Frequently Asked Questions

Using the site

About the site

Membership

Problems

Other questions

Using the site

How can I add something?

Just click the menu icon at the top left and then the red "add something" button. If you're adding something for a film or TV show I don't have listed yet, you can enter the title manually.

How can I correct something?

Click the edit icon at the bottom right of each entry - there are various options there to fix spelling mistakes, correct mistakes that aren't mistakes, or reinstate entries that have been wrongly corrected.

Why can't some entries be corrected?

Some entries have been marked as uncorrectable, either because there's a screenshot proving them, or because they're the kind of mistake for which some people constantly submit bizarre corrections. However, this doesn't mean they're necessarily 100% right - if there's no option to correct a mistake but you know it's wrong, please contact me with the entry's ID number (hover your mouse over the edit icon under it) and your proposed correction (in this specific case, please ignore the message on the contact page about not using it for corrections, and set the "broad subject" as "other").

What if you haven't got the episode I need?

If the episode you want isn't listed, please add it under "show generally", but include the episode title in the mistake text. It will then be assigned the right episode before being put online. If any entries are listed under the wrong episode, you can change that using the edit button.

Can I send you pictures?

Of course! Just click the edit icon under the entry you want to add one to, then choose "add a picture" on the drop down list. You can then upload an image (or two, if it warrants a before/after photo). Please don't edit the images before adding them - just send the separate plain screenshots.

If you've got a screenshot for an entry you're adding yourself, after adding the entry there's an option to upload a picture in the green confirmation box.

What are "timecodes"?

Timecodes are the specific times that mistakes occur - not all entries have them, but I and others do add them from time to time. There's an "add timecode" link on every film's page as part of the edit options, so you can add your own times. There are spaces for two timecodes - "before" and "after" times. Adding both isn't essential for mistakes which occur within a few seconds - it's mostly for mistakes a few minutes or more apart. While they might not be perfect, what with different versions, different DVD players, etc., they should all be accurate within a minute or two (with obvious exceptions like the Lord of the Rings films - the extended versions can throw times out by up to half an hour!). Incorrect timecodes can be corrected via the edit button.

What are the voting icons for?

Primarily they're there for you to say whether you think an entry is entertaining or not - pictures and entries can both be voted on independently, and they're listed in the order of their voted score, so the "best" mistakes and pictures will be listed first, and any which people are less impressed by will be towards the bottom of the list. The votes also go towards forming the "best mistakes" lists, so please vote on as many as possible, so the cream of the crop can rise to the surface!

About the site

Is everything verified?

Not specifically, although any mistake is open to correction/removal - click the edit icon under any entry to give you some options. The site's largely run by just one person, and because I can't check everything, I've got to make it clear that I take no responsibility for any text here which is incorrect or copyrighted. Understandably, I have no way of knowing or finding out whether the mistakes people send me have been copied directly from other sources, or just made up. Therefore, can people please make sure that they're not just stealing mistakes from other people, but only send in mistakes they have actually seen on film. I will gladly correct any errors or remove any copyrighted material.

Similarly, I don't have the time or DVD collection to check every mistake that's added, so anything that sounds reasonable gets posted, and other visitors normally correct it quite quickly if it's inaccurate.

Do you spot all of these yourself?

Very much not! In fact, I've only spotted a tiny fraction of the total on the site. I probably notice a few more than average film goers, simply because of the effect running this site has had on me and the number of films I watch, but the overwhelminng majority of the site is made up through contributions from around the globe. I've only got one pair of eyes, after all.

Are you just trying to undermine the film industry?

Again, no. I'm a film lover, with a massive DVD collection which I've built up because I love the movies. This site is just a bit of fun, pure and simple, meant for people to spot stuff they wouldn't have thought about before - expanding horizons, if you will. Some people seem to think that listing mistakes means I'm criticising the films, which just isn't the case - a great film could have hundreds of mistakes, but they don't spoil it in any way. They're just little things which the majority of people won't have noticed, even in a film they've seen many times. They're technically mistakes because they're not actually meant to be there, but I don't think they affect anyone's opinion of a film. Unfortunately "things-in-a-movie-you-missed-the-first-few-times-you-saw-it-and-might-be-interested-to-see.com" doesn't really trip off the tongue quite as well. It may be geeky, but it's certainly not malicious.

Membership

What's membership about?

Membership is free, and is simply a way of providing usernames so people can get credited for the entries they add and correct. Email addresses are required so people can log in, but are only used if people want to be told when their submissions are posted or questions are answered - details are never passed on to anyone else. There's also a mailing list run separately. Paid membership is for people who fancy a little bit more - for just $12 a year you get no adverts, can track your submissions' progress, etc. Click here for information on free and paid membership.

I've paid for membership but where's my password?

First off, be sure you're checking the right address - you need to check the same address you used to sign up to Paypal. A member's initial password is automatically set as the unique subscriber number which should be e-mailed to you by Paypal after signing up. If that e-mail doesn't arrive for some reason, or you forget your password, on the login page there's a "lost password" option - simply enter your e-mail address in that box (again, making sure it's the right one), and your password will be e-mailed to you. The subscriber number will also be listed as an active subscription within your Paypal account, so remember to look there too.

