Movie conventions that don't reflect the real world

[Kodos]

Example 1: The W.O.P.R. trying to crack the launch code for the nuclear missiles. They show the W.O.P.R. slowly getting the code digit by digit for dramatic effect. In real life, it's pretty much all or nothing with each attempt to guess the password.

Here's a Wikipedia article on cracking:
Password cracking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_cracking)

[cuervo72]

Don't they have an entire site for tropes like this?

[panerd]

Ben Affleck having a picnic in downtown D.C. right after a nuke went off. Basically any situation where a bomb goes off and people are able to return to the scene later without like 10,000 cops and reporters swarming all over the place. (Especially a nuke that killed about 100,000)

[Autumn]

Doing absolutely everything on a computer by typing prolifically at a high speed. I mean sure, there are keyboard shortcuts, but you don't edit photos by typing really fast. Nobody ever uses a mouse on a computer.

[Izulde]

The meet-cute and the grand dramatic gesture of romantic comedies. (particularly the success of the latter).

[Kodos]

The way people use game pads on TV and in movies is pathetic. Apparently, you just smash buttons and jack the sticks around in random fashion.

[stevew]

Watch the ending scene of Liar Liar where Jim Carrey basically tries to Hijack an airplane to proclaim his love. In 2012, he gets shot in the face by security for at least 4-5 different things he does.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I would pay to see Jim Carrey shot in the face.

[JediKooter]

How quickly we forget that fictional movies are...fictional.

[Cap Ologist]

I always loved how in every western, they always had to build a new gallows. Was it too much trouble to leave the old one up? Were they trying to boost tourism by tearing them down between hangings?

[Peregrine]

In every action scene car chase in a city, it's daytime but the streets are almost empty - is it always Christmas?

[CrimsonFox]

The way people use game pads on TV and in movies is pathetic. Apparently, you just smash buttons and jack the sticks around in random fashion.

They must all be playing a fighting game like Marvel vs capcom or tekken.

[CrimsonFox]

I always loved how in every western, they always had to build a new gallows. Was it too much trouble to leave the old one up? Were they trying to boost tourism by tearing them down between hangings?

LOL That is awesome!

[BrianD]

Every night has a full moon.

[DanGarion]

Don't they have an entire site for tropes like this?

You mean like this?

Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage)

[CrimsonFox]

that's cause werewolves are everywhere.

[cuervo72]

You mean like this?

Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage)

Well look at that.

(yeah, that one.)

[albionmoonlight]

One of my favorites:

The audience always has to know to whom the guy on the phone is speaking, so he always calls and says something like, "Hello, American Express? This is John Smith, and I . . ."

Which means that, apparently, American Express (and every other multinational corporation) does not identify itself to callers, but simply answers the phone "Hi."

[Autumn]

How quickly we forget that fictional movies are...fictional.

So? Would it hurt them to have the actor click a mouse? Certainly some conventions make for a better dramatic story. I'm not going to complain about how they zoom in on pictures and suddenly in high resolution have some ridiculous detail. But it's stuff like the keyboard which I never quite get. Everybody involved in making a movie must use a computer sometimes. Why are they incapable of reproducing that activity on the screen?

[Autumn]

One of my favorites:

The audience always has to know to whom the guy on the phone is speaking, so he always calls and says something like, "Hello, American Express? This is John Smith, and I . . ."

Which means that, apparently, American Express (and every other multinational corporation) does not identify itself to callers, but simply answers the phone "Hi."

Or how everybody just hangs up the phone without saying goodbye.

[Autumn]

Oh, also how people stop by someone's house to visit, spend about 30 seconds talking and then say they have to get going once the plot point is delivered.

[DanGarion]

So? Would it hurt them to have the actor click a mouse? Certainly some conventions make for a better dramatic story. I'm not going to complain about how they zoom in on pictures and suddenly in high resolution have some ridiculous detail. But it's stuff like the keyboard which I never quite get. Everybody involved in making a movie must use a computer sometimes. Why are they incapable of reproducing that activity on the screen?

ENHANCE!

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

Oh, and no one ever finishes a drink in a movie. The detective comes to the bar, orders a drink, sits next to the criminal, and has a 45 second conversation along the lines of "We're watching you, and when you screw up, I'm gonna be there to make sure that you go down. Count on it." Then he leaves. And the drink is either totally ignored, or he's gotten, like, one sip.

Just don't order the drink, man.

[JediKooter]

So? Would it hurt them to have the actor click a mouse? Certainly some conventions make for a better dramatic story. I'm not going to complain about how they zoom in on pictures and suddenly in high resolution have some ridiculous detail. But it's stuff like the keyboard which I never quite get. Everybody involved in making a movie must use a computer sometimes. Why are they incapable of reproducing that activity on the screen?

