Question: How old is Dick Grayson/Robin supposed to be in this movie?
raywest
2nd Sep 2013
Batman Forever (1995)
16th Aug 2013
Prometheus (2012)
Question: Is the story in this movie suppose to be leading up to the first Alien movie?
Chosen answer: Not really. Ridley Scott wanted to explore a different story line set apart from the original Alien series. There are connections between the two, and they share the same universe but they are in different time periods, and the prequel is following its own mythology. There could be a link by the end of the new series, but that remains to be seen.
11th Aug 2013
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Question: When Moody is demonstrating the Cruciatus curse in front of Neville, does he know who Neville is and that it'll cause a reaction? I'm only asking since Moody is Barty Crouch Jr (who tortured Neville's parents) at this point and surely he would have realised that the demonstration could have jeopardised his whole plan by causing conflict amongst the student body, which would have led to him being found out earlier by the teachers.
Chosen answer: Moody (Crouch) knew who Neville was and who his parents were because he was one of the wizards who tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. The demonstration was geared more toward Harry than it was Neville, however, though Moody knew it could affect Neville the way it did. It probably wouldn't create conflict among most students, as most were dismissive and unconcerned about Neville. Most students would probably welcome being taught something they knew went against school policy. Only Hermione was really concerned about Neville.
Answer: Moody's demonstration was geared at Neville Longbottom. He needed Neville to get upset so that he could invite Neville back to his class for a cup of tea and give him the herbology book that describes gillyweed in it.
8th Aug 2013
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Question: If every former Hogwarts student who goes bad was in Slytherin, why has Hogwarts kept the house over the years? Why not disband it?
Answer: Because it is too firmly entrenched in wizard society and it wouldn't be allowed. One-fourth of the wizard population would probably revolt if there was any attempt to disband it. Ron's comment that every bad witch or wizard was from Slytherin was a child's over-generalization and actually untrue. For example, Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and Prof. Quirrel was a Ravenclaw. Slytherin House itself is not evil, but those who are drawn to the dark side possess Slytherin traits in abundance, including resourcefulness, intelligence, cunning, ambition, self-preservation, exclusivity, and so on. These are not evil qualities, but they do help drive evil wizards. It is pointed out in the books that not all Slytherins are evil or support dark magic. Those following a dark path would likely do so regardless of what House they were sorted into.
14th Jul 2013
Midnight Express (1978)
Question: When Billy is walking down the steps towards the door he escapes through, the prison guard throws him the keys for the door. What would Billy have done if the prison guard didn't throw him the keys? What was his plan, or did he even have one?
Chosen answer: Billy's plan was to bribe a guard to help him escape, using the money his girlfriend had smuggled to him. That plan failed, and he was almost raped by a sadistic guard. When Billy accidentally killed him, he used that as an unexpected opportunity to disguise himself in a guard uniform and walked out the front door. If he had been caught, he did not have an alternate plan and would have been severely punished, probably even executed.
Answer: Wasn't there a shelf near the door with keys on it?
Answer: He had a gun on him.
He also had most of the money in his shoe - he only offered one $100 bill to the guard and he hadn't undressed him yet.
Answer: In the book Billy escapes in a completely different way. If memory serves me he was on a work detail and escaped using heavy rain as a cover.
13th Dec 2012
Heathers (1988)
Question: In the scene in the girl's locker room, after Heather Chandler's death, why does Veronica get into a shower with her clothes on?
Answer: I think it's one of those "This can't be happening, I must be dreaming" moments. Same as when a character pinches themselves in order to wake up, or they tell someone to pinch them. Veronica can hardly believe what she and JD did.
24th Aug 2012
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Question: Even though it's meant as a comedic moment, I've never really understood why Kirk would be so nervous about Saavik piloting the ship out of space dock. She's not actually flying the ship, so it's not like she's going to crash it into the wall or something. Plus, Sulu is an experienced pilot, so even if she said something stupid like "Warp speed!", he's unlikely to follow the order. Just something odd that I have always wondered about.
Chosen answer: He's nervous because she's a trainee and had never done this maneuver before. Even if Sulu is there, she could still possibly make one small error that he would be unable to react to in time. As you point out, the scene is meant to be comedic, and it's being a little over-played strictly for that.
Again though, she is not actually piloting the ship, only giving orders.
Even though Sulu is an experienced pilot, taking the ship out of space dock under power is still prohibited for a reason. If something were to go wrong and a quick decision had to be made, Savick would be the one giving orders to correct the problem. That's what makes Kirk nervous, not the piloting skill involved but the decision making required in an emergency.
