Factual error: It takes a whole of two minutes from the discovery of the boarding party and the cry "Alarm" till the first Americans even enter the command central of U-571, and another almost 90 seconds till they secure the radio room. German subs were under strict orders to destroy all secret material the instant they had reason to believe a boarding was probable. To that end, all code books were printed in water-soluble inks on water-soluble paper, and even the electrical connections inside the rotors of the enigma machine were seawater-soluble. (Admittedly the latter was more with the idea of enemies salvaging sunk boats in mind, and I have no information on how fast that decay would have happened) All it would have taken is to lift up one of the floor plates and drop the stuff into the bilge below. And yes, since German subs of the era didn't have answering machines, the radio room would be manned around the clock. For that reason, boarding actions of that sort had to be above all lightning-fast. Dramatic as the fight scene is, in reality it would have ensured that the boarding party came away empty-handed. (00:38:30 - 00:41:45)
Doc
9th Jan 2019
U-571 (2000)
27th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
The Top Secret Top Coat - S2-E29
Factual error: In Klink's quarters, there's an (obviously fake) banana in the fruit bowl. Bananas were luxury items in Europe in the 1940s, and certainly so in war-torn Germany. The majority of Germans didn't have access to exotic fruit until the 1960s, and fake fruit of this type wasn't available then either.
19th Dec 2018
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Character mistake: Toward the end of the movie, the behavior of Newt is totally out of character - not just for him, but for any sane person. Newt tries to save Credence, and he has just gotten him to stop attacking and actually listening - when the other wizards blast what Newt knows to be essentially a traumatized and abused child to kingdom come. But Newt isn't the least bit distressed or mad, he just shrugs it off in a "shit happens, life goes on" kind of manner, catches Grindelwald for them and helps them save the world, happy as a flea and not giving a damn about the recent death of Credence. Only a complete and utter sociopath would be totally unmoved by the death of a child they were trying to save. A sane, feeling person (like Newt) should be at the president's throat spells blazing, cursing her and the whole American Wizard-hood to the nether regions of hell and not giving a blue damn whether or not they are exposed and in trouble, and whether or not Grindelwald goes free, because in that moment, in his eyes they would be hardly better than him. It is even more out of character since Newt is until that moment depicted as extremely protective of his creatures.
Suggested correction: Newt certainly does show sorrow for not being able to save Credence, but you are putting too much on Newt. Through the whole movie we are shown and told multiple times that Tina is the one close to Credence. She is the one who saved him once before and lost her job for it. Newt is a stranger and tries to help. And also not a powerful enough wizard enough to start fighting the President and her aurors. You decide he shows no emotion which he does, but at the end of the day he is not the one with closest connection to Credence.
Yes, he does show sorrow (which I never claimed he didn't), but only for a moment, and not nearly as much as say he earlier showed when his suitcase, containing mere animals, was taken from him. His reaction neither feels natural nor would be considered normal in a psychological review. Also you completely overlook the fact that newt is close to Tina, and come to think of it, her reaction is hardly normal either considering her history with Newt. Yes, admittedly I drew a rather colorful picture of a possible reaction newt might show, "spells blazing" is probably a bit on the extreme side. He'd probably rather tell her to go to hell and solve her own problems though instead of being eager to help.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Character mistake: When counting the prisoners right at the beginning of the episode, Schultz counts to 15. However, including Hogan there are 19 men in formation.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: When we see the men lighting cigarettes, there are 25 people forming the arrow. When we are treated to an aerial view of it, there are 37 dots of light visible.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Plot hole: We see Hogan's men empty out the gunpowder from a lot of cartridges inside the armoury. What did they do with their empties? It's not like a mound of empty cartridge cases on the ground wouldn't draw some suspicion is it? Yes, I am aware some options come to mind, e.g. putting the bullets back in and stuffing them back into the belts, but none of that is actually shown or talked about - LeBeau even chucks one cartridge over his shoulder, implying they are not very concerned about hiding their tracks.
8th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: During his experiments to create explosives in the tunnels, Carter has a pretty extensive set of glassware on his workbench. Necessarily he would have to replace (most of) that after each explosion - not to mention various light bulbs, furniture and other non-blast-proof stuff by the way. A lot of that glassware is specialty equipment, it would not be easy to come by even one set of in peacetime for a free civilian. In wartime, for an allied prisoner (even with the heroes' connections) it should be nigh impossible, and totally impossible to have an inexhaustible supply of the stuff. So we can either assume a giant plot hole, or treat it (as I did) as a big continuity mistake.
Suggested correction: Considering they regularly get equipment of all kind air dropped from "London", a few laboratory instruments and containers would hardly be challenge.
Firstly, considering the number of explosions, it's not "a few" but more like "QUITE a few." Secondly, if they had had the option to receive airdrops at the time, they would just as have had them airdrop the explosives instead of the glassware for carter to blow up, wouldn't they? Or are you suggesting they would have more spare laboratory equipment in store than a wholesale laboratory outfitter, "just in case"?
