movies from my adolescent youth

I was doing my usual rounds at the pirated DVD stalls at Quiapo [for those of you unfamiliar with the place, here’s Tami Ballesteros' take on the place, and here’s a post I did on it just last Valentine's -just click on them] last Wednesday after I came to hear the late afternoon mass. Having been a patron of the underground economy for many years, I have noticed how trends changed when it came to the titles released by the bootleg lords responsible for the enjoyment of cheap DVD copies.

In 2004, when I first ventured into that neighborhood that sold the bootleg DVDs across the Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, there was such a variety in the titles that were available other than the usual Hollywood and commercial releases. There was a stall that had old movies and foreign language films, while another had Operas and Musicals, and another had concerts and rare performances on sale. For Quiapo adventurers like me, the rare titles have become less and less through the years and have given way to the more commercial ones. I would be lucky enough to get a few really good ones if I actually spent an afternoon looking at the other less ventured stalls. Just to point it out, there’s been a surge of gay movie titles released lately, and some of them are ones that went out of circulation a few years back. Hooray for the gays…

In the past months, I have noticed how the titles they were coming out with were movies from the late 70s, the 80s, and the early 90s. There’s the old “Dune” movie with Kyle McLachlan, The Last American Virgin, Porky’s, The Last Starfighter, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Neverending Story Trilogy, Labyrinth, Mannequin, Revenge of the Nerds, I could go on forever…



As I was going through the titles of the DVDs stacked on the floor, I saw two movies that held a place in my heart when I was an adolescent: Disney’s “Iron Will” and that Brad Renfro movie called “The Cure”. I have been looking for a copy of these films for the longest time; the last copy of The Cure I beheld was on VHS. I loved “The Cure” because it was the first movie about friendship I saw that really hit home. And the day after that, I learned that Brad Renfro passed away just days after Heath Ledger but has obviously been overshadowed by the latter’s death. I reckon Brad Renfro deserves another tribute blog soon. Oh well…



I saw “Iron Will” with my childhood best friend, Schneider, it was the first movie we watched on our own -a bit of a growing up moment there. I even remember buying two large packs of that Mr. Chips snacks with our sarsaparilla drink. The movie even had a tagline “It isn’t a question of age or skill, but of iron will.” Funny thing though, when I was about to watch it, my DVD player won’t read the disc!!! Insert image of the Barefoot Baklesa screaming his lungs out going, “Whaaaaaargggghhhhh!!!”

Well, this is not the first time that happened -it goes with the territory. And it’s Friday again, Quapo calls. After the mass, all I have to do is cross the street.

Scenes of a Rainy Nature: Valentines Day 2009

It was a rainy Valentine's Day afternoon when I got off at Quiapo Church to pray a little before I went on my way to my friends' play. To those of you unfamiliar with Quiapo Church, words fall short in describing this amalgam of Filipino religious, historical, economic, and social traditions; you really have to be there and see for yourself. At the heart of it, is the Basilica of the Black Nazarene [an image of Jesus Christ bearing the cross that devotees flock to by the millions on its feast day], yet by its shadow lurk sellers of talismans, charms, and herbs -remnants of the animistic old ways. But that is another blog...



So by the historic square called Plaza Miranda, located in front of the Basilica, there were flowers stalls with their sellers busy for the day's trade of roses and bouquets... It was a sea of pink and red as even the balloon sellers were out with heart-shaped ones [but I don't think these photos do it justice].



What I found odd were these caucasians dressed in the fashion of those polygamist families I saw on television recently: ladies in dated blouses and skirts with hair white coverings like that of nuns while the men in collared shirts tucked within their trousers. The thing is, the guys who looked like they were in their 20s were really cute! But then again, they give me the heebie-jeebies. The only thing I could make out from their assembly was that they were members of the Philippine Mennonist Church [Whatever that is]. I thought how futile was it of them to seek converts in the stronghold of Roman Catholic faith in Manila. Oh well...that's typical Quiapo for you.