Question: Fusion consists of combining two hydrogen atoms into one helium atom, and energy is released during the process (very simplified explanation). So if the reaction is self-sustaining in air, why at the end of the movie did they dump it into the water? Could the reaction ignite all that extra hydrogen in the water?
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: In the entire movie all of the events that help Evan are there because he put them there when trying to go back. For instance when he goes back from when he was in prison he draws the drawing of him killing the two inmates. When he goes back to get the knife, he made himself do it. I couldn't understand where to put this in this website but if anyone could help me understand it would help my mind out greatly.
Answer: That's what the blackouts are all about. Its the future changing the present and because, for him, the future hasn't happened, he can't know about them.
Question: In the scene where Vincent is just about to launch, the doctor testing him mentions his son. My brother seems to think that the doctor knows Vincent is not who he pretends to be because he is Jerome Morrow's father. Is there any evidence for this?
Answer: None whatsoever. The doctor seems to have worked out that Vincent is not who he seems to be from simple observational evidence. It's because of his son that he feels sympathy for Vincent and hasn't revealed that he's tricking the system.
Question: Can someone please explain to me why the audience and Amsterdam are supposed to hate Butcher so much and think he's a loathesome person? He killed Vallon during a fight, fair and square, and was nothing but respectful to his dead enemy. He almost seemed to have regretted killing Vallon. He didn't act like a worse scum than anyone else until quite a while into the film.
Answer: Well, rather obviously, Amsterdam hates him because he killed his father. I mean, wouldn't you? It hardly matters that the fight was fair and that Bill showed respect about it, Amsterdam's not exactly likely to turn round, say "oh, that's alright then" and walk away. William Cutting (or William Poole, as he was in reality) was a ruthless, vicious man, who pretty much stopped at nothing to cement his control of the area. Whether he was actually worse than many of the others is questionable, but the film is based on Amsterdam's view of things - in that view, Bill is the enemy and we're supposed to see him as such.
Answer: Because he's very racist. That's why the audience hates him. He's very racist.
Answer: Because he was a racist? Secondarily while others might have acted that badly in his situation he was the one with the power and therefore the one holding a city hostage.
Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight - S1-E11
Question: At the end of the episode, the invisible girl is taken away by government officials and put in a school where other invisible children are taught things such as assassination and infiltration. Did the series ever follow up on this 'loose end'?
Answer: Marcie Ross - the invisible girl - is never heard of again, though in Season Seven there is another girl who starts turning invisible before Buffy steps in and acknowledges her. That said, in Season 8 (comic) there's hints that Marcie might possibly make a guest appearance in Season 9, as she is asked for by numerous fans.
Question: Can someone explain exactly what shaft entrance was blocked by all those big explosions after which Lock says "your move?" It can't be the entrance to the temple, since we see the Kid run from the dock to the temple in about 5 seconds to tell Zion that the machines have left. So what shaft was it?
Answer: The temple is located at the very bottom of Zion right at the bottom of the living quarters (possibly the engineering level is deeper) while teh dock is above the living quarters. To get from the dock to there there is a long lift shaft (which is seen in reloaded) and it is that shaft which Lock blocks.
Question: Why exactly does Spider-Man start to lose his powers?(Web shooter, finger grip).
Answer: As the doctor hints, Spider-man's inability to fully make use of his powers comes from a psychological obstacle - and as also hinted, (very heavily, in fact) Peter Parker no longer seems motivated to remain Spider-man. This lapse in powers and enthusiasm eventually leads to the decision to discontinue Peter's role as Spider-man. After then facing the guilt and shamefulness of a life without assuming responsibility, this momentary crisis reveals itself to be the deciding factor that Peter does indeed want to be Spider-man and that he may not have any other choice. Inside, although he didn't fully understand it, this ailment was needed for Peter to resume his role as Spider-man with a new ambition - which was in turn required for him to face the problems that affected his normal life as well.
Question: Right after the man talking with the lawyer in the beginning says "Grant's like me; he's a digger" and the close up of the mosquito in amber, he says something in another language. Sounds like "caleendo" or something. Does anybody know what he is saying here?
Chosen answer: He says in spanish "Qué lindo eres" (what a beauty).
Question: What is the name of the theme song and who sings it?
Question: What is the spell that Hermione casts to free Sirius when he is locked in Hogwarts? It is not alohamora. It sounds like bombarda.
Answer: It is Bombarda, or something to that effect. Alohamora only opens a regular doorlock, a good old padlock obvoiusly calls for a different, more powerful spell.
