Question: What song is Professor Lupin playing while everyone is learning Riddikulus?
raywest
28th Jun 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
28th Jun 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Snape promised Dumbledore that he would protect Harry. When Snape found out that the flying car was seen by Muggles, he tells Harry and Ron that he'll have them both expelled. Why would Snape expel Harry? Doesn't he realise that if he expels Harry, he won't be able to protect him?
Answer: What Dumbledore or Snape say and what actually happens are two different things. Dumbledore may threaten expulsion, but his intent is to scare them into behaving. It's doubtful he ever would, particularly Harry. Snape is always torn between his promise to protect Harry and his hatred for him. He is usually being reactive, and his misplaced animosity is irrational because it is Harry's father, James, that he actually despised. He also loved Harry's mother, so he would always protect Harry because of that. Also, one professor cannot expel a student. There would be an official hearing, and Dumbledore would make the final decision. As the other answer pointed out, Harry would still be protected by the Order. He is also magically protected by his mother's blood until he turns 17 years old, as he is when he spends summers at the Dursleys.
Answer: Snape, and others, could certainly watch and protect Harry outside of Hogwarts. Members of the Order of the Phoenix watch him later on, before his fifth year of school begins. Also, in the "Chamber of Secrets" book, Dumbledore tells Harry and Ron, "If you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you." Even he considered the possibility of Harry not finishing school.
25th Jun 2023
Anastasia (1997)
Question: In both Anastasia's ballroom daydream and nightmare scene, why is it her sisters are the only ones who age and not her brother?
Answer: Dreams are not reality and are subject to an individual's interpretation. Anastasia's brother, the youngest sibling, was sickly and physically weak. (In real life, Alexei suffered from hemophilia.) Anastasia apparently always sees him as an innocent, vulnerable child needing to be protected.
25th Jun 2023
Anastasia (1997)
Question: During Anastasia's ballroom daydream, why is it everyone, except her father, are wearing different outfits than the ones we saw them wear at the beginning of the movie?
Answer: As noted, this is her daydream, not reality. She has a particularly strong mental image of what her father looked like, which is what she sees in the daydream. Also, her father is dressed in a royal uniform reflecting his rank as the czar, so it would be something he consistently wore during formal occasions. As a plot device, it also identifies for the audience that this is her father.
25th Jun 2023
Roseanne (1988)
Question: When the family is having dinner, and Ed tells them about how he almost invented rear windshield wipers, he mentions that at the time, Dan was three years old and Audrey was eight months pregnant and required a bathroom break, so he lost his train of thought on the wipers. For the rest of the series, Dan is portrayed as an only child until his father marries Crystal. So, what happened to that sibling? Was anything else ever mentioned over the course of the series?
Answer: It was never mentioned again or explained, and Dan was always portrayed as an only child until Ed married Crystal. There could be any number of explanations, such as Audrey had a miscarriage or stillborn, the baby died shortly after birth, etc. Ed's colorful stories are usually so embellished, it's hard for the family to know what is true or accurate. The show may also have been intending for Dan to have a previously unmentioned sibling to be introduced as a new character at some point. However, this likely was a continuity error.
22nd Jun 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
20th Jun 2023
Ever After (1998)
Question: According to the Baroness, Henry was planning to choose Marguerite as his bride before Danielle arrived at the ball. If it's true, why does he almost marry the Spanish princess instead of Marguerite?
Answer: Rodmilla is an untrustworthy source of information. Rodmilla arrogantly tells Danielle, "I have it on good authority that before your rather embarrassing debut, the prince was about to choose Marguerite to be his bride." I believe Rodmilla is lying to Danielle only to further torment her. Rodmilla plunges the figurative knife into Danielle by declaring her a "pebble in her shoe" step-daughter, before she's taken away by the repulsive Le Pieu. When Henry made the deal with his father, he was given the choice of finding "love" or to marry Spain's Princess due to the marriage treaty. Right before the ball, Henry in despair, thinks he failed at finding love, and King Francis tells him it may have been unfair to put so much pressure on him about Spain's marriage contract. Francis says, "We don't have to announce anything tonight," and Henry replies, "I've made my decision." Their conversation implies Henry agreed to marry the Princess of Spain, and the announcement was to be made at the ball.
