Vader47000

2nd Sep 2023

The Core (2003)

Factual error: The shuttle crashing into Los Angeles is shown flying toward the northeast, from over the ocean toward downtown. Coming down fast, it turns slightly and lands in the L.A. river. As it's coming down, it passes over Dodger Stadium, which is north of downtown, not between the ocean and the river, and faces away. For the shuttle to fly from the outfield toward home plate, it would have had to fly past the city and turned around, which according to the dialogue it didn't have the altitude to do.

Vader47000

6th Aug 2021

Quantum Leap (1989)

The Wrong Stuff - January 24, 1961 - S4-E7

Factual error: Al says he was an astronaut and flew around the moon, describing a mission that sounds precisely like Apollo 8 (10 orbits around the moon, reading of Genesis, etc). In the season 2 finale episode 'MIA, ' set in 1969, Al says he was shot down in Vietnam two years earlier, in 1967, taken prisoner and not freed until 1973. The Apollo 8 mission flew in Dec. 1968, meaning Al would have been a POW at the time. Also, NASA astronauts aren't generally sent to serve as pilots in active war zones.

Vader47000

16th Jan 2021

Men in Black 3 (2012)

Factual error: The ArcNet deploys after the Apollo 11 jettisons its launch escape system tower. This is the white tower at the top of the Saturn V stack attached to the white launch escape cone that covers the command module capsule that houses the crew. The idea is that if there is an emergency the LES will leave the crew capsule from the rest of the rocket and ferry it away so it can deploy parachutes and land during an abort. The tower connects to the cone through metal trellises. At some point during the launch when an LES abort is no longer an option, the ship will jettison the LES tower, which fires its rockets to pull the cone away from the capsule. As shown in MIB3, the tower with the ArcNet detaches at the trellises, leaving the white cone in place with no way to detach from the command module. The launch also shows spent debris falling over the middle of North America when it would be falling over the Atlantic Ocean. (01:32:30)

Vader47000

13th Oct 2020

The Naked Gun (1988)

Factual error: The first batter of the baseball game, Jay Johnstone, bats from the right-handed batter's box. Johnstone, a real player who is playing himself in the scene, was a lifetime left-handed batter.

Vader47000

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Johnstone also played his last game in 1985, he never played for Seattle, and never wore "29." So, other than the name, there's nothing to indicate he's playing himself. He's not even credited as "himself."

Bishop73

Factual error: Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate are attending a party at the Playboy Mansion in 1969. In reality, Hugh Hefner didn't purchase the mansion until 1971, and didn't start living there until 1974, which is when the house's reputation for lavish parties started.

Vader47000

15th May 2020

Armageddon (1998)

Factual error: During the opening shot of the shuttle Atlantis in the satellite repair scenes, its cargo bay doors are closed. Standard procedure for orbiting shuttles was to keep its cargo doors open, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the airlock is located within the cargo bay. The astronaut isn't tethered but using an MMU, but still would have to enter and exit through the cargo bay airlock, meaning if the doors where closed, if there were an emergency he'd have to wait for someone to open them before he could get back in.

Vader47000

Factual error: The movie seems utterly ignorant of the 25th Amendment. According to the 25th Amendment, the VP and a majority of the cabinet can declare the president incapacitated if he is not in a position to do so himself, such as the coma Trumball was in. This is a textbook example of why that provision of the amendment was implemented. Yet the movie goes straight from the doctors saying Trumball was in a coma to showing the VP being sworn in as acting president (which is a dubious movie/TV trope on its own). Granted, maybe the implementation of the 25th amendment happened offscreen somehow. But later, an advisor says there's no precedent for a president to resume power from an acting VP. The 25th Amendment actually spells this out - the president submits a written declaration to Congress that he is fit to serve. And there is precedent for this, as both Reagan and Bush43 stepped down temporarily for medical procedures and resumed power shortly after.

Vader47000

16th Jul 2019

Stranger Things (2016)

Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy? - S3-E1

Factual error: When Dustin's toy collection "comes to life" (thanks to Eleven), one of the robots is the Transformer Ultra Magnus. Though it appears to be modified with a motorized engine that the actual toy didn't have, that's not the mistake, as there no reason Dustin couldn't have modified it. The error is that the season is set in July 1985, but Ultra Magnus wasn't released in the U.S. until 1986. (Yes, the toy was available as a Diaclone in Japan, but in a different color scheme. Dustin's has the coloring of the U.S. version, and even if he somehow ended up with the Diaclone version, it's highly unlikely he would have repainted a Japanese toy to resemble a Transformer he wouldn't know about the existence of yet, as the 'Transformers' animated movie wasn't released until August 1986).

Vader47000

28th May 2019

Veep (2012)

Inauguration - S5-E10

Factual error: The show depicts the vote ending in a 50-50 tie, and then shows VP Doyle casting a tie-breaking vote for Montez (which the show then erroneously treats as Montez being elected president - she would simply be the VP "acting as president" for as long as the House fails to resolve the stalemate). 67 senators have to cast votes for the meeting to count, and 51 votes are needed to be VP. A 50-50 tie in this case. The 12th amendment actually provides a procedural exception to the tie-breaking power, by stating that the majority of whole Senators, in this case, 51, are necessary for the selection of the VP. As the vice president is not a senator, his vote would not have an effect on reaching the necessary 51, and thus a 50-50 vote would simply trigger a new ballot, and the senate would continue to vote until someone is elected. In this regard, the show makes another mistake with an on-screen graphic identifying Doyle as a senator, and not the vice president, who while given the constitutional role of president of the senate is not actually a senator.

