Question: Why did the whale suck Marlin and Dory into its mouth?
BaconIsMyBFF
27th Dec 2021
Finding Nemo (2003)
27th Dec 2021
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Question: Why did Optimus kill Megatron after Megatron offered a truce?
Answer: Megatron is a cruel, violent, evil despot and there is absolutely no chance he would follow through on his word. There is no doubt he would betray Optimus (or anyone else, for that matter) the moment the opportunity arose. All of this is exasperated by the fact that Megatron is also extremely powerful and an immensely skilled fighter. He is, in short, much too dangerous to be kept alive.
13th Dec 2021
The Thing (1982)
Question: When Palmer was revealed to be a Thing, MacReady tries to blast him, but the flamethrower only shoots out at most a foot. What caused the weapon to act the way it did?
Answer: It appears that the fuel line is clogged. Macready keeps banging the tank to try to get more fuel to come out, and it eventually does so - the unit wasn't empty.
18th Nov 2021
The Powerpuff Girls (1998)
Question: How does the city of Townsville get put back together each time after it gets destroyed? Does it magically repair itself?
Answer: This show is a highly stylized satire of superhero tales, and as such there is never an explanation how Townsville is repaired after all the destruction. There is similarly never any real explanation how Metropolis is put back together after Superman fights a bad guy. Powerpuff Girls takes this concept to the extreme to point out the absurdity of mainstream superhero stories.
9th Nov 2021
The X-Files (1993)
Question: How was Tooms able to beat the lie detector test?
Answer: The polygraph machine only works on those with a perceptible change in body physiology while they lie. It really only measures what we consider nervous reactions associated with lying. Psychopaths and sociopaths such as Tooms are extremely difficult to measure with this machine since they do not feel remorse for their actions, and as such typically do not get nervous when lying.
14th Oct 2021
Heat (1995)
Question: There's a scene where Al Pacino gets called away from dinner with friends to investigate a girl's murder... who is she? And what's the importance of that part of the story? She doesn't have the same hair as the prostitute Waingrow kills.
Answer: Waingrow is a serial killer. He is kills several young, black prostitutes in LA. Showing Waingrow attacking one and then the body of another is a clever trick to explain to the audience that there is more than one victim without having exposition directly stating this fact. Vincent is coincidentally asked to cover the homicide because his team is available that night and there are apparently no other detectives free.
27th Aug 2021
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Question: Why would Heywood start chanting "fresh fish"? Betting on who will break down is pretty bad, but I understand they probably have nothing better to do. But what was the point of starting the chant? He seems to feel bad when Fatass is beaten to death, but what was he expecting to happen?
Answer: They were betting on who would break first out of the new inmates and the chant was meant to incite an emotional outburst from them. Most times, someone will just cry or break down. Heywood wasn't expecting Fatass to completely lose it and felt guilty because of his actions. This is one the first indicators in the film that some of the long term inmates like Heywood still have their humanity.
25th Jun 2021
Power Rangers (2017)
Question: Was any Super Sentai footage used in this movie?
Answer: No. All footage in this film is original to this production.
7th Jun 2021
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: This applies to the entire prequel trilogy. Can the Jedi (especially Jedi council) be considered anti-heroes? Or no? As a bevy of "protagonists", they sure have obvious shortcomings which leads to their downfall and in the end are not heroic in much sense at all.
Answer: I would argue that the Jedi cannot be considered antiheroes. A major characteristic of antiheroes is a lack of conventional morals, and they typically act in self-serving ways. For example, many antiheroes oppose the antagonist of a story for revenge rather than for the "greater good." The Jedi are presented as highly moral and indeed quite selfless. It is true the Jedi are flawed and their flaws lead to their downfall, but merely having flaws does not make you an antihero. Their actions fighting the Clone Wars were certainly heroic, even if they ultimately lead to Palpatine gaining more power.
2nd Jun 2021
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: I know that Boba was the only clone of Jango that wasn't modified. But was he the first Jango clone ever created?
Answer: Yes, Boba was the first clone of Jango Fett. This is confirmed in the Topps Star Wars Card Trader trading card series which includes canon details on many Star Wars characters.
6th Jan 2016
Man of Steel (2013)
Question: During the tornado scene, Jonathan Kent rescues the dog, Hank, and in the process injures his leg. With the tornado practically on top of him, Jonathan then waves off Clark, who is only about 50 yards away. The fact that Jonathan waves off Clark is proof that they BOTH knew Clark could rescue his dad, but Jonathan didn't want Clark to expose his super powers. Still, it was Clark's DAD in danger. Why didn't Clark simply go rescue his father at super speed? Certainly, the chaos of the tornado would easily cover Clark's actions, and there would be no reliable witnesses in the midst of such confusion.
