Question: This question might be more for the book, but Mad Eye said they would have to transport in ways the trace can't detect. But the trace would only detect magic used near an underage person. Harry is the only one who is underage. So they could have used a portkey. I understand that they need to cast a spell to make a portkey but they could have cast the spell before they were near Harry and then transported to the burrow. Or have I made a mistake?
raywest
4th Nov 2019
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Answer: Two things. 1. You are not allowed to create an unauthorized portkey. The ministry must be aware of it. I think the incantation (portus) is traced. 2. Using a portkey is magical use, so the moment Harry touches it, the ministry would be alerted and possibly know where the portkey transported to.
Then how did Dumbledore get away with it in Order of the Phoenix when he made a portkey to get the children to Grimmauld Place?
Well he is an extremely powerful wizard and the headmaster of Hogwarts. I think he made it at Hogwarts yes? He could have had a trick up his sleeve to do it. Might be a bit more tricky for Mad-Eye and the rest whilst the Ministry is under control of deatheaters. Just too risky.
Also, using magic near an underage wizard isn't traced. Just when it is used by an underage wizard.
No, the trace is meant to detect magic used near an underaged wizard.
The wiki specifically says it's a trace of magic in the vicinity of an underage wizard, not the underage wizard him/herself. It's mentioned working like that by Alastair Moody in the books too.
When Harry used magic to repel the dementors that attacked him and Dudley in Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic instantly detected that he cast a patronus spell. He was immediately "charged" for using underage magic. What would happen when a young wizard was at home for the summer and holidays and is around adult wizards using magic all the time? The trace would be going off continually for every underaged magic person. It was mentioned in the books that if an underaged wizard did use magic at home, it could be confused with the adults who were casting spells.
Harry once got a warning from the "improper use of magic office" for casting a hover charm, even though it was Dobby who did it. I don't know where you get your information from, but it is wrong. The trace can only detect magic has been used, not who used it. This is explained by Alastair Moody in Deathly Hallows Chapter 4.
27th Apr 2023
Unlawful Entry (1992)
Question: Why did Pete keep insisting that Michael beat up the burglar, instead of listening to him and simply hauling him away? Surely he would have still got on Michael's good side just to take him in, so why not just do want Michael wants, rather than complicate matters, which leads to Michael cutting ties off with Pete for good?
Answer: Pete was a psychopath and a murderer who did not think or act in a logical, reasonable, or restrained manner. He had become so enamored of Michael and Karen and their affluent lifestyle, that he went to extreme and dangerous lengths to ingratiate himself with them. He was not at all rational.
And also, his years of being a patrol cop and seeing the brutality of society on different calls may have made him snap. I mean, look how heartless he was-he throws a naked woman out into the street in a dark alley and leaves her there after having sex with her in his patrol unit, no regards for anything or anyone at all.
22nd Apr 2023
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Question: Tod is only a cub the first time he encounters Amos Slade. Amos swears to shoot Tod the next time he sees the latter on his property. Amos leaves for a long hunting trip the next day and doesn't see Tod again until after he returns home. Tod is full grown before Amos returns. When Amos sees a full-grown Tod in his yard during the night, he yells, "It's that fox again." How does he know it's Tod?
16th Apr 2023
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Question: Regarding the scene where people catch fire after John Wick shoots them with a particular gun, what exactly is causing them to catch fire? I recall an earlier scene showed men carving lines into the tips of their bullets, though I don't remember if the two things are related. If so, is there something about carving the bullet that causes it, or is it the particular gun?
Answer: These are dragon's breath shotgun shells. The shells are filled with magnesium pellets and ignite when fired. The film seems to exaggerate the stopping power, making it seem almost like an explosive round rather than incendiary. These are not the same rounds that we see the men carving into. Carving grooves into a bullet is done so the bullet expands upon impact and causes more damage similar to a hollow-point round, though the effectiveness of this method is debated.
13th Apr 2023
Basic Instinct (1992)
Question: Why did Catherine change her mind about killing Nick at the end? Obviously she was planning on killing him anyway, but she changed her mind only hours after ending their relationship when her book was finished and was of no further use. So why did she spare him? Was it because she fell in "love" with him?
Answer: There's no definitive answer to this and the ending is deliberately ambiguous and open to interpretation. The audience is left to speculate whether or not Catherine kills Nick, or if she intended to kill him but changes her mind because she loves him, or intends to kill him at a much later time, and so on.
30th Mar 2023
Bewitched (1964)
Samantha the Dressmaker - S2-E22
Question: Who was watching Tabitha when they went to Paris?
Answer: This may be a plot inconsistency but probably a scene was shortened or edited out completely from the original episode that explained this. This is typical for syndicated reruns so that cable stations can air more commercials. The result is plot inconsistencies. Most likely Aunt Clara or another relative was summoned to watch Tabitha.
2nd Apr 2023
First Blood (1982)
Question: Rambo takes the jacket from the policeman who fell from the helicopter. Why doesn't he wear it, because we see him make a "jacket" earlier on, because of the cold? We never see the jacket again, so why take it? (00:28:49)
Answer: Rambo uses Galt's jacket as the "scarecrow" later. During the flashes of lightening, the wet sagging jacket is visible hanging from its hood over the propped up wood branches. Galt's jacket has a fur collar that's actually a hood that zips up (my brother had a similar jacket). I remember an interview from many years ago, where it was mentioned that a number of things had been omitted or revised in the screenplay, during filming. One such revision was Rambo wearing Galt's jacket, but Stallone thought it was too ludicrous, so they had Rambo just use it as the "scarecrow" to draw Orval's dogs.
