raywest

17th Jul 2019

Interstellar (2014)

Question: If the wormhole was sent to help the human race, why put it out by Saturn? If it was meant to encourage humanity to redevelop spaceflight, it could have done that closer to earth.

Answer: It was never explained, so any answer is speculative. However, as a plot symbolism, Wiki Fandom suggests: Saturn is the Roman god of the harvest and visually impressive; it makes sense for the wormhole to be there thematically. As possible homage, Saturn's orbit is where the Monolith was in 2001: A Space Odyssey as well (in the book only; in the movie it was Jupiter). Saturn's rings also mimic the shape of the accretion disk around Gargantua.

raywest

Question: Why is Peggy Wood's face in shadows the entire time sing she is singing "Climb every mountain?" One cannot see her face at all until the very end of the song. During the other songs everyone else got a full face shot. I feel like she wasn't getting full credit.

Answer: This was probably a deliberate artistic choice. Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) is singing the song directly to Maria, telling her to follow her dream and not remain cloistered in the convent (in the shadows like her). The strongest lighting is always on Maria's face, and she is framed in a pyramid shape of light on the wall, always keeping the audience's focus on her.

raywest

Answer: Peggy Wood could not sing the song, so they had to bring in a vocal double which meant she had to lip-sync, something she was unable to do perfectly.

Answer: The director explains this choice in his commentary on the DVD. He'd seen a stage version where the presence of the Mother Abbess was too dominant during 'Climb Every Mountain' and he wanted to make sure that didn't happen in his film. So he focused more on the setting and on Maria's face and reactions.

Question: In real life, had Tarzan been raised by apes from the time he was a baby, would he have actually been able to be educated to act and speak like an ordinary person?

Answer: I'd have to disagree with the previous answer. Being that Tarzan was raised by apes from infancy, there are many higher-level brain functions that he (in real life) would never have completely developed, such as upright walking and other motor skills, cognitive and speech abilities, social interaction, and so on. There are some vital human-brain capacities that if not learned at certain stages of early-childhood, cannot or can only partially be learned later. However, it is highly unlikely an infant could survive long in such an environment.

raywest

That is a very valid point.

Quantom X

I actually agree with this answer. Thanks.

Answer: Any answer would be speculative at this point since we don't have enough examples of feral children living in the wild until Tarzan's age. Most children that become feral either start out at an older age, 5 or 7, where they know how to speak a language, or are found before they hit puberty. This makes teaching and integration somewhat easier. There was a case of a boy living in the wild for 15+ years that still had difficulty interacting with society even in his 60's and 70's. He had the ability to speak but eventually lost it as he became more feral and he had huge difficulties understanding technology, like radio and cinemas. In all probability, Tarzan, and similar characters, would not be able to learn how to communicate, even if he could learn to speak English. He would have an even more difficult time learning how to socialize and live as "normal" adults do. And I could not see any possibility he teaches himself how to read and speak English, or any language.

Bishop73

Answer: In the books, Tarzan was self-taught after he discovered the house his father built. He learned to read English using the elementary books his parents brought with them to teach the child they were expecting, these books were in the house. While studying these books, he mimicked many of the things he saw in pictures, which could have included walking upright. He did not learn to speak English until he was a young adult after traveling to Europe. Also, after rescuing Paul D'Arnot in Africa, the French officer taught Tarzan French as the two of them left Africa for Europe.

Noman

Yes, but the question was could he "in real life" be educated and learn to speak like an ordinary person if he had been raised by apes from the time he was a baby. You are only describing how Tarzan accomplished that fictionally in the book. In real life, that could not have happened.

raywest

Just adding a little perspective, which is why I qualified it to what was in the books.

Noman

Answer: Given enough time, yes. Even though the best time to learn a second language is when a person is a kid, many adults of various ages despite speaking one language all their lives, are able to learn a different one and be fluent with it given enough time and practice.

Quantom X

Question: Why do they look into the scope soon as it starts to rise? The view part would still be in the water.

