Question: What song is playing in the ending credits?
Bishop73
26th Mar 2022
The Great Outdoors (1988)
21st Mar 2022
General questions
I remember watching a black and white short film in history class in high school. It featured a man about to be hanged (I recall a closeup of his face with tears rolling down his cheeks, and he had a thick mustache). He managed to escape and lead his captors on a chase, but his escape ended up being either a dream or fantasy, and the act of him dropping or his noose snapping is what brought him back to reality. Anyone know what this was?
Answer: I remember it well. This was the Oscar winning, 1962 short French film titled, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," directed by Robert Enrico. Set during the Civil War, there is virtually no dialogue. It was televised two times as a special edited episode of "The Twilight Zone." It is not part of the series syndication, though an edited version (dubbed over with awful music) is on YouTube. It was based on a short story by Ambrose Bierce, who served in the Civil War as a Union soldier.
Answer: There was a 1962 French short film called "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" with no dialog where a man being hung escapes when his rope breaks and when he makes it home the film cuts to him hanging from the rope because it was all a fantasy. The "Twilight Zone" then bought the rights to the film and included it as a season 5 episode.
5th Mar 2022
Monk (2002)
Question: Is there a reason they chose the last names Monk and/or Teeger?
Answer: I couldn't find any info on the name "Teeger," but Monk got his name because they wanted to come up with a simple, single-syllable name for the protagonist that could easily stick in your head. They eventually settled on "Monk," which seemed to fit the character.
Just learned Bitty Schram's middle name is Natalie. Of course I'm overthinking it, but it's interesting.
Obviously without confirmation from a writer that's where they got the name, you can't be sure. But it is an interesting fact that makes it seem plausible that the writers used her middle name as a tribute when she was let go from the show.
1st Mar 2005
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
Question: Why does the helicopter explode at the end? Did the high-tension electrical wire set it off? I never see it hit the chopper, no matter how many times I see the scene. Or does he fact that the helicopter blades hit the pole have something to do with it?
Answer: Willis' character shot the power lines, which fell from the pole and got tangled up in the helicopter blades. Since the blades couldn't spin, the helicopter fell from the air and exploded as it hit the ground.
That's not what happened. John shot the power lines and in an effort to avoid them the helicopter pilot clipped a pole which took them down.
Answer: The sparks seen above the helicopter is meant to be the live wire wrapping around the blades. The helicopter does try to avoid the wire, but it's too late. If you look closely, it doesn't seem like the helicopter hit the pylon, maybe the blades knick it. But the helicopter explodes while in the air before it hit the ground.
15th Mar 2022
The Karate Kid (2010)
Question: Since this is a movie solely based on Kung Fu (and not karate), why wasn't this film titled "The Kung Fu Kid"? It seems it would also help separate confusion between this film and the 1984 Karate Kid film.
Answer: While there was discussion to name the film "The Kung Fu Kid", it was ultimately decided to keep the original, and more familiar, title since the film is considered a reboot. Not only is the story line the same, there are many elements from the original film seen in the reboot. And, had Ralph Macchio not turned it down, he would have had a cameo. It should be noted that the title in China is "The Kung Fu Dream" (功夫梦).
Answer: There was a comic book titled, "The Kung-Fu Kid," so there were copyright issues.
Titles, names, slogans, and short phrases cannot be copyrighted. In some instances, they can be trademarked.
The original answer does seem suspect without a source, but it should be noted that there was a DC Comics series before the original film called "The Karate Kid" and Columbia Pictures had to get special permission from DC Comics to use the name. All the films even acknowledges the name is used with consent. There definitely could have been a lawsuit if DC Comics didn't want to give permission.
Answer: Even though it's incorrect, "Karate Kid" is the catchier and familiar title, indicating it is a reboot of the popular original series, making it more marketable. It also uses an alliteration that rolls off the tongue easier. "Jurassic Park" is another example of a deliberate misnomer in a movie title. The dinosaurs depicted in that film were from the Late Cretaceous period, millions of years after the Jurassic. "Cretaceous Park" just didn't sound as good.
3rd Mar 2022
Groundhog Day (1993)
Question: At the end of the film, Phil finally wakes up in bed with Rita on the day after Groundhog Day (meaning he's finally broken out of the time-loop and temporal continuity is restored). Doesn't this necessarily imply that everything he did the day before will have repercussions for him? I mean, as far as everyone knows, Phil Connors just suddenly became a local sensation in one day, flashing a lot of money on the same day as the armored car robbery. Wouldn't Phil naturally fall under suspicion?
