Question: Maybe I missed it, but did the McAllisters even bother to call home? I don't remember them calling the house at all. Why wouldn't that be the first thing they do? Kevin seems to be pretty independent for his age. He might have not answered the door, but I'm sure he would have answered the phone.
Ssiscool
21st Oct 2009
Home Alone (1990)
Answer: That is also how Kevin was able to order his cheese pizza from Little Nero's.
Answer: The phone lines were fixed by the end of the movie. Remember, this takes place over the course of several days.
Answer: It's also possible they don't think he's at the house still since the cops did attempt to stop by and see if he was home, but received no answer after ringing the bell. Or they did try to call and left a message, but Kevin may not have thought to check the phone messages if he was out of the house and didn't expect anyone to call. He also didn't want anyone to return until the day prior to Christmas, by which point the mom was already en route and the dad and remaining kids had a plan to come home on Christmas morning.
Answer: The next day, after the cop shows up to check the house, while the Wet Bandits are in the house next door, the phone rings and the answering machine picks up, allowing Peter to leave a message. If the next-door neighbor's phone is working, wouldn't it only make sense for Peter to immediately call his own house? Even if Kevin hasn't returned home from shoplifting a toothbrush and doesn't answer the phone, Peter should still be able to leave a message on an answering machine and most likely keep calling over and over until Kevin answers the phone.
21st Nov 2019
Pokemon (1998)
Question: Why hasn't Ash's pikachu evolved into raichu?
Answer: I don't think so. Pikachu needs a thunderstone to evolve and I think in that episode Pikachu said it was happy the way it was.
Answer: He refused to! He is also not the only Pokemon in the series to have done that, the first time in episode 14 fighting a Raichu, and then other times in the series (episode 540 comes to mind). Pokemon have their own free will (for being a bunch of critters locked in tiny balls...) and some are so happy with themselves that they prefer not to turn into their evolved version. Which usually is way less cute, incidentally.
Unlike most Pokemon which evolve as they gain levels, Pikachu can't evolve into Raichu unless it uses a Thunder Stone. In Indigo League episode "Electric Shock Showdown", Pikachu explicitly refuses to evolve, wanting to win its rematch with Lt. Surge's Raichu itself. Pikachu again refused to evolve in the Diamond and Pearl episode "Pika and Goliath!", simply resolving to train harder.
What I heard is that pikachu is the mascot of the franchise, and evolving it into raichu the anime would enrage a lot of pokemon fans.
Even if Pikachu had evolved into raichu, wouldn't there be a risk that it would decrease the number of the show's viewers?
22nd Oct 2019
Battle of Britain (1969)
Corrected entry: The Polish pilots have a translator when being told about what they did wrong, When the RAF chap congratulates them they know what he is saying.
17th Oct 2019
The Hunger Games (2012)
Question: How do they know when someone in the arena is dead?
Answer: The tracking chip that is inserted into their arm tracks their vital signs. From this, the control centre is able to monitor all the tributes heart rates. As such, they can see when their heart has stopped and declare them dead and fire the cannon. Plus they have got the ability to bring a camera up at any location to help visually confirm the death of a tribute.
Answer: They are tracking and watching everyone. They have a whole control room to run the games.
Answer: As mentioned, the tracking devices would indicate if a person was dead. However, even if a fallen tribute was still alive when removed from the arena, the evil and inhumane capital would execute them. Up until Katniss and Peta were declared dual victors, there was always only one survivor/winner of the Hunger Games.
Would the Capitol just simply not remove the tribute if they're still alive? At least in film 1 the bodies aren't removed straight away. Take Rue for example - she was killed and Katniss had plenty of time to arrange her body.
It really depended on the circumstances. If a tribute was barely alive with no hope of recovery, then the game keeper could decide when to remove them, dead or not. Other bodies may have been removed at a time that was simply convenient to do so. It did take time to remove Rue, but basically, because of Katniss arranging the flowers around Rue's body the way she did, singing, mourning her, saluting Rue's district, etc. Seneca Crane, the gamekeeper, knew it made a good show for the television viewers. He was wringing out all the drama and emotion that he could because the viewers loved seeing that. That was the way the games were operated.
16th Oct 2019
Bones (2005)
Question: Pickering is interviewing the team from the Jeffersonian. When she gets to Bones, she mentions someone's name and Bones rings a phone number and Pickering is told not to move and all her notes are to be destroyed. What is Bones' relationship to the person Pickering mentioned?
Chosen answer: Pickering states the name "Juan Guzman" and during the run of the show we are never told who he is, or why Brennan had been in Cuba and met with this Juan Guzman. We don't know if there is any kind of "relationship" between Brennan and Guzman. A bit frustrating, but I like how this short scene shuts down Agent Pickering's entire review, and it hints at Brennan's career history and her level of security clearance.