This is like reading the Goofs section for a movie on IMDB. Some are actual 'tropes/goofs' while others are just complaints. However, I think you give too much credit to directors being computer savvy. You'd be surprised.

Star Trek IV The Voyage Home
Jurassic Park

Are two that I can name off the top of my head where people use a mouse. I'm sure there's more.

Ok how about this one? Why is it whenever (well a lot of the time) when they show someone using a computer (no matter what kind of computer), when they have a shot of the screen, it is clearly some form of the Mac OS?

[Izulde]

Or how everybody just hangs up the phone without saying goodbye.

This is actually standard in a lot of fiction. It's not essential dialogue, so you just cut it.

[larrymcg421]

Star Trek IV The Voyage Home
Jurassic Park

Are two that I can name off the top of my head where people use a mouse. I'm sure there's more.

I love that whole bit in Star Trek IV. Scotty tries to talk to the computer, gets weird looks and someone hands him a mouse. He then tries to talk into the mouse. They suggest he use the keyboard. Then what makes the entire scene is they subvert expectations of how this scene will go by actually having Scotty being able to type super fast on a keyboard.

[JediKooter]

I love that whole bit in Star Trek IV. Scotty tries to talk to the computer, gets weird looks and someone hands him a mouse. He then tries to talk into the mouse. They suggest he use the keyboard. Then what makes the entire scene is they subvert expectations of how this scene will go by actually having Scotty being able to type super fast on a keyboard.

Haha yes! Bones hands him the mouse and Scotty tries to talk into it. And then his blindingly fast typing for the formula for transparent aluminum, which is done on a...Apple computer.

And now we have: HowStuffWorks "ALON: Transparent Aluminum Armor" (http://science.howstuffworks.com/transparent-aluminum-armor3.htm)

[Autumn]

This is actually standard in a lot of fiction. It's not essential dialogue, so you just cut it.

But fiction is a different animal. If you cut dialogue in fiction, I fill in the rest with my mind. But if I watch, in real time, a real human being (or a cartoon) talk on the phone and then immediately hang it up, I can't fill that in. You need to edit differently if you want to simulate that fiction experience.

[Autumn]

dola:

Oh, and no one ever finishes a drink in a movie. The detective comes to the bar, orders a drink, sits next to the criminal, and has a 45 second conversation along the lines of "We're watching you, and when you screw up, I'm gonna be there to make sure that you go down. Count on it." Then he leaves. And the drink is either totally ignored, or he's gotten, like, one sip.

Just don't order the drink, man.

Yes, exactly.

Oh and worse dola ever.

[larrymcg421]

"Hey, wanna go on a date?"
"Sure"
"Okay, I'll see you at 8".

Scene ends. Phone numbers have not been exchanged. Address has not been given.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

everything to do with guns.

[Draft Dodger]

everything to do with guns.

or outerspace.
or computers (as has been amply pointed out)

[Draft Dodger]

or glass windows

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

getting konked in the head and waking up 12 hours later

[sabotai]

I'm not going to complain about how they zoom in on pictures and suddenly in high resolution have some ridiculous detail.

If it's an action movie and the picture doesn't matter that much, then no, I don't care much either. Bit if it's a crime or political drama and the picture is key evidence, then that's just exceptionally lazy writing.

One that sticks out to me is how classes in college seem to last about 30 seconds.

[sabotai]

getting konked in the head and waking up 12 hours later

...without a concussion.

[GrantDawg]

Ok how about this one? Why is it whenever (well a lot of the time) when they show someone using a computer (no matter what kind of computer), when they have a shot of the screen, it is clearly some form of the Mac OS?


Apple owns Hollywood. PC's are 85-90% of the market, and yet 90% of offices in tv/movies are Apple-based.

[gstelmack]

My favorite has always been that the A-Team could never hit the broadside of a barn, unless they were shooting at the tires of the police cars chasing them while hanging off the side of the van...

Or any John Woo movie, where the stars have deadly accuracy while shooting everyone else, but can't come anywhere near each other, as exemplified best in the movie Faceoff.

[JediKooter]

Apple owns Hollywood. PC's are 85-90% of the market, and yet 90% of offices in tv/movies are Apple-based.

Apple doesn't own Hollywood, trust me. We would have loved to though, but, they were about 10% of our user base. I don't know what it is now, but, I can't imagine it being above 10% with the FCP X fiasco. I'm now at ILM...we use Linux.

But that's what I find very funny. Most show PCs, but the screen displays, especially when they are playing back video on a computer, seems to be always Apple.

[GrantDawg]

Apple doesn't own Hollywood, trust me. We would have loved to though, but, they were about 10% of our user base. I don't know what it is now, but, I can't imagine it being above 10% with the FCP X fiasco. I'm now at ILM...we use Linux.

