# errors in movies - only nutcases would detect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854 "2006-02-10T14:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/81 "2006-02-12T12:57:20Z")
Every submarine movie ever made has the same series of shots of this one sub exploding up out of the water. Never mind that the submarine each movie has looks nothing like that sub! Guess they have a limited set of shots available. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/82 "2006-02-12T20:35:49Z")
In Pulp Fiction, Butch heads back to his apartment to retrieve the watch, but he knows they’re looking for him because he didn’t throw the fight. He very slowly slides his key into the knobset, and turns it clockwise, opening the door. Problem is, it’s a Kwikset Tylo knobset, and they lock when the key is turned clockwise. Even if the door was unlocked, he’d have relocked it. Don’t forget people picking locks without tension wrenches, people with no experience defeating paracentric locks, and ever notice that IRL combination locks don’t ‘click’ as you turn the dial, but in movies they invariably do? In Blown Away, one of the characters picks up a cell phone and hears a dial tone. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/83 "2006-02-13T13:49:45Z")
> [@Boggette](#): > > Every submarine movie ever made has the same series of shots of this one sub exploding up out of the water. Never mind that the submarine each movie has looks nothing like that sub! Guess they have a limited set of shots available. 😛 Yup, the Navy passes out the same stock footage of the USS Albaquerque … ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/84 "2006-02-13T16:42:07Z")
in **The Sum of All Fears** , after the terrorists detonate the nuke in the football stadium… 1; the helicopter flying nearby _does not_ have it’s electronics and flight controls disabled by the resulting EMP, it should have knocked out the avionics, and probably killed the engine 2; the helicopter loses it’s tail rotor due to the shockwave from the detonation, yet even with no tail rotor the helicopter flies straight and level and comes in for a landing as if the tail rotor was functional, when a helicopter loses the tail rotor, it spins out of control, as the TR acts as a counterrotation prevention device 3; when the helicopter lands at ground zero, none of the passengers seem affected by the massively high levels of Gamma radiation, they don’t drop dead in minutes/hours, they don’t even show any signs of _radiation sickness_ that would be guaranteed tromping around in Ground Zero 4; in an area of intense radiation, the hero’s cell phone works perfectly, no static or interference, no anomolous behavior ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/85 "2006-02-13T17:25:44Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > This reminds me of John O’Hurley’s comment on _Silence of the Lambs_, where he mentions that Hopkins’ pronunciation of “Chianti” is wrong. Hopkins says it “key-ante,” while it’s actually pronounced “key-on-tee.” This is a common British English pronunciation. Another example is pronouncing pasta as “pass-ta”. Hopkins [claims](http://www.planethopkins.co.uk/pages/int_norton.html) he was playing the character as someone with “great Anglophile pretensions”. In which case it’s probably not a gaffe. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/86 "2006-02-13T17:38:25Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Hm, the siphon action of the toilet would actually work - the water pressure would force the siphon action to work - there is NO valve in the system. > > To demonstrate this, take a gallon or 2 of water and dump it into the toilet bowl, after the water weight increases in the bowl it will start the siphon actiion and ‘flush’ the toilet. It would have to be a noncrapper design to _not_ have this happen [an airplane/boat/rv type toilet that has either a valve closure/holding tank system that has to be opened to flush. But what if the airplane/boat/rv is on a treadmill, huh, smart guy? I can actually see this becoming a GQ thread, but if it doesn’t: Would said crapper need to be flushed manually, or would the increasing pressure of the water in the room eventually force a self-flush? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/87 "2006-02-13T17:41:14Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > in **The Sum of All Fears** , after the terrorists detonate the nuke in the football stadium… > > 1; the helicopter flying nearby _does not_ have it’s electronics and flight controls disabled by the resulting EMP, it should have knocked out the avionics, and probably killed the engine > > 2; the helicopter loses it’s tail rotor due to the shockwave from the detonation, yet even with no tail rotor the helicopter flies straight and level and comes in for a landing as if the tail rotor was functional, when a helicopter loses the tail rotor, it spins out of control, as the TR acts as a counterrotation prevention device > > 3; when the helicopter lands at ground zero, none of the passengers seem affected by the massively high levels of Gamma radiation, they don’t drop dead in minutes/hours, they don’t even show any signs of _radiation sickness_ that would be guaranteed tromping around in Ground Zero > > 4; in an area of intense radiation, the hero’s cell phone works perfectly, no static or interference, no anomolous behavior The tail rotor is not a counter torque device at speed. It effects the trim of the aircraft in straight and level flight. At a hover or low speed the loss of the tail rotor will make the aircraft spin. At flight speeds it won’t. The way to counter LTE (loss of tailrotor effectiveness) is to do a running landing, which means land it like an airplane. At low speeds you have to try to gain enough forward speed in order to get the aircraft to straighten out. Not easy to do and it will usually fail unless you are at attitude. I don’t exactly remember how the aircraft acted in that particular movie. Movies usually get it wrong in someway. In the movie _Broken Arrow_ they are fighting on the train. There is an OH58/Bell Jet Ranger tied down on a flatbed railroad car. IIRC this is going to be the getaway vehicle. One guy grabs the tailrotor and spins it hitting the other guy. This aircraft is tied down. The main rotors are tied down. The tail rotor would not move. The two set of blades are connected through the transmission. Spin the main and the tail moves. Tie down the main and the tail rotor isn’t moving. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/88 "2006-02-13T18:17:48Z")
