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: During the freeway chase, what kind of car is Trinity driving? Also what kind of car do the twins drive?

Answer: Trinity is driving a Cadillac CTS. The Twins drive a Cadillac Escalade EXT. The EXT wasn't in production at the time of filming, so the GM people had to create it with fiberglass Cadillac parts fitted onto prototype Chevy Avalanche pickup trucks.

Phil C.

Question: Are the real Schindler Jews in the end accompanied by younger relatives or by the people who played them in the movie?

Answer: It depends, some are accompanied by younger relatives, and others have the actor who played them. The majority have relatives though.

David Mercier

Question: At the very end of the movie after Dorothy says "Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home," normally, it fades out to the credits, but once - and only once - when I was very young, I thought I remembered seeing the camera pan away from her face and down to the foot of the bed where you see the ruby slippers tucked underneath the bed, then a fade to the credits. It is obviously a black-and-white shot, but there were the glittering shoes. Has anyone else seen this version of the ending?

Macalou

Answer: Another fine example of the Mandela Effect. None of the "making of" books reference this alternate ending. The original book ends with Dorothy losing the slippers on her journey back to Kansas.

wizard_of_gore

I also remember this scene; however, I remember it in a television movie, and it was at the beginning, not the end, of an entirely different movie.

Chosen answer: Yes. I'm sure I've seen that version. It shows that Dorothy didn't just dream about Oz and makes for a more satisfying conclusion. This version was original but edited out because it didn't follow the book's storyline for "Return to Oz" and the other long series of Oz books. The sequel pertains that she loses the slippers in transit back to her home and falls to the gnome king who destroys Oz which in turn causes Dorothy to return. So seeing the slippers at the end of the bed, while more satisfying, wouldn't really stay true to the Oz series.

I absolutely remember that version with the shoes at her bedside, but nobody I know remembers it.

Thank you! I remember that too but everyone I know thinks I'm nuts.

I remember that version and after that I expected to see the same ending but no I never saw that ending again. I got the response that no-one I know saw that ending of the movie where the ruby slippers being on her feet in her bed. Thank you for that answer. This was a long time mystery.

I absolutely remember that scene.

I remember that too - and I've asked so many people and they said no, I must have dreamed it. Thank you.

I saw that version once when I was a little kid too! I remember it vividly. Now I know I'm not crazy.

Answer: This seems to be one of those mass examples of people remembering something that never happened. There are also other variations, like people claiming to remember the film switching to color as the shot pans down to her slipper-clad feet, or the slippers being in color against the sepia-toned B&W footage. But sadly, it seems no officially released version of the film has had such an ending. It's similar to how everyone thinks Darth Vader says "Luke, I am your father," or how everyone thinks Humphrey Bogart says "Play it again, Sam!", even though neither of those lines are real, and people are merely incorrectly remembering them. The film is so ingrained in pop-culture, that people think they know it forwards-and-back, and false memories are created.

TedStixon

I agree that people think they remember things that never happened, but usually for things like this, remembering a scene wrong misquoting a movie lines, it comes from parody versions and people are (correctly) remembering the parody. I've never seen "Silence of the Lambs", but I know the line "Hello, Clarice" from films like "Cable Guy" and not from a false memory of the film.

Bishop73

Answer: https://criticsrant.com/mythbusters-dorothys-ruby-slippers/ This website gives some confirmation it's one of those myths that spread around and get mixed up in people's memories to being convinced they have seen it despite no evidence of it existing. In a film as big as the Wizard of Oz where die hard fans have collected original scripts, notes, and "lost" imagery over the years; we certainly would have something to back this up other than eye witness memory. Especially if it supposedly made it to the final print for viewing audiences as the original Wizard of Oz footage has been carefully preserved, as it's considered one of the most important films of all time. This footage wouldn't be completely lost if it made it to final showing print. Surely somebody would have posted it by now on YouTube. It is possible somebody made a skit or parody of this though contributing to the idea that it was actually in a print of the real movie.

Answer: I remember this being part of a special that was hosted by Angela Lansbury in 1990 and they showed that this ending was considered for the movie. For many years I couldn't remember why I remembered that ending and Angela Lansbury until I looked it up. I wish that it had been left like that. Kids always want their dreams to come true.

Answer: I and a friend of mine remember seeing the ruby slippers under Dorthy's bed at the end of the movie. Glad to know we didn't imagine it.

Question: What is the translation of what Mac says to Han when he thinks his name is Ahkbar?

Answer: Mac says 'Asalamu alaikum Akhbar' This is the Islamic greeting and means 'Peace be with you'. Akhbar is a Muslim Name so Mac would have said this to him.

Question: What is the name of the first song Lestat sings at the rock concert in Death Valley?

Answer: The song is "Slept So Long" which was originally performed by the lead singer of Korn, Johnathan Davis for the movie, but on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack it is performed by Jay Gordon of Orgy.

Question: Much ado is made near the start of the film about the kidnappers sending Elise's finger back to her family as a threat, but we learn later that she was never harmed. Did the film ever explain where the finger actually came from, or if it was even sent at all?

Answer: The finger is never shown, only mentioned. Since Elise looked to have all her fingers one must assume it was made up as part of the scheme to fool everyone.