Answer: The Baroness says, "I have it on good authority," about Henry almost choosing Marguerite. Her source could be wrong, but if it's true, he was probably so upset about Danielle deceiving him that he wanted nothing to do with anyone from her home anymore. Especially if Marguerite planned to bring Danielle and other servants to the palace with her. Danielle might have hoped to stay at her father's property and manage the place herself, but Marguerite could probably arrange for her to work in the palace.
Answer: Henry was to be betrothed to Princess Gabriella of Spain, though he did not love her. When Henry's father said he could choose his own bride, the Baroness then lied to Danielle, saying the Prince intended to choose Marguerite, and also falsely told the Prince that Danielle was already engaged, all to put Marguerite into a prominent position to be chosen. After discovering the Baroness' deception, Henry would not have chosen Marguerite. Henry would still have married Princess Gabriella, but after learning she loved another, he freed her from their engagement. He later chose Danielle.
No offence, but this is not answering the question. You're re-hashing half the plot.
20th Jun 2023
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Question: Why does Poirot constantly laugh as he reads Charles Dickens' works?
Answer: Dickens used satire, irony, and humor as a means to express social criticism and political commentary. His novels were filled with comical characters and colorful dialogue. He used a humorous writing style to expose the Industrial Revolution's harsh and negative impacts like poor education, worker exploitation, social inequality, and other societal ills such as extreme poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, and so on. Poirot is obviously responding to that.
20th Jun 2023
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Question: Why does Jennifer at the end never seem surprised or even question Marty over why he is dressed as a cowboy (even though Marty's family does and Dave even comments on it)?
Answer: Not sure why it's suggested that Jennifer knew about Doc and Marty's time-traveling. She immediately wakes up and tells Marty that she "Had the worst nightmare," and then in the truck, she starts saying, "That dream I had seemed so real. It was about us, and you got fired." She then asks Marty to confirm if it was a dream. Marty only had to inform her and show her the remains of the DeLorean because she still had the "You're Fired" paper in her pocket, neither of which Marty or Doc knew she had. At that point, it would've confirmed to her that she wasn't dreaming.
Answer: Jennifer was already aware of Doc and Marty's time-traveling, while his family knew nothing about it. She'd been to the future with Marty and Doc, and previously saw Doc wearing futuristic clothes. There's no reason she should be surprised, and Marty quickly updated her about everything soon after.
18th Jun 2023
Ever After (1998)
Question: Why is the Baroness still being called just that, a Baroness? This would make sense if she were still a widow, but she married Danielle's father. Any property from her first marriage seems to be gone, hence why she "settled" for Danielle's father. She is not the "Baroness" of any place now. Even the king refers to her as "the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent" when he sends for her and Marguerite, near the end of the movie.
Answer: A woman who was previously married to a peer no longer holds the title after being widowed or divorced, unless she was granted the title in her own right. However, there is also what is known as a "courtesy title", where someone formerly married to a peer, may still be addressed by their former title out of respect, even though it is no longer valid. This seems to be the case here. Also, this is a fictional story and historical accuracy is often ignored. It's also used for persons in other professions, such as a U.S. senator, who would is often still addressed as "Senator."
12th Jun 2023
The Terminator (1984)
Question: Is this true that Lance Henriksen was originally supposed to play the Terminator?
Answer: Gleaned from the internet: James Cameron envisioned Lance Henriksen as the Terminator when he was developing the story concept, though Henriksen was never cast. They'd previously worked together in "Piranha 2" and later in "Aliens." A number of actors were considered for the Terminator part, but it ultimately went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who initially wasn't interested. Cameron found a role for Henriksen as Vukovich, as Henriksen had been essential to finding finances for the film.
10th Jun 2023
Duel (1971)
Question: I'm pretty sure that some of the "Duel" tanker footage was used in a different film, but I can't find any info on it. What other movies used it?
Answer: Some "Duel" footage was used for the TV series "The Incredible Hulk" in an episode titled "Never Give a Trucker an Even Break." Both the TV movie and the series were produced by Universal Studios.
7th Jun 2023
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: This question pertains to all of the Harry Potter movies: What's to keep even one rogue wizard (from the academies) from taking over the world, ruining economies, or blackmailing individual countries? (Voldemort and his allies seem to concentrate on attacking Potter and Hogwarts, not the world, and anyway, the Ministry doesn't seem to stop him.)
