Mental Floss

MOVIES



Hayao Miyazaki is the director behind acclaimed animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and The Wind Rises.

Director Hayao Miyazaki is responsible for some of the most beloved animated movies of all time—here are 11 things you should know about him.

Rudie Obias


Madonna in 2016.

Madonna has been an innovator in music for four decades and counting, but doesn't mean she still doesn't get called for jury duty.

Jake Rossen




Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney star in Night of the Comet (1984).

Over the past near-90 years, zombies have given form to our fears of other cultures, loss of agency, communism, atomic warfare, race relations, capitalism, mass contagions, the space race, and, most importantly, our bone-deep fear of one another.

April Snellings












Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's (green) Monster in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931).

In the more than 200 years since Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein' helped shape the horror genre as we know it today, there have been dozens of interpretations of Frankenstein’s Monster. But when and why did he become green?

April Snellings


Daniel Craig stars in No Time to Die (2021).

Six decades, 25 films, six actors, and billions of dollars in box office later, and we're still talking about James Bond, his literary legacy, and his big screen adventures.

Matthew Jackson


Mando (Pedro Pascal) surrounded by Baby Yoda and the Frog Lady in from The Mandalorian.

The irresistible combination of classic Star Wars action with the added bonus of a seriously darling miniaturized Yoda-esque creature has made 'The Mandalorian' a hit.

Kinsey Gidick