If you have any problems after trying the lost password and checking your Paypal account, please contact me, being sure to include your subscriber number.

I've got my password, but I can't log in!

First off, please be sure that you're using the same e-mail address as you signed up with. If you're using the wrong address, even the lost password form won't work. Also, make sure you're typing the password correctly, especially when it comes to mixing up 0 and O and including any special characters. If you've paid for membership, your initial password is the subscriber number sent to you by Paypal (also listed within your Paypal account). Once you're logged in, click your username at the top right or under "site info" in the navigation bar, and you can change your address/password/username under the "details" tab.

If after checking that lot it's still not working, please contact me, being sure to provide your subscriber number and e-mail address.

Can I just pay for one year?

Absolutely! Just sign up via the regular method, then immediately go into your Paypal account and cancel the subscription. That will just mean that next year you won't be billed again - the membership will work as normal for the current year.

How do I change my email address/password/username?

Not a problem - just visit the member homepage here (or click your username at the top of the sidebar or under "site info" in the navigation bar), and under the red "details" tab you can change your e-mail address, password or username.

Can I cancel membership at any time? What about a refund?

Absolutely. Your subscription will be listed in your Paypal account and you can cancel it from there (go to your history and show subscriptions, being sure to specify the date (roughly) on which you signed up). Be sure to look up the subscription, rather than payments - they're listed separately. Cancelling your subscription in Paypal simply means you won't be billed again a year after your initial sign-up - your membership will revert to a free membership after that time. If needed you can sign up and cancel the subscription immediately if you only want a year's membership - you can go back to paid membership at any time.

If you cancel within two weeks of your first or any subsequent payment and do not want to keep your membership for the rest of the year, you're entitled to a refund (contact me about that - be sure to cancel your subscription first, as I can't refund payments for active memberships). After two weeks you can still cancel at any time, and your membership will remain valid for the rest of its term. After it expires your membership will revert to a free membership.

Apparently I've cancelled my subscription - what's going on?

Your Paypal subscription is different to your moviemistakes membership. The subscription ensures you pay your membership fee every year, so if that gets cancelled your membership will still work for the rest of the year. Paypal occasionally cancels subscriptions if the relevant credit card has expired or other information changes. If you've had a cancellation notice, either read the bit below about how to reactivate your account, or else visit the member homepage and there's more information there. Any problems, please get in touch.

How do I reactivate my old account?

To reactivate an old account, just sign up as if you were a new member, but use the e-mail address associated with your old account. All of your old settings will then be retained and you can log in using your old password (use the "lost password" form if you can't remember it. If you no longer have access to the original e-mail address, either sign up as a new member and start afresh, in which case nothing further needs to be done, or else if you'd like to continue with your original account please contact me with your old email address and your new account details. Please then don't add anything until the accounts are merged.

Problems

I'm getting loads of popups! It's your fault!

moviemistakes.com has been a pop-up free zone since 30th May 2004 - there's no longer any code on this site to generate popups of any kind. As such, if you're seeing pop-ups they're being generated from another source - check your PC for adware/spyware.

I clicked one film title and got mistakes for a film called something different!

Some films are called different things in different parts of the world. As such, in some cases both film titles are listed separately, but the links go to the same page, which uses the default film title. This is more used for different English titles, rather than foreign language titles, but there are no definitive rules. If you want to suggest an alternative title for a certain film, please contact me.

I added something ages ago, and it hasn't come up yet. Why not?

If your submission hasn't appeared within a few weeks, it's either because it was disagreed with, or because you didn't follow the submission rules and it was discarded (I'm not draconian about them, but there are certain obvious deal-breakers). Feel free to contact me to find out what the possible problem was, but please bear in mind that I can't offer an explanation unless you include exactly what you added and which film it was for - the site gets thousands of submissions and I can't be expected to remember them all! If you received an e-mail saying your mistake was posted, but now can't find it online, I'm afraid that's because it was corrected/deleted quite quickly - take a look in the corrections section.

Other questions

Why do you have "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? Shouldn't it be "Sorcerer's"?

J.K. Rowling is from the UK, and she called the book "Philosopher's". For some unknown reason, almost certainly marketing based, for the US release of the book and film this was changed to "Sorcerer's". Everywhere else in the world uses the original title.

There are mistakes relating to inaccurate uniforms, but isn't having 100% accurate uniforms in movies against the law?

There is a common misconception that the law requires actors portraying military personnel to wear the uniform improperly (so as to not be "impersonating" military personnel). This is simply not so. 10 U.S.C. 772(f) did authorize the wear of an armed forces uniform by an actor in a theatrical or motion picture production "if that portrayal does not tend to discredit that armed force." SCHACHT v. UNITED STATES was a Supreme Court case in 1970 which found the preceding quote unconstitutional. As such, actors may wear the uniform in any theatrical or motion picture production without fear that it must reflect well on the military. Short version: Any movies which depict improperly worn uniforms can't use this excuse. They just screwed up.

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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