Gavin Jackson

17th Mar 2020

Grease (1978)

Question: During the car race, we see Cha-cha say "Cmon babe." Is she referring to Danny or the Scorpions leader? (Remember that Danny wasn't originally supposed to be the driver).

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: She's referring to Leo, the leader of the Scorpions.

Super Grover

Answer: I think she's secretly meaning Danny because at the dance she calls him "Zuko Baby" and then at the race she says "c'mon baby"

Question: If Rey was powerful enough to realise that Chewbacca was still alive on another spaceship (remember that they were in space and the ship was probably a far distance away), why did she have no clue that he wasn't on the cargo ship right in front of her (the one her and Kylo accidentally blew up)?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: At this point Rey had just been involved in a test of power versus Kylo Ren - she was probably far too stressed at the time so couldn't determine whether Chewbacca was onboard or not.

True. However she may have been more baffled by the blue lightning strike that she just cast.

Question: This has always baffled me. When Ryan is talking to Jeffrey Pelt and Pelt asks him what he's supposed to do if Ramius is in fact trying to defect, Ryan responds that that they should grab the sub and Pelt responds that it is a billion dollar sub and the Russians are "gonna want it back." But Greer when first telling Ryan the news of the Red October's theft said that the Russians wanted the US's help to sink her. In other words the Russians wanted the Red October destroyed, not returned. And Pelt's counter argument made little sense (as grabbing the sub was indeed an option). Was this just poor writing or what?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: Actually it makes perfect sense. The Russians do not want the sub falling into the American's hands, period. They want to retrieve it themselves or sink it. While it would be a great financial loss to destroy it, it would be much more damaging to have the Americans capture it, because they would then be able to reverse engineer the new design.

26th Sep 2019

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Question: Where was Gamora during the funeral scene and when the Guardians leave at the end. Was she just hiding on earth or something?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: This version of Gamora had abandoned Thanos, but she is also not a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, so she flees to parts unknown. There's an alternate version of the scene when Tony dies showing all the heroes bowing to him, with Gamora looking back at Tony momentarily before heading off all by herself.

Phaneron

11th May 2019

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Answer: This is right out of the comics. When Steve Rogers retires as Captain America in All-New Captain America #1, he passes the mantle to Sam Wilson.

wizard_of_gore

Answer: Steve Rogers didn't have super strength when he was chosen to be Cap. His demeanor, personality, and selflessness earned him the mantle. The abilities came with it.

DetectiveGadget85

His character earned him the slot in the super soldier program - his abilities are a direct result of the now-unavailable super soldier serum. Falcon is highly skilled and trained, doesn't mean he can't do a good job as a "new" Captain America with a different skillset, but he won't have the same strength and speed.

Answer: As shown throughout the events of the "Captain America" and "Avengers" sequels, Cap and Sam are very much kindred spirits with a great deal in common. Cap thus saw him as the perfect person to pass the mantle onto.

TedStixon

10th Mar 2019

Stargate (1994)

Question: When Jackson and O'Neill send the nuclear bomb up to Ra's spaceship, why didn't he simply send it down again? Sure it wouldn't have made it back to ground before detonation, but at least his ship may have been spared.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: When Ra saw the bomb, he realised that it was a few seconds away from detonation. There wouldn't have been enough time to send it back.

28th Dec 2018

Commando (1985)

Question: The villain's whole plan was to force John Matrix to kill some foreign president by holding his daughter hostage. So why at the beginning were they killing members of his unit? That seemed rather pointless to me.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: They didn't know where Matrix lived. They were killing Matrix's old unit because they knew if they did General Kirby would make physical contact with Matrix to warn him. They simply followed Kirby to Matrix's home.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: To flush him out into the open. By killing his unit it will make it more likely he will want revenge and come out into the open making him a target.

Ssiscool

13th Dec 2018

Halloween (2018)

Question: Does anyone know which scenes Nick Castle is playing Michael Myers? I know he is Myers when Laurie tries to shoot him through the window and the after credits breathing was his. But is it him any other times?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: You didn't mention the opening scene; I'm sure you know it's him up till he gets his mask back, right?

