Question: Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack. So why does he look at his arm in shock before he collapses? What does that tell him?
Gavin Jackson
3rd Jul 2013
Superman (1978)
5th Jun 2013
Stripes (1981)
Question: Given that Sergeant Hulka was only the platoon's drill sergeant, that means his authority should have been done once they graduated from basic training. So why did he turn up in Germany and continue to give them orders?
Chosen answer: According to the movie's premise and plot, once they (the platoon) impressed the brass at graduation and was assigned to the Germany gig with the "EM-50", Sgt. Hulka would naturally be with them as he was their original commanding officer. Plus, it would be logical to suggest that he would personally assign himself the detail of overseeing his platoon as they were his to begin with.
He's assigned as a Drill Sergeant, that is his job. Once he was fully healed he would have been assigned another group of recruits.
Answer: He wanted to make sure that they don't screw up this very important assignment, which they did.
1st Jun 2013
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Question: OK I have a few questions about this. (1) Who blew up the car with Hannah? Was it Jim or Clare? (2) Ethan taunts Krieger because he has the real NOC list, but was it also because Ethan knew he was a traitor and wanted him to walk out? (3) At the end when Ethan is disguised as Phelps, he is wearing the same trenchcoat as the real Phelps (who then shows up). Is this because he knew Jim was onboard, or simply cause he knew how his old boss loved to dress? (4) And lastly after Clare is killed, Hunt acts devastated and goes after Jim in anger. Given that she was a traitor who was always on Jim's side (and might even have killed Hannah), why would Hunt feel this way at all?
Chosen answer: 1) Jim most likely did it when he emerged from the water (as seen in the flashbacks/Ethan's theory, but it's hard to be 100% certain). 2) Ethan was just fooling Krieger. He didn't know he was a traitor yet. 3) Ethan likely knew exactly what Jim was wearing, as he planned the whole thing all along. 4) He's upset because Jim just murdered his wife to escape, someone who until very recently Ethan still considered his friend. You can't just turn loyalty off like that.
Answer: Claire killed Hannah. Ethan didn't want to believe it. Jim had no way of knowing when Hannah was in the car.
15th May 2013
Vegas Vacation (1997)
Question: Is that really Christie Brinkley's baby in the car with her?
Chosen answer: No it isn't. Brinkley has three kids. One born in 1985, one born in 1995 and one born in 1998. Vegas Vacation was made in 1997. This was before her third child but 2 years after her second child. The kid in the car is shown as a baby, not a two year old.
21st Apr 2013
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: Why would Alan test an electric fence by grabbing it with both hands? That's like clicking a gun at your head to see if it's loaded. Couldn't he have tried kicking it or maybe tapping it with his hand?
Chosen answer: Alan already knew the electricity wasn't turned on when he grabbed it. He first tested the fence by throwing a stick at it and nothing happened. He could also see that the warning lights on the fence post were off. He only touched the fence cables to play a joke on the two kids, to lighten the mood a little.
Throwing the stick was meaningless and would not have told him a thing. Perhaps, he did so to set the kids up for his questionable joke, given what they'd been through and still were in the middle of.
Answer: The stick testing the fence would not work because wood does not conduct electricity.
Wood contains a good deal of moisture unless it has been completely dried out. That's why electric transmission companies and local electric distribution companies cut branches away from power lines and transmission lines. That said. The stick would have to touch a wire and ground simultaneously. In the movie it was thrown against the fence but was not grounded. I don't think I would have used this test.
17th Apr 2013
Jurassic Park (1993)
Continuity mistake: When the car with Timmy in it falls down the wall, it lands in a tree flat again the concrete wall. Yet later when Alan is rescuing Tim, this is no wall to be seen anywhere. Only other nearby trees.
25th Mar 2013
The Night Flier (1997)
Question: Probably a dumb question, but is this the only film in which Miguel Ferrer has ever received top billing? Usually in everything I have seen him in, he is in a supporting role, so I was just wondering.
Chosen answer: He's received top billing at least 6 times, most notably "Hard Ride to Hell" and "The Harvest", but he's also shared in top billing another half dozen times or so.
11th Mar 2013
Police Academy (1984)
Question: Why did Mahoney get a medal at the end? All he did was run up a building and got himself taken hostage. Hightower deserved his cause he knocked the guy out, saved Harris and Mahoney and defused the situation. Even if it was for bravery or heroism, Mahoney achieved nothing with his actions and shouldn't have been rewarded.
Chosen answer: Just because you fail in your attempt at heroics doesn't mean you weren't brave as hell for trying. Mahoney knowingly put himself in a very dangerous situation with the sole intent of saving two of his fellow officers. That's bravery.
3rd Mar 2013
The Doors (1991)
Question: Did Jim Morrison really go around falsely telling reporters that both his parents were dead? Or was that just an Oliver Stone embellishment?
Chosen answer: That is actually true. Morrison grew up in a military family and his stern parents harshly disciplined their two sons by verbally assaulting them until they broke down in tears, were utterly humiliated and admitted to wrong-doing. Morrison broke off almost all contact with his family after graduating from college.
