Forgettable movie titles

While waiting for a quorum during a Cinema Evaluation Board review early this week, Ms. Digna Santiago and I started recalling the local movies we’ve seen this year and we had difficulty remembering titles. No, it’s not age. The titles of most local films these days are really forgettable.

At least with digital films, we have no problems recalling each one because we easily remember the titles Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros by Auraeus Solito, Ilusyon by Paolo Villaluna, ICU Bed # 7 by Rica Arevalo and even something as simple as Big Time will easily remind us that this is the funny, funny film by Mario Cornejo.

The only problem with digital films is remembering the names of the directors because we are still unfamiliar with them. But, hey guys, just continue making good films and surely you’ll be known to everyone – the way we now know Lamangan, Maryo J., Joey Reyes, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna (he has a famous mother – so we have to distinguish him from her by always putting his first name), Jeturian and, yes, Bernal and Brocka.

The problem titles are those from mainstream cinema. Now, what is the title again of the Jennylyn Mercado-Mark Herras film that was just shown only this year? I think it’s the one from Regal because I remember the title of their other film from GMA – Lovestruck. It’s the other one I’m having a problem with. The one after Let the Love Begin? What is it again? Oh, never mind. It must have really been a forgettable film anyway.

Another film title I always have trouble recalling is Now That I Have You. I know I enjoyed this film starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo. I even remember its director, Laurenti Dyogi. But somehow its title always skips my mind (I remember everything about it, except for the title) and it only came back to me because I recently reviewed Dubai (thank heavens for a film title that has an easy recall like this one!) and I had to go through my files to reacquaint myself with the works of John Lloyd Cruz.

Around this time last year, another film with a title that always has me grappling with my fast failing memory was shown in Metro Manila theaters. It’s called Becauz of U. I don’t know if that is how you spell Becauz because it was obviously patterned after text messaging and in text messages there are no spelling rules.

Actually, the problem with film titles from the major movie companies is that these are mostly derived from popular songs. Okay, so these titles already have a built-in recall – thanks to the popularity of the top tunes from where the film titles are borrowed. But only after a few months after the commercial run of these movies, you tend to mix them up with the titles of other films of the same genre.

In the ’90s, the trend in local cinema was to cull titles from OPM tunes and so you had Ipagpatawad Mo, Dahil Mahal Kita: The Dolzura Cortez Story (you actually only remember Dolzura Cortez and forget about Dahil Mahal Kita) and Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal. At least, there was still a sense of nationalism here because the titles were in Filipino. But I swear the whole exercise was still very confusing – especially in the year 1992 when the films up for awards were Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin, Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal and Iisa Pa Lamang. Whew!

Of course, this is no longer a problem for the producer who has made or lost money out of a film that has a title tied up with a hit song. But it becomes a problem for film reviewers especially during the awards season the following year.

Surely, this is not a problem that is of national concern and I should no longer fret about it. After all, how many film reviewers are there in this country affected by this problem?

But then, don’t you miss the creativity of directors, writers and producers when it came to coming up with film titles in the old days?

Compared to the uninspired movie titles we now have, I will take anytime Viva Films’ convoluted titles in the ’80s: Bukas, Luluhod ang mga Tala, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan?, Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? Or what about Minsan Pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan?

And where, oh where is Danny Zialcita and his Nagalit ang Buwan sa Haba ng Gabi?

Oh, those were the good old days at the movies – when you relished even the movie titles.