Posted on Oct 13, 2014
What ONE incorrectly depicted thing pisses you off most about military movies?
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My question is really no more complicated than that.
For me, it is the rendering of the salute. Hands down. No second place. This pisses me off to no end!
In my opinion, this is THE most important of all military courtesies, and it should always be given with the most possible precision and exacting attention to detail.
FFS! It is something that is taught to every 'cruit in week 1 of basic training! It is perfected throughout training! In a military movie, this should be the EASIEST thing to get right!
It seems to me, that if an actor or actress can spend weeks or months learning hundreds, if not thousands of lines of dialog for a movie, they can at least spend an afternoon or a day, practicing with the advisor (there is ALWAYS an advisor who is a Vet or SM) on the set until they get it right.
I know there are bigger, or more obvious problems with some military movies. Weapons or uniforms or lingo that is anachronistic to the time period of the battle on screen...but DAMMIT, getting the salute wrong in any time period just frosts my shorts!
Usually, it's a fail with what I call the, "I'm shading my eyes from the sun" salute. Your f'n hand doesn't belong on your forehead like you're trying to watch the right fielder shag the fly ball! It belongs where you were TAUGHT to place it!
I find myself commenting out loud to friends, while watching movies that jack this up...they don't seem to understand why it pisses me off so much.
What does it for you?
For me, it is the rendering of the salute. Hands down. No second place. This pisses me off to no end!
In my opinion, this is THE most important of all military courtesies, and it should always be given with the most possible precision and exacting attention to detail.
FFS! It is something that is taught to every 'cruit in week 1 of basic training! It is perfected throughout training! In a military movie, this should be the EASIEST thing to get right!
It seems to me, that if an actor or actress can spend weeks or months learning hundreds, if not thousands of lines of dialog for a movie, they can at least spend an afternoon or a day, practicing with the advisor (there is ALWAYS an advisor who is a Vet or SM) on the set until they get it right.
I know there are bigger, or more obvious problems with some military movies. Weapons or uniforms or lingo that is anachronistic to the time period of the battle on screen...but DAMMIT, getting the salute wrong in any time period just frosts my shorts!
Usually, it's a fail with what I call the, "I'm shading my eyes from the sun" salute. Your f'n hand doesn't belong on your forehead like you're trying to watch the right fielder shag the fly ball! It belongs where you were TAUGHT to place it!
I find myself commenting out loud to friends, while watching movies that jack this up...they don't seem to understand why it pisses me off so much.
What does it for you?
Saluting
Movies
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 264
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There are a good many points already made that I could bring up. One that annoys me tremendously is how officers are portrayed as incompetent, petulant narcissists (bear in mind that I've a decade on both sides of the E/O line). I have met some people who never should have been commissioned, I have also met NCOs and enlisted oxygen thieves as well. It just seems that there is this idea that Lieutenants and Captains spend their time ruining missions while screaming "I'm in charge!!! You guys....listen to me!! I'm in charge!!"
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SP5 Terry Pool
I agree with you completely CPT! The way that Lt Steven Hawk (Hauk) was portrayed in Good Morning Vietnam was an insult to the Commissioned Officers of the Army! Some Lt. that is an ROTC graduate might feel like "you're supposed to salute me, that's what being an officer is all about." But any officer and anyone in the Army knows that the likely hood of that type of thing happening in the "real Army" is pretty slim as all enlisted are taught form the start that you render a proper salute when addressing any commissioned officer or warrant officer and give the proper salutation as well! I've known some amazing CPT's and Lieutenants and get angry when they portray any officer as an idiot or incompetent individual.
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I hate how people in movies alway cock and re-cock shotguns every time they are about to 'go into action' .
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PO1 Robert Wikert
Yeah or the western where the soldiers cock and re-cock the Winchester 74 or Henry, by the time they get ready to actually fire them they should be out of ammo...
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Sgt Dan Catlin
And don't forget racking a round into your service pistol before fireing ... the SAME pistol you were just holding prisoners at bay with!
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My list is long, but...
Technical: Battleship - (among many problems) Having about 2 dozen WWII vets taking the USS Missouri into combat, then swing the 60,000 ton battlewagon 90 degrees on an anchor chain...
Uniform: [Forgot the movie] - Senior officer was wearing a Surface Warfare Pin ON EACH OF HIS COLLARS!!!! Had to pause the movie to recover...
Technical: Battleship - (among many problems) Having about 2 dozen WWII vets taking the USS Missouri into combat, then swing the 60,000 ton battlewagon 90 degrees on an anchor chain...
Uniform: [Forgot the movie] - Senior officer was wearing a Surface Warfare Pin ON EACH OF HIS COLLARS!!!! Had to pause the movie to recover...
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SrA Marc Haynes
Yes and that USS Missouri (great state by the way) actually had live ammunition on board and it worked.
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HN (Join to see)
Along with the CO the Chief being on the boarding craft? LMAO
Where's deck seamen, BM3, MA3, GM3's when you need them!?
....I facepalmed my ass off.
Where's deck seamen, BM3, MA3, GM3's when you need them!?
....I facepalmed my ass off.
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15
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Grooming standards. How many military movies have you seen with guys with out of regs hair cuts or facial hair...drives me nuts. And it drives my wife nuts listening to me bitch about it.
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A Marines uniform that's wrong just makes my eye's cross. But a Marine in a dress uniform with hair hanging over the back of his collar just makes me wanna scream.
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For me, if not the salute, it's the beret. I can't take someone seriously as an SFRangerSealCAGOperator with that bag on his head.
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CMSgt (Join to see)
I love this movie!! "Private BEEN-YAH-MEEN, please to come here with the peen..." (Her Boss at SHAPE.) :)
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Haircuts, haircuts and haircuts. Actors want to get paid the big bucks to play Marines, but don't want to get a proper haircut.
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I loathe the portrayal of horrible stereotypes: the clueless lieutenant, the NCO who only knows his/her rules, the hard nose colonel who doesn't accept suggestions, the omnipotent private. Professional Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines know how they fit into the larger situation. This problem is rampant in 1980s military movies, and has gotten better in recent years. However, you still see it, and it often carries an aura of a writer who seems to have a grudge against a specific group of individuals.
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LTC (Join to see)
I've never really watched it, but I know about it. I enjoy satire. I burned up my copy of the Pentagon Wars and had to buy a new copy. What drives me bonkers is when a serious movie plays on these types of stereotypes. Heartbreak Ridge, albeit entertaining, plays on all of these.
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MAJ Chris Ballard
To me it seems less like a grudge and more like lazy writing from someone who only knows the military from other writers who have never met anyone in the military. I especially hate the stereotypical military voice they think everyone has to use, like every time anyone in the military opens his mouth they use their parade ground voice.
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Definitely dress and appearance issues... Perfectly coifed hair on men or women in uniform.. When they have a female with long flowing locks and perfect glamour makeup in "dress uniform"--and there seems to be an abundance of high heels and clipboards.
Basically, when they pimp out any version of the uniform. ((exhale))
Basically, when they pimp out any version of the uniform. ((exhale))
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The Salute, is always jacked up, either they place their hands in the wrong spot, or take the salute down before the officer even raises his...
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