No, it's not. That's James Jude Courtney playing Michael in the unmasked scenes.

dewinela

Answer: Based on multiple things that I've heard, those are the only two times Nick Castle is on screen. He was mostly just there to help James Jude Courtney get the mannerisms down.

hbkedge3

I had read in Halloweenmovies.com and other Michael Myers Instagram accounts that I follow, that was Nick Castle in the closet when the baby sitter Vicky opened the door.

3rd Dec 2018

Gremlins (1984)

Question: If Gizmo is not allowed to come in contact with water, then how is he so clean? Since they can't wash him, wouldn't he be smelly and covered in grime?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: In the original script it was mentioned that mogwais could not reproduce if the water was below 25° (which is why the snow doesn't cause them to multiply). So it's feasible they could be washed with ice water. In addition, there are other methods of cleaning that don't require water (e.g. dry cleaning).

Bishop73

Answer: There's a possibility that Mr. Wing, Gizmo's first caretaker, used dry shampoo to keep him clean.

Answer: Google "dust bath" it's something a number of small animals do to keep clean in the absence of water (pet animals too, like chinchillas).

dizzyd

26th Oct 2018

Rocky IV (1985)

Question: During the press conferences, Is there any reason why Drago remained quiet? My best guesses are a) He's shy during Q and A's, b) Just a pride thing, or c) he's simply been ordered by his superiors not to speak. Anyone know for sure?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Being Russian, English was not his first language and it may have been felt that he could not articulate himself well enough to where he wouldn't be misunderstood or misquoted.

raywest

Answer: To make him appear more menacing and machine like.

The_Iceman

Answer: There are many theories and claims, but there seem to be no definitive answer. My take is that Drago was shy and pretty much a puppet of his wife and nation, both obsessed with creating a "stone cold iron machine" in where a human personality is only in the way This theory is supported by the fact that when Rocky starts winning over Drago's respect, Drago (instead of his seemingly shy and yet cold demeanor) starts shouting something like "I AM NOT FIGHTING FOR ANY OF YOU ANYMORE! THIS FIGHT IS FOR ME! I AM FIGHTING FOR ME!" Ignoring the boos of the crowd and garnering a slight smile from Rocky Drago seemingly regains a bit of himself, his own identity during the fight of his life.

24th Oct 2018

Trainspotting (1996)

Chosen answer: Renton is wet to recall the toilet diving scene. See "The Story Behind the Groundbreaking Trainspotting Poster" on the Vice website for details.

Question: Why did Qi'ra choose to kill Dryden Vos and spare Han? Was it because she loved Han, or simply because she decided that she would rather work for Darth Maul instead?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Qi'ra's motivations are purposefully vague. It could be she killed Vos because she loved Han. It could be a simple power play, as she did not like being a slave to Vos. It could be a combination of both: she was able to save Han and also gain a position of power by killing Vos. We'll likely never know the answer as a follow up to Solo seems unlikely at this point.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: In the US, can you really be taken to a police station for (presumably) making a phony phone call? To me it seems like a waste of resources since it is probably a common occurrence. Also Jeannie would have stuck to her story that it was true...as break-ins do happen all the time.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: In the United States, phoning in a false report to police can be treated as either a misdemeanor or felony offense (depending on jurisdiction). A false report is considered obstructing law enforcement, which is pretty serious. A misdemeanor offense can result in jail time of a year or less, while a felony offense can result in more than a year's jail time and heavy fines. The important factor that makes it a crime is knowingly trying to mislead the police, not accidentally reporting false information. In "Ferris Beuller's Day Off," Jean was not trying to mislead the police; but, lacking evidence, the police assumed she was knowingly phoning in a false report, so they arrested her (probably on a misdemeanor).

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Illinois law makes making a false report on 911 a form of disorderly conduct.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: I think the main thing was Jeanie wasn't in school and was probably taken in for truancy as well as the supposedly phony call. But it's unlikely that they would have taken her to the police station if she was picked up at home.

