Entertainment

Now Playing: Pride Edition

Celebrate the LGBTQ+ community!

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Happy Pride! To celebrate our LGBTQ+ community all over the world, we asked them and their allies about movies, shows, music, and podcasts you can watch and listen to, along with books you should read.

This list is also a good start to understanding the lives and struggles of our beloved LGBTQ+ community. You may refer to this article — Pride month or not! Here’s what’s Now Playing at Her GadgetMatch!

Videos to watch

Pride Conversations

MJ: Google concluded the Pride Month with a live stream entitled Pride Conversations, comprised of powerful members of the Filipino LGBTQ+ community sharing their remarkable and inspiring stories — from tales of coming out to their journey in owning their sexuality.

Movies to see

Love, Simon

MJ: A modern classic in today’s generation, Love, Simon is about yearning, secrets, and struggle of everyone in the LGBTQ+ community — coming to terms with your identity and getting out of the closet.

Prayers for Bobby

MJ: A heart-wrenching, tearjerker film that every parent must watch, especially when their religion and faith get in the way of truly loving their child.

The Half of It

MJ: Lighthearted yet revolutionary, The Half of It explores an introvert’s young love, sexuality, and loving in secret expressed through a love letter.

Holding the Man

MJ: Raw, honest, and genuine. It’s difficult not to weep after watching a touching piece tackling a love affair weathering the struggles of coming out in the 70s and 80s — remembering the horrors the stigma surrounding AIDS caused.

Free Fall

MJ: Jokingly known as the German version of Brokeback Mountain, Free Fall is a complex, hot, and passionate story about a married man’s internal struggles of falling in love with a colleague.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour

MJ: Blue Is The Warmest Colour is a moving film portraying a French teen’s beatific, intimate attachment to another woman.

Metamorphosis

Vincenz: Intersex is one of the minorities in the LGBTQIA+ community. This is a locally-produced indie film that shows how one explores and discovers him/herself. Just like the process of metamorphosis, s/he finally accepts and reveals who s/he really is to the eyes of many.

Sila-Sila

Vincenz: A depiction of complicated homosexual relationships: from hook-ups, break-ups, losing people you value the most, and even getting back together. A slice of life that shows laughs, joys, and tears of gay people throughout their relationship with their friends, family members, and partners altogether.

Shows to binge-watch

Queer Eye

Chay: The Fab 5 spreads love in Pennsylvania back in the US in the latest season of our favorite feel-good makeover series. Whenever I’m feeling distress or despair — especially during these difficult times — Queer Eye is the series that never fails to restore my faith in humanity.

Pose

Chay: House Evangelista is back for another season of ball culture, voguing, building new relationships and rekindling old ones, and confronting crises LGBTQ+ people of color faced in the ’80s. Prepare not just your favorite bag of chips but your box of Kleenex as well!

Love, Victor

Chay: If you enjoyed Love, Simon and find yourself wanting for more a spinoff series premiered on Hulu this month. Love, Victor tells the story of a new student at Creekwood High School — the ups and downs at home, making new friends, and exploring his sexual orientation.

Looking

MJ: Being in your late twenties and early thirties can be mind-boggling. Such is the case in Looking, where three best friends in San Francisco tell their explorations in love and in life while each taking separate paths.

One Day at a Time

MJ: A refresh of a hit sitcom in the ’70s, One Day at a Time is a modern comedy that has an upbeat take on tales of coming out yet still portrays the struggles of coming to terms with your sexuality within a family.

TharnType The Series

Vincenz: Not your typical sugarcoated Thai BL series as it eradicates homophobia as well as how they openly portray the sexual desires of two men. Expect a rollercoaster of emotions when you watch this series.

Gameboys

Vincenz: One of the first Filipino BL series that is timely and relevant — especially during this pandemic. Can you believe two gamers ended up falling for each other even with just a series of game battles, chats, and video calls? In my own thoughts: “Sana all hindi pang-quarantine lang“.

Hello Stranger

Vincenz: What would you do if you were paired up with someone you truly dislike? Hello Stranger exhibits unexpected love at an unexpected time, reminding us that love simply happens for everyone, regardless of your orientation.

Albums/Songs/Podcasts to listen to

Music Universal: PRIDE

 

Chay: Pop icon and ally Carly Rae Jepsen and artist and activist Mark Kanemura put together a Pride-themed playlist featuring music from different artists and eras that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and our right to express our true selves. This 90-minute playlist is perfect when you’re working out, experimenting in the kitchen, or walking to your neighborhood cafe for your iced latte fix!

Chromatica

 

MJ: Lady Gaga’s return with “Chromatica” has sent the LGBTQ+ community reeling over the nostalgia evoked by this eccentric album — bringing back the days of dancing to Gaga’s fabulous and bizarre pop music we loved.

Help by 10cm

Vincenz: Although the music video only showed minor scenes of how people consider same-sex relationships in public a taboo, the song’s message should dig deeper into our minds and hearts that we should ask for somebody’s help when all of these deep-seated issues come in mind.

Oh my God by (G)I-DLE

Vincenz: Originally a Now Playing: Volume 3 entry, the message of the song this time is clearer because it’s in English — and we can’t deny it’s all about two women having love and affection for one another.

Books to read

What If It’s Us?

MJ: Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera’s novel about two men stumbling upon each other in New York City is a refreshing take on common, gay love stories. It tackled love, signs, and universe — reminding us that we meet people in our lives for a reason.