Vader47000

14th Apr 2019

Holmes & Watson (2018)

Factual error: Though the movie is playing with historical events for "laughs," it should at least be pointed out for the record that Queen Victoria died in 1901, and the Titanic didn't launch until 1912 (and its construction didn't even start until 1909). So, obviously, there's no way Victoria could have toured it before its maiden voyage. (And the movie acknowledges that it's supposed to be THE Titanic since it shows Moriarty reading a newspaper reporting that it sank, to say nothing of the Billy Zane cameo).

Vader47000

14th Jan 2019

Moonraker (1979)

Factual error: The station's gravity is turned on and off several times before and during the battle. The film establishes the gravity is on because the station is rotating. Bond and Holly turn off the gravity to prevent the Americans from being shot down. Then, after the American Marine shuttle docks, gravity is restored and is never seen being deactivated again. However, the station begins to take on serious damage from the battle and literally begins falling apart. Even setting aside the fact that the mass shifts would affect the station's ability to produce gravity, the external shots of the damaged station don't indicate it's even rotating anymore, but everyone inside is still able to move around as if gravity is still active up to the final destruction of the station.

Vader47000

12th Jan 2019

First Man (2018)

Factual error: As depicted in the film, the lunar lander touches down and settles onto the surface of the moon (as shown by the shaking of the landscape stopping). Buzz then reports a "contact light" and Neil orders the engines turned off. In reality, three of the LEM's legs had probes extended for a couple of feet below them, and the contact light would activate when one of the probes touched the surface. This meant the ship was still several feet from touchdown, so the astronauts would turn off the engine and let the moon's gravity complete the landing cycle. So either the film's depiction of the contact light being called would be several seconds too late, or the actual touchdown is depicted as being too early. Take your pick.

Vader47000

11th Jan 2019

First Man (2018)

Factual error: The Apollo 11 lander Eagle detaches from command module Columbia with its landing legs already extended. Neil is then shown saying "the Eagle has wings" as if to mean the ship is flying on its own. Actually, the ship's legs wouldn't be extended until after the undocking. It was the extension of the legs that prompted Neil's quote about the Eagle having wings.

Vader47000

23rd May 2017

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Factual error: During Travers' trip to Disneyland, several aspects of modern Disneyland can still be seen in the background despite filmmakers' attempts to work around them. In 1961, the opening of the park was gated with a chain-link fence and paved with asphalt, the iron gate and pavers seen in the film were added decades later. The planter retaining wall, in front of which Walt is standing, was concrete, not brick, which was added in 1999. There are good pictures for comparison here: http://www.yesterland.com/entrance.html As Walt and Travers board the King Arthur Carrousel, hints of the new Fantasyland that debuted in 1983 can be seen. This expansion changed the theming of Fantasyland behind the castle from Renaissance Faire tents to a Medieval village. The Carrousel was pushed back and the planters at the entrance seen in the film were added. In 1961 the Carrousel was surrounded by little more than a chain-rope. The modern stone village look of Fantasyland can be seen several times in the background as they approach the Carrousel and ride on it, although some signage has been placed in the background to emulate how things would have worked in the 1960s (such as each ride requiring its own cost or ticket to get on) - the 10-cent sign is historically accurate. On the Carrousel itself, the pictures from Sleeping Beauty on the inner core of the ride weren't added until later.

Vader47000

21st Jun 2015

Draft Day (2014)

Factual error: Bo Callahan is described by an interviewer as the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner. However, the film portrays the 2014 NFL Draft (albeit a fictional version of it). The Heisman Trophy is awarded in December and the winner is always linked with the year of the season that was just played (excluding bowl games). The NFL Draft takes place in late April or early May. Therefore, the 2014 Heisman Trophy wouldn't be awarded for another 7 months. Callahan would have to have been the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner if he's the most recent recipient prior to the 2014 draft.

Vader47000

Factual error: The opening graphic establishes the year as 1951 when depicting the time Turing's home was robbed and he was arrested for indecency. The robbery and arrest actually occurred in 1952, and strangely enough the correct date is listed on the dispatch about the robbery handed to MI6 boss Menzies moments later. Even if one looks at the film as a work of fiction, the date on the on-screen prop is inconsistent with the on-screen graphic. (00:00:40 - 00:02:40)

Vader47000

11th Feb 2013

Casino Royale (2006)

Factual error: When Bond retrieves the bombmakers's phone in Madagascar, he finds the Ellipsis message with a time code of 19:12. After tracing the origin of the message to the Ocean Club in the Bahamas, he finds the security footage of Demitrios sending the message at 19:12. But 19:12 is the local time for the Bahamas, as indicated on the surveillance tape and Demitrios' phone. Madagascar is 8 hours ahead, so the bombmaker's phone should have indicated the message was received at 3:12 a.m. Also, there is a lot of sunlight and activity going on for 3 in the morning.

Vader47000

11th Feb 2013

Argo (2012)

Factual error: The opening narration states that a US-backed coup overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran in 1953, and Reza Pahlavi was installed as Shah. First, the PM in Iran was not democratically elected, but appointed by the parliament with approval of the Shah. Second, Reza Pahlavi became Shah in 1941 - the coup in 1953 simply allowed the royal family to reclaim rule over the country.

Vader47000

22nd Oct 2012

Argo (2012)

Factual error: The establishing shot of Mendez's trip to California in January 1980 shows the Hollywood sign in a state of severe disrepair as it appeared in the 1970s. However, the sign was replaced in 1978, so it should appear more pristine, like it does today. (00:26:35)

Vader47000

22nd Jul 2012

Space Camp (1986)

Factual error: Mission control begins an auto-landing sequence for the shuttle, but mission control did not have an ability to remote pilot the shuttle when the movie was made and wouldn't get it until 2006.

Vader47000

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