But my smartphone comes along with me everywhere, making it the perfect device for killing time when I’m away from home for whatever reason—and there’s no better time-killer than mobile games. Unfortunately, a lot of mobile games require Wi-Fi or data these days, even when the game itself is single-player. It doesn’t make much sense from the player’s perspective, but it happens. And that means those mobile games can’t be played when you have no Wi-Fi or data....

If you’re new to HBO—or thinking about subscribing to HBO Max—you might be wondering which shows are worth watching. It’s hard to narrow down HBO’s long list of great original series, but we’ve tried to sort out and rank the best-of-the-best in our list below. Here are the best HBO TV series to watch if you haven’t already! We’ve picked from HBO’s long and storied history, from long-running series to limited run miniseries....

In the 1950s, popular characters were ones who were brave, moral, and examples of how to be an upstanding citizen. Jimmy Stewart, James Bond, Charlie Chaplin—these were the personalities of Hollywood’s Golden Age when the good guys always won. Indeed, the word “hero” comes from the Greek term for “defender” or “protector.” Heroes were typically mortal descendants of gods—something we see nowadays in the likes of Superman. But fast-forward to the 21st century and suddenly we’re met with a very different selection of “heroes....

One of the first shows to spin off from it, The Flash, has proven to have staying power even after the conclusion of Oliver Queen’s story. With its lighter tone and willingness to lean into the weirder side of comics, The Flash turned out to be the best DC show in a generation. With the eighth season of The Flash underway, we’ve had countless adventures of Barry and his crew of nerdy superheroes as they come up against both heroes and villains from across the multiverse....

You probably never saw them—and you probably don’t even know what they look like to this day—but voice actors are the unsung heroes who have the ability to bring life and energy to drawn characters. Voice actors have the ability to shift their voices to fit all kinds of characters, and they deserve more recognition for the skill involved. And one side effect of this is that you’ve probably heard the same voice actor in multiple shows without even realizing it!...

Some movie directors are infamous for this—like David Lynch, who’s a master at making you think hard about his films long after you’ve left the theater. His movies inspire a kind of confusion that compels you toward deep investigation and reflection. But few directors are like Lynch. Most directors set out to evoke a specific emotion or leave you with a particular message in mind with the way their movies wrap up....

It’s hard to capture properly on film. Throughout cinema history, judge characters have proven tricky to portray for any actor—it takes a certain kind of legacy for a judge to make it feel as though the defense and prosecution are both at the whims of the court itself. Only a handful of actors in a handful of movies have had the ability to command an entire courtroom and uphold the values of that courtroom in a way that truly comes across on camera....

The wuxia movie has roots firmly planted in Chinese literature, with stories that often involve valiant warriors in a medieval Asian era, who use swords to solve conflicts of honor, integrity, and destiny. Wuxia movies are primarily adventure films with a dash of romance, but they have a wholly unique style that undergirds everything about them. Most notably, wuxia movies have fight scenes that feel worlds apart from fight scenes in Western movies....

Craving Pocky or green tea Kit Kats? These Japanese snack subscription boxes will satisfy those cravings and more. 8. ZenPop ZenPop offers three food-related subscription boxes: the Japanese Sweets Pack, the Japanese Ramen Pack, and the Japanese Ramen + Sweets Mix Pack. No matter which one you choose, you’ll fall in love with new seasonal flavors that arrive at your house each month. Box contents: 12+ full-size Japanese snacks and treats Box pricing: $36 per box (cheaper with multi-month plans) Personally, I think the Japanese Ramen and Sweets Mix Pack is the best option....

Look at pretty much any modern anime series and you’ll find that the side characters are the ones who round out the cast, fill out the gaps, bring color to scenes, and deepen the overall story in many ways. And when a side character is done particularly well, they can win over the audience and become fan favorites in no time. How does a side character win the viewers over?...

The 1960 classic Western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai achieved something that most loose remakes fail to do: become famous in their own right. And that’s why Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua teamed up to remake the 1960 remake in 2016. Like the original cast, the 2016 edition of The Magnificent Seven also went big with its members of the eponymous seven. Alongside Denzel Washington, we saw the likes of Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, and Vincent D’Onofrio protecting the townsfolk from threatening bandits....

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, the MiSTer FPGA is truly the future of retro video games—but it’s already here and it’s already great. And from the look of things, it’s only going to get better from here. If you’re a retro gaming enthusiast, the MiSTeR FPGA will seriously improve your gaming experience in ways unlike before. What Is MiSTer FPGA? Explained For starters, we should make one thing clear: the MiSTer FPGA isn’t exactly a product in and of itself, but you can go online and purchase pre-made MiSTer bundles that make it much easier for you to get started....

I’ve come close to tears in a few episodes of MasterChef and The Genius, but that’s about it. Outside of reality competitions, I’m usually either cringing or rolling my eyes with reality TV. The problem with reality TV is that it never delivers on its promise, which is that you—the viewer—can be a fly on the wall and peek in on real, authentic events that unfold without forced influence. The truth is that most reality TV shows are manipulated by producers to deliver episodes that’ll spike ratings....

But the greatest cultural shift in comedy movies came with one particular raft of new talent—a group of comic actors who signaled the start of a new era for Hollywood. Ben Stiller. Owen Wilson. Vince Vaughn. Jack Black. Steve Carell. Paul Rudd. Have you heard of them? They all began starring in movies together. And along with Will Ferrell, they launched a legendary epoch of box office domination. They came to be known as “The Frat Pack,” which was itself an homage to “The Rat Pack” of the 1950s—an iconic group of singers featuring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr....

A small–but-dedicated group of fans began asking if Zack Snyder’s cut of the film existed, then demanded to see what Snyder’s cut of Justice League would have looked like. In 2020, Warner Brothers relented and announced that the Snyder Cut would see the light of day. We got Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021, an acclaimed-yet-flawed masterpiece—imperfect but vastly superior to what had been released in theaters four years prior....

But in the end, acting is still acting. We know it’s fake. Which is why sometimes the best way to get an authentic performance out of an actor is… to make the scene real. Whether by accident or on purpose, several movies have featured scenes where actors actually experienced real pain, terror, danger, or even drunkenness. That’s right—in these movies, what you see on the screen is really happening! Here are some of the most infamous scenes where actors weren’t just acting....

Synth-heavy soundtracks. Gruesome special effects. And even if you miss his signature elements, his own name finds its way above movie titles so you always know you’re watching a John Carpenter movie. John Carpenter’s movies span a range of genres—from sci-fi to action to romance—but he’s known as the Master of Horror for good reason. He’s an auteur with a gift for turning low-budget, high-concept ideas into underrated cult classics....

Few have done it well, and fewer still have done it perfectly. It takes a special kind of performer to convey real emotion when all they have at their disposal is their voice in a recording booth, hoping the finished film will reflect well upon the creative choices made. And when it comes to voice acting, there’s no studio more storied than Disney’s own animation studio. Since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937, Disney has set itself apart with its incredible array of expert voice actors and actresses....

While mobile gaming has come a long way since those early days, the tower defense genre remains as popular as it’s ever been—even as other genres flashed into glory and faded just as quickly. Part of that is due to the genre evolving with the times. Today’s tower defense games aren’t the same as the ones you might remember from years ago. They’re more complex and more fulfilling to play....

For me, when I spot an incredible anime series or movie, it’s a habit to look up the animation studio and check for other titles they’ve made. I’ve found some really interesting anime worth watching this way. Here are the best animation studios that have produced some of the best and most popular anime series and movies. 11. Production I.G Production I.G has produced some of the best anime series, including sports anime like Haikyu!...