guy who walked on the tops of the theatre chairs on his way to the podium when they announced him as winner of the category. I heard about how moving it was to hear his gratitude. I heard that he was also the writer and director of the film. Later I would watch watch his acceptance speech and hear him dedicate his award to “those who gave-a their lives so we canna say ‘life issa beautiful’.” How fitting is that for Remembrance Day?

So I finally watched it. Instantly it became my favourite movie of all. Fifteen years later, it still is. I usually like to find one ingredient about a winning movie that makes it stand out amoungst the rest, but in my own mind I cannot figure out the one ingredient in this movie. There are so many things to say about it. I will, however, share this: Life is Beautiful (or La vita è bella in Italian) brings out so many emotions in those who watch it that it’s hard to keep up. You feel deep pity for a family being torn apart by the holocaust. You feel anger towards heartless men and women. Yet you laugh out loud–even in moments when the moment should be tense. You feel pride towards a little boy who refuses to bathe. You feel such profound disappointment–even despair–when a man asks another for help in solving a riddle. You feel such great loss, though I won’t share why. You feel joy. You feel pain. And it’s beautiful. It’s all beautiful.

I won’t say anything more. This is a great time of year to watch this movie. Rent it, borrow it, or find it online. If you don’t enjoy it, call me up and I will do the right thing and call you a loser.

Congratulations Life is Beautiful. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to:

Best actress: Melanie Laurent for her role as Shosanna in Inglourious Basterds. The scene of her eating dessert with Landa was unforgettable, and a typical intense Tarantino scene. And while we’re talking about actresses, in Life is Beautiful, Benigni’s real life wife, Nicoletta Braschi, plays his wife, Dora in the movie.

Best actor: How can I pick between Adrian Brody (The Pianist) and Roberto Benigni? They both won best actors for their roles and I LOVED both of their performances. Well, there’s always Christoph Walz. His portrayal of Col. Landa was chilling, and he too got an Oscar (best supporting) for his work. He gets the prize this week.

Best quote: From Life is Beautiful: “You can’t imagine how much I feel like making love to you. But I’ll never tell anyone, especially not you. They’d have to torture me to make me say it.”

Have a wonderful Remembrance Day this Monday. And never forget.