my time

Yes, I admit. I watch Filipino movies. I don't just ramble on Japanese and Korean shows, I like some Filipino movies. Especially the old ones. I don't know why, but I'm just fascinated with them even though some of the plots are typical and the same.

I grew up in the 90's, and for me, this was the time when the only shows that were foreign to me were the Dragon Ball series, the Sentai series (Masked Rider Black, UltraMan, Bioman, Shaider to name a few), Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon, and all the animes back then that were dubbed in Tagalog and shown in the local television. I didn't care much about Hollywood movies, for I was just learning the English language at school and honestly, I didn't understand them fully before. So I was exposed to media at an early age, where TV played a big part in my life. I would watch dramas after I get home from school, and sometimes I watch a movie with my mom. Don't even get me started on a primetime drama series. A regular Filipino drama lasts months, years even, depending on its popularity.

Animé was very popular during the time when I was growing up. It's still popular in the Philippines, it always has been, and I think it will never fade from the television sets as long as there are kids in every generation. 

So. Back to the movies. Nowadays, I may watch some non-Filipino Asian dramas, but once in a while I check some independent movies that will never fail to amaze me. Some of the plots seem really, really ordinary, like its just part of your daily life, but on a movie maker's perspective, it looks different and artistic. Some movies show the harsh realities of life, while others start the story with something completely normal, but soon picks up as it gets interesting towards the end. Some of the old Filipino movies are nice too, with outstanding performances that would knock you off your feet. Cliched plots will always be there, but sometimes, you just have to be really careful in choosing a perfect Filipino movie. If you ever do get around to watch one, I recommend you watch something that's made in the 90's. Or you can watch some indie movies made by indie filmmakers. And every summer, there is a festival screening all these movies on cultural film centres around the city. Which would bring me to my next post, The Cinemalaya Film Festival.