When a character goes to a priest for confession, the first thing we learn is that he/she hasn't done so in (a) an extremely long amount of time (see Michael Corleone in "The Godfather, Part III") or (b) in an extremely short amount of time (Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby," Catherine Zeta Jones in "Mask of Zorro"). Never in a relatively normal period, as the filmmakers will use this fact to make a point to the audience just how screwed up the character is.
Heraldo Valera, Mexico City
Any time guns are shown in a movie, they invariably make endless 'clicky' noises as they are handed out and moved from character to character. Anyone with gun experience knows guns are just like rocks. Unless you do something to them, they are silent.
Joe Coulter, Manchester, NH
To prove how aware/crazy/focused a movie character is, a friend will wake the sleeping character. The character will instantly, ferociously, leap up from a deep sleep and pull a knife/gun or kung-fu chokehold on his friend, before apologizing for almost killing him. As seen in "Lethal Weapon," "Gladiator," etc.
Joe Coulter, Manchester, N.H.
When dates are made in movies, the guy will say, "How about Friday night"? Girl: "OK." Then they part. But when are they going to meet? Does he know where she lives? What should she wear? Do they even have each other's phone numbers?
Geoff Stacks, Aurora, Colo.
When the driver of a car receives a phone call requiring him or her to be somewhere urgently (such as a cop contacted by a dispatcher, or a husband learning his wife is in labor), the driver always turns the car around 180 degrees. There is no exception to this rule.
Alberto Diamante, Toronto
Characters that psychically enter simulated worlds ("The Matrix," "The Thirteenth Floor") or dreams ("Dreamscape," "A Nightmare on Elm Street") will die in real life if they die in the simulation. Although this would seem a severe design shortcoming in simulations and against the normal rules of dreaming, there will not be any reasonable explanation given for why this is so.
Andy Hutton, Fremont, CA
No actor is allowed to be awake at the moment Oscar nominations are announced. All performers must be sleeping, and be awakened by phone calls from their publicists. This includes performers who live on the East Coast, who therefore must remain unconscious until well after 9am. The only exception to this rule is when a performer is overseas on a location shoot. In this case, the news must come to the performer just prior to filming an important scene. More research is required to determine whether actors who are NOT nominated are awakened with the bad news, or are allowed to continue sleeping.
Mark Woodward, Chicago, IL
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