Things you're tired of seeing in movies

[blewis17]

Zombies, as in the re-animated corpse type.
Specifically, fast un-dead zombies, with necrotic body parts falling off.

Actin and myosin molecules in muscle filaments don't work like that. Once there is no active energy production to create ATP, the muscle filaments become locked and bring on the initial rigor mortis. This subsides within a brief time, but the body is starting to decay. Some magical process that would allow a corpse to re-animate would have to heal/revive/replace the decayed tissue for it to ever move again... in which case, you would have resurrected the person, not zombie-fied them.

It would be akin to a 1958 Ford truck in a salvage yard, with no wheels, a rusted engine, no transmission fluid or oil, dry rot in the gaskets and rubber hosing, a dead battery, and no gasoline in the gas tank suddenly starting up, turning on the headlights, and chasing you down the road.

Yes, it's fantasy/horror/make-believe.

But doesn't matter if its Lovecraft or Romero or Scooby Doo... it's still Zombies.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Characters in a movie/show that don't seem to see something that there's no way you would not see. For example, I watched Pacific Rim again the other night and in the scene where it showed Gipsy Danger in a flashback, limping back to the beach after he loses his brother/copilot, the guy on the beach just notices it after it's about 100yds away. You can't tell me that you didn't see a 260ft. tall Jaeger until it was 100yds away!

Another example is the Modern Family episode where they go to Hawaii. Phil is leading Claire to the beach to renew their vows. They go from a hill down stairs to the beach and Claire doesn't see the whole wedding laid out and her family until they are 30yds away.

 

[Treadwell]

"Hacking" into and controlling things that have no external connection to anything of any kind, nor the means to control them remotely. "I'll take over their microwave oven!"

I seem to recall the terminatrix in T3 taking control of a 1990s car remotely with her mind because, well, she's from the future and all!

 

[Art Andrews]

Last minute saves, especially be characters who supposedly were killed off a few scenes prior. This is such lazy writing and is used so much!

 

[greenmachines]

Last minute saves, especially be characters who supposedly were killed off a few scenes prior. This is such lazy writing and is used so much!

AND crowd directed writing, especially in the area of character resurrection. This is you JJ and Lindelof. Asking fans to vote a person back to life is the lamest thing JJ/Lindelof ever came up with. I know the original gripe from Art was just about the abused surprise existence of a downed character but the "comes back in the next episode" is nearly as bad.

 

[pengbuzz]

Comedy forced into scenes (or even movies) where it just doesn't fit.

 

[Laspector]

Characters in a movie/show that don't seem to see something that there's no way you would not see. For example, I watched Pacific Rim again the other night and in the scene where it showed Gipsy Danger in a flashback, limping back to the beach after he loses his brother/copilot, the guy on the beach just notices it after it's about 100yds away. You can't tell me that you didn't see a 260ft. tall Jaeger until it was 100yds away!

Another example is the Modern Family episode where they go to Hawaii. Phil is leading Claire to the beach to renew their vows. They go from a hill down stairs to the beach and Claire doesn't see the whole wedding laid out and her family until they are 30yds away.

When it comes to this particular problem in movies, Back To The Future 2 is the worst.

 

[Riceball]

"Hacking" into and controlling things that have no external connection to anything of any kind, nor the means to control them remotely. "I'll take over their microwave oven!"

I seem to recall the terminatrix in T3 taking control of a 1990s car remotely with her mind because, well, she's from the future and all!

I was watching the Netflix show Obliterated last week (great show) and something sort of similar came up. In this case it wasn't matter of hacking via an unconnected system, but hacking from a random system that the character just came across. In this case, it was an old '90 era likely Pentium class PC with a dial up modem. Of course the character said that the system was old and slow for her to use to hack with, but I don't think that it would matter since I don't think that remote hacking into other machines is something that's just built into every computer. In a later episode, the hacker is given to access to a casino security system/control room where she's somehow able to access and run facial recognition software. While I don't doubt that hotel casinos in Vegas likely have facial recognition software built into their security camera systems, I don't think that they're set up to recognize anybody who isn't a known cheat or other undesirable. And I'm pretty sure that they're not tied into any federal/national security threat database and uploading someone new into the system isn't near instantaneous as the show made it out to be.

