...so how did he get some of those items? like the subway ticket, or the key to the janitor's closet at the mall?
Or for that matter, how did he even mail them? Supposedly he's being closely watched, but no one thinks it's suspicious that he disposed of all his stock and that he mailed himself a bunch of seemingly random items.
shareMaybe there is some large computer network with millions of servers that allows people to log into them to purchase things from vendors and be sent to their homes. Nah, that's way to far fetched.
shareHaha i saw what you did there...
*There is no such thing as reality only what we perceive through our poor inadequate senses*
Afleck's character worked there for 5 years, plenty of time to get to know people who were able to come and go. In fact he was probably the only one who could not leave. After all this is supposed to be a big multinational company so I very much doubt each employee was under the same restriction that he was.
shareHe actually worked there three years.
shareAlmost everything could be explained by remote purchases, especially when you throw a future-seeing machine into the mix.
But how did he and Uma Thurman wind up having a favorite restaurant off campus? They didn't start dating until after he started working there.
Who said it was their favorite restaurant? It might be just some restaurant they've discussed so Ben Afleck knew that she's gonna know where it is when he make reservation and leave note on a mirror.
Who said they even discussed it? The message in the mirror tells her where to go, there's nothing to suggest that either of them had ever been there before.
shareI figured he was allowed to leave. During that three years, he had a relationship with Rachel, which he forgot about when they wiped his memory.
If you can read this then you are trying too hard.
First, I love Philip K. Dick, and most of his stories. Having said that, I have to agree that the plot holes are enormous. I don't know that much about lotteries, but I don't think you can pick your own personal number. The fact that he saw it in the future doesn't mean he could beat the odds we all face when buying lottery tickets. The primary difficulty is with EVERYTHING he planned. Since he was not able to go off-campus, he could not have set this all up, AND mail an envelope to himself from confinement. The only way this works is to follow one of Theatre's prime directives: "suspension of disbelief", and enjoy!
shareyou can actually pick your numbers when you buy a lottery tickets. at least thats how all the lotteries I know of work...unless i misunderstood what you are trying to say...?
[deleted]
The UK National Lottery rules allow you to pick your own numbers. Perhaps you and "lray-mckamy" were thinking of scratch cards?
"There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes!"
"I figured he was allowed to leave."
You figured wrong.
It's clearly SAID OUT LOUD in the movie that he is NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE PREMISES for the duration of his work.
(Though I can't remember the exact wording)
Second, he could NOT have just ordered stuff from the large network of millions of computers (internet), because then the woman would not have kept repeating: "You sent these items".
She didn't say: "You ordered these items", she didn't say "You sent for these items", she didn't say "You had these items sent for you".
She said: "You SENT these items".
1) He could not leave the area
2) He sent items to himself
So, where did he send the items from?
If the 'time scoop' works like in the short story, there's some kind of "claw" that the operator can use to 'scoop' things from the future, so that would explain how he got the items - but how he SENT them, and where from - that's a difficult question to answer. But he clearly made reservations in restaurants and things - so apparently he was allowed phone calls outside the corporation ..
Plotholes.. unlike the original story (that I just read), this movie has such ridiculousness (smoke alarm makes the room blink red color and fills it with smoke instead of water or extinguishing stuff that doesn't impair anyone's vision) and huge plotholes that it's not even funny.
And of course the typical 'injected romance' crap, with the ugliest hollywood 'romance hag' really doesn't help.
But I take this flick as harmless comedy, that has some nice visuals and at least tries to tinker with an interesting premise. It's a John Woo-movie, and that's like a Stallone movie - you don't watch those for their intellectual content or tightly-knitted, well thought-out plot - it's best to just forget the plot to enjoy the movie, and not take the movie too seriously. Even the short story was a bit ridiculous (so they use film in the future, and drink a lot of scotch..), but the movie takes it to a whole other level.
I am the kind of individual, who, when seeing something promising but stupid, or relatively easy to improve in some way, gets sort of inspired. It's like, "Hey, I could make a better movie, if I had the resources to make movies" ..
Well, at least I could write a better story, but then, some Dick already did.
Not sure what you're getting at. He can't leave the premises but other people can. He gets those people to get the things and bring them to him. Then he sends them to himself. Simples.
shareI know they had to do things to create a mystery and tension in the film, but realistically. Why didn't he just write himself a letter explaining in detail what this was all about and what to do? Instead of leaving himself cryptic items just hoping he would happen to know what to do. This movie had wayyhey too many plot holes.
"Why didn't he just write himself a letter explaining in detail what this was all about and what to do?"
Absolutely if he could mail himself the other items, he could have mailed himself a letter and we could have had the 45 minute special edition.
"This movie had wayyhey too many plot holes"
Too true unfortunately beginning with the one that the OP has pointed out.
It begs the question why didn't some enlightened script editor just blue line the offending sentence regarding staying on site for 3 years. It wouldn't have made any difference to the rest of the film.
I don't think so, the thing is how he could manage to escape without letting the others knowing his moves, I think if he wrote himself a letter the others (bad guys) will see it and they will know what he's trying to do. But with this things they will not pay attention to it 'cause it doesn't have anything special that's will bring any attention.
shareI was being facetious.
The main point of my post was..."why didn't some enlightened script editor just blue line the offending sentence regarding staying on site for 3 years. It wouldn't have made any difference to the rest of the film."