kh1616

Question: How does Mikael know where Lisbeth's father and half-brother live? Lisbeth found the post office box address from the rental car rego plates, and then staked it out, for quite a while, and when a young man opened it and got the mail out, she followed him straight to her father. Mikael did none of that, so how was he able to arrive like a knight in shiny armour at the exact time to save Lisbeth's life?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Malin tells Mikael that "Karl Axel Bodin" lives at "the address for PO Box 612, at Gosseberga". Gosseberga is not a town, but the name of the farmhouse property near Nossebro where Zalachenko and Niedermann live, so it is the only place with that name near Gothenburg.

Sierra1

Question: When Miriam gives Mikael Lisbeth's keys - Lisbeth dropped her keys while she was visiting Miriam in the hospital - Mikael looks at them and says, "It looks like a post box key." Can someone please explain how Mikael is able to find the right post box and the right number (none of these are printed on the key), so then he can go to her place?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Lisbeth let Miriam stay in her old apartment on the condition that she forward any mail sent there to a post office box, so Miriam would have known the box number and location.

Sierra1

10th Apr 2015

The Reader (2008)

Question: When Hannah has her back to the camera, as she fills the bath, naked, we can see about 3-4 red long to medium scars/wounds. Is there any reason for these scars/wounds?

kh1616

Answer: Those weren't scars. They were very superficial marks like she'd scratched her back.

Chosen answer: She was apparently brutalized while she was at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

raywest

Question: On the beach, Mr Scroggins carves Anna's name - Anna Muir - on the end of the wrong end of a wooden "fence" (it faces inland; so how on earth could captains at sea see her name as they pass by?) and what is the purpose of the wooden "fence"?

kh1616

Chosen answer: The scene takes place at a public beach where Anna and her mother go swimming and the fence may be connected to that. Anna is a small child and Mr. Scroggins carves her name where she can always easily see it, and it is far away from the water's edge. Of course, for the purpose of the movie, it was placed in such a way to be seen by the audience as a way to gauge the amount of time that is passing. It becomes worn and deteriorated over the years.

raywest

Answer: Whether or not the carving was placed inland as a convenience for the audience to see it, it is still a mistake with regard to the dialogue indicating that persons at sea being able to read Anna's name on the post. To avoid the mistake, the scene should begun showing Mr. Scroggins on the seaward side of the post carving and the for the camera to pan around to show that he is carving the name "Anna Muir." The sea could still be in the background and the dialogue would then make sense.

agenthunter

15th Nov 2014

American Hustle (2013)

Question: How does Edith know Richie puts little curlers in his hair because his hair is naturally straight?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Because his hair looks comically unnatural. The only way to achieve the look is to use curlers.

BaconIsMyBFF

Chosen answer: Bourne arranged to meet Conklin at Pont Neuf, then planted a tracking device on the surveillance van, which he followed back to the Treadstone safehouse.

Sierra1

Question: Another entry says "… his name is in the rip portion of the credits." What is the "rip portion of the credits"?

kh1616

Chosen answer: The closing credits for both Kill Bill moves included a short list of deceased directors, writers and actors, under the title "R.I.P.", meaning "Rest In Peace": Charles Bronson, Chang Cheh, Kinji Fukasaku, Lo Lieh, Shintaro Katsu, William Witney, Sergio Corbucci, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Leone, and Lee Van Cleef.

THGhost

25th Jun 2014

Rosemary & Thyme (2003)

The Gooseberry Bush - S3-E6

Question: I have watched this episode probably 30 times - I watch it in bed, to put me to sleep - and I don't understand the plot at all, unless it is just an excuse so Rosemary and Laura have to deal with a baby. Is there anyone out there who watches this show besides me? If there is, can you please tell me what this episode is all about?

kh1616

10th Jun 2014

Elementary (2012)

M. - S1-E12

Question: How did Holmes know where M was, so he could have found him and taken him away? And how did Holmes transport M on his own? Was M unconscious, or alert and thus went where Holmes told him to go, or he'd kill him? But M wouldn't do that; he doesn't mind dying.

kh1616

Chosen answer: M broke into the brownstone and left a note. Holmes deduced he was staying at a high-class hotel from the soap scent on the note, and gave a picture from a hidden camera to his "irregulars" on the street to stake out hotels. One of them saw him, so Holmes followed him to his next intended victim and knocked him unconscious with a baton.

