Question: Since this is set years after the "Pocky-clipse" (as called by the kids), while Max and a lot of others have long hair, why do they mostly not show any facial hair? Given there are some knives and razors, but it would seem that shaving wouldn't be high on the list of survival.
Movie Nut
8th Sep 2016
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
8th Sep 2016
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Question: The Impulse engine on the back of the Dorsal section is lit during orbits, which is normal. However, should that engine not be lit, like the ones on the back of the saucer, when it is in Warp?
Chosen answer: There's no reason for the impulse engines to be active when the ship is at warp speed. Within the show, warp is an entirely different method of propulsion (i.e. Warping space around the ship) and doesn't require thrust, which is what the impulse engines provide.
4th Jul 2016
Terminator Genisys (2015)
Question: Since the destruction of Cyberdyne in the end of the movie, even considering that "Pops" is from the original (now alternate) timeline, wouldn't that fact alone delete the existence of the Terminator?
Chosen answer: If we accept the theory that alternate timelines even exist, branching off every time there is deliberate interference through time travel, then it becomes entirely possible for time travelers to continue existing in alternate timelines, even if they erased their own origins.
28th Jun 2016
Star Trek (1966)
The Corbomite Maneuver - S1-E11
Question: In this episode, the navigator, Mr. Bailey, has an earpiece only for the length of time it takes to notify the crew of the message coming in over the navigation beam. Why is it that no time before, or since, that anyone at the conn or navigation positions never had one?
27th May 2016
Space: 1999 (1975)
Question: Assuming that Moonbase Alpha is on the side facing the Earth (which is seen on the horizon over the base in the pilot episode "Breakaway"), making travel to it and back easier, and the nuclear waste on the far side, away from Earth, wouldn't the explosion propel the moon towards the Earth, thereby dooming Alpha to certain destruction?
Answer: Not necessarily - The gravitational fields of Earth and the Sun could have deflected the moon away from the solar system.
18th Apr 2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Question: If the lightsaber that Rey touches was Luke's and his father's before him, how did it get there? Luke's saber, given to him by Obi Wan, was lost in the fight between Luke and Vader on Cloud City when Vader cut Luke's sword hand off. It fell down with Luke's hand into the disposal tube, then out and down to Bespin's swampy surface.
30th Mar 2016
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Question: When Commander Morrow responds to Kirk's protests he says "Jim, the Enterprise is twenty years old. We feel her day's over." In ST: TMP, Decker said "This is an almost totally new Enterprise." If the Enterprise was, for all intents and purposes, totally rebuilt from the original, with more space, better engines, etc., how could it be twenty years old?
Chosen answer: The Enterprise may have been extensively refurbished, but that does not mean it is entirely new. The ship is still 20 years old. Also, that was Decker's comment, and it may have been an over-exaggeration. Newer ships were being designed and built in the meantime, so even if the Enterprise was still mechanically sound, the technology may have advanced so much that it was not possible or it wasn't economically feasible to continually retrofit older vessels.
22nd Mar 2016
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Question: In the first sequence, there is a trap with Indy's competition's body stuck on it. Although it is sprung by somebody breaking the beam of light (which I find hard to believe, given that it and other traps were done without any kind of more modern technology we're used to, but suspend disbelief for the sake of the movie), how was it reset without human intervention after Forrestal was killed, and prepared for Sapito?
Chosen answer: Likely, it wasn't. The Hovitos are still guarding the temple. Presumably, they maintain and reset the traps.
You'd think in that case that they would've removed the body.
I don't know, I'd be more afraid to rob the place with a dead body stuck there than without.
Why? It's a good warning to other would-be thieves.
Answer: More than likely, they left Forrestal's body as a warning.
Answer: The character played by Alfred Molina is actually named "Satipo," after a town. "Sapito" would mean "small frog." It's a common typo, but the more you know.
3rd Feb 2016
Gilligan's Island (1964)
Question: In this episode, as the Professor is put into a trance, in the background, there seems to be a radio or television transmission tower that can be seen over the roof of the hut. It's blurry, but doesn't seem to be a standard palm tree. Is this a mistake, or set error, or my imagination?
Chosen answer: It looks like a mistake to me I see it when the Professor is put into a trance, but it is not there later.
9th Oct 2015
Superman III (1983)
Question: In the original Superman television series, Superman created a duplicate of himself so that he could be in two places at once. However, as one went to pull the bars out of the wall, he had to have the other help, as the strength of one was half that of the original. That said, how is it that both Clark and Evil Superman have the same strength of the whole being after being split?
1st Sep 2015
Star Trek (1966)
What Are Little Girls Made Of? - S1-E8
Question: When the Enterprise is in orbit, it uses the Impulse engines to maintain orbit. The Impulse engines are located on the back (aft) of the primary saucer. Why were these not on or lit up? Unless they're using gravity, but there are the familiar engine sounds.
