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: How come Graham was able to drive a car up to Ruth's house but couldn't for the life of him figure out how a telephone worked? When it was still ringing he said "Hello" thinking she'd answered.

Answer: He's young and he and his sister are alone. He's worried about his Grandma and she's not answering the phone. He's saying hello because he desperately wants her to answer so he knows she's OK. He feels helpless just letting the phone ring.

The_Iceman

Question: Is there any particular reason why Maleficent needs to lure Aurora up into the tower to have her prick her finger? We see that Maleficent magically creates the spinning wheel herself, so couldn't she have just done that in Aurora's bedchamber?

Answer: Being that Aurora is a princess, she would have many servants and other attendants constantly tending to her. They could conceivably discover the spinning wheel and prevent Aurora from pricking her finger inside her bedroom. Luring her into the tower makes her more vulnerable. It also adds to the story's drama and suspense.

raywest

Answer: He was probably irrelevant to the plot so he was not included.

Then why would Homer bring it to our attention that Bart is absent?

Ssiscool

It's called lampshade hanging. By drawing our attention to it the producers are letting us know they are aware it is an issue.

Yes, but even when the family is having dinner together, he's not there.

Brian Katcher

Answer: Tim Drake's origin in the DC Animated Universe differs significantly from his origin in the comics, but it also differs greatly from Jason Todd's. This version of the character is unique to this universe, similar to many of the other supporting characters with origin stories that range from being nearly identical to the comics to being entirely different from the comics.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: When Vince Fontain talks to the crowd before the contest starts, he says "you Jims and Sals are my best pals" I understand that's how he addresses the students, but does that expression have any connotation? Why does he use it?

Answer: It's just rhyming slang used by radio hosts.

LorgSkyegon

Question: When Grant comes to find Annie/Joanna, how does he know exactly where to go to find her? He ends up at Dean's house without knowing where he lives.

Answer: This is just speculation, but since he knew what hospital she'd been in, he likely went there and asked who'd claimed her and where they lived. It wouldn't be too difficult.

Question: After Dom burns the money at the exchange house, what happened to the men and women who were in the place?

Answer: The one man is taken to Reyes to explain what happened and who did it. He is then struck across the head and killed. The rest of the works are either sent to a different safe house to continue working for Reyes or killed to ensure they don't have chance to talk to (non corrupt) cops about the illegal activities.

Ssiscool

Answer: Probably, but action/police movies often are unrealistic about depicting laws and police procedures.

raywest

Show generally

Question: What's with the show's title and why does their receptionist rhyme, and why'd she hire such a dork for a partner?

Rob245

Answer: The show's title, "Moonlighting" was a take-off the agency's name, the "Blue Moon Detective Agency." The owner, Maddie Hays, a former model, renamed it after a shampoo brand she was once a spokesperson for. She did not hire her partner, David Addison. He already worked at the agency when Maddie took it over. The agency was struggling financially, and David convinced Maddie, who knew nothing about being a detective, that if she made him a partner, they could make it successful. Agnes, the receptionist, had a very quirky personality, and simply chose to use rhymes when answering the phone.

raywest

Also, the term "moonlighting" refers to someone who works a secondary job, usually at night. Maddie was a former model whose career had waned and the detective agency became her other career.

raywest

Question: Who was the werewolf who killed Jenny? It couldn't have been Joanie as she was seen as having dark brown fur when she turned into a werewolf and the one that killed Jenny had dark gray fur.

Answer: I assumed it was Jake based on what transpired in the previous scene and his face was the last one shown before the elevator door closed. Jake told Ellie he didn't want to lose her, they had something "special", and asked if she would bear with him until he overcame some difficulties. Jake saw Jenny as a pest as well as someone who could ruin his still-developing (blossoming) relationship with Ellie. Jenny confronted Jake about not calling Becky anymore. Jake responded that he put himself "off the market" (was no longer available because he was pursuing Ellie), to which Jenny responded that she was "bummed" (disappointed because Jake was not free to pursue her). Jenny also put her hand over Jake's shoulder, which Jake did not like because he was not interested in her and was afraid that Ellie would see (which she may have). To top it off, Jenny kept following Jake around the room when he was talking to other people. Jenny was clingy and persistent - so had to be eliminated.

KeyZOid

Question: Why wouldn't Harry have told the police and the newspapers that he believed Spider-Man killed Norman? If he did, why wouldn't Jameson write about it? And why would everyone love him? And why wouldn't the police want to question him?