Answer: A good submarine skipper ensure he always has a low periscope profile, as it's easily seen when out of the water too much. That's why he looks through the scope even while underwater, so the scope is only just out of the water.

stiiggy

Answer: It was probably a deliberate mistake by the filmmakers to keep the action and plot moving quickly, rather than realistically waiting for the periscope to be fully out of the water.

raywest

Question: Just before Ferris makes it into his house, Ed Rooney appears and finally catches Ferris. Just as he's about to lay into Ferris, Jeanie appears and covers for him. As soon as Ferris gets in the house, Jeanie shows Ed Rooney his wallet and mentions that she found it on the floor causing him to be shocked. After being chased off by the dog, why did Rooney simply give up?

Answer: Rooney had gotten so carried away with trying to catch Ferris skipping school, that he illegally entered the Bueller house. Jeannie found his wallet and had proof that he had trespassed, an act that could get him arrested and fired from his job. She is blackmailing him to leave. He knew he'd lost and left.

raywest

1st Jul 2019

The Train (1964)

Question: What happened to the binoculars Le Biche was holding on to?

Answer: This appears to be continuity or editing mistake where the binoculars suddenly disappear.

raywest

Question: Finn told the guy that the medallion meant a lot to Rose, but she never mentioned it to him. Why does the medallion mean so much to her?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: The medallion is identical to one that her sister, Paige, wore. Paige served aboard a resistance space ship and sacrificed herself to release bombs that destroyed one of the First Order's dreadnought ships.

raywest

Question: At what age did Jake get Melanie pregnant?

Answer: They said it was the night of the big football game, so they were probably seniors in high school.

Answer: It was never specified how old either was, though probably when they were around 18 or 19 years old.

raywest

26th Jun 2019

Corpse Bride (2005)

Question: What flowers made up Emily's bouquet?

Answer: They look like roses, though a stylized animated version of the real flower.

raywest

24th Jun 2019

Code Lyoko (2003)

Answer: It's not a matter of hate but of achieving superiority and domination. X.A.N.A.'s objective is to conquer the real-world, control all computers, and enslave every human being.

raywest

Xana's objective is also to destroy Lyoko. I don't know why he would want that since without Lyoko he can't activate any more towers, and activating towers is how he launches attacks.

Question: Why was Madeline killed? She wasn't responsible for what happened to Lestat.

Answer: Santiago read Louis' mind and suspected (wrongly) that Madeline was also involved with Lestat's supposed murder. She was punished along with Louis and Claudia, though Louis escaped with Armando's help.

raywest

Answer: Hermione was attempting to restrain him because she feared he'd try to rescue Scabbers, not knowing that he was really Peter Pettigrew disguised as Ron's pet rat.

raywest

Why would he try with a broken leg?

Hermione doesn't know if his leg is broken or not. Knowing how Ron tends to be emotional and reactive, she's just acting to ensure he remains calm and doesn't impulsively make the situation worse.

raywest

People can do extraordinary things when in a desperate state.

Ssiscool

Answer: It doesn't look as if Mola Ram is smiling at the trio, because they're standing to Mola Ram's upper right. The Little Maharaja is seated in front of the Thuggee high priest, but I don't think he's specifically looking downward, directly at the boy either. To me, it seems as if Mola Ram is smiling because while he's confident in his control of the Little Maharaja, it's the fact that he knows another human sacrifice is being brought out for the Kali sacrificial dark ritual.

Super Grover

Answer: The maharajah was now under the black sleep of Kali and Mola Ram realised he was now under his control. Probably easier to perform his sacrifices with him brainwashed and manipulated.

Zorz

Answer: Could you be more specific about which scene you're referring to?

raywest

The question gives the exact second.

Great, but I don't currently have a DVD player or have a copy or access to every movie someone asks a question about. If someone is asking a question, they shouldn't expect anyone to actually take the time to set up and watch the film in order to answer a question for them. Just give a brief description of the scene.

raywest

That's what the time stamp feature is used for. The question is asking what exactly Mola Ram is looking at in a specific second of time in the movie. Explaining the scene wouldn't help anyone answer the question. To answer, you will have to look at the movie and pay specific attention to that time stamp. If you can't do that then you can't answer the question and should just ignore.

