Factual error: When Tewkesbury sees Enola's rented room, she asks if he was expecting a room at the Ritz. The Hotel Ritz in London opened in 1906, and the Paris branch opened in 1898. This film is set in 1884.
Brian Katcher
11th Apr 2024
Enola Holmes (2020)
1st Mar 2024
General questions
What was the name of this screwball movie (not TV show) about competing funeral homes from the late 80s or early 90s? I only saw the commercial. In one scene, two funeral directors have arrived at the scene of a bad car crash. "There's enough bodies for both of us!" "But we got here first!" In another, there's a dead woman at a fast food drive-in. "She didn't even finish her fries." The tagline was 'Kiss your ash goodbye.'
15th Feb 2024
Cheers (1982)
One for the Road (1) - S11-E26
Question: Is it true they wanted to get Glenn Close to make a cameo as Vera Peterson in the last episode? I swear I saw photos in an entertainment mag of her filming a scene for the final episode, with the joke being Norm's long-insulted wife was actually very beautiful and classy.
23rd Jan 2024
Mr. Monk's Last Case (2023)
Continuity mistake: They say Eden's former partner died in a diving accident in Barbados. Later in the movie, they are looking at statements from witnesses to the drowning from Bermuda.
16th Jan 2024
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Factual error: The melting point of gold is nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and yet Thorin rides a wheelbarrow through a river of molten gold with his fingers inches away from the stream. Even if we believe the dwarfs are hardier than men, I doubt he could survive that, let alone the wheelbarrow.
5th Jan 2024
General questions
Does anyone remember this after-school special type show from the early 80s? Some popular high school students convince a nerdy kid that an uppity popular girl likes him, causing him to humiliate himself in public. Shortly after, all three of the popular kids start receiving messages from an alien being on their TV. The kids freak out and tell the world they're communicating with a spaceman, only for the alien to actually be the nerdy kid who hacked the TV broadcast as revenge.
5th Jan 2024
General questions
What is the name of this possibly Japanese cartoon I saw in the 80s? Futuristic soldiers are converted into cyborgs to work in space. It follows an elite team before and after the conversion. One was an alien from the planet 'Mime' who never spoke. Another were a twin brother and sister who had the code names 'Iron Heart' and 'Iron Will.' During conversion, they realized Iron Heart had a defective heart, so they replaced it with machinery, making his name more appropriate.
20th Dec 2023
Quantum Leap (2022)
Other mistake: When Hannah turns on the magnet, it's so powerful that it pulls the sword out of Donovan's hand from across the room, but no other metal object is affected.
19th Dec 2023
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Question: Did Christmas Eve used to be a regular work day? The bank is open, the bank examiner is at the building and loan, and Zuzu had school.
Answer: Did they used to have school on Christmas Eve day?
Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that Christmas Eve was never a Federal holiday. It really depends on the individual company or organization on whether to give employees the day off. When I worked for the state, we used to get Christmas Eve off, but that was eliminated when MLK Day became a Federal holiday. Employees then had to use a vacation day if they wanted Christmas Eve off.
Answer: Yes, and it still is. The standard work day was 9:00 - 5:00, and Christmas Eve (not a "holiday") starts at 6:00 PM - after work. Christmas "breaks" may have been extended over the years, though.
13th Nov 2023
High Anxiety (1977)
Question: What is the name of the song that blasts in Dr. Wentworth's car and causes his ears to rupture? Or was it something created for the movie?
Answer: It was a song written by Mel Brooks for the film. It's called "If You Love Me Baby, Tell Me Loud."
25th Oct 2023
Quantum Leap (2022)
Factual error: The psychiatrist asks Ben who the current president is, and Ben, not knowing it's 1954, guesses JFK. The doctor responds "The senator? He'd love that." But the nickname JFK wasn't used until the 1960 election.
4th Sep 2023
Asteroid City (2023)
Trivia: The bottom of the alien's ladder looks the same as the part the mechanic puts in Augie's car.
4th Sep 2023
Asteroid City (2023)
Question: What is the pile of silvery objects behind the diner? They're there from the very first scene.
3rd Jul 2023
Cyrano (2021)
13th Jun 2023
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
7th Jun 2023
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: When the typist realizes that three Ryan brothers have died, they eventually take the information to an officer with one arm. Would someone with such a permanent disability be allowed to stay in the service, even in a non-combat role? Was it a wartime measure?
