raywest

27th Jan 2014

The Brady Bunch (1969)

Show generally

Question: When you look at the front of the house, the 2nd story is to the left of the front door. The stairs and the bedrooms are on the right. Also, there has to be a very high cathedral ceiling to account for the stairs which isn't shown in the front of the house photo. Does anyone know what the house looks like where the show was filmed?

Answer: There are a number of photos online of the Brady house's exterior of what it looked like when the show was being filmed and what it looks like today. Only the exterior shots were of a real house. The interior was a studio set and it did not exactly match the real home's floor plan. There are also some YouTube virtual tours of the house that explore the interior. If you Google "Brady Bunch House" you will find much information about this.

raywest

Question: I am confused as to why the House Cup winner (Gryffindor) is named at the feast where Hagrid returns. Shortly after, there is a mention of "the rest of the final term" passing quickly. If school is still in session, couldn't the students' actions/behavior still change the total amounts of points?

Answer: No, the points are tallied and the cup is awarded by a specific time, which is the Leaving Feast. There is only a short period of time after the feast before the students go home for the summer. Anything a student might do during that time does not count against their House for that year. Any penalties or rewards given to a House after the feast could be carried over to the following year.

raywest

27th Jan 2014

The Exorcist (1973)

Question: As far as I can tell, Damian visits his mother at her apartment and says she can't stay here on her own, but she says no, she's not leaving her home. Then we see the mother in hospital. But then Damian is told that his mother died in her home and wasn't found for a couple of days. But she was in hospital, wasn't she?

kh1616

Chosen answer: She was in a hospital but that does not mean she died there. She was likely discharged and, refusing to go into any type of assisted living situation, was sent home, where she later died. A person, unless declared legally incompetent, cannot be forced to go into a facility. Due to insurance regulations, a person can only stay in a hospital as long as they are being actively treated for a medical condition. Once their condition reaches a certain level, they are discharged-either to a rehab center, a nursing facility, or to their own home.

raywest

Answer: In the novel it's clear, that the hospital scene is a memory of Karras.

12th Jan 2014

The Dead Pool (1988)

Question: At the beginning after Callahan has killed two guys who shot at him, the third is running away. In real life, would he have faced charges for this? The first two were self defense but the 3rd guy was running away. He is not the type of person to deny the shooter was fleeing and not a threat.

The_Iceman

Chosen answer: Under those circumstances, when someone has just committed an extreme act to protect themselves it would be hard to claim that the third shooting was deliberate murder, that he was thinking normally, and that there was no further danger. From Callahan's perspective, he might have believed the shooter was not actually fleeing and still posed a threat if he came back.

raywest

Question: I know what excelsior means, I googled it, but is there more of a significance for it here?

kh1616

Chosen answer: According to Wikipedia, excelsior is a Latin adjective meaning "higher" or "loftier", used in English as an interjection with a poetic meaning of "ever upward." The characters have a goal and are striving to achieve something lofty.

raywest

13th Jan 2014

American Hustle (2013)

Question: Rosalyn twice references the book "Power of Intention." Wasn't that first published around 2005?

Answer: It was published in December of 2005.

raywest

Question: When Hauk reads Plissken's military history to him, he refers to him as SD Plissken. Does anyone know what the D stands for?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: I searched this character on the internet, and it's mentioned in several places that Plisskin's full name is never given.

raywest

Question: Except for Remus Lupin in this movie, it seems as though the Hogwarts teachers do not use the Hogwarts Express. How do they arrive at and leave the school?

Answer: There's a variety of ways that wizards can travel including magical vehicles (like the motorcycle that Hagrid drove), broomsticks, port keys, or riding flying animals (like a hippogriff or the threstrals). They could also use floo powder if their fireplace was connected to the floo network like Umbridge had in her office. The other teachers can certainly travel on the Hogwarts Express, and some probably do but just aren't shown. In the book, "Half-Blood Prince", Professor Slughorn rode the train and some teachers live at the school year round.

raywest

Answer: They can apparate whenever they want (as seen in Half Blood Prince).

Some can Apparate, but it's tricky and uncomfortable. In one of the books, Arthur Weasley mentions that many wizards don't like to Apparate. They prefer other ways to travel. Broomsticks, port keys, etc.

Plus you can't apparate into Hogwarts. They would have to apparate into Hogsmead and travel to the school.

Ssiscool

29th Dec 2013

Alien (1979)

Question: Just after Ripley finds out from mother "crew expendable", she has a run-in with Ash, but he doesn't hurt her - she hurts him - so why does she have a bloody nose?

kh1616

Answer: The reason for the nosebleed was a deleted scene from the film. Ripley, in her attempt to escape from Ash, opened a hatch into a corridor which had been previously damaged by the alien (also a deleted scene) and wasn't supposed to be used. She suffered depressurization and retreated back and closed the hatch before looking for another escape route. That is what caused the nosebleed.

