Details in films that bug you

But many people might assume it’s hard until they see it done realistically in a movie. By making hacking so ludicrous in movies it preserves a bit of mystique I think.

Except, it’s rather the opposite isn’t it. Hacking in movies is portrayed as easy, any teenager can do it whilst simultaneously being fellated by Angelina Jolie and having a gun pointed at their head by John Travolta. “Nope, I can’t do it” said no on-screen hacker ever.

I’m fairly confident that it’d be possible to portray something if not 100% accurate then at least vaguely plausible rather than outright Hollywood ludicrousness. It’s the difference between making a phone call by dialling 555- and making a call using a banana.

Hacking in movies is portrayed as easy, any teenager can do it

Only in the ridiculous fantasy sense, in the same way Superman finds it easy to fly.

If they showed some kid Googling for scripts, that’d link it to something that you could actually do yourself. The also never show bombs being made from common household ingredints either. They just show that some really clever person could do it, but you’re never as clever as that person cos they are a plot device.

Movies and TV shows generally aren’t about realism, of course.

there is only one species of frog in the world that does this

Hahha, Yes! the pacific Tree Frog. it does have a very distinctive call. Same as the Wilhelm Scream

The also never show bombs being made from common household ingredints either. They just show that some really clever person could do it, but you’re never as clever as that person cos they are a plot device.

MacGyver, quite routinely, used to omit one chemical or ingredient from the “what I happened to make with random shit lying around” for fear that people would copy it. They were OK with some of the less dangerous stuff – Mythbusters have proved a few MacGyver-isms over the years – but bangy things usually missed one key component somewhere along the line.

Why do people on screen never get their sleeves caught on door handles?

Why do men never catch their bits in their zip when pulling trousers on?

After sex, why is there always a handy sheet to wrap around the nakedness?

Hacking in movies is portrayed as easy, any teenager can do it whilst simultaneously being fellated by Angelina Jolie and having a gun pointed at their head by John Travolta.

It was a good film, even if it wasn’t Angelina Jolie in that case.

All those shooting scenes where characters are protected from the bullets by hiding behind a car… Good luck with that in real life!

In real life your supposed to be behind the engine block as it stands some chance of stopping them.

After sex, why is there always never a handy sheet beaker to wrap around the nakedness? dunk your junk in?

That bit in never ending story where there was a 200 foot long golden retriever. That could fly. Totally unrealistic.

A movie that portrayed hacking as it actually is would probably be quite dull for the majority of the population to watch.

Okay so I just watched…

…oh dammit I just figured it out.

Except, it’s rather the opposite isn’t it. Hacking in movies is portrayed as easy, any teenager can do it whilst simultaneously being fellated by Angelina Jolie and having a gun pointed at their head by John Travolta. “Nope, I can’t do it” said no on-screen hacker ever.

Ow, mixing movies!

But you’re wrong. Merlin in Kingsman: The Secret Service.

A movie that portrayed hacking as it actually is would probably be quite dull for the majority of the population to watch.

False. WarGames is awesome.

A movie that portrayed hacking as it actually is would probably be quite dull for the majority of the population to watch.

False. WarGames is awesome.

Given your username I don’t think you’re in a position to speak on behalf of the majority of the population on this point 😉

Submarines that ping… They listen using a hydrophone array which is towed behind the ship, it doesnt make a sound.

Also in the film The Rock, sean connery climbs in through the fan and unlocks the door from the inside, why did he not just do that when he escaped Alcatraz the first time instead of climbing out through the fan?

Passive sonar = no ping.
Active sonar = ping.

Yeah, but as subs have got more quieter, active is making a comeback. You can also still use active to range if you want to make sure.

You can also still use active to range if you want to make sure.

One.

Ping.

Only.

Why do people on screen never get their sleeves caught on door handles?

Why do men never catch their bits in their zip when pulling trousers on?

After sex, why is there always a handy sheet to wrap around the nakedness?

Great first point see also coffee going everywhere but your mouth, thinking you’ve beeped the car unlocked only to find when you wrench it open you practically rip your arm off and tripping over NOTHING.

Point two though never happened to me i just fold it away carefully?

Point three its the L shaped nature of the sheet that confuses me. Do they jump up and get it out of the cupboard?where do you even buy a Postcoital modesty sheet in left or right configuration.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Postcoital+modesty+sheet&ref=nb_sb_noss

Sadly no serious hits on Amazon for Postcoital modesty sheets. I have to assume that they are a custom order from somewhere, or are made by specially trained nuns in a convent in Switzerland.

Women who keep their bra on during sex. Or put it back on after.

Women who keep their bra on during sex.

Exabtky. Obviously that’s the mans turn to wear the bra.

It was a good film, even if it wasn’t Angelina Jolie in that case.

I may be mixing my metaphors for comedic effect.

False. WarGames is awesome.

See also, Sneakers.

Both films have a good degree of… shall we say “creative licence” but both do a lot of things right. I think my favourite line in War Games is when Lightman has his computer wardialling, Jennifer asks him “isn’t that expensive?” and he replies simply “oh, there’s ways around that.” Glorious.

For all their faults, they both portray the hacker mindset beautifully. As opposed to Hackers, which needs to die in a fire aside from the gratuitous nudity scene.

Recently I’ve noticed that when someone receives a text it’s the first text they’ve had from that person, there’s never any conversation history on the phone screen.

