Factual error: Caracalla and Geta in this movie are decadent mad kings, but that's a portrayal that has no foundation in history - here they look more like their successor Eliogabalus. Caracalla in particular, who was the elder brother, wasn't an effeminate sybarite plagued with syphilis; on the contrary, even by his detractors, he was mostly remembered for being, or at least acting, very soldier-like; "Caracalla" was his nickname, after a military mantle.
Sammo
18th Nov 2024
Gladiator II (2024)
18th Nov 2024
Gladiator II (2024)
Factual error: Much like its predecessor, this movie sorta speedruns through emperors; Geta and Caracalla here are shown as both ruling Rome as "twin emperors" in 200 AD, and die within a couple of days of each other, betrayed by Macrinus, who dies the same day. None of that is anywhere close to how things happened, to the point that discussing dates is sorta pointless; nothing resembles history if not in the loosest sense. Macrinus in this movie is never even formally proclaimed emperor, as opposed to him ruling for at least a full year.
18th Nov 2024
Gladiator II (2024)
Factual error: The movie begins in 200 AD, and the victorious general Acacius celebrates triumph and reports to the twin emperors that he conquered Numidia in their name. This may be less of an accomplishment than it appears when you consider that Numidia had already been a Roman province for centuries.
18th Nov 2024
Gladiator II (2024)
Factual error: After the naval battle, Thraex is waiting for an informant who tips him off about Lucilla and Marcus Acacius's plans. And of course, as a well-educated gentleman of 200 AD, he kills time by reading the newspaper. Wait, what? Needless to say (to anyone but Ridley Scott, probably), ancient Romans wouldn't/couldn't exactly get their news by newspaper, the press having not been invented yet. This one looks so modern in its layout it even has headlines and a proper publication title, "Roma Viridia."
4th Oct 2023
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Factual error: In the second case, Phoenix arrives on the scene of the crime just 11 minutes after the murder occurred, but examining the body, he finds the murder weapon "encrusted with dried blood." In that short of a timespan, the blood would be anything but crusty - especially considering that the smell of blood is so strong that Phoenix can feel it from the corridor.
4th Oct 2023
Kojak (1973)
Factual error: The armed robbery is reported by the radio call as happening in "4014 Nostrand Avenue", which is a real street in Brooklyn. However, the first detectives to respond to the dispatch identify themselves as being from "Manhattan South" (makes sense, Kojak being a Lieutenant of the fictional 11th Manhattan South precinct), and the rest of the episode is set obviously in Manhattan. That's many miles away.
3rd Oct 2023
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Factual error: The name of Riccardo Scamarcio is "Vitale Portfoglio." Portfoglio is not an Italian last name or word (that would be "Portafoglio", wallet).
3rd Oct 2023
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Factual error: Poirot's bodyguard announces that the palace where the movie mostly takes place is called "Palazzo Lacrime dei giovani." No such palace exists in Venice, but that's obviously not a mistake per se; the problem is, such a name does not fit a Venetian palace. The word "Giovani" has a modern ring to it and wouldn't have been used for the orphan children of the story, considering that it's the equivalent of "young adults" rather than "children" - and regardless, it's just as awkwardly sounding as an imaginary "Castle Tears of the Youngs" in Britain.
22nd Sep 2023
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Factual error: Poirot attends a Halloween party in Venice in 1947. Halloween was never publicly recognized as a holiday in Venice or Italy in general in the XX century, especially with the traditional pumpkin-centered iconography. One could argue that, for the most part, Poirot is attending a private party organized by an American soprano. But, besides how unlikely it would be for 1947 Catholic nuns to take part in such a pagan-themed event, there are scenes showing Halloween decorations in the streets of Venice far away from the party location, as if it were a public holiday and not a private gathering from an eccentric foreigner.
Suggested correction: Besides what Oliver says to Poirot in the beginning about Americans bringing over Halloween to Italy, it's not true. Halloween has a European and Christian origin. A day called All Hallow's Day on November 1st has been a national holiday in Italy since the 9th century. There have always been activities in Italy the evening prior to All Hallow's day. This includes games, themes of death, carved pumpkins (turnips before), and masks ("guising"), all of which are very old traditions done all over Europe.