 

[blewis17]

"Hacking" into and controlling things that have no external connection to anything of any kind, nor the means to control them remotely. "I'll take over their microwave oven!"

I seem to recall the terminatrix in T3 taking control of a 1990s car remotely with her mind because, well, she's from the future and all!

You're right, she did... but she first reprogrammed the car's electrical system (and presumably the police radio and ancient 1990s era car phone to have a "way in") so that she could then remotely access and control the car.

 

[Treadwell]

That's exactly the kind of horsecrap I'm talking about!
A 2003 electrical system cannot drive the car, no matter how many zappity zaps from the future you give it. There is no hardware in place to execute the commands, even if you could put your future program on a 2003 circuit board.

 

[batguy]

That's exactly the kind of horsecrap I'm talking about!
A 2003 electrical system cannot drive the car, no matter how many zappity zaps from the future you give it. There is no hardware in place to execute the commands, even if you could put your future program on a 2003 circuit board.

Yep. The driving aid systems from that era (antilock brakes, etc) only tweaked the inputs from the driver. They didn't have the ability to add their own inputs. That's why the Mythbusters crew used DIY radio control rigs that literally turned the steering wheel & pushed the pedals.

 

[greenmachines]

Yep. The driving aid systems from that era (antilock brakes, etc) only tweaked the inputs from the driver. They didn't have the ability to add their own inputs. That's why the Mythbusters crew used DIY radio control rigs that literally turned the steering wheel & pushed the pedals.

Wait, wait, ho d do.

Batguy is right. I've never seen it but from the year noted, self driving did not exist. The hardware for turning the steering would have to be present for it to work or at minimum, drive by wire that could then be altered which also didn't exist in 2003. This is starting to sound like Maximum overdrive, which by all accounts was telekenisis and NOT remote control. You can figure out a way to remote control the thing that turns the wheel but that thing must exist first.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

See this is what the media should have been complaining about that movie instead of whining that Arnold was misogynistic because he smashed the T-X's head into a toilet.

 

[blewis17]

Wait, wait, ho d do.

Batguy is right. I've never seen it but from the year noted, self driving did not exist. The hardware for turning the steering would have to be present for it to work or at minimum, drive by wire that could then be altered which also didn't exist in 2003. This is starting to sound like Maximum overdrive, which by all accounts was telekenisis and NOT remote control. You can figure out a way to remote control the thing that turns the wheel but that thing must exist first.

I thought about this when I wrote my post... I initially came to the same conclusion, that there is no GEARING in a 1990s /early 2000s car to turn the steering wheel for you or push the brake/throttle accelerator. But then I thought that: In 1990s and 2000s era automobiles the accelerator pedal inputs are translated electronically. While pushing the accelerator/throttle pedal opens the throttle body via a wire, the car's electrical system still has to adjust the flow and final mixture of gas entering the cylinders through the fuel injectors, based on how far you push the pedal.

So, the T-X COULD accelerate the car WITHOUT pushing the pedal, but she would have to "lie" to the car's electronic control unit system (ECU) to make it THINK the accelerator was being pushed, and the car would move. She could do that remotely.

While we have automobile break-by-wire systems nowadays in some vehicles, they weren't in common use 25 years ago... there was still a direct mechanical linkage between the break pedal and the breaks themselves. So the T-X COULDN'T "break" the car remotely... but she didn't have to! She would just slow the car down by again "lying" to the ECU, telling it that the accelerator/throttle pedal wasn't being depressed, which would reduce the car's speed without needing to apply the breaks (although this would be a sloppy way to do it for sure). And since she was chasing our heroes at full speed through downtown, she wasn't planning on hitting the breaks anyway.

