Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Answer: After Lou was hit in the head by the trumpet player, it's unclear what happened to him. Moses is supposed to kill Lieberman, so presumably he was eventually murdered.

raywest

Question: This question might be more for the book, but Mad Eye said they would have to transport in ways the trace can't detect. But the trace would only detect magic used near an underage person. Harry is the only one who is underage. So they could have used a portkey. I understand that they need to cast a spell to make a portkey but they could have cast the spell before they were near Harry and then transported to the burrow. Or have I made a mistake?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: The trace detects when an underaged wizard casts a magic spell whenever they are away from Hogwarts. It doesn't detect adult wizards using magic near a minor. If a portkey was used to transport Harry, it could have been detected when he touched it because he would be using magic. The safest and least detectable way to move him from point A to B, was to fly him there.

raywest

Answer: Two things. 1. You are not allowed to create an unauthorized portkey. The ministry must be aware of it. I think the incantation (portus) is traced. 2. Using a portkey is magical use, so the moment Harry touches it, the ministry would be alerted and possibly know where the portkey transported to.

lionhead

Then how did Dumbledore get away with it in Order of the Phoenix when he made a portkey to get the children to Grimmauld Place?

Well he is an extremely powerful wizard and the headmaster of Hogwarts. I think he made it at Hogwarts yes? He could have had a trick up his sleeve to do it. Might be a bit more tricky for Mad-Eye and the rest whilst the Ministry is under control of deatheaters. Just too risky.

lionhead

Also, using magic near an underage wizard isn't traced. Just when it is used by an underage wizard.

No, the trace is meant to detect magic used near an underaged wizard.

lionhead

No, the trace is to detect if any underage wizard is using magic outside of school.

raywest

The wiki specifically says it's a trace of magic in the vicinity of an underage wizard, not the underage wizard him/herself. It's mentioned working like that by Alastair Moody in the books too.

lionhead

When Harry used magic to repel the dementors that attacked him and Dudley in Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic instantly detected that he cast a patronus spell. He was immediately "charged" for using underage magic. What would happen when a young wizard was at home for the summer and holidays and is around adult wizards using magic all the time? The trace would be going off continually for every underaged magic person. It was mentioned in the books that if an underaged wizard did use magic at home, it could be confused with the adults who were casting spells.

raywest

Harry once got a warning from the "improper use of magic office" for casting a hover charm, even though it was Dobby who did it. I don't know where you get your information from, but it is wrong. The trace can only detect magic has been used, not who used it. This is explained by Alastair Moody in Deathly Hallows Chapter 4.

lionhead

Question: Was there an explanation in-film, or perhaps in the comics, why Thanos (and even Hulk and Iron Man) had to physically snap his finger to get rid of half the population? He seemed to be powerful enough to be able to wield the power of the stones with just his mind. I don't remember him having to snap any fingers to instantly change reality, etc. Shouldn't he have just been able to think about wiping out half the population?

Bishop73

Answer: The gems are so powerful together nobody could wield all of them directly, not even Thanos. The glove is especially made that they can be worked in unison. But there are limitations, since they are being operated indirectly. It's like the staff Loki was using with the mind gem inside. He had to physically touch people with the staff to take control of them. Same goes with Ronin using the Power gem to destroy Xandar, he had to physically touch the ground with his hammer to use it. Same goes for the glove, you have to physically use it to use the gems inside it. He has to do this to to use any of the powers of the gems, he closes his hand into a fist to use one of the powers. The snap is for using all of them at once.

lionhead

Answer: In the comics, the Infinity Stones (where they are known as the Infinity Gems) do not require gestures such as snapping to carry out of the desires of the wielder. They simply respond to that person's will. In the comics, Thanos does indeed snap his fingers in order to wipe out half of all life in the universe, but that was more of a visual gesture for the readers. The Stones in the films are significantly less powerful, as it would no doubt make Thanos virtually unstoppable if all he had to do to use the power of the Stones was think about what he wanted them to do. In the comics, Thanos is defeated by his own notion of being unworthy of omnipotence. The Gems in the comics also do not kill their wielder from an overwhelming amount of power.

