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For me, the main difference between Korean variety shows and Western reality shows is that the Korean cast members tend to be more vulnerable. They can make fun of themselves, they’re willing to be the butts of jokes, and their personalities are on full display. By contrast, Western reality shows often feel contrived, manufactured, and overly professional. The jokes are timid, the banter is weak, and the producers seem more interested in drama than entertainment....

Hundreds of documentary films are released every year, but only a handful of them really gain any recognition. The ones that do are the ones that say something noteworthy about a subject or situation. It takes a special skillset to excel at documentary filmmaking, and many have dedicated their lives to this pursuit of cinematic documentation. They work to communicate the true nature of things by packaging things to fit our—the viewers—ways of absorbing information....

Among the elements found in horror films, haunted and cursed items bring the same kind of thrill as demons and ghosts, even without further description or development in the plot. Haunted and cursed items have a terror-inducing presence unlike any other plot device, able to instill fear just by appearing on camera—especially when shown from disturbing angles. They can also be used alongside demonic figures and paranormal happenings for the perfect jump scare....

Pixar was a strong contender between 1995 and 2006, and Disney knew it. That’s why Disney went ahead and acquired Pixar Studios altogether, making them into a subsidiary of the global conglomerate. Under Disney, Pixar continues to put out some of the best animated movies in the entire industry—not just ones that are kid-friendly, but ones that are deep, meaningful, and beloved by adults. As of this writing, Pixar Studios has 23 feature films under their belt....

There’s nothing wrong with those mobile games—I have a few of them on my own phone—but there’s a lot more to mobile gaming than that! In fact, there are plenty of mobile games that were ported over from PC and gaming consoles, with more complex gaming experiences. A lot of those more complex mobile games can be played on normal phones, but they’re better when played on the bigger screen of a tablet....

The irony of “social” media isn’t lost on most of us—we just choose to ignore it. Scrolling through TikTok and posting on Instagram is just too addictive, familiar, and easy. And cinema has explored this in many different ways, with more and more movies showing us what lies beyond our digital screens and quick-fix attitudes: the beauty of the great outdoors. Whether by accident or on purpose, here are my picks for the best movies where characters ditch their modern lives and take to living off the land, perhaps inspiring us to be a little more eco-focused, too....

Generally, I prefer the tactile experience of cards over game pieces. You can hold a bunch of them in your hand. They display more information than tokens and meeples. They’re easier to collect and stow away when you’re done playing. They’re less fiddly overall. Sadly, single-player card games aren’t as common as group card games, and a lot of the ones that do exist are lacking in the kind of gameplay depth you’d more easily find in full-on board games....

These great blades are the weapons of choice for most melee fighters, if only because swords are so darn cool. But when you dig deeper into a sword’s details, you’ll often find some interesting lore and backstory that makes the weapon even cooler in context. Like anime powers, swords can possess abilities and characteristics that make them stand out as special. They could also have cool names, creators, owners, and relationships with wielders....

Dark power users can be either hero or villain, depending on the story. And when they’re written well, they can infuse a story with twists and turns as the character grows and develops in unexpected ways, whether that means embracing their darkness or working to overcome it. From hero characters who are granted hellish powers to villains who pose a grave threat with their sinister abilities, here are the darkest anime characters with evil and unholy abilities....

Sadly, a lot of dungeon crawler games came out decades ago and are no longer in print, while modern dungeon crawlers can be hard to acquire if you missed their initial Kickstarter runs. The good news is, there are plenty of great in-print dungeon crawlers still worth playing. You just need to know what they are! What Are Dungeon Crawler Board Games? There isn’t an official definition for “dungeon crawler board games,” which has caused lots of confusion across board gaming communities—everyone has their own idea of what the term entails....

Lately, we’ve had our eyes and ears opened to all kinds of high-quality foreign-language media, and the world’s largest streaming service has taken advantage of this with their Netflix Original series. This year alone, a South Korean thriller series took the world by storm and a Spanish crime drama series is about to reach its conclusion. Also, don’t forget that hit French caper series based on a classic character! Don’t know what we’re talking about?...

There’s that one movie about a family of superheroes. And that other movie about a culinary rodent. Not to mention that groundbreaking TV series that really helped him get his name out there. Next to John Williams and Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino has what it takes to sit aside them at the top of the music scoring pantheon. Most recently, he has scored music for Marvel, for DC, for the Jurassic World series, and beyond....

On the surface, live-action anime movies are pretty exciting. The promise of seeing real actors and actresses portraying the characters and stories that we’ve come to love? There’s something magical about animated media truly coming to life. But the reality of live-action anime movies is that they’re often disappointing. Whether production companies stick to a faithful adaptation or take creative liberties in playing with the story elements, they can never really live up to viewer expectations....

However, as time pushed on, as he released the same kinds of films over and over, and as mainstream tastes changed, the once-beloved comedy actor found his film career to be less popular than it once was. But then came the greatest twist that nobody saw coming from the one-dimensional SNL veteran: he wasn’t one-dimensional at all. Starting in the 2000s, Adam Sandler showed the whole world that he was indeed capable of delving into characters with delicacy and thought....

The beauty of coffee is that there are so many different beans, so many different ways to brew, and so many different ways to drink it. The problem with coffee is, how do you taste all those different beans affordably? That’s where coffee subscription boxes come in handy. Every month, you get freshly roasted coffee beans delivered straight to your door—and depending on the box, you may even get some extra goodies with it....

HBO has changed the way people watch television with its groundbreaking work on series like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. The iconic network understood that television could push the boundaries of entertainment, and successfully redefined home TV. Without HBO, who knows whether the modern trend of cinematic television and artistic storytelling would have come to pass? Not to mention TV series starring notable Hollywood actors. But HBO TV isn’t only about drama; the network has put out several excellent comedy series over the years....

The first ten seasons set the standard for comedy writing on TV—a benchmark that still holds to this day. All animated comedy shows that feature adult themes are in the shadow of The Simpsons, and most owe their existence to the ground that The Simpsons first broke. We all know about the exploits of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie because the show’s focus has been on them for decades....

This is why the openings to shows like Friends and Seinfeld have remained within the public consciousness to this day. When the Seinfeld riff plays, you half expect Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer to pop up somewhere behind you. Or when you hear “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts, you can’t help but think of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey. But which openings are the best in sitcom TV history?...

Then, as the battle between you and your sworn enemy ensues, your heart pounds as you fight tooth and nail to the bitter end, trying with every ounce of strategy and skill to emerge victorious. It’s that sense of tactile connection that gives video games their sense of personal fulfillment. Beating a villain yourself—by your own hands, strategies, and capabilities—means so much more than simply watching a protagonist defeat their own enemy on screen....

Sometimes those musical scores were performed by live pianists in the theaters, while other times the music came through a separate audio system. The point is, sound and image have always been partnered together for as long as cinema has existed. And just as cinematography has evolved over the decades, the use of sound and music in cinema has also evolved. The score has the power to elevate a good film to great, a great film to legendary....