It's not easy to make a great romantic comedy. But when a rom-com gets it wrong, it's usually pretty ugly. Most of these movies feature increasingly contrived plotlines that force characters to jump through farcical hoops with the singular goal of the happy ending in mind.

While love might conquer all, it can't save these movies.

Here are 11 romantic comedies you can skip.

"Sixteen Candles" (1984)

"Sixteen Candles" is a teen rom-com that really hasn't aged well. The film's star, Molly Ringwald, admitted this herself in a thoughtful essay for The New Yorker that acknowledged the movie's problematic moments. Ringwald wrote that she understood why "16 Candles" (and "The Breakfast Club") could "be considered racist, misogynistic, and, at times, homophobic."

There's also the film's disturbing attitude toward sexual assault, which turned viewers off well before the #MeToo era. Ringwald wrote she was embarrassed by how long it took her to "fully comprehend" the scene where the movie's leading man, Jake, "essentially trades his drunk girlfriend, Caroline, to the Geek, to satisfy the latter's sexual urges in return for Samantha's underwear."

"Say Anything" (1989)

The idea that you can convince someone to love you through sheer will and persistence is one that has been perpetuated by most rom-coms and teen films — but especially those made in the '80s. Much has been written about the rom-com's celebration of stalker-like behavior and "Say Anything" with it's famous boombox scene is a prime example of a grand gesture that's actually really creepy.

"Mr. Wrong" (1996)

In her first leading-role, Ellen DeGeneres starred as a TV producer named Martha, who is desperate to get married, but just can't find the right guy. When the man of her dreams (Bill Pullman) shows up, she soon discovers he's actually a nightmare.

Any humor elicited from the movie's initial premise is short-lived.

"'Mr. Wrong' survives for about five minutes past the point that Martha tells Whitman she doesn't want to see him any more. Then the movie falls off a cliff," the San Francisco Chronicle wrote when the movie was released. "The problem is so simple it's a wonder no one figured it out before the film was given the green light: 'Mr. Wrong' is an attempt to make a comedy out of something inherently unfunny — a deluded man stalking his ex-girlfriend. It doesn't find a way to make it funny, either."

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un finally met in Singapore on Tuesday.

It was the first time a sitting US president met with a North Korean head of state. Although the summit has been criticized by some, the two leaders ended up issuing a joint statement in which they agreed to work toward peaceful relations.

In any event, the summit yielded a number of rather incredible images.

Check them out below:

SEE ALSO: Who has Kim Jong Un's 'nuclear button' in Pyongyang while he's away?

Here Trump and Kim walk to greet each for the first time.

They shook hands for about 30 seconds.

Watch the short clip below:

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.@POTUS Donald J. Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. #SingaporeSummitpic.twitter.com/CWhiLO4dAa

Former President George H.W. Bush turned 94 years old on Tuesday, making him the oldest living Commander in Chief by four months.

In April, Bush was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital for a blood infection. His hospitalization came nearly a week after his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, died at age 92.

Now out of the hospital, the 41st president is celebrating his 94th birthday at the family's vacation home in Maine. To honor him, here are 14 of his most presidential quotes:

SEE ALSO: Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George HW Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night

DON'T MISS: The epic story of how the Bushes took over America

On the future:

On campaigning:

On freedom:

• The right morning routine can help you save time while still completing necessary tasks.
• Preparing 'batch' breakfasts in advance, meditating, and turning off the news are small habits that can make a big impact on your efficiency in the morning.
• Scheduling an early-morning meeting can motivate you to waste less time and to get ready quicker. 

Even the most die-hard morning people among us may sometimes find that the struggle is real.

Need a wake-up call? We asked some of the nation's leading time-management experts to share their most eye-opening ways to make mornings a little less brutal and a lot more doable.

SEE ALSO: I've broken up with people and been dumped — this is the right way to end a relationship

1. Don't lay out your clothes the night before

This might seem counterintuitive, but some experts suggest trying to keep things simple the night before. The idea is to decompress as much as possible before bed — not wind yourself up.

"It seems smart to lay out clothes, pack lunches, pack bags, and so on the night before," says Laura Vanderkam, author of "Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done." But the real problem arises when when you also want to squeeze in some "fun" time before bed.

"If you spend a lot of time on chores, the fun time only comes at the expense of sleep," notes Vanderkam. "And one of the easiest ways to tank your morning is to wake up exhausted."

2. Do a brain dump before bed

Even if you have perfect sleep hygiene — no smartphones at night, a comfy mattress, an early bedtime — you still might be plagued with thoughts that keep you up at night and leave you drained in the morning.

So try this simple hack: "Keep a pad of paper and a pencil next to your bed. Right before you go to sleep, write down anything you're worrying about that might keep you awake," suggests Stever Robbins, productivity expert and host of the podcast The Get It Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More. "Your brain will be able to let it go because it knows [those thoughts are] safely written down."

