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: After Frodo has been stabbed by the Morgul blade and Arwen is taking him to Rivendell, right after she uses the river to sweep the Ringwraiths away, Frodo makes a wheezing noise and begins to look radically worse. Why does Arwen get off the horse, lay him down on the bank, and cry? Why doesn't she just speed off to her father who can cure Frodo? Why the delay?

Kaite13

Chosen answer: If she had started riding off w/ him, he could've died on the way there. Instead she stopped and got off the horse and prayed to the Gods to "give him the grace you have given me." Basically to save his life was what she was asking for.

Question: Isn't it common knowledge that Nicole found Tom's mask and put it on his pillow? I always wondered why Tom freaked out so much when he finds it. Is he afraid that Nicole knows where the mask is used? Or that someone else placed it there? And unless I missed something, how come this was never discussed between the two? You'd think Nicole would be asking why he left this in his safe?

Ral0618

Chosen answer: I think someone from the freaky orgy broke in and put the mask on the pillow to warn Cruise's character to keep his mouth shut. That's why Cruise's character is so upset-they got into his home and his safe.

I always assumed that she was a member of the orgy party. She was letting him know that she was there.

No, she wasn't.

Show generally

Question: In the very beginning of the series Zach, Lisa, Screech and Mr. Belding all live in Indiana and attend the same junior high. Somehow they all end up in Malibu, California attending the same high school. Does anyone else find this a little odd?

Answer: The show that took place in Indiana that you are referring to was titled "Good Morning Miss Bliss." This show only lasted one season. The kids on the show, however, were popular so they decided to create a spin-off titled "Saved By the Bell," that aired on Saturday Mornings. I'm sure they changed the location because they thought the California setting would make the show more fun and watchable for pre-teens and teens.

ACertainShadeofGreen

Question: Right when Marty gets back to Doc before he goes back to 1985, he's praising his dad's actions of the night. One line that's bothered me ever since I can remember is "My dad laid out Biff. He's never stood up to Biff in his life." And then the Doc pauses for a second and gets a strange look on his face and says, "Never?" To that, Marty says, "No, why?" and the Doc shrugs it off saying, "Nevermind." What's Doc thinking? The best I can come up with is that he's wondering what effects it'll have on the future, but that's a rough guess. If anyone out there knows, I'd be happy to hear it.

DenizenZERO

Chosen answer: I think that is *exactly* what he is thinking. He realizes that by standing up to Biff, George may have irrevocably changed his personal future, and therefore affected Marty's future as well. This is exactly the sort of thing Doc was so eager to prevent by refusing to hear any information about the future.

Phil C.

Answer: It would have had to be something that would have happened anyway without the interference, otherwise Marty wouldn't have originally existed.

terry s

Answer: In the novel Marty adds that George is also thinking about college now. Doc says that this might delay Loraine and George having kids for awhile and adds that Marty might find himself like 10-14 years old when he gets back to 1985.

Spooky Space Kook - S1-E15

Question: We never found out what the ham and chicken bones had to do with anything. They were ham and chicken until Scooby ate them. Afterwards, Shaggy wonders why the ghost would keep ham and chicken in the fridge. This was never answered in the episode. Why were they important?

Piemanmoo

Chosen answer: A ghost wouldn't have to keep any food in the fridge - they don't need to eat. So it is one thing that proves the ghost is not a ghost.

In Excelsis Deo - S1-E10

Question: This is as good a place to ask as any. In various US TV shows (including this one, and this episode), someone says "I could care less", when they always seem to mean "I couldn't care less", ie. they have no interest in what's going on. Surely if they COULD care less that means they actually care a reasonable amount? Is there any logic to this, or is it just a really annoying innate lack of sense?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: A really annoying innate lack of sense. My friends and family say the same thing all the time, and I'm endlessly trying to correct them. I think people just don't know any better and (ironically) couldn't care less that they're speaking incorrectly.

Answer: It's an endlessly annoying dropped negative, and it's been a common colloquialism for far too long. I believe it comes from an original (and now omitted and merely implied) "As if" preceding the statement. "As if I could care less." (Meaning "As if it were possible that I could care even less than I do.") But there's really no way to know.

Question: In the beginning of the scene with the dodos, there is one dodo who shouts "Prepare for the ice age." Does anyone know who he is or what other movies he's been in? His voice is so familiar that I'm sure he's done another cartoon character's voice, but I can't remember who it is.

Answer: There are four people who do the voice for the dodos. They are Peter Ackerman, P.J. Benjamin, Josh Hamilton, and Chris Wedge (who also voiced Scrat and directed the movie). I checked their backgrounds, but I did not see any previous cartoons done by them. Also, of the four, it is possible you have seen Josh Hamilton or heard him before, because he has been in quite a few films, but I am not sure he is the one who voiced the dodo who said prepare for the ice age.

T Poston

Question: When Mark is watching a video in which he views himself being swallowed by a random monstrosity, he says, "I love you Eddie." Now, I took it as a reference to the "Eddie" that was part of a famous Iron Maiden stage show back in the eighties. A friend of mine took it as him (Mark) being thankful for his friend, Eddie, giving him the drug inbibed brownies that he was eating. Which was it?

