Movie Fan.

I confess: I love Filipino movies. Correction, I’m OBSESSED with Filipino movies. It all started when I was still a girl growing up in a town with only a handful of movie houses, most of which show R-movies or super extended screenings of certain films. I was then confined to watching movies on TV and during that time we only had Star Movies and rented VHS tapes to watch (often outdated) foreign films. Blame it on too much TV. A lot of the local channels played all sorts of Filipino movies—and so my love story with Filipino movies started.

Now I’m no authority on Filipino movies (I tend to rate them on the levels of boredom or on their kilig factor, neither of which are probably used by the FAMAS or Oscars) and I tend to know a disturbing amount of mundane information. Never ask me which award-winning director directed such-and-such movie or the title of the most moving movies of the 80’s, things I’ve heard or read refined Filipino experts know, but I do remember random lines from the most random movie, remember the full names of certain characters and love movies I could only classify as Bubblegum Pop. Ask an expert what their favorite Maricel Soriano—“Diamond Star” and multi award winning actress—movie is and they’d probably say Mila, Soltera or any of her heart wrenching films. Ask me which one mine is and I’d say Super Inday and the Golden Bibe (or any of her Inday and Maria movies for that matter).

Maricel Soriano, the Philippines’ Diamond Star, has been in Filipino films since she was six years old

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The great thing about local channels like CinemaOne, Pilipino Box Office (PBO) or Viva, is the wide variety of films they would show. I’d often find films ranging from up and coming indie films to the black and white movies of the 60’s starring a very young Gloria Romero or Dolphy. My fascination with Bubblegum Pop movies though lead me to personally prefer 80’s ensemble hits—with the lead stars all joining together to perform a song and dance finale—and cheesy and predictable 90’s teen romance hits—complete with the best lines you’d never say in real life but just sounds so good when the stars say them. Remember Rico Yan saying “Para kang chewing gum na nginuyanguya’t pinagpasapasahan?” (You’re like gum; chewed over and over again and passed around.)

The late actor delivered the memorable line in the 1998 hit Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita.

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Here’s 4 of my 1,000,000 favorite Filipino films; two to reminisce on the fantasy and comedy of the 80’s and two for the hopeless romanticism of the 90’s.

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1. Blusang Itim (1986). The original Ugly Betty/Betty La Fea. I remember watching this when I was a kid; I thought the ugly Jessa was some unknown actress but was totally balled over when I saw her transform to the fair skinned, perfectly shaped eyebrows and pekas-less Snooky Serna whenever shed wear her ruffle-collared black blouse. I know they say black is flattering on any woman; well this movie took it to the extreme.

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2. Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (1988). Chichay will always be engraved in my mind as Lola Basyang. She totally epitomized the aging lola wearing old garb and sitting in an old rocking chair with her eager grandchildren gathered at her feet. The consisted of three parts, a Sleeping Beauty adaptation with Snooky Serna and Gabby Concepcion, a comedy-horror story of lost travelers starring Maricel Soriano, William Martinez and Manilyn Reynes and a musical about an angel coming to earth to help Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III free child-wor. While this movie did not contain a song and dance number finale, the end had the three loveteams (Snooky & Gabby, Maricel & William, Nora & Tirso) in a Santacruzan passing outside Lola Basyang’s ancestral house and her grandchildren all watching and exclaiming that they were the characters in their lola’s stories.

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1. Flames the Movie (1997). This two-part movie was based on F.L.A.M.E.S., the 90’s teen-romance TV series. This series had two of my favorite 90’s loveteam—Claudine Barreto and Rico Yan in Pangako and Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin in Tameme. It had usual teen romance clichés: unspoken feelings and forbidden relationships. If they added a third story and featured falling in love with a best friend then it would have been the movie that defined the whole decade. Favorite parts include: Leslie (Jolina Magdangal) pushing Butch (Marvin Agustin) to the floor and Butch retaliating by pulling her beside her during a class on forces and Karina’s (Claudine Barretto) deaf younger brother Emil (Marc Solis) signing that she looked like his teacher while she was dressing up for a party. Ah, life’s simple pleasures.

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2. Isang Tanong, Isang Sagot (1997). 1997 was a good year for teen romance! Donna Cruz and American celebuspawn Jason Everly star in this movie about an American brat falling in love with his maid. I will never forget how madly in love Liezel/”Hey!” (Donna Cruz) was with Eric (Jason Everly), smelling his clothes and hugging his picture while exclaiming “Mahal ko siya!!!”

Some people may find it ridiculous and has even resulted in my Probinsiyano exclaiming “Ang baduy baduy mo!” but I find watching Filipino movies refreshing and a great distraction from day-to-day life, especially since moving here means having less time spent in traffic and more time at home and unwinding after a long day. From the day I came back, I have found myself switching to my go-to Filipino movie channels and looking forward to another movie to love, so get ready for more entries regarding Filipino movies from this certified Probinsiyana Movie Fan!