Question: Why did Mrs Weasley believe that stuff Skeeter wrote about Harry and Hermione? She knows Hermione and knows what kind of person Skeeter is.
raywest
10th Jun 2018
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
9th Jun 2018
Runaway Jury (2003)
Question: Trivial perhaps, but this is a court drama. Isn't the pronunciation of "Oh yez" by the court deputy, announcing the judge, actually pronounced "Oh yay"? In the movie, the deputy uses a strange pronunciation of "O yee", which I've never heard. My late husband was a court deputy, and he was corrected his first day in court. (He pronounced it, wrongly, "O yez" (rhyming with Pez, the candy). We're from the South, and the movie is a Southern court drama. Thoughts?
Answer: I would classify it as a "character mistake." The court deputy (or the actor playing him) just pronounces it differently and wrongly.
Thank you, I think I would have to classify it, then, as a directorial mistake, and interesting that no one else, cast or crew, noticed it.
9th Jun 2018
2010 (1984)
Question: In the original film, the Discovery's onboard computer states: "I am a HAL 9000 Computer, Production Number 3. I became operational at the HAL plant in Urbana, Illinois, on the 12th of January, 1992." So, "HAL" was a manufacturer identification prefix (standing for Heuristically-programmed ALgorithmic Computers), "9000" was its model number, and "No.3" was its production lineage. In this sequel, however, Dr. Chandra is chatting with one of HAL's earth-based twin computers which has a feminine voice and is called "SAL"; but how can they arbitrarily change its manufacturer identification prefix? Being produced by the HAL plant in Urbana, Illinois, and being identical to the computer aboard the Discovery, the twin's name should have a different production number, but it should still be called "HAL," should it not?
Answer: The most likely reason the name was changed was probably a literary one. It makes it easier for the audience to differentiate SAL from HAL, showing how they are two distinct computers playing different roles in the film. It may also just be a feminine nickname being that SAL has a female voice.
I thought perhaps "SAL" was a nickname, also, until I saw that the computer's maker nameplate reads "SAL 9000" (visible in close-ups of SAL's glowing eye).
8th Jun 2018
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Question: In the very end of the movie Will Turner's father is on the black Pearl. How did he end up there when just a few minutes before that he was steering the Flying Dutchman for his son?
Answer: Bootstrap Bill Turner was not back on the Black Pearl at the end. He is only on the Flying Dutchman. It appears you're confusing him with another actor in the ending scene who bears a slight resemblance to Stellan Skarsgard, the actor who portrays Bootstrap.
13th May 2018
The Office (2005)
Question: When Angela is buying the Baby Ruths, most of the other candies are turned backwards (I assume to avoid product placement). But above the Baby Ruth is one with the name facing forward that looks like it's called "Picaroon." Is this a real candy bar that's local to the Scranton area or just completely made up? If it's made up, any inside information about where the name came from or if there's an inside joke or show reference to it?
Answer: In the 2007 episode "Ben Franklin" when Jim is talking to Pam there is a candy bar with a purple wrapper that says "Picar-" I assume picaroon, it's hard to see past Pam. I found this trying to investigate what that candy bar is lol.
31st May 2018
Man on Fire (2004)
Question: Why did they put "A special thanks to Mexico City: A very special place" in the credits? Was that supposed to be a joke? The movie didn't portray it as very special.
Answer: This was likely meant as an appreciation to the city and its people for their support and assistance during the film's production, and was not a jokey reference to how Mexico City was portrayed in the movie. It's typical for movies to express gratitude to a city, state, the citizens, etc. for their cooperation.
Answer: It could also be sarcasm cause I read that the crew was robbed at gunpoint several times during filming.
24th May 2018
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: If Voldemort wants Dumbledore dead, then why didn't he just kill him, instead of giving the mission to Draco?
Answer: It's a little complicated. Voldemort never intended that Draco would succeed in his mission to kill Dumbledore. He wanted Dumbledore dead, but it was also his plan to punish Lucius Malfoy for his failure to retrieve the prophecy at the Ministry of Magic (in Order of the Phoenix). Any follower who failed the Dark Lord suffered severe consequences, often fatal. Voldemort intended to execute Draco when he failed to kill Dumbledore. His purpose was to devastate Lucius by taking his son's life.
24th May 2018
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: Why is Voldemort afraid of Dumbledore?
Answer: Voldemort knew Dumbledore was not only an extremely powerful wizard with loyal allies, but that he had no fear of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore knew Voldemort better than anyone else, his strengths and his weaknesses, having known him since he was the young Tom Riddle. Dumbledore could always predict what Voldemort's intentions were.
15th May 2018
Captain Phillips (2013)
11th May 2018
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Question: What kind of convertible were Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore in?
10th May 2018
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Question: Is it possible to see Cho at Cedric's funeral?