But that's what I find very funny. Most show PCs, but the screen displays, especially when they are playing back video on a computer, seems to be always Apple.


Misinterpreted. I'm saying that Apple must literally be buying Hollywood. Their market share of TV/Movie offices on screen is much higher than reality.

[RomaGoth]

One that sticks out to me is how classes in college seem to last about 30 seconds.

Saved by the bell - the college years?

[GrantDawg]

And for my real reason behind it: Apple gives permission when Microsoft demands payment. Apple probably feels like any screen time is free advertising.

[RomaGoth]

The one I like is how people always just enter someone's house or room. Does nobody ever knock on a door before entering? Kramer (Seinfeld) made it famous, but I can't remember the last sitcom I watched that actually included people knocking on the door prior to entering the room. They all seem to live in some weird community-type apartment (How I met your mother is good at this too).

[JediKooter]

Misinterpreted. I'm saying that Apple must literally be buying Hollywood. Their market share of TV/Movie offices on screen is much higher than reality.

Ah yes. Sorry about that. Yes, that is very true indeed. What's funny was, before I was a Mac user, I noticed this and never understood why, that even after working there, I still don't. :) Maybe they are paying studios to do it?



One of my favorite movie tropes is the spontaneous car explosion. One bullet is all it takes.

[Bad-example]

Person enters darkened room and suspects there is someone else there. Suspense builds until someone off camera breaks the tension by throwing a cat into frame. Boo!

[GrantDawg]

One of my favorite movie tropes is the spontaneous car explosion. One bullet is all it takes.


I've gotten to where I can't even watch action films because of this. But even non-action tv or movies follow this convention. If there is a car accident, there is going to be a fire. And if there is a fire, the car is going to explode. I very tiny fraction of car accidents cause fires, and cars don't explode unless they are filled with explosives.

[JediKooter]

I've gotten to where I can't even watch action films because of this. But even non-action tv or movies follow this convention. If there is a car accident, there is going to be a fire. And if there is a fire, the car is going to explode. I very tiny fraction of car accidents cause fires, and cars don't explode unless they are filled with explosives.

I definitely hear you on that. It doesn't bother me too much though, depending on the context of the movie.

This is my favorite from Top Secret: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT0J0rcJTLo

[GrantDawg]

I definitely hear you on that. It doesn't bother me too much though, depending on the context of the movie.

This is my favorite from Top Secret: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT0J0rcJTLo


The first one I thought of as well. :)

[Chief Rum]

everything to do with guns.

Yeah, definitely.

My favorite "what the hell" with guns in movies is when the petite, small-armed damsel in distress has to do the unthinkable to save the hero and has to pick up his discarded gun (see corollary to this, below, BTW) to kill a bad guy, she can fire that big 9 mil gun evenly and accurately with no kick at all.

It's the no kick that gets me. Anyone who has fired a large handgun can tell you how hard it is to keep the gun still after firing (as in, it doesn't happen).

Corollary: if two people struggle for a gun, one of two things will happen; 1) They will fight over it between them, get close enough to hide the gun, and then a shot will go off, leaving us with that "who just got shot!!!" moment for a bit; or 2) (as related to above) they will fall to the floor in the struggle and said gun with slide scross the room, usually in the general direction of the heroine.

[spleen1015]

Reading this thread, I realize that real life is really fucking boring.

I want more car explosions on the way to work.

[Easy Mac]

Corollary: if two people struggle for a gun, one of two things will happen; 1) They will fight over it between them, get close enough to hide the gun, and then a shot will go off, leaving us with that "who just got shot!!!" moment for a bit;

And...
http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0510-george-zimmerman-online-fund-tapped/12526011-1-eng-US/0510-george-zimmerman-online-fund-tapped_full_600.jpg

[kcchief19]

So? Would it hurt them to have the actor click a mouse? Certainly some conventions make for a better dramatic story. I'm not going to complain about how they zoom in on pictures and suddenly in high resolution have some ridiculous detail. But it's stuff like the keyboard which I never quite get. Everybody involved in making a movie must use a computer sometimes. Why are they incapable of reproducing that activity on the screen?
My buddy and I used to debate about the limits of the "willing suspension of disbelief." His argument was that if you're watching a movie, you've accepted a social contract to suspend your disbelief and accept the premise.

I argued that the social contract goes both ways, and that if a filmmaker abuses my willing suspension of disbelief, then I do not have to respect it.

In this case, if you're not willing to at least fake it and put some energy into making me THINK you're actually working at a computer the proper way, then I'm not going to accept your assertion that the plot you're presenting me is plausible.

