Best movie questions of 1983

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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi picture

Question: After Anakin becomes Darth Vader, he seems ruthless, actually evil. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" Is just one quote. That being the case, this movie makes it seem like Anakin knows that he's evil and wishes he wasn't. Basically, my question is, why didn't Anakin turn on Palpatine sooner? Or simply leave the Sith?

Answer: Darth: "Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master." It's implied that the dark side is intoxicating, once you totally give in to the dark side it has a hold on you, and appeals to morality and rationalization are useless against your lust for its power. (On a symbolic level, the dark side is a metaphor for vice. Darth Vader is an addict and abusive parent. It's actually funny how many scenes still make sense if you replace "the dark side" with "the bottle" or similar).

TonyPH

If we bring the prequels into it, it's one of the criticisms of those films that they only make the question of how much Anakin is a "true believer" more confusing. But it stands to reason that at first Anakin may feel vindicated in his resentment toward the Jedi. Later on, Vader may not feel that as strongly, but by then his anger has turned toward himself for failing to save Padme. He may feel that a man as terrible as he does not deserve to be "rescued" from the dark side, leading to a feedback loop where he only gets further enamored with its power and does more evil things which causes him to hate himself even more, and so it goes.

TonyPH

Answer: Anakin was seduced by the emperor to think that the Jedi were evil. This was partly fueled by anger &fear, thinking Padme would die if Palpatine didn't help save her. After he turned to Darth Vader & joined the dark side, he eventually realised the true nature of the Emperor, but he was to weak to do anything about it. Darth Vader still wanted to rule the galaxy, but didn't want the emperor controlling everything. He just wanted to use Luke to help overthrow the emperor and take over the galaxy. It wasn't until he found out he had a daughter also, and saw Luke about to die by the hands of the emperor, that he realised that Luke was right & he needed to switch sides.

envisaged0ne

Vader was not just using Luke to kill the Emperor. He actually did want to rule the galaxy as father and son - if Luke would turn to the Dark Side, that is.

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Scarface picture

Question: Was the double cross with the chainsaw scene a set up by F.Murray Abraham? Or was it a genuine deal and did he just suspect it may be dangerous, and sent Tony because he annoyed him?

The_Iceman

Answer: It's unlikely a set up. Tony is supplied with money and guns to defend himself. If this was a setup, the toad would've had more details. He would've known Tony had backup with guns and they would've waited to ambush them. Also makes no sense for Omar to put himself at risk without a legitimate opportunity to make cash. Frank knew about the deal as he supplied the buy money. Omar seemed loyal to Frank. Why would he send some low level thugs to be set up losing his boss' money in the process? All he would do is lose trust and be suspected.

Omar was an informant. He wasn't loyal to anyone. Omar's driver is the one that suggested to send Tony to the Colombians. And I think Omar knew the Colombians were shady, and that's why he sent Tony. It was, in a sense, a setup.

Chosen answer: While it is never really mentioned I think it is a safe bet that it was a double cross. F. Murray Abraham was seen later in the film to be an informant and killed because of it.

oddy knocky

It wasn't a double cross, as it was the driver of the car that suggested/whispered it to Omar the first time Omar met Tony and Manny outside the restaurant they were working at.

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WarGames picture

Question: How could WOPR not know the difference between a game and real life?

Answer: While merely speculation, the WOPR is not alive and knows only what it's been programmed to do. It would have no concept of life or death, and as such would see no difference between the simulation and the real thing. That being said, an easy way to make it see the difference would be to program it to not waste physical resources. It would then see the use of all its actual warheads as less desirable.

Answer: This film is science fiction and hardly reflective of a real-life scenario. The WOPR is depicted as being almost semi-sentient that is flawed. The movie employs an illogical, suspension-of-disbelief plot line.

raywest

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Trading Places picture

Question: Why are Dan and Eddie in wool sweaters on a tropical beach when the women are in bikinis at the end of the movie?

Answer: Character choice. I've seen people doing exactly that if they are not happy with their body image.

Ssiscool

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The Outsiders picture

Question: In the scene where Johnny and Ponyboy are talking in the lot, Ponyboy goes over to sort out the fire. The camera zooms up on Johnny and you can hear voices echoing. Does anyone know what they're saying? I can't make them out.

Answer: Johnny is recalling the argument he heard his parents having; the voices were meant to sound angry but not to be understood. Its to help us understand his horrid home life.

