raywest

Question: How can Percy and his friends play all the games in the Lotus Hotel casino, when they are still teenagers and the legal age to gamble in Las Vegas is 21?

Answer: Because it's not a real casino. People are lured in then are trapped and drugged by eating the lotus cakes.

raywest

18th Feb 2010

Up in the Air (2009)

Question: I'm fairly positive that one of the African-American female terminated employees, who has a very small but significant role in Up in the Air(trying to avoid spoiling the plot), is Elise Neal. Elise Neal was D.L. Hughley's wife in The Hughleys and also starred in Hustle and Flow. Any reason why she is not credited on the film? imdb.com and other sites do not list her as a cast member.

Answer: It's not Elise Neal, it is Tamala Jones.

jshy7979

Answer: It is not unusual for actors to appear in films in uncredited cameo roles. There's many reasons. Their appearance is not significant enough to warrant a film credit, it is a surprise for the audience, they do it for fun or as a favor to the director or producer, it avoids contract obligations, and so on.

raywest

18th Feb 2010

Jurassic Park (1993)

Question: In the book version the character Lex has short hair that's pushed under her cap. In the film version she has a longish plait. I know that the film makers change many things for many reasons, but does anyone know why they changed this?

Answer: Probably because there was no reason in the plot for Lex to have short hair. It simply did not matter whether it was long, medium, or short; if the actress playing Lex had longer hair, then the film makers must have felt that fit the character just as well as a shorter cut.

raywest

Question: When Vader realizes that Luke has a twin sister, does he know that Leia is the sister or just that someone is Luke's sister? Or does he know when he/Anakin sees Luke and Leia during the Ewok celebration later?

Answer: Vader knows it is Leia when he first hears Luke's thoughts about his twin sibling.

raywest

I've always presumed so, but strictly speaking there's nothing evident in the scene that he specifically knows the identity of Luke's sister, all we know for certain is that he's discovered Luke has one.

TonyPH

Question: When Grey stabs Mina in the stomach her hair is curly, then when he takes the sword out of her stomach it's straight. Is there some specific reason for that, or is it just a continuity mistake?

tjtrocks

Answer: It was a deliberate choice by the Director to show Mina with a crazier look when she's in vampire mode. The look of her makeup (I believe it was her blush) also changes for the same reason.

Is there a similar reason for Grey having an unscathed suit after being riddled into Swiss cheese? Did the paint magic extend to his outfit?

Chosen answer: It's a continuity mistake.

raywest

7th Feb 2010

9 (2009)

Question: What exactly did 9 accomplish by getting 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 out of the beast? I didn't understand the ending, as they would still be dead whether or not they were inside the beast.

Answer: So glad you asked this! He releases their spirits because they are life. Life from the scientist. Preserved life. Small bacteria probably. So the world can start over. Yes, it's sad that they won't get to interact with the physical bodies of their friends, but in a way, 1,2,5,6 and 8 will always be with them. They are the fathers of the world's new organisms. The beast was corrupt so it was trying to prevent life from happening. It hated the humans because it was turned into a war machine. It captured them but could not kill them. The reason the dolls were created, their sole purpose, was to release the life that they were preserving into the sky and across the world. So, that in time and very slowly, things could begin again. they AREN'T dead and they never were. Life was just trapped. And now it is free.

YellowBird

This was beautifully explained and I can see your love for this movie in it. I have loved this movie so much, it is nice to see others enjoy it as well. Really wish we got a sequel.

Answer: He needs to retrieve their bodies from the beast so he can release their sprits with the talisman.

raywest

Question: I used to have a VHS version of this movie - I don't remember if it was the original or restored version. On the VHS, when Vader mentally speaks to Luke after the fight on Bespin, Luke calls him "Father" (before trying to talk to Obi-wan). Am I just remembering wrong, or did he really say that? If so, does anyone know why it was removed on the DVD?