I think the roots of this debate may lie with the movie Speed -- otherwise known as The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.

[thesloppy]

One of my favorite movie tropes is the spontaneous car explosion. One bullet is all it takes.

I was watching a TJ Hooker the other day (don't judge me) and a car blew up after a spinout. Didn't touch a single thing, but the force on the tires was apparently too much for the poor thing to bear, and it esploded.

[Drake]

That may be, in all seriousness, the first TJ Hooker reference I've encountered in 20 years.

[JediKooter]

I was watching a TJ Hooker the other day (don't judge me) and a car blew up after a spinout. Didn't touch a single thing, but the force on the tires was apparently too much for the poor thing to bear, and it esploded.

No need to feel ashamed. Every now and then I like to watch The Shatner Hair Piece (aka TJ Hooker).

That is awesome! Maybe the heat from the tires in addition to the flash point of the gasoline being lowered by the spin out, caused the explosion?

[Drake]

I love it that when a computer *is* running Linux, it takes all of four seconds to hack the root password, just by bashing on the keyboard.

[Drake]

dola...

Though I do, at least, appreciate it when they say they've gained root access.

[JediKooter]

I love it that when a computer *is* running Linux, it takes all of four seconds to hack the root password, just by bashing on the keyboard.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RfiQYRn7fBg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Drake]

Transcript of Trinity's hack of the power grid:


state service
22/tcp open ssh

No exact OS matches for host

nmap run completed -- 1 IP address (1 host up) scanneds
% sshnuke 10.2.2.2 -rootpw-"Z1ON0101"
Connecting to 10.2.2.2:ssh ... successful.
Attempting to exploit SSHv1 CRC32 ... successful.
Reseting root password to "Z1ON0101".
System open: Access Level (9)
% ssh 10.2.2.2 -l root
[email protected]'s password:

RTF-CONTROL> disable grid nodes 21 - 48
Warning: Disabling nodes 21-48 will disconnect sector 11 (27 nodes)

ARE YOU SURE ? (y/n)

Grid Node 21 offline...
Grid Node 22 offline...
Grid Node 23 offline...
Grid Node 24 offline...
Grid Node 25 offline...
Grid Node 26 offline...
Grid Node 27 offline...
Grid Node 28 offline...
Grid Node 29 offline...
Grid Node 30 offline...
Grid Node 31 offline...
Grid Node 32 offline...
Grid Node 33 offline...
Grid Node 34 offline...
Grid Node 35 offline...
Grid Node 36 offline...
Grid Node 37 offline...
Grid Node 38 offline...
Grid Node 39 offline...
Grid Node 40 offline...
Grid Node 41 offline...
Grid Node 42 offline...
Grid Node 43 offline...
Grid Node 44 offline...
Grid Node 45 offline...
Grid Node 46 offline...
Grid Node 47 offline...
Grid Node 48 offline...


...with some analysis...

Matrix Sequel Has Hacker Cred (http://www.securityfocus.com/news/4831)

Not very sexy for teh dramaz, though.

[Autumn]

I was watching a TJ Hooker the other day (don't judge me) and a car blew up after a spinout. Didn't touch a single thing, but the force on the tires was apparently too much for the poor thing to bear, and it esploded.

Is there a TV station that actually plays TJ Hooker? Or do you own copies of TJ Hooker? (please tell me you bought a DVD of it).

[Autumn]

My buddy and I used to debate about the limits of the "willing suspension of disbelief." His argument was that if you're watching a movie, you've accepted a social contract to suspend your disbelief and accept the premise.

I argued that the social contract goes both ways, and that if a filmmaker abuses my willing suspension of disbelief, then I do not have to respect it.

That's exactly my approach, that the filmmakers have to meet me part way. No, a movie doesn't have to be/shouldn't be realistic. But please demonstrate that you spent more time thinking about the movie than I have, basically is what I'm looking for.

[heybrad]

The computer stuff usually kills me. Here's two examples...

Jurassic Park - The system for the entire park is down and yet the teenage girl eventually sits down and says... 'This is linux. I know this.' And she magically brings the entire park back online.

Independence Day - This one really annoys the shit out of me. 'Let's just fly up and give the aliens a virus!' Sure their technology is light years ahead of ours, but let's just write up a quick virus that brings down their shields.

[thesloppy]

Is there a TV station that actually plays TJ Hooker? Or do you own copies of TJ Hooker? (please tell me you bought a DVD of it).

Well, since you all asked:

Universal HD plays TJ Hooker in HD. It's on like tuesdays at 2 am, and they play 4 in a row. I DVR them ALL.

Over the last year or so, I watched literally every TJ Hooker ever made. When I was a kid, I didn't watch a single episode....and boy, did I miss out. That show is ridiculously awesome.

