In 1927, the first musical movie was made: The Jazz Singer , one of the most important classic movies to shape Hollywood. Since then, we’ve seen many memorable musicals invade the film industry. Musicals are truly underrated by society. They serve as a way to lift our spirits and tell stories in a deeply human way through song and dance. They’re fun to watch, they’re great as escapes from reality, and they require lots of talent to pull off....

Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto series is packed with interesting jutsus and abilities, and that’s one of the reasons why we adore the show. Who doesn’t love badass fireballs, towering mud walls, and darkly forbidden abilities that can raise the dead, summon meteors, or create a thousand clones of yourself? Not to mention the iconic hand seals used to mold one’s chakra for different abilities. Naruto has given us some of the coolest fight scenes in anime, and a lot of those come from the character motivations that collide in conflict, but they’re always capped off by the awesome abilities on display....

Electronics can be a rewarding hobby. Not only is electricity fun, but if you learn enough, you might be able to repair broken gadgets around your home instead of replacing them. Of course, getting that far requires a fair amount of practice. There are plenty of ways to learn electronics, but most people don’t want to buy a breadboard, some LEDs, capacitors, and wire and just see what happens. These starter kits give you a goal to work toward and help you learn electronics in a practical setting....

In 1962, a small British film arrived in cinemas. It was based on the spy novels of Ian Fleming and starred Sean Connery—a relatively unknown actor—in its leading role. He was sent on a mission by the British government, which led him to meeting the eponymous Dr. No. Dr. No met with rave reviews and began one of the world’s greatest cinematic action franchises. Its sequels have seen five other men take on the role of the famed James Bond, spanning six decades of history and shaping the modern spy movie genre as we know it....

Alfred Hitchcock isn’t just known for being one of the most famous directors of horror and thriller, but is easily one of the most influential movie directors from the classic movie era. With over 50 feature films under his belt, released across six decades, Hitchcock has proven as prolific as any director in cinema history. His techniques paved the way for today’s best directors. Classic films are often overlooked these days, or simply disregarded as snobby or irrelevant, but they laid the groundwork for every film that came after....

You might think the cheesiness in typical martial arts movies is enough to make it a comedy, but that’s only a fraction of what makes a great martial arts comedy film so funny. Don’t forget the blown-out-of-proportion special effects, the high-flying stunts, the strangest humor you’ll find in cinema. All of that—and still more—goes into every truly hilarious kung fu movie. The kung fu movie genre (which can incorporate many other martial arts styles beyond kung fu) is endearing for its odd mixture of action and humor....

Want to become the next big Twitch streamer? It’s tough but it’s possible! As long as you do what you can to stand out. If you’re just streaming with the dim ceiling light in your room and your laptop’s built-in webcam, the quality of your stream will suffer and you’re just putting yourself at a massive disadvantage. Related: Why do people watch streamers play video games? Viewers expect crisp, high-definition video when they watch streamers on Twitch, YouTube, and elsewhere....

Sometimes you can go through a whole movie without recognizing the main star. The credits start rolling and you think, “I don’t remember seeing them in it…?” Alas, they were the protagonist all along! Only hidden beneath layers of prosthetics, weight gain, makeup, or all of the above. It’s a true show of dedication when an actor spends weeks or months transforming their body—or spends hours upon hours in makeup—for a role....

Over the last few years, Dungeons & Dragons has exploded in popularity—and many D&D campaigns are taking place online now. With all the different web tools and apps available, it’s never been easier to run D&D games for a remote group. And all of those same D&D tools have made the virtual tabletop RPG experience fun in ways that just weren’t possible—at least without lots and lots of extra work—with in-person D&D campaigns....

Back in the 1940s, the Golden Age of American Animation continued with the emergence of Walt Disney, Merrie Melodies, and all their contemporaries. But there was also World War II. Animators—and all kinds of other staffers—were drafted into war, and many animation studios were commissioned to produce propaganda films and instructional videos for warfare. Even so, the animation industry grew quite a bit during the decade. Walt Disney began feature-length projects and package films, while other countries started their own waves of animation....

