raywest

2nd Apr 2019

Wild Wild West (1999)

Question: After the Wanderer leaves Rita at the train station, there's a quick clip of the train out in the open country. It is obvious that the train is quite a distance from the station. but in the next instant, the roof of the passenger car opens up and she falls into the chair. How does anything explain that?

Answer: As soon as the train left the station, she ran after it, jumped on and climbed onto the roof, most likely hoping to stowaway, but James heard her footsteps.

Answer: I would explain it as this being a movie that deliberately bends reality and logic. There is a fantasy element to it, and the characters actions and the plot align with that.

raywest

2nd Apr 2019

Misery (1990)

Answer: Simple answer, she was a psychopathic killer. She was a nurse, and infants were accessible, helpless victims.

raywest

2nd Apr 2019

Jurassic Park (1993)

Question: When the 2 tour jeeps arrive at the Tyrannosaurus fence, they bring up the goat. Anyone wonder how they got the goat there, how they feed and care for it to stay healthy and alive? Did they dig an underground tunnel for miles through rough hills just to walk the goat through? Would they risk the other side of the fence in T. Rex territory with a goat? It's such an odd possibility because it's just not possible without extreme costs, risks and efforts, just to get the goat there.

Answer: The goat was not how the T. Rex would normally be fed. The keepers put it there as bait to lure the T. Rex to that specific spot at that particular time in order to present it to Dr. Grant and the others. Hammond invited them to the island to evaluate Jurassic Park so he could then assure his investors that it was safe. Hammond is pulling out all the stops to impress them. Also, the paddock would have to be designed to have designated zones that can be opened and closed off and have tunnels running throughout so the keepers can have access to it for maintenance and to corral the animal when needed.

raywest

28th Dec 2018

Elf (2003)

Question: Has anyone noticed what looks exactly like a Buddy Elf doll standing on the kitchen counter during the breakfast scene where Buddy is pouring syrup for the mom? If you pause when the camera pulls back to show Buddy pouring syrup and the back of the moms head, you'll see the elf doll on the right side of the scene (our right, Buddy's left) facing away from the camera. It's on the counter directly below the cabinet knobs; behind the back of a chair and in front of what looks like a radio that sits against the counter wall. Ideas? Looks just like a Buddy doll to me.

Answer: It might just be a regular elf doll that, coincidentally, is dressed in real elf clothes.

Answer: This was probably deliberately added to the scene. Movies often add in-jokes like this. I believe it was "HP and the Chamber of Secrets" that while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Diagon Alley, the entire Harry Potter book series can be seen on a shelf in the background. In "Raiders of The Lost Ark," there are a little C-3PO and R2D2 carved into the stone hieroglyphs in the Well of Souls. "Jurassic Park" openly displayed JP merchandise, the same merchandise that was sold in stores. Filmmakers love to add little "Easter eggs" like that for audiences to find.

raywest

Question: Where is Eden Hall filmed in Minnesota, as in what school did they use?

Answer: Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota was used for the fictional Eden Hall Academy. The Columbia Arena in Fridley, Minnesota stood in for Eden Hall Academy's ice rink.

raywest

26th Mar 2019

Venom (2018)

Answer: Carlton Drake's The Life Foundation was being sued for unethical testing on human subjects. Ann Weying was one of the foundation's defense lawyers. Ann's fiance, Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist, happened to see some of her documents related to the case.

raywest

29th Mar 2019

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Question: Why did Meg's mother want her to write an apology letter to Veronica after she left a mean note on her locker and call Charles Wallace crazy? It sounds like she's teaching her daughter that sticking up for herself and her family is wrong.

Cody Fairless-Lee

Answer: Meg's mother is actually teaching her to show compassion and to understand that there is reason behind Veronica's bullying. She suffers from extreme low self-esteem, and has developed an eating disorder as a result. She bullies others to validate herself. Just because Veronica is a bully is no excuse for Meg to retaliate in the way she did.

raywest

29th Aug 2004

The Village (2004)

Question: Maybe I am being too analytical, but why do the villagers wear yellow robes? Taking into consideration the colour wheel and the red robes of the "things," wouldn't it make more sense to wear green as the safe color because green is the opposite of red?

Answer: They used the color yellow to represent caution, the red color means danger it does not have to do with the color wheel, but it is more psychological.

Answer: It would probably depend on the colourings available to the villagers. Maybe it was easier to make yellow dye and paint than green. Also, if green was a safe colour, then the 'creatures' wouldn't have been able to walk on any grass and there wouldn't have been as much fear of them entering the Village.

kendra jackson

Answer: Red attracts colors. Planes, onlookers. If they are trying to keep a low profile in the forest, avoiding red is a good idea.