Answer: On that particular previous day, he didn't rob the armored car. All he did was spend the day doing good deeds and the only repercussions will be people thinking highly of him.
A huge part of his "good deeds," no doubt, was his flashing a lot of money around town, buying a full insurance package from Ned, paying the piano teacher a significant wad of cash, gifting the newlyweds tickets for their honeymoon, etc. That's a big part of how Phil became so beloved by so many townspeople in one day. Plus, he bought the ice-carving chainsaw and who knows what else. He wasn't just pulling all that cash out of thin air. I think robbing the armored car every morning had become second-nature to Phil.
Phil seemed to be trying to do everything just right to break the cycle. It's unlikely he would choose to rob the armor truck. And it's unlikely the truck was robbed that day. However, Phil was a professional with a good paying job. Rita herself had almost $400 in cash on her. If Phil didn't have that much cash on him, he could easily get it from the bank and then write checks (or use a credit card) for everything else.
25th Feb 2022
Venom (2018)
Question: Since the new film "Spider-Man: No Way Home" establishes that the MCU, the Tobey Maguire Spiderman trilogy, the two "Amazing Spider-Man" films and these "Venom" films all exist in the same multi-verse, could Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock possibly be native to the same universe as Andrew Garfield's Spiderman?
Answer: Possibly, but very unlikely. The mid-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Eddie Brock telling his bartender that he intends to go to New York to "talk to this Spider-Man guy" (paraphrased), which would suggest he's never heard of Spider-Man before, and if he occupied the same universe as the Andrew Garfield version, he would definitely know who Spider-Man is, not least because Eddie is an investigative journalist, and Spider-Man would undoubtedly be one of, if not the most, famous persons on the planet.
Answer: No, it's established that Tom Hardy's Venom is in a universe of his own. The mid-credit scene of "Let There Be Carnage," shows him jumping into the MCU and seeing Spider-Man for the first time. At the end of "No Way Home," he wants to go to New York, but is pulled back, but leaving a piece behind. Somebody will be Venom in the MCU, maybe rich kid Eddie Brock, his arrongance would be perfect for Venom.
Venom, as in the symbiote, knows who Spider-Man is and has been to multiple universes. It's Eddie Brock that seems unaware of Spider-Man. Although there was that "incident at the Daily Globe", which in the comics is what started Brock's hatred of Spider-Man.
Answer: I agree it's unlikely he's in the Garfield universe. At the time of the film, Tom Holland was already Spider-Man. It would be different if this Venom film came out before 2016. But the Symbiote has been to other universes in the multiverse as explained in "Venom: Let There Be Carnage", so it's possible it's been to the Garfield universe and could be the same one from the Maguire universe.
25th Feb 2022
The Simpsons (1989)
Question: I, like Marge, don't know much about football. Why is Homer disappointed to own the Denver Broncos team? I know his first choice was owning the Dallas Cowboys, but he seems to especially dislike the Broncos.
Answer: I don't think the writers had anything particular in mind when choosing the Denver Broncos to be the butt of the joke. But I wonder if it's meant to be a clue where Springfield is. But, while this episode did air late 1996 when the Broncos had a winning season, given the amount of time needed to produce the episode, it was written when the Broncos were a mediocre team at best. From '92-'95 they had a 32-32 record and never finished higher than 3rd in their division. And the Cowboys and Broncos are in separate conferences, so they're not particularly rivals. But as Phaneron points out, the Broncos ended up winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the following 2 season after this episode aired, so Homer is a very lucky guy.
Probably also worth mentioning that by the time this episode had aired, the Broncos had an 0-4 record in the Super Bowl, and to this day I believe they hold the record for most Super Bowl losses.
The Buffalo Bills also had an 0-4 record at the time of airing having lost 4 straight years.
The Vikings are also 0-4 in the Super Bowl. The Patriots have 5 losses (although only had 1 at the time this episode aired).
True, and they would have been a funnier pick for Homer to end up owning, given that two consecutive of those four Super Bowl losses were to the Cowboys. Although Homer fantasizing about being John Elway in the episode Cape Feare makes his disdain for the Broncos rather funny.
24th Jan 2011
Superman (1978)
Question: What caused Krypton to explode?
Answer: That's the updated comic book version. In the movie and the original origin story their red sun was going super nova and caused Krypton's orbit to shift.
Jor-El's conversation with the Science Council in the movie is all about the planet's core.