Answer: There would be absolutely no reason for him not to remain in the service; he's a colonel, an important officer, and as you say, he's not in combat, so how would it disqualify him? As it's not a disability that would (significantly) affect his ability to discharge his duties, it would be strange to not allow a high-ranking officer to continue in his role, wartime or not.
27th May 2023
Galavant (2015)
The One True King (To Unite Them All) - S2-E10
Trivia: A kid named Menken offers to write young Richard a theme song. Alan Menken was one of the composers for the series.
22nd May 2023
Night Court (1984)
Let It Snow - S5-E11
Mac Robinson: Hey Dan, did you burn my assembly instructions?
Dan Fielding: What's the big deal? You stick tab A into slot B. Who can't do that?
Prostitute: You'd be surprised.
14th May 2023
General questions
What was the name of this music video I saw on MTV in 1998 or 99? A young man works in a hellish office, where everyone is unhappy and miserable. He dies, suddenly in the parking lot and the afterlife is yet another office, only this one is wonderful and heavenly. He works there as a suicide hotline operator who is talking to a living woman. The video was shot chronologically backward, starting with him in heaven and going backwards through his day.
6th May 2023
General questions
There was a cartoon I saw in the early 80s but was probably a lot older, which opened with a roster of boxers. The shtick was they all looked like their nicknames: The Mountain was a literal mountain, The Phantom was invisible, etc. Ring any bells for anyone?
3rd May 2023
Quantum Leap (2022)
Factual error: Eugene says he was a bit of a geek in high school. 'Geek' as a term for a socially awkward person wasn't used until the 1970s. In 1962 'geek' still meant a carnival performer who bit the heads off live animals.
18th Mar 2023
Night Court (1984)
Question: In nearly every episode there are two bailiffs standing in the back of the courtroom, a blonde white guy and a black man with glasses. They also appear hanging out in the cafeteria, walking in the halls, etc. However, I don't think they ever had a single line during the entire series run, even in episodes that prominently featured the building's entire bailiff staff. Any reason they made an effort to keep these two extras for the entire run, but never had them say anything?
Answer: Most likely, they were stand-ins for members of the main cast. When lighting sets, rather than have the main actors stand around while they adjust the lights, they will get someone with similar physical characteristics to fill in. Since they are already on the set and have nothing to do during the actual shooting, it is more convenient, and probably cheaper, to also use them as extras.
Answer: Most likely it was about money. Actors who have speaking parts, even if it's only one word, are paid more than "extras", who do not have any dialogue. As the two characters played no part in any of the plots, there was no reason to have them speak lines. Therefore, they were paid less money.
So why hire an extra to play a messenger or bailiff from another courtroom when that pair was already on the set and could have easily said the lines?
What lines? Your question specified that they never spoke any lines and you wanted to know why.
Lines that other extras playing bailiffs said.
If an actor speaks any dialogue, they are billed as "co-stars" and paid at a higher rate than "extras" (also known as Background Actors), who are uncredited. The two you mentioned were regulars who were merely silent background characters used to "dress the set", making the courthouse look more realistically populated. Extras often have no acting ability and are unsuitable for speaking lines. Some people work exclusively as extras in various TV shows and movies and do not actually act or have dialogue.
26th Feb 2023
General questions
What is the name of this point and click video game I played in 1986 or 87? You follow your dog through a portal in your uncle's (?) lab and wind up in a world where everyone (including the dog) is super cool. It being the 80s, that meant they dressed like martians. I could never get very far, because after a couple of minutes of game time, the bad guy would feed you to a carnivorous zoo animal.
Answer: Some of this description sounds a lot like "Pepper's Adventures in Time" but that came out in the early 90s. Also the game didn't have any Martians in it.
If it came out in the 90s, I didn't play it in the 80s.
10th Feb 2023
Cheers (1982)
One for the Road (3) - S11-E28
Question: When I streamed this episode, there were a couple of small scenes missing (Sam explaining that his cigars were a gift from Fidel Castro via Reggie Jackson; Sam kissing Rebecca goodbye). I know they used to cut scenes to cram in more commercials after the initial broadcast, but with a streaming service, you're not limited to a time slot. Why not air the whole thing?
Answer: They sometimes acquire episodes from syndicated reruns. The ones with the cut scenes. Sundance channel have some episodes of M.A.S.H. uncut.