Sierra1

6th Jun 2014

Rebecca (1940)

Question: While the De Winters are watching their honeymoon photos, the girl says "I suppose that's why you married me, because you knew I was dull and gauche and inexperienced, and there would never be any gossip about me." Maxim stops the film and, looking like death, says "Gossip! What do you mean?" She says "I don't know. Don't look at me like that. What's the matter? What have I said?" Maxim says "It wasn't a very attractive thing to say, was it?" She says "No. It was rude, hateful." Now, why did she say that? And why did Maxim say what he said? All she said was "There won't be any gossip about me." What's the problem with that?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Maxim was previously married (unhappily) to Rebecca, who died tragically and under rather mysterious (and suspicious) circumstances, sparking rumors. Maxim thinks his new wife is referring to that, but she knows nothing about it and was only making an innocent remark, unaware of the rumors. The "rude, hateful" part probably refers to the "dull and gauche and inexperienced" comment - she probably thinks that is what caused his reaction, rather than the "gossip" comment, given she doesn't know the rumors. She is very young and naive and feels inadequate as the wife of a wealthy man. Maxim is older, intimidating her somewhat, and she was confused by his angry outburst.

raywest

Question: When Webster whistles David, he puts his fingers about a centimetre away from his lips, like people do when they whistle but they put their fingers in their mouths, so this does not make sense, why bother putting your fingers near your mouth at all?

kh1616

17th Apr 2014

Rosemary & Thyme (2003)

Three Legs Good - S3-E5

Question: When you are wallpapering, what is it that you brush on the paper after it is on the wall? Helena brushes something that looks like glue on the new wallpaper.

kh1616

Chosen answer: As far as hanging new wallpaper, there is no need to brush on any additional product once it has been pasted to the wall. It appears Helena may be doing an extra decorative step by applying a liquid glaze over the wallpaper to give it a more distinctive look, perhaps creating a sheen effect on the surface. Glaze can also be tinted to give a muted colored tone. It could also be a protective sealant. However, to remove old wallpaper, a product is brushed on that dissolves the old paste so the paper can be easily scraped off.

raywest

6th Apr 2014

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Question: There are two prisoners wearing chains and only underpants inside the prison; they were dancing and the guitar was being played. Can someone please tell me how the men who have chains on their legs remove their trousers for washing, them and their trousers?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Either the guards removed the chains so the prisoners could take the pants off to wash them or this is a movie mistake.

raywest

Answer: In the novel, Donn Pearce gives quite a detailed description of the method that the chain wearing prisoners went through to remove their pants without removing the chains. It is a very difficult procedure to follow but it was probably true as his account is based on serving time on the chain gang depicted in the movie.

Question: If Ripley was operated on and an alien removed a few days ago, how come they have a fully grown queen who is laying eggs, 8 to be precise as there are 8 people who have been ingested and turned into aliens? But later, when most of the crew have ejected successfully or been killed when a hand grenade was thrown into their escape pod along with an alien, one of the scientists says there are 12 more? How can that be?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Well firstly the queen was probably genetically engineered, like Ripley herself. A few days might be all the time they need to have a fully grown queen created. Secondly the 8 incubated victims were only the latest batch, they had been incubating people with xenomorphs for quite a time I suspect.

lionhead

With regards to the quick growth of the alien queen, it is standard for the xenomorph in nearly every film they appear (Aliens is the only exception, the only chestburster shown in the film is quickly killed by Apone) to grow to full size in around one day. Presumably the same is true for the queen.

