what they didn't notice

The way that at some point the filmmakers cram a huge chunk of the story into what amounts to a music video.

Tracer, you didn't say, but I assume that you're talking strictly about period pieces or futuric movies made in the seventies? Otherwise I think I can take a stab at what it is about Saturday Night Fever that gives it away. I'm hilarious. Anyway, with the period pieces, I know what you mean, So often it's the make up. I mean, did fin de siecle ladies really wear so many contempory looking subtle eye shadows and muted lip glosses?

Kim is there something about today's makeup that we think we've got down but that will stick out like a sore thumb? Like the "80s drum sound". And it doesn't HAVE to be a period piece; many movies claim to be about a much vaguer time/place than the costuming and makeup will admit. I'm asking this partly because it's always very tempting to convince oneself that the world's come to the "end of fashion". There have been articles in the NY Times magazine, for instance, about a kind of de facto "global style" that's emerged and solidified among slightly-hep youth of the world - solid colors, plain shoes, cargo pants, etc. It DOES seem like fashion has "slowed down" - it's hard for me to distinguish between a movie made in 1991 and a movie made in 2001. But surely this is bunk.

Well, it's a good question. I'm trying to think of specific things now. Glitter for one. There has been a lot of sparkle added to skin and costumes during the past five years or so that is bound to seem dated very soon (if not already). It may seem funny, but perhaps it's the 'polished' natural look that's going to give us away. The looseness of the hairstyles, the simplicity and close fit of so many clothes. I think that's changing already though and will be more obvious once something opposite along the lines of big immovable hair and structured, boxy clothing has come back into fashion. Don't say never - it could happen. :)