Question: Does anyone know what Anya and Giles are saying in French when they are talking to Xander in his dream?
Phoenix
10th May 2004
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997)
5th May 2004
Fight Club (1999)
2nd May 2004
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Question: Does anyone know why in pictures Cole always had a streak of light above his head?
Answer: That sparkle represented the dead people who were always hanging around Cole. Being in his presence, with his power to interact with the dead, caused them to have a physical signal to a perceiver of absolute truth: a camera.
29th Apr 2004
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
Question: At the end, is Cyrus a ghost or a real person? If he's a ghost, why can he be seen without the glasses?
Answer: He's alive. He faked his death at the beginning of the movie to get Arthur and his children into the house, because only then would he be able to force Arthur to engage the 13th Ghost. When Cyrus is seen at the end of the movie, he is disguised with the blood patch to make it appear that he is dead to a casual observer with the glasses (everyone is wearing them at this point) and prevent Arthur from being able to figure out his plan.
25th Apr 2004
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
Question: I was just wondering, why isn't Jean violent? The psychic said that all the ghosts are violent because they died a violent death and that's why Cyrus wanted them, so why is she the only one who isn't violent?
Answer: She didn't die a violent death. Jean is the Withered Lover, meaning that she died after a long, wasting illness. This is the only ghost that is not violent, because the pain it causes is emotional, not physical.
Except Jean didn't die from an illness but was instead killed in a fire, hence the burns on her body.
Could be since Jean died as a result of saving her family and was an accident, she isn't that bad. We can tell this makes sense with some other ghosts: the kid with an arrow was an accidental death, the handicapped man was protecting his mom, and that mom was meek and calm in life and was quickly killed anyhow. The two that avert this trend are the torso, who was brutally killed though is more or less harmless, and the bound woman who was a jerk but quickly killed as well, and lifts Cyrus to his death.
Wasn't the Torso a harmless ghost? We never see it attack anyone, and when Bobby runs off scared it is because the torso is moving to the head which happens to be near Bobby. Then we don't see the Torso lift Cyrus and to help matters the Withered Lover is seen standing on the Torso's place at the end.
Answer: For that matter the Dire Mother didn't die a painful death either, she just died of suffocation. Her mentally disabled son did, though.
The dire mother was kidnapped and put in a sack. I'd say that's a violent death.
Well, somewhat. But not nearly as bad as most of the other ghosts. Except for the First Born Son who was instantly and quickly killed by accident.
25th Apr 2004
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Question: I really don't get the whole five point exploding heart thing. How does that work? I know it's not supposed to be realistic. But if your heart really explodes after five steps, could you not just stand still? Or get a wheelchair? Can anyone explain what it's supposed to do, its origins (or just Tarantino's reason behind it) and if it is logical in any way?
Answer: There are an infinite stories about ancient martial artists who can kill in unique ways, particularly with light touches or pressure points - Tarantino is just playing off these legends. As Bill proves, it is possible to survive for a while by not taking steps (he doesn't die until he stands up and walks away) but the strain of rolling a wheelchair under one's own power would probably serve the same result, so one would be forced to rely on others for any kind of movement. The strain of maintaining such minimal action for a any period of time would also be telling on a person, and it would still perform the function that the attacker wanted: to stop the person from fighting. Tarantino is using it to show that the Bride knows some things that Bill does not, probably because she was a better/more respectful student, and this strike represents the ultimate in Pai Mei's knowledge. As to the logical aspect, there is a window of a fraction of a second in every heartbeat: if one strikes in that window, one can stop the heart. So, theoretically, it's possible, and who can say?
24th Apr 2004
X-Men 2 (2003)
Question: How come Bobby wasn't hurt when Rogue kissed him?
Answer: Rogue is developing some elementary control over her power, but it's not completely effective by any means and is still strongly tied to strong emotional states. So she can hold off for a little bit on the first kiss, but later (with more intense emotion) she starts to drain him.
20th Apr 2004
Secret Window (2004)
Question: I have seen the movie three times, and I still don't get it...why does Mort Rainey try to hide the fact that he smokes?
Answer: Mort doesn't smoke, but Shooter does.
Answer: Actually Mort does smoke He does it when he's stressed out.
Answer: Particularly in America, within one generation smoking has moved from a very widespread convention to a habit viewed as filthy and unseemly. Thus, many people hide their smoking from others to avoid this prejudice.
19th Apr 2004
Donnie Darko (2001)
Question: What is the point of the chinese girl? I've watched the film and can't quite figure out what she does with the plot, especially when Donnie grabs her face and says "Everything will be better for you".
Answer: Throughout the film, themes of alienation and disillusionment are prominent - an illustration of the alternate universe plotline. Cherita is that theme manifested in a very visible sense - people make fun of her, reject her, and she obviously doesn't fit in.
Answer: Cherita's seemingly small role has larger implications and can be used as a contrast effect to Donnie. Cherita liked (loved?) Donnie, but she could never be with him because they are from two "different worlds." But this does show that people with "mental problems" can be and often are attractive to others. Many teens feel alienated but for different reasons. Cherita and Donnie didn't fit in well. Cherita was teased/bullied by teenagers who went to a private religious school. Surely they have heard the expression "do unto others..." Why is this bullying behavior not viewed as mental illness while some other behavior is? Donnie told Cherita things would get better for her. After the teenagers graduate and mature, they will outgrow the behavior and the teasing should cease. Cherita doesn't need to change in order to have a better future. The same is not true for Donnie - he is not likely to outgrow his mental illness, and unless there are major changes in him, he will have no future.
