Question: Why would Zoltan Karpathy think that Audrey Hepburn is "born Hungarian, possibly of royal birth" when her name is Eliza Doolittle?
raywest
15th Oct 2025
My Fair Lady (1964)
15th Oct 2025
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Episode #1.3 - S1-E3
Question: When the Gardiners arrive at Longbourn for Christmas, where are their children? Surely, they would not have travelled without their children at Christmas.
Answer: The children were probably left with a nanny or relatives. It's very likely that the Longborns would have left them at home. Travelling for days by horse-drawn carriage over bumpy dirt roads is difficult in the best of circumstances, and particularly hard during winter. The trip would be too arduous for young children.
9th Oct 2025
Monk (2002)
5th Oct 2025
Back to the Future (1985)
Question: I actually have two questions. On the commentary for Back to the Future around when Doc breaks the clock tower ledge, Bob Gale mentions that the 4 on the clock is IV and not IIII. I just need a better understanding of how he is talking about it being a mistake. Is it really a mistake? Because I will submit it as a mistake. What kind of mistake would this fall under? Continuity, factorial error, plot hole, or other? If it's not a mistake, then I won't submit it.
Answer: Romans used both numerical styles for the number four. Romans used IIII for vertical lists, on stone columns, etc. It was supposedly easier to add the extra "I" rather than IV. For horizontal writing, the IV was used. Bob Gale is apparently referring to how old clock faces typically used the IIII instead of the more familiar IV. The clock tower in the movie was supposed to be 100 years old, so "IIII" is what should have been used in the 1800s instead of "IV," so that appears to be the mistake. As far as the type of mistake, probably "Factual Error."
Fun fact, my mom has a clock that uses Roman numerals, and the 4 is indeed IIII on it, not IV. If it is a mistake, it is one that is common and not unique to the movie. I think it is used in clocks traditionally since the Romans used to use it on their sundials.
30th Sep 2025
The Long Walk (2025)
Question: Is it really possible to fall asleep while walking? Sure, one can stand up and walk around while sleeping (sleepwalking), but does it work the other way around too?
Answer: Yes, it's possible. People with a neurological disorder called narcolepsy can fall asleep while standing or walking. Some can even engage in complex activities like driving a car.
But what if you aren't narcoleptic? Can a normal person fall asleep while walking just because of general fatigue?
Yes, it is possible for a person to fall into a state of semi-sleep or "doze" while walking without having narcolepsy, especially under extreme conditions like those shown. When the brain is severely deprived of sleep, it can involuntarily enter microsleeps. These are brief, uncontrolled episodes of sleep lasting from a fraction of a second up to about 30 seconds.
No, there would have to be some underlying neurological issue that caused it. Normal people cannot fall asleep for an extended time period while walking and remain upright and mobile. Microsleep only lasts a few seconds, but a person has to have been extremely sleep deprived for many hours and they cannot function normally during an episode like with narcolepsy or sleepwalking.
Yes, they can. When the brain is severely deprived of sleep, it can involuntarily enter microsleeps. These are brief, uncontrolled episodes of sleep lasting from a fraction of a second up to about 30 seconds.
11th Nov 2007
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Question: After Marge found Dickie's rings at Tom's place and confronted him, why did he hold a razor in his pocket and cut his hand?
Answer: I believe he was going to hurt her, but when he was talking to her, he was getting too upset and frustrated, and where he would have made his hands into fists, he then cut himself. Then again, he wasn't totally sane anyway, so there could just be no explanation that we would know of.
I wondered the same thing about the razor, but he couldn't get away with killing her either.
Answer: Tom knew Marge would go to the police after discovering he had Dickie's rings. He intended to murder her with the razor that he slipped into his robe pocket. He was clutching it nervously and accidentally cut his palm on the blade. Tom was just about to kill Marge but she made a hasty exit when Peter suddenly arrived.
7th Sep 2025
The Naked Gun (1988)
Question: Is there a name for the little dance move that Frank performs after calling the second strike, where he shuffles to his right while waving his hand?
Answer: Isn't that the classic "jazz hands" move?
Answer: No, that is not an official dance move; he was just using the gesture to enhance his strike call for the crowd.
