Question: Is removing hands, feet and teeth really sufficient to prevent the corpses being identified? What about DNA?
Bishop73
21st Jul 2018
Shallow Grave (1994)
Answer: Identifying a body (or anyone for that matter) through DNA would only work if that person's DNA is already on file and you had something to compare it to (and getting a DNA match is an extensive process that doesn't happen over night despite what some TV shows suggest). I don't know about the UK, but in the US, federal DNA databases didn't really start until 1994. And only a few states started a felon DNA database in the 90's, so it's unlikely Hugo's DNA was on file. It's much more likely that a person's fingerprints or dental records were on file since they were much more common and not exclusive to felons. Again though, those records would have to be on file in order to compare to a body. I don't know if the feet removal was more for the dark comedy aspect or if they thought his feet print were on file and would be viable (i.e. prints taken when he was born in the hospital).
18th Jul 2018
Elementary (2012)
The Rat Race - S1-E4
Question: I don't see her listed on the credits in beginning or any other website inquiries, but is that Tyne Daly playing the character Peter's secretary?
Answer: I'm the same person who asked this question. I discovered it was Molly Price whom I recognized from Third Watch.
It should be noted Donna was Jim Fowkes‘ secretary. Donna killed Peter.
17th Jul 2018
The Twilight Zone (1959)
Question: During the black and white TV days I watched an episode, the name of which I can't remberer. People were going about their lives. In the last scene the lid of a box is lifted. People are looking down into the box. The people in the box look up at the people who open the lid. What is the name of this episode?
Answer: There's an episode called "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" (s03e14). The 5 people aren't in a box but in what turns out to be a toy collection barrel. People outside the barrel are out and about town doing their errands. The 5 people are just dolls and a girl from the outside puts one of the escaped dolls back in the barrel. I think there's a shot of her looking down into it.
16th Jul 2018
Unstoppable (2010)
Question: Couldn't Dewey have just stopped the train, backed it up, and then changed the switch instead of hopping out of the cab?
Answer: He would have been able to, although he would have lost a considerable amount of time in doing so. However, the film was based on a true story where the engineer of CSX 888 noticed a misaligned switch and saw he wouldn't be able to stop in time, so he decided to get out of the cab to align the switch. He thought he set the locomotive up properly to make it safe to get out and back in, thus avoiding the need fully to stop and then back up. So it's not really a matter of what Dewy could have done differently since they were just following events has they had already occurred.
14th Jul 2018
Mamma Mia! (2008)
11th Jul 2018
Scrubs (2001)
Question: Does anyone know if the reason most of the main cast didn't return for season 9 is due to the actors' decision or was it a show makers' choice?
Answer: A lot had to do with the direction Season 9 went, and some of ABC's influence. Show creator, Bill Lawrence, was approached by ABC to continue the show and he wanted to more or less do a spin off and call it "Med School" since he felt Season 8 was the last season for "Scrubs" (even Zach Braff thought that and joked about it on Twitter a few times). However, ABC rejected the idea of a spinoff, and I think ABC felt the actors didn't need to be brought back because they would be working on other projects. It should be noted, while only John McGinley and Donald Faison signed on to be regulars for Season 9, Judy Reyes was the only regular not to return. She wanted to sign on as a regular, but her character did not fit in with the show's new direction and wasn't offered a contract. When she was offered a guest spot, she turned it down. The other regulars only returned to help transition the show into something new, which because of ABC was still considered to be "Scrubs." Most of the writers also did not return.
5th Jul 2018
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: There is an entry stating that military members can't just choose which orders to obey. Is that actually true?
Answer: Article 90, 91, and 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice makes it a crime to willfully disobey a superior commissioned officer, superior non-commissioned office, warrant officer's legal order or fail to obey any general lawful order. Punishment for not following lawful orders during wartime can include death. The keyword being "lawful" orders. Military personnel do not have to obey unlawful orders. Military courts still hold individuals responsible for their actions, even if following orders. Thus, following unlawful orders can result in court discipline and the phrase "I was just following orders" has never worked. An unlawful order is the only time a military personnel can choose not to follow an order. Of course, just like in civilian life, they can always choose what orders to follow and not to follow and simply risk the consequences of a court martial.
Answer: Unless the order contravenes a standing order issued by the higher ups, or violates a treaty the government signed (the Geneva Convention, for example) then it has to be followed. Sometimes soldiers will disobey an illogical order and it turns out OK - but they will have to justify it at tribunal at some point if necessary.
Answer: Of course it is. When you join the military you get given orders and you follow them. You don't get to pick and choose to follow only the ones you like or the ones you agree with. The military is basically "do as you are told"
30th Jun 2018
Daddy's Home 2 (2017)
Question: How are Adriana and her parents related to the family?