5th Apr 2004
Secret Window (2004)
Question: When Mort shows Ken his bruises, does Ken see them? Later in the movie when Mort is obviously crazy, he can't see his bruises. So, were the bruises his imagination or were the bruises being gone his imagination?
Answer: Mort never shows the bruises to Ken. He plans to when they meet Tom in the morning, but we never see him actually do it. It doesn't matter whether they were there or not (either they were self-inflicted or imaginary), the fact that they appear and disappear shows his altered perception.
5th Apr 2004
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Question: Why do Starsky and Hutch come back in the car after visiting Big Earl in the prison when they went to see him at the bar on motorcycles?
Answer: It's entirely possible, since they were not wearing their disguises at the prison, that they had already changed clothes, and therefore, could change vehicles.
Answer: They wore disguises to blend in the biker bar and talk up Big Earl as plausible drug dealers, but when they discovered he was in prison, they figured going in as cops would intimidate him and could offer him a deal. When they said they would get him a radio.
5th Apr 2004
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Question: I understand why Commander Loch never had an EMP installed in Zion in case of an attack, but shouldn't there be one anyways just in case Zion is completely overrun and the last few survivors could use the EMP to destroy what Sentinels have invaded?
Answer: There's no real point - if Zion is overrun, there is no place left for the rebels to go. Yes, they could take perhaps a few hundred Sentinels with them, but they know that won't really do any good against the massive resources of the robots. And the old argument still applies - if it was set off by accident, that EMP would destroy all of Zion's electronics, rendering them virtually helpless.
Question: Jack mentions twice that eunochs have wonderful singing voices. Why would a eunoch have a wonderful singing voice? And is calling someone a eunoch a really bad insult of something? And how can all the French be eunochs?
Answer: Primarily in the Middle Ages, but both before and after as well, preadolescent boys had their testicles cut off to preserve their voices by preventing the sexual changes of puberty. They then maintained the high voices of their youth through adulthood, though they never physically matured. So to call someone a eunoch is to say they are a person with no balls, and all the connotation thereof. Hence the insult to the French.
5th Apr 2004
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Question: I've just watched this movie, but I'm a bit puzzled by what happens with Dorian Grey...what's the thing with the painting and why does he decompose at the end? I'm not up on the novels these characters come from.
Answer: In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian has a painting that reflects himself. But while the painting grows older, Dorian remains young - the opposite of real life. In the movie, another benefit of this was that Dorian remained impervious to harm while the painting was preserved. When he finally looks at it, the pattern reverses and his body finally reflects the reality depicted by the painting, causing him to age past his own death very quickly. The other characters are from Dracula (Mina Harker), King Solomon's Mines (Allan Quatermain), The Invisible Man (Skinner, in concept if not in person), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Captain Nemo), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Tom Sawyer), and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Jekyll/Hyde). Some other characters also reflect classic literature, but these are the primaries.
5th Apr 2004
Angel (1999)
5th Apr 2004
Men in Black II (2002)
22nd Mar 2004
Alien (1979)
Question: What exactly is the space jockey and why haven't we seen it in the other films except its fossilized self sitting in the what I call the laser gun?
Answer: It's another race of space alien that is also subject to infection by the Aliens. This particular one was infected and moved as far as it could from its race's known space and broadcast a warning before it died. The presence of eggs in the hold may indicate that it was a research ship. The race was never used in other Alien movies because it adds a new dynamic to the plotlines: two alien species, locked in mortal combat and neither particularly friendly with humans. In the Alien pseudo-prequel Prometheus we learn these beings are known as the Engineers and have interesting ties with both the aliens and humans as well.
Answer: Other theories, mostly developed in the comics derived from the original franchise, assume the xenomorphs were biological weapons conceived by the Space Jockeys for some interstellar war of theirs. Hence, the crescent-shape derelict was just a bomber, full of eggs and operated by a single pilot to minimize risks of accident with this mostly dangerous cargo. - what just happened though.
AKA, the plot of Prometheus.
16th Feb 2004
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
Question: Pandora's box has already been opened according to legend thats why there is bad in the world so why does it matter if anyone gets hold of the box.
Answer: As the movie sets out, that is the "Sunday school" version of the story. Within the movie, the legend is based on an artifact that not only bestowed life upon the earth but also slew all who opened it with horrible disease, gaining a reputation for containing the essences of both "good" and "evil."
16th Feb 2004
Pleasantville (1998)
Question: Does Riley (from Buffy-and sorry, don't know his real name) make a few appearances in the movie? And also Zac (Mark something) from Saved by the bell?
Answer: According to IMDb, Marc Blucas (Riley Finn) played Basketball Hero. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack) was not present.
16th Feb 2004
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997)
Conversations With Dead People - S7-E7
Question: Is Dawn's experience in this episode ever explained? Is it really their mother, or is it just the First messing with her?
Answer: Dawn's experience here was meant to be a teaser for original plotline of season 7, intended to explore Dawn's Key-ness and how it affects her place in the universe now that it's gone. However, when SMG left the show, the writers were forced to pursue a different plotline to give viewers a satisfactory ending. So it was supposed to be Joyce when the episode was written, but subsequent reinterpretation implies that it is actually the First.
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Chosen answer: From the Watcher's Guide Vol. 2. GILES: "-the house where we're all sleeping. All your friends are there having a wonderful time and getting on with their lives. The creature can't hurt you there." XANDER: "What? Go where? I don't understand." GILES: "Oh, for God's sake, this is no time for your idiotic games." ANYA: "Xander! You have to come with us now! Everybody's waiting for you!" XANDER: "Honey, I don't - I can't hear you..." ANYA: "It's not important. I'll take you there."
Phoenix