Question: It's known that the newspaper Janet holds over her head is the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but why that paper, especially considering the movie was filmed in England?
Charles Austin Miller
28th Nov 2019
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
6th Aug 2019
General questions
This has been annoying the hell out of me for years. I'm thinking of an early 1960s (?) black and white American movie that features numerous cameos by A-List Hollywood actors who are so heavily made-up (with wigs and latex facial prosthetics) that they are all thoroughly unrecognizable. At the end of the film, as a complete surprise, there is a sequence of each of these otherwise unremarkable cameo characters removing their makeup for a big reveal. For example, a plain, middle-aged woman who only appeared for a few seconds onscreen grandly removes her latex face to reveal none other than Burt Lancaster. I believe Robert Mitchum and Tony Curtis were also among the reveals. What is this film?
Answer: "The List of Adrian Messenger" (1963). Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Tony Curtis, along with Kirk Douglas and Frank Sinatra, remove their heavy makeup during the epilogue to reveal who they are. Although Lancaster and Sinatra didn't actual portray the characters they claimed to have been.
Thank you. The name of this movie has been on the tip of my tongue for many years.
Incidentally, director John Huston (who also made a cameo appearance in the film) tried to convince Elizabeth Taylor to play a disguised part in this movie; but, when Taylor learned that her lovely face would be completely hidden under heavy latex, she turned down the role.
2nd Aug 2019
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Question: When Scotty was at the door of the Holodeck, he calls for the bridge of the Enterprise, "no bloody A, B, C, or D." When the doors open, it's the bridge of the original ship. However, he was Chief Engineer on the refit Enterprise (no A). Besides the obvious "it's in the script", why didn't the computer ask for a distinction?
Answer: As a product of 24th Century technology, the ship's computer is an example of extremely advanced artificial intelligence that is capable of intuiting deeper meanings based on inflection and speaker personality profiles. The computer probably (and correctly) intuited from Scotty's profile and the exasperated tone of his voice that he meant the original, unmodified Enterprise NCC 1701.
2nd Aug 2019
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Yesterday's Enterprise - S3-E15
Question: The ever-popular gag in this episode is that Worf consumes prune juice for the first time and declares that it is a "warrior's drink," to Guinan's amusement. However, Worf was adopted as a child by human parents, he grew up on Earth, he was highly educated and graduated Star Fleet Academy on Earth. Given the reputation of prune juice as a natural laxative throughout human history, how could Worf not know what prune juice is, having lived most of his life on Earth?
Answer: There's nothing to indicate that Worf had never heard of prune juice before, just that he had never tried it before. He doesn't recognize the smell or taste of the drink as prune juice because he's never had it before. But that doesn't mean he has no idea what prune juice is, or that it is used as a natural laxative. In a later episode Guinan directly asks Worf's parents why he never had prune juice prior to her serving him the drink. They answer that as a child Worf refused to eat human food of any kind, everything he consumed had to be Klingon. Other episodes show that Klingons tend to despise human food in general for being bland. It stands to reason that someone who shows no outward interest in human food might not know what prune juice is usually used for. But then again, maybe he does know and he doesn't care because prune juice is delicious to him.
Thanks for reminding me about that later episode, although I think the later prune juice explanation from Worf's adoptive parents was scripted to address many fan questions along the same lines as my own.
Question: Could Indy ever survive the nuclear blast in a fridge?
Answer: This universally reviled and ridiculed scene has been analysed many, many times, and the conclusion the world has come to is the obvious one: No, one cannot survive a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator. Do not attempt.
Answer: If you were far from the initial explosion, the lining of the fridge may protect you from some residual radiation, but it would not protect you from the force of the blast or the intense heat. Being thrown by the blast would kill you whether you were inside a metal box or not.
Answer: Inconceivable heat and bombardment by gamma radiation notwithstanding, the sheer G-forces of being blasted miles away in a matter of seconds (and the terrific impact of striking the earth) should have pulverized Indy to jelly inside the refrigerator. So, factually speaking, no normal human being was walking away from that one. However, of course, Indiana Jones is no normal human being, and he had already impossibly survived so many catastrophes in his life that we just accept that the guy is charmed or protected by the hand of God. That's the running gag of the entire Indiana Jones franchise.