Robbins also suggests scribbling the top two things you want to get done the next day, so your brain will noodle on that instead.

3. Be selfish first thing in the morning

As tempting as it might be to jump out of bed and dive into your day, many experts agree that taking time to connect with yourself as soon as you wake up is as nourishing as eating a good breakfast.

"Wake up 15 minutes earlier, and for the first 5 minutes, just meditate or pray. Breathe and find yourself awake in the world," says Peter Bregman, author of "18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done.""It reduces the freneticism and allows you to start your morning without already being behind."

Even just sitting up and stretching "will literally change the mood of your whole morning," Bregman says.

"Jersey Shore" is the reality TV show that you either love uncontrollably, or absolutely can't stand — but either way, you can't ignore the impressionable cast. The MTV reality series originally debuted in 2009, and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It followed a group of people who called themselves guidos and guidettes, a cast we know now on a first name/nickname basis: Nicole (Snooki), Jenni (JWoww), Mike (The Situation), Pauly D, Vinny, Sammi Sweetheart, Ron, and Deena.

This past April, MTV brought back the iconic show with a revival called "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," bringing back a slew of memories for many viewers. But no matter how much you love the show, there are probably some secrets you don't know about the cast and what happened during filming.

Here are a few surprising facts about "Jersey Shore" that will make you see the show in a different light.

The show was originally supposed to be a competition show.

Although "Jersey Shore" is a fly-on-the-wall reality show much like MTV's hit "Real World," it was actually meant to be a competition show called "Guidos," according to The Hollywood Reporter. It wasn't even supposed to be on MTV — it was originally a VH1 project. As casting searched for the perfect guidos to compete for who was the "best guido," they eventually changed course, and "Jersey Shore" became the reality show we know today.

It was supposed to have an all-male cast.

The show was originally supposed to have all-male cast of "guidos," but producers quickly changed course because they knew making the cast co-ed would introduce more drama.

"Girls entered the mix, because I kept saying, 'Look, the boys preen' — you know, they're peacocks — 'but the girls fight,'" casting director Doron Ofir later told Vulture.

Polizzi showed up to her audition drunk.

Although it may not be too surprising, one of the reasons Nicole Polizzi, affectionately known as Snooki, made such an impression is probably because she was drunk at her audition. In an interview with Vulture, Polizzi said, "I went there drunk, because it was at a bar, and the rest is history."

Ofir said, "Nicole showed up in a miniskirt and she literally did cartwheels and flips. She was extraordinary. Her application was smudged with fingerprints from her bronzer to the point that I was like, 'What happened to her application? What spilled on it?'"

Back in 2005, Square Enix released "Kingdom Hearts II" for the PlayStation 2. Since then, we've gotten spinoffs, smartphone games, prequels, and even high-def remasters — but never a proper, numbered sequel. 

That all changes on January 29, 2019, when "Kingdom Hearts III" finally releases for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Square Enix used this week's E3 conference to announce not only that release date, but also a deeper look on this long-awaited game.

If you've never played a "Kingdom Hearts" game before, here's the extremely short version.

You, as teenage hero Sora, travel from world to world, fighting the forces of capital-D Darkness. The twist is that each of those worlds takes you inside a Disney blockbuster: At E3, Square Enix showed off worlds inspired by "Frozen,""Tangled,""Pirates of the Caribbean," and Pixar classics "Toy Story" and "Monsters Inc." 

In your quest, you'll enlist the help of characters from the Final Fantasy game series, as well as Disney characters past and present. Indeed, Sora always has Donald Duck and Goofy at his side, plus a rotating selection of Final Fantasy and Disney characters to round out the adventuring party.

But enough about that. Here's what we learned about "Kingdom Hearts III" at E3 this week:

The "Kingdom Hearts" series casts you as hero Sora (left), as you travel between Disney-inspired worlds, righting wrongs. This time, that includes "Frozen."

The footage shown at E3 hints at your task: The mysterious Unversed are trying to convince Queen Elsa to use her powers for evil. It's up to Sora, and his sidekicks Donald and Goofy, to convince her to ... let it go.

We also got new looks at the series' signature fast-paced combat. Sora uses the Keyblade — literally a sword shaped like a giant key — to fight off enemies. On each world, he gets theme-appropriate powers, like "Blizzard Break," seen here ...

It's E3 2018, the biggest week for the video game industry, and Nintendo's presentation on Tuesday did not disappoint.

Big players like Microsoft, Sony, and publishers like Ubisoft and Bethesda had already debuted their new titles coming to game consoles over the past several days, but all eyes were on Nintendo as the only big presentation on Tuesday.

In case you missed the presentation, or you just want to get straight to the highlights, these were the 3 biggest announcements from Nintendo's presentation at E3 2018:

1. "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" will release on December 7, 2018, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Let's get the biggest announcement out of the way: The biggest game coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2018 was finally given an official name ("Super Smash Bros. Ultimate") and an official release date (December 7, 2018). Fans were thrilled by what they saw.

