As a Filipino moviegoer, I always feel like I am being deprived of seeing high caliber Filipino films. Gone are the days of filmmaking where filmmakers and movie producers were producing and making films for quality and artistic values. Now, all we see are conventional, repetitive, and boring films with the sole purpose of making money. For some film studios and producers, it’s all about business, and majority of Filipinos are trapped in this cycle of watching crappy films again and again.
Fortunately, there is a growing number of Filipino filmmakers and movie studios who are brave enough to take risks by making quality independent film that are making waves internationally in terms of awards and recognitions. Also, there are lots of independent films in the past that managed to perform well in the box-office. Take ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ for example. Out of two million peso budget, it went on amassing a staggering amount of one hundred and thirty four million peso in the box office.
The very recent one was ‘Heneral Luna,’ a Jerold Tarog biopic about one of our national heroes, General Antonio Luna. It was a sleeper hit in a way that it didn’t receive too much fanfare prior to its release, and no promotion in the mainstream media. It became more popular because of ‘word of mouth.’
It managed to rake 240 million pesos ticket sales. Thus, becoming the highest grossing independent Filipino film of all time. With the emergence of the above- mentioned films, it is safe to say that it is possible for filmmakers and studios to come up with a film that has artistic and creative values while capable of doing well commercially at the same time.
Last year’s MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) line up was ‘refreshing and revolutionary.’ I say it’s refreshing because the set of movies shown in local cinemas are not the usual rom-com movies with cheesy lines and fantasy comedy franchises with cheap visual effects and shallow storylines that used to dominate the silver screens. I say it’s revolutionary for so many obvious reasons, but I would like to single out the fact the line- up was fresh, thematic, and relevant. In other words, the line- up last year was a departure to the usual MMFF offerings from previous editions.
Sadly, for this year’s edition, the execom (MMFF executive committee), decided to revert back to their old ways. They said that the line- up was a combination of movies with box-office appeal and movies with artistic excellence. I am now seeing familiar faces in the selection, and personally, I am not liking it. It was disappointing because I thought that the glory days of MMFF from the past are now returning, at least little by little.
So, with that said, it is with great dismay that we will be seeing Coco Martin, Vice Ganda, and Vic Sotto again this year. If I may say so in Filipino, “nakakaumay na.”
I am no movie critic, but I know how to appreciate movies. I can appreciate film, the beauty of it. And, I talking about movies, be it positively or negatively shouldn’t prevent you from appreciating the movies that you really like. For me, the best movies are those that you have come to appreciate personally despite the bad reviews. The purpose of this blog is not to critique films, but to discuss films. I leave it to those who are credible enough to do the job, critics such as Peter Travis of Rolling Stones, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott of New York Times, among many others.
One simple advice: If you are interested in seeing a movie, just do it. Do not rely on promotions, do not rely on box-office turnout, and do not read reviews. Just rely on your curiosity. It should be a discovery, because for me, appreciating films is like appreciating the beauty of arts in general (film is a form of visual arts); it is subjective.
Say, one might find ‘Titanic,’ disappointing or boring while others might regard it as one of the greatest films of all time (as did I). That person, who found ‘Titanic’ to be disappointing despite its sheer beauty, should not be blamed, because he/she has his/her own standard in appreciating films.
So, when it comes to appreciating moving pictures, create your own ideals, set your own standard. At the end of the day, it’s not about the critics’ opinions that matter; it’s not about the moviegoers’ clamor that should prompt you in watching a movie; it’s not about how a certain film managed to rake millions of peso from the box office that would lead you to the cinemas.
It’s about how a movie touches you; it’s about how a movie speaks to you, affects you, and makes an impact on you. It’s about how a particular film would make you smile after leaving the cinema, it’s about how it will leave a mark on you for the next few days, and it’s about how it will change your life after watching it.
Fortunately, there is a growing number of Filipino filmmakers and movie studios who are brave enough to take risks by making quality independent film that are making waves internationally in terms of awards and recognitions. Also, there are lots of independent films in the past that managed to perform well in the box-office. Take ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ for example. Out of two million peso budget, it went on amassing a staggering amount of one hundred and thirty four million peso in the box office.
The very recent one was ‘Heneral Luna,’ a Jerold Tarog biopic about one of our national heroes, General Antonio Luna. It was a sleeper hit in a way that it didn’t receive too much fanfare prior to its release, and no promotion in the mainstream media. It became more popular because of ‘word of mouth.’
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| Source: en.wikipedia |
Last year’s MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) line up was ‘refreshing and revolutionary.’ I say it’s refreshing because the set of movies shown in local cinemas are not the usual rom-com movies with cheesy lines and fantasy comedy franchises with cheap visual effects and shallow storylines that used to dominate the silver screens. I say it’s revolutionary for so many obvious reasons, but I would like to single out the fact the line- up was fresh, thematic, and relevant. In other words, the line- up last year was a departure to the usual MMFF offerings from previous editions.
Sadly, for this year’s edition, the execom (MMFF executive committee), decided to revert back to their old ways. They said that the line- up was a combination of movies with box-office appeal and movies with artistic excellence. I am now seeing familiar faces in the selection, and personally, I am not liking it. It was disappointing because I thought that the glory days of MMFF from the past are now returning, at least little by little.
So, with that said, it is with great dismay that we will be seeing Coco Martin, Vice Ganda, and Vic Sotto again this year. If I may say so in Filipino, “nakakaumay na.”
I am no movie critic, but I know how to appreciate movies. I can appreciate film, the beauty of it. And, I talking about movies, be it positively or negatively shouldn’t prevent you from appreciating the movies that you really like. For me, the best movies are those that you have come to appreciate personally despite the bad reviews. The purpose of this blog is not to critique films, but to discuss films. I leave it to those who are credible enough to do the job, critics such as Peter Travis of Rolling Stones, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott of New York Times, among many others.
One simple advice: If you are interested in seeing a movie, just do it. Do not rely on promotions, do not rely on box-office turnout, and do not read reviews. Just rely on your curiosity. It should be a discovery, because for me, appreciating films is like appreciating the beauty of arts in general (film is a form of visual arts); it is subjective.
Say, one might find ‘Titanic,’ disappointing or boring while others might regard it as one of the greatest films of all time (as did I). That person, who found ‘Titanic’ to be disappointing despite its sheer beauty, should not be blamed, because he/she has his/her own standard in appreciating films.
So, when it comes to appreciating moving pictures, create your own ideals, set your own standard. At the end of the day, it’s not about the critics’ opinions that matter; it’s not about the moviegoers’ clamor that should prompt you in watching a movie; it’s not about how a certain film managed to rake millions of peso from the box office that would lead you to the cinemas.
It’s about how a movie touches you; it’s about how a movie speaks to you, affects you, and makes an impact on you. It’s about how a particular film would make you smile after leaving the cinema, it’s about how it will leave a mark on you for the next few days, and it’s about how it will change your life after watching it.
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