Answer: Normally a ship is piloted out of spacedock using thrusters (see ST:TMP). Saavik ordered impulse power.
Answer: Saavik destroyed a simulated Enterprise during her Kobayashi Maru test, with Admiral Kirk chiding her afterwards. When Spock invites Saavik to take the real Enterprise out of space dock, Kirk is obviously nervous because he thinks Saavik is unready for command, as she destroyed the Enterprise earlier.
To my original point though, she is not actually touching any controls, only giving orders. The Enterprise was destroyed in the simulation during a Klingon attack, which is very different than guiding a ship out of spacedock. Not to mention the fact that the simulation is designed to make the cadet fail.
The whole scene is about Spock taking a dig at Kirk's ego. Being the only cadet in Starfleet history to ever actually beat the Kobayashi Maru test (albeit by trickery), Kirk has an inflated standard for what constitutes "readiness for command," and it shows in his reaction. Knowing full well that it will raise Kirk's hackles, Spock deliberately invites Saavik to handle the simple space dock maneuver. McCoy also knows that Kirk will over-react, which is why he offers Kirk a tranquilizer.
16th Jul 2013
The Goonies (1985)
Question: Is there any reason why we never saw Data fall out of the water tubes? We saw everyone except him.
11th Jul 2013
Star Trek (2009)
Question: Kirk has an allergic reaction to whatever it was that McCoy gave him. Is this connected and or a nod to in Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn, where McCoy gives Kirk reading glasses for his birthday, saying he knows he's allergic to Retnox?
Chosen answer: It could be, though it's never stated. It's logical though, if he has an allergic reaction to one type of medication, he could be sensitive to another. It was probably something the reboot version thought would be interesting and humorous to include, and it makes Kirk seem a little less invincible.
21st May 2012
Titanic (1997)
Question: I have two questions about this film. Firstly who was the guy who tries to drown Rose after the Titanic sinks? I couldn't see his face properly and wondered if anyone knew who it was. Secondly, given how possessive Cal was of Rose, why didn't it seem to bother him when Jack leads her arm in arm into the dining room. It's almost like he just doesn't care in that scene.
Chosen answer: The guy who nearly drowned Rose was just a random panicked passenger who needed something to hold on to, like a life ring. As for dinner, at this time, it was actually customary in higher society for a man to escort someone other than his own wife or fiance to the table at a dinner party, and always arm-in-arm. Husbands and wives (and fiances) were also not seated next to each other at the dining table, primarily to mix up the group dynamics and stimulate conversation. Being as Jack is the invited guest for having saved Rose, it would be acceptable that he should have the honor of escorting her into the dining room. At this point, Cal would hardly consider Jack a serious threat to his relationship with Rose, and would have no reason to object.
3rd Jul 2013
Superman (1978)
Question: Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack. So why does he look at his arm in shock before he collapses? What does that tell him?
1st Jul 2013
The Shining (1980)
Question: What does "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" mean?
Chosen answer: This is a very old expression meaning that if someone, anyone, does nothing but work all the time and never takes time for recreation or relaxation, they will become a dull, uninspired person. Jack, the main character, is twisting the expression in a malevolent way as his mind and body are being taken over by evil ghosts. It's origin was from typing classes, used as a sample phrase for children to articulate movement across the keyboard.
13th Jun 2013
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Question: Why does the Colonel let Spirit escape at the end of the movie? I know it's meant to be a sign of respect. But why would they respect each other? In my opinion they have no reasons to have mutual respect.
Answer: Because the colonel saw that Spirit and Little Creek had a strong bond, and how hard Spirit had worked for his freedom.
Logically, it never should've started. All of this trouble for a single horse while there's important military duties and concerns should've never really happened. You could argue that it was to chase Little Creek, but the Colonel never regards him. It was all for Spirit.
Answer: Because he probably gave up.
14th Jun 2013
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
14th Jun 2013
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: When Harry buys his wand at Olivander's store, Olivander says 'well, give it a wave'. How come Harry already knows how to use the wand?
Chosen answer: He doesn't know how to use a wand at all. Ollivander told Harry to give the wand wave to test it, and the wand is reacting a bit uncontrollably because Harry does not know how to use it properly and also because that particular wand is not suitable for him. When Harry tries the wand that he eventually buys, it is reacting favorably because it is choosing Harry to be its master.
17th May 2013
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Question: While in the small boat at Whitecap Bay, why did the mermaids attack most of the sailors but left Philip alone?
