# You understand why they do it but it takes you out of the movie anyway **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928 "2015-10-17T19:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/181 "2015-10-22T02:13:42Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > NOW it makes sense! :smack: I take that back. If the stationmaster\* knew\* about the troupe, the logical first question would have been “Are you with the circus?” _Then_, after getting an affirmative reply, he would have asked “Do you know where to find Jeff Wilson?” or something to that effect. So it still makes no sense to me that he would say “Is there a Jeff Wilson on this train?” to some random bystander. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/182 "2015-10-22T02:19:22Z")
And if he _didn’t_ know about the troupe, how likely is it he would assume some random Joe would know who was on the train? Again, it makes no sense! ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/183 "2015-10-22T04:38:23Z")
All the times peopl say “objection” your honour. Would get you thrown out. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/184 "2015-10-22T04:53:45Z")
Not to mention the flipside of that. “But weren’t you then convicted on three counts of arson?” “OBJECTION!” “Withdrawn!” “Oh, you think you can just bring up inadmissible evidence like that?” “Well, yeah; I showed my palms and said _‘Withdrawn’_. What’s the problem?” “Tell me you realize that’s not a magic word.” “It’s not _not_ a magic word.” Has to happen for quick storytelling exposition, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/185 "2015-10-22T13:38:46Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > All the times peopl say “objection” your honour. Would get you thrown out. I was on a jury last year for the first time, and they did object a lot. But there was a difference between a real life trial and courtroom dramas: they never said the reason within earshot of the jury. They would just say “objection” and the judge would say either “sustained” or “overruled.” If it happened several times in quick succession the judge would ask the attorneys to approach the bench and they would discuss the reasons in hushed tones so the jury couldn’t hear. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/186 "2015-10-22T14:16:33Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > Along those lines, the “hit someone over the head just to knock them unconscious because you want them to stop resisting, or not to see something” trope. I sort of understand why they do it: they want a quick and easy way of having one character subdue another (whom he doesn’t want to kill.) But in real life, there’s no way to calibrate your whack-on-the-head to be just strong enough to cause a mild concussion with a momentary loss of consciousness, while avoiding the risk of an epidural hematoma, which can be fatal. It’s the general amount of abuse people can take and keep on chugging with no outward ill effects. Get knocked out? Come to, get up and are fine. No puking, disorientation, etc… Punch someone in the face bare-knuckles? No tooth gouges in the knuckles, no broken hand, etc… you’re good to go. Get shot in the arm? You’re not only not dead, you’re good to finish the movie. IRL, you might not die, but you’d be seriously fucked up for a while and probably unable to really use the arm at all. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/187 "2015-10-22T17:21:17Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Men who get kicked in the nads and grimace and shrug it off. It doesn’t just _hurt_; a really solid kick landing there triggers what amounts to an automatic reflex. You legs go out and you go down, unless you’re an Indian fakir or some sort of trained sumo wrestler. I know the intent is to show how super tough the fighter is, but it always prompts me to think, “Huh, _another_ robot/nonbiological.” [Or a Ballchinian.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_RsrUmluCM) ---
**Author:** ![solosam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@solosam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solosam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/188 "2015-10-22T17:37:30Z")
I always hate movie explosions that don’t produce shrapnel. It always bugs me when I see a bomb go off and it produces burst of smoke or a big orange fireball, but causes no injury to the character. 1. Explosives, especially military ones, kill by accelerating fragments of metal in every direction. Even if the character is not centered on the explosion, they and everything around them will be thoroughly ventilated. 2. Those big orange fireballs are caused by gasoline pyrotechnics. A real explosive might produce a brief flash followed by a cloud of smoke, dirt, dust, etc. If the character survives, they will not be “singed” or peppered with ash. 3. I hate it when characters do the “cool guy” walk while something explodes behind them. In real life, you need to duck behind something solid and stick your fingers in your ears. (And with that, why can a movie hero shoot guns all day without suffering hearing loss?) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/189 "2015-10-22T17:46:27Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > People who cock their guns for no apparent reason. In real life, a person chambers the round before they need it. Usually this is a generic “gun” sound effect. Someone shoulders their weapon and it makes that “chick-chack” noise, even if they didn’t operate the mechanism. Other times it actually shows the character pumping the shotgun or racking the slide of their handgun, implying that up until this point the weapon was unloaded… Yeppers. You mean, you didnt have a round chambered until that moment? :eek: Oddly on The Martian it bothered me he only had a little music to listen to, while a million songs would have taken up almost no space. Just like on Guardians of the Galaxy- how did that cassette last all that time? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/190 "2015-10-22T17:53:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > This is why Robert Redford captured a bridge in _ **A Bridge Too Far** _ that in fact was taken by the British. And why the B-17s were escorted by Mustangs instead of Spitfires in _ **Memphis Belle** _. And why the Americans captured an Enigma machine instead of the British in that absolute piece of dreck _ **U-571** _. And so on and so on… > > Gotta keep those American audiences happy! Every nation does this, showing their military winning the war almost single-handedly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/191 "2015-10-22T17:55:54Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Now people racking the slide on their pistol or even cocking back the hammer kind of annoys me, especially if it’s professionals. Why weren’t you ready to shoot? Why the dramatic cock? > > And yes, the practice of walking right up to someone when you have a gun on them. At which point, if they are at all professional, they knock your arm aside - half the time you don’t even fire - and manage to disarm you. It’s a gun. It works from ten feet away, too. At least make them get down on the ground on their faces before you approach them - there’s a reason why cops and soldiers want you on the ground. And also- you never, ever drop your gun even if the bad guy has a gun pressed to the head of the hostage. What should happen then is he shoots both of you. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/192 "2015-10-22T18:02:25Z")
