# 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:** 266
**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, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5307 "2023-03-20T18:25:22Z")
Again, thanks for spoilering, although this is starting to look like driving through patches of fog. šŸ˜€ What makes you think that? By the end of the film, he seems to be emerging from his state of withdrawal (implied when he stops the metronome, for example) and to be growing fond of Mills and his wife. I may have missed or misunderstood something in the film, but I donā€™t understand the basis of your conclusion. ---
**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, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5308 "2023-03-20T18:29:12Z")
Eh, it may have been up to a decade since I saw the movie and am just going to withdraw the comment. ---
**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, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5309 "2023-03-20T18:35:12Z")
Well, you may very well be right. Iā€™ve seen it recently a couple of times on TV, but it was on in the background and I wasnā€™t hanging on every scene, as Iā€™d seen it before. One thing Iā€™ve noticed about the film is that it might have benefited from a less modern form of filmmaking. Thereā€™s an outstanding shot of John Doe, before we know itā€™s him, standing over Mills after hitting him from above (heā€™s hiding on top of a truck). Remember that scene? Heā€™s reflected in a pool of water on the ground. Itā€™s incredibly ominous, but the shot lasts maybe a second, and I would have liked to see the camera linger. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5310 "2023-03-20T18:35:29Z")
Iā€™m not a big fan of that movie, because as soon as we meet the Gwyneth character, I knew she was dead character walkingā€¦especially after she said she was pregnant. So, the contents of the box were obvious to me, and I couldnā€™t imagine why it wasnā€™t obvious to everyone else. ---
**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 20, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5311 "2023-03-20T18:36:02Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Again, thanks for spoilering, although this is starting to look like driving through patches of fog Which is difficult when people donā€™t give some indication as to whatā€™s hidden in the spoiler so the rest of us have some idea if we want to click on it or not. (Not directed at you, itā€™s a gripe Iā€™ve had for years) ---
**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, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5312 "2023-03-20T18:38:16Z")
_Thanks for letting us know. Weā€™re looking into it._ šŸ˜ šŸ˜† Seriously now, I agree with you. @carrps: I know what you mean. I usually go into slow-and-dumb mode when watching films, just for my own benefit, but I had a girlfriend (the only one smarter than me, so far) who was analytical like that, and I think films should be made ā€œairtightā€ in that sense. It must be very hard to write a good, solid screenplay. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5313 "2023-03-20T18:45:30Z")
I was an English major. I was trained! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5314 "2023-03-21T09:38:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I just saw _Hamilton_ again and realized that one song has him singing ā€œIā€™m not throwing away my shot.ā€ > > He got his shot at the end and it killed him. > > Also note that just before the duel he wrote: "ā€œif 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.ā€ (Italics added). So he did (possibly) throw it away. He definitely threw away his shot. The ā€œnot throwing away my shotā€ line is intentional foreshadowing. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5315 "2023-03-23T12:33:01Z")
Just saw Heat for a first time in a while, itā€™s still awesome, but holy crap Al Pacinoā€™s cop character is awful and should go to prison for the crap he pulls, failing that at the very least should get laid off on the spot with no pension. I mean in the IRL LAPD this probably wouldnā€™t result in major repercussions but seriously in a just society a cop should not get away with: - Letting a team of murderous armed robbers get away, when caught in the act of breaking into a vault because you think (dubiously IMO) they may not get the kind of conviction they are looking for. - Deciding to confront that same bunch of armed robbers (while they are all armed with automatic weapons) and in the middle of a busy LA street in the middle of the day. So not maybe not getting the conviction you want is a good reason to let them go, not shooting up a bunch of LA residents is not? - Shooting at someone carrying a small child. Again you just let these guys walk now you are shooting at a kid to make sure they donā€™t get away? - Using Waingro (who as far as you know is an innocent victim) as bait, and getting him killed. - Speaking of Waingroā€¦ spending wayyy more time and resources on these bank robbers who rob rich white people than on this serial killer of black girls. - Sitting down for coffee with the guy who ordered the execution of three security guards (with it turns out the aforementioned serial killer, not that Waingro is ever going to be connected with those crimes, because you apparently donā€™t give a shit) - Randomly shooting at Robert De Niro with a shotgun while heā€™s running away from you (when as far as you know heā€™s just a hotel security guard who doesnā€™t want to talk to the cops) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5316 "2023-03-23T13:09:05Z")