Unlike most presentations we've seen at E3 2018, Nintendo spent the vast majority of its presentation on this single game — in fact, it spent 24 out of the 42 total minutes of its Nintendo Direct video talking about "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate."

The most notable highlights:

— The new roster will include every character from past "Super Smash Bros." games, as well as new characters like the Inklings from Nintendo's newer "Splatoon" franchise and the long-awaited Ridley from the "Metroid" games.

— Plenty of levels from other "Super Smash Bros." games will return, but there will be new maps as well.

— You can play the game with any Nintendo Switch controller, or any Nintendo GameCube controller (sold separately).

— Nintendo made "tens of thousands" of updates to how the game actually plays, from level-design tweaks, to changes in how characters look and play, to the many items available to be used in the game, to "Final Smash" attacks, and more.

Check out Nintendo's video detailing "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate":

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2. After a years-long drought, "Mario Party" will make its triumphant return with the release of "Super Mario Party," coming to the Nintendo Switch on October 5, 2018.

It's been three years since the last "Mario Party" game was available, but that was on the Wii U console, which didn't sell very well. For many, it's likely been a long time since they've seen or played a "Mario Party" game.

So as one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, and one of the longest-running minigame series of all-time, fans were delighted to see a new entry coming to the Nintendo Switch: "Super Mario Party."

From what Nintendo showed, "Super Mario Party" looks like one of the most creative games Nintendo has ever come up with.

If you've never played "Mario Party," expect a virtual board game for up to four players, with traditional dice roll-based gameplay broken up by quick minigames.

The minigames you play this time out will take advantage of the Nintendo Switch's unique motion controls and technologies. In this new game, for instance, you can put two Nintendo Switch consoles next to each other and play on one giant display. It's really neat, and looks perfect for parties, as the name would suggest. 

We may be in a time of peak TV, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to overlook problematic programming— past and present. For example, many popular sitcoms center on groups of friends and depend on that ensemble dynamic to carry the show.

However, sometimes the chemistry is bad, the characters are poorly-written, or something just generally seems off. Here, we present the eight worst sitcom friend groups of all time.

Frenemies Serena and Blair of "Gossip Girl" were a bit too venomous.

Although quintessential “frenemies” Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf come out as friends in the series finale of “Gossip Girl,” their on-again-off-again friendship is full of backstabbing and toxic behavior that we’d never accept out of a bestie.

Drinking was too much of a focus for the friends on "Cheers."

The gang that hangs out at the bar Cheers in the sitcom of the same name seems like a nice enough group of people. But friendships that are centered primarily on the act of drinking alcohol aren’t altogether healthy.

Jack on “Three’s Company” was a just a terrible character all around.

The threesome of Jack, Janet, and Chrissy had to pretend that Jack was gay so their landlord would let him live there. Meanwhile, Jack is actually a total womanizing jerk. That sure doesn’t sound like a formula for true, lasting friendship.

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo's new Nex smartphone is missing something that all its competitors have: a "notch."

And that's a good thing. The lack of the divisive notch means more screen space on the phone's big, bezel-free display.

Many smartphone makers starting with Essential Phone (yes, before the iPhone X) have strived to give their smartphones edge-to-edge displays, but few could figure out how to deal with the problem of the notch. 

The notch is where a smartphone's earpiece, selfie camera, and various sensors are located, and smartphone makers can't cover those items up with a display. The result is an intrusive notch, a necessary evil that interrupts the screen from becoming a fully bezel-free design. 

Vivo, however, worked around the problem. 

Check out how Vivo solved the "notch" that divides opinions in the smartphone world:

SEE ALSO: This crazy new phone has more power than any other Android phone you can buy and comes with a fan to keep it cool

To get rid of notch, Vivo hid the selfie camera inside the phone itself.

It pops out from its enclosure whenever you want to take a selfie.

As a result, it has an astounding 91.2% screen-to-body ratio compared to the iPhone X's 83%, as measured by GSM Arena. 

As for the earpiece, Vivo is using the screen itself as the speaker.

Vivo's "Screen SoundCasting" technology transmits audio waves through the display itself. Vivo says that it's even better than the traditional earpiece that uses a tiny speaker, saying the technology "enhances sound quality with more powerful bass, and softer, smoother treble." 

In the words of Bill Gates, "success is a lousy teacher."

Some of the most successful people in the world had plenty of failures and learning experiences along the way.

16 successful people shared their best money advice and career tips, from prioritizing learning over earning and making lists for everything to remembering that past success does not ensure future success.