I totally would buy it on DVD, but only season 1 is on DVD, with no plans of future release, so if you want your TJ Hooker, you gotta find it on TV.

[Drake]

Independence Day - This one really annoys the shit out of me. 'Let's just fly up and give the aliens a virus!' Sure their technology is light years ahead of ours, but let's just write up a quick virus that brings down their shields.

Maybe the aliens use Linux?

[Alf]

Maybe the aliens use Linux?

Aliens will surely soon be using Android.

[RomaGoth]

The computer stuff usually kills me. Here's two examples...

Jurassic Park - The system for the entire park is down and yet the teenage girl eventually sits down and says... 'This is linux. I know this.' And she magically brings the entire park back online.

Independence Day - This one really annoys the shit out of me. 'Let's just fly up and give the aliens a virus!' Sure their technology is light years ahead of ours, but let's just write up a quick virus that brings down their shields.

To be fair, if that virus plot didn't work out, the movie would have had to be renamed "Armageddon" and Will Smith would have been unemployed in favor of Bruce Willis.

[Drake]

Drilling a big hole in the alien ship would have been more convincing. I'm agree.

[Marc Vaughan]

Maybe they are paying studios to do it?
Product placement is HUGE in movies - my favourite was one of the Arnie films set in the future where the only restaurant was Taco Bell ...

Demolition Man - All restaurants are Taco Bell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFiDoOgRTpk)

[Pyser]

in the international release, all the restaurants were pizza huts. fun fact.

[larrymcg421]

Product placement is HUGE in movies - my favourite was one of the Arnie films set in the future where the only restaurant was Taco Bell ...

Demolition Man - All restaurants are Taco Bell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFiDoOgRTpk)

Stallone.

Product placement doesn't really bother me that much as long as it's done appropriately. In Demolition Man, it's a funny futuristic running joke. I like how Fed Ex was used in Cast Away. It would've been silly if Tom Hanks worked for Joe's Package Co.

[Buccaneer]

When I read the first post, I immediately thought of Star Trek and the Scotty scene. Glad others thought of that as well - not only typing so fast but the result was quickly bringing up multiple windows with all sorts of different content in them.

[Buccaneer]

The new one that I would add would be any movie set in the 19th century or earlier, whether in an urban or rural setting. There aren't mounds of manure and insects everywhere. There's aren't raw sewage in the roadways and alleyways. And not only are people's clothing clean, but they have unblemished skin and straight, white teeth. I was reminded of this when I caught a few minutes of Hatfield and McCoys and got turned off when I saw how clean, well manicured and healthy the characters looked.

[larrymcg421]

The new one that I would add would be any movie set in the 19th century or earlier, whether in an urban or rural setting. There aren't mounds of manure and insects everywhere. There's aren't raw sewage in the roadways and alleyways. And not only are people's clothing clean, but they have unblemished skin and straight, white teeth. I was reminded of this when I caught a few minutes of Hatfield and McCoys and got turned off when I saw how clean, well manicured and healthy the characters looked.

Deadwood didn't fall into this trap and that's partly why it was so awesome.

[Buccaneer]

And to some extent, Lonesome Dove, which is why it's my favorite mini-series.

[Groundhog]

ENHANCE!

One of the systems I look after in my job is the CCTV system, and NCIS has made me have to explain to people far too many times that there isn't a magical anti-pixel button that can turn one pixel block of black into a photo-perfect 1000x optical zoom.

[Groundhog]

Independence Day - This one really annoys the shit out of me. 'Let's just fly up and give the aliens a virus!' Sure their technology is light years ahead of ours, but let's just write up a quick virus that brings down their shields.

I accidentally heard a spoiler about this when the movie was released, and it's the reason why even today I've never seen the movie.

[stevew]

I love it that when a computer *is* running Linux, it takes all of four seconds to hack the root password, just by bashing on the keyboard.

Like that fat chick on Criminal Minds

[stevew]

Was watching Speed2 and there's this part where Willem Dafoe has a computer screen that says "when do you want to activate" and he types in "now".

[molson]

The independence day virus thing played a little better in 1996 than now, I think. People didn't know as much about computers then, Jeff Goldblum was wearing glasses, he was established in the movie as some kind of tech nerd, fine, I was on board. There's realism and there's playing to the masses at the time the movie is released.

[larrymcg421]

Plus the virus thing was just a modern riff on the ending to War of the Worlds, where a virus took down the aliens because they hadn't built up immunities like us. I could see Goldblum's character being able to decipher their technological language and notice that they similarly didn't build up virus protection for their systems (i.e. maybe the aliens had no hackers and didn't need to). I'm not sure why that's harder to believe than anything else in the movie.

