A bit off-topic, but
this would probably be my last blog post mainly fueled by academic
requirements. And I know by now you might be thinking "And I should care because...?"
I hope my readers aspire to get on my level of niceness, really.
The
four years I spent on college taught me a lot on the "realities" of
the art production industry. That we, as a nation, are still pretty much pushing for, and therefore dominated by, a conservative, conventional, conforming look at art-making (whether
it be movies, music, literature, visual arts).
I'm not sure if I just happened
to go to a university where professors frown upon a radical approach on the arts
but judging from numerous university film festivals I've gone on (I wrote the draft of this blog while on one, frankly), students are still limited by
the traditional boundaries the mainstream imposes.
I'm not saying this is wrong, but it's just so... unprogressive. The same kind of stuff has been fed to us literally for decades and to see the young generation to seemingly continue the trend is just saddening.
And this is not to say it's their fault. I'm going on a limb here, but believe me when I say that this assumption is based from my share of experiences as well: These students are either not pushed to their limits by their educators, or deliberately bound by their teachers themselves to stick to the "good ol' tried-and-tested" look at art-making.
Let me tell you, I've had my fair share of that.
So anyway, the point of this blog is this: I'm hoping for a day
that we teach the youth that there is more to art than kilig, drama, and
happiness, that there is more to the minds of the youth than what their schools
are giving them credit for.
And really, we are so much more than being aspirants of 1.0 grades.
It's been a fun four years. Count me in on the jobless pool.
CONCEPT: The karaoke is
on full blast, intro riff of Buko starts. A karaoke aficionado says "Ugh, that's so jejemon!" Everyone groans.
PLOT TWIST: I pretend to groan along.
"Ha ha, I agree. Truly, the worst song since Boom Tarat Tarat."
Look, I never really got why people hated Buko. It's catchy, the vocalist is okay, the lyrics could be less cheesy but it's not
THAT awful to make everyone act as if their ears are bleeding when the infamous
"tiw tiw tiw tiw tiw" drones on.
But
this entry is beyond Buko and beyond the mainstream OPM. Today I'd like to tackle a phenomenon i'd like to call: the bandwagon hate.
Let's get one thing
clear: there's nothing Filipino netizens love more than ganging up on an issue,
criticizing the hell out of it, therefore causing their ego to blow up (which
we all know cures acne, tuberculosis, and eczema, which is obviously why
so many people do it).
There's this particular kind of sadness I get when I see Filipinos do this, which I can only describe as similar to the sense of
hopelessness that I get whenever I watch Willie Revillame's shows. And this may be
due to the fact that bandwagon hate is rooted from a problem that has been an
age-old issue not only in the Philippines but literally all around the globe:
close-mindedness.
Here's a fun exercise you and your family can enjoy: Find a movie review shared on Facebook that is written by a Filipino which harshly criticizes a mainstream local film. Grab a popcorn, and go to the comments section.
(Now, you have the perfect activity for when you're bored and could use some little anger in your system)
Seriously, Filipinos are SO good at blurring the boundaries between factual (or even moral) debates with personal attacks. And through years of perusing the Web, I think I finally came up with how to rebut the Filipino way:
State why the opposite party is wrong.
Now, garnish the argument with a physical attack based on the person's profile picture and/or cover photo.
End the comment by telling the person that no other opinion is acceptable but yours.
Get cured from acne.
We laugh at him, he laughs at our acne.
We let prejudice rule our final judgement which harms not
only the subject of our criticism but also on our perception of the world. As Murakami put it:
"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."
Dare to
investigate, probe deeper, and broaden your horizon. Dare to liberate yourself
from the dictations of public opinions, and have a more meaningful, tasteful,
and healthy view of the world. I know this sounds like an Orwellian propaganda
but seriously, Buko isn't THAT bad.
I want to introduce you, readers, to my currently most favorite YouTube channel: YourMovieSucks.
Why, you ask? Let this movie review speak for itself.
After days of rummaging through YMS' reviews, one can't help but be amazed with how observant and thorough the reviewer is. If you have watched the video above, I hope I wasn't alone when I couldn't help but chuckle at how obliterated Unfriended was. And mind you, that's just Part 1 of 2 of his review.
Anyway, I've learned a lot from the channel on how to get more out of the movie experience and while I don't necessarily agree with every opinion YMS has, I look forward to applying a similar way of observation in my future watching experiences.
