Small things that break you suspension of disbelief or immersion

[Lemmy]

The Hollywood Nerd/Hollywood Ugly is a horrible trope. Yup, put a pair of glasses on Megan Fox or Channing Tatum and they look like an ugly nerd.....sigh.

And it's just SO Believable to have say, BROOKLYN DECKER, sitting a home in an worn gray K-mart robe crying that she does not have a boy friend or even a date.

Eh... It's not that bad. And there's not much to do, anyway... Most people actually prefer to see attractive actors. Hollywood knows that, which is why they actively select good-looking people to stand in front of the cameras... So the most practical way to have an "ugly" character is simply winking and nodding to the audience and go with the "let's just pretend he/she is ugly, okay?" approach. It's cheap, easy and it works.

One of the WORST examples ever is Friends. With Rachel (aka Jennifer Anstion) being all ''boo boo I'm loney and undateable". And Rachel is, eh a 10, and she goes for Ross(um..whoever that is), who is like a 3. Because, see, in Real Life, women that look like Jennifer Anstion go for guy that look like...well...Brad Pitt.

Heh... If Ross is a 3, then we average guys really have no chance... I mean... The guy is definitely not the most attractive dude on TV (or even on that specific TV show), but he's certainly above average (at least when he wasn't making exageratted weird-looking faces for the sake of comedy).

[TripleD]

Long, single-shot takes.

I’m not saying I don’t like them, or appreciate how hard they are to pull off, but about half-way through them I find myself thinking “wow this is a great shot. I wonder how long they had to plan, practise, etc.”. In other words the “spell” of the movie is broken and I’m thinking of the fact that I’m watching a movie rather than being immersed in the story.

[gomipile]

What, like a Hi-Point? Something that's less of a gun and more of a paperweight?

I was going to say that the least expensive .50 BMG rifle I know of that is any good is the Serbu BFG-50 at about $2300. But apparently they make an even more budget rifle now called the RN-50 for about $1200. So, if they still care as much about quality as they used to, I guess you can get a decent .50 for not much more than $1000.

Though, I suppose the actual cartridge wasn't mentioned earlier. So, if you want .50 caliber but don't need a .50 BMG, there are smaller options available at less than $1000 in, say, .500 S&W. Thompson Center makes a really nice Katahdin single shot in .500 S&W for less than $900. There should be some NEF and H&R shingle shots in .500 S&W floating around in the used market, too. The NEF and H&R originally retailed for less than $300, but from what I've seen, they can still be gotten used for less than $400 despite being out of production.

The TC Katahdin would look really nice on screen in a monster hunter show/movie. The Serbu RN-50 maybe not so much. I don't personally like the NEF and H&R single shots, but I suppose to a broad audience they might look fine, and they're plenty durable and functional.

[Bohandas]

Outside of video games, things don't have hit points - if a .375 can't penetrate the ogre centre of mass to a thick enough depth, then shooting it repeatedly won't do anything unless you land your shots right on top of your previous ones. That's hard enough to do on a range while relaxed, let alone on a moving target that's trying to kill you while you're hopped up on adrenaline.

It still has blood, doesn't it? You just need to create a sufficient number of avenues for the blood to come out

[Brother Oni]

The guy is definitely not the most attractive dude on TV (or even on that specific TV show), but he's certainly above average (at least when he wasn't making exageratted weird-looking faces for the sake of comedy).

Or stealing beer from a shop.

It still has blood, doesn't it? You just need to create a sufficient number of avenues for the blood to come out

So you fire repeatedly in the hope it bleeds out before it beats you to death? Don't get me wrong, I do believe that more gun is a viable solution, but signing out an AR from the armoury is more than going to raise a few eyebrows down at the station.

[sasitamil]

I know you feel more happy when you get things done and best of all those things are your most precious treasure.

[FlynnBillson]

I think everything that breaks us makes us stronger.

[Sapphire Guard]

Possibly a stupid question, but is there any practical civilian application for a .50, absent ogre/vampire attacks?

[darkrose50]

Speaking of "ugly" . . . I do not think that the pig girl played by Christina Ricci in Penelope would have a hard time finding a guy.

