Question: Just before Del's execution, Paul realises that the sponge is dry because there's no water on the floor. Why didn't he halt the execution before the switch was thrown? If he had, Del wouldn't have suffered an agonizing death.
jshy7979
2nd Apr 2018
The Green Mile (1999)
Answer: They all had pistols. In Last of the Mohicans Hawkeye shoots the British officer being burned alive to spare him the suffering. You'd think these guys would have thought to do the same.
It is shown in great detail how precise and professional the guards are during an execution, and how seriously they take it. There is simply no scenario where any of the guards would have taken out their service weapon and used it on Del in a room full of people.
15th Mar 2019
The Green Mile (1999)
Question: Paul lived to be an old old man because John touched him. Did Melinda live to be an old women since John healed her of cancer? Nothing was ever said about her but Mr. Jingles lived to be an old mouse.
Answer: John Coffey only transferred "a piece of myself [himself]" to Paul, intentionally and Mr. Jingles, unintentionally. Paul didn't have that power after John cured his UTI and Mr. Jingles didn't have it after John cured him from the attack by Percy. The movie is very clear about that.
Answer: Actually, Paul does mention Melinda as one of the people he has lost along the way. No mention is made of how long she lived, but I would assume that John simply cured her tumor, and she lived the rest of her life as a normal woman.
Answer: Yes she lived for very long and ailment free. But you gotta know Elaine was already much older than Paul was, so even though she lived very long, Paul outlived her. He specifically mentioned her, saying something in the lines of "eventually I even outlived Elaine."
I think you are confusing Melinda and Elaine. Elaine is the woman Paul is recounting his story to, she is considerably younger than him and yet he outlives her. Melinda is the wife of the warden who John Coffey heals. It is not said how long she lives but since Paul specifically mentions his long life being a curse for his role in John's execution, we can assume she was not particularly long lived as he was.
Yes, of course. Melinda. I got the idea that the people who John Coffey heals have long life without ailments. Paul and the mouse are the living proof of that, so why not Melinda? I meant to say Melinda was I think already older than Paul when she was healed by Coffey (although the actress was 40 when this film was made) and thus her life was extended, but less so. She may have died even after Paul's wife, even though he mentions her first. It's still probably been a while though.
Melinda's fate after John heals her is never mentioned. Paul believes he has been cursed with long life as punishment for his role in John's execution. That to me indicates that Melinda didn't live a particularly long life. If she had Paul would have no reason to believe he was being punished.
Besides Mr. Jingles.
Paul mentions Melinda by name when recounting the people that he lost along the way. "Hal and Melinda" are the first names he mentions.
Answer: It would appear, based on what Paul says, that only he and Mr. Jingles were gifted (cursed?) with long life. Paul specifically mentions outliving his family and friends and is shown outliving Elaine as well. Paul speculates that his long life is punishment for his role in executing John, but he says nothing of why Mr. Jingles lives for so long.
Paul says that he believed that what happened to Mr. Jingles was an accident. Meaning he was never supposed to have a long life but, during Del's execution, a small bit of John's healing power accidentally went into Mr. Jingles.
30th Dec 2020
Superman (1978)
Question: Why, in the 3 hour TV version of the movie, does Luthor waste time on that elaborate trap if he already knows, from reading Lois' interview, that bullets, fire, and cold won't stop Superman?
Answer: He wanted to see for himself if the stories were true. Some reporters tend to exaggerate the facts and if he had any other weaknesses. He couldn't be sure the kryptonite would work.
While I don't exactly disagree that Lex wanted to see for himself how invincible Superman is, I don't think that's the main reason why he did it. The bullets and fire were simply a charade to make it look like this was his security system. Keep in mind, he wanted Superman to enter his lair because the real trap was the Kryptonite that he had in the lead box.
26th Dec 2010
Superman (1978)
Corrected entry: The explosive charge can be seen flipping the car Lex Luthor uses to stop the military truck carrying the missile.
Correction: Lex is remote operating the car and probably rigged it with an explosive charge that he set off to make it crash.
Presumptions of what might have been done do not negate a mistake for how a special effect is made, especially since we do not know this is part of the plot to purposefully flip the car.
