Eh, I’ve made my peace with back scabbards in Hollywood. A proper hip scabbard will swing around, knocking into things and creating discontinuity issues, especially during action scenes. Just strap it to the actor’s back and use movie-magic to make look like it’s being drawn without issue, problem solved.
This would have been my “Number 4” if only I had thought of it. This is especially laughable in prehistoric movies and TV shows.
What kind of dental plans did they have in Ancient Rome?
Good One! Highly laughable.
[cop finally starts getting the better of bad guy in fight…]
“You have the right…”
[punch]
“to remain”
[punch]
“silent”
[bloodied bad guy now unconscious]
Next you’ll be telling me that real cops don’t ask if a twitchy suspect “feels lucky”.
That’s not far fetched. If there is a dedicated ESU team it’s unlikely that the detectives will get dressed up in tactical gear. Or even that they have tactical gear. But most likely they will not be near the action and will be called in after the team has secured the scene. They won’t be the first or second guys through the door.
Yeah, I’m a big fan of the Rule of Cool. I don’t think most of these flaws actually make a movie any less good, but it’s fun to talk about them nonetheless.
Counterexample: in an old episode of Moonlighting, Cybill Shepherd was in a gunfight in a parking garage. Either she or her opponent had a revolver; the other had an automatic. The sound techs had a ping noise for each shell casing the automatic ejected after firing, but no pings for the revolver, which does not eject shell casings. It was a tiny instance of technical accuracy, but it made an impression on me.
Scout, Tornado, I don’t know, I don’t know. And I used to watch all four shows religiously.
Now I have to look up Cisco and Pancho’s horses. In the meantime, for those like me who watched Cisco when it was first run… does anyone else remember what product sponsored it?
I think I remember “the product’s” logo being shown over a still shot of saguaro cactus, with a jingle: (female voices singing) “Everybody loves good ____ _____”
Following up me own self,
Cisco and Pancho’s steeds were
Diablo, Loco
Of course I looked it up. I also learned I wasn’t seeing the shows first-run- they were in syndication by the time I was watching them in 1950-56.
For years I rolled my eyes at people who get all worked up over common movie and TV “gaffes.” I was always amused by the convenient parking spot and the lack of need for a mouse on computers. I never cared if chase scenes followed the actual geography (although I was impressed when Splash got it pretty much right, so I do notice).
But as I get older and crotchetier, I find myself losing patience with a couple of things.
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The aforementioned empty coffee cup. I have no doubt that, were I an actor, I would just go over to the craft services table and fill that cup with water. It’s not that hard!
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Car pulls up in front of a house, two cops get out, and one says to the other, “This is [suspect]'s last known address.” Didn’t the other cop ask where they were going at any point during the drive? Did the first cop say, “I got a lead, but I’m not going to tell you what it is until we get there. Get in the car and don’t ask me any questions”?
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There is no precipitation at all. Then you hear a crack of thunder, and 10 seconds later, it’s pouring. Honest to god, I want to make a movie just so I can have a smattering of rain turn into a steady rain and gradually into a downpour, with no thunder at all.
Looking through a set of binoculars do not produce a scene with a pair of magnified round images.
A crappy description, no doubt, but those of who who are annoyed by this will know what I mean.
Regarding military uniforms - I always yell at the TV when I see military women with their hair down below their collars. I’m pretty sure the rule hasn’t changed since I was on active duty, even if it was decades ago. As was mentioned - how hard is it to get that kind of info from an advisor??
The one that drives me nuts is when characters will pose for a picture facing the offscreen photographer then they will show the photo and it is just a freeze frame of our view of the photo taking scene. Instead of a head on shot that the photographer would have seen, they are all facing off to the left. Worst case, they will even physically frame the screengrab rather than a real photograph taken from the perspective of the photographer.
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This is not at all uncommon in the PNW. 
A car related one that I honestly didn’t notice until it was pointed out to me, but now I can’t not see it. A character is supposed to be driving, in an older car with a column shift, except the gearshift is obviously in park. I know in reality the car is either in a studio in front of a green screen, or strapped to a trailer and being towed around to simulate driving. I guess maybe the car needs to be in park for safety reasons, but I would think they could just tie the car down and put it in drive.
Similar to this. A couple is out somewhere and has a disagreement, they get in the car and go home. Nobody says a word apparently, until they get to their house and park the car. Then they start talking about the issue.
They have a garage but the residents park their car on the street or even worse, they park only halfway up the driveway (not even right in front of the garage door) and then walk through the yard to get to their house.
When walking into a house, no one shuts the door. They just open it, walk in and do whatever they’re going to do next - leaving the door wide open.
There are 6+ people in the family and when they sit down for breakfast there is a little quart-size carton of milk on the table.
They make an elaborate breakfast but the family members eat only a half piece of toast as head off to work/school.
Perhaps I missed it on my first read through, but has no one yet mentioned the all-time classic…explosions and loud noises in space? As you all know, space is basically silent and without air or another medium for sound waves to travel through you won’t hear a thing when the planet/star destroyer/space station out the window explodes.
To clarify, often on Law & Order a guy on tactical gear would ram the door and the lead detectives in their suits would enter first with their guns drawn** followed** by the SWAT team.
Absolutely not. You can make tires squeal on dirt. Been there, done that. Lot’s dirt roads in Nevada.
I do have to comment on the parking one, where they always get a perfect parking spot. Do you really want the 20 minute scene looking for a parking spot or walking half a mile to the scene?
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