[stevew]

cleverly blocked sex scenes with actresses wearing skirts and/or bras.

[Neon_Chaos]

I've learned that cool guys don't look at explosions.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sqz5dbs5zmo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[gstelmack]

The new one that I would add would be any movie set in the 19th century or earlier, whether in an urban or rural setting. There aren't mounds of manure and insects everywhere. There's aren't raw sewage in the roadways and alleyways. And not only are people's clothing clean, but they have unblemished skin and straight, white teeth. I was reminded of this when I caught a few minutes of Hatfield and McCoys and got turned off when I saw how clean, well manicured and healthy the characters looked.

You need to watch "Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail", they got this part right...

[CrimsonFox]

In Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother casts a spell on the mice and they turn into white horses, which is BULLSHIT.













Everyone knows mice turn into Ferraris when hit with magic fairy spells.

[Suicane75]

When they have ugos like Jessica Biel playing the hot chick. Puhhhhhhlease!

[EagleFan]

Person enters darkened room and suspects there is someone else there. Suspense builds until someone off camera breaks the tension by throwing a cat into frame. Boo!

Then the tension drops and we see the killer walk past the door behind her in the next room.


A. That is why you should own a dog and not a cat.

B. It seems killers would rather not kill their target right after they had such a scare but want to let them relax a while first.

C. The target was so hypervigilant and alert that they walked right past the killer to get to the next room to where the cat was as the killer is always walking from the part of the room that had no other outlets to the side with the hallway where he can go hide until ne's ready for the kill.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

When talking with another person you must be no further than four inches from face-to-face contact.

[JediKooter]

Product placement is HUGE in movies - my favourite was one of the Arnie films set in the future where the only restaurant was Taco Bell ...

Demolition Man - All restaurants are Taco Bell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFiDoOgRTpk)

Oh yes, I know product placement is huge in movies. Wayne's World 2 (I think) made fun of it in one of the scenes.

The reason that I ask about Apple is, because Apple seems to be SO prevalent, that it goes beyond mere product placement. It's almost like a big middle finger to the PC world, haha!

[DanGarion]

Josie and the Pussycats is one of the best films at poking fun at product placement.

[JediKooter]

Josie and the Pussycats is one of the best films at poking fun at product placement.

I'm really glad I read the rest of that sentence. Especially the part after the word 'films'. ;)

[Pyser]

has anyone here been punched? it fucking HURTS.

i can't imagine what its like to be head-butted or thrown into a wall.

but i don't think id be up and fighting again in a few seconds.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

death and cars. death is almost always instantaneous. and shifting from 3rd to 4th is like hitting the turbo button. (also: turbo button)

this thread could be 60 pages.

[Pyser]

also, getting knocked out by being touched on the head. by a punch, a frying pan, etc

id assume it hurts a lot, but i can't imagine going unconscious.

[heybrad]

Squeezing 4 to 5 people on one side of the kitchen table so the camera can see all of them.

[stevew]

Fell off a 200 foot high cliff? No problem, if there is a body of water below you. Looking at you Fast Five

[gstelmack]

Josie and the Pussycats is one of the best films at poking fun at product placement.

I still prefer the parody in "Revenge of the Killer Tomatoes". It's a key part of the plot of the latter part of the movie.

[sabotai]

Oh yes, I know product placement is huge in movies. Wayne's World 2 (I think) made fun of it in one of the scenes.

The first one!

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[Glengoyne]

The computer stuff usually kills me. Here's two examples...

Jurassic Park - The system for the entire park is down and yet the teenage girl eventually sits down and says... 'This is linux. I know this.' And she magically brings the entire park back online.

Independence Day - This one really annoys the shit out of me. 'Let's just fly up and give the aliens a virus!' Sure their technology is light years ahead of ours, but let's just write up a quick virus that brings down their shields.

Jurassic Park...that one never bothered me. Though I see your point.

Independence Day - A Vicious and advanced alien species that planned to willingly enslave and or exterminate the human race, also embraced the concept of open systems.

My favorite is Stargate. "We dug up these stones somewhere in Egypt. We have no idea what they are for, but we did manage to hook them up to these computers. Look, we just type in commands here, and this thing spins." I just always assumed the rocks had serial ports.

[mckerney]

Josie and the Pussycats is one of the best films at poking fun at product placement.

And Arrested Development is one of the best TV shows for it.

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[Logan]

Yeah, definitely.

My favorite "what the hell" with guns in movies is when the petite, small-armed damsel in distress has to do the unthinkable to save the hero and has to pick up his discarded gun (see corollary to this, below, BTW) to kill a bad guy, she can fire that big 9 mil gun evenly and accurately with no kick at all.