It is made very clear that Lex Luthor is operating the car from the remote control and also uses a device to flip the car. This was 100% part of his plan to stop the truck carrying the missile, made even more clear by the fact that Miss Tessmacher is pretending to be a car accident victim, and Lex himself is pretending to be a paramedic. So yes: the device that was used in real life can be seen, but within the world of the movie, it makes sense that we see the device because it's what Lex used.
26th Aug 2003
Superman (1978)
Corrected entry: After flying with the movie's hero, Lois comes up with the name "Superman". But what else is the letter "S" for on our hero's outfit? This name was already given to our hero OR the suit or S sign should have been designed after Lois thought of the name.
Correction: This is explained in the comics. Superman's "S" is the symbol of the House of El. Lois thought it was an "S" and came up with Superman as a result.
5th Jun 2011
Superman (1978)
Corrected entry: When Lex is detailing his plan to Superman over the map on the floor, Otis puts an overlay of the San Andreas fault over California. A few moments later, Otis drops a second overlay on top of the first, this time of the revised coastline Luther is planning. Superman and Luthor talk for a few moments, and Lex tells him it was hard to find the ideal spot to hit with the missile. He then strikes the floor with his cane, cracking the glass of the map, but it's the first overlay that is cracked, and the second overlay is suddenly gone.
Correction: Otis may have picked up or moved the overlay aside when he was off-screen erasing "Otisburg."
Watching the scene now, I don't think Otis had time to move it. He is off-screen for no more than 2 seconds, the entire time which you can hear him wiping. We would have heard him move the overlay, plus I don't think he had room to do so, even if there was time because Superman crosses in front of it. I think the mistake is valid.
27th Jul 2006
Superman Returns (2006)
Corrected entry: Merely being in the presence of Kryptonite causes Superman a great deal of pain, yet he manages to walk atop an entire island infused with it without even noticing.
Correction: Remember, he is not walking on an "island of kryptonite" but an island with kryptonite pockets in it. It was also the crystal's version of kryptonite, and since it was not as potent as true kryptonite, it merely sapped his power, rather than causing him pain.
That cannot be accurate because if his strength was merely sapped Luthor's men would not have been able to beat him.
Since it is all alien and fictional, we can't fully know the extent of the effects that this new Kryptonite would have on Superman. What is shown in the movie is that, at the very least, it took his Superman powers and reduced him to what appears to be normal human strength. At that point, Lex was able to surprise him with that first hit, and then he was ganged up on by the crew.
13th May 2007
Superman Returns (2006)
Corrected entry: After Superman lifts the car, the wheels are seen stopped, it was running fast with the brakes out so they should be still spinning.
Correction: Superman stops the car (thus stopping the rotation of the tires) and THEN lifts it.
No, this definitely does not happen. The car is moving out of control towards the people who are having dinner, and Superman lifts it while in motion over the people having dinner, and then drops it down in a safe space on the other side of the fountain. I think this correction is suggesting that Superman stops the car while it is on the ground, and then lifts it. There would be no point in lifting the car if he had already safely stopped it.
30th Jul 2003
Glory (1989)
Corrected entry: Shortly after the Christmas supper; Colonel Shaw returns to the Quartermaster for shoes: He says 600 shoes and socks are needed and shortly thereafter he says he needs 700.
Correction: Actually he says 600 shoes and 1200 pairs of socks.
He does say this, but the original entry is also valid. he says "700 union soldiers" a few seconds after he trashes the office.
7th Jan 2003
Big (1988)
Corrected entry: When Josh is applying for the job, he puts down Billy's locker combination as his social security number. When he is told that he is missing a couple of digits, he adds '12' and they accept it. But that's only eight digits, and social security numbers are nine digits. He's still missing a digit.
Correction: Josh says "Oh! 12!" the man accepts the Oh for 0 so the SS number passes.
No, that is not accurate. The "oh" is not taken as "012" because the man doesn't write three numbers, he quickly writes and even says "1, 2."
No, this correction is valid. We hear the man say "oh, one, two."