Television is known for many genres, from police procedurals to serialized sci-fi mysteries. But these days, fantasy is making the rounds as one of the most exciting genres on the small screen. Just a few months ago, House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power raised the standards of the genre to new heights, and they proved that fantasy stories haven’t yet peaked on television. But what makes a great fantasy TV series?...

Who doesn’t love a great legal drama? Trapped within the four walls of a courtroom, heroes and villains go head-to-head in a battle for the truth. However, it isn’t always so black-and-white. No other TV genre shows the complexities of justice better than the legal drama. Whether procedural or serial, they offer up-close-and-personal glimpses at the inner workings of the legal system. Between brash personas, cocky lawyers, and arrogant barristers, it isn’t always easy to tell who’s good and who’s bad—especially when they step out of court and battle their own inner demons....

Conspiracy movies with secret plots and shadowy organizations are some of the best to watch when you’re itching for a good mystery but want something more epic than a focused whodunit. In cinema, the genre of conspiracy films involve characters who pull at little threads only to unravel deeper machinations, inadvertently exposing a grand conspiracy that’s influencing everything. And the people scheming these conspiracies are often powerful, which leads to paranoia as lives are threatened....

Anime is one of the most diverse forms of storytelling. From dark fantasy to thrilling adventures to sappy romances, there’s a vast variety of genres to enjoy—but dramatic anime movies are unmatched. We’re talking about movies that demonstrate our capacity for human connection, our ability to hurt and to be hurt. Anime movies contain some of our favorite love stories, revenge stories, grief stories. There are so many anime movies that stick with us long after the credits have finished rolling—and whenever we think back on them, they’re likely to make us tear up all over again....

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro truly admires monsters—but not the kind meant to scare you or make you laugh. His monsters always have a glimmer of humanity that mirrors our own, which elevates his movies beyond mere “creature features.” But Guillermo del Toro isn’t only known for his films abouts monsters, ghosts, and otherworldly entities. Del Toro is a skilled director who knows how to blend multiple genres together—from sci-fi to psychological drama—and produce something wholly unique....

One of the most unfortunate truths about mainstream filmmaking is how much influence studios and producers have over the creative process—to the point that they can distort a movie director’s vision. Sometimes, the resulting “theatrical cut” (the one shown in theaters at release) is still good. But when it’s panned, studios may allow the director to release their own “director’s cut” according to their original vision. Director’s cuts usually go straight to DVD/Blu-ray....

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first published his novel on the famous “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes back in 1887. Holmes adapts his natural genius for the world of forensics, deduction, and logic to solve the cases that Scotland Yard can’t hack. Meanwhile, Dr. Watson’s medical background and social skills make up for the areas in which Sherlock lacks. (It’s been speculated and suggested that Sherlock Holmes is on the autism spectrum.)...

Anybody who loves or studies film can appreciate the unseen impact that good audio makes. From operatic music scores to tense dialogue delivery, the importance of sound cannot be understated. Sound design, music tracks, and line delivery come together in establishing the emotional tone of a movie—and that’s no more apparent than when sound is intentionally omitted, like the silence of the boxing ring in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull ....

There’s usually (at least) one character in every TV series that just gets under your skin and rubs you the wrong way. It happens. Nothing too strange about that. But every so often, there’s a TV character who seems to be universally hated for whatever reason. And when it gets really bad, those characters end up being lightning rods of hatred—the focal point amongst fans and haters alike, who pour all of their gripes onto that one character and nitpick everything they do because they’re just so unlikable....

The anime series Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma proved that food, dishes, and meals can be surprisingly captivating when paired with fun characters and stellar animation. Action-packed cooking battles have sparked enthusiasm in food lovers around the world, who can experience these great foods and drinks in anime even if they can’t in the real world. But food in anime goes beyond just Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma . Indeed, many anime series that don’t involve cooking at all still feature tasty dishes, many of which are core to Japanese culture....