What Are You Looking At?

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50's Kid

Well-Known Member
Aug 12, 2014
291
1,110
Detroit
Songs, clothing, and other props that are out of chronological match with the time period the movie is set in. Generic, obviously newly recorded songs that are used to avoid paying the song royalties for the originals (okay, I understand that, those royalties are way too *@#$ high!), but it sounds like riding in an elevator, listening to Lawrence Welk, for two hours.

Modern songs used in old-west or medieval settings, or ones that don’t fit the scene (such as a jazzy background while a rider is on horseback (as in Murphy’s Romance, not Blazing Saddles, where the parody was funny).

Dialogue and slang that is way out of match with the time period.

This is a minor complaint, but: Pop, Soda, and Drink when used to incorrectly describe a soft drink in different regions.

Not shooting something on location, like doing everything in Vancouver, when it is supposed to be in Detroit, Seattle, NYC, or another actual U.S. location, just for the tax incentives. Canada is a beautiful place, but it ruins the story for a lot of us to not see some realism.

Political correctness (of any era) insinuating itself into the story, to a nauseating degree. This has become much worse over the last 50 years. I can see propaganda movies, in wartime, but too much preaching gets really old, really fast.

Cops and other action characters going for hours, or days, with the same set of unwrinkled clothes. And having the hot woman then falling all over them, sans shower with plenty of soap.

Women with lipstick and eyeliner in an old west setting, or after a few days in the wilderness. Guys with always perfectly combed hair, in the same situations.

I have always noticed how the fashions that are current when a period movie is made are reflected in the movie. For instance, Westerns made in the 1920’s had the characters with 20’s hair styles, and the wild-west saloon gals looked like flappers. Those made in the 60’s and later featured long-haired types (more accurate, according to old photos), but still had that irritating preachy political correctness in the themes.

This is why I have never been able to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. A pirate with all that mascara would have been made to walk the plank, or worse.

When the cast and crew take the time to get things right, it makes a huge difference (as in the TV show, Detroit 1-8-7), especially for those of us who were there and lived through it.
 

Sigmund

Waiting in Uber.
Jan 3, 2010
13,979
44,046
In your mirror.
Songs, clothing, and other props that are out of chronological match with the time period the movie is set in. Generic, obviously newly recorded songs that are used to avoid paying the song royalties for the originals (okay, I understand that, those royalties are way too *@#$ high!), but it sounds like riding in an elevator, listening to Lawrence Welk, for two hours.

Modern songs used in old-west or medieval settings, or ones that don’t fit the scene (such as a jazzy background while a rider is on horseback (as in Murphy’s Romance, not Blazing Saddles, where the parody was funny).

Dialogue and slang that is way out of match with the time period.

This is a minor complaint, but: Pop, Soda, and Drink when used to incorrectly describe a soft drink in different regions.

Not shooting something on location, like doing everything in Vancouver, when it is supposed to be in Detroit, Seattle, NYC, or another actual U.S. location, just for the tax incentives. Canada is a beautiful place, but it ruins the story for a lot of us to not see some realism.

Political correctness (of any era) insinuating itself into the story, to a nauseating degree. This has become much worse over the last 50 years. I can see propaganda movies, in wartime, but too much preaching gets really old, really fast.

Cops and other action characters going for hours, or days, with the same set of unwrinkled clothes. And having the hot woman then falling all over them, sans shower with plenty of soap.

Women with lipstick and eyeliner in an old west setting, or after a few days in the wilderness. Guys with always perfectly combed hair, in the same situations.

I have always noticed how the fashions that are current when a period movie is made are reflected in the movie. For instance, Westerns made in the 1920’s had the characters with 20’s hair styles, and the wild-west saloon gals looked like flappers. Those made in the 60’s and later featured long-haired types (more accurate, according to old photos), but still had that irritating preachy political correctness in the themes.

This is why I have never been able to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. A pirate with all that mascara would have been made to walk the plank, or worse.

When the cast and crew take the time to get things right, it makes a huge difference (as in the TV show, Detroit 1-8-7), especially for those of us who were there and lived through it.

Excellent!

Thank you.

Peace.
 
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Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Hi!

I have a thing when I watch movies.

I tend to notice clocks and note the time. IDK why. I have a touch of OCD so if the clock reads 12:34 it makes me very happy. 1:23 is good and triples, 1:11, 2:22. 3:33 etc. is cool.
It totally messes with my head if the clocks don't follow. (Where's the continuity person?)

What do you notice?

Thank you!

Peace.
I like it when I can get a parking spot that adds up to 9 (but I am not so obsessive that I won't take a nice corner spot instead so I don't get my car doors dinged in the indoor parkade).

Ooops - I just realized this is supposed to be about things I notice in movies - wooops!

I notice when they can blend something seamlessly - e.g. in the movie Risky Business Tom Cruise is on a semi-deserted train with Rebecca DeMornay (after they gently dump the drunk on a bench at one of the stations). They are making love in a sitting position with most of their clothes on.
After this scene you see the train travelling along the tracks away from you and it just makes this little *sound* - it is hard to explain - I guess you would have to watch it. I sort of chuckled at it and my husband asked "What?" - I said - I don't know, "I just like this movie".

(Now I want to go see that scene again! - I should have recorded that movie on my PVR).
 
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blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
I used to keep aquariums, so something I tend to notice in a movie is how an aquarium's water appears. Almost always the water is cloudy. This is not the normal appearance of aquarium water, which is instead, unless having been unattended for quite a while, clear, completely translucent. So, when I see cloudy water in a movie aquarium, I know that the water was added not long before shooting of the scene, because water first put into an aquarium quickly becomes cloudy due to the death of billions of bacteria which were already present in the aquarium. Aquarium water becomes translucent after a period of time required by nature, aided by the aquarium's filtration system, to remove the dead bacteria.
 

mustangclaire

There's petrol runnin' through my veins.
Jun 15, 2010
2,956
12,726
52
East Sussex, UK
I notice landscapes. I'm always interested to see the surrounding areas. And the cars. Especially in older stuff. I like to look at the little things around the shot. The stuff we're probably not MEANT to be looking at.
 
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50's Kid

Well-Known Member
Aug 12, 2014
291
1,110
Detroit
I notice landscapes. I'm always interested to see the surrounding areas. And the cars. Especially in older stuff. I like to look at the little things around the shot. The stuff we're probably not MEANT to be looking at.
No, they spend a lot of time making sure those little details are right. When they don't get it right, it really stands out.
 
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