Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: I know that in the original script Aragorn was supposed to fight against Sauron at the Black Gate. Why was this idea abandoned? Why were filmmakers against this idea?

Answer: Jackson and his team wanted Frodo and Sam's scene in Mt. Doom to be the emotional/dramatic climax, and ultimately decided that an epic battle between the Dark Lord and Aragorn would have drawn too much script (and audience) attention and weakened that moment.

Question: Why the fear of extinction because of the volcanic eruption? Weren't there still dinosaurs on Isla Sorna?

Answer: It wasn't about saving species from extinction as there was the technology to create more dinosaurs. It was a humanitarian effort to save the animals' lives. However, there were divided opinions on whether it was morally right to expend the money and resources to save and house animals that nature had already selected to become extinct and no longer had a place in the modern world.

raywest

Question: When Georges is being deported back to France, why didn't Brontë go with him? They realised they were in love with each other plus there was nothing stopping her from going to France with him.

Answer: It's implied she will be coming with him when George says he will write to ask 'when are you coming cherie?' and the way they laugh and exchange rings. She just has to wrap up loose ends in NY then she'll be on her way to him.

Question: Why is Wybie hanging from the top of Mr. B's pole thingy toward the end?

Answer: Cause the other mother probably killed him.

Question: Why does Angelique curse Barnabas and kill his parents and Josette?

Answer: In the 1700s, Angelique, a witch, was romantically spurned by Barnabas. Out of jealousy, spite, and revenge, Angelique cursed him, killed his parents, and caused Barnabas' betrothed, Josette, to fall off a cliff to her death.

raywest

Question: When Malcolm leaves the bathroom after Big Momma gets in the shower, does the toilet or the shower make that weird noise? Also, what is he looking at that makes him vomit?

Answer: I think it's the toilet unclogging. Also, he was probably looking at the diarrhoea she left behind in the toilet bowl.

Question: A tape recorded by John directed toward agent Perez states that her partner would soon take the life of an innocent man. How did John know that agent Strahm would kill Jeff? For all he knows, Strahm could have followed Rigg through the factory rather than Jeff. The "if you're good at anticipating the human mind, it leaves nothing to chance" excuse doesn't work here. The only reason Strahm followed Jeff was because he heard Jeff hit a ceiling light with a crowbar.

Answer: Realistically there is no way he could have known. The writers were just working backwards from the plot point on this one.

Phaneron

Question: Why is there is such an absence of love in this film? Two birthdays are observed. Dr. Haywood Floyd calls his little 5-year-old daughter on Earth, wishes her happy birthday, but never once says "I love you," which seems only a natural thing for a father to tell his child. Later, astronaut Frank Poole's parents wish him happy birthday, but never once say "I love you"; rather, his father says, "Give our love to Dave (Bowman). " Nobody ever says "I love you," despite the dire circumstances.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: I love this question, and I think the answer will vary, perhaps wildly, depending on who answers it. Here's mine: one of the themes of the film is that, despite these amazing leaps in technology, colonising the moon, and manned travel to distant planets, humanity has gradually become more and more like the machines we create: cold, emotionless, unfeeling. In other words, we've lost our capacity for human connection. This is why Kubrick shoots these scenes you mention in such a cold, distant way. It asks us to consider the cost that comes with technological advances that outpace our emotional development.

Good reply. Yeah, all the human dialogue in this film seems purely information-driven, if not outright expository. Cold, humorless, oddly devoid of emotion. Especially the dialogue and character of Frank Poole (played by Gary Lockwood); he shows no emotion or affection for his parents, as if only just tolerating their birthday greetings. For me, this made it difficult to feel any sense of loss when Frank Poole was later murdered by HAL. Maybe most oddly, the computer HAL seems to speak with the most emotion (desperation and fear) when Dave Bowman finally disconnects HAL's higher brain functions. I mean, that's the most poignant dialogue in the film, when the computer pleads for its life.

Charles Austin Miller

The Mouse - S4-E20

Question: The old man that comes in with his wife that can't breathe, the one that the head nurse tries to counsel and tempts him with a cup of coffee. I believe he is Alfred Hitchcock, though his name is not listed anywhere. Alfred Hitchcock is known for his cameo appearances in his own shows and in other shows. Can someone confirm that this is him? This is driving me nuts... It is toward the end of the episode, but I cannot give you times.

Answer: I believe you are speaking of the old man, Mr. Wilson. He's played by J. Pat O'Malley.

Bishop73

Correct, it was J. Pat O'Malley...he also played the grandfather with his grandson when their rocket exploded, and also played "Old Bill" in the episode with Ann Prentiss, where Gage saves the little girl from the burning tree house, and her mother falls in love with him.

Question: Why can't Mr Potato Head just bring back Woody anyway Instead of leaving him at Sid's when he refuses after what he did to Buzz? Didn't he even notice that Andy was upset and wanted Woody back too?

