# Mean Mr. Mustard’s List of Original (I believe) Cinematic Sure Things **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies, chess\ **Created:** [January 10, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911 "2024-01-10T19:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/81 "2024-01-11T20:37:59Z")
Taking off in a helicopter on a rescue mission, in any disaster will have the copter smashed into a building or the ground in a magnificent explosion. Hero walks away with one laceration over his left eye. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/82 "2024-01-11T21:05:29Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > The dowdiest of secretaries > > I thought those were all librarians… Them too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/83 "2024-01-11T21:06:25Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > TV Tropes calls it Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship, and has several examples of it in several media. Oddly the Imperial stormtroopers had excellent marksmanship. It is just the the stars were protected by both the Force and plot armor. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Have we forgotten wearing a red shirt\* on Star Trek means you’re not coming back from the planet. Only 50% and only security. Engineering and Communication also wear red shirts, but Scotty & Uhuru always came back. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/84 "2024-01-11T21:13:36Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > If you call your friend and say, “I’m on to something. I’ll meet you at …” then you will die before you make that meeting. The full line is “I’m on to something, **but I can’t talk right now.** I’ll meet you at…” So the person on the other end of the line will have to figure out what “something” was on his/her own. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/85 "2024-01-11T21:23:16Z")
Another cliched unhelpful knowledge transfer device is the “Cryptic, yet ultimately useful, dialogue.” Protagonists: “Where is the key to open the crystal vault?” Wise old sage: “You will have to look inside yourself for the key” Protagonists come back from the quest: “We almost got killed! Tim was bleeding out after we got jumped by the orks, which, by the way, you also didn’t tell us about. We needed that potion inside the vault to save him! Why didn’t you tell us that I was born with a key-shaped tumor in my mouth that perfectly fit the lock on the crystal vault? We would have opened it much much sooner!” Wise old sage: “The key was inside you all along.” ::::twinkle in his eye:::: If the advisor wants the heroes to succeed, they should speak clearly. If the advisor wants them to fail, they should give wrong advice. Being cryptic yet true is not _sure_ to accomplish either of these. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/86 "2024-01-11T21:30:59Z")
If there is a vital piece of video or audio recorded on a mobile phone that is completely out of charge, the protagonist will stick it on to charge and then **not return to play it until it is charged to 100%** ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/87 "2024-01-11T21:43:54Z")
The download speed of any file/information transfer is defined as: The amount of time between the start of the download/capture and the entry of the villain minus 1 second. This is true for all file sizes and all connections. It is also true that any “ghost” or hidden drives/file structures can be found simply by clicking a very visible icon. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/88 "2024-01-11T21:55:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Taking off in a helicopter on a rescue mission, in any disaster will have the copter smashed into a building or the ground in a magnificent explosion. Hero walks away with one laceration over his left eye. And to go along with that, if the hero is in a fight where he is kicked, punched, and otherwise brutalized, he will be fine in a few minutes (or seconds, depending on the plot). ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/89 "2024-01-11T21:56:39Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > If there is a bomb that needs defusing, no matter what the guy on the radio says, it’s always the _other wire_ that needs cutting. Likewise, if the bomb has a digital timer counting down to 0, the bomb will be defused with fewer than 5 seconds left. Unless it’s James Bond doing the defusing, then the timer will read 0:07. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/90 "2024-01-11T21:57:35Z")
In a swordfight where Guy A is outclassing Guy B, Guy B has one great hope: _get disarmed._ Suddenly he’ll become ten times better at fighting a swordsman. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/91 "2024-01-11T22:08:16Z")
**Trivia challenge:** The “007” insert in _ **Goldfinger** _ replaced the original shot. Before the substitution, what was the number on the readout of the nuclear device? ( **NB:** The corresponding line of dialogue was not changed. Few people noticed because the audiences were laughing over the readout.) ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/92 "2024-01-11T22:12:55Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Taking off in a helicopter on a rescue mission, in any disaster will have the copter smashed into a building or the ground in a magnificent explosion. **Corollary:** A helicopter flown by the bad guys will appear magically from beyond the horizon **without making a sound** that might alert the good guys to its presence. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/93 "2024-01-11T22:13:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Known as “Chekhov’s Wedding Cake” I got a laugh out of that. When my wife and I are watching a mystery, and the camera lingers on a shot a little to long, a book for instance, we both yell out, “Chekhov’s Book!” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/94 "2024-01-11T22:15:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **Corollary:** A helicopter flown by the bad guys will appear magically from beyond the horizon **without making a sound** that might alert the good guys to its presence. Anyone can sneak up on anyone so long as they are out of frame of the viewer. Even if they are out in the open. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/95 "2024-01-11T22:27:12Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Whenever two or more people are in a car, the driver will invariably have a conversation with the passenger by looking over at them, only briefly and occasionally glancing back to the road. And when the camera switches from one to the other and back again, the windows never match. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/96 "2024-01-11T23:46:37Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Have we forgotten wearing a red shirt\* on Star Trek means you’re not coming back from the planet. I have a friend who calls all the red-shirts “Ensign Expendable” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/97 "2024-01-12T12:56:03Z")
An estranged couple in an action movie will have an argument in the middle of a dangerous situation. Firefight? Natural disaster? Doesn’t matter-- they will stop fleeing for their safety and work out their issues right there and then, oblivious to flying bullets or debris falling all around them. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/98 "2024-01-12T15:30:25Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The **Principle** of Evil Marksmanship I mentioned this in another thread, but I’m still chuckling at Taika Watiti’s writing/direction of a big battle in _The Mandalorian…_ where he cuts away to two Storm Troopers on sentry duty, far from battle. They’re just chillin’, chatting as they try to shoot small rocks(?) with their laser pistols. And they’re terrible shots. They never hit what they’re aiming at. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/99 "2024-01-12T15:31:01Z")
If you are a character in a move and you are played by… Tom Cruise, you will _run_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jRtlU2QOVQo/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Cruise enjoys Running") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRtlU2QOVQo) Harrison Ford, you will get angry and _point_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K4Rqx9TvtlM/maxresdefault.jpg ""Harrison Ford Angrily Points At Stuff" Supercut | CONAN on TBS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Rqx9TvtlM) Brad Pitt, you will talk while _eating_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/v4eg7V7O10E/maxresdefault.jpg "Brad Pitt Eating: The Mashup") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4eg7V7O10E) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911/100 "2024-01-12T15:46:34Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > “I’m on to something. I’ll meet you at …” “Why, what’s up?” “I can’t tell you now.” “Why not?” “I… I just can’t.” “So I’m supposed to walk to my car, it’s alternate-side parking, so that’s a block away, y’know, then drive to the abandoned lighthouse just so you can give me a clue?” “Look, it’s the lighthouse on Eroded Cliff Roa…” “Why don’t you just TELL ME what it is!?!” “Uh… just, ummm…” “Jesus…” “Hurry!” “No! I’m not traipsing out there. Tell me now or I’m hanging up.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mean-mr-mustard-s-list-of-original-i-believe-cinematic-sure-things/995911.md?page=6)