from what ive read when the updated 90s version of that 70s show came out it was mentioned in interviews a lot of the adult actors didnā€™t know/realize that the original show was set in the 70s until the 3 or 4th episode ā€¦ ---
**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 23, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5317 "2023-03-23T14:27:11Z")
I heard Debra Jo Rupp mention it [here](https://youtu.be/qis-wNpECd0?t=117), but she also mentioned that it wasnā€™t called That 70ā€™s Show yet. I donā€™t remember there being a ton of references to the 70ā€™s in the dialogue. Most of that was conveyed to us via the intro, the name, the clothing, home decor etc. I could understand someone reading a script called The Kids Are Alright and, because they had no reason to assume it wasnā€™t set in the 90ā€™s, might not have noticed the 70ā€™s references. But it kinda makes sense as the adults would have been in their 40ā€™s. That would be like me, in my 40ā€™s, reading a script and not being aware it was set in the 90ā€™s until I get there and see everyone wearing JNCOs and flannel, all the appliances are white and the TV is the size of a small car. Even if there were clues in the script, 90ā€™s references may not feel out of place enough to call my attention to it. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5318 "2023-03-23T14:50:32Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I could understand someone reading a script called The Kids Are Alright and, because they had no reason to assume it wasnā€™t set in the 90ā€™s, might not have noticed the 70ā€™s references. I read this before watching the video and thought you were talking about [this](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7440732/) show - which is kind of in the same situation. About the only thing in the script itself that would be a tip-off to the 70s would be the Irish-Catholic family with eight kids - there are still families with eight kids but they ae less likely to be Catholic than in the 70s. ---
**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 23, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5319 "2023-03-23T14:59:42Z")
I kinda look at like if I was handed a script, today, for Married With Children or Roseanne. Itā€™s very possible I wouldnā€™t notice it was (mostly) set in the 90ā€™s. I could easily miss, or dismiss, things in the script like a landline phone ringing or one of the kids lugging the textbooks around all day instead of having a laptop. ---
**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 26, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5320 "2023-03-26T18:41:25Z")
Way, way back in the 90ā€™s I watched this completely bizarre movie called Motorama. Itā€™s only even been mentioned on this board a handful of times, one of which was in a 21 year old thread I started trying to remember the name of it. In any case, I just stumbled onto itā€™s imdb page and noticed the kid was Rusty from Full House. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5321 "2023-03-26T19:01:50Z")
It took me a long time to sort out that the song was ā€œSound of Silenceā€ and album was ā€œSounds of Silenceā€ ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5322 "2023-03-26T20:16:15Z")
To get really nitpicky, the song was titled ā€œThe Sounds of Silenceā€ on the first album it was on, but then it became ā€œThe Sound of Silenceā€ for later albums: > **[The Sound of Silence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Silence)** > > "The Sound of Silence," originally "The Sounds of Silence," is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel. It is said\[by whom?\] that the song was written by Paul Simon over several months in 1963 and 1964. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia Studios in New York City for their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Released on October 19, 1964, the album was a commerci... ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5323 "2023-03-27T13:14:27Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I read this before watching the video and thought you were talking about [this](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7440732/) show - which is kind of in the same situation. About the only thing in the script itself that would be a tip-off to the 70s would be the Irish-Catholic family with eight kids - there are still families with eight kids but they ae less likely to be Catholic than in the 70s. I liked that show, and I was sorry it didnā€™t stick around longer. Partly because I like Mary McCormack, but I thought the premise and the kids were really entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5324 "2023-03-27T18:33:49Z")
I just found out that Dr. Evil from _Austin Powers_ is a parody of Blofeld from James Bond. ---
**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 27, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5325 "2023-03-27T19:35:53Z")
I was watching youtube clips of The IT Crowd a while back and, even having watched the show multiple times, it was the first time Iā€™d noticed the Flying Spaghetti Monster on the wall behind Moss. [![](https://carboncostume.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mauricemoss.jpg) ](https://carboncostume.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mauricemoss.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5326 "2023-03-27T22:51:02Z")
It just hit me today that the band name ā€œNickelbackā€ is probably a play on the word ā€œquarterbackā€. [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=265) [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=267)