6th Jul 2019
Jaws (1975)
Question: When the line breaks Brody's head is cut. It looked like a real cut and he did looked dazed. Was that fake? Or did that really happen by accident?
Answer: There are so many anecdotes regarding the numerous accidents, ad-libs, gaffes, rewrites, mechanical breakdowns, personality conflicts, budget overruns, delays, and offscreen cast and crew antics during production of "Jaws" that you could compile it all into a book (or a movie-mistakes website). Seemingly, every bit of trivia from this film (both real and fabricated) has been published at some point over the last 45 years. But if Roy Scheider ever suffered a real-life head injury in this film, it's not among that collection of trivia; so, it's fairly safe to say that the injury was entirely scripted. In a word, fake.
24th Jun 2019
Aquaman (2018)
Question: Did Aquaman kill all Black Manta's crew at the start? As far as I can see he just knocks them out, but they don't seem to leave. If they die, why is he so upset about the guy's dad, when he left a half dozen to drown?
Answer: As far as I can see, Aquaman didn't care if the pirates died, including Kane's father. When Kane begs Aquaman to help save his father, Aquaman just glares at Kane and says, "You killed innocent people" and abruptly leaves without helping. Aquaman then saves the Russian crew but leaves the sub and pirates to sink. All of this explains why Kane becomes Black Manta (because he hates Aquaman for leaving Kane's father to die). But, as far as Aquaman was concerned, the pirates got what they deserved.
Answer: It was an accident, while trying to stop Black Manta's crew, Aquaman's battle caused a lot of damage. Which made one of the bulk heads blow and pinned his father down. He believes if Aquaman had let them siege the submarine and not interfere, his father would be alive.
Little correction to the answer: Kane's father fired two mortar rounds in the sub's torpedo magazine (which somehow, amazingly, did not detonate the the whole sub). The first mortar struck Aquaman dead center without killing him and everyone else in the room. The second mortar damaged the torpedo rack, dislodging a torpedo that pinned Kane's father against the bulkhead.
24th May 2019
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Question: What did Walter mean by, "You're killing your father, Larry!"?
Answer: Generally, he means that the boy, Larry Sellers, is disgracing his family (Walter has huge respect for the boy's dad, but considers the kid a dunce). Specifically, Walter is blaming Larry for his father struggling to breathe; that's Larry's dad in an iron lung in the background. Walter and The Dude become louder, more insistent and more vulgar, but the kid still blankly refuses to answer, and all you can hear is the iron lung pumping in the background. Frustrated because the kid isn't intimidated, Walter lashes out: "You're killing your father, Larry!"
5th Feb 2019
Glass (2019)
Question: How was Elijah getting out of his room in the first place? I know he has free roam of the facility after killing the guard and taking his keycard, but I don't recall the movie explaining how he was getting out earlier in the movie?
Answer: He's picking the locks on the doors, bypassing the keycards.
Answer: At one point, Elijah's mother mentions that he caught a glimpse of and instantly memorized a blueprint of the psychiatric hospital when he was first committed, and he used that knowledge to short-out the hospital's electrical system one time (before they started heavily sedating him). It seems likely that Elijah was able to somehow hotwire electronic door locks, using his knowledge of the hospital's electrical system. Later, he used a master keycard taken from the guard.
Answer: Not only that but, it was shown in the first movie that Elijah was very good at manipulating people so he could have convinced somebody to let him out.
Answer: The movie doesn't explain. But given what we know about Elijah from "Unbreakable" and this film, it's really no surprise he managed to find a way out - he's psychotic, but he's also a genius.
15th May 2019
Back to the Future (1985)
Question: Are we ever given any suggestion as to what offence Lorraine's brother was incarcerated for?