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Jaws 3-D picture

Question: How come there is not one alligator inside the lagoon? I mean it is Florida.

Answer: The lagoon was part of the theme park. Artificial with specific mammals inhabitants inside, warm and friendly.

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Something Wicked This Way Comes picture

Question: This was produced by the Walt Disney Production Company. Unlike other Disney films that were family friendly, this one had a dark tone to it and even terrifying moments. Why would the Disney Production company help produce this film considering how scary it is? It seems unusual considering that a lot of the movies they made were more light-hearted.

Answer: Disney at the time was trying to break the stereotype of only producing family-oriented animation films. So they were interested in making more mature films, especially ones targeted to the teen audience. At the time they had already produced "The Watcher in the Woods" and "Dragonslayer". "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was toned down though and some things deemed too dark were removed. It should be noted, this was also the last film under the Walt Disney Production label.

Bishop73

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Superman III picture

Question: How come Superman is so nice to Gus at the end? He was working with the baddies, he created a computer and the Kryptonite to kill Superman! Yet Superman is totally cool and even asks the coal miners to give Gus a job. Did I miss something?

Answer: The only reason that Gus was working with Ross, Vera and Lorelei was because he stole money from the company he worked at. To avoid going to prison, Gus was forced to do anything that they wanted. After realizing that his computer was designed to do anything it was ordered to, including killing Superman, Gus removed a small screw which shut down the power momentarily but, after the computer brought itself back online, Gus attempted to destroy it with an axe to save Superman. Superman saw this and realised he was wrong about Gus and after the computer was destroyed decided to help Gus find a job.

That makes sense, thank you! Been bugging me for years.

Jen Hen

You're welcome.

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Octopussy picture

Question: How did Bond win the game of backgammon, with Kamal Khan, when he didn't get all his chips off the board? Even the two sixes he rolled wouldn't have done it.

kh1616

Answer: Bond (taking over for the Major) had 1 piece on point 2, 1 piece on point 3, and 2 pieces on point 6. Rolling doubles in Backgammon means you get to make 4 moves instead of just 2, so he was able to remove all 4 pieces. If you have a piece on point 2, you don't have to roll a 2 to remove it. Anything higher than a 2 can be used to remove the piece. Kahn even says Bond has to roll a double 6 in order to win, which he does.

Bishop73

Answer: Not knowing anything about backgammon so this is perhaps wrong. But I thought that Bond didn't win. And the fact that he produced the Faberge egg is what ended the game. (I'm more than likely wrong tho).

Alan Keddie

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Christine picture

Question: What song is playing as Christine is crushing Darnell against the steering wheel?

Answer: "I've Got A Girl Named Boney Maroney" by Larry Williams.

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Answer: The sand from the enchanted hourglass kept the spider from killing her. She breaks the hourglass and gives the sand to Ynyr. Once the sand has been poured out from his hands there's nothing to protect her from the spider.

BaconIsMyBFF

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A Christmas Story picture

Question: I apologize for my original question, that is currently listed on MM, I was mistaken as to where in the film my question refers to, so please delete that question. That said, can someone answer this, please. Right before the lamp breaks, and right after Ralphie's mom fills her watering can in the sink, it really sounds like the "old man" yells, "You platypus nut-grabber". Is that what he's saying? I realize most of his "swearing" is actually nonsensical words and rants.

Answer: You are quite right about this. At one point, he does say "platypus nut-grabber." If you listen closely, you can hear it amongst all the ranting and raving.

wizard_of_gore

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Cujo picture

Question: Is this film accurate to how rabid dogs behave in real life?

Answer: Not really. Rabies has a wide range of behavioural symptoms, and it's rare for a rabid dog to display what's called "furious rabies," whereby they become more aggressive. And even then, they wouldn't become single-mindedly determined to terrorise two people in a car. It's much more common for a rabid dog to get slower/lethargic as paralysis sets in, eventually leading to coma and death. You can find more info here: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/rabies-in-dogs.

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Twilight Zone: The Movie picture

Question: During the Vietnamese child-rescue scene (in which Vic Morrow and two child actors were horrifically killed in real life), why on earth did they allow Vic Morrow and the children to perform their own stunt work in what was, without question, an incredibly chaotic and deadly-dangerous night-time shoot? With several large pyrotechnics exploding on all sides and helicopters hovering less than 20 feet over the actors' heads, it was a recipe for disaster. Why did the film makers consider it worth the risk to capture a few frames of Vic Morrow's blurry likeness in a wide, distant shot?

