Question: Why isn't Heather Graham credited in the end credits?
raywest
14th Jun 2014
Anger Management (2003)
12th Jun 2014
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: At the Ewok village, Luke tells Leia that she is the only hope for the Alliance if he doesn't return from his meeting with Darth Vader. However, if he had died, how could she have become a Jedi? Would the ghosts of Luke, Yoda, or Obi-wan have trained her?
Answer: It is quite possible their spirits could have contacted her, and while she may not be able to be trained as a Jedi, they could certainly guide her into developing her powers to use the Force that would help her lead the rebellion. There may even be other Jedi still alive that she would find out about.
Answer: That Leia is the rebellion's last hope is a separate point from her being able to use the force. Luke doesn't necessarily suggest that Leia can become a trained Jedi without anyone to train her; simply that she is already a formidable warrior who is intelligent and resourceful, and now he can confirm that the force is with her, so she can indeed put her absolute trust in her own instincts.
10th Jun 2014
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Question: Do the dementors have personalities and souls? I thought they didn't, but in one chapter (I can't remember which at the moment), someone says that the Dementors "wanted to help."
Answer: They are sentient, therefore having at least some type of personality, and they are able to communicate with wizards. Otherwise they would be incapable of guarding Azkaban prison or take orders from the Ministry of Magic, and also from Dumbledore when they were guarding Hogwarts. It can only be assumed whether or not they have a soul.
10th Jun 2014
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: When Petunia says that her parents were "so proud to have a witch in the family" (referring to Lily), she seems to imply that they had previously been aware of the wizarding world, despite being Muggles. After all, most people would be shocked to learn that magic, wizards, witches, etc. Really exist. Did the Evans know about it?
Answer: No, they did not know about the magical world until after they were contacted by Hogwarts about Lily being a witch. Petunia, who had a long-standing grudge and resentment toward her sister's magical ability, is referring to how her parents were proud of Lily once she began her magical training.
29th May 2014
The Sting (1973)
Question: What horse actually won the race that Lonigan bets on Lucky Dan to win?
Chosen answer: I watched this the other night and specifically listened for what horse won the race that Lucky Dan was running in. It is never revealed who the winner is, because while the fake announcer in the back room is calling the race, the F.B.I. agents raid the building. During the ensuing chaos, shouting, and gunfire, it is impossible to hear the broadcast over the noise.
9th Jun 2014
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Question: Why did Harry and Ron get into so much trouble for using the flying car in "Chamber of Secrets", but in this movie/book, the Order of the Phoenix members openly fly on broomsticks?
Answer: Ron and Harry, who were under-aged, took the car without permission, flew it haphazardly, nearly got Harry killed, were seen by Muggles and it was reported in the Muggle news. They also crashed the car into the Whomping Willow, causing much damage and could have injured others at Hogwarts. Their actions also got Mr. Weasley into trouble with the Ministry of Magic, because Mr. Weasley bewitched a muggle object which is illegal by wizards' law. When the Order of the Phoenix is moving Harry to a safe house, it was carefully planned and precautions were taken to avoid being seen, much like how the Knight Bus is always undetectable to Muggles.
They flew next to a ferry which would also be a bad idea.
Even though it's illegal to bewitch a muggle object, several wizards have enchanted cars. The ministry of magic owns several enchanted cars. Think about the Knight bus, not illegal. So Mr. Weasley was not in trouble for that.
6th Jun 2014
Rebecca (1940)
Question: While the De Winters are watching their honeymoon photos, the girl says "I suppose that's why you married me, because you knew I was dull and gauche and inexperienced, and there would never be any gossip about me." Maxim stops the film and, looking like death, says "Gossip! What do you mean?" She says "I don't know. Don't look at me like that. What's the matter? What have I said?" Maxim says "It wasn't a very attractive thing to say, was it?" She says "No. It was rude, hateful." Now, why did she say that? And why did Maxim say what he said? All she said was "There won't be any gossip about me." What's the problem with that?