Answer: Not in any official, canon source. In the Back to the Future comic books published by IDW he is an aspiring member of Biff's gang and gets arrested breaking into the home of Doc Brown's mother in an attempt to steal a large sum of money. It must be reiterated that the comics are non-canon and this should be taken with a grain of salt.
The comic books are so skewed from the movie events, they cannot be considered canon. "Jailbird Joey" was only a baby in a playpen when Biff and his gang were seniors in highschool. Unless Biff and his highschool buddies were still recruiting gang members into their mid-30s, there is no way Jailbird Joey would be trying to join their gang.
While the answer does state the comics aren't cannon, it's the only place that really delves into Uncle Joey's criminal history since the film's didn't need to spend time discussing the exact nature of his crimes. However, it would not be unreasonable (or even unheard of) for Biff to be recruiting members for his "gang" at 35. Plus, Joey wanting to be part of Biff's gang wouldn't necessarily require Biff or his high school buddies to be personally involved in recruiting young Joey.
Question: Does anyone know for sure if Harrison Ford wears the same hat in each movie or are there multiple copies. I'd like to know for sure, not speculation or guesses.
Chosen answer: Not only does he wear a different hat in each movie, he wears several different hats within the same movie. After Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford was given the original hat, which he personally helped the costume designer give its old and worn but well-loved appearance, to keep for his own.
Answer: There were not only multiple Indy hats used in each movie, but multiple styles and sizes of Indy hats used for various scenes. In "Raiders," for example, Herbert Johnson hatters in London produced 45 copies of the hat for use in that movie alone. Those hats were used by Harrison Ford himself, his stand-ins and stuntmen. In dark scenes, where lighting was critical, Ford wore a version of the hat with a modified brim to accommodate facial lighting; and, in the daylight "Basket Chase" scene in Cairo, the style of hat is noticeably different with a slightly wider brim. The hats vary greatly from movie-to-movie, as well, with variations in brim, crown and felt color. By the last movie, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the hat is distinctly different from the original used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
13th Nov 2018
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: Is there anything to suggest that someone couldn't leave the grail in the cave and come back every 50 years or so to "top off" their immortality?
Answer: It doesn't appear to work that way. The power of the grail heals Henry's gunshot wound instantly and it keeps the knight looking about 80 years old. However, there is nothing in the film to suggest that simply drinking from the grail and leaving the cave actually extends your life. In fact, Henry drank from the grail and died a natural death a relatively short time later in between this film and the next.
Actually it is stated that Henry Jones Sr. died either in 1951 or 1956. So either at the age of 79 or 85 and at least 13 years after the events of the Last Crusade movie. Whilst this is not an extremely old age, there is no reason to think his life wasn't extended by the grail. Indiana himself got to a high age himself, having drunk from the grail.
I don't think the series is implying that either Jones man lived a long life due to the grail. In fact it would seem to go against the irony of the grail as presented: that it does give you eternal life but you are confined to that cave to enjoy the benefits. Maybe if they had said Henry Jones died at the age of 120 or something out of the ordinary, but they specifically state he dies at a perfectly normal, non magical age.
Well it's never stated that it gives eternal life only to the person staying in the cave either. That's what the question is about. If the healing properties of the grail work on someone who leaves the cave, there is no reason to think their life isn't extended (technically it already was in the case of Henry Jones Sr.) as well. It is possible though, since the knight looked pretty old, that the grail only heals, and that healing extends life but one has to drink from the cup frequently (like every day) in order to stay alive, whilst still getting older.
The knight does say that the grail cannot leave the seal, which is the price of immortality. He is implying that in order to reap the benefits of eternal life you must stay in the cave. The way it seems to work is that in order to extend your life in any meaningful way, you must drink from the grail often. Just leaving and coming back whenever you need a jolt would effectively make the rule about not taking the grail out of the cave meaningless. How often you need to drink is of course not specified. In order for the film's ironic message about the grail to make any kind of sense, you would need to drink from the grail so often you would effectively be stuck in the cave. Possibly drinking from it every day. In which case, like the knight you would just live at the cave and never leave. The knight's brothers both left 150 years after finding the grail, but one of them died shortly after leaving, never making it out of the desert. So with regards to the original question: "can you just come back every 50 years or so?"; it would make the most sense based on what we see in the movie, what we know about how long Henry Jones Sr. Lived, what we know about the knights and how long they lived, and the message the movie is saying about the irony of the grail that the answer to that particular question is "No."
