# Inaccuracies that bother you most and least **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050 "2022-06-28T16:04:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/81 "2022-06-29T15:30:35Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > it bothers me when music is used out of date, especially if it’s used to illustrate a plot point. In **The Queen’s Gambit** , “Venus” by Dutch group Shocking Blue was used during a segment that was to take place at least 2 or 3 years before that song was released. I see this all the time. That only bothers me when the music is diegetic, ie something the characters would actually _hear_ within the story. If it’s part of the non-diegetic sound that is only for the audience then that is like complaining about the orchestral score or the title cards. It’s not part of the in-film world. ETA: and I see someone else has mentioned the same term, which I first learned of back in one of my college film classes. And yeah, the tediousness with which people complain about gun inaccuracies bores the shit out of me. They just go on and on with what sounds like a series of random numbers and makes and models. Who the fuck cares. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/82 "2022-06-29T15:38:28Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Firstly, you cannot gallop from place to place on a horse. Period. How fast do horses gallop? I know Pony Express horses averaged 10 mph, and were changed every 10 or 20 miles or so. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/83 "2022-06-29T15:42:19Z")
I’ve noticed on some procedurals that they’ll dress characters portraying the homeless in rags and smear some grease on their faces, but they’ll have perfectly straight white teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/84 "2022-06-29T15:45:04Z")
I always wondered why The Thing didn’t try bouncing. Maybe Marvel thought it would confuse the readers. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/85 "2022-06-29T15:51:39Z")
Well, before today I never heard of “diegetic sound,” but I looked it up and I do see your point. Granted, music that’s chronologically out of date is something that many people will not notice or care about. For me, it takes me out of the story. Many of the inaccuracies mentioned in this thread are things that I wouldn’t notice, but obviously are sticking points for those who do. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/86 "2022-06-29T15:57:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > How fast do horses gallop? Dead run on flat ground, maybe 25-30 mph. But only briefly. A thoroughbred on a track can do forty for a couple minutes. Endurance races of 25 to 100 miles, horses are going at least 6 to 9 mph (otherwise you won’t finish within the allotted time), but there are enforced rest stops where their vitals are checked. Horses that don’t ‘pulse down’ within a set period get pulled. Endurance horses trot the whole race, pretty much. These horses are carefully conditioned and need some weeks of down time afterward. “Long Riders” who do very long treks, weeks, months, or years (this is a rare pursuit), are walking. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/87 "2022-06-29T17:44:05Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > On a cool note, my 15-year-old taught me that this is called _diagesis_. Music (or anything else) that is supposed to be in the scene is diagetic, while stuff that is part of the film but not actually present in the scene is non-diagetic. I love it when my kid teaches me things. Sounds like something my daughter would have known at 15. She’s 27 now, but went to an academy for the performing and visual arts. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/88 "2022-06-29T18:06:51Z")
The 1996 Jackie Chan movie _Rumble in The Bronx_ was fFilmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and set in The Bronx of New York City. There are several shots of the high Coast Mountains outside Vancouver–nothing like the terrain surrounding The Bronx. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/89 "2022-06-29T18:25:21Z")
YouTube. Sometimes I think she’s learned more from YouTube than she has in school. What she knows about languages in general, and a half-dozen or more in particular, is astounding. Also, how did you know she’s a she? I was deliberately obfuscatory in my post. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/90 "2022-06-29T18:28:09Z")
Huh! I could have sworn you used the word daughter. I must have misread the word taught. I promise I’m not looking in your windows! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/91 "2022-06-29T18:45:01Z")
Pretty irritating and usually inaccurate: Women sleeping in bras. Not at all irritating but very inaccurate: Authorized personnel using swipe cards on modern high security controlled access doors. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/92 "2022-06-29T18:50:10Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Pretty irritating and usually inaccurate: Women sleeping in bras. It’s either that or the L-shaped sheet! (Seriously, though, why can’t the blanket just cover both of them? Men’s torsos are rarely that interesting.) ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/93 "2022-06-29T19:15:35Z")