11th Sep 2007
Entourage (2004)
Other mistake: Twelve seconds into the intro, the shot of the store with the name Adrian Grenier above it is mirrored. Notice the reversed lettering in the signs. (00:00:10)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Does something in the intro count as a mistake? Even still, the signs could be facing the inside of the store on purpose, making it look like a reverse image from the outside. Just to the right of the store with Adrian Grenier's name on it, we see a sign for Pizza displayed correctly.
I would say, for this type of intro, it should be considered a mistake. I'd call it an "other mistake" as it wasn't done deliberately. There's no way the reversed imaged signs point into the store. The photo store has a solid sign that's not inward facing, with the word "Kodak" flipped. The neon signs facing outwards are also flipped. And the pizza signs are also incorrect. The p and z's are flipped as well.
You're absolutely correct, I do see the reverse print on the photo store. Oddly enough, one of the pizza signs is displayed correctly, however.
23rd Oct 2019
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Question: Why do the German officers in the pub salute a Captain and LT but don't salute a Major when he walks in?
Answer: I agree with the previous answer, and another possibility is that since the Major was already in the pub, they might have already saluted him when he (or they) arrived.
I agree with this, and to expand on that a little more, I was under the impression that they came to the pub together. I could be wrong, but I believe it gets mentioned that the major let Wilhelm and the rest of the soldiers have the night off to celebrate the birth of his son. He sits alone so as not to fraternize with the soldiers.
Answer: I can't say specifically for the WW2 German Army but usually in any group of soldiers the one with the highest rank will be expected to pay correct compliments to a commissioned officer (of a higher rank than themself). They do this by calling the group to attention and greeting the officer individually. These soldiers have saluted the junior officers but they would then expect the Captain to formally greet a Major.
22nd May 2008
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Corrected entry: Once Indy has found the grail, he goes back with Elsa to heal his father. But how was it possible for him to get back? Wouldn't he have to face the challenges again, but in reverse order?
Correction: Yes, but he knows what they are now, so he can pretty much just walk (or run) straight through them. The filmmakers just chose not to waste valuable screen-time showing it.
Correction: Furthermore, he stopped at least one from working.
Exactly this. He stopped the first one from working – the second trap, he can just walk on the exact letters he used on the way in, but backwards. And finally, the third trap: we see him throw sand on, so it is very visible.
1st May 2005
Road To Perdition (2002)
Question: I'm guessing that Jude Law's character's face at the end of the film had something to do with the fight they had in the hotel, where Tom Hanks's character shot him in the face. But why did he have all those little marks, if Tom Hank's character only shot him once?
Answer: Tom Hanks shot at a glass lamp, which shattered right before Jude's face, causing lots of shards of glass to cut his face.
Were they scarred or stitched because it bothers me.
Scarred. He was injured by a bunch of tiny shards of glass, something that could pretty much heal on its own and wouldn't need stitches.
I think that's why McGuire shoots Sullivan out of revenge... He wasn't ordered to but after his disfigurement he wants revenge and kills Sullivan That's my take... After all Al says it's over after Connor Rooney goes down but it's now personal for McGuire.
Answer: I think that McGuire's last kill was personal. I think that after Sullivan deforms his face McGuire is out for blood. After all Al said after he kills Connor it's over. So it probably was but McGuire's kill was personal because of his deformity. It was not because he was instructed to kill Sullivan.
Yeah, when Maguire fatally shot Mike Sr. at Aunt Sarah's residence, it was no longer business and was definitely personal/a revenge killing.
1st Jun 2023
The Terminator (1984)
Corrected entry: Towards the beginning of the movie, when the Terminator approaches the 3 punks, one of them snaps his fingers in the Terminator's face. He is wearing a glove, but the sound is unmistakably that of an ungloved hand snapping fingers.
Correction: They are fingerless gloves.
Correct, but the palms are gloved. It sounds like a completely ungloved hand, IMO.
8th Apr 2002
Panic Room (2002)
Corrected entry: In one scene, one of the intruders gets his hand caught in the door of the panic room as it slams shut. However, it is shown earlier in the film that the panic room door is equipped with motion sensors to avoid just such an accident.
Correction: The real estate guy put his hand in the center of the whole area so the sensors picked it up - Raul's hand was on the edge of the door so it would not be as easy for the general sensor to reach that exact spot.