Answer: One rogue wizard would be incapable of such a feat. For one thing, most wizards had little interest in, or understanding of, how the Muggle world worked - including technology, financial systems, military functions, infrastructure, and so on. Destroying the Muggle world would only result in the wizarding world collapsing, so there would be no benefit whatsoever. Even other dark wizards would think this was insane and would likely prevent one crazed wizard from attempting it. Gellert Grindelwald wanted to enslave Muggles in the mid-20th century but was defeated.
1st Jun 2023
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: Why didn't Leia keep the bomb she'd had earlier when she turned Chewbacca over to Jabba, when she unfroze Han?
Answer: She likely wasn't allowed to keep it, as it would be considered a continued threat to Jabba and his minions. To claim the reward, she probably had to relinquish it. Voluntarily surrendering it would be a show of "good faith" once Leia (posing as a bounty hunter) got the payment for Chewbacca. Wanting to keep it would be suspicious.
29th May 2023
King Solomon's Mines (1950)
Question: Umbopa's people wear colorful, patterned clothes, use metal weapons and bells. Yet there is no evidence of cotton fields, weaving equipment, mines or forges. Where did they get/make these items?
Answer: It's possible all these goods were traded for. Realistically, everything came from the MGM costume and prop department. Movies from this era seldom strove for historical or cultural accuracy. Native costumes and other possessions were often the embellished invention of imaginative costume and set designers, with little thought or regard to authenticity. The intent was to produce an exciting, colorful, entertaining movie.
27th May 2023
Time After Time (1979)
Question: Excluding plot convenience and suspension of disbelief, how could the time machine be shipped to San Francisco when H.G. Wells was traveling into the future with it?
Answer: At the end of the movie, he said that he was going to dismantle the time machine, so it's not used again, thus ending this timeline and the timeline we know as H.G. Wells would come to pass. As for the time machine being in San Francisco, if the machine had never been moved or buried, he would have landed in London.
Answer: In the late 1970s, Wells' time machine and other belongings were sent to San Francisco as part of an H.G. Wells exhibit at a museum. It had been found two years earlier, buried under Wells' since-demolished London house. It was considered a non-working "curiosity" that Wells built and had inspired his novel, "The Time Machine." In the 19th century, when Wells chased Jack the Ripper into the future, that is where his time machine landed, apparently drawn to its 1979 counterpart in San Francisco. At the end, Wells returned to 19th-century London in the time machine, where it would eventually be found many decades later. And sorry, but there has to be some "suspension of disbelief" to explain the time travel.
25th May 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: What did Professor Trelawney mean by "innocent blood shall be spilt" in her prediction?
Answer: My interpretation was that Trelawney's prediction referred to Sirius Black and the Dementors, who were going to suck out his soul. While his blood would not literally be spilled, it was still a death of an innocent person. It was more of a dramatic colloquial expression, like saying someone has "blood on their hands" for causing innocent people's deaths. The prediction could also include Buckbeak, who was being wrongly executed that same night. Her prediction was regarding events that would have occurred if Harry and Hermione had not traveled back in time and changed the outcome.
25th May 2023
Ashes to Ashes (2008)
Episode #1.8 - S1-E8
Question: As we know Gene died in 1953 so how did he save Alex in 1981 from the car bomb, he was already dead and in the purgatory world?
Answer: Have you finished watching the entire series? I don't think it's fair to answer this for someone who hasn't.
24th May 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: It didn't look that late when Buckbeak was executed, even though Fudge said it was at sundown, so how come it's really dark when they get out of the shrieking shack?
25th May 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Why does Hermione seem to hate Scabbers throughout this movie? I'm talking about before they find out the truth?
Answer: Hermione doesn't hate Scabbers. A rift had been ongoing between her and Ron. Hermione resented him constantly blaming her cat, Crookshanks, for chasing Scabbers. Ron was angry that Hermione never took responsibility for her cat's behavior. Even though Ron was justified, Hermione was being unreasonably protective and resentful. She didn't realise that Crookshanks sensed something odd about Scabbers. Also Ron and Hermione had other issues with each other, and the pets were merely an excuse to express their disagreements. It's also supposed to show the growing romantic tension between them.
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.
Answer: "Hot Liquorice" (that's the correct spelling) by Dick Walter, though it seems somewhat intermixed with the film's soundtrack composed by John Williams.
raywest ★