Answer: Yes. When he "hears" Vader's voice, he responds, "Father." As I recall it, Vader says, "Son" and Luke responds, "Father," before saying, "Ben, why didn't you tell me."

raywest

Answer: This moment is still there and I don't believe has ever been removed.

TonyPH

1st Feb 2010

Friends (1994)

The Last One (1) - S10-E19

Question: Does Rachel get paid quite a lot of money at her job (Ralph Lauren)? She shops at Chanel and Prada, and in the last episode she has a large Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, which I know is quite expensive.

Eclipse

Chosen answer: As an executive at Ralph Lauren, she would be making a good salary, and Louis Vuitton offered her a lucrative deal to work for them. Also, being in the fashion industry, she would likely receive discounts or even free samples of many designer goods.

raywest

3rd Feb 2010

Friends (1994)

Show generally

Question: What is the function of Rachel's/Monica's guest room's wall across the door? Isn't it just annoying to get in? I also noticed that there's a screen across Monica's door. Why are these here?

Eclipse

Chosen answer: This has been mentioned before. The wall and the screen serve no purpose other than to block the audience's view into the bedrooms from the living room. When the storyline does not require the characters to be in the bedrooms, then the stage area next to the living room is the Central Perk set, which the viewer is, of course, not supposed to see.

raywest

19th Jan 2010

Friends (1994)

Show generally

Question: In a few episodes, I've noticed a small black 'Reserved' sign on the coffee table that the friends always hang out at, is this how they always manage to get that sofa every time they go to the Central Perk? I didn't know that you could call and reserve tables at coffee shops.

Eclipse

Chosen answer: Obviously, you can't. But this is a TV show and much of the action takes place around the sofa and coffee table. This employs the viewer using "suspension of disbelief" to allow the plots to play out.

raywest

16th Jan 2010

General questions

I heard somewhere that there is a movie that was made sometime in the past few years about the death of Nirvana vocalist/guitarist Kurt Cobain. Is this true, and if yes, what is the name of the movie?

Answer: There are several. 2005's "Last Days," directed by Gus Van Sant is a fictional film based on Cobain's last hours. There is also a 1998 documentary titled, "Kurt and Courtney" by filmmaker, Nick Broomfield, that investigates allegations that Cobain was murdered.

raywest

5th Jan 2010

Friends (1994)

Chosen answer: It could be from many reasons. Speaking from my own experience, when an elderly family member has been in a long decline, has suffered from illness and/or age-related maladies, not only is their death expected, but it also comes as a relief that the person is no longer suffering. That may well be the case with the Gellers. We also don't know how long the Gellers mourned, it's not shown. Also, being a comedy show, it's unlikely this is something that will be ongoing in the storyline.

raywest

30th Dec 2009

Twilight (2008)

Question: When Bella is bitten by James, Jasper also comes and rescues her - by killing James - but how is it that Jasper does not react to Bella's blood? Is it because of "heat of battle?" I also think of New Moon, where she only had a paper cut (but he still freaked out).

IdaMarieSmithLarsen

Chosen answer: There's no definitive answer. Most likely it was because the conditions between the two scenarios were very different. When the Cullens saved Bella, Jasper was intensely focused on defeating James, exerting all his energy into killing him. He would have gone into battle knowing there could be bloodshed. He may also have not been "hungry" at the time, therefore, less affected by the scent of blood. At the birthday party, Bella cutting her finger was so totally unexpected that it caught Jasper by surprise, and he instinctively reacted to it. He still struggles with being a "vegetarian," and is constantly watched by the other Cullens.

raywest

23rd Dec 2009

General questions

I've seen a few new commercials (here in the US) that show characters in scenes from popular movies, talking about whatever the commercial is advertising. For example, a commercial for a cell phone company has characters in the Island if Misfit Toys scene from "Rudolph". Does anyone know how these commercials are made if the original voice actors might not be around, or might have aged greatly and have different-sounding voices?