Answer: Plot wise, there was no practical reason for yellow being used because it was just part of the elders' scheme to "sell" the fake beasts story to the younger villagers. The youngsters were conditioned from childhood to believe that red attracted the creatures, and the village was protected as long as no-one wore or displayed it. The "safe" yellow color was probably an arbitrary choice by the elders, though it is also associated with "caution." From a movie-making perspective, the color choice probably had to do with what visually worked best on film. Green or blue would blend into the forest and meadow background, while yellow stands out, making the characters more visible.

raywest

Answer: Blood! Red was the bad color because it was the color of blood. Remember, all the elders were trying to avoid violence. The father in the movie was a psychologist. It just makes sense, knowing what he knew of society, to use red and yellow (being caution) as cultural guidelines.

The father was a history professor.

Answer: Just a word about this: opposing green to red makes sense only if you think about light. If you think about paint for example it would be yellow... kinda (actually 3 primary colors blue, red and yellow / 3 primary "light colors" blue, red and green).

Answer: I would think yellow is a color of passive/yielding to notify the "beasts" they are inferior to them.

26th Mar 2019

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Answer: It was typical for marriages to be announced in the print newspapers, just like births and deaths. They are public notices.

raywest

14th Mar 2019

The Fugitive (1993)

Question: Kimble's wife suffered from severe head trauma. Wouldn't his defense attorney demand her 911 transcript be stricken, as her serious brain damage could have caused her to say anything?

Brian Katcher

Answer: His attorney could have done that, but I doubt such a strategy would have been successful, for two reasons. First, proving that she was just "saying anything" would be difficult at best, given that she wasn't just spouting random nonsense...she was speaking directly about what had happened. The prosecutor would have pointed out that she had been coherent (i.e., in control of her thoughts/speech) enough to a) dial 911, b) stay on topic, c) relay information, and d) name her killer (or so they believe). And second, given this high burden of proof, going with "this murder victim was just babbling as a result of the brain damage she suffered when she was brutally clubbed to death" probably wouldn't have gone over well with a jury.

Answer: I'd say this was a definite plot hole. Basing Kimble's guilt on a dying, brain-damaged woman's incoherent mumbling was unrealistic. His guilty verdict in real life would never have happened this way.

raywest

Question: What happened to Cinna? It looked some men came into the room and started beating him up. But what happened to him after?

Answer: They don't show what happens to him in this film, but Katniss is told in "Mockingjay" that they think Cinna was killed during interrogations. Even in the books his death is unclear. In "Catching Fire" she sees him dragged away, bloody and unconscious. And then in "Mockingjay", Katniss tells the readers "Plutarch's sources believe he was killed during interrogation."

Bishop73

There is also a line where she asks President Coin at the end of this film (been a while since I watched these) where she bluntly says, "They killed him. Cinna. Didn't they?" And the response is a simple yes.

Ssiscool

There's also a scene in Mockingjay Part 1 where Effie is showing Cinna's costume drawings to Katniss. Katniss asks if Cinna is dead, and Effie says that he is, though she does not elaborate on how.

raywest

Question: Where were the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students during lessons? I never saw them in any and surely they weren't excused from their final year of education?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: It's not explained where they go during lessons but it is a safe bet that they don't sit in on lessons. Each school has their own way of teaching and subjects. So it's possible they may have had lessons with Karkaroff and Madame Maxine in their own area.

Ssiscool

Answer: The Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students slept inside their respective vehicles while at Hogwarts. The Durmstrangs arrived by ship and the Beauxbatons on the flying carriage, which in the book was the size of a house. In the movie, they probably would have enlarged the interior with an extendable charm (like the Weasley's tent at the Quidditch World Cup. As most of the visiting students likely didn't speak English well, classes would be probably be taught separately, inside their living quarters or a designated space within the Hogwarts castle.

raywest

I thought there was one line in the books about the Beauxbatons students rooming with the Ravenclaws and the Durmstrang students with the Slytherins-or were those just their table assignments for meals?

I'd say it was only for meals and maybe the common rooms. The Hogwarts house dorms had a limited number of beds. There may have been some unassigned ones but not enough for all the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.

raywest

Of course with Hogwarts being host to one of the greatest sorcerers of all time along with plenty of other strongly magical wizards and witches there is the possibility of them putting a charm on the rooms to accommodate them.

Ssiscool

Question: Towards the beginning of the film, when Hamilton is talking to her husband via video chat from the space station, he is in the middle of saying something when the signal cuts out quite abruptly. She just stares at the screen for a moment as does he on his end without either side trying to reestablish contact. Was there a reason why they didn't try to bring the call back? it gave no indication as to why the signal even cut out. Though my guess is maybe the Earth rotation put them out of range or blocked the signal. But that's just a guess of the top of my head. It just felt strange that the reason for this was never addressed neither side even attempted to re-establish contact. So why exactly did they not?

Quantom X

Answer: There was no explanation about this but it appears to be more of a plot device to foreshadow future story line events and create suspense. Movies are less concerned about technical accuracy than moving the story forward in an engaging manner.

raywest

Question: Why was Hermione being chased by Ginny in the tent? Hermione isn't the kind of person who'd do a harmless thing and make someone chase them for a joke.

