Continuity mistake: When the 'disgusting blob' goes through the wall above the vase of ferns after being attacked by Ray, you can see two small amounts of slime appear on the wall. In the next scene, when the food trolley crashes into the table, there is more slime on the wall than there was in the previous shot. (00:33:15)
Continuity mistake: When Venkman radios Ray to tell him about the ghost, look at the cart in the background when Ray answers; the mess does not look the way it looked in the earlier close-up; there's less stuff on the partially knocked down scaffold and the table ricocheted away from the wall but here the flowers are back on it. (00:33:20 - 00:33:45)
Revealing mistake: You wouldn't want to sleep inside the Sedgewick hotel, and not because of its ongoing infestation at the 12th floor; a small food cart rolls into a wall and that alone makes it wobble. (00:33:20)
Revealing mistake: In the ballroom scene, when Slimer is flying around the chandelier, he disappears for a few frames when he reaches the far side. [This animation is mentioned in the DVD commentary. The film makers were generally unhappy with the entire animation and the fact that the representation of the apparition did not resemble those previous and that the movement was very unconvincing.] (00:35:05)
Continuity mistake: When the guys blast the glass lamp in the hotel, it falls on a table and messes up the table and chairs around. In the following angle the area, which was dark half a second ago is now perfectly lit. (00:35:30)
Revealing mistake: When Egon tries to shoot Slimer, the wall is charred on the dark section, but the beam is shown hitting the white stucco, which bears no trace of its passage. (00:36:20)
Continuity mistake: When Ray Stantz slides the trap across the ballroom to catch Slimer, the cord is curled, but it is perfectly tense in close-up. (00:37:05)
Continuity mistake: When the hotel manager refuses to pay the bill after the Ghostbusters capture the green ghost (Slimer), you can see he is putting his handkerchief into his top pocket with his left hand, but in the very next shot he can be seen putting the handkerchief in the pocket with both hands. (00:38:50)
Continuity mistake: When the hotel manager says he won't pay the 5k, the trap is facing him with the top side. As it cuts to the Ghostbusters faking to just walk back in and release their catch, the trap turned 45°. (00:38:50)
Factual error: The newspapers in the 'rise to success' montage have all the dates wrong; Usa Today says Tuesday October 8, 1984 (it was a Monday), New York Post says Thursday October 22 (it was a Monday). The USA Today also has a headline "Thin Man dies" which refers to William Powell's death, in March, and the Globe cites "Princess Di expecting again!", which was announced in February (but the fake mag is dated October). (Note; the USA Today details are in the left column and need you to pause, but the others don't - you can also find perfect reproductions of the prop online). (00:39:30)
Revealing mistake: In the montage showing the Ghostbusters' rise to success, the body of the USA Today article has nothing to do at all with them, and in fact it is a copy/paste real life article that talks about Geoffrey Faux, economist. A faux article, the prop guy must have had a laugh with that. (00:39:30)
Revealing mistake: During the "montage" there is a reversed shot of the guys driving their "ghost-mobile" - you can notice it because the Ghostbusters logo is reversed. (00:39:35)
Continuity mistake: At about the middle of the film, when the Ghostbusters are rising to fame and are appearing on the front of newspapers and magazines, the photograph on the front of the New York Post is taken from the end of the film, just before the four of them cross the streams from their proton packs. (00:39:37)
Revealing mistake: During the montage of the Ghostbusters starting the business, there's a shot (the one immediately following the Larry King cameo), where the trio are running down a street. Many people are staring at the camera; it may seem fine since the Ghostbusters are running towards the camera, and they are celebrities so it could be argued that the people are looking at them, not at the camera. Look at the guys to the left though; they are looking past them at the camera and one of them even quickly fixes his hair. (00:40:05)
Revealing mistake: In the shot that follows the one with the fake cover of The Atlantic, a bespectacled Asian man walks across the street, in front of the Ghostbusters, looking prolongedly straight at the camera. (00:40:20)
Continuity mistake: When Winston gets hired, Venkman and Stantz have just come back from a job. They're covered in slime and Venkman's smoking. Ray gives Winston an armful of traps. We then cut to Venkman chatting to Dana after a rehearsal, so we assume it's later, maybe even a different day. After that scene though, we then cut back to Stantz showing Winston (wearing the same shirt) what to do with the traps, and Venkman talking to the guy from the EPA. Venkman's got the same slime pattern on his shoulder, and is still smoking. Looks like the Dana/Venkman scene was in the wrong place. (00:42:00)
Continuity mistake: When Winston gets the job after the very tough and thorough interview process, he walks up to Ray. Between shots, the messy cables of the traps Ray is holding are in a completely different position, and he holds the paper sheet at a different height. (00:42:20)
Continuity mistake: The lighting in the scene with Venkman stalking Dana outside the concert hall is inconsistent. For instance, when he quips "I've got hundreds of people dying to abuse me", Dana's stiff friend leans against a fountain that is bathed in sunlight. Mere moments later the section of the square is in the shade. (00:43:10)
Character mistake: Meeting Dana at the Lincoln Center fountain, Venkman tells her that Gozer was a deity worshipped in 6,000 BC by Hittites, Mesopotamians and Sumerians. There are no historical accounts of those specific populations dating back to that ancient of a date, or writing of any form for that matter. (00:43:40)
Suggested correction: Venkman said Mesopotamians, not Babylonians. The Mesopotamian civilization existed in 6500 BC so his information would be accurate in that aspect.
You are absolutely right, I have misquoted the movie there and I just fixed it thanks to your correction. "Mesopotamians" is just a generic denomination, though, so saying that Gozer would be worshipped by the Hittites in 6000 BC, and then list a generic name for the inhabitants of the area and then the Sumerians (generally accepted as the first organized civilization of the area, still much after the proposed date) doesn't seem to be quite accurate.
A valid point of view from both of you, however, it's established that Dr. Venkman is the least knowledgeable in paranormal history so it's possible he listed the groups out of order. As is rightly pointed out, Mesopotamia was a generic listing, like saying Americans, so maybe if he said Mesopotamians first, then the other groups, the quote would make sense?
I completely agree that he's the least knowledgeable of the bunch by far and it is well-established and reinforced in the same scene since he needs Dana's help to read "Hittites." Read, because he's not quoting from memory; he's reading (presumably something Egon or Ray had to write down for him). As you say, "if" he said Mesopotamians first, maybe it would have made sense (but it's not what he says), and even then, using your example, saying "in 1000 BC, Manitou was worshipped by the Sioux, the Americans and the Apache" just sounds wrong. (I know that by 'Americans' we mean generally the US population and feel free to add 'native' to it, then again Hittites established their civilization when the Sumerians were wiped out already, and that's 4 millennia past the date - it is what happens making a word salad in a small sentence that has to register just superficially for the audience).
Continuity mistake: At the Lincoln Center (that place Dana's orchestra plays at) the nerd with her has his case and they're leaving when Peter is there. Nerd-boy goes off to the side and waits. When they start off again, his case pops back and forth unhumanly between being carried under his arm and in his hand between long and close shots about 3 times. (00:44:34)