25th Jan 2023
Night Court (1984)
Undressed For Success - S9-E14
Continuity mistake: In this episode, Harry is putting together an unpainted plastic model of Frankenstein's monster. In the previous episode, 'A New York Story,' the model is put together and he's almost finished painting it.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: That's because the episodes were aired out of order and not a mistake in the show. Episode 14 (production code 18741) was produced before episode 13 (production code 18744).
23rd Jan 2023
General questions
Looking for a cabinet game I played in an arcade in the early 1990s. It was a first person shooter, where you used a plastic gun to shoot the screen. The premise is you are in a city that's been taken over by ghosts and demons and you fight possessed items rather than monsters. The final boss on the first level is a movie poster where a actor and actress' face jump out of the poster and attack you. The second level is a restaurant where you fight flying plates and coats.
Answer: Maybe "Laser Ghost" (1990)?
That's it! Thanks.
8th Jan 2023
Night Court (1984)
Continuity mistake: Mac says he went through Marine Corps boot camp, but in the flashback in 'Crossroads', he's in the army.
1st Jan 2023
Night Court (1984)
Ladies Night - S5-E4
Question: Christine asks Roz if she ever hangs out at a tavern or café or a 'bwot' (I am absolutely misspelling that). Then Roz starts calling the strip club she frequents 'a bwot' as a running joke. I've heard the term on Frasier as well, but I can't google it because I have no idea how to spell it. What is it?
Answer: The word is "boîte." It's a French word and just means a small restaurant or cafe. "Boîte de nuit" would be a nightclub.
15th Dec 2022
Night Court (1984)
Question: I swear when this episode first aired, Bull broke Roz's Mr. T coffee mug. I remember seeing it with gold chains hanging off it. When I just watched the rerun, it was just an ordinary floral cup and Mr. T was never mentioned. Did they film two versions?
8th Dec 2022
Quantum Leap (2022)
Factual error: The bad guy tells the townsfolk to 'Get out of Dodge.' Not a saying used in 1879, despite Dodge City being a real place. In fact by this time Dodge City was no more violent than many other places, so it wouldn't have been used as a direct comparison either. There's no record of this specific phrase being used until Gunsmoke, in 1955.
15th Oct 2022
General questions
There was a short cartoon I saw in the early 80s where every time the guy used a figure of speech, it would happen literally: I combed the beach (with an actual comb); I put my foot in my mouth (literally); She had a lot of little ones (tiny numeral 1s).
Answer: "Symphony in Slang" by Tex Avery (1951).
Thanks. You just solved a 40-year-old problem for me.
You're welcome.
11th Oct 2022
General questions
What was this science fiction movie from the early 80s or earlier? An earth man is undergoing a procedure by aliens (or future people) to make him super intelligent. I just remember the aliens chanting 'Think about the brain...think about the brain...' over and over again.
Answer: Maybe "Starship Invasions," (1977) two alien races bring their war to Earth. One set experiments on humans, while the others ask for their help.
I don't think that's it either. I'm pretty sure I saw it in the theater and that was before my time.
Answer: There is a 1977 TV-Movie, "The Man with the Power." A man discovers his father was an alien from another planet. He has super powers. An alien emissary appears to advise him on how to use his powers to help mankind. I don't know about the "think about the brain" scene. It hasn't been broadcast in twenty years. There are a couple of other movies, but I believe this is the one your looking for.
Thanks, but after googling it, I don't think that's it. The man in my movie was older, they definitely were performing some sort of medical procedure on him, there were in some sort of futuristic hospital, there were multiple aliens, and I'm almost certain I saw this in the theater.
11th Oct 2022
General questions
What was this science fiction show or movie I saw in the early 80s? There was this eclectic group of aliens, including, strangely, an earth cowboy. Some of the group were identical aliens who did everything exactly the same. When the cowboy offered an alien a hot dog, they all began chewing, and reciting the ingredients ("and artificial flavoring").
Answer: "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980).
7th Sep 2022
The West Wing (1999)
Question: Whose portrait is hanging behind Santo's desk in the newly redecorated Oval Office? (to the right of the desk from the viewer's perspective).
Answer: The painting hanging on the wall to the right of Santos' desk is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
18th Aug 2022
Mac and Me (1988)
Trivia: This film was panned for its blatant product placement, most notably for Coca Cola, McDonalds, and Sears. In the scene in the supermarket, the Pepsi logo on a cooler is whited out.