Being Italian and having lived in Italy for the past decades, may not make me an authority over all things Italian, but I can assure you that Ognissanti (which is what you quote as being "All Hallow's Day," since we obviously haven't been borrowing English names for our festivities) has never been observed as a national holiday with anything remotely close to what is shown here, which is, like Ariadne Oliver says, plain and simple Halloween. Like I said in the entry, it'd be perfectly fine for Americans to celebrate it, but no pumpkin banners in the public streets and parades with people shouting "Happy Halloween!" with nuns in full garb, no less! Halloween has never been celebrated here with any mainstream fanfare until the very, very recent years.
12th Jan 2023
Inspector Ike (2020)
Factual error: The movie is set in the 80s (you can see tell for instance by the driving license of the old woman, which uses the 80s template and has a 1985 date), but the police plays the suicide tape on a Panasonic PV-4614, which is a late 90s model of VHR. Same goes for the Sony video camera used to tape the murder, definitely from the 90s. (00:19:00)
12th Jan 2023
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Factual error: A major plot point revolves around the fact that the police and medical staff can't reach the island because the "Pisceshite" dock is non-buoyant and they need to wait for the low tide. While we do not know exactly where the fictional island is, other than the fact that it's 2 hours off the coast of Greece and Blanc mentions (correcting Miles Bron) that it's in the Aegean sea and not the Ionian sea, it's fair to say that the tides in that area of the Mediterranean are negligible, not reaching even a meter in very selected spots, and averaging at mere centimeters. It's nothing that would impede navigation and police or medical team to arrive. (01:02:30)
8th Jan 2023
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Factual error: Birdie tries to use the tune recognizing app Shazam speaking to the wrong device. When she does that, the TV in the background plays footage from CNN, with the coronavirus epidemic, featuring Dr. Fauci. However, in that particular part of the scene they also show a map of the US that displays the states with no mask mandate. The chart can't be a May 13, 2020 one (supposed date of the scene), since it shows the situation at the end of the year. Several states in white like Washington, Nevada, Oregon adopted it only in the summer. (00:08:20)
6th Jan 2023
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: As the protagonists say goodbye at the end of the movie, Speed pulls over in a railroad deposit. The wagon he stops by shows an odd graffiti. Upon further inspection, you can tell that it's actually an attempt to conceal the giant logo (the so called "split rail" logo) of the Illinois Central Railroad, a logo used by the company between 1966 and 1972, way after the period the movie is set, in the 30s, when the logo would have been the green and yellow diamond one. (01:28:30)
13th Nov 2022
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Factual error: When Mrs. Lane screams at the sight of the horse, on the back of Karen Steele you can see the outline of a modern bra under the shirt. (00:23:30)
10th Nov 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: To get back the money they (il)legitimately won, Chaney fights with Pettibon's men inside a bar. They brawl near a pinball machine identifiable as a modified version of "Majors - 1941" (you can see its logo distinctly), which was manufactured, obviously, in 1941. The movie is supposed to be set in 1933. (00:37:10)
10th Nov 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: Chaney vandalizes Pettibon's bar shooting 8 times from the 6 rounds cylinder revolver he pilfered. (00:39:00)
10th Nov 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: In the establishing shot of the street where Chaney rents in 1930s New Orleans, you can see the sign for Angel Sheet Metal Works, which was created in 1968. (00:13:15)
10th Nov 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: When Chaney shoots towards the bar counter, the bar sports a calendar that shows exactly 29 days in the month. The only possible month with 29 days the first being on a Sunday would be February of the leap year 1930, but the movie is set post-prohibition. The scene is not set in February anyway - minutes later they show up at Lucy's home at 5 am and the sun shines.
8th Nov 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: When Bronson is walking into the city through the railroad deposit, he walks by unused wagons branded Missouri Pacific Lines. The wagon bears the slogan "Route of the Eagles" which was coined and standardized on wagons only in the late 40s. The movie is set in the depression years. (00:02:45)
30th Jul 2022
Hard Times (1975)
Factual error: The movie is set during the Great Depression, in 1933, but Charles Bronson gets in town aboard of a freight train pulled by an EMD NW5 diesel locomotor, introduced over a decade later. (00:01:15)
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