WHILE local movies are in the doldrums, Hollywood is having its best year ever, with more than $7 billion in box-office grosses for 1999 from US theaters alone. What are American filmmakers doing right?

There are all sorts of explanations, but, if you sift through the "evidence," it's clear that the big deal last year in the movies was the variety of viewing options that were made available to moviegoers.

Films were as big as the "Star Wars" prequel, and as small as "The Blair Witch Project," which cost only $20,000 to make but ended up grossing a whopping $140 million.

In terms of subject matter, the most popular movies of 1999 ranged from ghosts seen from the vantage point of a child, life inside the brain of an actor, soldiers scrambling for gold during wartime, a condemned man who heals, and the tempestuous working relationship of operetta creators and Sullivan. The spicy mix enticed moviegoers to keep going to the theaters, thus boosting the year's total grosses.

Maybe our filmmakers can learn something from that? Filipino movies are generally limited to a few formats--action, drama, comedy, horror, sex-drama, fantasy. And many of their storylines are similarly predictable--revenge, rich-poor romantic conflicts, mistaken identity, ghosts on the haunt. Can you blame viewers for losing interest?

As Film Year 1999 wheezed its last, the big hit at the Metro filmfest was a movie about very young divers and the sea, a film with a lot of underwater shots that spelled the big difference for moviegoers. Let's hope that the year 2000 brings us many more such unconventional blockbusters.

Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM, has composed "Sigaw ng Jubileo," a song fro the Great Jubilee 2000. The song has been endorsed by Jaime Cardinal Sin; Msgr. Angel N. Lagdameo, chairman of the CBCP's National Committee for the Jubille year, and Rev. Oscar Ante, OFM, president of the Association of the Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines. The song's lyrics:

Taon na ng Jubileo/ Panahon ng Panginoon/ Taon na ng Jubileo/ Magbago na tayo.

Palayain ang mga bihag/ Patawarin ang mga utang/ Pauwiin ang mga nahiwalay/ Sa kanilang mga tahanan/ La, la, la…

Ibalik ang lupa/ Sa mga magsasaka/ Hayaan ang karagatan/ Sa mga mangingisda.

Itaas ang pasahod/ Sa mga manggagawa/ Alisin ang mga balakid/ Sa kanilang pag-unlad/ La, la, la…

Igalang ang mga kababaihan/ At mga kabataan/ Ipagtanggol ang mga karapatan/ (Ng mga) katutubo't kalikasan.

Taon na ng Jubileo/ Panahon ng Panginoon/ Taon na ng Jubileo/ Magbago na tayo! (2x)

In his endorsement, Cardinal Sin congratulates Fr. Almazan for "coming up with a song that will help us truly celebrate the Great Jubilee. It is my hope that this song will move and touch the hearts of our faithful."

Our fondest wishes for Film Year 2000:

--A really good film for Nora Aunor, to prove that she's still the actress to beat. Her role in the movie should be right for her age and physical attributes, and yet a character she's never done before.

--Nora or another veteran actress of her stature should also play a heroine in a historical film. This would be like a follow-up to the movies on Rizal, only from the female viewpoint, to prove that heroism knows no gender.

--For filmmakers to realize that many moviegoers really want to watch good, well-made films and family movies that impart positive values in an entertaining manner.

--For Phillip Salvador to go back to acting in a movie drama, like he used to do for his mentor, Lino Brocka.

--For the Visayan movie industry to be revived. There are millions of Visayan-speaking moviegoers out there who can patronize small but well-made Visayan films.

--For memorable Filipino film classics to be remade. Some suggestions: Jolina Magdangal in one of Nida Blanca's comedy-musical movies from the 1950s; "Fe, Esperanza, Caridad" starring three popular young actresses; a new "Dyesebel" with Vanessa del Bianco.

--For prizewinning film scripts to be produced. Some of them are really very good.

--For deserving new directors to be given a break, but not just with sex quickies.

--For incentives and grants for quality filmmaking to be given to winners of a nationwide "concept" competition.

--For a body to be set up to concentrate on marketing good Filipino movies for the world market.

--For a film institute to be set up.

--For old film artists to be remembered with retrospectives of their best movies.