Answer: I watched the clip on YouTube, stopping and enlarging the image to scan it, but I did not see Cho sitting among the other students at Cedric's memorial scene. She may have been sitting in an area in the back or off to the side where the faces were less visible or else she was too distraught to attend the ceremony.
10th May 2018
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Question: Why does the play start with The Van Daans already at the Annex when it's clear that they arrive a week later in the diary?
Answer: Movies do not always exactly follow the books they are adapted from. Oftentimes scenes and/or characters are changed, deleted, or streamlined, often because there is a limited amount of time in a movie to tell the story. In this case, it just simplified the plot by having the Van Daans already at the Annex, eliminating the need for two separate arrivals and instead focusing on the Frank family's reactions to their situation.
9th May 2018
The Goonies (1985)
Question: How in the world did Jake escape from prison so easily? Why didn't the guard who came to release him for lunch call in backup when he saw Jake hanging, and why weren't there any other guards around that could stop the escape attempt? How did no police see Francis pouring gasoline right outside the police station? How in the world did no police see Jake escaping between his cell and the front door? When Jake was getting into the Jeep, about 4 prison guards came out putting on their jackets, but where were they during the escape?
Answer: The reason the escape unfolded this way is because it is a movie, and movies often use plot devices that have little resemblance to reality. This is called "suspension of disbelief." That means the audience accepts a certain premise that they know is unrealistic in order to allow the story to unfold. For example, in a Sci-Fi movie, we know that spaceships are unable travel to different solar systems in a mere matter of days (i.e. Star Trek). If Jake was unable to escape from prison as easily as he did, that would be the end of the movie.
7th May 2018
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Question: Why didn't Poe go with Rose, Finn and BB-8 to find the master code breaker?
Answer: He had to stay, to ensure the fleet would make the jump to light-speed. Finn knew the ship's layout and Rose was needed to disable the tracker. Poe stayed to convince Holdo that it was safe to use light-speed again.
6th May 2018
La Confidential (1997)
Question: Why wasn't Bud, the police detective who was shot but not killed, treated as a hero but instead is shown leaving town with the Veronica Lake look-alike played by Kim Bassinger? It doesn't make and sense.
6th May 2018
A Quiet Place (2018)
Question: Why can't they just build a trap to hunt the beasts down?
Answer: We see in the family's basement that the father had gradually been learning about the monsters. He may have planned to trap them at some point in the future, but as it stood, he didn't know enough about their weaknesses. The monsters were shown tearing through a truck and a grain silo like tin foil, so any trap that they would use would have to be extremely strong.
Answer: Although it's rather vague, the plot premise is that there are hoards of these creatures that have taken over most of the country, if not the entire planet. Trapping the ones that are in the family's vicinity would have little effect overall and no doubt they'd merely be replaced by other creatures.
4th May 2018
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Question: Why does Hermione not care about Crookshanks trying to eat Scabbers?
Answer: There's a few reasons. Hermione thinks Ron is over-reacting about it and that he is only trying to blame her for something. She's also being a bit insensitive to the situation, ignoring any real concerns Ron has. It's part of their simmering personality conflict, which they eventually overcome.
4th May 2018
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Question: How come Hermione never receives a Weasley jumper? She'd earn one to cancel a trip with her parents after never seeing them to stay with the Weasleys and make sure Arthur was OK, surely?
Answer: Molly wasn't ignoring Hermione. She knew Hermione's parents always gave her nice gifts for her birthday, Christmas, etc. Molly gave Harry a sweater because she knew his Aunt and Uncle never gave him any gifts. She simply didn't want Harry to be left out when everyone else got something. Also, Molly knitted the sweaters herself, taking some time to make them. She did not anticipate Hermione being there.
1st May 2018
Mackenna's Gold (1969)
Question: Did Omar Shariff make it out of the collapsing rock canyon alive? I missed the ending.
1st May 2018
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Question: When Harry became the champion, why did Dumbledore get mad? I know in the book, he doesn't get mad, he asks Harry calmly. Why did the screenwriters change this?
Answer: It's typical for scenes taken from a book to be depicted a bit differently in a film adaptation. Movies are visual and in this instance, the filmmakers were going for a more dramatic, ramped-up effect. Dumbledore was never mad at Harry, but upset by the turn of events and he had to be certain Harry was not in any way involved.
Answer: He's not mad per se, he is concerned that Harry did it himself and that he put himself in danger. He felt it was careless of him to do that, that's why he asked so furiously.
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Answer: Molly should have known it wasn't true, but her over-protectiveness regarding Harry may have affected her logic. She may also have been affected by Ron and Hermione's ongoing rift (over Viktor Krum) and knows that girls that age can be fickle and illogical when it comes to romance. Although her emotions got the better of her, Molly eventually realises that Rita Skeeter's stories were fake.
raywest ★