Looks like action star and senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. wants to beat Hollywood movies to a pulp. If he had his way, the current onslaught of Hollywood movies in the Philippines would be reduced to one movie per month, reports Inquirer.net. "We should set limits, like what happened in South Korea."
In the 1960s, Korea enacted the Motion Picture Law that "blocked free importation of foreign films" under the foreign film import quota system. It was meant as "a support measure for Korean films," according to pages of Korean Cinema: From Origins to Renaissance posted on the Korean Film Council website.
However, Revilla added, "A lot of people would react negatively and I know it's against the GATT [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]."
Revilla suggested the drastic proposition when asked a hypothetical question about Hollywood movies being shown during Christmas time, which is usually reserved for the Metro Manila Film Festival. "How else can we revive the local movie industry if we give up the holiday play dates? The rest of the year, Hollywood movies beat local productions at the box office."
Revilla stars in one of the Metro Manila Film Festival entries this year, Ang Panday, which he also produced. "We have somehow perfected the use of special effects... We want to show the whole world that Filipinos can make films like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings," Revilla told Manila Bulletin.
He made headlines recently for asking Senior Superintendent Alfred Corpuz to investigate what he says is a cover-up of the alleged attempted suicide of Hayden Kho Jr., infamous for his sex videos with actress Katrina Halili. Dubbing Kho a "pervert of the highest kind," Revilla called for a Senate investigation on the videos and supported Halili in demanding that the plastic surgeon's license be revoked, which was indeed revoked in November.
SPOT.ph wants to know: Do you agree with Bong Revilla?
nabaliw na to
one word: ulul.
If the industry improves the quality of film they show on cinemas, then why not? That would mean no cheap remakes, no predictable stories and no moronic comedies and dramas of course. But who are we kidding? They can't do that.
Sira na yata ang tuktok ni Senator. Di nalugi ang mga sinehan ng SM, Robinson's, Ayala, at iba pa. Gustong gayahin ang Korea, bakit hindi yung economic progress ang gayahin niya at hindi yung paglimita ng imports? Kung mai-improve ang kalidad ng Pinoy Cinema at hindi kaparis ng ginagawa niyang gasgas na gasgas ng Panday, baka sakali.....
Go ahead. I'll just go back to reading.
If the local film industry can produce stimulating, original films instead of rehashed ideas that attempt to show we can copy LOTR, then by all means limit foreign imports to one per month. But I think the mall owners would rather have the good Senator assassinated than have this pie-in-the-sky idea push through.
Blocking Hollywood isn't the way to beat it. It's like he wants to force garbage down our throats (in this case, our eyes, ears, and brains) and tell us it's awesome because we don't have access to real food. Spectacular special effects will do nothing if the story and overall movie concept is bad. And though I have to admit the Philippines can produce some nice quality special effects, to say that it is somewhat on the same level as LoTR or Harry Potter is talking smack. I agree with most of the posters here. Unless our industry gets rid of aging franchises that rehash the same old garbage, it's not gonna get better. Where are the Muro Ami movies? The Payaso movies? The Pusod ng Dagat movies? Heck, even Batang PX was an awesome movie. What happened to those kinds of films?
E pano na po ang Imax? makakagawa ba tayo ng 3D movie? May cable naman e. Nuod na lang ako HBO. Hmmmm, baka pati ang HBO maging 1 hollywood movie per month. Patay!
Now if only he spends that energy on finding ways and means to raise the bar on the quality of pinoy movies
is bong stupid..or stupid?? where does he get such far fetched ideas? are u high or what? why not just stick your nose to the hayden-katrina issue? so far that's the only "noteable" thing you've done this year as a senator of the republic...
It would be a good idea IF local filmmakers can fill the void with films worth watching, otherwise he'll just boost piracy which 60's Korea never had to contend with to the extent that it operates today. Dapat siguro pagbawalan muna ang mga pelikulang pinondohan ng Pork Barrel ng Senador. Dapat imbestigahan. May mga senador bang gumagawa ng pelikula? Ay meron nga!
Sige magandang idea yan.. isabay narin ang pagtanggal ng McDonalds para Jollibee nalang.. pati foreign artists sa radyo, ipagbawal narin. Kung pwede lang higpitan ang lumuwag na screw mo sa ulo eh, ginawa ko na.. At teka, ano ba pinagkaiba mo kay Hayden Kho? Ang difference lang naman eh si Hayden nag-vi-video ng sexcapades nya, ikaw hindi!
Bannning hollywood movies will make more people turn to piracy for good movies. How about rallying the government for support for the real film makers? The commercial movie industry is full of phonies.
Why not improve the quality of local films instead? We let crap writers, producers, and filmmakers waste the industry's money by making baduy or otherwise pathetic movies and then they wonder why it doesn't get as much support? Stop blaming colonial mentality. We just really do produce extremely low quality films. All the genius seems to be relegated to Pinoy Indie films. Funnel money to those "artists" and visionaries instead and then fire mainstream stupid writers who can't seem to come up with decent stories. Para itong "dahil bumabagsak ang grade ng students sa National Achievement Exams ibaba nalang natin ang passing average requirement". Result: mga bobong graduates. This is one politician I am not voting for. Bleh.
I HAVE A BETTER SOLUTION. WHY DON'T WE SHOOT PEOPLE LIKE HIM WHO PRODUCE MOVIES LIKE THIS. GAWD.
hay naku! gunggung na senador. next year talo ka na! wala ka na magawa sa buhay mo kundi mag ingay wala naman kwenta sinasabi mo!
Tama ang mga suggestions dito, mga kapatid. To his question on reviving the local movie industry, the answer really simply is make the local movies at par or even better than the foreign ones. And ya, if it's down to one foreign film a month, that still won't solve the problem kasi people will still not watch local movies. There's cable TV, DVDs, downloads!!! So nag-suffer pa ang economy natin! Tanga talaga itong senator na ito. Sinu-sino ba bumoto dyan???
another publicity stunt by a man elected to the senate solely because of his name as an actor (not to thank the dumb filipino masses for electing him). Funny thing about the hayden kho issue, he says he defends women\\\'s rights but what ever happend with maui taylor and her nude pictures taken none other than his equally ugly untalented son, jolo??? Did he straight up went to senate and cried his heart out for maui? hell no! yeah maui is/was a starlet but those photos were taken off context. So, im calling out all the intelligent" pinoys to vote wisely in 2010. please no more actor-politicians. enough is enough! By the way, I hope he's reading this right now..
Stupid Bong strikes again. Banning Hollywood movies will not make us want to watch Pinoy movies if the quality of pinoy films doesn't improve. SB, How do you find time to go to the Senate to steal our money and make B-movies like Panday, cheat on your wife, fight with Hayden at the same time?
Hey Caper... I'm one with you... the Philippines will be a much better place if there're less stupid actors cum senators like Bong...