Mental Floss

THE '80S

Courtesy of Tim Finn // A Real American Book

Opening on May 22, 1985, 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' was a fantasy fever dream of jingoism, Sylvester Stallone’s titular character a monosyllabic redeemer of an America that had failed itself in Vietnam.

Jake Rossen








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For better and for worse, some movies are better about predicting the future than others. Nobody wants to eat Soylent Green, but we’re OK with most of these elements from other movies coming true.

Rebecca Pahle
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On September 13, 1986, Siskel and Ebert and the Movies (which was later renamed Siskel and Ebert At the Movies) made its television debut, and turned arguing about films into a national pastime.

Jennifer M Wood














© 1981 - Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Thirty-five years after Indiana Jones made his big-screen debut, Disney recently announced that both Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford have officially signed up for a fifth Indiana Jones film.

Sean Hutchinson


Mel Gibson stars in George Miller's Mad Max (1979).

What began as director George Miller's ambitious action film about a solitary cop on a mission to take down a violent biker gang has evolved into the 'Mad Max' series—a post-apocalyptic sensory overload of a franchise.

Tara Aquino
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When 'Dallas' debuted in 1978, the world wasn’t quite ready for the nighttime soap opera. The first season consisted of a five-hour mini-series, and the second season expanded into 24 episodes; both seasons had low ratings.

Garin Pirnia