Question: We find out in the beginning of the film that Will was found at the age of 10 and it's been about 8 years later so he's about 18. Well obviously Jack is older but does anybody know exactly how old? or at least a decent guess?

bessytheevilcow

Chosen answer: Given that Jack is a contemporary of Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will's father, it's a safe guess that he's about 20 years older, so maybe 38?

Show generally

Question: One thing I never understood about Futurama was all the famous heads-in-jars, especially people like George Washington, or other people who would be long dead and decomposed in OUR time, let alone 1000 years from now. How did they get them? Cloning (which we know they have, thanks to Cubert)? If so, then why not just keep cloning and avoid the jars altogether?

Xofer

Chosen answer: Matt Groening has actually mentioned that this is indeed a mistake and a historical inaccuracy, but says it's still funny and allows historical references and gags to be made.

David Mercier

Chosen answer: At www.tvtome.com there is a little summary of every episode of The Simpsons.

don_corleone

Question: The Witch King says "No man can kill me", and Eowyn replies "No man am I" when she kills him. Is the Witch King actually somehow protected against the attacks of males (or male humans, since a male hobbit hit him just fine) but not females, or was he just trash talking and she scored the payoff line? (With reference to the book if necessary).

Moose

Chosen answer: It was prophesied that no man would kill him. And seeing how prophecies often are very literal, no male being could strike him down. Merry managed to do so because his blade was Numenoréan, and forged in the early fights against the Witch-King and his kingdom in Angmar.

Twotall

Question: Its an American film, set in America, with American kids in an American way of life...so why the HUGE Union Jack on the inside of Ferris' bedroom door? What's the significance with Britain?

pierpp

Chosen answer: The British flag was a trendy item in the mid-80s. You had it on t-shirts, on pants, on all kinds of items, and kids would draw it on their sneakers (remember Converse's rubber toes? That was perfect to draw a British flag!) or on whatever they could draw on.

Sereenie

Answer: It's tribute to the Beatles. Ferris sang the Beatles version of "Twist and shout" at the parade.

Question: After Nightcrawler saves Rogue, there is a scene in the forest where she comes up and says "Thank you." He responds in German - according to AltaVista's BabelFish he says: "Ask Beautiful" but that doesn't make sense. Does anyone know what he really says?

Asdfaeou

Chosen answer: "Bitte Schon". When someone says "Danke", it is polite to reply "Bitte" (ie. 'you're welcome'). Similarly "Danke Schon" ('thank you very much') is replied to with "Bitte Schon". Translated literally the words mean 'please beautifully' but the phrase means 'you're welcome'.

jle

Question: What is the title of the very fast paced song in the trailer?

Answer: It's the beautiful theme of Requiem for a Dream, composed by Clint Mansell.

cinecena

Question: What are the little red things that Cody's partner puts all over inside the bad guys' hide-out?

Answer: Those are the charges for the big bombing scene at the end.

Stefanie

Question: At one point in the movie, Pippin has to sing for Denethor. I've heard that while the music was composed by Billy Boyd, the lyrics were actually from the book. Does anybody know which song in the book they were taken from?

kendra jackson

Chosen answer: The song is called "A Walking Song." It's in Chapter three (Three is Company) of Book 1 in Fellowship of the Ring. Mainly they used the last stanza in the movie.

cullothiel

Question: Is there some reason that we are considently seeing planes fly over her house? Is that supposed to symbolize something?

Answer: Jess' house is supposed to be on the main flight path of Heathrow airport. Her mum and dad work there.

Answer: I doubt it; it's probably because the film is set in the Borough of Hounslow, which is in the flight paths of many London airports, including Heathrow.

David Mercier

Question: In the deleted scene where Captain Jack Sparrow is trying to remember the word parley, he says some other things after Pintel says, "Damn to the depths whatever man that thought up parley". What does he say?

Answer: Jack says "French. Latin-based, of course. Inventors of Mayonnaise." Pintel says that he likes mayonnaise. Jack continues, "Shame about the French, really. Obsessed with raisins. Humiliated grapes, really. Think about it." The increasingly bemused Pintel says that he doesn't know. Jack goes on, "Terrific singers, the French. Eunuchs, all of 'em." One of the other pirates says "That's not right", while Pintel's contribution is "I used to date a eunuch". The scene ends with Jack using the old Fast Show (of which he's a big fan) punchline "I'll get me coat".

Tailkinker

Answer: He hits Gimli because Gimli was asleep and snoring instead of listening...

Shannon Rothe

Question: Anybody know the words to the song Pippin sings at Minas Tirith?

Answer: As found on stlyrics.com: Home is behind The world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadow To the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, Cloud and shape Hope shall fail All shall fade.

Shannon Rothe

Question: What is exactly this "Wilhelm scream"?

Answer: A series of short painful screams performed by an actor were recorded for the film "Distant Drums." The recording was archived into the studio's sound effects library and it was used in many of their films since. "Star Wars" Sound Designer Ben Burtt tracked down the scream recording. Ben has adopted the scream as sort of a personal sound signature, and has included it in many of the films he has worked on. Since then it has grown to be something of an "in-joke" in Hollywood among sound designers, who like to see how many films they can fit it into. A list of "Wilhelms" and where they appear can be found at http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm.html.

rabid anarchist

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