18th Feb 2013
The Terminator (1984)
Question: Some people think Ginger is Sarah's sister, but I have always thought she was just her close friend and roommate. Who's right?
Answer: Ginger is Sarah's roommate and best friend.
Chosen answer: No mention is made of her being Sarah's sister. If she was, at some point in the other films, it would have been mentioned.
21st Jan 2013
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Question: I have two questions about this film. Firstly, was the black woman Hushpuppy was dancing with at the strip bar her biological mum? And secondly, were the huge pigs (whatever they are called) that appear at the end really there. Or were they simply imagined by Hushpuppy? Because the other kids responded to them, but they seemed way too oversized to be real.
Chosen answer: Both questions are left open-ended. It is unlikely, but not impossible, for Hushpuppy to have found her mother (although I believe the music playing at that moment is a hint that she is a look-alike). The beasts are supernatural creatures; up to you whether they are literal or in her mind.
4th Jan 2013
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Question: When Bond goes to the fighting ring and discovers that Maud Adams is dead, was that really a dummy of her? It sure looked like one to me.
Chosen answer: No, it was the actor.
28th Dec 2012
Blue Thunder (1983)
Question: Why didn't Murphy tell his boss about Cochrane's plan to kill him? He tries to when he gets back, but notices some strange behaviour and walks off. Is it because he (a) doesn't trust the department and thinks the boss is in on it (b) doesn't think he will believe him (since Lymangood hid the proof) (c) decides to deal with it himself (d) just the writers' way of advancing the plot.
Answer: Yes to A, B, and C.
10th Dec 2012
Star Wars (1977)
Question: Did that officer who Vader attempts to choke, throw up on the table afterwards? I can't tell if that's vomit or just some buttons on the table, but as I haven't watched the film in some time, any help would be great.
Chosen answer: Every person on the table has a monitor in front of them, and what you see is a yellow button or some kind of mouse or joystick that glows.
10th Dec 2012
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Question: In Cars 2, it was decided not to bring back Doc Hudsen out of respect for the late Paul Newman. So why was slinky recast for this film? Didn't the filmmakers feel that Jim Varney deserved the same respect? Considering they didn't bring back certain characters like Bo-peep etc, I find it insulting that they felt so little of Varney.
Chosen answer: Well, with all due respect to Mr. Varney, he's no Paul Newman. You respect different actors in different ways. Paul Newman is much more of a "remember in silence" type actor, when Varney's much more relaxed and silly style lends itself more toward celebrating the character over the actor, in which case removing the character would not necessarily be the best decision. I don't know if these were things the Pixar crew specifically thought of, but that's how I view it.
22nd Nov 2012
General questions
I was wondering if anyone could back me up on this. When the James Bond films were in limbo between 1989 and 1995 and two studios were fighting over rights issues, I am sure I read articles which claimed that producer Joel silver was desperately trying to obtain the franchise with the full intent of casting Mel Gibson as Bond (despite Gibson repeatedly saying that he wasn't interested). I have found nothing anywhere online to back this up so I was wondering if anyone else had read this. Or it is simply my imagination?
Chosen answer: There were many actors who were considered for the role of James Bond during this period, including Mel Gibson in 1987. MGM suggested casting him, but producer Albert Broccoli rejected him because he was not British.
22nd Nov 2012
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Question: I was hoping someone could clear this up for me. Did ET really die and somehow return, or did he simply fake his death to fool the authorities?
8th Nov 2012
Psycho II (1983)
Other mistake: When Norman and Mary are at the swamp, the sheriff hands him the ashtray they found and bates explains that it belonged to Mr Toomey. Mary say "Who"? and the sheriff explains who he is. This makes no sense as Mary knew full well who Toomey was and had no reason to play dumb.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: She wasn't playing dumb. She says WHO because she didn't hear the name correctly.
20th Oct 2012
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Question: This has been a question that's always brought up. Was Ellie Grimbridge always a robot from the very beginning, or was she turned into (or exchanged with) one when she was held captive at the shamrock factory?
Chosen answer: She was turned into one when she was captured. The robots didn't speak and if you notice that after he finds her, she never says a word. As well, she displayed genuine emotion throughout the film before she was captured, something the robots also never did.
I agree, she was a real person until she was captured. If she were a robot, I think Chalice would have found that out when they made love. Plus, as you mention, she had real emotions until her robot replacement was rescued.
Answer: Another theory might be that Ellie has always been a robot but an advanced model that Cochrane designed to interact with the outside world.
19th Sep 2012
The A-Team (1983)
A Little Town With an Accent - S4-E22
Visible crew/equipment: When Sonny Marlini gets in his car at the gas station and drives off (after Hannibal has refused his offer), a movie light can be seen reflected in the car's window.
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Chosen answer: Massive heart attacks are often preceded by pain in the left arm before it is felt elsewhere. The aorta, the main artery leading away from the heart runs down the left arm. There can also be pain in the right arm, but the left one is more common.
raywest ★