raywest

24th Jun 2019

Code Lyoko (2003)

Answer: It's not a matter of hate but of achieving superiority and domination. X.A.N.A.'s objective is to conquer the real-world, control all computers, and enslave every human being.

raywest

Xana's objective is also to destroy Lyoko. I don't know why he would want that since without Lyoko he can't activate any more towers, and activating towers is how he launches attacks.

Question: Why was Madeline killed? She wasn't responsible for what happened to Lestat.

Answer: Santiago read Louis' mind and suspected (wrongly) that Madeline was also involved with Lestat's supposed murder. She was punished along with Louis and Claudia, though Louis escaped with Armando's help.

raywest

Answer: Hermione was attempting to restrain him because she feared he'd try to rescue Scabbers, not knowing that he was really Peter Pettigrew disguised as Ron's pet rat.

raywest

Why would he try with a broken leg?

Hermione doesn't know if his leg is broken or not. Knowing how Ron tends to be emotional and reactive, she's just acting to ensure he remains calm and doesn't impulsively make the situation worse.

raywest

People can do extraordinary things when in a desperate state.

Ssiscool

Answer: It doesn't look as if Mola Ram is smiling at the trio, because they're standing to Mola Ram's upper right. The Little Maharaja is seated in front of the Thuggee high priest, but I don't think he's specifically looking downward, directly at the boy either. To me, it seems as if Mola Ram is smiling because while he's confident in his control of the Little Maharaja, it's the fact that he knows another human sacrifice is being brought out for the Kali sacrificial dark ritual.

Super Grover

Answer: The maharajah was now under the black sleep of Kali and Mola Ram realised he was now under his control. Probably easier to perform his sacrifices with him brainwashed and manipulated.

Zorz

Answer: Could you be more specific about which scene you're referring to?

raywest

The question gives the exact second.

Great, but I don't currently have a DVD player or have a copy or access to every movie someone asks a question about. If someone is asking a question, they shouldn't expect anyone to actually take the time to set up and watch the film in order to answer a question for them. Just give a brief description of the scene.

raywest

That's what the time stamp feature is used for. The question is asking what exactly Mola Ram is looking at in a specific second of time in the movie. Explaining the scene wouldn't help anyone answer the question. To answer, you will have to look at the movie and pay specific attention to that time stamp. If you can't do that then you can't answer the question and should just ignore.

BaconIsMyBFF

I get what you're saying, but I've been able to answer many questions without having to re-watch a movie because the question contained enough specific information so that I knew which scene they were referring to. Based on the information given in the question, I can check movie clips on YouTube or get the answer by reading online movie synopsis. Every little bit of info helps.

raywest

Tough luck I guess?

lionhead

18th Jun 2019

The Court Jester (1955)

Question: When Griswald knocks the helmet off Hawkins and it appears his head is knocked off, you can actually see a face in the helmet on the ground. But why? Hawkins is supposed to be hiding his head in the armor. So why did the filmmaker put a face in the helmet after it was knocked off?

Answer: I watched the clip on YouTube, stopping and rewinding it, but I cannot see what looks like a face inside the helmet. Maybe it's just the way light and shadows are reflecting on the metal.

raywest

16th Jun 2019

Rocky IV (1985)

Question: Why was Vince Dicola chosen to score this film instead of the usual Bill Conti?

Answer: According to Wikipedia: "Rocky IV is the only film in the series not to feature original music by Bill Conti, who was replaced by DiCola; however, it does feature arrangements of themes composed by Conti from previous films in the series, such as "The Final Bell." Conti, who was too busy with the first two Karate Kid films at the time, would return for Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. Conti's famous piece of music from the Rocky series, "Gonna Fly Now", does not appear at all in Rocky IV (the first time in the series this happened), though a few bars of it are incorporated into DiCola's training montage instrumental."

raywest

31st May 2019

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Question: When Damian learns that he is the Antichrist, he is very upset about it. Later in the movie, why does he choose to embrace who he is and his destiny?

