20th Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: When Jeff Goldblum is trapped in the car with the raptor outside, the raptor bumps into the window, cracking it. There's no hole in the centre of the crack in the shot of the raptor, but when we see a shot of Jeff Goldblum a second later, there's suddenly a hole in the window. (01:30:05)
15th Jan 2004
Trivia: The first time we see Riggs in his trailer, there's an advert for some new aftershave called "Hero" on the TV. During the attack on his trailer later, there's a close-up shot of a bottle of aftershave being destroyed - freeze-frame it and you'll see the brand: "Hero" again.
14th Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: When the bathroom explodes, from one angle we see the toilet come sailing out over the roof of a police truck parked at the front of the house. While the angles make it a bit tricky to judge, there's a definite leftward trajectory. We then cut to a closeup of Murtaugh's car, and the toilet lands on it as if it was flying to the right. Even if the angles are misleading, in the first shot the police truck and other cars are parked to the right of the exploding window. In the shot of Roger's car he's also parked to the right, but without all the cars visible around it which there should be. (00:57:15)
Suggested correction: The toilet is flying straight out and straight towards the car - you can see this from the perspective of the interior of the car prior to the toilet becoming visible. Next the toilet is flying towards the area in front of the police van, not over it. And the car is parked in front of the van. When we see the car again, the van and other police cars are out of frame, so they can't be seen.
The mistake is valid. When we see the toilet flying, it's moving to the viewer's left, but when it hits the car, it's moving to the viewer's right now. Even if in the first shot, with the angle of the camera, the toilet is flying straight, it doesn't hit the car straight on. And he's not saying the toilet sails over the roof, but that you can see the toilet in the background is above the roof of the van in the foreground and that's moving over it (from right to left).
14th Jan 2004
Question: After the car crash near the start, Riggs finds that the driver has disappeared, and says "This guy's Mandrake." What does that mean?
Chosen answer: 'Mandrake the Magician' was a comic strip that was popular (at least in Australia) in the 1970s. It featured the title character that was able to perform very elaborate magic tricks (including disappearing acts).
14th Jan 2004
Revealing mistake: Movie physics occasionally dictate random explosions, but this is too bizarre. Near the start, a cop car smashes through a caravan, and the caravan blows up. Fair enough, may have hit a gas cylinder or whatever. We see the cop car, practically undamaged, skid to a halt. Cut to a few reaction shots, then suddenly the cop car just blows up for absolutely no reason whatsoever. (00:02:25)
14th Jan 2004
Trivia: Two random similarities to "Edward Scissorhands" in this movie. At the start, Nightcrawler looks almost identical to Edward when he's robbing the house - pale, marks on his face, blue baseball cap. Also when Edwards emerges from the house, he's holding his scissors out towards the police, who think they're weapons he's using to threaten them - exactly the same thing happens in this with Wolverine. Deliberate, or just coincidence?
14th Jan 2004
Question: In Roger Ebert's review, he says "...Mathayus intones, 'As long as one of us still breathes, the sorcerer will die.' See if you can spot the logical loophole." I can't - what's the problem with that line?
Chosen answer: By the way Mathayus is saying it, it sounds like he is saying as long as him or the sorcerer still breathes, either he or the sorcerer will die, but he is trying to say as long as one of the Akkadians are breathing, they will not stop trying to kill the sorcerer until he is dead.
12th Jan 2004
Question: Does anyone know why this is the only Tim Burton film for which Danny Elfman hasn't written the score? All I can think is that time-wise it might have clashed with Black Beauty, but I'd like to know a definite reason.
Chosen answer: According to Tim Burton in an interview at the time, they were "taking a little vacation from each other", - he also said that he was not sure what the situation between them was, which certainly implied a falling out. Danny Elfman is a bit more open, describing what happened as "a family feud" - he says that after working on six films together in ten years, they had a bit of a creative fallout, which led to Howard Shore doing the music for Ed Wood. Afterwards, according to Elfman, they realised that they missed working together and went back to collaborating happily.