I wonder if someone were to bring a large storage vessel to the cave, and fill it using the Grail, if they could then take that water with them and drink it later... Man, the scientist in me really wants to resolve this.
Drinking from the grail is not the same as pouring water out of it into another vessel. Drinking from the grail is symbolic and there is no real power that it bestows upon the water in it. However, if the grail was able to pass the properties to another vessel, one would have to assume the temple would collapse on itself when attempting to take the secondary vessel out.
Answer: It's stated by the ancient knight that the Grail's powers do not extend into the outside world. He himself was immortal only because he remained at the site, drinking the water, for hundreds of years. Henry Senior was instantly healed on-site, but he and Indy continued to age normally once they left the site.
Then why didn't Henry's wound return when he left? Their healing extended their lives. It got rid of any bad cells, to go scientific.
Because cell deterioration due to aging happens spontaneously, i.e. you've got to keep removing the bad cells. Bullet wounds are not spontaneous...once it's gone, it's gone.
Why would his wound return? He was instantly healed. From that point forward he was in normal health, even after crossing the seal. Indy actually drank from the Grail, which meant he was immortal for a few minutes, but his immortality did not follow him beyond the seal.
It's the difference between believing the power of immortality comes from the cup or staying in the cave. The knight was immortal because he kept drinking from the cup, not because he stayed in the cave. The cup has healing powers, and simply growing old is not the reason for death, regenerating cells will keep you alive, so if the cup regenerates cells, you are immortal from drinking from it, as long as you do it regularly. That's how the knight has done it and why he looks old and is frail. Going outside doesn't negate the powers of the cup, or Henry's wound would have returned. Therefor, going back often to drink from the cup will extend your life. It will cure you from any ailments that accompany old age like heart disease, cancer and brain degeneration.
The Grail Knight plainly says: "You have chosen...wisely. But, beware: the Grail cannot pass beyond the Great Seal, for that is the boundary, and the price, of immortality." Therefore, you remain immortal as long as you don't cross the seal. If you are healed instantly inside the boundary of the Great Seal, then you are healed. Period. It's not just a magic bandaid that disappears if you cross the seal.
14th Jul 2017
Dark Shadows (1966)
Question: Which 1967 episode or what specific story line has Louis Edmonds in close-up because he didn't have time to put his pants back on?
Answer: It's probably episode 193 (even though the slate at the beginning says 58). It's the episode with Sam demanding that Roger return his paintings. Three clues from the Dark Shadows Companion and from the comments of Kathryn Leigh Scott and Louis Edmonds all agree that 1) Scott is in the episode and is done for the day prior to Edmonds without his pants; 2) Edmonds is wearing a smoking jacket, and 3) Edmonds is leaning on the mantle (which is actually the cabinet where the liquor is, because the fireplace mantle is too high to lean on and the bench in front of it prevents getting too close to). There are several "breaks" in the lengthy scene where commercial were probably inserted, and all of the shots are above the waist. The previously mentioned episode 54 has Edmonds in a suit and Scott isn't in the episode; episode 54 doesn't have Edmonds or Scott; and episode 86 only has Edmonds in a suit.
Lou Edmonds was a consummate actor and would not forget that he had a lengthy scene to perform. Rather, in Episode 86, Edmonds more understandably forgot that he had to perform one last 15-second scene (a simple toast). He had removed his shoes and pants before he was reminded of the final, brief shot, and he hurried back to complete it.