10th Apr 2023
Anastasia (1997)
Question: Why doesn't Rasputin kill Anastasia's grandmother since she's part of the Romanov family?
Answer: Because she is an old lady, the last of the Romanov line. She was no threat to him, when she died, it would be over.
Answer: As I recall it, Anastasia and her grandmother escaped through a secret passageway when revolutionaries invaded the palace. After the two got separated, the grandmother lived in exile in Paris, where she and Anastasia are eventually reunited. If the grandmother had not escaped, she likely would have been executed. Rasputin probably realised her being a prominent Romanov, as well as a grieving mother/grandmother, could garner public sympathy and outrage over the royal family's brutal deaths.
10th Apr 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Why is Ron so shocked by Scabbers running away after Buckbeak's execution? He's run away before.
Answer: Don't disagree with the other answer, but would add that Ron was initially confused about why Scabbers had previously disappeared and was now struggling so hard to escape while he held him. He was shocked that Scabbers bit his hand to get loose and run off again. After so many years as a contented "family pet" it was uncharacteristic behavior. Of course, it's soon learned why Scabbers (Pettigrew) was so desperate to get away.
10th Apr 2023
Grease (1978)
Question: The "girl in the purple sweater" is a stone-cold beauty. She overacts madly when on-screen. Does anyone know who she is?
Answer: You might be referring to Stockard Channing, who played "Rizzo." She wore a purple sweater in some scenes.
2nd Apr 2023
The Witches (1990)
Question: Do the witches go after teenagers as well? What is the age that they stop hunting the kids? (04:41:03)
1st Apr 2023
Total Recall (1990)
Question: In the opening scene in the bedroom, after Doug wakes up, there's a poster over the bed. Where is it from? Or what does it mean? It looks like 160+ eggs with small markings on them, and some with no markings.
Answer: It's not a poster. It looks to be an original abstract piece of sculptural art. I tried to find out who the artist was, but couldn't find any online information. The piece may have been created for the movie. Artists usually convey some theme or concept in their work, but whatever it is in this piece is unknown. Of course, non-objective abstract art is also subjective to the viewer's own interpretation. I'm going to keep looking for more info, as I'm curious.
26th Mar 2023
Full House (1987)
Question: Was Sally Struthers ever on this show? In a South Park episode, Cartman says she is "a fat chick who was on Full House." It's not listed on her IMDb page.
Answer: You remembered that episode incorrectly. Stan asks the guys who Sally Struthers is, as they watch her in a TV commercial. Kyle tells him "Sally Struthers, dude. She used to be on Full House." I think it's a joke about her no longer being successful and popular - the kids are totally unfamiliar with her work.
Answer: No she wasn't. Either it was a joke or a mistake. If it was a joke, I never figured it out or read an explanation about it.
It's a joke about how Sally Struthers isn't popular anymore.
30th Mar 2023
Virus (1999)
Question: Why does Jamie Lee Curtis hate this film so much?
Answer: She considered it to be a badly written and poorly made movie, stating that it was "dreadful." Critics panned the movie as being "predictable," though its special effects were praised. The movie received a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was a huge commercial flop that made about half of its production costs. Curtis said she tried to get director John Bruno fired during the filming because she thought the movie was so bad.
26th Mar 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: How come Ron needed a walking stick when he was out of the hospital wing at the end if Madam Pomfrey can mend bones in a heartbeat?
Answer: Madam Pomfrey may be able to mend bones, but that doesn't mean there isn't some residual healing and treatment needed for a full recovery. The fact that there is a school infirmary and also St. Mungo's Hospital shows that witches and wizards are not always instantly healed. From a filmmaking perspective, Ron using a cane reminds the audience his injuries were serious, so it's partly for dramatic effect.
21st Mar 2023
Reacher (2022)
Question: Why did the police arrest Reacher? He was simply passing through.
Answer: As Reacher had arrived in town just after the murder occurred and being a stranger, he became a suspect (or at least a person of interest) and taken into custody for questioning by the police. He was released fairly quickly. It was coincidental timing of an outsider arriving at the same time as the crime occurred.
21st Mar 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: The fang of the basilisk has been shown in the other movies to be able to destroy a horcrux. Since Harry was a horcrux himself, when the basilisk bit him, why didn't it kill him or at the least destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul that was inside of him?
Answer: Because he is alive and the piece of Voldemort inside him is too. He had to die to kill the horcrux inside him, but Fawkes the phoenix healed him before that could happen.
21st Mar 2023
The Time Machine (1960)
21st Mar 2023
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
The Disease - S5-E17
Question: Why would Kim be in trouble for being in a relationship with Derran Tal? In many episodes of other Star Trek series, Starfleet officers have been in relationships with species of other planets but are never reprimanded for it.
Answer: Voyager is in a completely unknown region of space and they have little contact with or knowledge of other alien species and their cultures, potentially leading to deadly conflicts. There were particular diplomatic concerns with the Varro race because they were extremely xenophobic. Janeway ordered the crew to have minimal personal contact with them as a safety precaution, which Harry Kim inevitably ignored.
21st Mar 2023
Ghost (1990)
Question: If Carl is so terrified of being killed by the drug dealers after losing their money, why can't he simply leave the city?
Answer: The trace detects when an underaged wizard casts a magic spell whenever they are away from Hogwarts. It doesn't detect adult wizards using magic near a minor. If a portkey was used to transport Harry, it could have been detected when he touched it because he would be using magic. The safest and least detectable way to move him from point A to B, was to fly him there.
raywest ★