In ancient times, the concept of what we call a vacation--those rejuvenating get-away-from-it-all excursions to exotic locales--existed solely for the upper echelons of society. The equivalent of upper-middle-class Roman elites popularized the notion of visiting far-flung areas of their Mediterranean empire for relaxation, and during the late Middle Ages and into the Renaissance the nobility retreated to faraway countryside estates for extended leisure stays. Only in the nineteenth century, however, with the ascendancy of the true, widespread middle class and fostered by new and easier modes of transportation--railroads, steamboats, stagecoaches, the horseless carriage--did vacationing become available to the masses. In America, Florida, then California, established the first resorts to attract mass-tourism, and by the 1890’s, company-abetted vacations became the norm, allowing those early Clark Griswolds to indulge their adventurous spirits.

Arrow Video has released five forgotten classic French noir films from the late director Claude Chabrol, now available for the first time on Blu-ray to the American viewing audience. Very underappreciated and often overlooked by film historians of today, Chabrol was a master of his craft, and this set, entitled Lies & Deceit, encompasses five of his standout directorial pieces of his era.

Largely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, Chabrol relied heavily on making thriller films that appealed to the French moviegoing audience, and gave his wife, Stéphane Audran, a leading role in most of them.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe delivered top-notch fan excitement when it premiered Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters last December. The conjunction of all the actors who portrayed Spider-Man on the big screen, coupled with all the villains we've seen, generated an excitement for Spidey fans the world over.

And now the spectacle of the Marvel multiverse comes home on Blu-ray, allowing fans to relive the adventure -- and to pore over scenes in high-definition pauses to seek out more hints and Easter eggs about the other aspects of the multiverse.

There was a time when almost every movie release was accompanied by a game, with most of those games being re-skinned versions of much better games or unashamedly cash-grabs. There were some gems, such as most of those around the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars prequels, but for the most part, they weren’t great.

The craze led to a fair few movies that wouldn’t lend themselves to the entertainment medium getting games, with some proving popular to this day, while others have sunken away already. So, these are the weirdest movies that ended up delving into gaming, with some of them still being playable today.

Fight Club

Find out which sci-fi movies are the greatest of all time.

Let's take a stroll back in memory lane. We all remember those gaming arenas where we would spend most of our summertime playing games. This was the start of the global gaming industry.

Today, these gaming arenas are replaced by online games. Amazingly, now you get the chance to play a game with your friends even when you are miles apart. This explains why online game modes are becoming so popular these days.

Here are five online game genres that will skyrocket in the year 2022 in terms of popularity,

• Shooter Games

It doesn't matter if you are a pro gamer; shooting games have a class of their own. According to verified survey reports, shooter games are one of the globally popular game genres.

We all suffered a lot during the COVID days. Still, COVID is indeed an issue the world is coping with. But the world is finally getting back to its average days by adapting preventive measures against this pandemic.

Studies have shown that one particular stream has helped people both physically and emotionally during a time like this. Yes, we are talking about online video games.

Here are some aspects of online video games that have helped men in particular during the COVID,

• Connecting People

What's the most significant trauma caused by COVID? There are factors like physical ailments and pain that a person may have to go through. But the most considerable trauma was the isolation, especially if you have contacted COVID or are isolated alone.

According to the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCDb), the most popular car ever used in movies is the Ford Mustang, which has featured in 809 movies including Bullitt, Goldfinger, Death Race and Gone in 60 Seconds. Some of the most successful movies not only bring us car chases and races, but also feature the car as being one of the main characters. Let us not forget Christine, Herbie, and of course Lightning McQueen. These iconic movie cars were a delight to watch on the big screen, and also inspired a new generation of motor enthusiasts to buy the car of their dreams.

What used to be a niche market in the Arabic world is now booming. Discover the reasons why Middle Eastern players love gaming!

Zelda will always benefit from being a franchise that doubles as a cultural icon, but recent releases haven’t necessarily been universally adored. As The Washington Post highlights, a look back at classics such as Skyward Sword have exposed exactly the areas in which Breath of the Wild lacked. With Zelda expanding again, now, and a TV show mooted for Netflix, it’s worth looking at the history of the Zelda, and where it succeeded, when considering the next generation of content.

Favored characters

Call it a sequel, a reboot, a remake, or a re-imagining of the cult favorite series SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE from the 80’ and 90’s, but this updated story to the series does not belong anywhere near those classic horror films on your movie collection shelves. Overly campy with forced humor and comedy, 90 percent of the jokes fall flat in this gender-bending tale that could have been a really good next installment of the series if they would have just stuck to the original premise of the film.

We meet the daughter of one of the original girls from the series, as she and her friends return to the cabin where her mother escaped the clutches of Russ Thorn to finally take him out and put an end to the horrors they had been living with their whole lives.

Arrow Video Just released the directorial debut of Kaizo Hayashi (Circus Boys, Zipang) with his 1986 film To Sleep So as To Dream.