Answer: That, AND the fact that his dad is able to stand firmly on the ground whilst the tornado engulfs him, and we still see him standing to the very end as the debris in the tornado starts to hit him. That didn't make sense to me...correct me if I'm wrong, but tornadoes can and do pick up large objects like vehicles etc. and then toss them away WITHOUT the physical funnel of the tornado actually having passed over said objects. I thought once you're in the debris field, which is a separate thing from the funnel, you're already liable to be tossed up into the air and then flung out, but here, Jonathan remains standing on the ground unaffected the whole time, while the vehicle, being heavier than a human, had begun to float up in the air earlier when he went to get the dog, and then he remains standing even while the physical funnel begins to consume him - he should've been tossed up in the air long ago when the funnel was already within hundreds of feet of proximity to Jonathan.
It's certainly unrealistic but it was obviously an artistic choice. The fact that he is peacefully consumed by the funnel rather that violently tossed through the air was meant to be a poignant moment.
Answer: While I could think of several different scenarios that Clark could have done to save his dad without his abilities/powers being seen (that don't involve him moving so fast no-one sees him), ultimately (as Clark said), he let his dad die because he trusted him. "My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they'd reject me... out of fear. I let my father die because I trusted him. Because he was convinced that I had to wait. That the world was not ready."
Answer: At not point in either Man of Steel or Batman v Superman do we see Superman use speed of the type people have suggested while on the ground. The movie makes a point of outlining his abilities and some of their limits. For Clark to use that ability in that instance and nowhere else in the film would be inconsistent, so the conclusion must be that this version of the character does not have the ability to move in that manner. He might be fast-er than normal people, but not, "blink and you'll miss him fast" - otherwise it would always be an option for him throughout the film and it is not presented as such.
We know from Man of Steel that Clark is entirely capable of high-speed feats: He leaps from a crabbing boat at sea and swims to a burning oil rig easily 4 nautical miles away in a matter of not minutes but moments; and, in the logging-truck scene, Clark apparently wadded up a tractor-trailer so swiftly that nobody inside the bar, just a few yards away, heard a sound or felt an impact tremor. These were certainly acts of super speed; and Jonathan Kent certainly knew Clark could save him from the tornado, which is why he waved him off.
Next to that we see the same Superman in Justice League move at the same speed as Flash whilst on the ground.
Chosen answer: There were multiple witnesses under the bridge who may not have seen Clark, but would have seen Jonathan magically vanish and suddenly appear safe and sound a distance away.
6th May 2021
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Question: How did Quicksilver manage to get the arcade game, the table tennis and what looks like a sound system in the basement? They are very heavy and even with his speed would be impossible to move.
Answer: There could be a basement door, so he wouldn't need the stairs, and with a hand truck, even the heavier objects would be easy to move.
He's able to move several people out of the Mansion when it is destroyed, so perhaps his powers allow him to move things that big quickly. He can also push a cart or trolley at speed, remember.
Answer: He doesn't have to steal the actual heavy items, he can steal money and buy the heavy items and have them delivered. His mother is a single parent so it wouldn't be very difficult for him to arrange delivery of items while she is working. Mom also appears to be completely aware of Peter's crimes and doesn't really seem all that concerned.
And his mother wouldn't have found that suspicious? Or the movers? He's a teenager.
His mother seemingly already knows that he steals stuff. It's her house after all. She thinks the heroes are the police when they first show up to talk to him, and she visits him in the basement in the next film, and would have seen all the stuff he has down there. As for the movers, I used to work for a moving company, and not once did we ever ask a customer where they acquired something we were moving. They would be there to do a job.
That totally doesn't make any sense. The idea is that he stole these items. Would he call a moving company to steal an arcade game out of an arcade hall? How does he get the arcade game in the first place? Does he leave it on the curb of the arcade hall (or shop) so they can pick it up and drop it off at his house?
He most likely stole money and legit bought all those things. He likely helps his mother with the bills and stuff, so she doesn't ask him how he does it. Pietro is not known to be some master criminal with bad character, so he likely doesn't steal from ordinary people. The way he broke Magneto out of the prison, it seems he knows his way around a vault.
How he gets the arcade game is another question entirely. Maybe he stole it from a gas station or a restaurant that was near an apartment complex, but was still far from his home, and arranged to have it picked up at the apartment complex, so it would look like he lived there and was moving it to a new place. Alternatively, he could have had friends help him load it onto a truck.
22nd Mar 2021
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: How could Daniel become skilled enough to beat black belts in a karate tournament after just two months of training?
Answer: The Karate Kid series as a whole, which includes the TV show Cobra Kai, implies that Miyagi's teachings are highly effective. Miyagi's unorthodox teaching methods can get a novice up to a high level in a short period of time.
Answer: His opponents in the Valley tournament are not all black belts either. Johnny for example is not a black belt.
24th Mar 2021
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Question: I'm not a huge fan of DC, so I don't know much about any characters outside of Batman and his rogue's gallery. All the pictures I've seen of Steppenwolf from the comics show him to have a human appearance, with a goatee. Was his monstrous appearance in this film, and to a lesser extent the theatrical version, taken from the comics at all? If not, why drastically change the way the character looks?