8th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Happy Birthday, Adolf - S1-E17
Character mistake: The artillery officer asks "Does headquarters expect a squad of infantry to replace experienced artillery men?" Hogan only offered "his detachment", and he's wearing a Luftwaffe uniform (and so is LeBeau). Why does the artillery officer get the idea that the "detachment" would be infantry, that is to say, ground forces (Heer) troops? To avoid confusion: Yes, the Luftwaffe did have infantry units, but those would be viewed by other branches as Luftwaffe guards primarily, not as infantry.
16th Nov 2018
M*A*S*H (1972)
30th Oct 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Continuity mistake: All through the episode, we are in a snowy, wintry camp surrounded by hills and trees. The target Gen. Burkhalter points out however is a little shed on a flat-as-a-board prairie with not a flake of snow OR a single hill visible anywhere, and the brown grass of late summer. (Yes I noticed there are some mountains off in the distance. So not relevant for this mistake).
1st May 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
To Russia Without Love - S6-E18
Revealing mistake: As the motorcycle and the side car split apart and drive around independently, you can see that the side car has been given two extra wheels, and some other stuff underneath as well that's not present on regular Wehrmacht BMW sidecars - probably a remote control of sorts. Also, the motorcycle Schultz rides has training wheels mounted in the shot where the side car comes off.
27th Apr 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Factual error: Frankel suggests manipulating the missile's gyroscope, and Hogan suggests an electromagnet as means to do it, which is later implemented. Gyroscopes however are not affected by any magnetic force, which is what makes a gyroscopic compass superior to a magnetic one in many situations. To enhance that effect, gyroscopes are deliberately built out of materials with as little magnetic susceptibility as possible. A large electromagnet next to the missile could potentially cause all kinds of havoc with all kinds of parts of the missile guidance and control, but the gyroscope itself would not be among them.
16th Apr 2018
Hellboy (2004)
Other mistake: When the camera pulls up from Hellboy embracing the dead Professor Broom, you can see that several of the evidence numbers are present more than once. Evidence numbers exist to identify and correlate different pieces of evidence without doubt in photographs of the crime scene. It would just be nonsensical to re-use them on different pieces of evidence on one and the same crime scene.
11th Feb 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Plot hole: In several occasions throughout the story, e.g. S4E18, Hogan attends parties at Stalag 13 wearing an immaculate US dress uniform. Where did he get that? Dress uniforms are not part of the usual kit a bomber crew brings along with them on their missions.
Suggested correction: Considering they have a tailor (Newkirk) and are air dropped everything from explosives to penicillin, a Class A dress uniform would hardly be a challenge to make or receive.
Klink: "Hogan, where did you get that uniform?!" - Hogan: "Oh, I had OSS airdrop it together with our latest shipment of explosives and ammunition. We brought it in through our tunnel last night and stored it there."
I got it from the Red Cross.
Only a few high ranking intelligence officers are aware of Hogan's mission. Hogan's activities would under normal circumstances be considered fraternisation. While it might be true that he could theoretically obtain a class A uniform via the red cross, doing so would brand him as a collaborator and traitor.
9th Feb 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Kommandant of the Year - S1-E3
Factual error: A sharp brass cone has been put over the spike on Klink's Pickelhaube, so Hogan can pin the page torn from the Geneva Convention onto it. The real spike of a Pickelhaube has concave slopes, and it isn't pointy enough to pin a piece of paper onto it.
27th Jan 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
The Kommandant Dies at Dawn - S5-E6
Trivia: This is not really a plot hole but more of a plot device: The episode revolves around using the unsuspecting Klink as a courier by hiding secret information in his belt. This episode however is the only time in the series Klink wears a belt on his coat. In all other episodes, he doesn't wear one.
27th Jan 2018
Machete Kills (2013)
Continuity mistake: As El Camaleon pulls the Cuba Gooding Jr. face off, there's an unshaven neck with a tattoo visible under it. After the cut, Lady Gaga's face (also presumably unshaven admittedly, but not visibly so) comes to light under a mask of visibly lighter skin tone. (00:45:05)
16th Nov 2017
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
How to Win Friends and Influence Nazis - S3-E7
Deliberate mistake: Burkhalter pulls some papers out of his bags marked "Top Secret." Why would German papers be marked in English, so the prisoners know what not to look at?
16th Nov 2017
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Plot hole: The prisoners fake a fire with some smoke bombs to have an excuse to rush into the print shop and smash up the print plates. Afterwards they even receive thanks and a reward for their valiant efforts. In reality, the guards would notice immediately that nothing in that room is even singed, but everything important has been smashed by fire axes.
16th Nov 2017
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Factual error: In several episodes, the fence around the cooler is visible, and hanging on it, a sign saying "Eingang verboten" meaning "no entry." The correct German term would be "Zutritt verboten." In German, "Eingang" is the opening where you enter a building, not the act of entering one.
Suggested correction: This is wrong. Translations all over show that the sign is not only correct, but images can be found of signs with the exact same wording in real places, with the English translation right under it.
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