Do you remember when Bones was telling Angela about the time she was on one of her out of the country trips, and she was thrown in a dark cell for what she later found out was 3 days? She was crying and looked terrified as she remembered this. She had that same look as someone who was remembering past trauma when Pickering said this name. I kind of always thought that "Juan Guzman" was the one who did that.
3rd Aug 2019
The Lion King (2019)
Plot hole: Scar tells the pack he didn't make it to the gorge in time to help Mufasa. However Zazu was with them at at the gorge. He could have easily told Sarabi or any of the other lions on the numerous times he spoke with them, exposing Scar.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Actually, Zazu wouldn't honestly say that Scar was lying; he left Scar at the gorge, but for all he knows, when Scar talks about not getting to the gorge in time, Scar could just mean that he couldn't find a safe path into the gorge to help Mufasa and Simba escape.
Suggested correction: Zazu wasn't with them when Scar said so. He was with Rafiki. He couldn't have heard what Scar was saying.
Suggested correction: But it wouldn't have confirmed that he killed Mufasa.
It would prove that Scar (who had the most to gain from Mufasa and Simba's deaths) was lying about the circumstances surrounding their deaths. But no-one brings it up.
It would prove Scar is lying about the events of Mufasa's (and Simba's presumed) death, and given Scar gained the most from it, the other animals should be extremely suspicious of him.
28th Jul 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Corrected entry: In one scene in the common room the song 'Boys Will Be Boys' by 'The Ordinary Boys' is playing, released in 2006, but this film is set in the 1990s, before the song was released.
Correction: The films are separate from the books - the films have never stated what year they're set.
As far as I know, the movies don't explicitly state their years, but the years can be inferred but are a mess. For example, the graves for the Potters say they died in 1981, so if Harry was one year old when they died, it was about 1991 when the first movie starts. This date match the book's dates. It does raise a problem with the 7th movie though, since we see the Millennium Bridge collapse, which wasn't opened until 2000, and the Dursleys driving a 2008 model car. I think the producers didn't say a date so didn't worry much about consistency.
Movies are separate from the books but they are set in the same time as them.
Nope. For a start we see the Millennium Bridge in the movies, which wasn't opened until 2000.
The millennium bridge being in the movie is actually a mistake, as its supposed to be 1996. I think its listed.
7th Sep 2019
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
The Hamburger Postulate - S1-E5
Character mistake: When Sheldon knocks on Penny's door to seek advice about the tie on Leonard's doorknob, he does not use his typical triple knock. (00:07:43)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
First time he knocks 3 times is in Episode 2 of Season 1. First time knocking 3 times followed by saying the name is episode 10 of Season 1. The ritual of 3 knocks and 3 times saying the name and then stopping is Episode 5 of season 2.
Sheldon knocks three times because he once walked into his parents bedroom and saw his father with another woman. He's been doing the triple knock since he was a teenager.
Yet, he didn't in the show till Season 2. Funny ain't it?
Suggested correction: A one-time lapse in someone's usual behavior does not count as a "character mistake", even in the case of someone given to ritualistic behavior as Sheldon is.
Ah, but in an episode he explains he had developed this particular ritual at age 13 after walking into his parent's bedroom without knocking and seeing his father having sex with another woman. He says he started knocking 3 times since then and would never forget. So its not consistent and a mistake as this is not the only example one can name.
5th Sep 2019
Common mistakes
Corrected entry: Whenever a character comes home at night to their house or apartment, every single light has been left on.
Correction: I wouldn't really call this a mistake. Especially depending on the area they live. Often times people leave their lights on when they are away to make it appear that people are still home so it's less likely they get broken into and robbed.
Agreed. My family frequently left lights and/or the TV on when we were away when I was growing up.
Yes, leaving lights on in your home when you're away is normal, but it seems that every single light in every room is a common occurrence in movies and TV shows.
Could you give some examples? I don't remember ever seeing this happen. It certainly doesn't happen every time.
9th May 2004
Titanic (1997)
Question: After Rose has said about Dr Freud, she goes outside to the edge of the deck. Later, Cal comes outside and says something to Rose that you can just hear. What does Cal say to Rose?
Answer: When Cal grabs Rose's arm she says, "Do you mind?" Cal responds with, "I hope you're proud of this."
What does that mean "hope you're proud of this"?
I think that means that Rose has embarrassed Cal and Ruth in front of Ismay and Andrews. The fact that Rose knows who Freud is and Ismay doesn't shows that as a woman in those times Rose seems to know more than she's "allowed" to know. Hence why Cal says to Molly something like "I might have to start minding what Rose reads from now on."
31st Oct 2017
Saw (2004)
Question: How is it known that Amanda was supposed to put the key around Adam's neck?
Answer: Since she was helping Jigsaw with his "game", chances are he told her to do it.
Answer: I don't recall at any point John telling Amanda to put the key around Adam's neck. That is completely made up.
Amanda was Jigsaw's accomplice so it would make sense for him to tell her to do it.
Just because it "makes sense" doesn't make it canon.