You must be thinking of a different movie. There wasn't any mention of the core and when Jor-El says the planet will explode, the reply is the planet is just shifting orbit. Later, Jor-El tells 18 year old Clark they will enter the realm of the red Krypton sun, the cause of their destruction. The answer about Krypton's sun is correct.
I went and looked up the script and it DOES say orbit. OK, you're right.
Chosen answer: An atomic chain-reaction in the planet's core. The explosion also irradiated the fragments of the planet, which is why kryptonite is deadly to Superman.
17th Feb 2022
The Walking Dead (2010)
Question: Maybe I missed a full explanation or it's a plot hole for the show, but how do Michonne's armless, jawless walkers on a leash help mask her scent or let her walk among the walkers?
Answer: The other walkers see the two already upon her, figure that she's already taken, and move on.
What do you mean "upon her" if they're in front of her and walking forward?
A satisfactory answer hasn't really been given. The general consensus on Reddit is that having the two tame rotting zombies close by overpowers her own smell and the zombies can't detect her. In my previous answer, I was thinking that it was a psychological tactic. The other zombies see that they're about to eat her and about to attack, figure "that one's taken," and move on. This time, I'll go with the internet's answer.
I broke this question up into 2 because I ran out of room. But, yeah, I thought the idea was either mask her smell or make other Walkers think she's "taken." But in the show, those options don't seem to work for other characters.
"Upon" as in "They are about to descend down on their prey."
Yes, but I was asking about times when they're in front of her and she's following, not that ever showed any signs of descending down on her.
Well, zombies don't look that carefully to distinguish "Oh, those guys are walking in front of her instead of about to throw her on the ground and eat her. Let's get really hung up on the word "upon" now, shall we?"
It was my polite way of letting you admit you didn't know what you were talking about and were guessing with a total BS answer.
Ah. Well, I DID admit that earlier.
17th Feb 2022
She's All That (1999)
Question: Can anyone please tell me what is the song, and the artist/band playing during the movie credits? Thank you.
Answer: If you're talking about the opening credits, it's "Prophecy" by Remy Zero. If you're talking about the end credits, it's "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer followed by "Prophecy." Although, in the opening credits, they skip the first "verse" of the song.
16th Feb 2022
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Question: Why did Linda Hamilton refuse to appear as Sarah Connor in this movie?
Answer: She read the script and wasn't impressed (which is generally the reason a lot of actors don't return to sequels). In the initial script, Sarah dies part way through, but Hamilton felt her character was more of a background character and the film focused too much on action rather than character development like the previous 2 films. Of course, her ex-husband, James Cameron, dropping out of the original production of the T3 film due to that whole mess also factored into her decision. Had Cameron remained on the project, Hamilton probably would have reprised her role (not to mention how different the film would have been).
16th Feb 2022
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Question: What does Vince Vaughn mean when he says "Dear Barbara" when entering Christine Taylor's house and seeing all the unicorns?
Answer: I took it to mean the opening line someone uses when writing in to an advice column, like "Dear Abby." There was a 1998 book called "Dear Barbara: Answers to the Most-Asked Questions from Teenage Girls." Basically a joking way to say she hasn't quite grown up, or at least a kid at heart.
15th Feb 2022
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Question: Is it me, or does Medusa's head open her eyes as Perseus holds her head up after leaving the temple?
Answer: To me, it just looks like the way the prop catches the light as the actor lifts it up, and then higher up, the angle of the prop isn't catching the light in the same way.
Answer: I watched this scene several times on YouTube. When Perseus walks out with the severed head, the eyes are closed. Just as Perseus raises it, Medusa's eyes suddenly appear to open. Zeus is then heard telling Perseus to "fulfil his destiny" amid the thunder and lightning. Her eyes are wide open at this point. I interpreted this as showing that Medusa's power still resides within the head, even though she is dead.
14th Feb 2022
Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)
Question: Does anyone know what the Kathleen Turner movie is that is playing when Annie Potts and Jeffrey Jones are together in her bedroom and John Candy is in the air shaft? Can't find it anywhere.
Answer: It's not a real movie and it's not Kathleen Turner. It was just done for the scene. The two people in the "movie" are Patrick McKenna and Daliah Novak who are credited as "TV Man" and "TV Woman."
14th Feb 2022
WarGames (1983)
Question: In the opening sequence, the younger silo guy is about to shoot his partner for not turning his key as ordered. What would be the point of this? If they have to turn the keys simultaneously then how would killing the other guy help? You'd just have a dead guy with nobody to turn the other key.
Answer: But if he doesn't turn the key, they can't launch anyway. So threatening his life results in either a) his death, and nothing's different from him refusing to turn the key, or b) him giving in and turning his key.