1. Be passionate.

For most people, finding exactly what they love and monetizing it is one of life's biggest challenges. Those money tips are exactly what tycoon Warren Buffet says drove him to success in investing and finding great deals. "Being successful in almost anything means having a passion for it," he told Market Watch. "If you see someone with even reasonable intelligence and a terrific passion for what they do, and [they] get people around them to march even when those people can't see over the top of the next hill, things are gonna happen."

2. Write everything down.

Business magnate Richard Branson has on many occasions said he makes lists of all kinds. "I have always lived my life by making lists," he wrote in a blog post. "These vary from lists of people to call, lists of ideas, lists of companies to set up, lists of people who can make things happen. I also have lists of topics to blog about, lists of tweets to send, and lists of upcoming plans." He advises to write down every single idea you have, no matter how big or small, and then to challenge yourself to follow through. Lists are a great way to set financial priorities.

3. It's not all luck (or talent).

It's easy to credit your success to being in the right place at the right time, but in the end, no real achievement can come without hard work. That's a lesson hip-hop mogul Sean Combs learned early on, and it's driven the money tips he follows. Combs told Forbes that at the age of 12, he learned that if he gives customers his best and services them differently, whether it's with music, clothing or vodka, he'll get a return on his efforts. Check out these 17 habits of people who are great at saving money.

• The Kia Stinger is the best car the South Korean automaker has ever produced.
• We've driven it on two coasts and have been blown away.
• The sports sedan is packed with appealing features for a relatively low price, given that it's going up against Audis and BMWs.

When the Kia Stinger was revealed in 2017, nobody saw the BMW/Audi fighter coming from the South Korean automaker. 

That said, the car — in its magnificent sleekness — was a welcome surprise. The auto world collectively salivated over the opportunity to get behind the wheel.

For us, that happened in early 2018. We spent a few days driving around the Bay Area in a $52,000 Stinger GT2; we then recreated that experience a couple of months later on the East Coast.

In both cases, we were way impressed. Actually, that's an understatement. We were way more than way impressed. We haven't stopped talking about the car for six months. I'm having a tough time remembering a vehicle that was this surprising when revealed and that vaporized expectations so thoroughly when launched. For enthusiasts and auto journalists, the Stinger is treated like no other.

The car is simply splendid. It has some standout features that are worth highlighting:

SEE ALSO: We drove a $52,000 Kia Stinger to see if it's good enough to take on BMW and Audi — here's the verdict

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Behold, the mighty Stinger!

Our West Coast tester arrived in "Hichroma Red." We sampled the top-of-the-line GT2, which came with every imaginable option and all-wheel drive. The sticker price was $52,300. The base four-cylinder trim level starts at $31,900, however, so you get all of this useful beauty for a lot less.

Let's start with the obvious: This is an absolutely stunning set of wheels. Kia design chief Peter Schreyer intended it to evoke the great European grand-touring cars of the past. Easily my favorite sedan on the road today, looks-wise.

Schreyer owns a Stinger, and he told me that he was stopped by the German police so they could get a closer look! 

On the East Coast, I had people honking horns at me to ask if I was driving a Kia.

Yeah, this car can gather attention, to be sure.

In keeping with a major trend, the Stinger is a fastback four-door with a smoothly sloping roofline and a hatch. If you haven't noticed already, the proportions on this car are masterful: balanced and suave, long and low.

Photographer Giedre Gomes wanted to honor dads who play board games, shoot hoops, and endure amateur makeovers — just in time for Father's Day.

She enlisted the help of her own husband and two sons, as well as friends and neighbors, to capture simple but meaningful everyday moments of fatherhood.

You can find more of her work on Facebook and Instagram, as well as her website.

Here are 18 photos of fathers doing what they do best.

Photographer Giedre Gomes was born and raised in Lithuania and now lives in Indiana.

Parenting styles vary around the world.

She shot a photo series for Mother's Day about her daily life with two boys and decided to give dads the same treatment.

Here's what motherhood looks like around the world.

Her professional photos for clients are styled more like fine art, but she could be more playful with her photos of dads.

There's a little-known Uno rule that changes how you play the game.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

International travel, from a distance, can seem like one big graph — replete with peaks and valleys. The peaks are almost exclusively confined to the trip, and the deep valleys occur in the preparation, airport, and ensuing jet lag.

But thanks to my work as a product reviewer, I see a high volume of great tools and products designed just to make traveling easier. And on my recent trip abroad, I decided to put a few of them to the test. What I got was a trip that was markedly easier — and more enjoyable — from start to finish than any other I’ve planned before. 