18th Jan 2022
Psych (2006)
Earth, Wind and... Wait for It - S3-E12
Trivia: The fire inspector tells the investigators to fill out form IG-88. IG-88 was a robot bounty hunter from 'The Empire Strikes Back.'.
22nd Nov 2021
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: Who is the pipe smoking man in the black and white photo taped to Nedry's computer monitor? Some computing pioneer?
Answer: After the explosion of the first Atomic Bomb, Oppeheimer was quoted as saying, "I'm not an evil man, but I have done evil things."
Answer: Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. One of the fathers of the atomic bomb. I don't know why Nedry would have his picture up and you can draw your own conclusion, but it does seem to be a reference to how good science can lead to destruction.
Answer: He also said, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
20th Oct 2021
Monk (2002)
Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion - S5-E6
Factual error: Stottlemeyer says that if Diane killed herself, her suicide note would go on the public record (and her old nurse would recognize it as a copy of her decades-old note). Since when are suicide notes made public?
12th Oct 2021
Cheers (1982)
One Happy Chappy in a Sappy Serape (2) - S7-E4
Trivia: Translation of Pepe's joke - Sam: What's up, Pepe? Pepe: My underwear. That water is really cold.
18th Feb 2021
Pleasantville (1998)
Trivia: When the mayor is talking in the bowling alley, you can see the projection of the score sheet. There is not a single open frame; everyone bowled a strike or spare every time.
18th Jan 2021
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Factual error: Ray comments on how Diego 'beams' into his living room. That use of the term comes from the 'Star Trek' TV series, which wouldn't debut for three more years.
5th Jan 2021
The West Wing (1999)
Continuity mistake: The fictional nation of Qumar, which maps have shown to be part of real-life Pakistan, has been the subject of many earlier episodes. When the generals are looking at a map of central Asia in preparation for the Kazakhstan deployment, Qumar is not on the map.
4th Jan 2021
The Simpsons (1989)
Three Men and a Comic Book - S2-E21
Trivia: Bart is surprised to learn that the actor who played Fallout Boy hadn't died in Vietnam. This is a reference to when both AP and UPI erroneously reported that Jerry Mathers of 'Leave it to Beaver' had died in Vietnam.
21st Oct 2020
Quantum Leap (1989)
Star-Crossed - June 15, 1972 - S1-E3
Question: Al tells Sam that he's there to prevent the professor and his undergraduate student from having a shotgun wedding and ruining both their lives. That implies she got pregnant. Sam succeeds in keeping them apart. Um, does that mean he prevented someone from being born?
Answer: He means he's there to prevent there ever being the need for a shotgun wedding-that is, to stop the affair before there is a possibility of the girl getting pregnant.
Which would erase the child from history. That's my point.
Answer: Not necessarily; it could also mean that someone such as Jamie Lee's (the student) father discovered that the professor was having a sexual relationship with her and coerced the two into getting married.
This doesn't answer the question. You just described what a shotgun wedding is.
I think their point is that the "shotgun" aspect might not be due to a pregnancy, simply a forced attempt to legitimise an otherwise scandalous relationship.
My point was that a "shotgun wedding" doesn't always happen because an unmarried girl becomes pregnant; it can also happen because someone "stole her virtue", i.e had sex with her without being married or at least engaged to her. There's no reason to believe that Jamie Lee was, or would become, pregnant as a result of the affair or subsequent marriage.
The term "shotgun wedding" means a forced marriage due to unexpected pregnancy. It's sometimes even used when the woman is pregnant but it's planned or the wedding isn't "forced." In common colloquialism (especially in the 80's when the script was written), it doesn't refer to a force marriage just because of premarital sex (which the term "make an honest woman" is used for).
No, in the 1926 Sinclair Lewis novel 'Elmer Gantry', they talk about shotgun weddings, when a groom is forced to marry a woman because he took her virginity. Obviously, the term usually refers to a pregnant bride, but I see zendaddys point.
3rd Aug 2020
Noises Off... (1992)
Factual error: Lloyd mentions the show played in Cairo, Missouri. There have never been more than 300 people living in Cairo, and there are no venues large enough for a production of that scale.