Call Me by Your Name

MJ: A powerful, coming-of-age, and tale of coming out stirring a pot of raw emotions. Call Me by Your Name explores sexual awakening, yearning, and obsession over the course of summer in Italy, in the year 1983.

Now Playing is the GadgetMatch team’s favorite games, movies, TV shows, and more each month. If you’re curious to know what we’re into at the moment, this is what you should check out. So grab your popcorn, get some drinks, and enjoy what’s now playing!

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Accessories

Samsung Sound Tower, Sound Sessions: When great sound meets great music

OPM takes the spotlight

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October 29, 2025

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Samsung Sound Tower | Sound Sessions

I grew up surrounded by OPM. I spent years dreaming of being in a band and listening to songs I wish I wrote, which is why I appreciate it when brands highlight local talent instead of relying on specs alone. Samsung’s new Sound Towers arrive with that same approach—powerful audio paired with an even stronger push for Filipino music.

Instead of a standard tech launch, Samsung turned the debut of its latest Sound Towers into a celebration of OPM. Guests didn’t just hear product features; they heard live performances from Over October and The Itchyworms. For anyone (like me) who grew up with the latter, hearing their songs carried by deep, room-filling audio felt like the perfect match between familiarity and innovation.

Built for people who live through music

The ST50F and ST40F are made for moments when sound needs to fill a space and set the tone. The ST50F comes with a telescopic handle, built-in wheels, and up to 18 hours of battery life. You can bring it anywhere and still get the same bold, thumping sound. Its custom bass modes and adjustable party lights let you shape the atmosphere until it matches the playlist.

The ST40F leans into creativity. It has built-in DJ sound effects and samplers, plus ports for microphones and guitars for instant jam sessions. And when you want something bigger, Group Play links up to ten Sound Towers into a shared soundstage that feels like a small concert.

Both towers work with the Samsung Sound Tower App, so you can adjust settings, control the lights, or switch into Karaoke Mode straight from your phone.

Where hardware becomes a platform

Samsung followed the launch with Samsung Sound Sessions, an ongoing digital series that highlights top Filipino artists. The pilot features Over October, with more acts—including The Itchyworms—set to take the stage next.

The idea is simple: pair great music with great audio, then let the artists carry the experience. Instead of showing what the Sound Towers can do, Samsung lets you hear it through musicians you already connect with. For OPM fans, it turns the hardware into a platform that amplifies talent rather than eclipsing it.

Sound built to bring people together

Samsung’s new Sound Towers bring back the feeling of sharing music—whether it’s a weekend gathering or a living room turned into a stage. They can be loud and energetic or warm and intimate. They match the many moods and eras of Filipino music.

Price and Availability

Sound Tower MX-ST50F

Sound Tower MX-ST40F

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Entertainment

Crash Bandicoot is reportedly getting a Netflix adaptation

Netflix is all about adaptations now.

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October 28, 2025

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Netflix’s strategy these days involves turning all our beloved franchise into, arguably, hit-or-miss adaptations. Though Arcane and One Piece are darlings in the adaptation space, there are also a bunch that Netflix had higher hopes for. Still, the success of the previous two titles have caused a wave of adaptation plans for the platform. Now, it’s possible that Crash Bandicoot is joining that list.

According to What’s on Netflix, the platform is quietly working on a series based on the wumpa-munching marsupial. The series is reportedly helmed by WildBrain Studios, a Canadian studio responsible for Sonic Prime, also on Netflix.

Speaking of, the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films paves the way for an adaptation based on Crash Bandicoot. After all, if one adaptation about an anthropomorphic animal who constantly finds himself against a comical evil genius is a success, then another could be, too.

Crash Bandicoot’s resurgence is arguably dwindling. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which remasters the first three games, is still the best way to play the series, but it was released all the way back in 2017. In 2020, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time came out but didn’t make that much of an impact on the series. A fifth entry was eventually cancelled.

However, this isn’t Crash’s first time entering the world of adaptations. The marsupial previously appeared in Skylanders Academy, also on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review: Worth the 22-year wait

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Entertainment

Netflix is adapting Catan into films and shows

Asmodee is involved as well.

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October 22, 2025

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Image source: Catan

While video game adaptations are booming, movies based on board games have had a less-than-stellar reputation. For example, 2012’s Battleship and the Jumanji reboots are straddling the edges of watchability. On the bright side, 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves slowly opened the possibility of a good movie based on the tabletop experience. Now, Catan and Netflix are taking advantage of the crack opened by Dungeons & Dragons.

In tabletop parlance, Catan is the so-called gateway drug for other board games. It’s the default option for players who want to try something new outside of the boilerplate Monopoly or Cards Against Humanity. The eventual hope is to open the doorway to more complex games in the future.

Today, Netflix announced that it will adapt Catan into a series of films and shows. The platform is partnering with the game’s publisher Asmodee for the projects.

As with all of Netflix’s announcements for future projects, this one doesn’t have a clear storyline yet. To be fair, the world of Catan has its own lore told through expansions and other media. It’s just not a story that’s easily digestible by simply playing the game. And, if someone can make a story — albeit a middling one — out of Battleship, then so can Catan.

Catan, as a media project, will be produced by Asmodee’s Darren Kyman, Catan Studio’s Pete Fenlon, and the creator’s sons, Benjamin and Guido Teuber.

SEE ALSO: KPop Demon Hunters is now Netflix’s most-watched movie

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