Below, you’ll find 15 purchases that made my last international trip a breeze — just in case any of them might be helpful to you, too:

DON'T MISS: 11 common travel annoyances and how to fix them immediately

Reliable, impressively affordable Wi-Fi that goes where you go

Skyroam Solis WiFi Hotspot and Power Bank, available on Amazon, $149.99

Skyroam day passes (5 for the price of 4), available on Amazon, $40

Skyroam Solis was probably the number one most helpful thing I packed. It's a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that offers unlimited 4G LTE service without having to worry about cell data overages or big fees. The device itself is $149.99 on Amazon and the Skyroam "day passes" for wifi are $40 for 5 days ($8 per day). For the $8 per day, you can hook up to five devices at a time to the Solis. If you're traveling with family or friends, that means that one day pass will cover everyone's data for the day. Over our five-day trip, it worked almost flawlessly.

Part of the joy of international travel is not always having wifi, but we really only used it for necessities like Google Maps and looking up more information on the sights we were enjoying. It allows you the considerable luxury of being flexible with your choices, and can save a closed restaurant, museum, or unfortunate turn of events from ruining your day.

A website that plans your trip for you for $25/day, complete with booking hotels and making your reservations

Travel with Journy for $25 a day

Before I remembered Journy, I was so stressed out by the details of planning the trip (researching restaurants abroad, mapping out must-see sights to group them by neighborhood, and allocating time for all the activities we wanted to include) that I wasn't even enjoying the anticipation of a big trip.

For $25 per day of your trip, Journy basically takes care of all of the travel stressors so you can relax without missing out while you're gone. You work with a seasoned concierge who designs your itinerary, books hotels, makes restaurant reservations, and keeps your priorities and preferences in mind. In other words, it's a huge relief. If you want more details, you can find a full review here. 

A phone case that keeps cards and IDs within reach at all times

Incipio Stowaway Credit Card Case, available at Amazon, from $13.95

Both myself and Insider Picks editor Ellen Hoffman are longtime fans of Incipio's lean but functional Stowaway card case. It keeps my debit card, ID, and metro pass within easy reach instead of zipped in my bag or loose in my pocket while I'm traveling, which is a real lifesaver.

Ah, the glory of makeup. It can boost one's confidence in no time flat and give us a means of self-expression.

But with all the myriad makeup products at your fingertips, it can be easy to make mistakes, from the formula you choose to the order you apply your makeup. And as the base of your face, your foundation is especially crucial to get right. Read on for 10 things that you may be doing wrong — and that are standing in the way of you truly serving face.

You don't test it in the right light.

It's key to check how a foundation shade looks on your skin in natural light versus the fluorescent lighting inside a store. Stephanie Flor of Clinique told "Allure" that it's best to apply a test patch of foundation to your skin, wait 15 minutes, and then go outside to see the color. The 15-minute wait allows the color to oxidize so you can see how it will truly appear.

You test it on the wrong spot.

I'm not sure where we learned this, but most of us tend to swatch makeup of all kinds on the backs of our hands or on our forearms. Experts told INSIDER to try testing a potential foundation on three sites to see if it's a match: under your eyes, along your jawline, and on your nose. If you rub it in and it seems to disappear into your skin, it's a match.

You choose the wrong formula for your skin type.

Don't forget to take your skin type into consideration when selecting your foundation. If you have dry skin, don't opt for a matte foundation because it'll make your skin look even dryer, Sir John, a celebrity makeup artist with L'Oreal Paris, told Allure. Likewise, if you're on the oilier side, water-based foundations are your best bet.

• Virtual reality may be better suited for arcades than people's homes. 
• One of the new startups creating shared VR experiences is called Sandbox VR.
• Its technology combines green screens and commercial VR headsets and you can book one for just over $30 per half hour. 
• It's an intense experience. 

There are a number of virtual-reality systems you use inside your house, but increasingly, many experts in the industry believe that VR may first find its footing in elaborate arcade experiences. 

VR arcades let people try cutting-edge technologies without spending money on a pricey headset, and the experiences and games can also be customized and administered by experts. 

One VR startup, Sandbox VR, even believes that VR can be a way to build stronger teams and friendships, according to its CEO, Steve Zhao, who said that it's a great option for corporate events and team building. 

"We see a lot of corporate [customers], it's kind of scary but it's about the chaos, what happens when everything goes wrong," Zhao said. "And you have to work together and talk to each other, communicate."

"We know a lady, she played seven times. I called her up, asked, 'why do you play so much?' She said 'I just want to play with my relatives, coworkers, friends.' She just wanted to share these type of experiences," he continued. 

That kind of fandom was enough to raise $3 million in seed funding from investors led by the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, according to Pitchbook data. 

My girlfriend and I actually got to check out one of Sandbox VR's game spaces in New York. Here's what happened: 

We checked out the Sandbox VR experience in an IMAX movie theater in New York.

The space was provided because Sandbox licenses its technology to IMAX.

When you first get there, you're led into a specially-built room with green walls and floors on three sides. It's a greenscreen — the same technology that Hollywood uses to put actors in exotic locations. You need at least two people to play.

The US Navy announced in February that five types of warships would compete for a bid to supply the branch with 20 next-generation guided-missile frigates. 

