Anime is a magical playground where anything goes. Physical size has been subverted so many times that it’s almost expected for diminutive characters to have tricks and secrets up their sleeve. Of course, the longer an anime series goes before revealing the hidden power within a small character, the more surprising it ends up being. Too soon and there’s very little impact. Here are some of my favorite examples of small anime characters who are far stronger and deadlier than they physically appear to be....

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy became critically acclaimed and set records at the Academy Awards with a total of 30 nominations across three films, with Return of the King equaling the all-time number of Oscars won by a film in a single night (11 wins). 1. Morfydd Clark Is Galadriel With the franchise having millions of fans worldwide, we’ve all been eagerly waiting to see who will be portraying our favorite characters....

While action flicks may be far from the “sophisticated” end of the cinema spectrum, few other genres are as unabashedly exhilarating and easy to watch as an action blockbuster. And when our favorite action movie stars are swinging fists or clanging swords with one another, it’s that much better. Of course, the action movies that came out after the turn of the millenium took on a different identity than the nostalgic actioners of previous decades....

Carnivals were a big thing back in the day, and just as creepy then as they are now. They were controversial in how they offered the public the opportunity to witness myriad wild creatures and strange performers. If you enjoyed the Freakshow season of American Horror Story or loved the family-friendly Dumbo remake by Tim Burton, here are our picks for the best circus movies and carnival movies to check out....

Love gained, love lost. It isn’t always the central narrative—more often a supporting storyline to deepen several characters—but there are a handful of seriously good movies where breakups and divorce do play a central role as the driving force or motivation. As divorce becomes more normalized in Western society, we’ve seen more movies about it. But which ones tapped into the pain (and humor) the best? Here are our picks for the best movies about divorce and breakups....

From the sweeping orchestras of John Williams to the pounding rhythms of Hans Zimmer, the right score can elevate an already great movie to legendary status. And when a film score is carefully hand-crafted for a specific film with love and meticulous detail, it’s a uniquely grand phenomenon. Scene by scene, you can’t help but be sucked into the experience. But there’s one type of film score that’s become less common in recent years: the rock music soundtrack....

And few board game genres are more cerebrally challenging and narratively intriguing than the murder mystery board game, where you play as a detective with a case to solve. But murder mystery board games can be more than just whodunit riddles. They can be battles of wit and cunning that have you strategizing your next moves and sniffing out ulterior motives in your teammates. In the end, the goal is always the same: catch the killer in time....

But you’d be surprised. We know Burton for his signature style of bizarre, frightening, and unconventional elements—but he also can create charismatic characters, clever stories, and emotional moments in ways that don’t immediately seem “Burton-esque.” In honor of his 50 years of work, let’s explore the best Tim Burton movies ever made. You should watch these if you haven’t! We love The Nightmare Before Christmas as much as the next fan, but we aren’t including it on this list because Tim Burton technically didn’t direct it....

For many years, GameMaker was primarily used by hobbyists who just wanted to play around with game creation and had no intentions of making it big in the world of indie game development. Spelunky came out in 2008 and was one of the first GameMaker games to achieve success, showing that GameMaker had potential to create more complex games with features like procedural level generation. Since then, GameMaker has continued to improve and become a serious option for serious 2D game developers, particularly with its native ability to export to desktop, mobile, consoles, web, and more....

These abilities are the ones that allow users to influence, alter, or manipulate the so-called space-time continuum. You can see how that might be a huge game changer in any fight scene. While fireballs and healing spells are a dime a dozen in anime, spatial and space-time abilities don’t show up often—and that’s what makes them stand out when they do appear. We love them because they often allow for creative use in coordination with other abilities....

Now, as games grow increasingly more cross-platform, Metroidvanias have returned to gaming consoles—and, more importantly, if you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you have plenty you can play right away. Metroidvanias are platformer games that encourage wide-scale exploration across a large world via interconnected screens. Along the way, you can acquire new equipment and abilities that grant access to areas that you couldn’t reach before, thus opening up more of the world....

Don’t be put off by stick figure graphics! Simplicity and minimalism aren’t always indicative of quality—just look at games like Minecraft, Thomas Was Alone, and Mini Metro as proof of that. And while stickman games might feel juvenile, they can be surprisingly fun! If you need to kill some time, here are some of the best stickman stick figure mobile games worth checking out. 8. Stickman Master Archer If you are looking for a single-screen two-player mobile game to play with a buddy, Stickman Master Archer is one of the best apps to try....

Here are some of the best TV series with junkie characters we’ll never forget for stirring up all kinds of antics and emotion! 8. Christopher Moltisanti (The Sopranos) David Chase’s multi award-winning crime show The Sopranos would be nothing without Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli). Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is at the center of the Italian-American mob, surrounded by tons of different people—and one of them is Christopher, referred to as Tony’s “nephew” but is actually his cousin....

It’s a lesson that’s become more pertinent as advancements in tech bring us evolutions in robotics and artificial intelligence. It’s almost as if scientists have been sitting down to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and using it as a blueprint for the future. When the pod bay doors refuse to open or an army of hive-minded robots attacks a city with the end goal of causing a global extinction event, we’ll know who to blame....

To understand why it was so momentous, we first have to jump back to the production of James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In early 1990, James Cameron—who’d previously worked with Industry Light & Magic (ILM) on The Abyss—asked ILM to produce a special effect they’d never done before: a character of liquid metal. ILM’s VFX specialist Dennis Muren told Cameron over the phone that ILM could provide the effects Cameron wanted....

Well, as sad as it is to admit, most of us probably overestimate how much we’ve improved at problem-solving—and today’s brain teaser puzzle toys will likely knock you down a peg. Here are some of the best brain teaser puzzles for adults and brainiacs that’ll provide you with several levels of challenge and confusion. 10. Rubik’s Impossible For decades, the Rubik’s Cube has been the go-to brain teaser puzzle for kids and adults....

But in any other situation—whether you have loud roommates or bustling family members, or you want to communicate with your teammates in-game, or you need solid sound quality to locate your enemies in a 3D world—you’re likely going to need a proper gaming headset. Gaming headsets come in all shapes, sizes, and budgets, but for the most part, they’re meant for one thing: playing video games. The ASUS ROG Delta S, which fits right into the company’s “Republic of Gamers” line of products, is first and foremost a gaming headset....

Like anti-heroes in other mediums, anime anti-heroes can make for uniquely fascinating stories and developments, ones that usually involve corrupted heroes, empathetic villains, or nonchalant outlaws. The anti-hero straddles the line between good and bad. And while we’re never quite sure which side he ultimately leans toward, what matters is that their journeys are interesting no matter how dark they get—and we get to see their humanity amidst their flaws....

Also known as the Jazz Age, the 1920s decade was a rip-roaring time for artists, musicians, and the upper class, who danced the night away without corsets or chaperones. Back then, city life boomed, morals grew more flexible, and the backfiring of Prohibition made everyone drink even more. Here are the greatest movies set during the Roaring Twenties that successfully captured the razzle dazzle of an era crowded by flappers, champagne, and Louis Armstrong....

And you can lose hours while scrolling through all the different Netflix genres and titles, yet never actually choosing something to watch because nothing catches your eye—and you’re convinced that something better is waiting just around the corner. Fortunately, it’s not all bad! There are several excellent Netflix Original movies worth watching in between most of the other mediocre content. Here are the ones we recommend. 10. All The Bright Places If you’re in the mood to be an emotional wreck, then by all means check out All The Bright Places....