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, we hope it can ease the burden of choosing which streaming platform to use or of discovering a new cinematic odyssey.
This week, we maximized the dozens of free Filipino movies that have been digitally restored and made available to stream — for free! — on YouTube. For the Philippine cinema connoisseur looking for their next romance to stream, turn to the rom-com Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang? or, for those who need more tension in their lives, No Other Woman. If you need a good, old-fashioned family drama, there’s the classic Tanging Yaman. And, if Filipino horror is more your scene, we recommend Wag Kang Lilingon and Feng Shui.
‘Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang?’
If you have a crush on a friend, watch at your own risk
This month, ABS-CBN Star Cinema added a new MarJo classic to its catalog of restored films on YouTube: Jerry Lopez Sineneng’s Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang? The 1998 rom-com set in Baguio follows Ned (Marvin Agustin) and Bujoy (Jolina Magdangal), two best friends who must navigate their feelings for others and for each other. The film, written by Ricky Lee, features one of my favorite monologues of all time, delivered by Magdangal. The film also includes Hilda Koronel as Bujoy’s mother and Jeremiah’s hit song, “Nanghihinayang.” —Pie Gonzaga
Watch for free on ABS CBN Star Cinema’s YouTube channel.
‘Wag Kang Lilingon’
Even a place as sterile as a hospital can be treacherous
I can hardly remember the first time I watched the 2006 horror anthology Wag Kang Lilingon, directed by Sineneng and Quark Henares. But I remember being so terrified by the film that I couldn’t bear to turn the TV on in my hospital room or walk around the hallways when I was admitted as a kid. In the segment “Uyayi,” Anne Curtis plays Melissa, a nurse who grows suspicious of deaths at the fictional Angel of Mercy Hospital. In “Salamin,” she plays Nina, who moves with her mother (Cherry Pie Picache) and sisters to a new house. There, the family is haunted by spirits they’d unleashed after performing a ritual with a mirror. If you don’t think Curtis can scare you because of her looks and bubbly demeanor, think again. —Pie Gonzaga
Watch for free on ABS CBN Star Cinema’s YouTube channel.
‘Feng Shui’
Kris Aquino turning it up to 11, plus some of the funniest zodiac-themed kills out there
It’s easier if you go into Feng Shui a little tipsy, a little silly, and a little more than ready to just watch Kris Aquino be her dramatic, over-the-top self. Very little about Chito S. Roño’s 2004 horror makes sense — a haunted bagua mirror has made its way into the care of Joy Ramirez (Aquino), a working mom who’s in need of some luck. Well, the mirror grants her said luck, in exchange for the souls of anyone unfortunate enough to stare into it. Aquino definitely carries Feng Shui, although her heavy screaming does, at times, distract from the scarier parts of the film. —Mel Wang
Watch for free on ABS CBN Star Cinema’s YouTube channel.
‘No Other Woman’
One of the campiest (but also most iconic) performances Anne Curtis has ever given
Although the plot of No Other Woman leaves a little more to be desired (it’s essentially two women fighting over the same cheating, fugly man), the scenes between Anne Curtis and Cristine Reyes are the reason why you stay until the end of the film. Charmaine (Reyes) is the dutiful, loyal wife to Ramses (Derek Ramsay), a “retired” playboy who gets back in the game when he meets the bold and abrasive Kara (Curtis). Of course the two girlies eventually confront each other again and again, and those scenes involve a delightfully obvious bag metaphor, matching purple dresses, and a healthy amount of side-eye. —Mel Wang
Watch for free on ABS CBN Star Cinema’s YouTube channel.
‘Tanging Yaman’
Pinoy family drama is always watchable when Johnny Delgado is in it
“Hindi po ba siya nalilito?” Carina (a young Shaina Magdayao) asks her grandmother, Loleng (Gloria Romero), while in church. Of course, she is referring to God, who is invoked by all the people praying and voicing their wishes in the church (a scene perfectly spoofed by Ang Tanging Ina three years later). Laurice Guillen sets her acclaimed 2000 film with this scene to hold the steadfastness of Loleng and her relationship to her family: her sons, Danny (Johnny Delgado) and Art (Edu Manzano), and the prodigal daughter, Grace (Dina Bonnevie), and their respective spouses and children.
But what sway does faith have in a family that holds on to grudges, the way Art hasn’t forgiven Danny for his indulgent and self-destructive years? In the midst of all this, there’s Grace, who’s tired of working to the bone in the U.S., while her husband Francis (Joel Torre), whom she eloped with, is content in their simple but tiresome life. When all families come together when Loleng is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s not simply a reunion, but unearthing simmering issues that have been left unresolved for years.
The film’s cast carries much of the drama, however sappy and melodramatic, to greater heights. Delgado, deeply missed in this industry where actors are dime a dozen, shows how vulnerability can coexist with aggressiveness. Joel Torre, Cherry Pie Picache, and Hilda Koronel shine in their smaller roles. Among the younger cast, Marvin Agustin and Jericho Rosales show the beginnings of their future as the actors of their generation. After the movie, check out the film’s soundtrack and revisit Carol Banawa’s timeless cuts, “Panunumpa” and “Iingatan Ka.” —Don Jaucian
Watch for free on ABS CBN Star Cinema’s YouTube channel.