We don't actually need to see Jigsaw tell Amanda to put the key Adam's neck. Amanda is Jigsaw's accomplice and will do anything he tells her too. Including, offscreen, have Amanda place the key on Adam.
Answer: It makes sense, since Adam's game was about looking at himself for a change, instead of others. The tape states: "What do voyeurs see when they look into the mirror?" So, if Adam had looked at himself, he would have found the key on him.
15th Sep 2008
Volcano (1997)
Factual error: The volcanic ash that can be seen throughout the film is too big to be real. The ash shown is something like 1-2 cm in diameter. Volcanic ash is not that big in real life; it is not more than 2 millimetres in diameter. (01:02:30)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: There are different types of products from volcanic eruptions: Ash, lapilli, and bombs. Ash is what everybody knows as. Lapilli is about the size of pebbles. Bombs, as shown in the movie, are large rocks on fire that can explode as they did in the movie.
Suggested correction: This in the middle of a city, where various things were catching fire, so that ash might not be exclusively from the volcano, but from burning buildings and objects nearby.
27th Aug 2001
Blue Streak (1999)
Corrected entry: In a scene near the end, the truck with the drugs in is lifted with an electro-magnet by its roof. Surely the sheet-steel metal of the roof is not strong enough to carry the weight of the truck without ripping it away from its fastenings?
Correction: This was obviously as well planned operation and as such, the drug lord probably made sure that the truck could handle the magnet.
10th Aug 2019
Resident Evil 7
Revealing mistake: Towards the beginning, you find a VHS tape upstairs in the house. Putting it in the VCR plays the tape, but allows you to see the video through he camera man's perspective, by playing as him during the recording. If you press the control button to block, you see the camera man's hands, both arms, come up to block. However the camera he's recording with stays in place. It's a camera that uses VHS so it wouldn't be strapped to his head. He should drop the camera if he lifts both hands like that, but is putting them in front of the camera.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: It's possible it was a non-VHS camera that was transferred to a VHS.
That would make no sense considering the context and situation. This is a 'haunted house' and with this being a Resident Evil game which is a time line set where the end of the world happened in the mid 90's when VHS was still in wide spread use.
Clearly a mistake. For example why would you record something and then transfer it to outdated technology?
3rd Aug 2019
Die Hard (1988)
Corrected entry: When John McClane fell down the ventilation shaft, that would have ended him. There is no way he could have caught and stopped himself like he did.
Correction: Why would that have "ended" him? I don't see any issue with the scene as shown that would lead to it being a mistake. Sure, the scene might require a slight bit of suspension of disbelief that he'd have the reflexes to catch the shaft as he fell and not break his fingers, but not enough that it'd constitute a mistake.
The problem is that Hollywood has people believing if you fall you can just grab onto something and live. Not true. The force exerted on your arms, even if it were possible to hang on, would rip them off your body. It has happened in real life to too many people. : (.
25th Feb 2019
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Continuity mistake: In the early episodes, Leonard is depressed and buys cat stuff. He comments that he has taken in to account Sheldon's asthma with a hyper allergenic cat. Later in the series it is Leonard with asthma and Sheldon who gets all the cats.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Presumably Sheldon also buys non-allergenic cats.
20th Dec 2008
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Revealing mistake: Most of the time, though not all the time, Leonard has no lenses in his glasses.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Not obvious at any point in the show.
8th Jul 2019
Bones (2005)
The Next in the Last - S10-E22
Character mistake: Booth states that Pelant used to communicate via flowers. However it was Bones and Angela that did, not Pelant. (00:04:00)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Actually, When Pelant is leaving for Egypt, he gives Brennan a flower to communicate grief and loss, so Pelant did in fact communicate with flowers.
Actually, this is what is accurately said 'Exactly what Pelant used to use to send a message' in reference to the flowers, if it were 'what Pelant used to send "messages" then yes, your point would be more accurate. Yet the wording suggests that it was 'a' message he sent, not plural, single. Which he did.
16th Jul 2019
Fast & Furious (2009)
Question: Why was the money wrapped up in aluminium foil?
Answer: When criminals transport large amounts of money, it is often wrapped in foil and plastic to protect it from accidental damage from liquids and fire. There is also an urban legend that wrapping it in foil will keep it from being detected by scanning equipment.
21st May 2019
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: They did but the power and phone lines were down due to a tree branch that had fallen on them the night before the family left. A flight attendant on their plane mentions that attempts had been made to call the McAllisters' home but "the phones are still out of order".
Jeff Swanson
But how did he call the police at the end if the phone lines were down.
That was several days later. Clearly the phone lines were repaired over the course of the film.
The film takes place over 3 or 4 days.
Ssiscool ★
After the storm the lineman tells them the power has been restored but the phone lines are "a mess" and that it would take several days to get them fixed. They were out initially, and then in various stages of repair afterward.
Also explains calling for a pizza.
Ssiscool ★
It's ridiculous though that the phones are apparently working by the time they land (Kate's SIL calls everyone on their street). Yet none of them try the house again.