29th Jul 2020
General questions
Anyone recognize this horror movie/TV show from 1990 or earlier? A surly preteen is walking down a street, when he's accosted by a strange man who says the boy is upset because it's his birthday and his parents forgot. The boy runs off, but obviously the comment hit home. He walks into an abandoned building to find a party with cake and presents all set up for him. He keeps calling for his family to come out, but instead, strange toy robots come clanking out of the darkness. When the boy opens the cake box, there's a severed human head inside which smiles and says 'hi', causing the boy to scream and run off. I was babysitting when I watched this and it was upsetting my charge so I turned it off, and I never got to see the ending, and it always bothered me.
Answer: The movie is called Spookies.
Thank you.
10th Jun 2020
The Simpsons (1989)
Warrin' Priests Part 2 - S31-E20
Question: Is there a reason Bart was so conspicuously absent from these two episodes? Homer even asks where he's been.
Answer: He was probably irrelevant to the plot so he was not included.
It's called lampshade hanging. By drawing our attention to it the producers are letting us know they are aware it is an issue.
Yes, but even when the family is having dinner together, he's not there.
15th May 2020
The Monuments Men (2014)
Question: Why was Preston a private and not an officer like the rest?
Answer: Preston was loosely based on the real-life Lincoln Kirstein. Prior to WWII, he was a noted writer and an influential person in the cultural arts in America. When the war broke out, he enlisted in the army with the rank of private. He eventually joined the Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives unit, later known as the Monuments Men. He was selected for his abilities, regardless of his military rank. The movie reflected that.
26th Apr 2020
Tommy Boy (1995)
Deliberate mistake: Why would Richard, big Tom's 'right hand man,' have to drive his cherished vintage car on a business trip that would take him hundreds, if not a thousand miles? He surely could have taken a company vehicle. Of course, then they couldn't do the 'car slowly and humorously being destroyed' shtick.
17th Mar 2020
Cheers (1982)
12th Mar 2020
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Question: Why did Blackthorn have Reordan killed? The man was an evil genius and would have been a huge help with Blackthorn's plans.
Answer: Blackthorn was an egomaniac, there was only room for one diabolical madman.
2nd Feb 2020
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Question: Wouldn't Watson have noticed that Blackthorn's neck wasn't broken after he was 'hanged'?
Answer: There are two types of hanging - the long drop which is intended to break the neck causing a quick death, and a short drop which doesn't break the neck and causes slower death by asphyxiation. There is no reason to check for a broken neck, just whether the person is dead.
Answer: He didn't check the neck, he only checked the pulse.
4th Dec 2019
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: When the Joneses crash land the plane they stole from the zeppelin and steal that guy's car, where are they? Turkey? Hatay?
3rd Nov 2019
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Question: What does the French soldier scream at Cole before he shoots him?
Answer: Cole is screaming "Stop!" so you can't hear what the soldier is saying. If you mean all of it, it's in the line of asking what he is doing there, calling the captain to have a look, ask him where his clothes are, and telling him to speak French.
12th Oct 2019
Joker (2019)
Question: Does Arthur kill Sophie when he realises he's hallucinated their relationship? I know there may not be a concrete answer to this.
Answer: Yeah it's completely up to the viewer to believe he killed her or not. I don't think he did, he liked her, just like Gary. I think he visited to see if it was all in his head, with that confirmed he just left.
Answer: Todd Philips actually answered this in an interview on IndieWire; "As the filmmaker and the writer I am saying he doesn't kill her. We like the idea that it's almost like a litmus test for the audience to say, 'How crazy is he?' Most people that I've spoken to think he didn't kill her because they understand the idea that he only kills people that did him wrong. She had nothing to do with it. Most people understood that, even as a villain, he was living by a certain code. Of course he didn't kill this woman down the hall."
18th Sep 2019
General questions
There was a movie about a mad scientist who was trying to create a clone of his dead wife. He had a handsome young lab assistant. When the assistant's girlfriend falls into a coma after an accident, the scientist offers to clone her as well. The assistant declines, saying a clone wouldn't be the woman who fell in love with him; the girlfriend later recovers. The scientist realises he'll never be able to recreate the past and ends up marrying a much younger woman.
Answer: Sounds like the 1985 film "Creator", starring Peter O'Toole, although I can't be certain about the lab assistant and his girlfriend. But a young woman who agrees to donate her egg and the scientist fall in love. There's also the 2017 film called "Andover" where a scientist clones his dead wife, although that film has less in common with your description than the first.