A love letter to the films he grew up on, Hayashi mashes as many genre’s as he is able to in this groundbreaking film that homages the films of the 1900’s thru 1950’s.

Harkening back to the serial detective stories, To Sleep So as To Dream begins when an elderly woman hires two fledgling detectives to help find a young actress from a forgotten film reel who appears to have been kidnapped by the movie company that made the film. Bungling their way thru leads that do not go anywhere, you get the feeling that this may not be a detective story after all, but a comedy in disguise when there hasn’t been any actual detective work during the whole first half of the film.

In 1895, a San Francisco mechanic named Charles Fey opened the first-ever slot machine workshop. Following his invention of the inaugural slot machine – that required an attendant to make a payout – Fey went on to deliver the revolutionary automatic payout slot machine, which led to the opening of his workshop in the late 1800s. 

Slot machines quickly became a popular form of entertainment in America. The mastermind of Fey wasted no time in creating alternative variations of the machine-like slot machines and one-armed bandits.

A few years before the turn of the 19^th century, Fey’s creative genius constructed the “Liberty Bell Slot Machine”, the most famous slot machine of its day and a device that can still be found in casinos, bars, and after one hundred years of its debut. The Liberty Bell would pay money when three bells aligned, and although variations have been made, most casino enthusiasts are all too familiar with this slot machine style.

You love movies and TV. In fact, you dream about someday selling something to Netflix or even seeing your work on the big screen. If this seems like something that will just have to stay a distant dream, think again. Talent, persistence and the right idea at the right time can make your dream come true, but you'll need to work hard to get there. A great way to get some experience and create a kind of calling card for yourself is to make a short film. The tips below can help you accomplish this.

Over recent times, Japanese anime and manga have become more mainstream than ever before, and this increase in popularity is not seeing a slowdown. Instead, it is continuing to rise in viewer numbers, and the huge social and online media phenomena are simply set to continue to grow. It is serving to broaden our understanding of Japanese culture but also provides a forum and platforms to meet similar-minded people. Global anime and manga conventions such as Anime Expo, OtakuCon, and JACON are now held around the world. It is a phenomenon that we should all understand end this article will serve to do just this.

You have a great idea for a product -- maybe a comic book. You have the talent, you have the processes. What you don't have is the money to get that ball rolling.

Thirty years ago, that may have stalled your project, or even stopped it completely before it got off the ground. But with the advent of crowdfunding, people have the unfettered opportunity to reach the masses with their ideas, and find out whether their idea has merit by the response of the audience -- specifically a monetary response, backing your project so that your dream can become their reality.

Arrow Video brings to Blu-ray THE BLOODHOUND,a thriller/mystery tale loosely re-imagined from Edgar Allen Poe's classic tale, FALL OF THE HOUSE OF THE USHER, written and directed by Patrick Picard in his feature-length directorial debut.

Francis (Liam Aiken) returns to the home of his long-time childhood friend, JP (Joe Adler), after hearing of JP’s waning health from an unknown affliction. Francis quickly begins to question this decision after seeing how JP has changed from when they were children. Living a life of seclusion off the family’s trust fund, JP and his twin sister Vivian (Annalise Basso), who is locked up in the basement of the home, set the stage for Francis’ downward spiral into the madness that overtakes him every minute he stays.

MVD entertainment brings to Blu-ray this month the 2008 film, Bryan Loves You, written and directed by Seth Landau.

Bryan Loves You is a found-footage movie told from the point of view of the main character, Jonathan (played by Landau), thru the lens of his camcorder and various security cameras positioned thru ought the film. Copying the style of The Blair Witch Project film that was insanely popular at the time, and packed with an all-star cast of horror and B-movie icons (George Wendt, Tiffany Shepis, Tony Todd, Brinke Stevens, and Lloyd Kaufman), this movie was sure to be a hit…right?

There can be few traumas, if any, that exceed the loss of a loved one. Where once was a person, full of vibrancy and passion, hopes and dreams, there remains afterward a void framed only with deteriorating memories and the sober profundity of grief. When the loss comes unexpectedly or at a young age--taken too soon, we say--due to illness, accidents, overdoses or, most tragically, from self-inflicted means, the despair is bleakest of all, for the questions and doubts thereafter that linger, the what-ifs and what-might-have-beens, can and often do haunt some individuals forever.

The Supergirl series is one that will be remembered as beginning with an entertaining, if light, introductory season, before spiralling uncontrollably into overworked, overwrought, identity-driven episodes. And, like most CW shows, once the series migrated from NBC to the CW, it was yet another opportunity for a lead character to take a back seat to a team of lesser heroes loosely based on other DC Comics trademarks.

The sixth season opens with what would have been the final episodes of the fifth season, cut short for Covid precautions. Kara (Melissa Benoist) must face down a now god-level Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer), sacrificing herself to the Phantom Zone, where she remains for a few episodes until her friends get her out.