The one girl in The Umbrella Academy is pretty and the daughter of a billionaire . . . I am thinking men would be constantly knocking down her door.

[J-H]

Possibly a stupid question, but is there any practical civilian application for a .50, absent ogre/vampire attacks?

Long-range target shooting. A guy at my church was talking last week about taking some shots at a 400 yard distant target, but with a smaller caliber. The National Match competitions at Camp Perry (IIRC) involve targets at 800y and 1000yd.

Long-range varmint shooting. Apparently it's a thing out in West Texas and beyond to pop prairie dogs, coyotes, feral hogs, javelinas, etc. from 1,000yds+. I think the prairie dogs are usually done with some of those fancy flat-shooting calibers like .270 or .243, but I don't really have any exposure to this beyond knowing that it's a thing.

The fun of having a really big gun, shooting it, etc...the same reason people buy the 500 S&W revolver outside of bear country, why the Knob Creek Machine Gun shoot exists, and the same reason some lunatics get 8ga and 10ga shotguns. I have seen a 10ga shotgun exactly once. I could feel the shockwave when he fired while standing 10' behind and to the side.

It's hard to say more on the topic without getting into politics, but if you head on over to some of the websites dedicated to long-range precision shooting, you can find out more. Me? I'm happy to hit 4 MOA because I am bad at managing time and forget to shoot frequently even though I have my own shooting range.

*checks weather*
Hm. I wonder if today will be busy? Maybe I will get some shooting in.

[Peelee]

I'm happy to hit 4 MOA because I am bad at managing time and forget to shoot frequently even though I have my own shooting range.

Say whaaaa? Meanwhile, I have to drive ~45 minutes to get to a private range, and have to wait until my friend with a membership wants to go as well, then pay the guest fee. I'm envious, man.

[Themrys]

Speaking of "ugly" . . . I do not think that the pig girl played by Christina Ricci in Penelope would have a hard time finding a guy.

Yeah. That's the worst, when the person isn't just supposed to be normal human ugly, but monstrous. Her pig snout was almost cute. They could at least have made that part of her face be like a real pig snout, which would have been much larger, if I recall correctly. I mean, the actor was beautiful, you still would have seen that under a massive pig snout, and she becomes beautiful in the end. The Beast in Beauty and the Beast gets to look properly beastly, but I suppose that's too much to ask for if the monster person is a woman.


I would buy the Hollywood Nerd thing, if they didn't claim the girl was actually, objectively ugly. Or that she didn't know she could prettify herself. Objectively pretty teenagers are made to feel like they are ugly by their classmates, that can happen.
One just shouldn't try and claim it is true.
(And not putting natural looking make-up on the person who is allegedly ugly would do wonders, too)


I mean, I have a reasonably pretty face, but still managed to be an unpopular bullying victim in high school because I had bad acne and zero interest in performing femininity.
This does happen.

However, I was never turned into a beautiful swan by a popular boy taking off my glasses, and it would never have happened because, as mentioned above, I had zero interest in performing femininity. I let other girls do makeovers on me and put makeup on my face to indulge them, but this epiphany the ugly duckling in that kind of movie has after she's prettified? Didn't happen. Because, and that's apparently news to some writers, I already knew that makeup exists and can be used. I also knew that low-cut tops and short skirts exist. Wearing baggy sweaters was a choice. If most of the people who care what you look like are idiots, that's not a great motivation to dress up.

Hermione Granger (in the books) was a plausible version of a nerdy girl. She is asked to the ball by a decent guy, prettifies herself for the ball ... and then goes back to being her usual nerdy, bushy-haired self.
That's what happens in real life.

Girls who are unaware of the wonders of make-up and contact lenses? Not a likely thing to happen.

[J-H]

Say whaaaa? Meanwhile, I have to drive ~45 minutes to get to a private range, and have to wait until my friend with a membership wants to go as well, then pay the guest fee. I'm envious, man.

Benefit of living in the country!

[gomipile]

Possibly a stupid question, but is there any practical civilian application for a .50, absent ogre/vampire attacks?

For a .50 BMG, pretty much just what others have mentioned. At longer ranges heavier bullets provide much better practical accuracy.

For .50 caliber cartridges in general there is more. The .500 S&W is a decent bear defense round, in both rifle and handgun barrel lengths.

