What a year that was! While so many unsettling events may still have you reeling from the effects of 2016, I am now going to focus on what was for me a bright side of last year, its movies.
To qualify for my list, all films had to have been released widely in Filipino cinemas during the year of 2016.
“Horror movies sending chills down the spine” may be clichéd, but have you ever wondered why that happens? Think of your dog, when a stranger passes your gate. It barks, seemingly angry or afraid, and the hair on its back stands up as a response to fear.
The reactions from friends and family have been universal upon mentioning I watched Lav Diaz’s Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis. “You watched an 8-hour movie. Why?” I admit I might not have been so interested in a John Lloyd/Piolo starrer had it not been for the fact it received an international award from a film festival I very much respect. We rarely get art house in the mall multiplexes, and while I love blockbusters, sometimes I feel like I need a change.
![Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice [Movie Review]](http://zerothreetwo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Batman-V-Superman-Dawn-of-Justice-1080x675.jpg)
You have to wonder why security is such a big issue in comics. Why is the fantasy of fighting crime seen as much more appropriate a past time for superheroes then lending your super powers in other ways? Imagine if Superman singlehandedly built an MRT system in Cebu (free us from stress, O Steely one!)?
![Why Capitalism Sucks [The Big Short Movie Review]](http://zerothreetwo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/the-big-short-steve-carell-ryan-gosling-1080x675.jpg)
I fully stepped into the world of capitalism this year with my new job. As a previous worker for the church and NGOs, I have found it a surprisingly easy transition. A cushy chair in an office is a lot easier a place to work than a school in the Amazon basin that takes 14 hours to get to by bus on dirt roads. And I like numbers; I am having fun with interest rates, IRRs and ROIs. I like the people I work with, who are all accommodating, and even the banks around me have never been anything other than friendly. However, when I saw The Big Short in Ayala last Wednesday, I was very unsettled. Up came the facts and figures that have made me distrustful of capitalism for a very long time, and I have not been able to shake it off.