More of a TV show thing, but my newest one is how serenely silent MRI scanners are in use…

Mine’s numberplates. Specifically the wrong format or typeface for whatever country they’re supposed to be in. Marvel are utterly terrible at this.
Chase, or just travel, scenes that make no sense bug me as well. See Trainspotting 2 or The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

Talking of Trainspotting, TGV somehow in Kent heading for the Eurotunnel in Mission Impossible. Far more irritating than the concept of flying a helicopter into it.

Hordes of bad guys swarming the hero and then attacking him/her one at a time. See all 3 blade films for details.

Punches that send the recipient flying through the air. If you can punch that hard then you’ve killed the punchee instantly and turned your knuckles into dust.

The text overlay that announces where they are: such as Paris, France. As opposed to what? Paris,Tennessee?

Done entirely for the benefit of idiots. Stop it.

No, done entirely for the benefit of people in the US that may or may not have a grasp of geography. For example, the US audience may assume that Newark is in New York State, instead of, for example, Lincolnshite. Same with Ipswich (Suffolk or Western Australian?) and a bunch of other places.

Thsi goes back to the other points about making things really, really simple for people to pick up on and not wanting the audience to have to think too much about details. Which is an annoyance in itself.

You lot are so going to love Hobbs and Shaw…

No, done entirely for the benefit of people in the US that may or may not have a grasp of geography.

Its not a ‘grasp of geography’. Anywhere in the New World largely has place names borrowed from the old world. So if you pick any destination for your film to travel to the chances are theres a town/city with the same name in the US

as opposed to what? Paris,Tennessee?

Or Paris, Texas maybe. (Or Paris Hilton)

When they ping off bullets from a magnum in one hand. Those things kick like a cannon and are horribly deafening.

It’s also just how Americans routinely refer to places. Ask someone where they’re from and they’ll tell you “Louisville, Kentucky” rather than just “Louisville” (unless they’re from somewhere else). It’s not hard to see why either, what if you’re from Springfield?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield

As opposed to what? Paris,Tennessee?

Paris, Texas.

When cars crash into anything…..but especially through buildings and just keep going as if nothing has happened.

Meanwhile, the building / wall / barrier / whatever has disintegrated.

In reality, a moderate  speed impact on a garden shed will likely immobilise most vehicles when the airbag goes off.

Willard

Same with Ipswich (Suffolk or Western Australian or Queensland?)

FIFY 🙂

Last night I watched the first John Wick film. So how come he spent the majority of the film killing every bad guy in sight when out numbered and outgunned, yet the whole film is based on his revenge for the killing of his dog by 4 lightly armed punks who manage to get one over on him without him even putting up a fight? On the evidence of the rest of the film he should of been able to kick their asses with one arm tied behind his back.

On the subject of number plates, what about cars with none fitted? Often see it on TV nowadays. Isn’t there a number plate equivalent of the “555” telephone number?

I fired a 38 Special in an underground shooting range once and even with ear protection it was deafening. So when you see people shooting indoors anywhere …. its nonsense.

Places named San Francisco:
San Francisco, Córdoba, Argentina
San Francisco, Pichilemu, Chile
San Francisco Glacier, Chile
San Francisco de Mostazal, Chile
San Francisco, Antioquia, Colombia
San Francisco, Cundinamarca, Colombia
San Francisco, Putumayo, Colombia
San Francisco de Dos Ríos District, San José Canton, Costa Rica
San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic
San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
San Francisco, El Petén, Guatemala
San Francisco Zapotitlán, Suchitepéquez, Guatemala
San Francisco El Alto, Totonicapán, Guatemala
San Francisco, Atlántida, Honduras
San Francisco, Lempira, Honduras
San Francisco de Opalaca, Honduras
San Francisco de los Romo, Aguascalientes, Mexico
San Francisco del Mezquital, Durango, Mexico
San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico
San Francisco Cahuacúa, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Cajonos, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Chapulapa, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Chindúa, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco del Mar, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Huehuetlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Ixhuatán, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Jaltepetongo, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Lachigoló, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Logueche, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Nuxaño, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Ozolotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Sola, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Telixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Teopan, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Tlapancingo, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Francisco Coacalco, State of Mexico, Mexico
San Francisco Tetlanohcan, Tlaxcala, Mexico
San Francisco de Campeche, Mexico
San Francisco de Cuapa, Nicaragua
San Francisco, Panamá, Panama
San Francisco, Veraguas, Panama
San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, Philippines
San Francisco, Bohol, Philippines
San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines
San Francisco, Quezon, Philippines
San Francisco, San Pablo, Philippines
San Francisco, Southern Leyte, Philippines
San Francisco, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
San Francisco, Bilbao, Spain
San Francisco Station, Madrid, Spain
San Francisco, Colorado, United States
San Francisco, Minnesota, United States
San Francisco Peaks, Arizona, United States
San Francisco volcanic field, Arizona, United States
Mission San Francisco Solano, California, United States
Mission San Francisco de Potano, Florida, United States
San Francisco Plantation House, New Orleans, United States
San Francisco, Puerto Rico, United States
San Francisco de Yare, Miranda, Venezuela

I can’t believe they shot up a Saab 900 in the Heat street shoot out. Bastards.

Why are forests always brightly lit at night?

the “555” telephone number?

In the uk theres a batch of regular geographic telephone numbers set aside for film use so you can feature normal phone numbers for the city your drama is set in on screen without fear of smart arses phoning up some innocent. Weird its never occurred to the epicentre of movie production to have not considered that.