And last week, we got to tour one of those five frigates: Fincantieri's FREMM Alpino, a ship outfitted with anti-submarine systems.

"The world has changed certainly in the last two years when you take look at what Russia is doing and what China is doing," retired Admiral Rick Hunt, who now works for Fincantieri, told Business Insider on the ship's bridge. "And frankly, I think that means we got to up the game of the high-low mix that we have traditionally held," Hunt said. 

"We got our Aegis fleet of destroyers and cruisers," Hunt said, but "we need to have kind of a smaller utility ship that covers down on the rest, that gives you forward presence, independent ops, escort capability ... and value added to the larger carrier strike groups."

And that is exactly what the heavily-armed Alpino can provide, Hunt said, adding that it's a frigate with "destroyer-like capabilities."

Check it out below: 

SEE ALSO: We took a rare tour of one of the US Navy's most dangerous warships that entered combat for the first time in Syria

The Alpino is about 472 feet long, about 65 feet wide, has about a 17 foot-draft, and a total displacement of 6,500 tons.

Source: Fincantieri

The ship accommodates about 200 people, and has a full load displacement of about 6,500 tons.

Source: Fincantieri

Now let's go aboard.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Daily use of a good sunscreen like the Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 or the Goddess Garden Organics' Everyday SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen will fend off sunburns today, and help prevent the skin damage that leads to aged, wrinkled, blotchy skin later on in life.

Growing up in Southern California, summertime meant heading to the beach or swimming pool, a bottle of what was then labeled “tanning oil” in hand. SPF wasn’t a “thing” back then. In fact, I often slathered mineral oil on my skin to increase the tanning effects. Of course, I paid a price for that youthful foolishness with roasting sunburns back then, and today, in freckled patches of sun damage along with a greatly increased risk of skin cancer.

Knowledge of the powerful and dangerous effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays has come a long way in the decades since my fruitless attempts at tanning my pale skin. Today, it’s well understood that excessive sun exposure damages skin both on the surface and deep beneath the epidermis, and that damage is cumulative through your lifetime. That's why you need to use sunscreen if not daily, then at least when you'll be out in the sun for hours.

We want your skin to stay healthy and look good through your lifetime. That’s why we did the research to find the best sunscreens to protect you from the sun’s burning rays. After all, no one wants their summer vacation spoiled by a painful sunburn — and certainly, no one wants to hear their dermatologist say that the funky spot on their back is a skin cancer. So slather on one of the following skin-saving products and enjoy your fun in the sun, but remember — once your skin starts to turn pink, the damage has already been done. 

Here are our top picks for the best sunscreen you can buy:

• Best sunscreen overall: Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 
• Best mineral-based sunscreen overall: Goddess Garden Organics Everyday SPF 30 Natural
• Best spray-on sunscreen: Bare Republic Mineral Spray Vanilla-Coco SPF 50
• Best facial sunscreen: Neutrogena Pure & Free Sunscreen SPF 50
• Best cheap facial sunscreen: Simple Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15
• Best sunscreen for kids: Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen SPF 50

Editor's note: The chemical-based sunscreen options above are generally okay, as long as you're not hyper-allergic to organic compounds like oxybenzone or octinoxate, but please keep these damaging chemicals well away from waterways, where they have been linked to high mortality among corals, along with a growing list of other aquatic creatures.

Updated on 06/12/2018 by Malarie Gokey and Owen Burke: Added mineral-based overall and spray-on options.

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks for the best sunscreen and to learn all about UV rays and SPF ratings.

The best sunscreen overall

Why you'll love it: Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 lets you enjoy the great outdoors longer without skin damage.

Non-greasy, hypoallergenic, water-resistant, and without added fragrance, Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 is a great way to protect your skin whether you’re spending the day at the beach, playing a game of softball at the park, or just taking your dog for an afternoon walk.

It doesn't have a strong scent and best of all, it dries quickly and cleanly without that ghostly white cast some sunscreens leave. Although it is water-resistant, you should still reapply after swimming, of course.

Expert reviewers and buyers alike approve of the sunscreen. Coppertone's Ultraguard SPF 70 is the number one recommended sunscreen at The Wirecutter. The reviewers praise the sunscreen for its strong protection and easy application. They also like the plastic bottle, because it's easy to hold and close, even with wet or slippery hands.

Consumer Reports also gives this sunscreen high marks with an overall score of 94 out of 100. They found it to be excellent at blocking both UVA and UVB rays, and also very good at performing at the stated SPF of 70.

Amazon buyers like Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 as well. The sunscreen has more than 200 reviews and an average rating of 4.4 stars. Buyers like the way the non-greasy lotion rubs easily into their skin without leaving a white film or feeling sticky. Most also appreciate the lack of strong fragrance.

