Movie Meme

Passed on by Oliver. Now's my turn to answer...

Total number of films I own on DVD/video: Mostly VCDs (no DVD player). Less than 20.

The last film I bought: Guy Ritchie's Swept Away, out of curiosity. I haven't seen it yet. I'm scared.

The last film I watched: Jeffrey Jeturian's Bikini Open.

Films that I watch a lot or mean a lot to me: Hmmm....it's a good mix of a lot of things. It really depends on my emotional state at the time. Here's a list of some that have made a huge impact on me.

Farewell My Concubine (by Chen Kaige). I watched this, like, three times. Twice in its original form, once in its 'international version.' Oh, the tragedy of it all!

Sense and Sensibility (by Ang Lee). Three viewings, too. Twice in the theater, once on cable. I just couldn't get enough of Emma Thompson's wonderful screenplay.

True Lies (by James Cameron). Action comedy with Jamie Lee Curtis. Wow.

Inagaw Mo Ang Lahat Sa Akin (by Carlitos Siguion-Reyna). When this film about sibling rivalry was chosen as our Oscar entry that year, many eyebrows flew. But I left the theater speechless and numb for about an hour, and knew there and then that the film did its job.

La Vida Rosa (by Chito Roño). When Rosanna Roces shifted to making a string of 'art films,' her performance here was truly natural and sincere. Never mind Diether Ocampo.

Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle (by Stephen Chow). Asian-flavored special effects. Whodathunkit?! The sheer inventiveness of these two films left me gasping heartily.

Bayaning Third World (by Mike de Leon). Parody, satire, deconstruction, analysis. Intelligent Pinoy filmmaking.

My Best Friend's Wedding (by P.J. Hogan), Notting Hill (by Roger Michell) and Something's Gotta Give (by Nancy Meyers). I don't normally go for romantic comedies, but these were positively kilig.

Six Degrees of Separation (by Fred Schepisi). Based on the Broadway play, this disturbing piece showcases Will Smith's true skill as an actor. And to Stockard Channing, please make more movies!!

Monster's Inc. (by David Silverman, Pete Docter) and The Incredibles (by Brad Bird). Simply my fave Pixar masterpieces.

A Few Good Men (by Rob Reiner). A political whodunnit that made me nibble my nails throughout the courtroom scenes. One of the few films where I liked Tom Cruise. And Jack Nicholson was astounding here.

Tuhog (by Jeffrey Jeturian). Another marvelous satire that pokes and drills at the soft porn/art film trend of the late nineties. Ina Raymundo's vulnerability shines through.

The Stupids (by John Landis). This stupid movie is close to my heart. After working my butt off at the office and feeling so worn out (this was around 1996), I wanted to entertain myself with a dumbass brainless comedy. This movie healed me.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (by Ang Lee). Big budget martial arts movie. Oscar awards. Over $200 million in box office receipts. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh convincing in their dramatic performances. Finally, the genre I enjoyed in college was recognized big time.

Starship Troopers (by Paul Verhoeven). Sure, it was a certified flop, and they did shred that co-ed shower scene, but this sci-fi action film kept me wide-eyed and at edge of my seat as shit hit the fan.

And a whole lot more!!!

Comments

Marc Ambrosio said…
*Doggie ears perk up on noting mention of Starship Troopers.* Oh my god. I never thought you liked that movie, which I love watching it again and again as one of my favorite alien-stomping movies, a contrast from watching James Cameron's Aliens, which I also watch again and again when the fancy strikes me. I am much a Verhoeven fan since I loved Robocop back in the late eighties. Verhoeven
has the idea of introducing some media or product spin into things like in Robocop and Starship Troopers as a parody of sorts. Now I'm acting like a fanboy. I better move on to other things. :)
Anonymous said…
ilyn - Yes, I did see M. Butterfly. Though the film lacked the certain mystique I was hoping for, ang galing-galing ni Jeremy Irons. :)

Marc - Yes, yes! I loved it! Kill them fawkin' aliens! :)
Galing ng Starship Troopers! What appealed a lot to me was the idea that it was like putting the characters Beverly Hills 10210 and shove them into Full Metal Jacket. It's rather interesting to see how these innocent kids deal with such violence and death and how they grow as a result.

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