Answer: Dusty married Karen. Adrianna is Karen's daughter and the step-daughter of Dusty.
28th Jun 2018
Goosebumps (1995)
Be Careful What You Wish For... - S2-E1
Question: How come Clarissa didn't turn into a fly like everybody else?
Answer: Because she is the one with the magical powers that make the wishes come true so it doesn't affect her.
26th Jun 2018
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Question: Throughout the movie, the people in Sokovia speak English with an accent, and a previous correction claimed that the native language was English. So why are there signs all over the place in Russian?
Answer: Sokovia's official language seems to be Serbian (I've seen Ukrainian also listed), the writing seen is in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (some places it's the Latin script), which looks similar to Russian. It's possible that English is also an official or unofficial language, this is usually due to a country being ruled or controlled by the British Empire at some point, but for some reason they choose to require signs to be written in Serbian. However, the English we hear may be more of a filming technique for the audiences' convenience. That is to say, they are speaking a foreign language but we hear English (or whatever language you're watching the film in) rather than hearing a foreign language and then either reading subtitles or not know what was said. You see this often in films, such as a WWII movie where the Germans are speaking English even though everything is written in German. Some films are known to switch between filming styles where sometimes characters speak in English and sometimes they speak in a foreign language. And some films or shows will create a universal translator to explain why we hear everything in English (like in Guardians of the Galaxy where Peter has a translator implant in his neck).
25th Jun 2018
The Avengers (2012)
Question: In the helicarrier, Loki tricks Thor into the plastic cell; Loki then ejects the pod. If Thor is pretty much a god, meaning immortal, how could the fall kill him?
Answer: So it should first be stated that in the film, Thor's strength and power are considerable reduced compared to the comics (along with others like the Hulk and Loki). Presumably so there can be some suspense. In the comics Thor survived a blast from a nuke designed to destroy an entire planet and he fought a guy on the Sun. In the movies, neither Thor or Loki should be considered immortal, or even invulnerable (Loki even tells Thor "The humans think us immortal"). Asgardians were shown to die in battle, giving the viewer the thought that Thor could also die. However, even in the film, it's unlikely that the fall would have killed him but that he would have been crushed by the concrete and steel of the cage crashing down on him when it landed. Of course, Thor didn't really want to find out if that would happen. And Loki basically implied he didn't really know what would happen to Thor after the fall.
Yep, in the movies the asgardians are simply a very powerful alien species, like Kryptonians. They are tough and hardly age but they are not immortal.
Answer: In the comics, Asgard is a different dimension. Asgardians are immortal on Earth, however, they CAN be killed on Asgard. Since the Cinematic continuity is different from the comics, this probably hasn't been put to the test yet, and one can see why Thor wouldn't want to be the first to do so.
21st Jun 2018
Charmed (1998)
Size Matters - S4-E5
Question: At the end of this episode Leo goes outside to heal the glass from the sign of P3. In a previous episode (Season 3 - The Magic Hour) when Christopher is injured in owl form he explains he can't heal animals. An animals genetic makeup would be a lot more similar to a human's, so why can Leo heal glass but not animals?
Answer: There are a lot of factors involved in who and what types of injuries can be healed, or can't be healed, by a Whitelighter, so their powers are limited. The ability to "heal" glass and clothes is more of a mending or restoring ability. But, the trigger for healing is love, so it seems (with speculation) this "Love trigger" only applies to human-to-human love. In addition, there are restrictions for Whitelighters and they're only suppose to heal wounds inflicted by evil, so it's possible animal injuries aren't caused by evil and thus can't be healed.
Thanks for the response - hmm I see what you're saying as that had all occurred to me too however Leo healed Piper's finger after she cut it not by evil but by cooking in the kitchen in "Blinded by the Whitelighter." As for the restoring glass and clothes this is the only time I can recall that he does this as a whitelighter. I'm a big fan of the show and grew up watching it but after my 20th re-watch I realised that had always puzzled me. Still a brilliant show regardless! Thanks again.
20th Jun 2018
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Question: What is the name of the melody that Mia Farrow sings (La La La Laaaa, La La La Lalala La Laaaaa) at the beginning of the movie, as the title/credits are being displayed?
Chosen answer: It doesn't have a specific title. It was a lullaby written for the film by Krzysztof Komeda. There's a few variations of the lullaby heard throughout the film, the opening credits version is listed as "Rosemary's Baby Main Theme - Vocal."
20th Jun 2018
Carrie (1976)
Question: In the beginning of the movie after Carrie goes home after starting her period, her mother starts reading from something about God cursing Eve with blood and the first sin was intercourse. Does anybody know what she was reading from? I can't find it in the Bible, and it doesn't look like that's the kind of book she was holding.