Answer: They didn't "leave him alone." The mermaids were in the midst of attacking all the men in the boat when Blackbeard had his crew on shore set off the explosions. That caused the mermaids to panic, tipping the boat over and dumping the surviving men, including Philip, into the sea. Serena, the mermaid Philip falls in love with, was apparently attracted to him and she pushed him out of danger. During the confusion, Philip made it back to shore. The mermaids were still attacking everyone on shore, and that is when Serena became trapped by some falling debris.
29th May 2013
The Hangover (2009)
Question: If Doug was on the roof the whole time, what exactly has he been doing for the past day while the others try to find him? (01:31:00)
Answer: Mattress was tossed from higher up on the roof, and to push the plot forward the hotel workers go with the idea that some drunk tourist tossed it out a window.
Answer: Doug was with them most of the night. He was in the wedding pictures. I'm assuming it's presumed he went back on the roof for some reason, maybe to sleep since at some part they ransacked the hotel room and he got locked out because at the beginning roof scene Stu propped the door open. They probably were bringing the mattress up to chill on too and he got locked out.
Answer: Of course he was just waiting, sleeping or sleeping it off all that time, but myself I have to wonder; Why didn't any staff OR security find him before his friends?! I'm sure there had to be some daily maintenance work on the rooftop AC's or something, which Doug could use to get back down when they come up! For that matter, I'm sure that if Doug had sufficient wherewithal to signal help by throwing part of his bed off the roof, he could've tried again with either a torn-out padding chunk of the rest, thrown down in the sight of everyone (something soft so as not hurt anyone), disconnecting sundry parts of the aforementioned roof utilities to create something to draw maintenance and security, or some other method entirely. Add to that, finding his box spring in the landscaping would have set the hotel staff buzzing anyway.
It's odd that the guys on the roof removing his mattress didn't see Doug on the roof.
The workers removed the mattress from the porte cochere, which is only a couple stories high. Doug was stuck on the roof of a resort tower, which is substantially higher.
The guys didn't remove the mattress from the roof. It was a statue on top of the lobby entrance. The building is a massive high rise. They'd never look for the roof. Assuming someone broke open a window and pushed it out.
25th May 2013
WarGames (1983)
Question: At the beginning of the film, who were the two men in uniform and why did one pull a gun on the other?
Answer: They were erroneously alerted that an actual nuclear attack was underway, and they had been trained to respond by firing a nuclear warhead. However, one was unconvinced that the US was actually under attack, and he wanted further confirmation from his superiors. The other insisted that they follow protocol and fire the missiles. One man alone cannot launch the missiles, it takes two, and the one with the gun is attempting to force his partner to follow through on launching the weapon.
Answer: Actually it would take four men; two men in two separate LCCs (Launch Control Centers) to corroborate. In fact, there are five LCCs in a Squadron and the others can even "inhibit" an erroneous launch order coming from a single LCC.
22nd Jun 2010
Cast Away (2000)
Question: About an hour in, when he is opening the Fed Ex packages, we see him open a divorce decree and set it aside. I assumed this was in relation to the package picked up towards the beginning in Russia at the cheating husband's place, and we see at the end the artist girl is apparently now divorced. Yet he supposedly never opened her package. Wouldn't it have been the signed the divorce papers?
Answer: The divorce decree in the package that Chuck opens is not from the woman in Texas who was married to the cheating husband in Russia. I watched the YouTube clip, and the name on the divorce papers is someone named Michael Street, who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is unrelated to the story. The couple from Texas are named Dick and Bettina Petersen.
Answer: The director joked on the DVD commentary about there being a solar-powered satellite phone in the last package. The joke being that if Hanks had just opened that last package, he would have been immediately rescued by calling for help. However, the comment was only in jest, and was never meant to be taken seriously. It was never shown what was in that last package.
7th May 2013
Die Hard (1988)
Question: After the scene Ellis was killed in McClane talks to Powell and stands up. After which he meets Hans at the roof, why did he go to the roof at the time?
Chosen answer: McClane had gone to the roof where he could get better transmitter reception when he made the emergency call to police. Hans, meanwhile, had gone to the top floor to inspect the work that was being done to wire the roof with explosives. McClane ran into Hans on his way back down.
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Chosen answer: It's never specifically stated, but he is supposed to be a minor, which would probably make him around 16 or 17-years-of-age. Bruce Wayne becomes his guardian after Dick's parents are killed.
raywest ★