Chosen answer: Maxim was previously married (unhappily) to Rebecca, who died tragically and under rather mysterious (and suspicious) circumstances, sparking rumors. Maxim thinks his new wife is referring to that, but she knows nothing about it and was only making an innocent remark, unaware of the rumors. The "rude, hateful" part probably refers to the "dull and gauche and inexperienced" comment - she probably thinks that is what caused his reaction, rather than the "gossip" comment, given she doesn't know the rumors. She is very young and naive and feels inadequate as the wife of a wealthy man. Maxim is older, intimidating her somewhat, and she was confused by his angry outburst.
3rd Jun 2014
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: After Pippin touches the Palantir and he is lying on the ground, is he dead then brought to life by Gandalf? I was under the impression he was dead at first because he is lying with his eyes open then Gandalf closes his eyes with his hand. Why is he lying with his eyes open? Why does Gandalf put his hand over his eyes?
2nd Jun 2014
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: When the Fat Lady portrait is found shredded (by Sirius) there is a baby crying. In the scene you can see a youngish girl holding a crying baby, off to the left in the screen. Why is there a baby at Hogwarts?
26th May 2014
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Question: When Lucius arrives at Hagrid's house, he says that he "called" the school and found out that Dumbledore was with Hagrid. Would Hogwarts have a telephone, seeing how a lot of Muggle technology is shunned in the wizarding world?
Answer: He did not mean that he called on a telephone. It is possible he used the floo network to communicate with the school, but in this instance, he means that he "called on" the school, or more precisely, called on Dumbledore to deliver bad news. To "call on" someone or something, means you go to see them in person.
26th May 2014
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: In the answer to another question here, it says that Dumbledore wanted the other teachers to keep Remus' werewolf condition a secret. Wouldn't Severus get into trouble for trying to teach the Defense Against Dark Arts class about werewolves?
Answer: Snape is clever enough to know how to circumvent getting into any serious trouble, though Dumbledore probably was displeased by what he did. Werewolves were a standard part of the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum, though, when subbing for Lupin, he decided to cover the subject weeks ahead of schedule in the hopes a student would recognize that Lupin was a werewolf without it being him directly giving away the secret. Of course, it was Hermione who figured it out, though she kept that knowledge to herself until it became necessary to reveal it.
20th May 2014
General questions
There is a movie about a boy who is a part of his school's swim team. He eventually discovers that he's a merman. To make things problematic, he is stalked by a man who, during a swim competition, notices fins start to appear on the kid's legs.
1st May 2014
Serendipity (2001)
Question: At the end of the movie when Jonathan is lying in the middle of the rink, you can see the skaters skating around him. However, everyone is wearing roller blades, not ice skates. I was under the impression that this was an ice skating rink, not a roller skating rink. Am I wrong about that, or is this another blooper?
Answer: It is not a movie mistake. The scenes were filmed at the Trump Skating Rink (formerly called the Wollman Rink) in New York City's Central Park. The arena has traditionally been used for multiple venues throughout the year including ice skating, roller skating, concerts, carnivals, etc.
29th Apr 2014
Hairspray (2007)
Question: Why is it that Tracy's hair keeps getting more and more highlights through scenes?
Answer: I believe her hair is also symbolic of white and black integration.
Chosen answer: It's common for filmmakers to subtly alter a character's appearance throughout the film to reflect how the character changes. In this case, as Tracy comes out of her shell, her personality becomes brighter, stronger, and more pronounced, and that is shown by her increasingly lighter hair.
7th May 2014
Fargo (1996)
Question: Gaear gets the kidnapping job from his friend Shep. He can choose anybody he wants to help him do it. Why does he choose Carl, a person he obviously can't stand? They don't "fall out" - Gaear hates him from the get-go. And don't say that Gaear deliberately chose someone he disliked because he planned to kill him all along. Yeah, right... Planned to bring an axe to a gunfight. Great plan. Granted, it worked. But that was not planned. Anyway, Gaear is all ursine impulse, not organized forethought. So why Carl?