Yep, 'Creator' was it. Thank you.
16th Sep 2019
Eureka (2006)
Factual error: At the dance in 1947, a US flag with 50 stars is visible.
19th Jul 2019
Good Omens (2019)
God: Crowley was in Hell's bad books. Not that Hell has any other kind.
19th Jul 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Crowley: Ciao [leaves].
Ligur: What's that mean, 'Ciao'?
Hastur: It's Italian. I think it means 'food.'
19th Jul 2019
Doc Hollywood (1991)
Question: Why do the Owens go to the doctors to have their mail read? Even a small town like Grady would have a librarian, not to mention they certainly have friends who can read.
Answer: That's just the long-standing relationship they had with Doc Hogue and assumed it would continue with Dr. Stone. Hogue was more than a doctor to the town folk. He was a strong father-figure that everyone felt they could go to for a variety of reasons. Also, this is a comedy film, so the characters and their situations are deliberately cliched and quirky.
8th Jul 2019
Stranger Things (2016)
Chapter Two: The Mall Rats - S3-E2
Trivia: The song Scott Clarke is listening to is not 'My Sharona, ' but actually 'My Bologna, ' by Weird Al Yankovic.
3rd Jul 2019
Good Omens (2019)
16th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Trivia: In the Des Moines diner, there's a brief shot of an elderly cook with sunglasses and sideburns. This is a reference to The Book, where Elvis Presley had faked his death and was living anonymously as a fast food cook.
7th Jun 2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Continuity mistake: When Monster Zero is standing victorious over the Mexican city, a traffic light changes from red to yellow.
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
The Very Last Day Of The Rest Of Their Lives - S1-E6
Pepper: I believe in peace, bitch!
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Saturday Morning Funtime - S1-E4
Aziraphale: [After accidentally disincorporating himself] Fuck!
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Hastur: [After slaughtering a room full of telemarketers] I needed that.
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Death: Don't think of it as dying. Just think of it leaving early to avoid the rush.
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
The Very Last Day Of The Rest Of Their Lives - S1-E6
Gabriel: Don't talk to me about the greater good, Sunshine. I'm the Archangel Fucking Gabriel.
4th Jun 2019
Good Omens (2019)
Trivia: The airman at the base gate is reading Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods'.
4th Apr 2019
Shrek 2 (2004)
14th Mar 2019
The Fugitive (1993)
Question: Kimble's wife suffered from severe head trauma. Wouldn't his defense attorney demand her 911 transcript be stricken, as her serious brain damage could have caused her to say anything?
Answer: His attorney could have done that, but I doubt such a strategy would have been successful, for two reasons. First, proving that she was just "saying anything" would be difficult at best, given that she wasn't just spouting random nonsense...she was speaking directly about what had happened. The prosecutor would have pointed out that she had been coherent (i.e., in control of her thoughts/speech) enough to a) dial 911, b) stay on topic, c) relay information, and d) name her killer (or so they believe). And second, given this high burden of proof, going with "this murder victim was just babbling as a result of the brain damage she suffered when she was brutally clubbed to death" probably wouldn't have gone over well with a jury.
15th Jan 2019
The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)
Trivia: Lewis' new friend, Rose Rita, is the main character in other books by John Bellairs, author of the original novel.
29th Dec 2018
Aquaman (2018)
Trivia: Arthur's father has a book by H.P. Lovecraft on his coffee table. Lovecraft often wrote about things that dwell in the depths of the sea.
28th Dec 2018
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Continuity mistake: When the grandfather is sleeping in the top of the bunk bed, there's a cheesecake poster on the ceiling. When Clark falls through the attic floor onto the bunk bed, it's not there.
15th Dec 2018
Dumplin' (2018)
Trivia: Julie Murphy, author of the the book "Dumplin'", makes a cameo as one of the cheering patrons at the drag bar in the last scene.
13th Nov 2018
General questions
I'm looking for a documentary on the U.S. Constitution that would have come out in the late 80s, when it had its bicentennial. It was comedic and aimed at a junior high/high school audience. I remember that Rhea Perlman and Whoopi Goldberg played waitresses at the Constitutional Convention, though their IMDB pages don't show anything. There was a clip from the 60s Batman TV show where The Penguin runs for office. There was also a sketch about fatigued soldiers in Vietnam staying awake by quizzing each other over the Constitution, and suddenly realizing that at the time, none of them were old enough to vote. Does this ring a bell for anyone?