BaconIsMyBFF

I get what you're saying, but I've been able to answer many questions without having to re-watch a movie because the question contained enough specific information so that I knew which scene they were referring to. Based on the information given in the question, I can check movie clips on YouTube or get the answer by reading online movie synopsis. Every little bit of info helps.

raywest

Tough luck I guess?

lionhead

18th Jun 2019

The Court Jester (1955)

Question: When Griswald knocks the helmet off Hawkins and it appears his head is knocked off, you can actually see a face in the helmet on the ground. But why? Hawkins is supposed to be hiding his head in the armor. So why did the filmmaker put a face in the helmet after it was knocked off?

Answer: I watched the clip on YouTube, stopping and rewinding it, but I cannot see what looks like a face inside the helmet. Maybe it's just the way light and shadows are reflecting on the metal.

raywest

16th Jun 2019

Rocky IV (1985)

Question: Why was Vince Dicola chosen to score this film instead of the usual Bill Conti?

Answer: According to Wikipedia: "Rocky IV is the only film in the series not to feature original music by Bill Conti, who was replaced by DiCola; however, it does feature arrangements of themes composed by Conti from previous films in the series, such as "The Final Bell." Conti, who was too busy with the first two Karate Kid films at the time, would return for Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. Conti's famous piece of music from the Rocky series, "Gonna Fly Now", does not appear at all in Rocky IV (the first time in the series this happened), though a few bars of it are incorporated into DiCola's training montage instrumental."

raywest

31st May 2019

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Question: When Damian learns that he is the Antichrist, he is very upset about it. Later in the movie, why does he choose to embrace who he is and his destiny?

Answer: Having lived as a "normal" boy, Damien is initially shocked to learn his true identity. After having time to adjust and being surrounded and groomed by satanic supporters, he eventually embraces his true persona.

raywest

The answer is correct, and I'm just going a into a bit more detail. During the events of the first film, Damien is normal until Mrs Baylock entered his life. She started teaching him about who he was, but he was only five or six, which would have been far too young for him to understand. He started acting more malicious after this point. After the movie ended, it skips ahead to Damien living with his uncle, aunt, and cousin. During that time, it's conceivable that the forces surrounding him decided to give him a period of peace. He was raised by his aunt (secretly a Satanist), but she might have been instructed to give him a normal upbringing so he wouldn't call attention to himself. As a result, he probably forgot about it, and started to believe he wasn't any different. Once he learned of his unholy lineage he began to remember and eventually embrace it, especially since he had several followers (Buher, Neff, and many others he may not have met yet) to help and protect him.

dewinela

Question: Wasn't President Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech as heard in the movie given before Congress on January 6, 1941? The movie, or some of it, takes place December 6th/7th 1941.

Answer: FDR's Four Freedoms speech (which was his eighth State of the Union address) was originally given on January 6, 1941, some months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The filmmakers appear to have deliberately compressed the two historical events to emphasize the dramatic change in the world. FDR gave the speech to gain public support for the U.S. aiding Britain and the other allied forces, even though it was not yet involved in the war.

raywest

Question: Why were the aliens abducting people and why did they bring them back?

Answer: It wasn't definitively answered, but it appears the aliens took people in order to learn more about humans. It's unclear if all those who were returned had originally gone willingly, but the intent was not to keep them indefinitely or harm them, and they were returned to Earth, albeit many decades later. At the end, after the aliens had made contact, a new group of humans, including Roy, went with them voluntarily.

raywest

Answer: According to IMDb, a scene was scripted, but never filmed, explaining that she was away at college. The actual reason for her absence was because Dominique Dunne, the actress who played Dana in the first film, was murdered by her boyfriend shortly after the theatrical release of the first film.

zendaddy621

Ironically, the young actress who played the youngest daughter, Carol Anne, died just a few years later (from natural causes).

raywest

Question: Why did Scabbers try to escape from Ron after Buckbeak's execution?

Answer: He probably sensed Sirius being close (smell, hearing) and decided to make a run for it.

lionhead

Answer: Scabbers (Pettigrew) had already been hiding from Sirius because he knew he intended to kill him in revenge. Hagrid had found Scabbers and gave him back to Ron. Pettigrew wanted to get away from Ron so he could go back into hiding.

raywest

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