Best drama movie questions of 1981

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Body Heat picture

Question: Matty introduces her friend as Mary Ann, but in the year book, the friend is actually Matty Tyler, and she is actually Mary Ann. Were both girls in on the scam? (00:31:22)

Answer: I noticed the problem of the introduction, also. It seemed like a major plot hole to me. There wasn't any material in the movie to support blackmail, etc by the real Matty. I hadn't thought of her possibly being in on the scam. If not, why wouldn't the real Matty have immediately blanched when hearing herself be introduced with the wrong name? So far, I agree with the OP's suggestion.

The real Maddy was at the house when Ned arrived. Presumably, she had already discovered what "Fake Maddy" was up to. It looked like Fake Maddy (Turner) gave the real Maddy a check, presumably a payoff to keep quiet. The real Maddy may or may not have known exactly what Fake Maddy was planning, but went along with being introduced as "Mary Ann." Also, the movie deliberately leaves details vague because it is a big plot twist at the end when Ned, and the audience, learns that Fake Maddy is really Mary Ann.

raywest

Answer: It appears that the real Matty Tyler was not initially in on the plan. It's confusing, and there're many plot holes, but it seems the fake "Matty" (Kathleen Turner) intended for the real Matty to eventually discover that her identity was being used (by Turner). The real Matty was then apparently blackmailing fake Matty to keep quiet. It appears that fake Matty intended to lure and then murder the real Matty, framing Ned Racine for her murder, as well as Edmund's. The real Matty's body was identified as being Edmond's wife through her dental records. Fake Matty probably intended for Ned to be killed in the explosion.

raywest

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Das Boot picture

Question: During the film one of the officers was holding a bottle of Becks beer. Was the label on the bottle age/era appropriate?

Answer: The label is absolutely correct, but at this time Beck's Beer was only for export and not regularly available in Germany.

Answer: I compared a clip of the scene to a vintage postcard from 1940 which had a photo of a bottle of Beck's, and it looks completely accurate in the film as far as I can see regarding the label, foil on the neck and bottle shape of the 1940s.

Sierra1

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The Fox and the Hound picture

Question: If the bear died in the fall, assuming the fall did kill it, then how did Tod survive?

Answer: Since we don't really know how he died, he could have drowned and not died on impact. Bear may not have been a strong swimmer or sustained too much injury from the gunshot to swim to the surface. However, in physics, force = mass * acceleration and thus larger creatures will hit the water with greater force than small creatures (as the old cliche goes; the bigger they are, the harder they fall). So it's possible for Bear to die on impact and not Tod because of his larger size.

Bishop73

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...All the Marbles picture

Question: Given that Las Vegas is the bigger more glamorous and more well known on sporting events, why didn't The California Dolls vs Toledo Tigers Tag Team Title match take place there instead of Reno?

Rob245

Answer: No reason is given but there could be any number of factors involved in why this location was chosen. However, it appears to be less about the plot than about real-life logistics. The event takes place at the MGM Grand Hotel in Reno. MGM financially backed this film, so this was an opportunity for them to showcase and promote their expensive hotel in the movie. Also, filming on MGM property would have given the production greater freedom on when, where, and how they wished to film, avoiding many of the costs, restraints, and restrictions often encountered when filming a movie.

raywest

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Excalibur picture

Question: IMDB lists a character named Sunshine, played by an uncredited Prudence Wright Holmes. Who is she?

Answer: Sunshine is the name of one of Gueniviere's handmaidens. She is also mentioned in L'morte d'Arthur.

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Piranha Part Two: The Spawning picture

Question: What was the reason why the two divers at the start of the film chose to go down into the sunken boat to strip and make love? Of all places, why do it there?

Answer: Probably for the same reason people do it on commercial jets to join the "Mile High Club", or any other unusual place. They're fueled by the excitement of doing something dangerous, forbidden, and/or out of the ordinary.

raywest

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