Answer: It seems completely made up for the movie, especially the line "the raven was called sin." In the movie she's holding what looks to be a religious pamphlet, but it's not anything from a real book. In the remake of the film, after her mother says "the curse was the curse of blood", Carrie adds "that's not even in the Bible."
Answer: I took it to be a reference to the Serpent Seed doctrine. Proponents of the Serpent Seed doctrine believe that the Hebrew and Greek words for "deceived" when describing the story of the first sin actually literally translate to "wholly seduce" (They don't). The doctrine goes that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was actually Satan himself, and that "eating the forbidden fruit" is actually a metaphor for having sex with Satan. The doctrine continues with the claim that Eve's son Cain was actually the spawn of Satan, and that descendants of Cain actually survived the Great Flood and are still among us to this day. The Serpent Seed doctrine has been debunked by many scholars, and there is no evidence from the text of the Bible that it is true, but there are still a lot of religious extremists that believe it.
10th Jun 2018
The Drew Carey Show (1995)
Question: What's the name of the episode where Drew, Oswald and Lewis are briefly playing the drums and maybe guitar, and singing "Honey, Honey, Honey" altogether?
Answer: "That Thing You Don't" (s03e10). The gang forms their old band again for a talent contest. Lewis is on drums, Drew is on trumpet, Oswald is on trombone, Kate is lead singer.
28th May 2018
Mr. Nice Guy (1987)
Question: Why do the bad guys want the video tape that they are after?
Answer: The cocaine deal, that had gone bad, between the mob and gang. They were afraid it would be turned into the police.
How did the video get recorded in the first place?
The two reporters, Diana and Richard, were hiding above and filming it. After the shootout there's a explosion which exposes them. The mob boss sees them and tells his men to go after them.
Answer: TV Reporter Diane, played by Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, and her crew film the drug deal between the mob boss and the street gang.
24th May 2018
Robocop 2 (1990)
Question: Was Hobb Cain's son? If not, who was he to Cain?
Answer: They're not related. Hob was just a skilled fighter and leader and Cain essentially made Hob his apprentice in the Nuke Cult.
30th Apr 2005
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Question: Does anybody know what "Meega Nala Queesta" means?
Answer: The movie contains two languages one is English, and the other is Hawaiian. Meega translate to I or me, and Quessta translate to destroy. I don't know what Nala means, people are telling me it means no or want, so essentially "I want to destroy".
Or it could be I no destroy but since they hate peace so much, they basically hate him.
Answer: As stated, it means "I want to destroy." But it should be pointed out it's a made up language, "Tantalog." Tantalog is a mix of Hawaiian, Chinese, and Chezcreekian. It's also spelled "kweesta." And "nala" means "want to" or "evil."
Answer: Meega nala qweesta means I want to destroy.
8th Apr 2015
Blitz (2011)
Question: Does Nash call Tom Brant by his real name when at the train tracks when Brant (aka Jason Statham) tries to attack the killer. I thought I heard Nash say "Jason, calm down Jason"?
Answer: Yes; he definitely says Jason.
26th Sep 2008
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: In tournament action, is the crane kick an actual legal move to use? How about the stance to start the move?
Chosen answer: There are no rules about how a fighter must stand before throwing a kick, and it's basically just a jumping front kick, which is completely legal.
Answer: It was not the technique that was illegal but where and how he made contact with Johnny that was illegal. I'm not 100% sure how to describe what is wrong with it but it is the spot he made contact with and that he kicked Johnny with intent to hurt him (witch may seem weird but believe it or not point based karate sparring is in fact a non-contact sport somehow).
In the film, there was nothing illegal about the contact he made, nor was it determined he had an intent to harm. Bobby was disqualified for an excessive and deliberate attack, but he also intentionally kicked the leg, which was not a part of the body to earn a point. What you may be trying to describe as illegal was lack of control. The ref even says to watch the control. It could be up for debate about if Daniel had control over his kick, but in the film, the ref found it acceptable.
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Answer: Even with head, hands and feet removed, a lot about a person's identity can be determined from body scars, tattoos, body tissue and blood samples, etc. Sex, age, height, weight, body-fat content, race, hair color, and pre-death physical health can all be determined rather easily through traditional means, even given only a torso for examination. Once investigators have a general idea of identity, they can compare their findings to a missing persons database and narrow it down further to likely matches. Then they can request DNA samples from the families of likely missing persons and compare it to the DNA of the corpse. Of course, if the corpse was never reported as missing, that would bring the investigation to a dead-end.
Charles Austin Miller