Editor's Note: Chemical-based sunscreen is generally okay, as long as you're not hyper-allergic to organic compounds like oxybenzone or octinoxate, but please keep these damaging chemicals well away from waterways, where they have been linked to high mortality among corals, along with a growing list of other aquatic creatures.

Pros: Effective performance, non-greasy feel, hypoallergenic, reasonable price

Cons: None to speak of

Buy Coppertone Ultraguard SPF 70 on Amazon for $8.97

The best chemical-free sunscreen for daily use

Why you'll love it: Goddess Garden offers thorough but affordable protection without the potentially harmful chemicals found in chemical-based sunscreens.

Zinc oxide and purified water are the main ingredients in Goddess Garden Organics' Everyday SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen, which is a great option for the hypoallergenic and eco-conscious consumer alike. Although it can leave you a bit pasty (as practically all mineral-based sunscreens do), it does eventually blend into skin while still managing to offer superior UVA and UVB protection.

Amazon shoppers gave it an average of 3.4 stars out of nearly 650 reviews, complimenting it on everything from its ability to blend, its high rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and its affordable price per ounce. Some complain that it dries their skin out too much, which zinc oxide does tend to do, and many others had trouble rubbing it in. You do have to shake the bottle before use to ensure that the contents are mixed and it can blend into your skin properly.

If you find blending zinc oxide into your skin to be a nuisance, you might go for Goddess Garden's 30 SPF Facial Natural Sunscreen, which many buyers find easier to blend, even though it comes with a higher (19%) concentration of zinc oxide. It's more than twice the price of the one we recommend for daily use, though. — Owen Burke

Pros: Affordable, natural, gentle on sensitive skin

Cons: Requires some effort to rub in, but eventually will (tip: start with some moisturizer, just make sure it has no counteractive Vitamin A)

Buy the Goddess Garden Organics' Everyday SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen on Amazon for $18.84

The best chemical-free spray-on sunscreen

Why you'll love it: Bare Republic's Mineral Spray Sunscreen is easy to apply, hypoallergenic, water-resistant, and free of potentially harmful active-chemical sunscreens.

There are very few spray-on sunscreens that are mineral-based, and those that are generally don’t offer adequate protection from intense and/or direct sunlight. Bare Republic’s Mineral Sunscreen Spray carries 8% titanium dioxide and 12% zinc oxide, which is perfect for running errands outside or walking to and fro in daily life. Although it is a little on the lightweight side for heavy sun exposure, it’ll still suffice on a long hike or a full day at the beach, just be sure to reapply it frequently (every hour).

We like that Bare Republic’s spray-on sunscreen rubs in right away and dries without the greasy, shellac-like residue that disgraces your skin after applying chemical-based sunscreens. Just remember that this is not the same as your standard chemical spray-on sunscreen: It does require rubbing in to take effect and feels sticky for the first few minutes, but that fades.

It's also water-resistant and does seem to work well for swimming, as purported, but maybe not as well as mineral-based creams or chemical-based sprays. Like always, be sure to reapply afterward.

Target buyers gave it an average of 4+ stars out of about 80 reviews, citing that its quick and easy application was preferable to creams and that it worked well in the pool and at the beach. Some buyers took up issue with the scent, but Business Insider’s Buying Guides staff found the Citrus Cooler to have a more neutral essence compared with the brand's coconut-based varieties. Still, the Vanilla-Coco combo offers the best protection. — Owen Burke

Pros: Easy to apply, doesn't leave a white cast, one of few mineral-based spray-on sunscreens

Cons: Doesn't offer as much protection as most mineral-based creams

Buy Bare Republic Mineral Spray Vanilla-Coco SPF 50 from Target for $14.99 

Buy Bare Republic Mineral Spray Citrus Cooler SPF 30 from Target for $14.99

• Early retirement may sound like a dream life, but there's more to it than meets the eye.
• Real people who retired early shared with Business Insider the things they wish they knew before retiring in their 20s or 30s.
• Some wished they retired even earlier and others hoped they were more prepared to face criticism from friends, family, and people online.

Early retirement sounds like a dream. Not waiting until your sixties to escape the daily grind? Traveling the world with no end in sight? Sign us up.

But clocking out for good comes with some challenges beyond simply saving enough money to get there — like that people may criticize you for taking an early retirement or that it might take a while to relax after retiring early. There's also a mindset shift you may need to make when you're no longer working toward a huge financial goal.

Some of these realizations don't hit until you're well into the early retirement game, spending your days leisurely,  traveling throughout Europe for months on end, or blogging about your new lifestyle with a mountain view before you.

From the good to the bad, real people who managed to retire early share what they wish they knew before embarking on early retirement. 

SEE ALSO: Forget early retirement — people who saved enough money to travel for weeks or years say a 'mini-retirement' is just as rewarding

DON'T MISS: What a dream retirement plan looks like for 12 of the richest CEOs in America

It takes a while to slow down after retiring early.