Just want to add that my wife agrees with the term nutcase in the OP. She thinks I’m crazy for getting worked up about all the errors about the military in movies and TV, things she doesn’t even notice. For instance there were army characters on a recent episode of Crossing Jordan. Winston from Ghostbusters played a colonel he wore an unzipped army field jacket all episode. Officers haven’t worn the field jacket for at least ten years and I don’t know when I last saw anyone wear one. It’s all gortex now. And even the newest private knows it’s either completely zipped up or it’s off. On top of that he wore his beret like a Frenchman. There is a specific way the beret is supposed to look. Not like an empty potato sack on some ones head. Hollywood is always getting that wrong. Then there was a female captain. Her uniform looked like it was crumpled in the bottom of her duffle bag for a month. But that’s not the problm I have. She was wearing infantry branch insignia. No females in infantry. Don’t gt me started on _Courage Under Fire_. Flying nurses? Door gunners on medevac helicopters? Bleech. There is only one man in Hollywood that knows anything about the military, Dale Dye. If they use him as a consultant most of the details are right. He can’t fix everything in a movie but he seems to do a pretty good job. The rest I blame on the writers. For all the shows that don’t hire a consultant, there isn’t anyone on the set who ever was in the military? A grip? The second assistant best boy? ---
**Author:** ![cardsfan1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/89 "2006-02-13T18:34:21Z")
I didn’t see this one mentioned, but [Wall Street](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094291/) was set in 1985, but mentions the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. cf’75 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/90 "2006-02-13T19:57:46Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > I wish I could remember which movie it was, but it was set in Chicago. A chase scene was going on in the Art Institute, and a character ran through a door _and came out in the Field Museum_! Or maybe it was the other way around. But the bottom line is that someone teleported through a doorway and ended up miles away in a different musem! > > Argh! Like “Con Air”. They are about to crash straight ahead on the Strip. Fly by the Stratosphere, then clip the Guitar on the Hard Rock (not on the strip) and come to rest in to lobby of the Sands (between the Stratosphere and the Hard Rock, on the Strip). Then a chase that hops between Downtown and the tunnel by the airport (complete different ends of the city, neither very close to the Sands). I suppose they could have flown as depicted in the crash sequence, but it would have meant making an extra circuit to get lined up for the crash as shown. And that’s just the crash sequence, nothing about flying along trailing a Corvette. We visited Vegas while the plane was in the lobby of the Sands, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/91 "2006-02-13T20:25:35Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#): > > I didn’t see this one mentioned, but [Wall Street](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094291/) was set in 1985, but mentions the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. > > cf’75 Wouldn’t that be because [the Challenger disaster happened in 1986](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger)? > [@mlerose](#): > > In “Goonies,” set in Portland, OR, the kids end up on the beach at the end of the movie. It’s morning. The sun is RISING over the Pacific Ocean. I’ve only ever seen sunsets over the Pacific, personally. Coasts can have a lot of local variation. I’ve seen a moonrise over the Pacific from the wharf in Santa Cruz, CA. The wharf is on Monterey Bay, and happens to point roughly southeast. It really threw me for a loop, though, when I had first moved there from Maryland and saw a moonrise over the Pacific from California… I’ve never been to Portland, so I have no idea what the coastline is like there. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/92 "2006-02-13T20:41:10Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > I’ve never been to Portland, so I have no idea what the coastline is like there. Just like Northern California, mainly rocky. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/93 "2006-02-13T20:44:17Z")
> [@Harvey The Heavy](#): > > Had everything worked out according to plan, where Obi-Wan shuts off the tractor beam and they escape, what were they going to do after leaving the space station? Yoda, they must find. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/94 "2006-02-13T20:45:40Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Would said crapper need to be flushed manually, or would the increasing pressure of the water in the room eventually force a self-flush? It should flush automatically: all a “manual” flush does is dump water (from the tank) into the bowl, and let nature take its course. Toilets are suprisingly simple. ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/95 "2006-02-13T21:06:25Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Just like Northern California, mainly rocky. Plus, we’re waiting for the eventual earthquake to give us in Portland oceanfront property. “Goonies” was in Astoria, which is about 90 miles West of Portland… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/96 "2006-02-13T21:13:17Z")
Oh! In _Wayne’s World_, when Wayne and Garth are talking to the security guard outside of the Alice Cooper concert, he says, and I quote, “He [Frankie Sharp, who is looking for new talent for his record label] is going back through Chicago on his way to Detroit.” Later on, when Wayne and Garth are in the donut shop, planning on how to get Cassandra back, Wayne says, “Remember the security guard at the Alice Cooper concert? He said that Mr. Bigg [nickname for Sharp] is coming back through Chicago on _Friday_!” Only he NEVER said what day that would take place. Also, at the beginning of the movie, as it fades in, you hear Noah Vanderhoff (Brian Doyle-Murray) say, “At Noah’s Arcade, we have two of every game. That means two of Zantar…Baywolf…” Then, when meeting with Rob Lowe’s character, he says, “I never mention the games in the ads.” ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/97 "2006-02-13T21:30:36Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > Wouldn’t that be because [the Challenger disaster happened in 1986](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger)? So how can a movie set in the previous year (1985) refer to an event **from the future**? future future [sub]future[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/98 "2006-02-13T21:35:44Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > Wouldn’t that be because [the Challenger disaster happened in 1986](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger) 😕 Am I being whooshed? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/99 "2006-02-13T21:37:26Z")
Yeah. What he said. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854/100 "2006-02-13T21:44:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The rest I blame on the writers. Don’t blame the writers - blame the Art Department. The Art Director (and Wardrobe) should be on top of things like that. The writers just make up the dialogue and storyline. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/errors-in-movies-only-nutcases-would-detect/343854.md?page=6)