MikeH

Answer: Throughout this film as well as the previous film in this trilogy, Harry wants to exact revenge upon Spider-Man personally, so involving the police could complicate things; if Spider-Man were to be arrested and taken into custody, then Harry would have a much harder time killing Spider-Man himself.

zendaddy621

Question: Was the person on the motorbike the assassin or a some one else meant to look like him?

Question: Delahunt was revealed to be an "undercover Boston police officer." Costello said "They're saying he's a cop so I won't look for the cop" (mole). When Delahunt dies, he grabs Costigan and mentions the wrong address where Queenan got thrown off the roof (partially by Delahunt). Delahunt says "I gave you the wrong address but you showed up anyway. Ask me why I didn't say anything!" and then dies. Was Delahunt really an undercover and that's why he knew Costigan was an undercover too? If so, why would he be complicit in throwing a police captain off a roof? But Delahunt was known as heavy muscle for Costello so why would he not give up Costigan if he suspected Costigan was the mole? Basically, was Delahunt a cop or not and why would he protect Costigan?

Answer: There is additional footage of Delahunt's death scene available on the home release, with Martin Scorsese giving a brief introduction to the deleted scene. Scorsese comments on the scene as being nice because it gives some additional insight into Delahunt's mind but ultimately the scene slowed down the movie too much. It is implied by Delahunt that he didn't tell Costello about the mole because he had grown to greatly dislike both Costello and the man he himself had become while being an enforcer. However, Scorsese directly states in his introduction that he thinks the theory that Delahunt is also an undercover cop is interesting and it's perfectly fine if audiences view the scene this way.

BaconIsMyBFF

Show generally

Question: In the first season, Hastings tells Arnott he's Catholic - but then in subsequent seasons he's supposed to be a Mason. Except the Catholic church considers joining the Masons to be a sin - is that a clue to Hastings' real status?

Answer: Many Catholics do not adhere to all church beliefs, such as divorce, birth control, gay rights, etc.

raywest

Question: Throughout the whole movie Sutler is being very tyrannical. When Sutler is captured and brought to Creedy, why is he suddenly terrified? I would have thought that he would scream at Creedy for betraying him.

Answer: Simply put, Sutler is much like many villainous characters in fiction: ruthless and cruel when giving orders from a place of safety, but cowardly when he loses the security that he's used to.

zendaddy621

Arena - S1-E19

Question: Why does Kirk order Sulu to warp out of orbit? If Enterprise is not damaged, they can stay and wait, surely?

Answer: Kirk is not taking any chances with the safety of his ship and crew, and neither the Humans or the Gorns had any idea the power of the alien making them fight possessed, so warping the ship out of possible danger would be a prudent (and logical) move.

Scott215

Question: If there are no emotions, how do they fall in love? Preston shows signs with his wife while on the drug.

Answer: I think in Libria marriages only exist to keep the human species going. There is no "love" per se. It was Viviana Preston who really showed emotion (because she was not dosing) during the scenes that we see through Preston's memories. I believe Preston attacked the men who burst into their apartment out of a sense of preserving his family unit, nor necessarily out of a sense of loving his wife. His inaction after he found out she was a sense offender (and not returning her kiss before she was dragged off him) and the fact that he coldly attended her incineration without a single emotion visible on his face show that he probably didn't feel grief at the time at all. On the other hand, Preston WAS set up because "Father" was looking for a man who had "the capacity to feel, without yet knowing it," (even with the Proseum) and so some minor displays of emotions towards his wife and children would make sense.

Question: Why didn't Hermione cast immobilus on the Whomping willow when they were running after Ron after Sirius drags him into the shrieking shack? Or after it hit them back and they tried to get in themselves?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: They didn't know a simple magic spell would work on it. Students were forbidden to approach the tree because it was so dangerous. In the book, the Willow was turned "on" and "off" with a secret switch located at the base of the trunk. Only the Hogwarts teachers and some staff knew about it.

raywest

Answer: Because they were confused and surprised by Sirius' sudden appearance while he was in his dog form. It took them a few moments to collect themselves and react to the situation.

raywest

Question: Between the first two films Gru had hundreds of minions but in this film he's barely got a handful left. What happened to the rest of them?

jbrbbt

Answer: I'm going to assume you haven't watched the entire movie. There is a scene in the movie when all minions abandon Gru due to Gru not being willing to return to his prior lifestyle of being evil and committing crimes.

Rassdyt

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