# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 265
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5287 "2023-03-13T01:05:46Z")
He spent the first 10 years playing Banquo’s ghost in stock before discorporating entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5288 "2023-03-13T01:57:54Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “Is that when you think you’re doing Shakespeare while filming a bit role in a Hollywood production?” “There are no small parts, there are just small actors” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5289 "2023-03-13T01:58:59Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > “There are no small parts, there are just small actors” Porn flicks notwithstanding. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5290 "2023-03-13T02:46:12Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uiwPuK-dfVc/hqdefault.jpg "The Terror of Tiny Town - Midget Western Movies") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiwPuK-dfVc) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5291 "2023-03-13T05:41:21Z")
I was thinking about _Avengers: Endgame_ yesterday. Specifically, [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHLX1bYTCtU) where Tony Stark agrees to join their efforts. But he says that he will only work with them on the understanding that they only try to bring back the people who disappeared - not try to reverse the original snap. What I realized was that was a meaningless point. Reversing the snap was impossible. If they had gained the infinity stones and used them to undo the snap at the point it had occurred five years earlier, the result would have been the creation of a new timeline. The only victory they could achieve in their universe was bringing the missing people back into the present. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5292 "2023-03-13T08:37:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The Brits especially seem to hate the Method. Except for Daniel Day-Lewis, who Methoded enough for all of them together. (Although recently, Christian Bale seems to be picking up his slack) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5293 "2023-03-13T11:10:51Z")
And Olivier “played” the bad guy in 2004’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, thanks to CGI. Which wasn’t weird or creepy at all :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5294 "2023-03-13T11:50:40Z")
People claim that Daniel Day Lewis is a method actor, but I notice that he didn’t get shot in the head while preparing for _Lincoln_. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5295 "2023-03-13T12:16:40Z")
The band leader you see here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ly79rcnVW20/hqdefault.jpg "Some Like it Hot-part 4") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly79rcnVW20) Is also Pickles Sorrell, Buddy’s wife. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k6tKeo901r4/maxresdefault.jpg "The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season 2, Episode 28 - Divorce - Full Episode") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6tKeo901r4) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5296 "2023-03-19T14:25:32Z")
I’ve been rereading old Doc Savage novels, which I was a big fan of in my teens. One thing that frequently happens in the novels when dealing with bad guys is that he will exert pressure on certain nerve centers to induce unconsciousness. And when reading a passage like this recently it suddenly occurred to me, it’s the Vulcan Neck Pinch! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5297 "2023-03-19T15:12:18Z")
I just saw _Hamilton_ again and realized that one song has him singing “I’m not throwing away my shot.” He got his shot at the end and it killed him. Also note that just before the duel he wrote: "“if our interview is conducted in the usual manner, and it pleases God to give me the opportunity, to reserve and _throw away my first fire_, and I have thoughts even of reserving my second fire.” (Italics added). So he did (possibly) throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5298 "2023-03-19T19:39:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was thinking about _Avengers: Endgame_ yesterday. Specifically, [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHLX1bYTCtU) where Tony Stark agrees to join their efforts. But he says that he will only work with them on the understanding that they only try to bring back the people who disappeared - not try to reverse the original snap. > > What I realized was that was a meaningless point. Reversing the snap was impossible. We have a couple-two-three threads about this very issue. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5299 "2023-03-19T21:13:05Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > People claim that Daniel Day Lewis is a method actor, but I notice that he didn’t get shot in the head while preparing for _Lincoln_. Are you sure about that? I don’t think I’ve seen him since that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5300 "2023-03-19T23:09:36Z")
Rewatching “Better Call Saul.” Just realized that Chucks space blanket is literally a security blanket. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5301 "2023-03-19T23:47:13Z")
Maybe. I waited all medical school to find out the devastating details behind “the solar plexus”. But doctors don’t really use this specific term. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5302 "2023-03-19T23:59:06Z")
He came back as a phantom. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5303 "2023-03-20T09:02:31Z")
I noticed what appears to be a huge plot hole in the film Seven, the kind that will ruin a film for some people, so I’ll spoiler it: At the end, when Somerset opens the box, he realizes what’s happening and becomes frantic, shouting at the helicopter and then running back to Mills, who’s now aware that something terrible has happened. If he’d left the box where it was, calmly walked back to Mills and pretended that the box contained something unimportant, he could have distracted him long enough for other officers to arrive and possibly disarm him. I think that’d be a much more likely turn of events, considering Somerset’s veteran status and his calculating, methodical nature. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5304 "2023-03-20T09:29:00Z")
Well, Somerset could have played it cool, but doesn’t John Doe quite deliberately choose that moment to tell Mills how he murdered his wife and unborn child? How was Somerset supposed to distract him at that point? ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5305 "2023-03-20T14:04:52Z")
Thank you for spoilering that. Mills would not necessarily have believed him, which could have been obvious to Somerset. If the latter were asked, he could have said the dead dog’s head was in the box, for example. Granted, it would required tremendous self-control to remain calm and convincing, but it doesn’t seem (to me) unreasonable, considering the development of his character. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5306 "2023-03-20T14:15:17Z")
ISTM that… Somerset (Morgan Freeman for those reading and trying to remember) was too nihilistic and depressed to be able to convicingly play “oh, everything is fine!” in that situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=264) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=266)