Phaneron

Question: I know the real world reason Bruno Kirby wasn't in this one (horse allergy that had to be kept at bay with daily medicine shots in dosage size and delivery needle fit for a horse), but is there any in-movie explanation for his absence here?

Answer: No in-movie explanation has been given but, at the end of the first movie, Ed said that he was going to get Kim pregnant so, it can be assumed that Ed decided to become a dad and spend time with his family.

Question: Is the song "The French Mistake" a real song or was it made up for the movie?

Answer: It was made up just for the movie, and I believe we only hear the chorus. Mel Brooks wanted to do an homage to Busby Berkeley's style of choreographed dance number.

Bishop73

Question: Grocer contacts the G-men to tell them that Blank is arriving by plane. Is that his own car he is driving around town, or are we to assume that he rented a car exactly like his own? If it is his car, how did it get there if he flew?

Answer: Given that Blank and Grocer both drive identical black Lincoln Town Cars throughout the film for some reason, that would be a reasonable assumption that they would also hire the same car model wherever they go.

Sierra1

Question: Is there any reason why Nebula told Mantis over all of the other Guardians to meet her on Titan?

Answer: In a deleted scene, Mantis was sitting in front of the coded message channel for five hours, mesmerized by the flashing light. Perhaps the system told Nebula that Mantis was the closest, or she actually heard her voice.

Sierra1

Answer: In real life, that might happen, but this is a fictional TV show that revolves around the characters and the dynamic interaction between them. Getting rid of JR, a main character that much of the story line revolves around, would make the show far less interesting, less melodramatic, and less intriguing. It's just an entertaining, over-the-top exaggerated soap opera.

raywest

Answer: Cole is screaming "Stop!" so you can't hear what the soldier is saying. If you mean all of it, it's in the line of asking what he is doing there, calling the captain to have a look, ask him where his clothes are, and telling him to speak French.

lionhead

Question: Why does Widow winship have a cut on her belly?

Answer: She was pregnant. The Horseman stabbed her in the belly to also kill her unborn child. This is why Magistrate Phillips tells Ichabod that there are 5 bodies in 4 graves and why Ichabod subsequently performs an autopsy on the widow's corpse.

Phaneron

Question: Why did Becky lead Rafferty and his friends into a trap? They went to Old Town looking for some fun and weren't causing any trouble at the time.

Answer: She wasn't leading them into a trap. He was stalking and harassing her despite the fact that she was repeatedly rebuffing his advances. The girls of Old Town look out for each other, so when Rafferty pulled his gun on Becky and told her to get in his car, he sealed his own fate.

Phaneron

Answer: One would assume. The father and everyone at the funeral just watched a video of her poisoning her daughter.

Brian Katcher

Show generally

Question: Hank sees Luanne watching Monsignor Martinez on TV and asks, "Why is the Pope..." and Luanne corrects him, "That's not the Pope, that's the Monsignor Martinez." What episode is this from?

Answer: That's from S2xE23, Propane Boom (1) at about 00:08:30.

Super Grover

Question: Since there was no vegetation to support grazing or browsing animals and apparently not enough water to support aquatic life what did the people eat if they weren't cannibals? Eli ate a cat, but what did the cat eat? Eli fed the mouse cat meat, but until then what did it eat?

Answer: In real life feral cats will eat just about anything they can catch: bugs, lizards, rodents etc. Wild mice will also eat about any scraps, grains or small creatures they can find - including each other. You are right though that in the movie it is not clear how large animals like humans will eat enough.

Question: How did Owen Lars and Beru physically age by 40 years between the time of this movie and the biologically previous movie when they should've only physically aged 19, and how did Obi-Wan physically age by 30 years when he should've only aged 19 as well?

