Being on the road is a great way to manifest a character’s spiritual or emotional journey into the physical, as a way to symbolize the obstacles and lessons that come with pursing some goal or dream. From offbeat comedies to allegorical dramas, here are the best road movies that use the road to teach, challenge, and unite their characters. Related: Brilliant Movies With Symbolism That Elevate Their Stories 20. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) Directed by John Hughes...

A good punch-up can be thrilling to watch. Whether it’s James Bond or Jason Bourne, watching two (or more) characters go toe-to-toe in physical combat is undeniably exciting. This is the kind of scene that appeals to something primal within all of us. Why else would sports like boxing have ever become so popular? However, we can’t all fight like Ethan Hunt, and movies know that. That’s why movie fights aren’t always nail-biting showdowns—sometimes there’s no tension at all and we’re left with gut-busting brawls of hilarity....

Looking for a game that you can really sink your teeth into? Want a game that you won’t finish in a couple of sittings? There are plenty of those games on the Xbox One. In fact, we’re going to look at several Xbox One games that will take you over 100 hours to play through. Not only are these games incredibly long, but they’re also incredibly good. After all, if you’re investing over 100 hours in a game, then you want to make sure it’s a good one!...

Following the success of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm —the animated Batman adventure that remains one of the Dark Knight’s most unmissable appearances—Warner Brothers produced a series based on the film. This new series kept the voice actors in their roles from the film, introducing the audience to the iconic growl of Kevin Conroy’s perfect tone, as well as finding his ultimate nemesis in Mark Hamill’s Joker. Batman: The Animated Series became a widely critically acclaimed animated classic, with generations of children growing up with the incarnations that Bruce Timm and Paul Dini created....

Cosplaying for the first time is intimidating. Insecurities race through your mind as you think to yourself, “My cosplay won’t look as good as everyone else’s!” or “What if no one recognizes my character?” All new cosplayers experience these thoughts when preparing their first look. If you’re thinking about cosplaying but feel bogged down by anxious thoughts, you need to combat this way of thinking—show off your cosplays with confidence!...

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve gradually moved away from PC gaming in recent years, largely because of how complex it’s gotten to keep one’s system and games up-to-date. For a while, video game consoles didn’t exhibit many of the issues I have with modern PC gaming… but the frustrations that drove me away from PC gaming are creeping into gaming consoles now. Related: Key reasons why I quit being a PC gamer...

“Reality” is nearly synonymous with “documentary,” but with one clear distinction: whereas a documentary aims to observe a situation that already exists, reality creates the situation to be observed. That’s the key difference between, say, Chef’s Table and Top Chef . But just because the situations in reality TV are “produced” doesn’t mean they’re always fake, and just because they aren’t 100% authentic doesn’t mean they can’t be engaging, insightful, nourishing, and yes, entertaining....

The 80s was an incredible decade for teen movies. Chick flicks and teenage rom-coms were all the rage, and many of them were so good that they’ve managed to stand the test of time with ease. Without the distraction of social media, teenagers were able to fully experience the adolescent life. This meant making their own clothes, gossiping over the telephone, listening to records, and having sleepovers with their friends....

If you had to pick one movie director as the greatest modern-day movie director still creating films, who would you pick? There are plenty of solid candidates, but our choice is… Denis Villeneuve. There are many reasons for that, but one in particular sticks out for the Canadian filmmaker: whereas many great directors have a favored style and genre—like Martin Scorsese with gangster epics or Christopher Nolan with time-warped stories—Denis Villeneuve is a chameleon whose skills and vision can fit to any film genre....

Are you obsessed with space? Would you rather be stuck on Mars or deep-diving into an asteroid belt to look for a missing cargo ship? Do you prefer movies that take you out into the stars? Netflix is no stranger to sci-fi movies, and many of those films take place out in the vast deepness of space. There really is no better streaming service if you love outer space movies....

It’s not all that common for a movie to be equally enjoyable for kids, teenagers, and adults. And when such a movie does come along, it’s often middling at best. Good enough, but not great. Very rarely, we’re treated to a movie that’s an absolute blast for everyone —and it’s exponentially better when that movie is wholesome at heart. That’s the kind of film that an entire family can love together....

Living is hard, but living forever is even harder. That tension is what makes immortality such a compelling idea in fiction. As an immortal, you’d have to face all kinds of unique dilemmas. Maybe it’s the pain of losing all your loved ones over and over again, or the enduring struggle of a lifelong battle, or the challenge of living life to the fullest across ever-changing centuries. Immortality is a popular concept in cinema and there have been several great films that explore immortality as blessing, curse, or both....

These days, it’s easy to forget that cinema is an art form, what with all the superheroes and CGI goblins that keep busting blocks. But at their core, movies are the alchemy of boundless imagination and bitter reality, able to transport us to vast fantasy realms and tap into our deepest feelings, dreams, and sentiments. Here are some of the greatest movies that celebrate the medium of cinema itself and successfully capture the magic of filmmaking....

Bullet hell is a challenging subgenre of the shoot-em-up (or shmup ) genre. These games pit you against enemies whose only weapons are waves of bullets. You need two things to get through a bullet hell: the ability to find the patterns behind the bullets, and a strong desire to win. It’s called “bullet hell” for a reason—they’re designed to frustrate you. Patience and commitment go a long way in this genre as bullet hells take a long time to master, which is part of the charm....

Buying gifts for board gamers can be tough. Obviously, the one thing they want more than anything is more board games —but buying board games for someone is a risky, hit-or-miss effort. Unless you know them like the back of your hand, you risk buying a board game they already own or a board game they have no interest in. And with modern board games as expensive as they are, you don’t want to make a mistake like that....

We’ve all been there: you’re not quite in a rut, but you feel like you could be getting more done than you are. Now is the perfect time to reexamine your life’s big picture and build some new habits while eliminating ones that drag you down. Everyone goes about this differently, but you’ll go farther faster if you heed advice from those who’ve struggled with habits and routines AND overcame the hardships that come with them....

Everyone loves a good underdog story, whether it’s about a rag-tag sports team or an ancient hero of old. When the odds are stacked against one who’s willing to put it all on the line, that’s when you can really feel the tension that hangs in the air as a film unfolds. Underdog movies are the modern David versus Goliath tales that have the power to make us sit with bated breath and hang on to see how things turn out....

Vampires are common in horror, especially in the old-school horror genre after Nosferatu (1922) hit cinemas. But vampire movies have spun the concept many times, resulting in atypical vampires like Edward Cullen and the infamous daywalker Blade. While traditional vampires are gloomy and dreary, a few clever twists can shift the mood and atmosphere away from horror and more towards action, drama, romance, or even comedy. While most vampire movies retain some semblance of the original folklore—bloodsucking, pale skin, gentlemanly behavior—others have moved away to incorporate new ideas like human-vampire hybridism, genetic mutations, and even organized vampire societies....

Sometimes you’re busy and you just want to kill some time for a few minutes. Then there are other times when all you want to do is get lost in a world that is not the world we live in. That’s something video games are perfect for. Most single-player games span at least five to ten hours these days, but other games make them look short by comparison. If you’re looking for a game that will keep you busy for weeks, here are my picks for the longest PlayStation 4 games that offer the most bang for your buck, at least in terms of playtime....

Every year, dozens of new horror movies come out, but only a handful of them will be remembered a few years later. To be memorable, you need to stand out—and one way is to be creative with your deaths. Not every murder in a horror film is equal. Psycho ’s shower kill, Cube ’s laser kill, and Alien ’s chestburster kill all brought something new to the table. A great horror director goes to great lengths to elevate their deaths in new ways that’ll catch viewers off guard and get them talking....