Answer: If the original actors are no longer living or their voices have changed significantly, new actors with similar voices are used. It's always possible to piece together old recorded dialog, but it sounds unnatural.

raywest

Question: Is Aragog smaller in this film, than in the Chamber of Secrets?

Answer: Yes, much smaller. I'd estimate that the Aragog in Half-Blood Prince is about one third the size of the spider in Chamber of Secrets.

raywest

Answer: Yes. They needed to make the effect that his body has dried out and has no life.

19th Dec 2009

Taken (2008)

Question: What happens to the girl that had Kim's jacket? Is it assumed that he just left her in the hotel?

Answer: It's never stated, but it's likely Bryan had made arrangements with his friend (the hotel manager) to help her return home once she recovered enough from the drugs.

raywest

10th Dec 2009

Friends (1994)

Chosen answer: It would hardly have mattered to Rachel who actually suggested writing the list. What did matter was that Ross participated in it and that he gave very unflattering reasons (such as she's spoiled and is just a waitress) about why he should not be with her. As for the others blaming Ross, they apparently feared Rachel's anger and/or felt guilty for being involved.

raywest

For one, some of the reasons, like the chubby ankle thing, was Joey's idea, so that could have been mentioned. And yeah, Ross participated, but his reasons were reworded by Chandler in a way that made them seem insulting. She was spoiled by her father when she was younger, which made her want to move to the city. By not adding the part about Ross and Julie being paleontologists, it looks like he is just plain insulting her lifestyle instead of giving genuine reasons.

Question: When all of the people are trying to get on the boat, how does a tripod just randomly come out of the water like that?

jaimem6

Chosen answer: While it's never explained, there are several possibilities: as all the tripods were buried deep underground, this one may have been lodged below the lake and was just emerging. Also, a tripod could have "walked" from somewhere else, then went underwater to explore, and, attracted by the ferry's noise and movement, surfaced to investigate. It's also conceivable that, observing how ferries worked, it slipped underwater from further away and ambushed the boat, or the tripod was simply making a crossing from one shore to the other (traveling underwater if it was deep enough) and just happened upon the ferry when it did.

raywest

Question: After Jack and Barbossa see the corpse of the Kraken, Sao Feng's ship arrives next to the Pearl and so does Beckett's. During the scenes that follow, everyone double-crosses everyone else. It moves so fast, I just don't understand what exactly happens. Could someone please explain it to me?

Answer: It's very complicated. Will led Jack and the crew to this island because he had a secret deal with Sao Feng (Jack Sparrow for the Black Pearl). However, Feng has betrayed Will by making another deal with Cutler Beckett, who then double-crosses Sao Feng. Feng then makes a deal with Barbossa to attack Beckett, but he wants Elizabeth as part of the deal, mistakenly believing she is the sea goddess, Calypso. Elizabeth goes with Feng to protect the crew, and Will is thrown into the brig. Jack, who wants Davy Jones' heart so he can become immortal, is taken to Beckett's ship, where he negotiates his own deal with Beckett to lead him to Shipwreck Island and the Brethren Court.

raywest

22nd Nov 2009

The Godfather (1972)

Question: In the scene from the wedding why did Luca Brasi "not expect to be invited", considering he is such a loyal comrade of Godfather?

shikharpande

Chosen answer: Because Brasi was such a vicious killer that he terrified everyone. Even Don Corleone became nervous in Brasi's presence, although the Godfather was the only person who could control him. In the book, Brasi was so monstrous and inhumane that he killed a prostitute immediately after she bore his child, then forced the mid-wife who delivered the infant to throw it into a burning furnace while it was still alive. Terrified for her life, the woman went to Don Corleone for protection. He intervened, and kept Brasi out of prison, earning him Brasi's undying loyalty and service. Don Corleone invited Brasi to the wedding only as a courtesy, although he would have preferred not having him there. The Don is also a diplomatic person (eg, always preferring to reason first), so he would have seen inviting Brasi as a good diplomatic move - showing Brasi that the Don truly values him as a "friend" (you invite friends to weddings).

raywest

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