Answer: There's no "official" answer, as far as I know, but the most common explanation is simply that life on Tatooine takes a greater toll on humans than on more hospitable worlds, especially in the case of those who simply eke out an existence as did Owen, Beru, and Obi-Wan. Tatooine also has two suns, which could also account for the apparent (as opposed to actual) age of its human inhabitants; much as it is on Earth, excessive sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin.

zendaddy621

Answer: There is no explanation other than this is about casting. When George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie in the 1970s, he never expected the phenomena it is today. Alec Guiness was cast as Obi Wan because he was a famous, well-respected actor who was perfect for the part. When Lucas made the prequel trilogy some thirty years later, there were inevitable changes, revisions, and inconsistencies about plot, characters, and so on. Obi Wan was re-imagined as a younger character when he first met Anakin. The younger actors who played Beru and Lars were probably cast because they had a similar appearance to the original actors playing the parts. Actors often play roles where they are older or younger than their actual age. This is quite noticeable in the Harry Potter films, where the actors who played Snape, Sirius, Lupin, James and Lily Potter, etc. were at least 15-20 years older than the characters they played. Audiences are expected to employ a suspension of disbelief.

raywest

Question: Why is Del even homeless? I know he's a widower but that alone couldn't explain why he's homeless unless it's supposed to be some sort of cryptic answer like he couldn't live in his house without his wife.

Rob245

Answer: He's not homeless, he has a house or an apartment somewhere, or lives out of hotels. He just no longer has a 'home', ie, a place where he's happy and someone loves him.

Brian Katcher

Question: Did Obi-Wan fight alongside the rebels for some time after the Clone Wars?

Answer: Obi-Wan retreated, like Yoda, from public view to avoid being killed. He stayed on Tatooine to keep an eye on Luke. He didn't fight, but did keep contact with them, so to keep an eye on Leia as well.

lionhead

Question: Did the 1966-67 BBC TV series "Adam Adamant Lives!" inspire Austin Powers? The first episode of AAL! starts in England in 1902. Adam Adamant, a wealthy gentleman adventurer, thwarts a plot to assassinate Edward VII at a royal ball. Adam Adamant is captured by a masked villain, The Face, who subjects him to a 'living death' putting him to sleep in a block of ice. In 1966 Adam is found, frozen in ice. Revived to consciousness, he has daring, swashbuckling adventures in 'swinging sixties' England, although, as an Edwardian gentleman, 1960's pop culture mystifies him. In the second series of AAL! we find that The Face, too, has been cryogenically frozen. The Face is revived and renews his conflict with Adam (like Dr Evil). Aged 10 and 11 I watched AAL! avidly; it remains one of my favourite TV shows. Sadly the BBC dropped AAL! after two series. The Austin Powers franchise openly pays tribute to British 1960's espionage thrillers. How much of an influence, was Adam Adamant Lives!?

Rob Halliday

Answer: While there are many overlaps, and IMDB does list Adam Adamant as a "reference" for Austin Powers, Mike Myers himself has never indicated that that series was part of his inspiration. According to Myers, he created the character as a tribute to his father; more specifically, as a tribute to the comedy/culture of the '60s, which his father had introduced him to and which had influenced his own comedy.

Question: Before he kills Paul, he goes to the bathroom to take a pill - what pill was it?

Answer: It's a presrciption drug without a name, can't even see the shape or colour of the pill so it's totally unknown. Most likely it's an antipsychotic like Olanzapine.

lionhead

Question: Why would a gun store have ammo on display? Would it make more sense to have it behind the counter or a hidden place so customers can't take some when the clerk's not looking?

Answer: Things that are sold are on dispay or people wouldn't know you got it for sale now would they? The clerk is alert for shoplifters, its his risk. No difference from a gas station.

lionhead

I think the question is referring to why would they have the ammo on the counter and not on a shelf behind the counter or in a display counter? Having live ammunition on the counter is, as you say the clerks risk. But it does seem rather foolish.

Ssiscool

I think inexpensive things are common to be put on counters to sell. Like cigarette lighters, candy and lottery tickets. Bullets seem a bit dubious as this scene shows someone can load their gun on the spot, but I don't think in reality anyone would do that.

lionhead

Agreed, non-expensive items are generally kept on counters. But slightly stupid and dangerous to do it with ammo.

Ssiscool

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