Question: Does anyone know what's officially in the mystery package and why Chuck never opens it, or is it just a 'McGuffin' like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction?
Answer: No one knows what was in the package. I think Chuck doesn't open it in order to keep his sanity. The package is his only link to his life before being stranded, working for FedEx and making sure packages get delivered. He was determined to make sure it got delivered just as he was determined to survive and get back to civilization. Success in one meant success in the other. While Zemeckis has joked there was a waterproof satellite phone in it, the real answer from the script is, no joke, salsa verde. Its a care package with a note imploring Bettina's (the artist) husband (naked cowboy) to come back and spice up their life like the salsa.
Answer: The package he got had divorce papers in them. He signed them and then placed them back in the package for return to her.
Here's my spin. Bettina's husband travels and is on assignment in Moscow. He's cheating on her, she knows it, files for divorce, and sends the papers through FedEx to him in Moscow. He signs them and returns in the same box. They end up on Chuck's flight, which crashes. He recovers them but decides not to open them. They re-file for divorce. Chuck returns the box, gazes down the road, and decides to go back and tell his story to her. They laugh about the old papers and live happily ever after.
Answer: In the third draft of the movie there's a scene where Chuck opens the package and finds salsa and a note from the woman in the beginning asking her husband to come home. It's also revealed that she doesn't mind that he never got the package. Pretty unsatisfactory, probably why it was cut and left a mystery.
Question: What is the name of the blond woman which has sex with Ben Affleck at the beginning?
Answer: The name of the character is Rita Dunne. The name of the actress is Kathryn Morris.
Question: The whole train sequence takes place on an elevated train; they are supposed to be in New York. I don't want to submit that as a mistake if it turns out that someplace obscure (but still apparently in downtown) has el trains. The credits at the end also thank the Chicago Transportation Authority, so it wasn't filmed in NYC, anyway. So, does anyone know?
Answer: The train sequence was filmed entirely in Chicago. The elevated trains aren't in New York anymore, it's true, but there used to be an elevated train system in New York in the 1940's, and that's the one that the sequence was supposed to be based on.
Question: Fairly techie question - during the attack on Zion a HUGE mass of sentinels breaks into the dock, and forms separate strands before making one huge stream and hitting the central control tower. This huge stream is being attacked from all angles and sentinels are dropping out as it moves. My question is, was this huge stream of squiddies created as one fairly generic blob to save time, or was it actually modelled as thousands of separate entities?
Chosen answer: If you look in the making of, the model appears to be one huge line where there are a few individual squids on the outside and in front.
Question: In the scene right after Peter ditches the Spidey outfit, when he's walking happily while the song is playing, he falls. Did he get hit by something, or did he trip over something due to his failing eyesight? Any information on this would be appreciated.
Answer: He falls because he's a normal person now: bad eyesight, less coordinated, and no spider-sense. Normal people experience this all the time and he's happy to be a non-superhero without that heavy responsibility again.
Question: Does the book 'Brave New World' upon which 'Demolition Man' is based reference the three seashells in the bathroom or is it just a bit of comic relief in the movie ?
Answer: For a start, the question is seriously flawed: Demolition Man is not based on Brave New world. The only similarity between the two is that that both are set in conformist future societies. There are a few references in the movie to that book (for example, the character name Lenina Huxley is a combination of BNW character Lenina Crowne and the book's author, Aldous Huxley); but to the best of my knowledge, the "three seashells" was not one of them.
Answer: No, there are no 'three seashells' in Brave New World. Thank Ford.
Question: Why did Stephen Schwartz not allow the Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston version of "When You Believe" to be submitted for Oscar consideration, thus depriving Kenneth Edmonds (who helped write the music for this version) of an Oscar?
Answer: Schwartz has stated that he believes the version of the song to be nominated should be the one in the movie, not the one that runs over the end credits. He has also said that since Edmonds (Babyface) only co-wote about 15% of the music, he was ineligible for nomination according to Academy rules.
Question: If Fairy Godmother's son is a prince, who on earth is his father? Is it just me, or does this put King Harold in little suspicious a state?
Answer: Poor King Harold looks like a softie, but I don't think he would meekly assist to the marriage of his two children - that would be Shakespeare at his worst and not a fairy tale, however spoofy it is.
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.
Answer: First, fusion is not only combining hydrogen into helium, that's just the most common form. Fusion has to start with an outside power, but the reaction had become self-sustaining, passing the point of needing outside power. This means that the energy given off by the reaction was sufficient to continue the reaction. By dumping it in the water, the energy given off would be absorbed by the water, and the reaction would no longer be able to continue.