Chosen answer: In the comics Steppenwolf traditionally has a very human appearance. He is tall and muscular with tan skin, black hair, and a moustache and goatee. Some of Steppenwolf's animated appearances show him essentially the same but with grayish/green skin, giving him an appearance somewhat similar to the 2017 Justice League version. According to Zack Snyder, the version of Steppenwolf in the 2021 version of Justice League was purposefully designed way back during the filming of Batman vs. Superman as not just a threat to the Justice League, but to the entire planet, hence the monstrous appearance. Warner Brothers made Snyder tone down the design because, according to him, they felt it was too frightening and intense for a PG-13 film. The version of Steppenwolf in Snyder's film has a very alien appearance, with the character's signature horns being part of his physiology rather than a part of his battle helmet, an immensely muscled physique, and covered in spiked armor.
22nd Mar 2021
Cobra Kai (2018)
Question: What kind of disease did Tommy (one of Johnny's friends) succumb to?
Answer: It isn't said specifically, but Tommy does mention that "it's in here now" while pointing to his head. This suggests some sort of cancer has spread to his brain.
Answer: It's implied to be a combination of brain damage (Johnny suggests this to Miguel earlier) and cancer that spread to the brain. In real life the actor suffered kidney and liver failure and died not long after.
22nd Mar 2021
The Abyss (1989)
Question: What was Lindsey referring to when she called Coffey "Roger Ramjet"?
Answer: Roger Ramjet was a 1960's American cartoon character who was extremely patriotic, but dimwitted.
Answer: She's comparing the overzealous, gung-ho Coffey to the 1960s cartoon character, Roger Ramjet, a frenetic, extremely patriotic, though not particularly bright American-hero guy. He worked for the U.S. government and routinely saved the world, using energy pills that gave him brief increased strength.
Answer: Dudley Do-right, Inspector Clouseau or Maxwell Smart, only in a '50's space cartoon, that's Roger Ramjet (I imagine Buzz Lightyear is the nearest pop cultural successor).
22nd Mar 2021
Jaws 2 (1978)
Question: When the shark attacks the helicopter why isn't the shark sliced in half when the rotor blades hit the water?
Answer: The rotors break as soon as they hit the water.
22nd Mar 2021
Major Payne (1995)
Question: Would Cadets Woliger and Fox have actually been able to attend a military academy, considering that Woliger has heart problems and Fox is deaf?
Answer: Madison is not a military academy. It is a boarding school and Major Payne has been put in charge of their JROTC program. It is, however unlikely that those cadets, or the blind cadet at the end of the film, would be admitted into a JROTC program. The Code of Federal Regulations states that the JROTC program is designed for "physically fit" students. Tiger is also much too young to be allowed to participate, you must be in at least the 7th grade to participate. Madison is apparently making exceptions to allow basically anyone that wants to participate and that would not be allowed in real life.
16th Mar 2021
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Question: When McClane asks Barnes to 'break the code' on one of the baddies' Walkie Talkies, Barnes tells him it is impossible as it is a 10 button device with a 6 digit readout..."There could be a million combinations!" How can there be a million combinations? Surely the largest number on a 6 digit readout is 999,999.
Answer: You forgot 000000.
Answer: Totally agree with the other answer, but also, someone saying, "There could be a million combinations!" can also just be a deliberate hyperbole, and never meant to be taken literally. It's like saying, "I told you that a thousand times already."
Except that a 6-digit code literally has a million combinations. It's not hyperbole at all.
Oh really? No kidding? Never disputed that there was one million combinations. The character, however, could have intended his comment as a hyperbolized, off-the-cuff remark that was not meant to be an exact number count. He said, "There COULD be a million combinations!" He did not say, "There are precisely one million combinations." He could have meant it either way. There was more than one way to interpret what he said.
This is a strange situation because the wording suggests that Barnes is using hyperbole ("there COULD be a million combinations..."), but mathematically the number of possible combinations with a 0-9 keypad and a 6 digit readout is exactly 1 million (10x10x10x10x10x10 = 1,000,000). So he is technically not using hyperbole but that was his intent. So it's both hyperbole and not hyperbole at the same time. It's kind of fascinating, actually.
25th Jun 2009
The Karate Kid III (1989)
Question: What's the story behind Mike Barnes? How old is he? Where does he come from?
Chosen answer: Mike Barnes is another karate champion, someone known in the karate tournament world as being brutal and excellent. It is never stated where he comes from, but it is far enough away to require a plane flight. His age is also never stated, but as it is an under-18 tournament and he can drive a car, we can assume it is either 16 or 17.
Answer: Mike most likely comes from north of LA (northern California, Oregon, or Washington) based on the fact that he said "if I come DOWN here and beat this Larusso kid..." Usually the term for travelling "down here" refers to coming from the north, "up here" is coming from the south, and "out here" or "over here" is from coming from the east or west.
It's not quite as simple as that. It wouldn't be unusual for someone from Kansas City, Chicago, or Detroit, etc. to describe traveling to LA as going "down" there.
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Answer: Because Dory asked for his help to get to Sydney. Although Marlin doesn't believe her, Dory can in fact speak Whale quite well which is proven in the sequel.
BaconIsMyBFF