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: Why did John Connor program the Terminator to only obey Catherine's orders? Since he is the boss wouldn't he make it so the Terminator would obey his orders?

Answer: He didn't program the Terminator, she did - remember, John is dead, successfully eliminated by that very Terminator. As to why she didn't program the Terminator to obey both of them, that's an open question - possibly she needed to supply a voiceprint which obviously couldn't be obtained from the deceased John (which would also explain why the Terminator in T2 appeared to only be programmed to obey John, not both John and his mother). Alternatively, it's plausible that the Terminators can only be programmed to obey one individual, in order to prevent problems in the case of conflicting orders.

Tailkinker

Question: How is the shark exactly killed?

Answer: When Bruce IV eats Mario Van Peebles, it also eats a device that they use to give it an electric shock by remote control. This makes it leap out of the water. The last time they do this, the long pole on the boat's bow impales it.

Grumpy Scot

Question: What happened to the two girls in Dave's crew? They were at all the practices, but not in the finals.

Answer: When Dave's crew went to the finals they wanted to bring the best dancers in their group, so they apparently decided that the two girls happened to be the least strong dancing wise on his team.

Question: Maybe I missed something, but why has Henry never met Lucy before? She's been coming to the diner everyday for a while when the movie takes place and everyone else seems to know about her, so why is he just noticing her now?

Answer: Henry never went to the diner before his boat broke down. It was his first time in the diner, so that's why he never met Lucy before that day.

moviemogul

Answer: You can hear Henry say, "the boat has never gone that far" at the beginning. So maybe he's never been to that part of the place before.

Question: In the meeting scene where Richard tells the Poise team that they have to redesign the magazine, Jenna has a red thing on her finger that she keeps chewing and biting. What is it?

Answer: It's a Fruit Roll-up. She's wrapped it around her finger.

Garlonuss

Answer: Yep, and there is, but they're both elsewhere. Doc's been committed to an asylum somewhere. When Marty first meets the alternate Biff, Biff tells him that he's supposed to be in Switzerland at boarding school - that's where the alternate Marty is.

Tailkinker

Wouldn't someone probably see Doc and report that he escaped from the asylum?

Maybe, but no way to be sure, and they're not around long enough for that to be an issue anyway.

Jon Sandys

Answer: Doc would most likely not have been seen by anyone, as the time he spent in the alternate 1985 was primarily inside the DeLorean, at a boarded-up library, graveyard, and his lab (and all at night too) so most likely not spotted by the public.

Even if someone had seen Doc, it could've been dismissed as someone who looks like him. Even if they did report his escape, someone would either call or go to the asylum and verify Doc was still there.

Question: What is the title and composer of the nice piano piece that plays at the beginning and end of the film?

Answer: The music is Nocturne number 2 Es-dur 9/2 by Chopin.

Question: Is there an official explanation to the ending of the movie? Some people say that it was Travis's dream sequence, and others say it was Travis going back to his manic depressive self again. What caused Travis to get so startled when he was looking at the rear vision mirror? Did Scorsese deliberately make the ending very vague or is there supposed to be an explanation to the ending?

Answer: This is just my opinion. Remember Iris's line "Have you ever tried looking at your own eyeballs in the mirror?" or something to that effect. Well, Travis sees the madness reflected in his own eyes, doesn't like what he sees (as it reminds him of what he has done, what he might yet do).

Answer: There is. Both Scorsese (in the audio commentary) and screenwriter Paul Schrader in multiple interviews establish that the ending is not to be taken as a dream sequence or anything of the sort. I love the previous answer, by the way, it does nail what has also been stated; while Travis survived this time, it's very likely there will be a next.

Sammo

Question: I've watched this movie several times, and there is no foul language in this film yet the MPAA rated this film PG for language. Why?

Answer: And the man shooting the cow.

Answer: It's rated PG for "parental guidance" suggested due to some thematic elements.

Toolio

Answer: Uncle Rico trying to sell breast enlargement supplements to various women including a teenager undoubtedly factored into the final rating.

Phaneron

Answer: They do say "ret**ded" and things like "Freaking Idiot."

Question: Who put gasoline all over the massive swan float? Is it ever revealed. Who could it of been! And why did anybody do it (and how would they have the time, IF everyone thought Amber would win etc.!!!) - It annoyed me, this did! Who put gasoline on the float?

Hamster

Chosen answer: I don't think anyone actually put gasoline over the float - it's suggested in the movie that the float is leaking gasoline because Becky's father imported it cheap from Mexico.