If I am feeling very particularly ornery the sounds of Katana being drawn from scabbards bothers me. If the swordsman is of any skill, you shouldn’t hear the sword being drawn and the fact that the saya (scabbard) is usually made of wood means it shouldn’t be making a metallic sound anyway. I know it is just like the sound of a pistol being cocked, an indication that weapons are ready, but it still can bother me. A major irritant is mispronunciation of foreign language by characters that are supposed to be fluent in whatever language they use. I don’t mind someone speaking with a bad accent if it is not supposed to be their native tongue, unless it is really grating, but when they are supposed to know the language well it becomes really irritating. Also a pet-peeve is making a point of naming something known and then showing something completely different. If you are going to name it at least make some attempt to show something that at least resembles it. In general I am fairly forgiving of plot holes, wonky physics and inaccurate geography as long as the story is fairly engaging, but that is probably true of everyone. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/94 "2022-06-29T19:28:47Z")
I feel the one thing that all cultures of the world have agreed on in terms of fictional tropes is the idea that if you get hit in the back of the head, you’ll be knocked out instantly and then be out for as long as the plot demands but then when you wake up besides having a headache you’ll be completely fine. Obviously concussions don’t actually work like that but it’s something we have to live with since we really have no better way of dealing with scenarios where the heroes need to dispatch people but not actually kill them, unless you REALLY want to see people being constantly bound and gagged for several minutes every single time. My pet peeve is the classic “Person is handed an empty pistol as a test so when they try to double cross someone with it their revealed without actually shooting anyone”. Mainly because 1. Even casual pistol users would notice the difference in weight between an empty and fully loaded gun. 1. Most importantly it involves the person about to fire the pistol assuming they were handed a fully loaded ready to fire gun. The second they even attempt to rack the slide they would immediately realize the gun isn’t loaded, and pretty much anyone who knows anything about guns would rack the slide first than assume it was just ready to fire. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/95 "2022-06-29T19:56:23Z")
Speaking of pronunciations that throw you off, in the movie “Killing Them Softly”, which takes place around Boston, one of the locals says the name of the town Haverhill, giving it the full phonetic treatment (instead of “Hay-vrul”). It’s very jarring. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/96 "2022-06-29T20:14:56Z")
> [@icon](#): > > the sound of a pistol being cocked, an indication that weapons are ready This irritates me. Someone is in a situation where s/he would be expected to have one in the pipe. S/he works the action on the weapon. The audience goes, ‘Oh, s/he’s ready now!’ If you’re holding someone at gunpoint, you’re presumably ready to shoot. Racking the slide to intimidate the prisoner into giving information is silly. Related: Someone is shooting and runs out of rounds. The automatic pistol goes ‘Click! Click! Click!’ But most autos have a slide catch that holds the slide back after the last round. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/97 "2022-06-29T20:20:13Z")
Onscreen character is talking on an iPhone. They’re hung up on. We know because of the audible dial tone. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/98 "2022-06-29T20:32:00Z")
There’s a scene in the recent Dune where Paul Atreides asks his mother “you good?,” as a modern teen might. Gawd, that bothered me! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/99 "2022-06-29T20:43:14Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Paul Atreides asks his mother “you good?,” as a modern teen might. Gawd, that bothered me! I like Tombstone. But egad, they miscast Josephine Marcus with Dana Delany. Everything from her voice, to her body language, to her head movements just screamed ‘Valley Girl!’ ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050/100 "2022-06-29T20:54:11Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > The Hulk. While moving long distance in the air is possible via jumping, it breaks credulity to believe that the actual fliers could all be casually together with the Hulk for more than a brief moment since he is constantly bouncing up and down. It bothered me even at the time as a child because if he didn’t fly, they should have shown him bouncing up and down. DC comics had “Bouncing Boy” in the _Legion of Superheroes_. So the Marvel writers probably thought one superhero like that was enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccuracies-that-bother-you-most-and-least/967050.md?page=6)