# Things you want to know about TV and movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548 "2013-06-09T14:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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 9, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/1 "2013-06-09T14:17:53Z")
You know, like ‘Why did Superman stand smugly with his arms akimbo as bullets bounced off his chest, but flinch when the Bad Guy threw the empty gun at him?’ Here are a few I have: In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? In _Star Trek_, why did the computer have a monotone voice? Sure, they couldn’t have predicted the advances in computer technology, but when _2001: A Space Odyssey_ was filmed at the end of _Star Trek_’s run, HAL had a ‘normal’ voice. And what was up with all of the clacking relays when the ship’s computer (on _Star Trek_) was searching its database? We all like a bit of grave-robbing, and in Mary Shelley’s time it was a good way to show the ethics of certain people. But in _Frankenstein_, why bother gathering a collection of parts and sew them together? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to find a suitable intact body, and only replace the parts that needed replacing? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/2 "2013-06-09T14:28:09Z")
Well with Superman the bullets are either blanks or CGI, and the actor knows they can’t hurt him, but even a prop gun thrown at you can hurt. ---
**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 9, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/3 "2013-06-09T14:30:09Z")
Obviously. And it’s a bit of a joke; which is why I used I used it as a well-known example that has been answered. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/4 "2013-06-09T14:45:52Z")
How do the villains in the James Bond movies find so many people to help carry out their plans, especially the ones who want to kill everybody on earth? In _Moonraker_, there were the scientists making the satellites that were going to dispense the nerve gas. When a vial broke, they got scared because they knew it was lethal. What’s the big deal; Drax was gonna spray this stuff in the atmosphere and kill you in a couple days, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/5 "2013-06-09T14:55:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? Yeah, we surplussed the last of the exact same model at least six years ago. ---
**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 9, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/6 "2013-06-09T14:57:03Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Yeah, we surplussed the last of the exact same model at least six years ago. I work for a non-profit company, and there have been no CRTs to be seen. I started there six years ago, and the flat screen monitors had already been there a while. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/7 "2013-06-09T15:16:59Z")
Why do people answer the phone 99% of the time by saying “Yeah” instead of “Hello”. They (mostly, at least in the case of cell phones) never look at their phone to see who’s calling, so they don’t know who it is, even if they may be expecting a call from someone specific. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/8 "2013-06-09T15:17:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > … In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? … ooh ooh, i think i know this one. it’s because non of the film crew knows anything about computers, or at least non of them care enough to comment. [cutting-edge NCIS keyboard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qgehH3kEQ) ---
**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 9, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/9 "2013-06-09T15:20:02Z")
> [@DonLogan](#): > > Why do people answer the phone 99% of the time by saying “Yeah” instead of “Hello”. Since I saw _Logan’s Run_ I’ve wanted to answer the phone, ‘Hello, yes?’ ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/10 "2013-06-09T15:42:05Z")
in superman 2, what is the deal with the cellophane s that superman rips off his chest and throws at the bad guy? ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/11 "2013-06-09T15:49:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We all like a bit of grave-robbing, and in Mary Shelley’s time it was a good way to show the ethics of certain people. But in _Frankenstein_, why bother gathering a collection of parts and sew them together? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to find a suitable intact body, and only replace the parts that needed replacing? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a morality tale of the horrors of vivisection and playing god. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/12 "2013-06-09T17:16:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Since I saw _Logan’s Run_ I’ve wanted to answer the phone, ‘Hello, yes?’ Or, you could end every sentence with “…yes?” and be like the guy in A Clockwork Orange. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/13 "2013-06-09T18:33:39Z")
In movies, they have bouncers/bodyguards who weigh 350 pounds or more and are not exactly fit as an NFL player. A nine year old could trip them and it would take them five minutes to stand up again, and an old woman on an electric scooter could out pace them. If I were going to have a bodyguard/bouncer, I think I would rather have someone who can perhaps run 30 feet without getting winded and have to take a break to eat a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/14 "2013-06-09T19:01:10Z")
