The realm of animation is no stranger to dark, morbid, and disturbing material. It can be the violent and haunting visuals of Watership Down or the surreal chaos of Belladonna of Sadness, but the medium has long been a way for artists and storytellers to deal with heavy themes through a very creative, colorful, and impactful lens. However, when it comes to sheer misery and bleakness on the animated big screen, it really doesn't get more harrowing than Grave of the Fireflies, Studio Ghibli's 1988 anti-war masterpiece. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's 1967 semi-autobiographical short story, the film follows siblings Seita and Setsuko as they attempt to survive in the aftermath of the Kobe bombing of 1945.

Comic conventions are great places for pop culture fans to enjoy, shop, and meet like-minded individuals, all while surrounded by the movies, shows, games, and comic books that mean so much to them. From June 5 to June 7, Indiana will take center stage as it hosts the Indiana Comic Convention, an exciting gathering that will feature some of the biggest names in entertainment together at the Indiana Convention Center.

It's been mentioned a million times before, but it's worth mentioning a million times more: The Lord of the Rings is the apex of fantasy cinema. Peter Jackson's trilogy adapted J. R. R. Tolkien's massive literary magnus opus, turning it into a generation-defining epic that almost single-handedly revitalized the fantasy genre on the big screen. At the time, it was a genuine phenomenon, surpassing the big screen to become a cultural event that united everyone, even those who generally didn't enjoy fantasy. A commercial and critical success, Jackson's trilogy became one of the franchises that defined the 2000s, influencing most of the subsequent fantasy movies released over the next decade or so.

In the MCU, the name Tony Stark commands considerable respect. Within the franchise's context, the now-deceased, self-described "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" was the former co-leader of the Avengers and the ultimate savior of the universe, sacrificing his life to wipe Thanos (Josh Brolin) from existence. In real life, Tony is an icon of superhero cinema, resuscitating Robert Downey Jr.'s career and becoming the MCU's face for all intents and purposes. The character's eventual death in 2019's Avengers: Endgame marked the end of an era for the franchise and, arguably, superhero cinema as a whole.

In the realm of fantasy, theLord of the Rings trilogy reigns supreme as possibly the greatest cinematic achievement the genre has ever seen. Based on the seminal, pioneering novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the trilogy follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) on a quest to destroy the One Ring, a powerful item capable of subduing all the free people of Middle-earth. The movies broke new ground, dominating the box office and earning a whopping 17 Oscar wins out of 30 nominations. In short, they revolutionized fantasy and marked a distinct before and after, influencing every genre movie released since.

Cinema lovers should always strive to celebrate diversity in film. It might've taken long - too long, in fact - but cinema is becoming more inclusive, celebrating stories about every identity in the wide and colorful sexual spectrum. Going back to the New Hollywood Age, stories about LGBTQ+ people have been around, often standing as groundbreaking and pioneering efforts, especially at a time when such films remained controversial and scarce.

The war genre in movies is quite renowned. Since the dawn of the medium, the war genre has had a large presence in cinema, first influenced by World War I and then being directly impacted and outright reshaped by World War II. Subsequent conflicts like the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the 21st-century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also been hugely important for cinema. At their core, and barring some jingoistic depictions that glorify the military, war movies are usually statements on the futility of armed conflict and the inherent destruction that it carries. Anti-war movies are their own subgenre, but overall, war cinema is all about why warfare ultimately only amounts to senseless destruction and the erosion of the soul.

Pokémon is one of the most successful franchises of all time. Spawning a massive empire that includes movies, television, trading cards, mobile games, manga, and mountains of merchandise, the series easily dominated most aspects of pop culture. However, it's arguably strongest in the video game department, where it has been releasing highly successful, borderline addictive games for the last twenty years.