MANILA, Philippines - If your life were a film, what would it be like?
This was Fr. Nick?s answer: ?[It would be] a musical, a light comedy. I?m a happy person. I enjoy being happy. I can?t stand too much crying. A film although serious must be entertaining. The movies I mentioned [in my top 10 list] are serious in theme but never boring. They?re interesting and even entertaining.?

1) ?La Strada? (Italy, 1954)
An Italian movie directed by Frederico Fellini, this movie revolves around the girl Gelsomina who winds up changing the ways of Zampano, the circus strongman she is sold to. For Fr. Nick, the film embodies the perfect meaning of ?The Way? or the Golden Rule: ?Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.?

2) ?Cinema Paradiso? (Italy, 1988)
This Italian movie reminds Fr. Nick of his childhood. Like the boy Toto in the film, Fr. Nick grew up watching movies at an early age.

3) ?One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest? (USA, 1975)
According to Fr. Nick, the film is an allegory of an individual trying to go against and change an institution. An example of that is Ninoy. In the film, Jack Nicholson eludes prison time by pretending to be mentally unstable and winds up in a mental hospital.

4) ?Kramer vs. Kramer? (USA, 1979)
Two parents, played by Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman, fight over the custody of their only child. For Fr. Nick, it effectively portrays the effects of separation and divorce on the sanctity of marriage.

5) ?Together? (China, 2002)
Kaige Chen directed this tale of a musical prodigy, a violinist named Xiaochun. When he and his father move to Beijing to further his musical education, Xiaochun discovers secrets about his father?s role in his life.

6) ?Olivier, Olivier? (France, 1992)
Agnieska Holland directed this tale of familial strife. A couple?s child vanishes and six years later, an enigmatic young man enters their lives, claiming to be the missing boy. But is he? Fr. Nick says the film shows a woman?s love for her child no matter what.

7) ?Madrasta? (Philippines, 1996)
Directed by Olive Lamasan, this film features Sharon Cuneta as the stepmother who enters Christopher de Leon?s home and is resented by the children of the first wife. Fr. Nick praises the film for its beautiful acting. He considers it the best film by Sharon Cuneta.

8) ?Anak? (Philippines, 2000)
Claudine Barreto plays the hostile daughter to Vilma Santos, an OFW who has returned home from Hong Kong after her husband?s death. Another well-acted film, according to Fr. Nick.

9) ?Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang? (Philippines, 1974)
A Filipino classic, this is Christopher De Leon?s first film. Directed by the late Lino Brocka, the film is an indictment against hypocrisy, especially of religious people.

10) ?Sister Stella L.? (Philippines, 1984)
Also directed by Brocka, this movie features Vilma Santos as the titular nun who bravely and selflessly leads protests against the oppressive government. Fr. Nick praises the movie?s depiction of the religious sisters? involvement in the plight of the poor despite the risks to their personal safety.