Answer: There seems to be some confusion among Dark Shadows fans as to the episode: Some claim it was Episode 54, while others claim it was Episode 85. However, the scene actually appeared in Episode 86. Louis Edmonds (as Roger Collins) thought he had completed all his shots for the day and was removing his costume when he was reminded that he had one more shot. With only seconds to spare, Edmonds hurried back to the set without his pants or shoes (some whispering and shuffling is heard in the background just before the camera goes live). Whereupon, with an amused expression, Edmonds pours himself a brandy and strolls across the study before delivering his last line, a toast: "Miss Victoria Winters, no matter where you are." The shot was slightly adjusted to only cover Edmonds from the elbows-up.
Thank you so much! I had it narrowed down to 3 episodes and the actual one was among them. Thank you again.
Answer: Yes...episode 193 is the only episode to include all three clues (character Maggie appears earlier, character Roger is in a smoking jacket, and lastly, he has brandy in hand and elbows are atop the liquor cabinet. It the last scene in the black and whit episode where Sam Evans is demanding that his paintings back from Roger. And if you keep your eyes on Sam, you will see him glance downward twice at Roger. This eoisode is in Collection 6, disk 2 and even though it's listed in the Dark Shadows Companion as episode 193, the slate at the very beginning says episode 58.
15th Feb 2019
Nacho Libre (2006)
Question: What is Ramses drinking at the party?
Answer: The drink Ramses is holding appears to be a dark red beverage with a white, foamy head. Granted, it could simply be a very dark beer; but there are numerous frothy drinks in Mexico, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. However, given the color of the beverage and the fact that it's a party, I believe what Ramses is drinking is called a "Mexican Cloud," which is considerably stronger and more festive than beer. The red drink itself is made with tequila, pomegranate juice, rhubarb bitters and agave syrup. The foamy head is mixed separately, made with liqueur, egg whites and lemon juice, frothed by hand and carefully poured atop the drink to create the "cloud" for which the beverage is named.
15th Feb 2019
Aliens (1986)
Question: Why did Ripley attack the hive near the end of the film? Firstly, she had Newt with her, she knew that the planet was going to explode, she had little time to get out, and if she hadn't attacked the hive, the Alien queen wouldn't have gone after her. Ripley utterly hated the Aliens, but she is intelligent and Corporal Hicks had earlier praised her tactical thinking - attacking the hive was foolish.
Answer: In her haste to escape, Ripley accidentally entered the egg chamber and found her only exit routes blocked by xenomorphs. Correctly suspecting that the queen was intelligent, Ripley assumed a threatening posture, and the queen cautioned the other xenomorphs to back off, clearing a path for Ripley to leave. However, Ripley also suspected it was a trap and that she would be quickly ambushed by the xenomorphs when she tried to flee. Ripley thought this was her last living act; so, she defiantly blasted and burned the egg chamber, taking out as many eggs as possible before her death. As it happened, the ensuing chaos allowed Ripley to escape the egg chamber.
Answer: One of the eggs had started opening and presumably more would also begin hatching and the newly-born facehuggers would pursue and infect Ripley and Newt. That was when Ripley torched the nest. Even if Ripley had not burned the eggs, the alien queen would have chased them, wanting bodies to incubate more creatures.
Answer: Like the Queen would let her just leave. Ripley knew they would come after them, more host bodies.
No I don't think so, the queen was in the process of laying eggs through a large tube and was being protected by her warriors, so in order to chase Ripley she had to tear herself away from the tube. She did this because she was furious about what Ripley had just done and wanted to get revenge.
Answer: Ripley wasn't there by accident; she had to rescue Newt. Newt was stuck in some sort of sticky goo, so Ripley had to make her way through the nest of eggs to get Newt. Newt was being held prisoner by the queen who saw her as prey for her offspring, so Ripley got on her bad side when she destroys the nest.
Answer: I would imagine Ripley did do a bit of tactical thinking, she probably made a logical guess that if she destroyed the nest, the Queen would likely want to get revenge personally rather than getting her "minions" to do it. Fighting off one Queen would be a lot easier than fitting off a few dozen Xenomorphs.
26th Jan 2019
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Question: How did the Phoenix land on Earth after the warp display for the Vulcans? It looked like a non-reusable rocket to me.