Trainman

Answer: When Buzz was given to Andy, this made Woody jealous as at the time he was Andy's favorite toy. Then Buzz shows up with pop out wings, karate action, a helmet that opens while making a whoosh sound and a light that made a noise like a laser going off and Andy was spending more time with him and even redecorating his room with Buzz Lightyear stuff. Even the other toys grew to like Buzz quickly. After pushing Buzz out the window in a jealous rage, the others got angry at Woody. When Mr. Potato Head saw Woody over at Sid's house, he felt that Woody deserved it for his horrible treatment of Buzz and hoped that Sid would do something evil to Woody as he does to all toys. At that point, we don't know if we ever see Mr. Potato Head realizing how upset Andy is over losing Woody. The only one who recognizes this is Bo Peep when she sees Andy's mom giving Andy the cowboy hat he always wears.

But Woody also DIDN'T push Buzz out the window; it was an accident and nobody believed him. He's not evil.

Question: Why did the driver flip the hillbillies off after saying "Nice wheels"?

Trainman

Answer: He was being sarcastic. A beat up, broken down old truck driving through Beverly Hills. The guy considered it an insult.

Question: After the inevitable disaster had begun, Owen, Claire and Maisie became hunted by the indoraptor. Why did Owen turn off all the lights when making their escape?

Answer: It makes it harder for the Indoraptor to navigate and to see them as they attempt to hide and escape.

raywest

Question: I'm just curious but is it possible to actually kill a member of the Addams family? Fester survives both the bathtub electrocution and the bomb explosion, Pubert can stop the guillotine blade with his bare hand, and in the first film Pugsley willingly lets Wednesday electrocute him with no apparent ill-effects.

Answer: They can be killed. In the first movie, Morticia talks about several relatives who were murdered, and the whole family seems pretty scared when they're strapped in the electric chairs. They're hard core and lucky, but not immortal.

Brian Katcher

Answer: They originate as a cartoon (1938). So they are basically immortal cartoon characters like the Looney Tunes.

lionhead

Question: Why is Peter smiling when Sarah was crying and frightening after Alan tricked her to roll the dice?

Trainman

Answer: He found the trick amusing. It caused her to continue playing the game and that means finishing the game so their problems would go away. Or so he thought at that time.

lionhead

Answer: Earlier in the film Peter uses "reserve psychology" to trick Alan into continuing the game. He then finds it funny when Alan pulls a similar trick on Sarah to force her to play.

Question: Why weren't scenes of this movie filmed in chronological order? It is evident when Vernon grabs Harry who wanted to escape into his cupboard with his letter. When Harry shouted at Vernon, his voice sounded much deeper than in all other scenes, indicating that Daniel Radcliffe's voice started changing, thus confirming it to be one of the last, possibly the last scene to be shot. But this scene happens early in the movie, it is one of the first scenes. So why was it shot as one of the last scenes?

Answer: Because almost every film is shot entirely out of order, depending on schedules, availability, efficiency, etc. No point setting up a classroom set for one scene, then taking it all down, then a week later setting it all up again. All related scenes will likely be filmed at the same time. No doubt the likelihood of voices changes wasn't deemed as important as other factors, not least because lines could always be re-recorded and dubbed later.

Jon Sandys

Answer: I believe it was mentioned in an issue of Wizard Magazine that the show was cancelled because of low ratings, and reportedly the show's creative shift in the second season had a part to play in the low ratings, as the changes alienated fans.

Phaneron

Question: Why did Gandalf beat Denethor with his staff after Denethor told the troops to flee for their lives?

Answer: Because Denethor had lost his mind and the defenders of the city needed to prepare for battle, not be convinced by the steward to leave their posts.

lionhead

Question: Who was the person on the YouTube video crying and why did the individual say to leave Britney alone?

Answer: He's Chris Crocker. In 2007, he made the YouTube video talking about everything Britney Spears had gone through, and he felt the media and people were ganging up on her and making fun of her, and he ended up breaking down and crying "leave Britney alone." It was thrown in the movie since the movie was making fun of Spears.

Bishop73

Show generally

Question: I'm trying to find out what episode Liz makes reference to a lower back tribal tattoo with a Chinese symbol in it. I've looked everywhere.

Answer: Maybe s02e14, "Sandwich Day"? Liz is talking to Floyd and asking if the girl who answered his phone has a lower back tattoo with a Chinese character that is suppose to mean "peace", but probably means "I have chlamydia." But nothing about it being a tribal tattoo.

Bishop73

Question: Is Quill actually a member of the Sengh Brotherhood or does he just have the spiderweb tattoo for protection in case he encounters them, as happens towards the end of the film?

Answer: No, he was a member, they most likely had different branches scattered all over the world.

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