Nicole Stawiarski

Our favorite DVD delivery company turned global streaming giant was able to disrupt the home entertainment industry not just by investing heavily in technology, but making an equally massive bet on original content. I took a stroll down memory lane by downloading my own watchlist history, and here are the original titles that have become…

If you grew up loving The Goonies or ever got in trouble for digging up your backyard looking for buried treasure, Netflix’s latest series, Gold & Greed: The Search For Fenn’s Treasure, brings all your childhood dreams to life, with more than one life-threatening twist. Documenting the infamous treasure hunt conceived by art dealer, author,…

Karate Kid Legends may be headed to theaters later this month, in the latest attempt at rebooting the beloved 80s franchise that has made its way full circle from Hollywood to YouTube to Netflix and back again. But another hero’s journey from car wax to kick ass already feels one-dimensional when compared with newer, more…

Nicole Kidman is back in her role as Masha Dmitrichenko, a Russian wellness guru slash pseudo-therapist with questionable ethics and a ton of emotional baggage of her own. Though Nine Perfect Strangers is based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name and originally planned as a limited series, show runners are taking a page…

Girl nerds of the world rejoice, Netflix is bringing us not one but two Sofia Carson rom-coms in the same year. Did The Life List feel like an Emily In Paris rework set in New York with a more emotionally evocative backstory? Yes (dead mom always trumps shitty boyfriend from Chicago). Did we still love…

As the federal trial against entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs begins this week, without allowing any cameras in the courtroom, curiosity about the details of the case will reach an all-time high, and send viewers looking to television to satisfy their interest. Here are all of the documentaries, news specials, and daily case recaps currently…

In the case that captured the attention of an entire nation, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brain Thompson was gunned down outside of the hotel where he planned to attend an investor’s meeting. The suspect in custody, 27-year-old Luigi Mangione, was apprehended thanks to a tip from a fellow patron at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. His youth, affluent background,…

Korean dramas have nailed the formula for romance. They can pack a punch of infatuation, humor, intrigue, and suspense in a sixteen-episode arc that’s meaty enough to develop a full cast of supporting characters, but short enough to maintain an exciting pace. Whether you’re an expert, or interested in trying out this genre for the…

The Royals (May) Bollywood notables Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar star in Netflix’s latest rom-com series has the trapping of a Hallmark film with an international spin. Prince Aviraaj “Fizzy” Singh must step into his father’s shoes as Maharaja following his demise, while CEO Sophia seeks to collaborate with the family for her luxury hospitality…

Eldest daughters like me have always been suckers for the female mentor comedy. With no older sisters of our own, we looked to the likes of Tyra Banks in Life-Size, Brittany Murphy in Uptown Girls, and Anna Faris in House Bunny to fill that need for an older, wiser, woman with more sex appeal than…

Did someone say hoop skirts?

When I was making my way through The Second City’s improv and conservatory programs in Chicago, my instructors and directors kept telling us one thing to help improve our scenes—make a confession. When we went to a real, honest and emotional place with our scene partners, one that grounded our characters and got our audiences…

The queer community has claimed Maeve Wiley as our own since she first graced our screens in the British teen comedy Sex Education. It didn’t matter that she was the love interest of male protagonist, Otis Milburn, because we knew there was nothing “completely straight” about her obsession with classic literature. So the news that,…

Don't you spit on Sicily!

As a die-hard John Wick fan and life-long lover of kick-ass women in lead action roles, there is nothing I’m more excited for than this summer’s Ballerina starring Ana de Armas. If you’re in the same boat and need a way to off-set the anticipation, here are five female led action films and TV series…

Many people mistake “Bollywood” for a genre defined by bright, colorful, musicals, full of Indian culture and romance, but the truth is it’s an entire industry that’s just as broad and varied as Hollywood. So of course it knows how to scratch your horror itch, granted with a desi spin. Like their American counterparts, Bollywood…

Karate Kid Legends may be headed to theaters later this month, in the latest attempt at rebooting the beloved 80s franchise that has made its way full circle from Hollywood to YouTube to Netflix and back again. But another hero’s journey from car wax to kick ass already feels one-dimensional when compared with newer, more…