That’s a great idea, regarding finding documentaries made by well-known directors, instead of looking for them by topic. Just a guess, maybe they have more variation in style and editing?

Speaking of documentaries, I was recommended one named “Human”, and I think it’s on Youtube, although I saw there were extended versions, and those seem very long. I haven’t watched it yet, but I already think I may like it. Just intuition, I guess. I was also recommended Life in a Day (yes, the name is not inverted). And then you heard about Samsara, right? I actually have no idea if it’s considered a documentary, as there is barely any dialogue (that’s what I remember, at least, because I am uncertain if I’ve seen the whole thing) or maybe I might be mistaking it with Baraka, which was by the same maker as Samsara. Now all of these mentioned in this paragraph seem to have a similar premise, in that they give us a glimpse of life and culture all across the globe. Now I know I’m recommending stuff that I haven’t really watched in full yet, but as I said, my intuition says they’re probably good. I’m recommending them because I think they might be different from regular documentaries, which is usually about a specific topic. I don’t really know.

Would you know of anything that seems experimental? I seem to really appreciate form aside from just content and story. In the same regard, I also feel particularly geeky about cinematography. I mean, I feel like categorizing films I’ve seen that used similar techniques. Would that be a boring topic for you? If not, please feel free to join me on my venture 😀 Maybe in this regard, I’ll be much more excited to talk about more and more films individually and with more detail 😀

I just love how stories can be told in unconventional formats and all, how you can basically express something more just by focusing on the visuals…

When you watch the videos on Channel Criswell, make sure to turn on the annotations. They help you identify the films that appear in his videos, and that might help you pick a Miyazaki film as well. Pick anything that intrigues you the most.

To be honest, I’ve watched very little films (like around 10 or so) from my country. I’m not going to keep it that way, of course. When I get the time, I’ll take the project very seriously and watch everything from this top 50 list and I’ll look for more, after that.

Greatest Pinoy Films of All Time (10-1)

I sent part 5 because I think this is a countdown list, so the last ones mentioned might be the topmost rated.

You see, the mainstream film industry is pretty sad over here. They won’t stop showing cliches and overused story arcs. There are occasionally mainstream films that turn out great, but most of the time we tend to prefer indie films instead (most are tagged under Cinemalaya, although occasionally, some become more internationally acclaimed because they are sent to foreign film festivals). And I did hear that the industry was much better in the past. It’s just that now, it never really matured or almost everything is like a rehash from something. Of course, I may be biased because I’ve barely seen anything (I guess I wouldn’t mind looking through mainstream films as well just so I REALLY make sure I did not miss anything that might have been good). Wow, talking like this makes me feel obsessed. Am I really going to see EVERYTHING? Who knows. But it’s fun to dream.

I asked about being a conversationalist because I am not a good one (Haha). I suppose you know about my social anxiety from my other posts. Well, knowing about film is starting to become an asset for me. And I think, compared to other things I know, it’s a HUGE asset. Why? Because it’s so broad! And because you don’t just talk strictly about films, you talk about stories. You learn more about the world. My obsession used to be music but I realized that it was slightly harder to talk about it than film. Because with film, if a person isn’t really that obsessed with film as a medium, you can still talk about the story! Or film increases your general knowledge and so you’re able to follow a lot of conversations. Or you start to understand people a little more, after observing a wide variety of them on film (vary your films of course, or else you may get distorted views instead). And even if not everyone is a connosieur, if ever I was one, I would have no problem talking to anyone regardless of their tastes, because having an eclectic taste is the best!!! I just love the feeling of being able to relate to people and being excited about similar things with them. I love art and I love people. Those are the two things that seem to be most important to me in the world. And I really, really want to deal with my issues already so I can combine the two loves in my life.