Actors can go through many arduous hours in the makeup chair, allowing themselves to be transformed into creatures, villains, and completely regular people who happen to be the opposite gender. You’ve got to hand it to the makeup artists who make it possible, as well as the actors and actresses who convincingly portray their characters despite being another gender altogether. Here are the best movies where actors and actresses played characters who were different genders—and knocked it out of the park....

There is no shortage of nerdy TV shows available these days, whether you’re talking about The Mandalorian or whatever happens to be big on Netflix at the moment. But while nerdy TV shows can be funny at times, there aren’t too many that are out-and-out comedies. Related: The best TV sitcoms of the 2000s, ranked That’s what made Community so refreshing. The show was ostensibly a TV sitcom, but much more than that—smart, adventurous, bizarre....

Board games can be engaging for all kinds of reasons. For me, I love being challenged by a game that presents itself as a puzzle to be solved, whether it’s a spatial puzzle, logical puzzle, or some other kind. What exactly is a puzzle board game? It’s hard to define because nearly every board game—except for dexterity-based games—is a kind of puzzle where you’re solving for a solution (i.e. how to win the game) within the constraints of that game (i....

One way to appreciate a movie is to appreciate its movie poster. These one-sheet ads have long been a marketing tactic to promote movies, as all you need is a tagline, a marquee of cast members, a credits lineup, the MPAA rating, and the official movie logo. But just as there’s a spectrum of movies from terrible to iconic, and just as there’s a spectrum of quality in movie trailers, the design of a great movie poster goes beyond mere marketing....

Some movies are made purely for spectacle and profit, while others are created with deeper intention. Film is, after all, an art form. Moving pictures are exactly that: pictures that move. Every single frame can be its own painting, carefully crafted to evoke so many emotions. Lighting, wardrobe, camera angles, and frame composition all feed into this, but the color palette brings it all together. Colors can be used for all kinds of purposes, whether to set the mood, enhance a theme, cause dissonance in the viewer, or simply to look cool and stand out by using unusual hues....

We all love flashy abilities in anime, especially when they’re drawn with insanely good animation and executed during climactic moments. But for every pillar of flame, violent wind scythe, or swirling water dragon, there are extraordinarily unique abilities that are cool in their own ways. Not all techniques, skills, jutsus, and powers are based on the stereotypical fire, water, wind, and earth attributes. Not all involve violence, destruction, or death. Some of the most memorable abilities are actually quite simple, but can be useful in creative ways....

If you’re a fan of JRPGs and tactical strategy games, you’ve probably come across the Fire Emblem series before. This franchise was relatively obscure in the West until Marth showed up in 2001’s Super Smash Bros. Melee , and since then Fire Emblem has been a mainstay of every Nintendo console generation. There are more than a dozen titles in the Fire Emblem series, but not all of them achieve the same level of greatness....

When the Academy Award for Best Picture is announced, there’s always an air of expectation. The same movies might compete across awards season, but a handful are ever really in contention for winner. So, when Oscar night comes and everybody’s waiting to hear the winner of Best Picture, we know it’s going to be either Movie A or Movie B. But what happens when it’s Movie C, Movie D, or Movie E?...

China, the land that brought civilization to the world long before European powers grew into the cultural hubs they are today. China’s history is almost as vast as its beautiful landscape. For all the incredible parts of Chinese history—laden with dynasties and Emperors who sought to rule the known world—the Asian country’s artistic expression is not to be ignored. When it comes to cinema, the Chinese have long played their own game, ignoring the allure of Hollywood blockbusters in favor of driving stories of their own people and culture....

Experiencing the sleep paralysis phenomenon in real-life is terrifying—to be partly awake in a sleeping body and see creepy figures lurking in the dark. It can make you fear dreams, going to bed, or even the idea of falling back asleep again. Sleep paralysis has been featured as a topic of several horror movies. The sleep paralysis phenomenon is enough on its own to chill and frighten, but filmmakers add twists of their own to ramp things up....

Mockumentary sitcoms are everywhere and the genre seems like its here to stay. You’d think that it might have gone stale and out of style by now but it’s still going strong. What is a mockumentary ? Sometimes called docucomedy , it’s basically a movie or TV series that’s shot in the style of a documentary—complete with character interviews—but all of the events are fictional. The mockumentary format really works for TV comedies, and we have plenty of examples that prove the concept, and these examples span multiple decades....

Schitt’s Creek became the darling of modern TV comedy during its six-season run. The awards-laden series starred Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, and Annie Murphy as members of the Rose family—who lost all of their money and were forced to live in a motel. The Rose family’s transition from rich to poor occurred in the opening minutes of the series, leaving the rest of the show to give the family the chance to come to terms with a less luxurious life and to grow as people (rather than stay as indulged, overgrown children)....

If you’ve been to a geeky convention, a comic book shop, or even just a big box store in the past ten years, you’ve likely seen a new type of merchandise that’s taking over fandoms: Funko Pop figures. As of this writing, there are thousands of Funko Pop figures out there, and the sheer number of them can be somewhat overwhelming if you’re just getting into the collectible hobby now....

With 74 characters (not including DLC) on the roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ( SSBU ), Nintendo has made it harder than ever to choose a main. If you’re new to the game, or want to play competitively, you’re probably wondering how you should go about picking your best character. Each character has different skills and abilities that you may either like or dislike. This guide will walk you through the types of characters and help you determine the best fit for your playstyle....

There’s nothing new or unusual about tech companies buying up smaller companies—it’s pretty much a cliché at this point. However, not all company acquisitions are made equal; for consumers, some buys are good and other buys bring nothing but trouble. In January 2022, Microsoft announced that they would acquire Activision Blizzard , a decision that’s been contentious among gamers. What effect will this have on the console wars between Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo?...

Geeky activities, by definition, have limited appeal. But just because most people find something uninteresting doesn’t mean you will too. You really have no way of knowing whether any given geeky activity will appeal to you until you try it. I’m always open to trying things I’ve never done before. “Always at least once” is how I like to live—and I’m happy to say that it has led me to tons of new interests, many of which I thought I’d hate when I decided to try them....

Anime as a medium only started growing popular in Japan in the 1980s, then internationally in the 1990s when iconic anime series like Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon took off. But with international success comes international scrutiny! And while many anime series are widely approved, there are notable examples of anime series being banned in certain countries for various reasons. Indeed, media bannings aren’t limited to books, movies, and video games....

Normally, we see weapons like swords, guns, cannons, bows and arrows as cool and badass items. But if we look deeper into the context of each items and their mechanics, we can find a lot of similarities across many different series—especially in anime. Though weapons might be crafted differently in terms of design and backstory, it’s inevitable for them to look, feel, and even operate the same way as other weapons found in almost all anime series and movies....

As the modern cinema trend goes, we’re seeing ever more reboots, sequels, origin stories, superheroes, and franchises. Although it can get tiring for the cinephiles among us, it’s good to remember that there are plenty of exciting new installments of our favorite stories in the mix for the coming year. Plus, a healthy dose of original ideas and artistic experimentation! Here are my own personal most anticipated movies of 2024 (that have been confirmed so far), all of which are set to release this year if all goes well....

If you’re hunting for a unique gift idea to give to that special nerd in your life, you’ve come to the right article! Why settle for dull and unoriginal gifts like printed mugs, scented candles, socks and scarves, or even gift cards? To really WOW the gift recipient, you’ll need to pick a gift that has serious WOW factor. Related: The best gift ideas for modern PC gamers As a geek myself with a broad range of hobbies and interests, I can tell you that there are a lot of super cool gift ideas that would blow me away....