You have to hear me belting it out at the most unexpected times; otherwise you would never take me seriously. Because I do sing the Transformers theme song, complete with my Autobot game face on. Oh and kids, this is not the movie wherein you’re drooling for Ms. Fox halfway into the film. We’re talking 1986 here – pure and unadulterated classic animation.
It is impossible to cite a single moment that most struck me. Those alienating minutes where the influx of techie jargon blasted through my earphones on a Saturday night is probably one of the fondest memories I will ever have as a writer. That, plus a dose of The Princess Bride and The Matrix for good measure.
I’m this close to becoming a self-declared geek (although I doubt I’d fit in with such a puny roster of the legendary must-sees I’ve watched) but vivid as my memories are, words couldn’t suffice for the joyride I’ve been on. Everything I feel like saying utterly sounds like a lame understatement.
Les Critiques
With the onset of the Michael Ceras and the perennially lame-at-first protagonists, the geek culture has fascinated (and have become drool-worthy) ‘outsiders’ for a while now, but, of course, curiosity can only take you so far. The impact these movies I’ve watched never quite dawned on me. I didn’t realize it until that morning when I woke up in cold sweat fresh off a nightmare: I dreamt about Neo’s rebirth into the ‘real’ world.
Spending an afternoon with Carlo Fernandez, a self-proclaimed film geek, I’ve come to know beyond what goes on inside the costumes department. When his consciousness in films surfaced, he would always look at the storyline before anything else. “Yun ang habol ko [that’s what I’m after], and compared to the others, I see film as a very high form of art.” he adds. “Kasi isipin mo, film ang pinakamahirap kasi lahat ng pwedeng forms of art mailalagay mo dun eh [If you think about it, film is the hardest because you’ll have to incorporate all forms of art into one unifying piece].”
A lot of the audiences nowadays seem to be skeptical about this particular genre. More often than not, it’s the references they use that aren’t so familiar to the plain Jane. “They’re not that mainstream so they’re not trying to sell it as much to everyone. They have specific niches they want to get to.” says Jopy Arnaldo, Loyola Film Circle’s President.
An example might be the 2008’s Fanboys which obviously catered to the Star Wars fans. Rodney Ortiz, a film enthusiast, exclaims that these movies are “only open to a certain circle”. And this is probably the underlying reason why this particular side of film hasn’t boomed – until now.
Reel vs. Real
On the other side of things, people have now become more unconventional. Today, we are able to concretely see the evolution of man’s perspective. “It is not as bad to be geeky about something anymore.” Jopy answers. He adds by saying that the phrase ‘Ay geek!?’ doesn’t really apply in anyone’s vocabulary any longer. “Being intellectual or something is actually cool.” Rodney adds.
The growth is also very evident in trending themes wherein the good guys finally finish first, and eventually get the girl. “I guess it’s starting to become a trend,” Rodney exclaims, “[there’s this] whole movement [with] people thinking that ‘Oooh geeks are cool!’” Following Scott Pilgrim’s footsteps, perhaps?
But apart from this expansion in their culture’s diversity, Carlo tries to argue about the latter. “Meron akong theory dun eh, na kung bakit mga geeky guys get the girl – kasi the screenwriters are living the fantasy [I actually have a theory on why the geeky men get the girl – the screenwriters are living the fantasy].”
I tried to disprove this theory of his, but ended up losing the bout. I had my hands down and ready to surrender once he bombarded me with, “I’ve never ever met a woman who got turned on because ‘I love Star Wars!’”
Perfect Timing
Kidding aside, our generation has been raised with misconceptions that hazed our judgment between fact and fiction. While productions such as Napoleon Dynamite have been shaping the way we think about geeks, people like Carlo tend to prove them otherwise.
“Di naman porke’t nerdy ka na may glasses ka geek ka na kaagad eh [Just because one has nerdy glasses doesn’t mean he’s a geek already].” he explains. The stereotype, in his words, is something that should never be seen as such. He even puts himself as an example of breaking that norm. And no, you would never see him walking around campus with his crisp white polo tucked in, together with thick spectacles to complete the get-up – he is the generic Atenean we all have come to know.
Stripping off the common notion gives us an avenue for greater appreciation for this part of society. “I guess other people can see through what the nerds or geeks see, and try to understand them.” Rodney states. These movies create a window into where we are. They are, in a sense, our own telephoto lens zooming into the bigger picture. Yet the ultimate question would be, ‘Why now?’
“It’s getting more and more popular, people are getting more and more open to watching it.” Jopy says. And with this poses the very first sign of the acceptance into the market.
The skeptics can eat their words out because now is their time. “The landscape for entertainment has grown to become more daring than before.” justifies Carlo.
Now that I’m hoping that just like Buttercup the Princess, I will get my own spoonful of ‘as you wish’ and have Neo destroy my Matrix in life, could there be a new theme song I’ll find myself singing in the showers and along the Brick Road? We’ll see.
Clearly, the world missed out on a lot, and there’s more than just a mile of catching up to do. But with all this said, soon enough, these movie genres would hit the mainstream wave without so much as breaking a sweat. This geek ‘counterculture’ is now permeating every aspect of our bandwagon and conformist sensibilities—just don’t mistake them for hipsters. Yes, we’re calling it: it’s the revenge of the nerds.