Bishop73

3rd Sep 2018

True Lies (1994)

Question: Was this film a box office hit, did it flop or simply break even? I have heard nothing about it being a huge money-maker. And of all James Cameron's films, it seems to have gotten the least mention (the controversial strip tease scene might be one reason). So I was wondering if someone could clarify it once and for all?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: True Lies did well, earning about $379m worldwide from a $100m+ budget, the first movie to have a production budget that high. It was the third highest grossing movie of 1994.

Jon Sandys

Answer: There was supposed to be a sequel but after 9/11. Middle East Terrorism seemed in poor taste to James Cameron.

Question: How did Claire get into the closet where Bender was? Vernon locked the door when he left and Bender had to crawl through the ceiling to get out and back in. So how did Claire simply open the door?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: The key may have been left in the door knob, Bender wouldn't have known that so he returned the same way he left. Real question is how did Claire know which closet he was locked in?

Answer: Perhaps she picked the lock.

Alan Keddie

Claire closed the door once she entered. Which means if she had picked it, then she would have locked herself in. I highly doubt she wanted to perform the ceiling crawl.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: Claire didn't have to pick a lock and the door doesn't lock automatically! It's plain to see: The storeroom door is closed behind Vernon and Bender. As Vernon leaves, he uses the doorhandle and then fumbles around on the outside, "locking" the door without a key. It very much looks as if Paul Gleason acts that there's a working lock. Inattentive viewers may then mistake the door from the next shot for that of the storeroom, but it states: Faculty Lounge. As for "how did she know"? *sigh* How about something so boring that wasn't worth filming it: When Bender returned, they asked what happened and he simply told them! The real question is: How scared must he have been after Vernon's bullying to crawl back through the ceiling (risking another fall) when Claire obviously managed to sneak out and meet him?

Answer: Think of any manufacturing process. Samples of new products are frequently created and then immediately destroyed. Also, the new replicant would require processing, training, etc. It was simpler for him to just dispose of the test.

Answer: He was being violently petulant at the moment, angry that he couldn't create and control the birth that he just learned occurred with older-model replicants and seeing his new creation as "flawed" by design. Pretty villainous, he cares nothing for the replicants.

Erik M.

Chosen answer: For two reasons, one to be polite and not act suspiciously, if he acted nervous or uncomfortable, the sheriff would be wary of him. Second, so the sheriff would leave quickly in case he had no cash or wanted to pay with a credit card. There were no slide cards back in the 1970's.

Question: In the first film, Frank took on all the world leaders and proved himself to be a skilled fighter. So why is his fight scene in this film with Hector Savage so awkward and shows Frank as being a clueless fighter?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: It was also stated in the movie that Savage was a professional fighter. Therefore Frank would be no match for him.

lartaker1975

Answer: Rule of funny.

Answer: Just because he beat up a group of people doesn't mean he can beat anybody. Hector may have been stronger whereas the leaders may have been a bit weaker than him.

Question: In Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Luke's replacement hand looks like a normal human one (though it was mechanical). In this film he has a more obviously robotic hand. Other than to remind today's audiences that he previously lost his hand, was there any point to this change?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: The outer skin could have been destroyed when Ben attacked Luke and ransacked the temple. We see Luke's robotic hand rise out of the rubble. Perhaps it had skin before that, and Luke never fixed it as a reminder of his "failure."

Answer: At the beginning of Return of the Jedi Luke gets shot in the robotic hand and just wears a glove over it for the whole movie even though he could have had the skin fixed. Apparently in the many years between the movies he never bothered having any damage to the face flesh and skin fixed.

Answer: After thirty plus years, it could just be the natural degradation of the organic flesh covering the robotic parts.

Answer: He likely downgraded to a simpler, easier to maintain version at some point. Presumably before going off to the island.

The robotic hand Luke has in The Last Jedi has the scorch mark he got from a blaster from Return of the Jedi. It's the same hand, just without the artificial skin covering.

Bishop73

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.