Chosen answer: Some people are prone to bloody noses without actually being physically hurt. Extreme emotional stress or physical exertion can trigger it by breaking small blood vessels in the nasal passages. She could also have bumped her head at some point off screen and had a delayed reaction.

raywest

Question: How and where did Quin get a hacksaw to cut the pontoons off the WWII plane that crashed up in the trees?

Answer: Quin would likely have tools stored in his own airplane.

raywest

Answer: They were on the run from the pirates at that point, he didn't have his tool bag with him. I presumed he found it on the Japanese WW2 plane but I'm not so sure a hacksaw was standard issue to a Japanese WW2 pilot but eh who cares, love the movie anyway.

15th Nov 2013

The Shining (1980)

Question: What is the significance of the play that Jack is writing, in both the book and movie?

Answer: Jack, who lost his teaching job due to his alcoholism and violent temper, is attempting to rebuild his life as a writer and working at the hotel gives him the financial means to do that. As the ghosts begin taking over Jack's mind, he is increasingly unable to work on the play. As he mentally deteriorates, the play's progress (or lack of) gauges his mental decline.

raywest

Question: Can someone tell me who the elf/actor is who stands next to Elrond in the scene were Aragorn just become king and sees Arwen? They kiss and then you'll see them clapping. I can't find it anywhere.

Allisa van der Lande

Chosen answer: This appears to be an unnamed character played by an un-credited actor. He's basically an extra who is part of Elrond's group.

raywest

26th Dec 2013

Dark Shadows (2012)

Question: After their mansion burns down, what happens next to the Collins family?

Answer: It's unknown. The original intention was to make Dark Shadows into a film franchise and that question probably would have been answered in the sequel. However, there have been no additional films made.

raywest

22nd Dec 2013

Whiteout (2009)

Question: Can you please tell me if this is set in the Arctic or Antarctic, as the aurora borealis is better known as the Northern Lights and can only be seen there.

Answer: The film is set in the Antarctic, the South Pole. The aurora borealis is more commonly observed in high northern latitudes where there is more land mass with people populating it, but can be seen at either the north or south poles.

raywest

22nd Dec 2013

Schindler's List (1993)

Question: The Jews in the film are mostly small people, but the Germans are tall. Why?

Answer: Most likely the movie was deliberately cast this way to make the German soldiers look more physically powerful, brutal, and fearsome in comparison to their weakened and emaciated Jewish captives, who barely are surviving the harsh treatment inflicted on them.

raywest

22nd Dec 2013

Robocop 2 (1990)

Question: It's stated that Robocop packs a lot of weight. How then can he ride a motorcycle, without the shocks being almost rammed down to the ground?

Roger Pedersen

Chosen answer: It's likely the bike was specially made for Robocop or it was otherwise modified to accommodate the extra weight.

raywest

20th Dec 2013

General questions

There was movie I watched where a kid knew about an alien invasion, and quickly discovered who were aliens in disguise by seeing a bandage on the back of their necks. What is the name of this movie?

Answer: This is the 1986 film, Invaders From Mars, directed by Tobe Hooper. It was a remake of the 1953 film of the same name. Martians secretly land on Earth and begin assimilating humans by implanting a mind-control device in the base of their skulls, which is hidden with a bandage.

raywest

16th Dec 2013

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Chosen answer: The name refers to George Banks, the father in the Mary Poppins story. P.L. Travers, the author, based the character on her own alcoholic father.

raywest

Question: How did Harry send his own patronum at the lake without knowing it ?

Answer: After the first time Harry saw it, as he was being attacked by the dementors, he had convinced himself that it was sent by his (dead) father, who he believed had somehow been resurrected. When he goes back in time three hours, and watches the other Harry across the lake, he realizes that it was he who cast the earlier patronus, not his father. That is when he casts it again.

raywest

Question: Does Professor Snape know about Hermione's time-turner necklace? He doesn't seem to care that she suddenly appears in the Defense Against Dark Arts class out of nowhere, especially after class started. (I haven't read the third book yet, so I apologize if this is answered there).

Answer: Snape, and all the Hogwarts instructors know that Hermione is using the time-turner to take extra classes. A time-turner can only be used under very strict conditions and must be approved by the Ministry of Magic. That is why Snape does not punish Hermione for arriving after class has started. If she was merely being late, he would have been angry and deducted house points from Gryffindor.

raywest

Answer: Snape cannot possibly know about the time turner. At the end of the third book when Harry and Hermione rescue Sirius, Snape storms in and yells that they had helped Sirius escape, however he can prove nothing. This means that he does not know about the time turner, otherwise he would have brought it up in evidence that the pair must have used it to save Sirius, and furthermore that with the time turner they would be able to be in two places at once, which is the original evidential downfall for him. All of this proves that Snape does not know about the time turner. In response to the piece about the class, it's possible he just didn't notice her popping up out of nowhere.

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.