Answer: The younger one threatening to shoot knows that if he kills the other guy, he cannot launch the missiles alone. He is betting that by threatening to shoot his partner, he will force him into complying with the order in order to save his own life. It's a situation where the older guy may or may not comply, but at least there's a chance.
Answer: The reason the missile launch crew is armed is to stop one from going rogue and trying to launch without permission. The scene where he threatens to shoot the other one for refusing to launch is dramatic, but totally untrue.
Answer: The opening sequence was a test and I think only the older guy didn't know it was a test. The younger guy actually knew it was a test and was there to threaten him with death as part of the test. Later we find out that 22% of missile commanders failed to launch. So the fact that the younger guy calls the other one "sir", makes it seem (to me) that the older guy was the missile commander and was the only one actually being tested. So when they kept saying "these men", I think they're referring to the commanders being tested and not the pair of men we saw.
3rd Feb 2022
General questions
I feel like this might be an Eddie Murphy movie, but an adult (Murphy?) for some reason is trying to bribe a kid (maybe to be quiet about something) with a coupon for a scone. The kid's reply is something like "a scone? What do I look like, the queen of England?" When I search for the quote, all I get is pictures of the queen and scone recipes.
Answer: The movie you're looking for is "Imagine That", which has got Eddie Murphy in it. The quote in question is present in the trailer for the movie https://youtu.be/s2kYKjwsmS8.
Thank you for that.
3rd Feb 2022
Dolittle (2020)
Question: At the beginning, Dolittle was scared because a boy broke in his territory, so he says to Chee-Chee, "Possum, play dead." Why does he call the gorilla possum? Chee-Chee is a gorilla, not a possum. Also Possum is not his name nor nickname.
Answer: 'Playing possum' is slang for pretending to be dead, as possums sometimes do that to avoid predators.
Answer: Opossums will go into a state where they appear dead when threatened, thus the term "playing possum." Dolittle was just saying to act like a opossum and play dead.
5th Mar 2015
The Dark Knight (2008)
Question: Why couldn't both Harvey and Rachel be saved?
Chosen answer: There was not enough time. Only the Batmobile was fast enough to save one of them, hence the police being late to the other location. The Joker made sure one would die.
Assuming they sent all the other units to find Dent (Rachel instead), wouldn't it have been helpful and faster to send some cop patrolling near that location to save her? As fast as Batman was with his technology, another cop who might have been close to the location could have gotten there in time I would guess. Or am I missing something?
I think several things are in play (but me speculating). First, the cops were busy trying to safeguard Dent and then apprehend the Joker. Think Die Hard 3 were all the cops were so busy "you could steal City Hall." So while there might be some cops on patrol, not close enough. But given the level of precision in Joker's plan, it seemed like the explosion was going to go off when the cops got there, so even if they got there sooner, the place would still explode.
But I will admit that the Joker's "precision" really seems to be sheer dumb luck that we're suppose to accept as his criminal mastermind plan.
Yes, it could be indeed or maybe like Nolan said: Joker is a mysterious unstoppable force (resourceful one at that) that suddenly appeared. Gotham's extreme corruption at the time allowed for a psychotic (or anarchist if you will) one like Joker to play his cards with more freedom as well, which I think some people forget to consider. In that sense, Bane had to do things differently because the aforementioned aspect was highly reduced after TDK events.
True. With many things at play, possible situations and Joker's preparation, there can be multiple reasons why everything happened the way it did (the film makes a wise decision to not over explain this and leave it to imagination), specially because Joker most likely wanted one of them to die, or they would have both died anyway since explosion occurred either way. Based on everything Joker did, maybe it was always supposed to be Rachel. He wanted to make a point with Dent and Bats after all.
13th Jun 2005
Young Guns (1988)
Question: Chavez calls Billy "Chivato". What does this mean?
Answer: Chivato in northern Mexico chihuahua area a Chivato is a male kid goat but also can be used as a young person full of energy, also an endearing term for a young boy. Lincoln Country is 2.5 hours from El paso TX and Chihuahua Juarez to be exact where many a cowboy spent their pay so the term would have the same meaning in Lincoln Ruidoso, Capitán where I grew up.
Answer: According to Lou Dimond Phillips himself in a tweet in response to the word, he said "'Chivato.' I'm told it means little kid, as in goats and as in Billy the Kid."
Answer: Chavez means Chivato as a young man not a traitor as some speculate.
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Answer: "Land of a Thousand Dances" performed by Wilson Pickett.
Bishop73