"I wish I knew that it would take me at least six months to calm down, relax, and slow down,"Justin McCurry, who retired at age 33 as a millionaire and runs the blog Root of Good, told Business Insider.

"It took me at least that long to feel comfortable 'doing nothing.' I felt like I had to be productive for at least part of the day. Eventually, I realized that, 'this is the rest of my life; time to enjoy it!' I upped the time I spent in my hammock, caught up on my Netflix queue, and read a bunch of books," McCurry said.  

"I put together a rough outline of what a typical week looks like for me, and I realized I felt happy and fulfilled when I had a whole lot of leisure activities plus a small amount of 'work' and intellectual stimulation during the week," he added.

Your goals and dreams will probably change — and that's OK.

"I wish I knew that retirement isn't the goal, having more time is," Grant Sabatier, who retired at age 30 with $1.25 million, told Business Insider. 

"And that retirement can really be anything you want it to be. You need to define what it means to you, not society or your parents. To me, early retirement simply meant having enough money so that I didn't have to worry about money and could finally follow my passions and find new passions."

"Also, I wish I had known how much I was going to change," Sabatier, author of the book "Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need" and the blog Millennial Money, added. "I spent five years and three months pretty much working non-stop to reach financial independence, and once I got there at the age of 30 and could retire early, I realized that I had changed a lot since I started — meaning my dreams, goals, and the things I liked to do were different than at [age] 24."

"Do the best you can and remember today is all you really have. So enjoy it, while making sure to still invest in your future self. Money only matters if it helps you live a life you love." 

You can still make money after you retire early.

"I wish I knew you will very likely continue to earn money once you're retired," JP Livingston, who runs a personal finance blog, The Money Habit, and built a nest egg of more than $2 million before retiring at 28, told Business Insider.

"When I was contemplating early retirement while working, I was very burnt out," she said. "I imagined I would want to sit on the couch and eat bonbons, sleep in late, that kind of thing. I did do that, but it gets boring eventually and I ended up getting active again with different hobbies and projects. Eventually, one or more of those projects yielded income. It's hard to be awake for 60-plus hours a week and not find a single enjoyable way to earn some money."

Livingston said she also wished she started a side hustle. "I assumed any project that could make money would require loads of time, time that I didn't feel like I had, given how burnt out I was at work," she said. "But with less than five hours a week I was able to build a $60,000-plus income stream in less than a year doing things I enjoyed."

SEE ALSO: Costco rival BJ's Wholesale Club just filed to go public. Here's what it's like to shop there.

Sam's Club was the first store I visited. An annual membership costs $45 for the standard plan and $100 for the premium plan. No one checked my membership upon entry. Without a membership, you can use a guest pass to shop, but there is a 10% service fee at most locations.

The tech department was right up front, with rows of TVs and computers for under $2,000.

There was a full mobile phone center in the tech department as well.

• Everyone enjoys a good on-screen romance, but sometimes the chemistry is just not there.
• "Little Women" missed the mark on a romantic wedding proposal scene when a visible spit string connects to their mouths after their kiss.
• After their lip lock on "The Mosquito Coast, "Helen Mirren called Harrison Ford a bad kisser.

When done properly, a kiss between two beloved characters on-screen can be just what the audience wants to see. But sometimes, it ends up being the exact opposite, often to a disturbing degree.

Keep scrolling to see some of the most cringeworthy film kisses to date.

Ron and Hermione's over-anticipated moment in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley's slowly developing romance throughout the Harry Potter series culminates in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." After destroying one of Voldemort's horcruxes and getting completely soaked as a repercussion, the two are finally ready to make a move. But the long-awaited kiss must have been so highly anticipated that it turned out extremely awkward.

In fact, Emma Watson felt so awkward about shooting the scene that she told MTV, "I ended up pouncing on Rupert. I was so desperate to get it over. After the first take he was like, 'Whoa, there! Where did that come from?' I was like, 'Sorry!'"

Laurie and Jo sharing a spit string in "Little Women."

"Little Women" follows the March sisters, who are going through the struggles of growing up in 19th century Massachusetts. Jo fights to be independent and spends time with their neighbor, Laurie, who eventually proposes to her. The proposal scene quickly turns from romantic to revolting when a string of spit connects Christian Bale and Winona Ryder's mouths when they pull apart from their kiss.

Allie and Mother Fox's chemistry-free smooch in "The Mosquito Coast."

In "The Mosquito Coast," Allie uproots his family to move to a remote Caribbean Island in the hopes of creating a utopia there, but ends up alienating his family instead. This must be the reason why the kisses between Allie and his wife — played by Helen Mirren — are so stagnant.

As per the Chicago Tribune, Helen Mirren said of Ford that he's "the nicest, sweetest guy you could want to meet. But he can't kiss— he finds it impossible to kiss on screen... He's probably not very good off screen either. It's not just me — other actresses agree."