Answer: Having lived as a "normal" boy, Damien is initially shocked to learn his true identity. After having time to adjust and being surrounded and groomed by satanic supporters, he eventually embraces his true persona.

raywest

The answer is correct, and I'm just going a into a bit more detail. During the events of the first film, Damien is normal until Mrs Baylock entered his life. She started teaching him about who he was, but he was only five or six, which would have been far too young for him to understand. He started acting more malicious after this point. After the movie ended, it skips ahead to Damien living with his uncle, aunt, and cousin. During that time, it's conceivable that the forces surrounding him decided to give him a period of peace. He was raised by his aunt (secretly a Satanist), but she might have been instructed to give him a normal upbringing so he wouldn't call attention to himself. As a result, he probably forgot about it, and started to believe he wasn't any different. Once he learned of his unholy lineage he began to remember and eventually embrace it, especially since he had several followers (Buher, Neff, and many others he may not have met yet) to help and protect him.

dewinela

Question: Wasn't President Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech as heard in the movie given before Congress on January 6, 1941? The movie, or some of it, takes place December 6th/7th 1941.

Answer: FDR's Four Freedoms speech (which was his eighth State of the Union address) was originally given on January 6, 1941, some months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The filmmakers appear to have deliberately compressed the two historical events to emphasize the dramatic change in the world. FDR gave the speech to gain public support for the U.S. aiding Britain and the other allied forces, even though it was not yet involved in the war.

raywest

Question: Why were the aliens abducting people and why did they bring them back?

Answer: It wasn't definitively answered, but it appears the aliens took people in order to learn more about humans. It's unclear if all those who were returned had originally gone willingly, but the intent was not to keep them indefinitely or harm them, and they were returned to Earth, albeit many decades later. At the end, after the aliens had made contact, a new group of humans, including Roy, went with them voluntarily.

raywest

Answer: According to IMDb, a scene was scripted, but never filmed, explaining that she was away at college. The actual reason for her absence was because Dominique Dunne, the actress who played Dana in the first film, was murdered by her boyfriend shortly after the theatrical release of the first film.

zendaddy621

Ironically, the young actress who played the youngest daughter, Carol Anne, died just a few years later (from natural causes).

raywest

Question: Why did Scabbers try to escape from Ron after Buckbeak's execution?

Answer: He probably sensed Sirius being close (smell, hearing) and decided to make a run for it.

lionhead

Answer: Scabbers (Pettigrew) had already been hiding from Sirius because he knew he intended to kill him in revenge. Hagrid had found Scabbers and gave him back to Ron. Pettigrew wanted to get away from Ron so he could go back into hiding.

raywest

Answer: She realised she was becoming someone she didn't want to be. She used Emily to get ahead, and was sacrificing her friendships and personal relationships for her career and fashion. She didn't want to be like Miranda and realised she needed to pursue her true profession as a journalist.

raywest

Question: When the tanker ship is discovered in the middle of the Gobi desert they are led to it by - seemingly - Mongolian herdsmen on camel-back; the camels seem to be dromedaries, not bactrians as should be in that region. Are they Bactrian or Dromedary camels?

Answer: According to IMDb, they used dromedaries but the correct camels should have been bactrian.

raywest

21st May 2019

Untraceable (2008)

Question: It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but I remember a scene in which the FBI gives a press conference urging users not to log on to the website, as they then become accessories to the murders. If that's the case, why not say that anyone who accesses the site to watch someone be killed will be charged as an accessory to murder since they can presumably identify the IP addresses of those who watch? It definitely would be a lot of people that would be charged and would cause its own separate and long investigation, but it could have deterred a lot of people from watching.

Phaneron

Answer: Most people who log onto a website know they can be traced through their IP address. Also, this is a movie, and plot details often are not logical or realistic.

raywest

For sure. But I guess to expand upon my question, is there any reason in particular in the real world why the FBI wouldn't threaten to charge people as accessories to murder? As in, are there any legal loopholes that would prohibit the FBI or any law enforcement agency in the U.S. from charging people if the extent of their involvement is driving up views which hasten the victims' deaths? I wanted to submit this as a mistake, but I didn't know if there were extenuating circumstances.