Correction: The sensors are spaced quite widely - they'll stop the door slamming on a large blockage, but not a small one, like a hand.
The chap showing them the panic room in the earlier scenes demonstrated the effect of the motion sensor using his hand. Why wouldn't a hand stop it later?
When we see the guy at the beginning demonstrate it with his hand, we see the laser cross his hand, roughly at shoulder level. He then states that there is another one at ankle level. There are only two safety sensors, and Raul's hand, being roughly at knee level, does not trigger either one of them.
Hands/fingers (especially a child's) were probably most likely to be injured before the introduction of sensors; it wouldn't make sense to install a sensor incapable of sensing hands/fingers or small objects. Even a section of clothing (e.g, shirt arm) would be picked up. My garage door's sensor is sensitive to a small leaf, one black oil sunflower seed, and a bug (to name a few).
28th Apr 2020
Panic Room (2002)
Question: Why would 911 put them on hold?
It does happen in real life, and it is sadly a common occurrence in big cities. Living in Los Angeles, I've had to dial 911 a few times. I was on hold for 5 minutes once, and I've read articles about people who have been on hold for way longer. With this film being set in New York city, this did not surprise me. Even Meg and Sarah don't seem too surprised by it, and they opt to call Sarah's father instead.
Answer: There could be a serious major event happening nearby where all the resources needed to be sent ASAP. The 911 operator had to prioritize and assumed the current caller's emergency - whatever it was - was less urgent. There could have been a shortage of operators for whatever reason.
11th Jul 2004
Goodfellas (1990)
Corrected entry: In the scene where the letter carrier is getting his head put right into the hot oven, notice that he grabs the inside of the oven door with his left hand. The oven must have been off, or it would have burned his left hand.
Correction: There is nothing to indicate that the oven was on to begin with (i.e. There are no elements seen in the oven that are on) or any evidence that it had been on beforehand.
Actually, isn't that a pizza that we see in the oven? The oven is likely on... But regardless, the scene freezes the frame not even a full second after his hand touches the oven door. Had the scene gone on, he likely would have pulled his hand away in pain (we do hear him make a small shriek when it happens).
5th Jan 2004
Scarface (1983)
Continuity mistake: When Tony shoots Manny after he finds out that he has been with Gina, she runs to hold his bloody body, in turn getting blood on her robe. A few scenes later, when Gina comes into Tony's office, wearing the same robe, it is perfectly clean and there is no sign of any blood. (02:27:50 - 02:30:00)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Actually, blood is visible on her robe in the close up shots of her. A spot can be seen on the edge of her robe right at chest level.
Correct, but she gets blood all over both sleeves. That blood is gone. Other than the spot you mentioned, the robe is pretty much immaculate.
28th Apr 2020
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Question: What happens to Nick the Greek?
Answer: Its left ambiguous deliberately but he either decided to lie low after finding out he was involved in stealing Rory's weed or, more likely, Rory killed him.
Rory was dead, so Nick just escaped and was none the wiser.
Agreed. We see Nick on the phone with the 2 thieves who initially stole the guns. Nick tells them that he does not believe he will see the guns or the boys again, because he gave up the address to Rory, who was on his way to kill them, and ends up getting killed himself. So from what we saw, we can assume that Rory let Nick off the hook because he gave up the address to Eddy and friends.
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Answer: It was only 15 seconds between when Paul first sees what doesn't look right until the switch is thrown. He was spending most of that time looking at the rest of the floor and Edward's head to see if he could see wetness, which only left about two to four seconds from when he probably was actually concerned until the switch was thrown. The ceremony is obviously very structured, and if he halted it at the last second it would be a major issue so if he did and nothing was wrong there would be hell to pay so he probably trusted (poorly) that he was mistaken rather than take the risk. There is also an attitude of not getting your coworkers in trouble so stopping the execution would also go against that - the trouble of an execution with a dry sponge is a counterargument that probably didn't dawn on him in the couple seconds in which the decision had to be made.
jimba
He could have take the bucket and doused Del's head. This would have resolved the dry sponge issue immediately.
That's a terrible idea. He could get others wet including himself and electrocute them.
lionhead