JUNE 17, 1980

Full News Archive

• Headline: 'Blues Brothers' Movie Overview. Impact: If Belushi and Aykroyd hadn't set out on their divine mission, we might have never had 'Saturday Night Live' or the concept of musical sketch comedies. Imagine a world without those awkward family dinners where someone tries to recreate the 'Super Bass' rap!. Fact: The Blues Brothers' car is actually a Dodge Monaco, which is also the vehicle of choice for many police officers. So, technically, they were just a couple of cops doing their job... in a musical way.
• Headline: The Cultural Impact of 'Can't Stop the Music'. Impact: The movie's title became a mantra for overly enthusiastic disco lovers, leading to an ongoing debate about whether or not we should just let the music die already. Spoiler: it didn't, and now we have reality TV shows featuring singing competitions. Thanks a lot, 'Can't Stop the Music.'. Fact: 'Can't Stop the Music' was originally intended to be a vehicle for the Village People, which means we could have had a disco musical starring construction workers and cowboys dancing around. Ah, 80s creativity at its finest!.
• Headline: 'Blue Lagoon' and Its Romantic Journey. Impact: If two beautiful people stranded on a desert island can find love, it set unrealistic expectations for every couple going camping. Now, every time someone gets a mosquito bite, they think they should be having a romantic adventure. Spoiler alert: it’s just a bug bite. Fact: 'Blue Lagoon' was filmed on location in Hawaii, so those stunning visuals were made possible by a lot of sunblock and a couple of very confused locals wondering why these kids would want to be filmed making sandcastles.
• Headline: 'BRUBAKER' STARS REDFORD AS JAIL REFORMER. Impact: Redford's portrayal of a jail reformer in 'Brubaker' influenced a generation of armchair activists who thought they could fix the prison system by binge-watching movies. Meanwhile, actual reform continues to be a Herculean task that can’t be solved by a few heartfelt speeches. Fact: The film was based on real-life warden Thomas Brubaker, who actually tried to bring reform to prisons. So yes, it was based on a true story—much like your aunt's Pinterest board about becoming a master chef.