Answer: Gaear would choose who he thought was the best person to help him pull off the job, regardless of whether or not he likes him. He's not particularly intelligent, and Carl is the smarter of the two and that would be an asset. Gaear also appears to be very anti-social and it's doubtful he has any friends, or at least any that would participate in such a plot, and this may be the only person he knows of who will go along with it. His choice really has little to do with liking someone and everything to do with getting the job done. Gaear may very well have intended to kill him later to help eliminate any ties to the crime and to keep the money. It's easier to kill someone he doesn't like.
All good points! I might add Gaear was "mostly brawn." His limited intelligence ("dull normal" at best?) and lack of basic communication skills ["Where's pancakes house?"] would interfere with his ability to engage in constructive conversations with Jerry to arrange the kidnapping. He'd also have difficulty making a plan and following through on his own. Gaear wouldn't have any problem overpowering a person to be kidnapped, but needed someone like Carl to make the before and after plans.
5th May 2014
CSI: NY (2004)
Question: Why in season 9 do so many of the episodes follow many of the characters on their days off?
Chosen answer: Probably to broaden the scope of the show's plot and give the audience a chance to see the characters in a different setting, People act differently at home from the way they do at their workplace. By the ninth season, the characters would have become overly familiar and predictable. It gives the writers a chance to do something different with them.
5th May 2014
The Parent Trap (1998)
Question: How old are Nick and Elizabeth? Hallie says that Nick's fiancee, Meredith, is young enough to be her sister. This would imply that Nick is at least sixteen years past Meredith's age, twenty-six. That would make him forty-two, so he was thirty or thirty-one at the time the girls were born. However, Meredith left Nick because they were "so young" and didn't get along. The early thirties years are not usually considered young ages for getting married and having children.
Answer: The marriage certificate at the very beginning of the film says he was 24 (in Jan 1986). Thus, in the summer of 1998 he would be about 36/37 (depending on when his birthday is), and so is about 10 years older than Meredith. An 11-year old would probably view this age difference as greater than adults would.
Answer: It depends on your point-of-view. Youngsters often consider people in their 30s as being "old" while more mature adults over the age of 40, would consider someone in their early to mid thirties as still being very young. Everyone matures at a different rate, and some people in their early 30s still think and act like they're much younger.
1st May 2014
The Godfather (1972)
Question: In the Vito Corleone funeral scene at the grave site, the family is sitting before the coffin, Fredo is absent, where is he?
Answer: Freddy had been sent to Las Vegas after the Don was shot, not only to learn the casino business but also because he was emotionally traumatized by the murder attempt. He was also severely affected by his brother Sonny's death. Attending his father's funeral would have been too much for him, becoming overwrought and making a scene. Michael, now head of the family, would not have wanted this.
26th Apr 2014
Rocky V (1990)
Question: When Rocky goes bankrupt, I find it hard to believe that he couldn't have kept his lifestyle. With his popularity as champion, couldn't he be hired as an analyst for ESPN, Showtime or HBO? What about a book deal? He could have even done speaking engagements and appeared at shows for five figures. Or even do commercials?
Answer: Rocky is bankrupt due to his manager's mismanagement and is now nearly one million dollars in debt. Any money he could make from endorsements, commercials, etc. would only be garnished. He also suffers from depression and was diagnosed with having some brain damage from his last fight, possibly making him unsuitable as a spokesperson, public speaker, or sports analyst. Of course, it also serves the plot better if Rocky is in more dire circumstances.
It was a great storyline for the film, but in actuality, a person as large as Rocky was in the film series, a million dollars in debt surely would not have hurt him financially and caused him to go back to the ghetto of Philadelphia, as much wealth that he accumulated after his fights with Apollo after Part Two.
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Chosen answer: There are a number of reasons actors are sometimes unlisted in the credits. If it's a surprise cameo appearance, then the name is withheld to keep that information from leaking out before the movie is released. Also, some actors appear in another actor's movie as a favor because they are friends. They may receive only a scale wage or even nothing at all. Being listed in the credits would involve more contractual negotiations, different salary, affect the film's marketing, etc. Being unlisted simplifies everything.
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