Why do expert computer hackers in the movies type like crazy and never use the mouse? Trust me, it’s pretty hard writing code while typing 160 words per minute without even using a mouse. I’m also pretty sure this method will not get me into an encrypted network in 30 seconds. Especially [with a gun to my head while getting a blowjob](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/07/24/can_you_hack_while_getting/). I’m also pretty sure I’d disable that “beep for every keystroke” feature. “beep boop beep beep boop boop boop beep - I’m in!” No, you are not. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/15 "2013-06-09T19:16:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You know, like ‘Why did Superman stand smugly with his arms akimbo as bullets bounced off his chest, but flinch when the Bad Guy threw the empty gun at him?’ Here are a few I have: > > In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? I expect that the Tony, Ziva, & McGee (and perhaps everyone in the squadroom–even the agents not on his core team seem to report to him,a nd Kate once referred to the squadroom as "Agent Gibbs’ office) must submit requests for new equipment through Gibbs. Gibbs is old-fashioned and frugal. The CRT monitors are old, but as long as they still work fine, he’s not going to approve buying new ones just because they’re cooler. Hell, if I worked for him, I’d wouldn’t even bother making the request. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/16 "2013-06-09T19:19:21Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > in superman 2, what is the deal with the cellophane s that superman rips off his chest and throws at the bad guy? It was obviously tech, not a super-power. I expect the red-sun-radiation gizmo that he was planning to use on the Phantom Zone villains needed time to charge and was almost but not quite ready, so he was just buying a few minutes. If it HAD been ready when the villains arrived, he’d have simply waited in the sealed chamber and turned it on as soon as they arrived. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/17 "2013-06-09T19:26:21Z")
[quote=“Johnny\_L.A, post:1, topic:660548”] In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? [/quotes] Budget cuts. > [@](#): > > We all like a bit of grave-robbing, and in Mary Shelley’s time it was a good way to show the ethics of certain people. But in _Frankenstein_, why bother gathering a collection of parts and sew them together? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to find a suitable intact body, and only replace the parts that needed replacing? He was creating a superior man, not reanimating a dead one. No one body could supply all the parts that were needed. ---
**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 9, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/18 "2013-06-09T19:28:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > And what was up with all of the clacking relays when the ship’s computer (on _Star Trek_) was searching its database? Hard to say, since Dr. Daystrom won’t invent duotronics for another 150 years or so. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [June 9, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/19 "2013-06-09T19:54:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In _NCIS_ the agency is chockfull of cutting-edge technology. Why do agents still have CRT monitors on their desks? Their cutting-edge technology is for in-house work. But their computer systems work with other agencies that aren’t as cutting edge, so they have to use older models to be compatible. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In _Star Trek_, why did the computer have a monotone voice? Sure, they couldn’t have predicted the advances in computer technology, but when _2001: A Space Odyssey_ was filmed at the end of _Star Trek_’s run, HAL had a ‘normal’ voice. And what was up with all of the clacking relays when the ship’s computer (on _Star Trek_) was searching its database? The Star Trek system works with aliens. It had to be as neutral as possible and rely strictly on words because aliens can’t pick up the tonal cues that humans can. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We all like a bit of grave-robbing, and in Mary Shelley’s time it was a good way to show the ethics of certain people. But in _Frankenstein_, why bother gathering a collection of parts and sew them together? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to find a suitable intact body, and only replace the parts that needed replacing? Frankenstein wanted to show that he was creating a new life and not simply restoring life to somebody that had previously been alive. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548/20 "2013-06-09T20:29:32Z")
I want to know why actors playing paramedics (or other emergency personnel) will be in out on a call and they will be asked by a dispatcher, “What is your ETA?” And the actor will look at his watch and say something like 10 minutes. What difference does it make on what time actually is? People will do it real life as well. Like you are work first thing in the morning and someone asks you what time you want to meet for lunch. People always look at the time before answering as if 8 o’clock would be different than 9 o’clock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-want-to-know-about-tv-and-movies/660548.md?page=2)