It's the no kick that gets me. Anyone who has fired a large handgun can tell you how hard it is to keep the gun still after firing (as in, it doesn't happen).

Corollary: if two people struggle for a gun, one of two things will happen; 1) They will fight over it between them, get close enough to hide the gun, and then a shot will go off, leaving us with that "who just got shot!!!" moment for a bit; or 2) (as related to above) they will fall to the floor in the struggle and said gun with slide scross the room, usually in the general direction of the heroine.

How about the dramatic exposition for why one character is about to kill another character...leaving enough time for someone to show up and put a stop to it? I imagine most real life murderers are fairly quick on the trigger.

[GrantDawg]

How about the dramatic exposition for why one character is about to kill another character...leaving enough time for someone to show up and put a stop to it? I imagine most real life murderers are fairly quick on the trigger.


This! This! This!

You can always tell when the murder is not going down, even in the most impossible of situations. The would-be murderer just stands there talking away, as if it is important to tell someone who will be dead shortly your whole life story and every motivation.

[stevew]

A wrongfully accused guy steals cars, runs from cops, destroys property to escape....and yet he's free of any negative legal obligations once the conspiracy is revealed.

[thesloppy]

Getting shot in the shoulder is akin to a stubbed toe, you can just walk that shit off.

[sterlingice]

Apple owns Hollywood. PC's are 85-90% of the market, and yet 90% of offices in tv/movies are Apple-based.

How else is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air supposed to take down an alien space ship? :D

As an aside: You know how IMDB has up 4 movies for every actor. Will Smith's are MIB, Independence Day, i Robot, and... The Pursuit of Happiness?

Without even looking, I can name a half dozen Will Smith movies that he starred in that were bigger than The Pursuit of Happiness. Bad Boys. Ali. Hancock. I Am Legend. It pains me to say it, but Wild Wild West. That chick flick with the King of Queens guy. Does Seven Pounds count as bigger? Probably.

SI

[stevew]

He was at least nominated for Pursuit of Happyness.

[JediKooter]

Being former military, I hate when they have someone in military uniform and their hair isn't even close to conforming to military regulations. This seems to be less prevalent lately though.

[mckerney]

Getting shot in the shoulder is akin to a stubbed toe, you can just walk that shit off.

Unless the bullet has already traveled through someone else's shoulder, then it's like being hit by a truck.

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[sterlingice]

Product placement is HUGE in movies - my favourite was one of the Arnie films set in the future where the only restaurant was Taco Bell ...

Demolition Man - All restaurants are Taco Bell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFiDoOgRTpk)

I absolutely loved the blatant product placement in this for some reason.

And who knew Taco Bell had a wiki:
Demolition Man - Taco Bell Wiki (http://tacobell.wikia.com/wiki/Demolition_Man)

SI

[sterlingice]

I always loved how in every western, they always had to build a new gallows. Was it too much trouble to leave the old one up? Were they trying to boost tourism by tearing them down between hangings?

Excellent :)

SI

[sterlingice]

My buddy and I used to debate about the limits of the "willing suspension of disbelief." His argument was that if you're watching a movie, you've accepted a social contract to suspend your disbelief and accept the premise.

I argued that the social contract goes both ways, and that if a filmmaker abuses my willing suspension of disbelief, then I do not have to respect it.

In this case, if you're not willing to at least fake it and put some energy into making me THINK you're actually working at a computer the proper way, then I'm not going to accept your assertion that the plot you're presenting me is plausible.

I use "The Day After Tomorrow" as my object lesson when talking about willing suspension of disbelief. Roland Emerich is great for this sort of thing as ID4 also has some moments of crazy but I'm willing to overlook all but one (fire through the tunnel moment, you know who you are)

It seems like three giant hurricanes freezing the earth and the currents stopping and whatnot is insane, right? Well, no, not really. Why? Because they spend 2 minutes and have a scientist onscreen explaining it. Doesn't matter if the scientist is correct in this universe- it's just that that director went to the effort of spending some precious screen time on scientific exposition explaining how the world you are watching works.

One of the corrolaries to this is that if you're in a particular field, you're going to hate something that isn't totally factual and will even be unduly harsh on a movie. Yes, my mom, the geophysicist, hated Volcano. As a computer user, I hated The Net (tho I haven't seen it in, what, 15 years- I bet a lot more of those things are possible and have come to pass now in a scary, dystopian sort of way).

Ok, but here's where the movie lost me: Cold chasing kids down the hallway in New York. I still understand how cold works: And it doesn't chase kids down a hallway only to be stopped by a little bitty fire in a fireplace. If the scientist could somehow explain that away, then maybe the movie doesn't break my suspended disbelief.