Shay

Question: Catherine Zeta Jones' character is the daughter of a Mexican drug lord, but she tells her upper-class friends that she's European. I'm assuming she's trying to pass herself off as Spanish or maybe Portuguese because it seems more exotic and socially acceptable among the upper class than being Mexican. Is this correct?

Krista

Chosen answer: The upper classes in Spanish-speaking countries tend to be more of Spanish ancestry, decendants of the original conquistadores. As such, some consider themselves Spanish, distinct from the lower-class Mestizos.

Question: I don't understand what the Arab woman with the tattoos on her face have to do with anything? Did the attack on the convoy really happen? If so, how were they all captured?

Deezul

Chosen answer: The tattooed woman was something that they all dreamt about. She was significant to the capture and the tattoos stood out among all of the other arabs.

Toolio

I always felt they were just there to cause confusion. If they started to remember the image of the Arab woman/ women would sound and look crazy trying to explain. However later in the movie when they shoulder flash backs the women were not there and Shaw choked out that other guy but, early the Arab women where there, and he had plastic on his face choking him out. So, all the memories are mixed up.

Question: There were two flashbacks of how Raymond Shaw killed one of the soldiers. One scene it showed him suffocating him in the desert with a piece of plastic. In another scene it shows him choking him with his hands in some kind of observation room. Was the desert 'killing', a dream combining the truth with the brainwashing?

Deezul

Chosen answer: Perhaps the piece-of-plastic killing was a "test run" by the brainwashers to see if Raymond would actually react to their commands. You can see other soldiers lying down wearing "halos", hinting that this happened at a different time and place than the observation room choking.

Answer: The plastic bag killing was part of the dream. Many things in the dreams are off. For example in the dream he sees himself handling the pistol while lying in a bed. When we see his actual memory, he is standing, and Shaw hands him the gun, which he immediately uses.

Question: In the UK (Region 2) version of the film, the scene in which Ace pretends to be Hans the dolphin trainer was removed. Can anyone tell me the specific reason why it was removed? Also do any other versions around the world (notably US and Australian versions) remove the scene?

Lummie

Chosen answer: That scene was cut originally by the director Tom Shadyack because the scene did not support the story and thought it slowed the film down. (And the scene was cut from the US version as well.) It was added back later in TV versions of the film. Fan enjoyed the scene so much they asked it be put back in the film version. I know the DVD has it because I own it. It's hilarious!

Chosen answer: The music is Danke Schoen by Wane Newton - definitely not the music from Aladdin. It sounds close though. I have little kids and I've heard the song from Aladdin more than I want to.

Actually, the instrumental cue right before Newton sings his song, and many times throughout the film, is a rip off Aladdin cue. It's the exact melody from when Aladdin sings "Would they see a poor boy, no siree." It's exact, and sticks out obviously.

Chosen answer: She has no cellphone or home phone.

Toolio

Answer: And / or does not wish to be eavesdropped on if she has a home phone?

dizzyd

Bart-Mangled Banner - S15-E21

Question: When the Simpsons go on the TV show to try and explain themselves, what show was this a send up of where the guy speaks really loud? I believe it's a show from Fox News.

Lummie

Chosen answer: I believe the character is a parody of the "Hardball" host, Chris Matthews, who is seen by some as a loud host who gives guests no time to answer poltical questions.

Question: What is the point of the Riddler stopping Harvey (Two-Face) from killing Bruce Wayne when they are in his mansion? They now know that Bruce Wayne is Batman and their goal all along was to kill Batman. Essentially I can understand they want to torture Bruce by kidnapping Chase, but it seems like a huge risk that they don't really need to take as Batman is very elusive and this was a prime opportunity to take him out.

Lummie

Chosen answer: They are both nuts and extremely arrogant. They are also suffering from "Supervillain Syndrome" wherin the villain will toy with and never kill his nemesis even though it will get him caught/defeated in the end. It's just how comic book villains are.

Grumpy Scot

Also, they specifically say they want him awake, aware and capable of suffering humiliation and shame when they destroy him. Also, since they have a hostage he values very highly, they can be reasonably sure he'll come to them afterwards, Riddler out-and-out says so.

dizzyd

Chosen answer: It was Kathleen Wilhoite (she also played Dr. Lewis' sister Chloe on ER).

Chanteuse66

Answer: She also played Luke Dane's sister on Gilmore girls.

Question: How come, Aunt Josephines house collapses, yet reappears later, when we see Count Olaf having to redo the tasks the children faced. Surely they didn't rebuild it! It looks exactly the same, anyway.

Hamster

Chosen answer: They probably built a simple replicant of the house. They wouldn't rebuild every detail just to punish Olaf, especially since it was just going to fall down again.

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