This is worse in TV, but you see it in movies too. Nobody ever eats in restaurants. They are in restaurants all the time, but they never eat. OK, granted it’s a continuity nightmare to have actors eat the same meal over and over again, exactly the same way, but come on. Two actors meet in a restaurant, waiter brings menus and I’m trying to predict how they won’t eat. One gets a phone call and leaves. The two fight. One announces loudly that they have some gripe and they are speaking their piece and leaving. They are waiting for a third person who doesn’t show up. Nut allergy. Usually, nobody at the nearby tables are eating either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/193 "2015-10-22T18:02:47Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Men who get kicked in the nads and grimace and shrug it off. It doesn’t just _hurt_; a really solid kick landing there triggers what amounts to an automatic reflex. You legs go out and you go down, unless you’re an Indian fakir or some sort of trained sumo wrestler. I know the intent is to show how super tough the fighter is, but it always prompts me to think, “Huh, _another_ robot/nonbiological.” > > " Marcus Vindictus: “_He’s_ a eunuch!” ---
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/194 "2015-10-22T18:07:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Every nation does this, showing their military winning the war almost single-handedly. I can handle this with works of pure fiction, but it upsets me when history is distorted merely to please an audience. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/195 "2015-10-22T18:07:48Z")
Man, saw one just the other day. TV, not movies. In Castle, a show I don’t like, but my wife does. There was a scene where 2 cops run into a building after a perp and split up. Cop1 sees a shadowy figure holding a gun pass behind some translucent plastic sheeting - and shoots. You got it - it was his partner. He shot him in the ass, and they played it for laughs. I couldn’t get over the fact that this cop shot without identifying his target, and if he hadn’t had lousy aim, his partner would be dead. No mention of an investigation of the shooting afterwards. Yeah - totally stupid show having NOTHING to do with police practice, human relations, or any other aspect of real life, but that REALLY corked me. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/196 "2015-10-22T18:13:11Z")
> [@pmwgreen](#): > > This is worse in TV, but you see it in movies too. > Nobody ever eats in restaurants. They are in restaurants all the time, but they never eat. As an ex-heavy drinker, it always bugged me how everyone would take these delicate little sips of beer. Totally foreign to my experience! (Which might explain why I’m not 12 yrs sober…:p) The other day my wife and I were watching STNG. S2 Picard and Wesley were in a shuttle eating sandwiches, and Picard was taking big healthy bites out of his sandwich, and continuing to talk without being a total slob. Was so unusual to see someone obviously eating on film that both my wife and I commented on it. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/197 "2015-10-22T18:14:22Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > Explosives, especially military ones, kill by accelerating fragments of metal in every direction. Even if the character is not centered on the explosion, they and everything around them will be thoroughly ventilated. Forget shrapnel; the shock wave is strong enough to turn your internal organs into jelly. And no, you cannot outrun the shock wave of a blast. IIRC, they travel at around 26,000 fps. I remember one particularly stupid instance of this: The young hero dude (Keanu Reeves?) and his girlfriend outrun a humungous shock wave on a motor scooter, then tumble into a ditch and let the wave blow over them. A shock wave won’t blow over you and leave you unharmed. It’ll fill every depression in the ground as it expands. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/198 "2015-10-22T19:05:36Z")
I thought the most overrated and ruinous moment in a movie was “You can’t handle the truth!!!” It’s supposed to be a great moment of something but it just means that the lawyer got to the witness and got him to say something he shouldn’t. The whole idea of the movie is pivoted on this and it’s truly dumb IMO. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/199 "2015-10-22T19:40:36Z")
I imagine the process of actually suspending a police officer would be a little more complex than “Give me your badge and gun.” Probably more like: “After talking to several people as well as the department’s Legal Counsel, we have decided to suspend you. Give me your badge, ID card, gun, and the other gun, and all of your guns, and the keys to your locker, desk, building, vehicle, then have IT walk you through exporting any personal files from your computer, then call your Union Rep and go up to HR because we have an hour meeting where we will fill out a not-insignificant amount of paperwork.” ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928/200 "2015-10-22T20:16:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Forget shrapnel; the shock wave is strong enough to turn your internal organs into jelly. > > And no, you cannot outrun the shock wave of a blast. IIRC, they travel at around 26,000 fps. I remember one particularly stupid instance of this: The young hero dude (Keanu Reeves?) and his girlfriend outrun a humungous shock wave on a motor scooter, then tumble into a ditch and let the wave blow over them. > > A shock wave won’t blow over you and leave you unharmed. It’ll fill every depression in the ground as it expands. > [@solosam](#): > > I always hate movie explosions that don’t produce shrapnel. It always bugs me when I see a bomb go off and it produces burst of smoke or a big orange fireball, but causes no injury to the character. > > 1. Explosives, especially military ones, kill by accelerating fragments of metal in every direction. Even if the character is not centered on the explosion, they and everything around them will be thoroughly ventilated. > > 2. Those big orange fireballs are caused by gasoline pyrotechnics. A real explosive might produce a brief flash followed by a cloud of smoke, dirt, dust, etc. If the character survives, they will not be “singed” or peppered with ash. > > 3. I hate it when characters do the “cool guy” walk while something explodes behind them. In real life, you need to duck behind something solid and stick your fingers in your ears. (And with that, why can a movie hero shoot guns all day without suffering hearing loss?) > [@Mangetout](#): > > Cool guys walking away from explosions, in slow mot1on. Such a cliche that it pulls me out of the movie, but in a sort of good way, because [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqz5dbs5zmo)video starts playing in my head. Perfectly covered in [_The Other Guys_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNZZhTXw72M) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-understand-why-they-do-it-but-it-takes-you-out-of-the-movie-anyway/734928.md?page=11)