I once got into trouble with a coworker because I made the mistake of wearing my brains on my sleeve and announcing my undying aversion to Filipino romantic melodrama. She declared me unpatriotic (oh, and I can almost hear someone from a mile away accusing me of just being pa-sosyal right about now). In the interest of promoting corporate peace and harmony (I was in charge of employee relations), I offered my apologies, shut my mouth and went on hating Piolo and company in the comfort and privacy of my other secret self. What I should have told her was that watching the polar ice caps melting from Sharon Cuneta’s eyes does not constitute patriotism. There is no excuse to love your own when it’s only capital is its appeal to the tear ducts.
Besides, how can I be unpatriotic when I stayed glued every afternoon to my grandmother’s TV set marveling at the beauty that was Tita Duran and Pancho Magallona in black and white? I loved FPJ’s smacks and kapows too far better than those by the dynamic duo in colored tights. Heck, I even went so far as to patronize the two hour song and dance movie numbers by German Moreno’s scholars in polka dots and ribbons because my yayas were my barkada and they told me Janno and Manilyn would make me a happy, psychologically balanced, socially agreeable girl.
But that was it. I can’t offer the same love and dedication to the current stable of gooey weepers. The titles alone of today’s movies are discouraging enough. Is it just me or are almost all of today’s romantic movies prolonged cut and paste elaborations of pop songs? It’s as if all of the Filipino creative title makers had died in a nuclear explosion leaving the producers with no choice but to fish for movie titles in a vat of stale, radioactive lyrics from foreign top ten songs making the rest of the nation forever prone to the last chorus syndrome.
Did you notice too that foreign backdrops are becoming all the rage? When a story can’t carry itself with enough dignity, the prospect of seeing some actress’ breath freezing over in front of a European building is enough to justify parting with half your day’s wages at the cinema booth. So long as I retain some measure of sanity, I cannot follow John Lloyd, Bea, Angel, Piolo, KC, Richard, Sam and Toni to Milan , Paris , Venice , Santorini , Australia
I’ve promised myself though to be more “patriotic.” I will watch Filipino romantic movies someday when they stop whatever they’re doing right now or when they make a movie out of Don’t Touch My Birdie.
AMEN!”You Are Not Alone,” Miss. haha =)
I still haven’t been able to get myself to watch a single Filipino romantic movie and I’ve been branded a lot of things because of that… but this entry, I like this!
P.S.
Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil’s “Boses” and Paul Alexander Morales’ “Concerto” are on my list of future titles to watch. I haven’t seen the films yet, but from what I’ve heard, watching both movies is a great way of being more patriotic. 😉
hahaha. i’m glad that there’s someone who can understand my experience little tikla. sometimes it hurts to be called unpatriotic and sosyal.
thanks for the tip on those two movie titles. i’ll watch out for them 🙂
lmao..i was going to write something about this…we saw the movie last sunday and well…it wasn’t that great but it’s bearable. anyway..i’ll write my review on my blog…
at least bearable siya webie. hehehe
ur still patriotic eventhough u never watch a filipino romantic movie,i am ur fan sis…i dont watch this kind of movies as well…walang kwenta kc sa totoo lang…masakit mang sabihin karamihan naman ng nagawang pelikula dito satin walang kwenta pero di lahat…pero sa ngaun i think sobrang nahuhuli na…im back sis Grace…
uy tantrum, nagbalik ka na! napansin ko nga na nawala ka. pumunta ako sa blog mo at hinahanap ka rin ng ibang friends mo. salamat sa suporta ha. nakaka uplift… 🙂
Ms G. ’employee relations?’ hehehe. I get the picture.
I actually liked A Very Special Love. The story’s a bit gasgas in some parts, but it’s got a very… happy-happy feel. Not to mention, Lloydie is so….! (He! don’t react!) ;D Can’t stomach For the First Time though. Sigh.
Have you seen Orapronobis? Ghastly, beautiful film. Oh, and I think Bembol Roco still had hair back then. Can’t be too sure though…
oooh. that must be an ooooold film. i’ll put that on my movie list.
well, if i had to watch one or the other i think i’d choose lloydie over his and her royal highnesses 🙂
i don’t watch romantic films. period. hahaha
– rocky-
mags! hi! hahahaha! great post. i totally agree! 🙂
remember that kimerald movie that everybody loved so much? i forgot the title. my mom and i watched the dvd. i didn’t last 30 minutes. haha.
“is it just me or are almost all of today’s romantic movies prolonged cut and paste elaborations of pop songs?” i know! exactlyyy! it’s just so weeird!
oh by the way ma’am, has sister l. talked to you yet? she and brother tj (the new mod) have told me that they’re gonna ask you to supervise the printing part, because brother tj’s leaving for manila then.
brother tj’s nice and all but i really wish you were still in charge. he doesn’t know as much as you do about school papers. most (well, ALL) of the bossing-around is coming from me! and i’m not sure what to do either. HELP!
rocky: hehe. that’s a good one. ako i watch pero kana lang pina you’ve got mail na type. blame it on my mum na adik kay tom hanks at meg ryan
aimee: oh dear! my horro days are not over pala! huhuhu
oo nga…
ms g!!!
your mom is a tom hanks-meg ryan fan?
creepy, my mom is, too! :X
i’ve seen sleepless in seattle, you’ve got mail… but i think my mom likes tom, not meg. she doesn’t forgive the latter for ditching on dennis quaid :X
hey that is ultra creepy.
i also can’t forgive meg ryan for breaking up with dennis quaid. haha. imagine that…