Answer: I'm pretty sure it was the Eddie that gave him the brownies, because the band we see that is onstage at the time is Gwar, if I am not mistaken. They were famous for having a monster onstage that would 'eat' fans.

T Poston

Yeah, cause Eddie gave him the pot brownies that made him hallucinate being in a Gwar show, so he's thanking him.

Question: When Neo and Trinity are flying towards the machine city, a sentinel hovers in front of the hovercraft and flies directly into the windshield. In later scenes the glass is not broken so it couldn't have gone through the ship (no physical damage either) but it flies through Neo in the "Matrix vision" and it obviously affects him. I don't understand what happens here.

Answer: He felt its 'consciousness', or rather its life force. When the Sentinel was destroyed, its machine essence remained suspended, and Neo felt it.

furious1116

Question: Does anyone out there speak German? What does Nightcrawler say in the cathedral when he's 'porting around the rafters?

jle

Chosen answer: Ich bin der Bote des Teufels. Die Ausgeburt des Boesen. Ich bin ein damon. I am the messenger of the devil. The spawn of evil. I am a demon.

Answer: A 401K is a pension plan. Graduating 'magna cum laude' means you were at the top of your class.

jle

Question: I've just rented the Director's Cut and I'm wondering what differs from the original. I've seen the original so many times I almost know it by heart and I couldn't find anything different in the DC.

Answer: According to the IMDB, "This was supposed to be the director's cut with additional 20 seconds of footage. But due to company policy (which does not allow to release unrated DVDs), the same cut as on the 1997 DVD was put onto this DVD. The director's cut was available on laserdisc."

jle

Answer: The Angel of Death can only kill those who look directly at her/it, therefore closing their eyes killed only the Nazis and Belloq.

Answer: To add to the previous answer, technically, the Angel of Death can kill anyone if choose to, but simply chooses to kill those who don't show proper respect by closing their eyes.

Question: Does anyone know why Belle's 'The Love Is Gone' song was deleted from the UK release of this movie? (It may be in some versions, but isn't in others).

Answer: The song was originally deleted from the theatrical release, but included on the VHS and widescreen version of the LaserDisc. On the early DVDs, it's included in only the full screen versions. It is not included on the original Blu Ray release because the original master and negative were lost. However they were found and Disney has said the song will be included on future 4K releases.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: I have the UK version on video and the song is on mine but I watched it when it was shown on TV and the song wasn't on it, maybe it's something to do with the length of the film? I dunno but it's definitely on the UK release that I've got.

Question: Often when Gollum is in the middle of a sentence, he will cough the words "Gollum, Gollum". Why is that? It does that in the book too but I don't understand it.

Answer: It is not known exactly why he makes this noise only that it started after he recieved the ring. Since any people that knew him are now dead or have forgotten his name, the sound he makes (gollum,gollum) is what people now call him.

bessytheevilcow

Question: The box for the Region 1 DVD of this movie says that there are 3 alternate endings on the DVD, but I've only seen two listed (one showing Jim dying in the hospital, the other being an almost identical version of the original ending, but with Jim cut out). Does anyone know where the last alt. ending is located on the disc?

Answer: Special Features -> Alternate Endings then at the bottom of the page is a arrow pointing right. Select this and you get the option "Radical Alternative Ending". It is worth seeing since it is much more than an ending. It is a completely new film starting at the point they reach the roadblock in Manchester. It is presented in storyboard format.

jle

Question: Can somebody please explain to me everything that happened in Mulholland Drive? What is up with the bum behind the diner, the little people chasing Naomi Watts at the end, who is who, what is the key for? Ideally give a website reference which has a full answer, as a full answer will dominate this page.

Answer: There is no one right answer. See http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,634856,00.html for some theories from movie critics.

jle

Answer: Naomi Watts killed her lover, Laura Harring, rather than lose her to someone else. She felt such guilt, she created an alternate reality using everything and everyone she knew, to create a happy and peaceful world. But the real world was sneaking in and the key was to unlock her blocked memories.

Question: What is the deal with Mac? Why isn't he in the Armed Services like a majority of the other men in England?

Tobin OReilly

Chosen answer: He could have flat feet or a bad back or many other problems which don't really inconvenience him but make him ineligible for service.

Grumpy Scot

Question: Why was the videotape made? I don't think it was ever explained.

Answer: The tape was never made as such, Samara projected the images onto the tape when the college kids tried to record the football match. In the original novel she is trying to spread her curse across the country - each person will see it and pass it on to another person, or two other people to be safe and so on until everyone is infected. There is no reason given - she is just angry with the world after her mother's death.

Shay

Question: Trolls usually turn to stone if they are exposed to daylight (like in the Hobbit). How is it then that the trolls that were opening and closing the Black Gate (when Sam and Frodo wanted to try to sneak in after the foreign army) weren't turned to stone and it was the middle of the day?

Answer: It was so cloudy that not enough sun came through. Or it could be that the Trolls were of Sauron's new Troll-breed, Olog-Hai, who could withstand direct sunlight.

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.