Welcome to What to Watch Right Now, our weekly rundown of the best things to watch right now. The constant stream of shows, videos, and films to watch online can become a sludge to wade through, so here are a few things you can watch courtesy of the Rolling Stone Philippines team. Whether it’s a new film, a video essay, or even a home video release you should own (physical media is now available!), we hope it can ease the burden of selecting which streaming platform to use or discover a new cinematic odyssey.
This week, Lav Diaz’s Magellan was so lush and so mesmerizing that it had us demanding the nine-hour cut. Caught Stealing is an addition to Darren Aronofsky’s high-wire acts. The New York Times’ Sandwich City gives us more light-hearted (and much less pretentious) reasons to sit and eat a sandwich. Sister Midnight is a welcome addition to the feral woman canon, and The Haunting of Hill House is the perfect dark miniseries to get you excited for the ghosts and spirits of Halloween. And, for those looking for that sweet, nostalgic hit, refer to Wednesday or Mike Messineo’s YouTube breakdown of the international implications of the Bee Movie.
‘Magellan’
A mesmerizing chronicle of a failed voyage
“Watch with an open mind,” Lav Diaz tells the audience after the Philippine premiere of his latest opus, Magellan. The film doesn’t really “deconstruct” or “humanize” the titular character but is a straightforward telling of his ill-fated voyage to the Philippines. We find a Magellan who has been languishing as a failure, unwanted by both Portugal and Spain, until he eventually meets his demise. But in whose hands? Diaz answers this with a controversial twist, which, as historian Ambeth Ocampo puts it, “will leave more questions than answers.” Magellan is darkly mesmerizing, a film whose colors help reshape this version of the Portuguese explorer and his motivations for sailing to the ends of the world. But what is more surprising in Magellan is that it’s actually the story of Enrique, the Malay slave Magellan purchased in Malacca, and aided him in his expedition to the Philippines. Diaz has admitted that the Cannes cut has left many characters on the cutting room floor, characters that could further our understanding of Díaz’s retelling of this moment in our history. Give us the nine-hour cut. — Don Jaucian
‘Caught Stealing’
A berserk heist film on being a killer
Following Darren Aronofsky’s absolutely devastating The Whale in 2022, the American director returns with Caught Stealing, a high-energy New York heist film centered on the impressionable Hank (Austin Butler), whose punk neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith), hurriedly flies to London to visit his dying father. What follows sees Hank caught in the crossfire of mobsters who wreak havoc wherever they go. In one scene, as a pair of Russian goons beat the living shit out of Hank, the sound design of pounding flesh and guts ramming against a wall was so visceral it had me squirming, like I was getting knocked out too. That intensity is sustained throughout the film, which manages to offer comic relief while still keeping you on the edge of your seat.
There are plenty of standout performances as well: Zoë Kravitz, who plays Hank’s beau Yvonne, is totally hot and magnetic on screen, but real credit must go to Bud, Russ’ Siberian Forest cat (played by animal actor Tonic), who nearly steals the show by limping across a hallway with a bandage. While Caught Stealing departs from Aronofsky’s usual repertoire of mind-bending psychological dramas, it reveals a director with nothing left to prove, and one who’s clearly here to have fun. — Sai Versailles
The New York Times’ ‘Sandwich City’
Less pretentious than Chef’s Table and decidedly more compelling
There are a lot of reasons not to visit New York these days, from Trump, the soaring cost of everything, to the risk of Asian hate. But there are also a lot of reasons to visit if one can. The chance to see Jinkx Monsoon or Jane Krakowski play the titular role in Oh, Mary is one of them. And then there’s the food. Perhaps none better portrayed than in Sandwich City, a welcome addition to the NYT Cooking YouTube catalogue. Across episodes of Sandwich City, you will discover and savor pho-inspired sandwiches, TikTok-famous French dips, and classic pastrami on rye that packs a rich history.
Its most recent episode centers on a cubano from Margon in Times Square, but the real stars of Margon are owners Rafael and Guadalupe Rivas. The two personify what makes Margon and so many of the classic restaurants in New York so special: the familial hospitality, the honest cooking, and the no bullshit need to cater to fleeting trends. If the sight of a fresh and hot cubano won’t make you miss New York, the story of the people who make them will. — Jonty Cruz
‘The Haunting of Hill House’
Real ghosts, metaphoric ghosts: ghosts, ghosts, ghosts!
For those who celebrate Halloween before Christmas, a stroll down Mike Flanagan lane is one of the best ways to mentally prepare for the season of the dead. The show is a classic haunted house story, mixed with elements of the original Shirley Jackson gothic horror novel it’s based on. It follows the unsuspecting Crain family, who move into the rundown Hill House in the hopes of renovating the mansion. However, they are soon met with spirits hiding in every corner, an old ghoul in the basement, and the ghost of a bent-neck lady that refuses to pass on. While it might be easy to look at The Haunting of Hill House as just a ghost story, pay attention to the Crains’ strained family dynamics, Flanagan’s take on intergenerational trauma, and the overarching theme of mothers protecting their children. — Mel Wang
‘Wednesday’
For an easy, nostalgic murder mystery
Say what you will about Wednesday, but the show definitely scratches that emo, angsty itch for viewers who grew up watching Tim Burton’s classics and The Addams Family movies of the ’90s. Highlights from this second season include yet another string of murders tied to Nevermore Academy, a reluctant pet zombie, Luis Guzmán singing in the shower, and Catherine Zeta-Jones looking immaculate in a blindfolded swordfight against Jenna Ortega.
Do I wish that the show would stop trying to explain everything away, like Thing’s origin story and Gomez Addams’ lack of powers? Sure. But the cast more than makes up for the overcompensating plot by bringing that classic, weirdo Addams energy that we all know and love. Plus, Lady Gaga sings a song in this one.
— Mel Wang
‘Sister Midnight’
Another masterpiece for the feral woman canon
Have you ever found yourself moving through the drudgery of an arranged marriage? Are you so immobilized by the misery that you sit for hours at night until your butt hurts? Does it make you want to turn into a feral, vomiting monster? Then you might just be the protagonist of British-Indian filmmaker Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight.
The 2024 Hindi-language black comedy follows Uma (Radhika Apte), who, after marrying the deadweight and unappealing Gopal (Ashok Pathak), undergoes a monstrous transformation that sees her give in to her darker impulses. The film, which was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at the 2025 BAFTAs, moves in the vein of the feral woman or monstrous feminine. If you liked Nightbitch (the novel, if not the Amy Adams-starring film adaptation), you’ll love Sister Midnight. —Pie Gonzaga
The International Implications of ‘Bee Movie’
A silly close reading of an equally silly movie
I don’t miss the era of the internet that celebrated film critique á la Cinema Sins; I go to the movies exactly so that I can suspend my disbelief and bask in the magic and whimsy of cinema for a few hours. Yet I’ll gladly listen to YouTube creator Mike Messineo of Mike’s Mic talk for an hour about how unbelievable and stupid Bee Movie is, because he understands that, ultimately, it’s silly and just not that serious.
In “The International Implications of Bee Movie,” Messineo painstakingly dissects the 2007 animated film, sighing at its corny jokes and asking important questions like, “They speak Spanish in New Hive City? The actual international implications of that. Because does that mean all languages are canon for bees too?” and “What about the regurgitation?” —Pie Gonzaga