And of course there are plenty of .50 caliber muzzleloaders that are used for deer hunting.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Heck, the muzzleloaders are part of the Rendezvouser subculture up here. Although personally I prefer the tomahawk throwing challenges to the shoots.

[Sapphire Guard]

Seems like there'd still be a lot of questions to answer if our heroes were shooting them at home regularly.

Re actors, It would be a bit mean to them if they could only be cast in 'really ugly' roles.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Or you just need to broaden your casting criteria. Jack Elam couldn't have a multi-decade, award nominated career in this climate.

[Peelee]

Re actors, It would be a bit mean to them if they could only be cast in 'really ugly' roles.

What, like Clint Howard? Or Danny Devito? Wallace Shawn? Steve Buscemi? These people literally built their careers on looking goofy, and the list don't end there.

[Lord Torath]

The idea that dealing with zombies would be difficult. Depending on the various rules used in the story, this can be variable.

Are they stupid walking dead folks, or walking dead folks with Superman's strength and Batman's cunning? Most of the time we get stupid walking dead folk.

Can you get infected by one being near you, or by exchanging body fluids, or by one biting you? This can change things, but mostly we get the body fluid or bite thing.

[1] Defending against the zombie (human) bite . . . this really should not be such a big issue. We have linin and glue! We have leather! We have Kevlar!
[2] If in America . . . America has so many guns and bullets that it should not be a trouble to mow down zombies at a crazy high rate. A gosh-darned hunting rifle from Walmart combined with high ground (like a roof to a building, advertisement sign, or the roof of a truck) would end many, many, many zombies.
[3] Shields, spears and people = dead zombies.
[4] Traps = dead zombies.

It is like people forget how to be people in these zombie stories . . . the non zombie people that is.

Relevant Skit: The Walking Dead Survival Guide. That one always cracks me up. Also, The Three RUles of Zombies.

[Sapphire Guard]

I mean where the script specifically requires them to be ugly. Steve Buscemi just looks unusual. Although I'll give you de Vito and Twins

Book Tyrion is supposed to be ugly even before he loses his nose, but they cast Peter Dinklage.

[Willie the Duck]

I mean where the script specifically requires them to be ugly. Steve Buscemi just looks unusual. Although I'll give you de Vito and Twins

Book Tyrion is supposed to be ugly even before he loses his nose, but they cast Peter Dinklage.

Or think Olivia Cooke's oh-so-ugly (has a firemark) Samantha/Art3mis in Ready Player One.

[Jay R]

Historical pieces that are ahistorical. This includes:

• Musketeers movies in which Richelieu is trying to kill Louis XII and become king. France has a clear line of succession, and besides, Louis's support is the only thing keeping the mob from killing Richelieu.
• Gasoline explosions before gasoline, like the mine explosion at the end of The Mask of Zorro.
• Manufactured revolvers before the 1830s.
• People taking off their helmets in battle.

... and many more examples.

[The Jack]

Book Tyrion is supposed to be ugly even before he loses his nose, but they cast Peter Dinklage.

Supposed to be an unlikable, hideous monster who struggles to use even the best of wit to get positive recognition.
Most handsome dwarf ever
Most likeable guy on the show
Can't justify the hate, even if his mother did die.

After watching a bit of Drag Race I'm convinced you can turn an ugly duckling into a princes given several hours of work every day.


Other uses for the .50
Disabling a vehicle
Shooting through walls.
Sending a message through over-the-top gore.
**** jokes

[Tvtyrant]

Historical pieces that are ahistorical. This includes:

• Musketeers movies in which Richelieu is trying to kill Louis XII and become king. France has a clear line of succession, and besides, Louis's support is the only thing keeping the mob from killing Richelieu.
• Gasoline explosions before gasoline, like the mine explosion at the end of The Mask of Zorro.
• Manufactured revolvers before the 1830s.
• People taking off their helmets in battle.

... and many more examples.

Coal dust explosions are very real and large, there have even been attempts to weaponize it. Almost any flammable material becomes explosive when mixed sufficiently with air, grain silos blow up periodically. Coal dust is very much at the top of the list of explosive dusts.

[Peelee]

I mean where the script specifically requires them to be ugly.

