Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone
Hey there, everyone!
So, I'm back again trying my hand at another article.
Have you ever tried to watch something you'd never normally watch just because it has been added to Netflix?
This is something I do on a regular basis.
Six months ago, I was randomly scrolling on Netflix and came across my first Filipino movie - All of You. It didn't occur to me then, that this was a country I'd never watched before, but I have to say I truly enjoyed it.
I am a frequent user of Netflix's departing Coming Soon feature on Android, (which is the reason I won't be updating my app for as long as possible even as a beta user because I treasure it too much!) and I thought I'd check if they were adding some more in the future. Sure enough, they had a lot of them, all being released on the same day.
I was so excited that I set my Netflix reminders for each of them without even giving it a second thought. There comes the day they were due to be released, I jump on Netflix super duper excited and they've all disappeared! I type all the names since I made sure I remembered them and nothing pops up! You can imagine how bummed I was and the following days, I kept checking and checking and checking. Days soon turned into weeks and I started to lose hope of ever watching these movies so I gave up. Then suddenly, they ALL reappeared!!! I felt like all my Christmases came at once!
My excitement seemed strange even to me because I'd never seen these movies before, but the synopsis for each one sounded like something I'd enjoy watching.
At first, I thought Filipino people spoke English since there was a mixture of English but it didn't occur to me that it's mixed. I honestly thought only my language was like that. Adapting to this new experience didn't take too long because I got used to it much faster than Korean and Thai.
I didn't know this was a thing until I realized I'd watched several movies with the same people and then I started to ask myself "So, this country does movies with the same couple each time?" I know Thailand does that because as a regular Thai drama watcher I've noticed that there are some couples that do partner up multiple times, but its nothing like the way the Philippines does it.
I have noticed that some of the plots do tend to repeat themselves but honestly, it's great for taking a break from those long, stressful, sad dramas we all obsess over. Most, if not all of the plots, usually surround romance, but since my dramas need to have romance, I'm not complaining.
I have to say that nearly almost every movie I've watched I truly enjoyed so I'd like to share some. The first ever Love Team I experienced was none other than that of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, I could honestly watch their movies all day - which I have.
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I really like this Love Team, and not just because they were my first, but they're the first couple I managed to nag my friend into watching. He "didn't" want to watch She's Dating the Gangster, but once we got started, he wouldn't quit fanboying! Of course, I had to tease him a little, but what shocked me the most was when he asked to watch another one! We decided to go with Can't Help Falling in Love and once again he fanboys, but tells me not to speak, because I always speak when there are no English subtitles - Netflix doesn't sub when they speak in English, which begs the question, what if someone deaf was watching this? Or the actors have an accent that the viewers aren't able to understand?
I've dabbled in other movies so here are some of them...
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I realize there are some users here from the Philippines, so this is probably more for those who share the love for the same Love Teams, or those who are interested in starting.
It's now been about six months, and 34 movies, since I started my journey into Filipino cinema, and I have to say that they've been a part of my Asian drama/movie watching routine, only once a month, for about 3 days, whilst I take a break from those nutty Lakorns I love so much.
Of course, this being Asian content means that we may be struck by the evil that comes in the form of lack of subs! Many drama watchers will have experienced this over the years, especially if its a country that has dramas that aren't as popular as K-Dramas.
While I don't think I'll ever be able to pick up even one phrase of Tagalog, unlike Korean, Thai and Mandarin, I have watched more than my fair share of unsubbed movies. Watching them unsubbed didn't really bother me because they do switch to English every now and again, but I feel if the plot, characters and actors are good, then it's not such a problem, because I also look at body language so I can get a sense of what's going on.
Just as Netflix seems to be licensing some Thai series, I hope to see more Filipino movies. I've also seen a couple of them on Amazon Prime.
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