Chosen answer: If they're in orbit, they're being pulled along by the planet's gravity well, therefore, impulse engines would only be used for minor corrections and would be "on standby" while in orbit, but not active. (Like keeping your car idling without revving the engine and creating plumes of exhaust).
Thank you for the info.
Answer: Happy to help.
11th May 2015
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Question: In the mall, the Bluesmobile is going toward the Jewel store. As it does, there is a ball flying in from off camera. Trouble is, it was moving too slowly to have been launched by the car. Was it thrown from off camera by the crew for comic effect? The camera was at or near ceiling level l.
Answer: Yes.
19th Apr 2015
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Question: It appears that the boomerang would have had to spin in the opposite direction to kill the blonde guy the way it did. Am I looking at this the right way or is my limited knowledge of aerodynamics totally backwards?
Chosen answer: The filmmakers obviously didn't research the intricate logistics of aerodynamics of how a boomerang is thrown. It simply looked cool leaving the kid's hand and killing the blonde guy the way it did.
15th Sep 2014
Doctor Who (2005)
Question: In Season 5, the Doctor states his age as nine hundred and six years old. In a voice-over for Season 8, he states that he's lived for over two thousand years. Granted, he's a Time Lord, but how could he make such a grievous error in his own age?
Chosen answer: He has not made an error, he probably is 2000 years old. He may have been 906 in season 5, but remember, at the end of season 6, he is 200 years older, 1107 years old and in season 7 episode 3, the Doctor stated he was 1200 years old. Plus, he also in "The Time of the Doctor", he lived at that village for several hundred years. It may have been only 4 years for the audience, but it has in fact been over a millennia for The Doctor.
Sometimes when the doctor says things about himself people say that he is known for lying.
Answer: He can't actually remember his precise age. He's almost certainly over a millennium older than he claims, but even he doesn't remember the real number.
21st Jul 2014
Robocop (1987)
Question: Other than serving the plot, why were so many elements of his former life left in the now-vacant home? All evidence of the former family would have been removed before showing it to prospective buyers.
Answer: I'm watching it on the computer right now and it says "for sale" not sold, who says everything must be removed prior to selling? I'm not American so it may differ from country to country, but I've been to houses for sale during "inspection dates" and some houses STILL have items not removed probably because they are still living in them or still in the midst of alternate living options, some might need the money of the sale JUST so they can move remember his wife is a widow now and probably can't afford living there no more, where is she gonna get the money to move? Also not all houses I've seen had stuff removed (some did) during my house tours p.s Her husband was gunned down so she can't bare to remove anything yet, but her life is destroyed so she might as well put the house up for sale.
Chosen answer: There is no reason except that it is to serve the plot. Normally everything would have been removed by the time the house was put up for sale, but there needs to be some means for Murphy to connect to his past. This is achieved by showing physical objects from his former life to trigger his memory, creating sympathy for the character. This can be considered suspension of disbelief where the audience just accepts something is out of the ordinary for the sake of the story being told.
21st Jul 2014
Robocop (1987)
Question: When Robocop is resting, and dreaming of Boddicker, the monitoring needles, as well as Robocop violently jerking, create a lot of attention-getting noise. Other than possibly serving the plot, why do the techs on duty not notice any of this? Are they possibly that deaf or stupid?
Chosen answer: Some people who work at offices or labs and have little to no work to keep them busy will pretty much lose themselves in thought or conversation. So they would hear very little of anything outside of thought or conversation.
21st Jul 2014
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Question: I find it interesting that part of the final chase is against a modified truck on a set of rails. I saw no rails in the wide shots of Bartertown, and no exits for the the truck. So, where was the exit, why use a modified truck for power when it was never cranked, and how did the kid know to be prepared for the truck, or any rail traffic, at all?
Chosen answer: The train tracks would have been covered by dirt for not being used for years. The truck was already cranked, as the engine was source for the generating power and lights. The exit was boarded up and the truck ripped through it. The kids were not prepared, but did observe what the adults were doing and could have been given instructions on what to do.
24th Nov 2013
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Question: In the beginning, there is a watchman that announces "Another minute closer to Christmas!" as each minute ticks off a countdown clock. Assuming that each panel (days, hours minutes) is on a revolving wheel of some sort, how can the three wheels work correctly in such close proximity to each other? Granted, only the minutes part moves for the sake of the story, but it still begs the question.
Answer: By machine.
The clock in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is designed for cinematic effect; a real-world counterpart would rely on precise gearing and engineering to allow three separate wheels to operate in close proximity without interfering with each other. The key would be in the gear ratios and the alignment of the gears to ensure smooth operation of each panel.
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Chosen answer: Actually grooming would be somewhat important, if only for general comfort. Unruly facial hair can be quite uncomfortable and gets dirty easily. It is entirely plausible that men would regularly shave if they had a means to even in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
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