A good bulk of the work they're in play off their looks. DeVito in particular (picking on him because I've seen more stuff with him in it than any of the others) is often poked at for his looks in his movies and TV shows.

[Pippa the Pixie]

What, like Clint Howard? Or Danny Devito? Wallace Shawn? Steve Buscemi? These people literally built their careers on looking goofy, and the list don't end there.

Sure a couple of men can make careers being 'weird' looking guys. Maybe a woman or two...like Jane Lynch or Kathy Bates. But not many.

Do people want to see good looking actors...yes. Should the latest James Bond, and latest Bond girl or Tom Cruse and the Mission Impossible Bueaty all be like tens? Yes.

You want a nerdy, ugly girl....well Margot Robbie just does not cut it. Do people really want to see her, or say Taylor Hill as a character that is all sad as ''no one will ask her out."

Like Spider Man home coming has Laura Harrier who is all ''oh tee hee no guy has asked me to homecoming" *Sigh*...yea right.

[Keltest]

Sure a couple of men can make careers being 'weird' looking guys. Maybe a woman or two...like Jane Lynch or Kathy Bates. But not many.

Do people want to see good looking actors...yes. Should the latest James Bond, and latest Bond girl or Tom Cruse and the Mission Impossible Bueaty all be like tens? Yes.

You want a nerdy, ugly girl....well Margot Robbie just does not cut it. Do people really want to see her, or say Taylor Hill as a character that is all sad as ''no one will ask her out."

Like Spider Man home coming has Laura Harrier who is all ''oh tee hee no guy has asked me to homecoming" *Sigh*...yea right.

I mean, im willing to accept that the number of physically repellant actors is pretty low. As much as the "nerdy girl is ugly until she gets a makeover" trope is overdone and generally not done well, a non trivial part of attractiveness is how much effort you put into your appearance, so its not implausible to me that somebody who is basically decent looking would not be treated as such if theyre portrayed as a slob or otherwise not concerned with actively being attractive.

Heck, my own appearance can vary between "crazed mountain man" and "kind of handsome" just based on how neat I keep my beard and hair.

[Jay R]

Coal dust explosions are very real and large, there have even been attempts to weaponize it. Almost any flammable material becomes explosive when mixed sufficiently with air, grain silos blow up periodically. Coal dust is very much at the top of the list of explosive dusts.

Agreed. And it looks *very* different from a gasoline explosion. If the mine had had a coal dust explosion, I'd have been impressed.

[darkrose50]

Related to that, it's really hard to believe the "average middle-class family going through economic problems" when they can afford a massive beautiful house and 2+ large cars that look brand new.

This also annoys me. It is like they have multiple writers, and the series bible says that the characters are poor. One writer is like "cool they can only buy the store brand cheese and can't really splurge on the name brand cheese", and the other writer is like "cool they will have to settle for a $500 bottle of wine on their anniversary, and can't splurge on a trip to Paris."

This reminds me of that politician who said something along the lines of "poor people should just borrow money from there parents." Many people cannot understand what being poor entails. At least most of us know that poor people cannot borrow money from there parents in order to work there way out of being poor.

[Then again we all know folks who live beyond their means. It is impressive that people can be wicked smart, but money stupid. I have friends who cannot afford $500 a month in rent, but think that they could pull off a $250,000 mortgage. My sister is likely a genius, and cannot figure money out, for example.]

-----

Something that also breaks my immersion is how many candles they use in period pieces. Candles were (are?) expensive! Just about nobody has that kind of wax money to burn! Intermission at the theater was to change the candles, and wealthy people paid for those candles. This would be like using a couple dozen light bulbs that would burn out in 4-hours every day. I would not replace those light bulbs every damned day . . . I would not have the inclination to go to the store, buy a bunch of light-bulbs, tote them home, store them, and then go install them . . . every day! Who has the time to waist? The whole set-up breaks the fourth wall.

[Peelee]

[Then again we all know folks who live beyond their means. It is impressive that people can be wicked smart, but money stupid. I have friends who cannot afford $500 a month in rent, but think that they could pull off a $250,000 mortgage.]

Let's be fair here, it doesn't help that the banks tell them that they can totally that mortgage.