The silver lining of the female-centric playbook — 2021 was the year of arresting and authentic women on television. Women occupied center stage in science fiction and fantasy. Elizabeth Olsen tackles grief by channeling decades of classic sitcom television in WandaVision. Popular British female actresses showcase their talent in the Victorian-era steampunk fantasy action drama The Nevers and…

Your search for the next binge is solved. — Gone are the days of must-see Sunday night HBO dramas that led to watercooler Mondays. The intense Monday morning discussions of whether Omar Little (RIP Michael K. …

A Curious Lens to Examine A Contentious Subject — Every critic has an opinion about Passing. And many of them miss the point. “In Netflix’s ‘Passing,’ Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga play with racial ambiguity.” — NPR “Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Passing’ on Netflix, an Extraordinary Drama About Racial Identity Starring Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson” — Decider …

Nida Manzoor’s off-beat coming-of-age comedy is must-watch tv. — With the rise of streaming content, finding something worthwhile to watch can sometimes feel, well, pointless. You have to sort through an overwhelming amount of mediocre content to find something worth watching: something different, engaging, and most of all, compelling. As viewers, we settle for less than excellent storytelling, character…

Don’t Trust Diet Culture’s Biggest, Most Toxic Lies — Diet culture is the inescapable evil we justify to reach our weight-loss goals. We succumb to the lunacy that eating a particular way or being a certain size or shape is the single path to becoming Instagram-ready. Everyone is guilty of believing these lies, even me. After restricting calories, which…

And 3 Safe and Fun Ways to Get Moving Again — Movement is essential to vitality and longevity. Physical activity builds healthy muscles, a sound mind, and a strong heart. However, the global pandemic derailed everything, including a consistent fitness routine. COVID-19 and its continual stress caused even the fittest people to take a long necessary pause. Factor in the hectic…

How to Ease Back into Exercise Without Setting Yourself Up to Fail — Holiday burnout is a real thing most people experience but don’t realize is happening. Do you feel stressed, sleep poorly, and avoid everything that improves your health? If so, you’re not alone. It’s the time of year when everyone goes into full panic mode. We employ reckless abandon to lose…

Community Is the Reason for Everything — An engaged community of passionate cinephiles is the primary reason I write on Medium. I’ve loved the magic of movies since I was a child. And thanks to a proliferation of streaming and more accessible international titles, emerging talent is changing who and what we see on screen. French filmmakers…

Why We Make (And Break) Them and What to Do Instead — Every year, our resolutions play out like a scratch-riddled record we torture ourselves listening to. We make and break our health-related resolutions too many times to count and more than we’re willing to admit. Borne out of peer pressure and unrealistic goals, we set our sights on the pie in…