Answer: I think this is "Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville." It used to be available on VHS, maybe it still is.
4th Jul 2018
The Truman Show (1998)
Question: Marlon mentions having been very sick and hospitalized for a long time when he was a boy. Is this supposed to be when they switched a child actor for someone who was willing to commit to the show indefinitely?
Answer: Yes and no. Yes because they could have found someone who looked remarkably similar to the child actor that played him and if he had been "sick" for a long time (depending on the illness he "had") it would have explained why he looked slightly different. No because of him being Truman's best friend. Unless the studio found an actor who did look almost identical to the child actor, Truman would have been able to figure out his best friend was a different person.
Answer: It's probably a way of giving characters a break from the show, a way of writing them off-screen for a short while.
2nd Jul 2018
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
19th Apr 2018
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
The Carnivorous Carnival: Part One - S2-E9
Trivia: When the orphans are disguised as freaks, Olaf and his troupe mock them by chanting 'Not one of us!' This is a homage to the 1932 film 'Freaks', where the freaks chant 'One of us!'.
16th Apr 2018
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
The Austere Academy: Part Two - S2-E2
Trivia: While locked in the freezer, Larry recites the Jack London story, 'To Build a Fire'. Appropriately enough, this is about a man who freezes to death.
16th Apr 2018
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
The Vile Village: Part One - S2-E5
Trivia: Mr. Poe suggests the villagers will draw lots to decide who will take care of the children 'Like in that delightful Shirley Jackson story.' He's referring to 'The Lottery', where the winner of the drawing is unceremoniously stoned to death.
16th Apr 2018
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
The Austere Academy: Part One - S2-E1
Trivia: Mr. Poe rhapsodizes over a saccharine sweet book called 'The Pony Party.' That was the title of the fake book printed on the reverse of the dust jacket of 'Lemony Snicket: An Unauthorized Autobiography.'
20th Feb 2018
Monk (2002)
Continuity mistake: They interview Jimmy Belmont in prison, who complains how Monk sent him there for killing Randy's uncle in 'Mr. Monk Visits a Farm.' However, in that episode, Monk tricked everyone (including Randy) into believing Randy had solved the murder.
8th Feb 2018
Monk (2002)
Mr. Monk and the Leper - S5-E10
Continuity mistake: In the very last scene when Natalie leaves for her date, her flowers go from her hands, to the table, back to her hands, and then she sets them on the table.
3rd Dec 2017
Justice League (2017)
Question: Bruce Wayne tells Clark that in order to get back the foreclosed Kent family farm, he bought the bank that owned it. Why didn't he just buy the house directly? It was for sale.
Answer: Bruce Wayne is not only rich and powerful, he's also dangerously vindictive. If you cross him or his friends, he'll pull the rug out from under you, at best, and destroy you, at worst. At the end of "Batman vs Superman," Bruce Wayne realises how horribly wrong he was about Superman; he even feels a kinship because both of their mothers were named Martha, and he was finally able to "save Martha" (something that had haunted Bruce Wayne for his entire life). I'm thinking, once Bruce Wayne discovered that Martha Kent's house was foreclosed, he acted to not merely save the farm but to punish the bank that foreclosed it. So he bought the bank and probably ruined a few financial careers in the process, out of sheer vengeance.
Answer: It was partly done as a joke. But it seems less likely that Bruce would just buy his friend a farm. What most likely happened is Bruce bought the bank and then in essence cancelled the foreclosure, turning the Kent farm back to Martha. Then Martha would continue making her mortgage payments to the bank.
Answer: Like all billionaires, Bruce Wayne wants to make more money. It's much more lucrative to buy an entire bank, and the foreclosure would be cancelled at the same time.
3rd Dec 2017
Justice League (2017)
Question: In the first scene, who was the shadowy man on the roof who asks Batman if this is happening because Superman died? Is it the burglar he was fighting with? If so, why is he chatting with a man he just tried to shoot?
1st Dec 2017
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Question: After Rory lights the guy on the bar on fire, why does he just casually hang around afterwards? The guy was there with friends.
Answer: The implication is it's a hard as nails boozer where no-one calls the cops no matter what. Rory is a well-known face and no-one would want to mess with him.