Answer: It's unlikely we'll ever fully understand. However, there were already a number of violations involving the children, prior to the stunt. It seems to boil down to the audiences at the time demanding more and more dangerous stunts and actions in their films that the film makers, and Landis, tried to accommodate. Landis also seemed less concerned about the dangers and either didn't think it would be that risky or was more concerned about finishing production on time. For whatever reason, Landis ignored warnings of the dangers. But given that he violated night time production laws involving the children, including hiding the children from welfare workers and telling them to keep everything a secret, shows he was more concerned with getting the shots and must have felt the stunt was that important.

Bishop73

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Psycho II picture

Question: Spoiler alert: this question gives away much of the first "Psycho" movie. In the original Alfred Hitchcock "Psycho" we witness Norman Bates murdering Janet Leigh/Marion Crane and Martin Balsam/Milton Arbogast, and very narrowly missing killing Vera Miles/Lila Crane. At the end of the movie we discover that Norman Bates had murdered his mother and her lover ten years previously. We are also told that he had killed two female guests at Bates Motel. Norman Bates is therefore guilty of six murders and one attempted murder. In Psycho II we find out that, after his crimes were discovered, Norman Bates was placed in a secure psychiatric institution for the criminally insane. This does seem plausible. But with such a criminal record, would he ever be released from incarceration?

Rob Halliday

Answer: Norman was found "not guilty" by reason of insanity. Therefore, once he is deemed to be no longer a danger to himself, or to others, and is released from the mental institution, there is no crime he can be sent to jail for (i.e. he has no criminal record for the murders). I haven't done enough research to tell you if a serial killer in recent times has ever been found not guilty by reason of insanity and subsequently been released, but there are numerous accounts of people being released from mental institutions after committing murder that are then considered free.

Bishop73

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Sleepaway Camp picture

Question: Why did Angela / Peter refuse to eat much food at first, and also refuse to play volleyball? She / he could probably do those things without the secret being revealed.

Answer: Watch his first scene at his aunt's. He doesn't speak at all. Clearly Angela/Peter has had a withdrawn personality since the death of his father and older sister. So doing activities with other kids is one thing he wouldn't do, as for eating, a lot of kids don't at first if they miss home.

Rob245

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Mr. Mom picture

Question: After the scene where Jack convinces Kenny to give up his "woobie" for a couple days, he's in the kitchen and throws some noodle like things into a boiling pan. They immediately boil up and start to go in every direction soon looking like a mop head. What was it he threw in that pan and why did it react that way?

Quantom X

Answer: Deep-fried rice noodles. I believe they're known as cellophane noodles. That's actually how they react. You heat oil in a pan and when the noodles hit the oil they "explode" like what you see in the film.

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National Lampoon's Vacation picture

Question: In all the Vacation movies, the children are played by different actors. What is the reason behind this? Is it simply a joke?

Answer: According to the commentary from "Christmas Vacation" this is an inside joke referencing the fact that Clark is away from home so much with work, he hardly even recognizes them anymore. "European Vacation" could not obtain the same kids who played in the original Vacation, namely Anthony Michael Hall, and tried to cast kids whom looked close. Thus the joke began. No doubt the actors' aging between movies also plays a part.

Jazetopher

Answer: Ironically in 2003, Dana Barron (the original Audrey in the first film) returned as Audrey Griswald in "Christmas Vacation 2: Eddie's Island Adventure" although this film did not contain Chevy Chase, Beverly D' Angelo or a Rusty actor (Rusty not in this film).

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Never Say Never Again picture

Question: Sean Connery took dancing lessons for 11 years in his youth, and he surely knew how to dance when he made this film in his 50s. So, why is his choreographed tango with Kim Basinger in this film so painfully, embarrassingly awkward and heavily edited? Is this perhaps due to the fact that Kim Basinger had virtually no dancing skills?

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: Neither is a professional dancer. Having studied dancing some thirty years before does not mean someone has retained the same level of skills. As you mentioned, Connery was in his 50s by that time.

raywest

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The House On Sorority Row picture

Question: When the girls are drinking together in a bedroom, one of them comments about her mother saying that she was "born with a silver spoon" in her mouth. She jokes that the spoon is actually in her nose. What does she mean?

Answer: That she uses cocaine.

Brian Katcher

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