Answer: It looks like the dance moves are based on Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk" routine.
That move itself is part of Michael Jackson's moonwalk routine? I just want to be sure we're on the same page because the moonwalk itself is the dance move that Frank performs after calling the third strike.
8th Sep 2025
Sully (2016)
Question: Shortly after the plane landed in the river, why was the air traffic controller removed from his terminal and replaced while the supervisor says someone will come down to administer standard tests?
Answer: Air Traffic Controllers have to be on top of their game at all times and not compromised. When something goes wrong, like a plane crashing that a particular ATC is overseeing, it is treated similarly to when a cop is involved in a shooting. They are temporarily relieved of duty and taken to be evaluated and drug tested to make sure the ATC was not on any drugs or substances that would have interfered with his or her ability to do the job, as well as to take the ATC out of a stressful situation and get someone fresh onto the job. My dad is a former ATC for the Marine Reserves.
5th Aug 2025
Ladyhawke (1985)
25th Jun 2025
General questions
I have a question. I know actors like Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone would direct films that they starred in. How would their pay structure be? Would they get two salaries? One big salary for both? Or be paid for one thing but not the other? What sort of SAG union rules or regulations were they allowed to have and/or not allowed to have? What sort of changes, if any, happened between, let's say, 1985 to today in 2025 to make it more proficient?
Answer: To partially answer your question, movie directors belong to the Directors Guild of America (DGA) union while actors are members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). An actor who is directing the film they are starring in would also be a Directors' Guild union member. Their pay as a director would be negotiated and accounted for separately.
17th Apr 2024
Murder, She Wrote (1984)
27th Jun 2025
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
27th Jun 2025
28 Days (2000)
Question: Jasper smuggles pills into Gwen and sneaks her off the rehab grounds. Wouldn't any rehab search visitors and/or prevent unauthorized off-site visits, especially someone like Gwen, who was sentenced by a judge?
Answer: Visitors may be lightly searched, such as checking handbags, briefcases, etc, but this is a private rehab facility, not a federal prison. There are limits to and concerns about violating individuals' civil rights. Most patients are there voluntarily, so less security regarding visitors. Also, residents could likely find all sorts of ways to have contraband smuggled in and evade their watchers if they wanted.
27th Jun 2025
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
27th Jun 2025
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
27th Jun 2025
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Question: How can Obi-Wan believe that Anakin died after their fight on Mustafar? The movies make it clear that a Force-user can feel when a close friend or loved one is still alive, or is in pain. Yoda even sensed that Anakin was in "terrible pain" after Anakin turned, and Obi-Wan had a closer friendship with Anakin than he did.
Answer: He believed Anakin died. Anything he felt for him, he believed was just memories, sadness, and guilt for his friend. An emotional feeling filled with pain. Plus, Anakin did die. Only Darth Vader lived. A Sith Lord filled with hate and bitterness.
27th Jun 2025
Down Periscope (1996)
Question: Would pouring whiskey into the tank have really thinned down the mix, giving the submarine more speed?
Answer: Adding alcohol to gasoline can lower the fuel's viscosity, thinning it to flow more easily. It can only marginally increase an engine's speed and power.
But the question was, would it have actually increased the sub's speed?
Thinning the fuel mix would not increase energy or performance, so it would not make the submarine faster.
27th Jun 2025
Hook (1991)
Question: What was attached to the end of the arrows the Lost Boys were shooting at Peter?
Answer: It appeared to be a cork-like tip covered in coloured adhesive.
Answer: The only thing I could see at the end of the arrows was the typical nock, which holds the arrow in place against the bowstring before shooting. There are also the fletching feathers near the end that stabilise the arrow as it flies through the air. The arrow tips have a bulbous colored goo that sticks to its target.
27th Jun 2025
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
27th Jun 2025
Answer: He knows that Professor Higgins is trying to pull a fast one by having Eliza pretend to be someone else, and he fancies himself as much of a linguistic expert as Higgins. He's correct that there's something going on; he just gets the wrong end of the stick and assumes she's "high born," thus proving Higgins right that he could "train" Eliza to pass as upper class.