Steering the car without turning the steering wheel/shaft? That's a tough one. Most automobiles of that era had power steering assist to help the driver physically turn the wheel left or right, via a hydraulic pump and rotary valve. But to my knowledge the power steering assembly can't be rigged to "turn" the steering shaft at all; it only helps apply hydraulic force via an analogue valve system to the DIRECTION you are turning to make it easier for you to aim the wheels in the direction you want to go. I guess it's technically possible she could use her nano-technology to create a magnetic field around the metal steering shaft and, by altering the current remotely she could alter the magnetic field to push or pull the shaft to the right or left and therefore steer the car remotely. But that's a W.A.G. at best.

 

[somerset fox]

Characters in a movie/show that don't seem to see something that there's no way you would not see. For example, I watched Pacific Rim again the other night and in the scene where it showed Gipsy Danger in a flashback, limping back to the beach after he loses his brother/copilot, the guy on the beach just notices it after it's about 100yds away. You can't tell me that you didn't see a 260ft. tall Jaeger until it was 100yds away!

Another example is the Modern Family episode where they go to Hawaii. Phil is leading Claire to the beach to renew their vows. They go from a hill down stairs to the beach and Claire doesn't see the whole wedding laid out and her family until they are 30yds away.

It happens endlessly with zombie movies. Suddenly, from camera right or left, a zombie magically appears chomping down on a poor victims arm. They walk slow, very slow. You’d have time to make a cup of tea from the time you first spot one on the horizon before they became dangerous!

 

[greenmachines]

I thought about this when I wrote my post... I initially came to the same conclusion, that there is no GEARING in a 1990s /early 2000s car to turn the steering wheel for you or push the brake/throttle accelerator. But then I thought that: In 1990s and 2000s era automobiles the accelerator pedal inputs are translated electronically. While pushing the accelerator/throttle pedal opens the throttle body via a wire, the car's electrical system still has to adjust the flow and final mixture of gas entering the cylinders through the fuel injectors, based on how far you push the pedal.

So, the T-X COULD accelerate the car WITHOUT pushing the pedal, but she would have to "lie" to the car's electronic control unit system (ECU) to make it THINK the accelerator was being pushed, and the car would move. She could do that remotely.

While we have automobile break-by-wire systems nowadays in some vehicles, they weren't in common use 25 years ago... there was still a direct mechanical linkage between the break pedal and the breaks themselves. So the T-X COULDN'T "break" the car remotely... but she didn't have to! She would just slow the car down by again "lying" to the ECU, telling it that the accelerator/throttle pedal wasn't being depressed, which would reduce the car's speed without needing to apply the breaks (although this would be a sloppy way to do it for sure). And since she was chasing our heroes at full speed through downtown, she wasn't planning on hitting the breaks anyway.

Steering the car without turning the steering wheel/shaft? That's a tough one. Most automobiles of that era had power steering assist to help the driver physically turn the wheel left or right, via a hydraulic pump and rotary valve. But to my knowledge the power steering assembly can't be rigged to "turn" the steering shaft at all; it only helps apply hydraulic force via an analogue valve system to the DIRECTION you are turning to make it easier for you to aim the wheels in the direction you want to go. I guess it's technically possible she could use her nano-technology to create a magnetic field around the metal steering shaft and, by altering the current remotely she could alter the magnetic field to push or pull the shaft to the right or left and therefore steer the car remotely. But that's a W.A.G. at best.

View attachment 1769369

You have a scary mind.... like my mother always told me when I was little.

If the fuel system no longer had the one mechanical butterfly that is still common in most efi cars, then remote would be fine if she also created her own remote radio interface and again that is a stretch as the radios of that time period were in no way integrated into a smart car system and would therefore not be capable of interacting with the ecu.