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Hermione is a 14 year old girl, having fun with a close friend. Of course they will horse around and tease and play. Hermione might be serious as a student and quite mature for her age, but she also knows how to have fun.

lionhead

She is almost a year older than Harry, so that explains the maturity.

Answer: If you're referring to the tent scene at the Quidditch World Cup, I don't remember Ginny chasing Hermione, but the twins, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry are in high spirits after their favored team has won. All are jumping around, laughing and singing in celebration. If that's not the scene you're referring to, can you be more specific?

raywest

Ginny was chasing Hermione when Fred and George said "feet off the table"

I watched the clip on YouTube. Ginny and Hermione are excited after the group arrive inside their rented tent. The girls rush into where they will be sharing a room and drop off their gear. They then rush over to the other side of the tent, probably to where the kitchen is. Hermione is just running ahead of Ginny and is not being chased.

raywest

Question: When Gandalf said to Aragorn "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you have become." Why does he say that? Why is Sauron afraid of Aragorn considering he's a Maia?

DFirst1

Answer: He means Sauron realises that Aragorn has become a powerful leader who puts his peoples' welfare above his own, and whose followers trust in, are loyal to, and will fight for him. Sauron rules through fear and intimidation and cares nothing about those he governs.

raywest

But why is Sauron afraid of Aragorn? That's the point of the question.

DFirst1

Answer: Sauron does not have the ring, and therefore is reliant on other (weaker) forces to fight for him. The forces he is fighting are scattered and weakened by various things, enough so that he is willing to proceed with his war without the ring. Aragorn becoming a leader of men would present a significant challenge to Sauron's plan to conquer Middle Earth. If Aragorn can unit the people of Middle Earth, they could stand against him as they had before (when he was defeated). In the end, his fears are justified, as Aragorn is largely responsible for there being anything left of Middle Earth to defend by the time Frodo finishes his journey.

oldbaldyone

25th Feb 2019

The Fugitive (1993)

Question: Wouldn't Dr. Kimball lose his medical license for changing the boy's orders in the hospital and signing the form, forging someone else's identity?

Answer: He's a convicted murderer, he's already lost his license. If you mean after he's been exonerated, the other doctor admitted he saved the boy's life. I doubt the AMA would prosecute him for doing that.

Brian Katcher

Also, as he was wrongly convicted of murder, he was wrongly deprived of his medical license.

raywest

Assuming he gets exonerated for the murder charge (I'm not a lawyer but I assume, in the messed up US legal system, this still takes evidence even though the actual murderer is in custody), he would still technically be guilty of breaking out of prison and fleeing police. It would be very interesting to hear the end of the story - everyone assumes they just let him go but in reality, it wouldn't be that simple and again, even if you are wrongly convicted, it's against the law to escape prison.

oldbaldyone

24th Feb 2019

The Grudge (2004)

Question: How does Kayako's body fall from the attic when Peter Kirk opens it, because in certain flashbacks it can bee seen that Takeo places Kayako's body in a corner of the attic?

Answer: This appears to be a film/plot inconsistency and could be submitted as a "movie mistake."

raywest

Answer: It never shows Takeo placing Kayako's body in the attic, so he could have placed it close to the opening. The bodies in the corner of the attic are the bodies of Matthew and Jennifer, who were killed by Kayako/Toshio.

Torie White

Question: Anyone know the story behind why the MPAA rated this movie PG instead of PG-13? From Sectumsepra to the Horcrux cave with the Inferi to Dumbledore's death, there seems to be just as much stuff a young child might find scary/traumatizing in this movie as in the others in the series that actually were rated PG-13.

Answer: Half-blood Prince was certainly darker and edgier than the previous HP films, but still within the PG guidelines. Also, audiences had grown use to the more sophisticated and mature content building over the entire series, so it was not completely unexpected. Filmmakers dislike having a PG-13 rating imposed on their movies as that can limit the audience and lower profits. No doubt the Warner Bros. Studio was careful not to exceed the PG rating guidelines in order to protect their bottom line.

raywest

24th Feb 2019

Madam Secretary (2014)

Show generally

Question: How is it possible that the foreign ministers of Russia and China who live and work in Moscow and Beijing are always in Washington to meet with Secretary McCord?

Answer: Most likely, in real life, this would not happen. However, for the purposes of the show, the ministers are shown as being frequently in D.C. This would be classified as a "suspension of disbelief." It is a plot device where the audience knows something is untrue or realistic, but are willing to accept the premise in order for the story to be told.

raywest

25th Feb 2019

Titanic (1997)

Question: Over the course of the film we learn all the middle portion of Rose's life, but how did she get through life without any paperwork such as a birth certificate? Getting married, driving/flying, all need documentation the "renamed" version of herself wouldn't have.

dizzyd

Answer: Record keeping at the turn of the 20th century was still incomplete and inaccurate. Many people were born without a birth certificate being issued. Tens of thousands of immigrants entering the country often lacked those types of papers, and many had their surnames changed when they arrived. It was also much easier to get alternate documentation to prove one's identity or, in certain situations, may not have required proof, as it does now.

raywest

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