BaconIsMyBFF

2nd Mar 2014

Avatar (2009)

Question: How come Trudi sometimes needs an oxygen mask but mostly doesn't - I can understand her not needing one (apparently, there is a glass partition between her and the rest of the helicopter; so whoever is with her has to wear masks, as they are behind the glass partition. But at one stage, Trudi and Norm are up front and Jake and Grace are behind them, and none of them are wearing masks - is the glass partition movable? And during the battle scene, you can see a bullet hole in Trudi's helicopter glass - shouldn't she need a mask now, as the outside air is getting in? Finally, how come Trudi needs a mask just after the home tree is destroyed and she and Norm and Jake and Grace (who was shot and is dying) escape and head for the Tree of Souls? What makes this time so special?

kh1616

Chosen answer: The cabin on the Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson is pressurised, and there are two sealed doors with windows separating it from the open cargo area. There are actually four seats in the cabin which is why Jake and Grace don't need masks. The cabin pressure is slightly higher than the atmosphere (+0.3 psi) which means that if there is a small rupture in the hull or canopy (such as a bullet hole) the oxygen will leak out rather than toxic gas leaking in.

Sierra1

16th Feb 2014

Airport (1970)

Question: Near the end of the film, the plane stuck on the ground is pressurised before it can move out of the way. Why is it pressurised if it's on the ground and not in the air?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Patroni isn't referring to the cabin pressure, he says to "pressurize the manifold" - part of the engine start procedure of a Boeing 707, which I believe involves a ground crew pumping gas (nitrogen?) from a cart into the intake manifold.

Sierra1

Pressurize - as in the manifold, to turn on bleed air from the APU - on board Auxiliary Power Unit - a small jet engine that provides electrical and pneumatic air to operate aircraft systems including starting engines.

Question: I've been puzzling over this for decades: who smashes the mirrors in the music room? Is it Charlotte, in a drug-induced state - that would explain the marks on her arm, pretty bad ones, too - but she loves the house, she wouldn't hurt it? Or is it Drew, and they - he and Miriam - imply she did it, to make Charlotte think she's crazier than she already is? It can't be Miriam - she was in bed, asleep.

kh1616

27th Jan 2014

The Exorcist (1973)

Question: As far as I can tell, Damian visits his mother at her apartment and says she can't stay here on her own, but she says no, she's not leaving her home. Then we see the mother in hospital. But then Damian is told that his mother died in her home and wasn't found for a couple of days. But she was in hospital, wasn't she?

kh1616

Chosen answer: She was in a hospital but that does not mean she died there. She was likely discharged and, refusing to go into any type of assisted living situation, was sent home, where she later died. A person, unless declared legally incompetent, cannot be forced to go into a facility. Due to insurance regulations, a person can only stay in a hospital as long as they are being actively treated for a medical condition. Once their condition reaches a certain level, they are discharged-either to a rehab center, a nursing facility, or to their own home.

raywest

Answer: In the novel it's clear, that the hospital scene is a memory of Karras.

Question: I know what excelsior means, I googled it, but is there more of a significance for it here?

kh1616

Chosen answer: According to Wikipedia, excelsior is a Latin adjective meaning "higher" or "loftier", used in English as an interjection with a poetic meaning of "ever upward." The characters have a goal and are striving to achieve something lofty.

raywest

12th Jan 2014

Hellboy (2004)

Question: I was reading the mistakes for "Hellboy" and I saw one that completely blew me away: In the scenes down in the disused train tunnels, Hellboy comes out of one with his massive arm now on his left and he's holding a gun in his right. How could the make-up people make such a huge mistake, and how come Ron Perlman, the actor who played Hellboy, not notice the difference?

kh1616

Chosen answer: They didn't put the prosthetic on the wrong arm, the scene is flipped; it's a mirror image. An extremely common film-making technique, it's usually only ever noticeable at all with asymmetrical characters and structures, like Hellboy and his stony arm.

Phixius

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