The brakes and steering cannot be interfaced due to the mechanical action of the main piston/brakes and shaft/steering. The assist systems in place at that time were not drive by wire, meaning not remoted from inside the car to out. They were mechanical operations that would also mechanically open valves in their assisting tech, also not solenoid style plungers and also not integrated with the ecu in any function. Only the anti lock breaking was and it released the breaks but could not apply them. If the car were a stick shift, the speed could be gradually slowed by using the fuel ( but would be in one gear the whole time) but not if it is an automatic which goes into near neutral pressure, the reason we don't push start automatics. However, breaking isn't altogether necessary as you pointed out when you are simply drifting by choice. And in so saying, the real jam comes in at steering and you covered that as well. So, ya, ditto on all that you said. Wouldn't it be cool if they thought this stuff through before spending millions per scene?

 

[Mottrex]

Here's one.. Prolly been said before but here it goes

Popular music as in Chart music.
Boy oh boy it can really date a movie in so many ways..
I listened to a podcast yesterday and dare I say it even Queens music in Highlander can't save it now..
It's such a disjointed movie with you not caring about the story you just want the flashbacks which are much more engaging. It's like two movies were made and RM smashed them together.

Ever since the 80s I've had various dreams about Zombie Flesh Eaters aka Zombie2 and other titles..
The weirdest yet funnily and prolly because of formentioned podcast had me in my dream watching the movie but the OG score was replaced by what I can only recall as a Rom Com style Richard Curtis type soundtrack..

Oh the Horror!


Dreams are a funny old thing lol

 

[Riceball]

I thought about this when I wrote my post... I initially came to the same conclusion, that there is no GEARING in a 1990s /early 2000s car to turn the steering wheel for you or push the brake/throttle accelerator. But then I thought that: In 1990s and 2000s era automobiles the accelerator pedal inputs are translated electronically. While pushing the accelerator/throttle pedal opens the throttle body via a wire, the car's electrical system still has to adjust the flow and final mixture of gas entering the cylinders through the fuel injectors, based on how far you push the pedal.

So, the T-X COULD accelerate the car WITHOUT pushing the pedal, but she would have to "lie" to the car's electronic control unit system (ECU) to make it THINK the accelerator was being pushed, and the car would move. She could do that remotely.

While we have automobile break-by-wire systems nowadays in some vehicles, they weren't in common use 25 years ago... there was still a direct mechanical linkage between the break pedal and the breaks themselves. So the T-X COULDN'T "break" the car remotely... but she didn't have to! She would just slow the car down by again "lying" to the ECU, telling it that the accelerator/throttle pedal wasn't being depressed, which would reduce the car's speed without needing to apply the breaks (although this would be a sloppy way to do it for sure). And since she was chasing our heroes at full speed through downtown, she wasn't planning on hitting the breaks anyway.

Steering the car without turning the steering wheel/shaft? That's a tough one. Most automobiles of that era had power steering assist to help the driver physically turn the wheel left or right, via a hydraulic pump and rotary valve. But to my knowledge the power steering assembly can't be rigged to "turn" the steering shaft at all; it only helps apply hydraulic force via an analogue valve system to the DIRECTION you are turning to make it easier for you to aim the wheels in the direction you want to go. I guess it's technically possible she could use her nano-technology to create a magnetic field around the metal steering shaft and, by altering the current remotely she could alter the magnetic field to push or pull the shaft to the right or left and therefore steer the car remotely. But that's a W.A.G. at best.

View attachment 1769369

The T-X could easily break a car remotely if it was actually able to control the steering and accelerator. All she would have to is speed up the car and steer it into the nearest immovable object, the larger the better. The resulting impact would then break the car.

 

[somerset fox]

Characters who make incredibly long journeys, even moving between countries and continents, seemingly instantaneously. No spoilers, but the most recent episode of Monarch (ep 6), has this in spades. Characters in the US seemingly make journeys that should have taken days, appearing instantaneously across the world. I know it keeps the plot moving, but stretches credibility greatly.

 

[Yorkie Fett]

Our hero who seems to be separated/divorced from his ex and promises to be at his kid’s birthday party/play/music performance only to miss it because he’s unexpectedly involved in some major undercover operation. He can’t explain to his ex, but all will be resolved and he will get back with her.