Mental Floss

MENTAL FLOSS MOVIES

Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Jean-Claude Van Damme—a.k.a. The "Muscles from Brussels"—has had a long and storied career full of highs and lows, including the time he threw a papaya at a producer's head.

Jake Rossen








The von Trapp family performs on a London radio show in December 1937.

Julie Andrews immortalized the charming tale of Maria von Trapp and her musically inclined family in 'The Sound of Music'—here’s how it really went down.

Ellen Gutoskey




Benedict Cumberbatch in Sam Mendes's 1917 (2019).

It makes sense that master filmmakers keep returning to old wars to tell new stories, as war movies have all the elements needed for a compelling tale. From medieval epics to modern thrillers, here are 25 of the best of them.

Matthew Jackson


Michael Blann/iStock via Getty Images

Find yourself getting restless during a film? It might be because we've become conditioned to expect movies to entertain us for a very specific amount of time.

Jake Rossen




American ornithologist James Bond, circa 1974.

On January 4, 1900, a child was born in Philadelphia. His name was Bond. James Bond. He would grow up to become an ornithologist, and lived a fairly quiet, normal life—until someone borrowed his name.

Matt Soniak






Disney

After an agonizing two-week wait, Disney has finally released official merchandise featuring Baby Yoda from 'The Mandalorian.' And while everyone seems to love Baby Yoda, not all fans are happy with the selection.

Michele Debczak