Answer: While the main fuselage was a re-purposed intercontinental ballistic missile, and they separated from the ascent stage of the rocket, the payload section housed two deployable prototype warp nacelles capable of achieving lightspeed. Beyond that, the payload also contained the prototype warp core (which was powered by matter/antimatter annihilation), the warp core coolant, elaborate magnetic-containment systems, and probably even impulse drive and landing thrusters (It kind of goes without saying that thruster and impulse technology would have existed before warp technology). There was no space left over in the payload section for conventional rocket propellant, and Zefram Cochrane's enormously-expensive and one-of-a-kind warp components would not be expendable; so he must have devised a way to safely bring the Phoenix down for re-use. Since the Phoenix's return and landing were never addressed in the film, my assumption is that the payload section was powered entirely by the warp core, including its impulse drive and landing thrusters.
20th Jan 2019
Deep Impact (1998)
Question: Referring to Leo and Sarah: What parent would let their young daughter not go to the Ark when given the chance?
Answer: It was Sarah who decided she would not go to the Ark. She chose to stay with her parents.
Leo then decided not to go to the ark, either, went back and got Sarah and the baby.
15th Jan 2019
The Edge (1997)
Question: Does Charles kill Bob in the end? Why does he hold his fingers down on what looks like his nose and or mouth when he covers his face as the helicopter circles?
Answer: Charles repeatedly reassured Bob, saying, "I'm going to get us out of here," and "Don't die on me, Bob"; which would seem to indicate that Charles intended for them both to make it out alive. Indeed, if Charles had any intention of putting Bob out of his misery, he could have done it much earlier. So, no, Charles didn't kill Bob.
Hello I thought Steve hurt himself running down a hill, this version I'm watching had him cut himself while trying to make a spear.
You must have misremembered. It is an important plot point as the blood from his knife wound ends up on the cloth Bob neglected to bury; thus leading to the bear attack and Stephen's resulting death.
15th Jan 2019
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: What did Sean Connery mean by "Elsa never really believed in the Grail. She thought she found a prize"?
Answer: He means she only saw it as a valuable archeological object to be found and exploited. She did not truly understand its religious significance and magical power.
Specifically, he meant that Elsa considered the Grail a prize for The Fatherland (the German Third Reich), just as the Nazis considered the Ark of the Covenant a "prize" in the first movie.
Not quite. Elsa wasn't in it for the Nazis...it was made clear at several points that she didn't believe in Hitler's cause, but she was complicit. The first explanation is more accurate.
6th Jan 2019
Wild Wild West (1999)
Question: During the big fight scene near the end, one of the henchman Will Smith fights lifts a wrench to strike, only to randomly die for seemingly no reason. He screams, some sparks shoot out of his ears, and he's dead. What killed him? I've seen some people say he electrocuted himself on the equipment around him, but that's not true - the wrench is nowhere near hitting anything. Did he just... randomly blow a fuse or something?
Answer: He's some sort of robot or cyborg, and he's shorted out from the damage he received in the brawl.
Answer: In the original script, Jim West simply sidestepped the menacing MetalHead henchman, who plunged through the doorway, falling to his death. Apparently, this wasn't a spectacular enough way to end the brawl, so the scene was revised to add the huge machine wrench and electrical sparking effects. West intentionally hands the wrench to MetalHead, who grabs it with both hands and raises it to strike; he then shorts-out with electrical sparking effects before falling out the door. I believe the implication is that, when MetalHead grabbed the wrench with both hands, it completed an exposed electrical circuit that caused him to quickly short-out.
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Answer: The setting of Richard O'Brien's original Rocky Horror story was in and around the fictional town of Denton, Ohio. For the movie, the geographic location was more vague; O'Brien claimed many years later that the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" was used merely for recognition purposes so as to appeal to American audiences. But, actually, set designer Brian Thompson chose the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" as a tip-of-the-hat to the story's original setting in Ohio. Also, when we briefly see the Criminologist's map of Brad and Janet's fateful journey, it's a map of southeast Ohio.
Charles Austin Miller