12th Jan 2004
Trivia: Cinematic legend and Sam Raimi regular Bruce Campbell plays Darkman in the final shot.
12th Jan 2004
Trivia: Sam Raimi wanted Bruce Campbell to star, but was overruled. There are clear similarities between Liam Neeson's performance and Bruce Campbell's decomposed alter-ego in Army of Darkness (and as anyone with a brain knows NOW, Bruce Campbell is a genius who could have played the role perfectly).
12th Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: Near the start, Julie sits on a sofa when discussing the bribe. In the wide shot, as she says "I wish it were that simple", she rests her left hand on her knee. It then cuts to a closeup for her next line, and her left arm is suddenly along the back of the sofa. (00:13:40)
6th Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: When Kim is watching Edward cut the roses, in closeups she's quite close to the curtain, and it's hanging straight down. In the wide shot she's slightly further away, and the curtain is angled outwards because she's holding it back with her hand.
6th Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: When Joe is chasing Sara near the start, through a revolving door there's a man walking down the corridor from one angle who's not visible from the other side.
2nd Jan 2004
Space Quest - S1-E2
Continuity mistake: Frasier (and later the others) come back to his apartment to avoid the rain - they shake off umbrellas, and we even hear the storm at the very start of the scene. However there's no rain on the balcony - can't be covered, as we see in "Call Me Irresponsible" during the obligatory sex scene that when it's raining the balcony gets soaked.
2nd Jan 2004
Continuity mistake: When their car blows up, look in the background and you can see Friday practically kneeling on the ground, and Streebeck falls over completely. Within two seconds (and a couple of cuts) they're both standing up, fully alert with their guns out - Friday might just have managed it at a push, but Streebeck went from face down on the pavement to upright far too quickly.
28th Dec 2003
Question: Does Renee Zelwegger sing her own part in the song at the end? If not, who does?
23rd Dec 2003
The One With The Giant Poking Device - S3-E8
Revealing mistake: The giant poking device is supposedly long enough to reach right across to the next building, but after they wake up Ugly Naked Guy, Joey says "retract the device!" and after pulling back about a foot of it the end suddenly pops up at the bottom of the screen. (00:20:25)
12th Dec 2003
The One With Phoebe's Rats - S9-E12
Continuity mistake: Extended version. As Rachel says "the guy hates me", in a wide shot Monica turns to her with her arms by her sides to say "does he?". It then cuts to a shot more focused on Monica where she laughs, and she's now reaching forwards to the table. (00:13:10)
12th Dec 2003
Bartlet's Third State of the Union - S2-E13
Question: The music heard as the theme tune to the political TV show ("Capital Beat") CJ appears on - is that heard in other US shows? Because here in Britain it's the music for the ITN "News at 10" (or was a while ago, at least). Just curious as to whether it's recognisable in the US.
Chosen answer: As a frequent watcher of the show, I have never heard the tune and thought, "That sounds familiar," so I would guess that it is not a theme song to any other shows (political or otherwise) here in the States.
9th Dec 2003
Question: This is as good a place to ask as any. In various US TV shows (including this one, and this episode), someone says "I could care less", when they always seem to mean "I couldn't care less", ie. they have no interest in what's going on. Surely if they COULD care less that means they actually care a reasonable amount? Is there any logic to this, or is it just a really annoying innate lack of sense?
Chosen answer: A really annoying innate lack of sense. My friends and family say the same thing all the time, and I'm endlessly trying to correct them. I think people just don't know any better and (ironically) couldn't care less that they're speaking incorrectly.
Answer: It's an endlessly annoying dropped negative, and it's been a common colloquialism for far too long. I believe it comes from an original (and now omitted and merely implied) "As if" preceding the statement. "As if I could care less." (Meaning "As if it were possible that I could care even less than I do.") But there's really no way to know.
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.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.