Answer: Would you want to mess with a guy who just casually lit someone on fire without batting an eye?
No, but I'd call the cops.
17th Aug 2017
The Dark Tower (2017)
Continuity mistake: Roland crumbles up Jake's drawing and stuffs it in his jacket, but when he takes it out again, it's neatly folded.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
16th Jun 2017
Beyond the Wall of Sleep (2006)
Trivia: When Edward is being fired from the hospital, there's a photo on the wall. It's H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote the original short story.
3rd Apr 2017
The Tick (1994)
Coach Fussell's Lament - S2-E5
Trivia: The weird truck drivers who pick up the hitchhiking heroes are the anthropomorphized trees from the episode 'Tick Vs. El Seed.'.
30th Mar 2017
The Tick (1994)
Continuity mistake: The Tick, Arthur, and American Maid are riding in a taxi. The final exterior shot, however, shows a police cruiser.
30th Mar 2017
The Tick (1994)
Trivia: The song playing on the radio when Rosebud breaks in, 'I'd Take a Bite of the Moon For You,' references the episodes 'Alone Together' and 'Tick Vs. Chairface Chippendale.' The song playing when El Seed breaks into the botanical gardens is a jazzy version of the show's theme song.
24th Jan 2017
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Question: Is cousin Tilly Bailey, the secretary at the Building and Loan, Uncle Billy's daughter?
Chosen answer: We know that Tilly (Matilda) Bailey is not Uncle Billy's daughter, because when Billy "loses" the deposit money and rushes back to BBB&L, George tells him that Harry's on the telephone and we hear Tilly say, "Hurry up Uncle Billy, long distance from Washington," so presumably she's George's cousin and Uncle Billy's niece. (When there's the run on the bank we see her desk, and there are a few photographs of men, one of which may be her father).
9th Sep 2016
Supernatural (2005)
Factual error: In the opening, H.P. Lovecraft is calming his nerves with alcohol. In real life, Lovecraft was a complete teetotaler, who even wrote stories about the evils of liquor.
11th Jul 2016
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Question: When Andy tells the warden how Tommy knows who really murdered his wife, the warden sympathetically says that Tommy made up the story to impress Andy, and he's surprised that Andy believed it. He also says they'd never be able to find that Elmo guy, and even if they did, he'd never confess. Isn't the warden essentially admitting he thinks that Andy is not guilty? Otherwise he'd just say 'I don't believe you, I know you were the one who killed your wife.'.
Chosen answer: The warden doesn't care whether Andy is innocent or guilty, only that his money-making schemes continue (with Andy's help).
1st Mar 2016
Deadpool (2016)
Trivia: In the 'happy Lent' scene, Wade is reading the Mario Lopez autobiography. Mario Lopez filmed a promotion with Ryan Reynolds where they pretended the movie was going to be toned down to a PG-13, which would have infuriated fans, before revealing the true R rating.
10th Sep 2015
Pixels (2015)
Factual error: The character of Max Headroom was introduced in 1984, and would not have been on a probe from 1982.
16th Feb 2015
General questions
What is the name of this black and white movie? A cowboy has himself thrown in jail to break out another cowboy (his son?). The younger cowboy won't leave, so the older one breaks out and heads for Canada until the heat dies down. It's a lighthearted, funny movie until the end, when he crosses the border. He and his horse are hit by a car. The police have to shoot the dying horse and he's taken away in an ambulance. The film ends with a shot of his bloody cowboy hat in the middle of the street.
Chosen answer: The movie is Lonely are the Brave with Kirk Douglas from 1962.
6th Jan 2014
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Question: Why does the show go out of the way never to show the names of sodas? IE, 'Cola' instead of 'Coke', 'Lime' instead of 'Sprite,' 'Zip' instead of '7up.' They don't seem to have a problem with showing names of other products, such as the snacks in the vending machine.
Chosen answer: Certain items are part of paid product placement. Those would be obviously named, as would things that can't go unnamed for simplicity reasons. Other things might be unnamed because of opposite product placement, i.e. Coke pays for it so they don't name Pepsi products.
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.
Answer: "SilverHawks" (1986). The twins were called "Steelheart" and "Steelwill," who had artificial hearts put in during their transformation. Steelheart was the sister, though; Emily Hart, and her brother was Will Hart.
Bishop73
Thank you! Me confusing iron and steel made it impossible to Google.
Brian Katcher