And that was when the thought hit me. If I were to be as meticulous and thorough with mainstream Filipino films, would I even get to enjoy a single one?
Don't get me wrong. I have watched a handful of local films that amazed me and I firmly believe that Filipino artists are more than capable in making tasteful and inventive crafts.
If that's the case, then what am I even yapping about?
The author's selfie #NoFilter #WokeUpLikeThis
A few weeks ago, I've read a thought-provoking article written by the controversial (and so far with the most kickass speech on MMFF so far) director Erik Matti which tackled about the need for compromise when it comes to marketability of a film in the pursuit of artistic progression in Philippine cinema.
"I wish for film workers to devote their knowledge and expertise to not just making a living but to mainly making something memorable. It has become all about the paycheck and not about doing excellent work. I wish for them to stop doing five projects all at the same time so they can focus on what matters to them most. This is a tough thing to ask from a Third World country and from an industry that doesn’t pay much, but I still wish for this."
My point is, it's not that filmmakers refuse to make inventive and tasteful films, it's just that the majority of Filipino audience (AKA people who buy the movie tickets) are still at a level where they're unwilling to take risks when it comes to movies they pay for, therefore going to those "tried and tested" (AKA heavily recycled) romantic flicks where they perhaps can find some post-worthy #Hugot lines.
And this, my dear readers, is where the problem lies. It propagates a culture where the audience "supports" films that are shat for the mere sake of endorsements and rising actors' exposure. It encourages a system where Filipinos are fed with nothing but shallow, unbelievably predictable films that aspire nothing more than to reap as much revenue as possible.
But as much as I hate to admit it, the entertainment industry, like pretty much everything else on earth, IS a business and no businessman wants a venture to fail. Hence the beginning of a vicious cycle.
One can only hope that there come a day when Filipinos actually get tired of shitty films and go take risks with watching films. As Matti put it:
"I wish that the audience would take risks in the films they go out to see. Let’s watch romantic comedies all we want. But let’s also watch other things. Documentaries, scary movies, sad movies, weird movies, shocking movies. Films are not just about feeling good or being charmed or falling in love. Films are also about getting angry, feeling terrified and frustrated. It is also about feelings of loss, of uncertainty, of thrills and awe. Films are about so many other things, too, other than just fun and love. I wish that you let films surprise you and not just give you what you always expect of it."
The crowd does not lead, it follows. Let's breed a healthy culture wherein we support and promote films that deserve attention. Let's endorse artistry in the country, and not get too swallowed up by the vile cycle of commercialism.
I don't like pineapples. And really, the only way to make me like pineapples is to feed me nothing but pineapples until I say, "You know what, pineapples are maybe probably fine I guess kinda" and succumb to a life enriched with vitamin C and manganese. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against pineapple-loving people (they come in handy when eating Hawaiian pizza) and I so BADLY wish I have the palate to not cringe whenever forced to eat them. But here's the thing: I didn't loathe pineapples as a kid. Heck, I don't mind having an itchy tongue for a whole day if it means I get to eat all the pineapples I want. But I guess one day I found out how amazing tangerines (dalanghita) are and never ever looked back. And by "never ever looked back," I mean I found it hard to imagine that there existed a phase in my life that I, a full-time tangerine fanatic, can stomach pineapples.
I doubt this pineapple gives a damn though.
Now here's what I want you to do: Replace "pineapples" with "mainstream Philippine television" and "tangerines" with "foreign and/or indie films" you basically get my whole take on the state of television. *Not totally applicable to some parts, but you get it. My readers are smart.
In a nutshell: Palatable only when I was still a naive mofo. Seriously, the only reason I see why Filipino TV watchers never get tired of the repetitive, unoriginal, ultra-mega-f*cking cheesy (sorry but that's just how it is) teleseryes is because they have no other choice. In all local channels, you won't see a teleserye that has no rich-boy-poor girl (or vice versa) tandem who hates each other at first but of course falls madly in love 5 episodes later. At least one of the protagonists would have a missing-in-action parent, and at some point, either or both of them would get kidnapped. Why? Because Philippine television. And advertisements. It baffles me how repetitive shows with BEYOND POOR script and acting can rake in that much retentive audience. Are Filipinos really that bored? I hope those people are just having their pineapple phase, and move on to demand better quality shows to encourage diversity and art within the show business.
