Nicole Stawiarski

As Netflix continues to diversify their library, adding more and more international titles, there’s a new niche of Korean thrillers that is absolutely killing it. Don’t sleep on these can’t-miss titles! The Frog This absolutely unhinged story follows the consequences of two parallel murders in a small forest town. Both crimes take place in the…

Kotaro Lives Alone isn’t the first animated series with a child protagonist to address emotionally adult themes, but it definitely seems to go farther and hit harder than any of it’s predecessors. Following the story of 4-year-old Kotaro Sato as he moves into an apartment complex where he lives, to the surprise of his neighbors…

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…

Netflix touts an impressive lineup of true crime documentaries and series, but for die-hard fans who have already exhausted the library, the wait for new titles can be agonizing. Luckily, we already have seven new releases so far in 2025. Check out each of them below! American Murder: Gabby Petito True crime aficionados will immediately…

Netflix’s Ōoku: The Inner Chambers is an ambitious creation set in an alternate version of Edo-period Japan against the backdrop of a mysterious pandemic that is decimating the male population. The series delivers all the political intrigue you would expect from the feudal system, with one huge plot-twist. Who run this world? Girls.

When I first watched The Queen’s Gambit, I had a rudimentary understanding of chess, but that didn’t stop me from diving head-first down the rabbit hole of the world and its characters. I watched A Beautiful Mind never having taken a calculus class, and Interstellar with little more knowledge about the cosmos than how to…

I watch TV as a way to see and experience things that are outside my reach. When COVID shut down restaurants across the globe, I binged Chef’s Table as a replacement for the dining experience and fell in love with the obsessive personalities that brought their Michelin star restaurants to life. The Nancy Silverton’s of…

American audiences are so trained to binge their favorite television series in a mad, bender-like dash of non-stop action and entertainment that leaves them bored and unsatisfied when all is said and done and there is “nothing left to watch”. But our neighbors across the Rio Grande, have perfected the art of the telenovela. Clocking…

I found Yael van der Wouden’s novel, The Safekeep, advantageously positioned on display table in my local bookstore, while I was shopping the same way I sometimes do for a new bottle of wine—scanning for an image that captures my attention, and taking a risk without doing any additional research. Something about the two pears…

I’ve dabbled in anime, seen enough to identify landmarks in the genre, but not enough to become fluent in Japanese or start a cosplaying career. That being said, I think Erased is one example of a standalone masterpiece that transcends the category in a way any TV buff would lose their minds over. Rich in…

I love Indie games. What they lack in budget and graphics, they make up for in gameplay, narrative, and ingenuity. When the economic risk is reduced, so is the pressure to copy and paste the latest blockbuster success with minor iterations, and we get, to our delight as gamers, something new and interesting. Something truly…

You may have become acquainted via Netflix, but the first “fireplace for your TV” actually dates back to 1966, and was a simple seventeen second video loop filmed at the Gracie Mansion. Ambient video has come a long way since it’s inception, with smart TVs, streaming platforms, and ASMR trends converging into the ultimate audio-visual…

I have always made light of my own ethnic background. With a super Polish last name and the two other common hyphenations that render me a Chicago-style sausage who didn’t stand a chance at escaping a Catholic upbringing (Irish and Italian-American), I’ve always had an ambiguous relationship with the word “culture”. Formally, it was something…

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,…

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 Hindi film industry has been going through non-stop transitions ever since COVID. The pandemic halted production and theater attendance, and in the lull, the top tier talent all got married (to each other) and started having families.

If you loved the world of Dunder Mifflin, it’s time for you to meet Copito, a toilet paper company with as much disfunction as it has heart. El Secretario follows Emilio, a pizza delivery guy who returns to Colombia from the United States after discovering through social media that he is the father of a…

Netflix touts an impressive lineup of true crime documentaries and series, but for die-hard fans who have already exhausted the library, the wait for new titles can be agonizing. Luckily, we already have seven new releases so far in 2025. Check out each of them below! American Murder: Gabby Petito True crime aficionados will immediately…