Phaneron

Question: Sirius was only dragging Ron by his trouser sleeve and not his leg, so how was his leg broken?

Answer: The tunnel was small and irregular. Ron's leg likely got caught on an exposed root or snagged on a rock, injuring it as he was being dragged through it.

raywest

Question: Obviously Sloane knew the moment the nurse came in that she was going to be leaving because Ferris planned the whole thing. But wouldn't it be a bit of a giveaway to the rest of the class and the teacher that she starts putting on her coat and gathering her things before any of them find out why the nurse is there? The nurse could have been coming to see someone else, and if Ferris wanted to make sure he and his friends could have the day off and not get caught by Rooney, shouldn't Sloane have been a bit more subtle or played along as if she didn't know what was going on?

Answer: Yes, and she does play along once the nurse and the teacher turn their attention to her. When the nurse first comes in, however, she and the teacher aren't looking in her (Sloane's) direction, so she quickly gets ready while the nurse informs the teacher of what (she thinks) has happened. Maybe a little overeager, sure, and definitely a risk, but her excitement over spending a day playing hooky with her boyfriend just overcame her, I guess.

Answer: I agree with the other answer, but mostly the scene was written for comedic effect and it shows the audience that Sloane was in on the plan. She is being a bit smug knowing that she's pulling one over on the teacher. The other students probably wouldn't care or give her away.

raywest

Question: Why did Rolf join the Nazis?

Answer: He's young, impressionable, and was probably radicalized by Nazi propaganda.

raywest

6th May 2019

The Firm (1993)

Question: Every time I watch this movie I wonder what happened to the beer that Tom spilled while discovering the boxes of files in the Grand Caymen condo?

Answer: I've wondered about that, too. Avery appears to have somehow overlooked it, though it was in a highly visible and in a sensitive place (the locked closet). He probably returned late that night, and by the next day, the maid could have cleaned most of it up before he noticed anything. Also, on that particular trip, Avery may have had no reason to look inside the locked closet, so he would not have seen the broken glass. The spilled liquid outside the door would have dried quickly.

raywest

5th May 2019

Casino (1995)

Question: Why would Sam's life be threatened by the Mafia bosses if they find out that Ginger and Nicky are having an affair? I know it's mentioned that they hold marriage in high regard but isn't Sam the victim of being cheated on by his wife and betrayed by his friend? I can only come to the conclusion that they wouldn't approve of a man letting his wife sleep around but still, that seems presumptuous and excessive even for the mob. (02:22:10)

Answer: He wasn't threatened by the bosses. Nicky was the one who tried to kill him.

Answer: It's also possible that the "bosses" would be concerned that a rift between Nicky and Sam could bring public (police) attention to the criminal activities going on behind the scenes. These are, after all, two very egotistical individuals.

Answer: Concern about their affair probably has nothing to do with "mob morality" but with the possible complications and unwanted attention that Nick and Ginger, who is a volatile and unpredictable alcoholic and drug addict, could cause for the casino operators, who are being investigated by the F.B.I.

raywest

Question: There are spells that can put injuries completely right, so why didn't Hermione or madam Pomfrey try that on Ron's leg?

Answer: Hermione wouldn't have wanted to try as she is still a young witch and having seen the results a bad spell can have on in their second year, she will have decided it's best for madam Pomfery to deal with it. As to why madam Pomfery didn't use a spell, that's not explained.

Ssiscool

Answer: Students would not be permitted to perform such an advanced spell on another student, and Hermione always followed the rules. This would also be very advanced magic, and is something Hermione, only a third-year student, probably would not have learned yet. As seen with Harry's arm in the Chamber of Secrets, more serious medical conditions cannot always be instantaneously healed with a spell. It can sometimes take hours, even days, to mend. This may be the case with Ron's leg.

raywest