As I mentioned before, ID4 had a similar problem. Yes, Mac uploading virus to alien ship. But, as stated earlier in the thread: we established Jeff Goldblum as a computer geek and he spends a couple of seconds explaining it so the author said "go ahead, throw this disbelief away". That wasn't the one for me there.

But there was a scene where fire is chasing Will Smith's character's wife through a tunnel and she ducks into an open door and so does the family dog. But seconds later, fire does not. Again, I know how fire works. This isn't football where it can't break the invisible plane. That said, I was slightly more forgiving because it was an unexplainable alien death ray so maybe there's something the aliens did to it to make it suck so much.

I think the roots of this debate may lie with the movie Speed -- otherwise known as The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.
It's no "Billy and the Cloneasaurus"

SI

[larrymcg421]

How else is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air supposed to take down an alien space ship? :D

As an aside: You know how IMDB has up 4 movies for every actor. Will Smith's are MIB, Independence Day, i Robot, and... The Pursuit of Happiness?

Without even looking, I can name a half dozen Will Smith movies that he starred in that were bigger than The Pursuit of Happiness. Bad Boys. Ali. Hancock. I Am Legend. It pains me to say it, but Wild Wild West. That chick flick with the King of Queens guy. Does Seven Pounds count as bigger? Probably.

SI

Huh? I'm not sure you realize how much that movie made. Of the half dozen films you listed as examples, the Pursuit of Happyness made more than four of them. Bad Boys and Ali combined made less than Pursuit of Happyness. And then Seven Pounds? Wow. It made less than half of Pursuit, had less critical acclaim, and Will didn't get nominated. Did you think Pursuit was some kind of bomb or something? It's actually one of his most impressive box office performances (not mention his best acting performance) considering the subject matter.

[JediKooter]

But there was a scene where fire is chasing Will Smith's character's wife through a tunnel and she ducks into an open door and so does the family dog. But seconds later, fire does not. Again, I know how fire works. This isn't football where it can't break the invisible plane. That said, I was slightly more forgiving because it was an unexplainable alien death ray so maybe there's something the aliens did to it to make it suck so much.

SI

It always appeared to me that the door closed right after the dog jumped into the room. Dog jumps in, light blows out, darkness. The darkness is what makes me assume that the door was shut right after the dog jumped in. I need to watch it again, so I may not be remembering it quite right.

[larrymcg421]

It always appeared to me that the door closed right after the dog jumped into the room. Dog jumps in, light blows out, darkness. The darkness is what makes me assume that the door was shut right after the dog jumped in. I need to watch it again, so I may not be remembering it quite right.

No, the door definitely isn't shut as the fire goes by, because we see it go by from her perspective.

[Chief Rum]

No, the door definitely isn't shut as the fire goes by, because we see it go by from her perspective.

I actually always thought the force of the explosion might blow the fire by briefly before enough of it would catch on the edge of the door and fill the space. So for that reason, I didn't have a big reason with the fire flying by before the door shut.

My issue with that scene is that the fire--which had enough power to encompass most of the immense LA basin--didn't blow the door off of its hinges. And also, that the fire--even if it didn't break down the door--didn't turn the little closet into a ready made oven and cook them to a crisp where they huddled.

[Pyser]

i mean, while we are just complaining about stuff, where did that huge drop off in jurassic park come from?

theres a fence, there's a goat on a chain, there's ground obviously, the t-rex comes through it walks across it to tear the fence down. then, same space, the ground is gone and we are hundreds of feet above tree tops? the car falls over the side and down into the top of a tree. what?

[JediKooter]

No, the door definitely isn't shut as the fire goes by, because we see it go by from her perspective.

Ahhh ok. So what you're saying is, fire can turn corners and go through open doors? :)

[Wolfpack]

This! This! This!

You can always tell when the murder is not going down, even in the most impossible of situations. The would-be murderer just stands there talking away, as if it is important to tell someone who will be dead shortly your whole life story and every motivation.

"You sly dog! You got me monologuing!"

[Drake]

also, getting knocked out by being touched on the head. by a punch, a frying pan, etc

id assume it hurts a lot, but i can't imagine going unconscious.

Nah, that actually happens. I went through a span of a couple of years where I was having some health issues that would cause me to lose my balance. I ran into doorways, door knobs, door jams, fireplace mantles...and even a frying pan (on a rack, not swung by my wife). I knocked myself out completely cold about half a dozen times...usually for 10-30 seconds or so. Ended up with post-concussion syndrome for awhile.

When you throw 190 lbs of falling force into a stationary object without a chance to brace for the impact, you can knock yourself out pretty easily. Or I can, at least.

[Drake]

Wait...should that be 190 lbs of mass? I didn't take physics. You know what I mean.

[panerd]

If there is a 30 car police chase and the lead detective's car crashes the chase is over.