# Strange Things You Notice About Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989 "2007-06-06T14:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/1 "2007-06-06T14:37:05Z")
Last week I watched _Pirates of the Caribbean 3_, and I noticed something odd: In the scenes where they show the dead Kraken, and in the scenes where there are bodies floating on a cask in the water - the gulls didn’t fly right. I could swear what they did was paint pigeons in gull colors (grey and white), and put them in the scenes. You can see some real gulls cruising in the background, but the ones right on the corpses aren’t flapping their wings the way real gulls do. Anyone know more about this technique in movies? Have you noticed anything in movies that isn’t quite what it appears to be? ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/2 "2007-06-06T16:48:38Z")
Nothing to add except. > [@The Simpsons (Radioactive Man episode)](#): > > Martin: Uh, Sir, why don’t you just use real cows? > Painter: Cows don’t look like cows on film. You gotta use horses. > Ralph: What do you do if you want something that looks like a horse? > Painter: Ehh, usually we just tape a bunch of cats together. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/3 "2007-06-06T20:02:15Z")
I don’t look for them, but I often notice continuity problems (example: _Eraser_ scene where the witness-protection bartender is speaking to Arny; his jacket is alternating on/off in subsequent camera cuts). ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/4 "2007-06-06T20:07:55Z")
Dunno if it counts, but I am notorious about references. Farce of the Penguins went from being a suck-fest of majestic scope to a hilarity because of all the references - my favourite was the Adam Duritz cameo (Doesn’t anyone want to fuck the sensitive guy??) It’s not that I hate not getting them as much as I love getting them, so I usually look up movies due for a re-watch before I see them. Other than that, poor execution of tactics and firearm handling really stick out. Just about every Hollywood movie plants it’s foot in it’s mouth and it usually stays there. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/5 "2007-06-06T20:15:47Z")
Here’s a little thing that I first noticed some 15 years ago which can haunt the rest of you now: no matter how bad a shape the rest of the car may be in (bondo, rust, bullet holes), the glass on 99 out of 100 cars on screen is in pristine condition. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/6 "2007-06-06T20:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Here’s a little thing that I first noticed some 15 years ago which can haunt the rest of you now: no matter how bad a shape the rest of the car may be in (bondo, rust, bullet holes), the glass on 99 out of 100 cars on screen is in pristine condition. [/QUOTE] And nobody has a rearview mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/7 "2007-06-06T20:53:02Z")
Call it Otherwise intelligent characters’ **Momentary loss of reason** I just saw an episode of Lost before I got here, and there was this typical dialogue (not word by word): > [@](#): > > Jack: “How does the giant machine under the water work?” > Saiyd: “It doesn’t matter. We need to know how to make it not work.” > Jack: “Right.” > (Planning continues.) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/8 "2007-06-07T12:19:19Z")
I noticed that the character\* in _Good Morning, Vietnam_, Adrian Kronauer, is an audio anagram of former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. \*(and real-life character) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/9 "2007-06-07T15:58:34Z")
One thing that’s driven me crazy for years is that no one ever pays when they eat out. At the toney restaurant, everyone just gets up & leaves when they’re finished eating. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/10 "2007-06-07T16:40:33Z")
If you’re watching only one side of a phone conversation, the person doing the talking has to repeat everything the person on the other end just said. I know it’s so we can “follow along” but normal conversations don’t go like this: Yes, I did just get home. No, I haven’t turned the TV on yet, why? My God, Frank is dead? When did that happen? Yes, I’ll be right there. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/11 "2007-06-07T16:41:59Z")
[QUOTE=wevets] Last week I watched _Pirates of the Caribbean 3_, and I noticed something odd: In the scenes where they show the dead Kraken, and in the scenes where there are bodies floating on a cask in the water - the gulls didn’t fly right. I could swear what they did was paint pigeons in gull colors (grey and white), and put them in the scenes. You can see some real gulls cruising in the background, but the ones right on the corpses aren’t flapping their wings the way real gulls do. Anyone know more about this technique in movies? Have you noticed anything in movies that isn’t quite what it appears to be? [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t think it was painted pigeons. Much more likely you took a detour through [Uncanny Valley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley) - the gulls were most likely CGI. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/12 "2007-06-07T16:53:05Z")
[QUOTE=phil417] One thing that’s driven me crazy for years is that no one ever pays when they eat out. At the toney restaurant, everyone just gets up & leaves when they’re finished eating. [/QUOTE] Corollary: If they _are_ shown paying for something, they never wait for their change. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/13 "2007-06-07T16:55:09Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] I noticed that the character\* in _Good Morning, Vietnam_, Adrian Kronauer, is an audio anagram of former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. \*(and real-life character) 🙂 [/QUOTE] [nitpick] It’s Cronauer, with a C. [/nitpick] Still impressed that you figured that out; your mind must constantly chew on words and letters like mine does. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/14 "2007-06-07T17:16:13Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] I wouldn’t think it was painted pigeons. Much more likely you took a detour through [Uncanny Valley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley) - the gulls were most likely CGI. [/QUOTE] Really? I must admit that I didn’t get a good look at the gulls in question - just enough to determine that they weren’t really gulls and were flying like pigeons. Craptacular CGI if that’s how they did it. They’ve got real gulls flying in the background for easy comparison. Is there any way we could find out if it really is CGI? **KneadtoKnow** - good point. I didn’t think about it until you pointed it out - the glass on movie cars, even the ones in terrible shape - is almost always pristine. I guess it’s hard to see the actors through dirty glass. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/15 "2007-06-07T17:33:42Z")
I tried IMDB, and it lists an animal coordinator on the crew for the movie, but he may have just worked with the monkey and had nothing to do with birds. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/16 "2007-06-07T17:41:22Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] And nobody has a rearview mirror. [/QUOTE] Or sunshades and headrests. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/17 "2007-06-07T18:21:26Z")
[QUOTE=wevets] animal coordinator [/QUOTE] Translation: “Keith Richards wrangler” ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/18 "2007-06-07T19:35:15Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] If you’re watching only one side of a phone conversation, the person doing the talking has to repeat everything the person on the other end just said. I know it’s so we can “follow along” but normal conversations don’t go like this: Yes, I did just get home. No, I haven’t turned the TV on yet, why? My God, Frank is dead? When did that happen? Yes, I’ll be right there. [/QUOTE] And no one ever says “Good bye.” Also, has anyone ever actually locked their car after getting out of it? ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/19 "2007-06-07T20:13:08Z")
[QUOTE=PoorYorick] Also, has anyone ever actually locked their car after getting out of it? [/QUOTE] Heck no! And they leave their convertible top down, even in bad neighborhoods and when it looks like rain! And they leave their headlights on, too–they must have Sears DieReallyReallyHard 40-million-amp-hour batteries in their cars. What my wife noticed is that no-one ever shuts a door. They just walk into a house and leave the door open behind them. Where were you raised, a barn? **Gilmore Girls** is an especially bad offender on this. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989/20 "2007-06-07T22:27:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rocketeer] And they leave their convertible top down, even in bad neighborhoods [/QUOTE] Dude, you _always_ leave your top down in a bad neighborhood. Why make them slice through it just to steal your radio? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-you-notice-about-movies/406989.md?page=2)