Phaneron

6th May 2023

General questions

I once caught a scene from either a movie or TV show in the early-to-mid 90's. A mother and daughter were driving along a cliff and having an argument. The daughter got so fed up with the mother that she grabbed the steering wheel and forced the car off the cliff. Anyone know what this was from?

Phaneron

15th Feb 2023

General questions

17th Sep 2022

General questions

I need help with the title of a book my teacher read to my class in 5th grade, circa 1995. The only details I remember were it taking place in either the North or South Pole, and the main character killed a polar bear by shooting it in the head.

Phaneron

Answer: It may or may not help, but polar bears don't live in Antarctica (the South Pole).

Bishop73

Answer: If you aren't recalling the details, the only movie (and book) around this time period that I can think of is "Alaska" (1996), starring Vincent Kartheiser and Thora Birch. But Vincent did not shoot a polar bear - a poacher shot a mother polar bear and the baby followed the kids while they searched for their father who had wrecked his plane.

KeyZOid

I've never seen the movie Alaska, but the book in question feels like it was probably more of a survival story rather than an adventure. The only additional detail I can give is that the teacher assigned us to draw a scene from the book, and since the protagonist shot the polar bear in the head, many of the boys in the class, myself included, decided to draw that scene, complete with exaggerated gore.

Phaneron

"Alaska" was about survival.

KeyZOid

I wonder if your teacher may have deliberately altered some information (e.g, the boy shooting the bear) to make the story more relevant and provocative to the grade level and whatever discussion questions that were given?

KeyZOid

Unlikely. I live in Utah, and the teacher as well as many of my classmates are/were Mormon, so if anything, the teacher would have altered the story to tone down the violence or any other potentially objectionable content.

Phaneron

I've only seen the Nostalgia Critic's review of it, but wasn't it about the father's survival while his children were on an adventure of sorts to rescue him? Again, I'm not familiar with the "Alaska" book, but it seems like the protagonist for my book was an adult male and it was told from his point of view.

Phaneron

Answer: I believe I may have found the answer after searching "novel where man shoots a polar bear" on Google. A novel titled "The Iceberg Hermit" came up, and the cover art looked familiar.

Phaneron

3rd Jun 2022

General questions

A few years ago I caught part of a TV show, and it was spoofing the end of Goodfellas - complete with the second movement of "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos - only it was using the California Raisins as characters. I specifically remember one of the raisins being shot, and it had purple blood. Anyone know what this was from?

Phaneron

7th May 2022

General questions

As of this writing, there are 28 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is this the record for the most films in a franchise taking place in the same continuity, and if so, at what point did it become the record? I know there are over 30 Godzilla films, but I haven't seen any of them, and I can't easily find a definitive answer on how many of them are in the same continuity.

Phaneron

Answer: According to wikipedia Godzilla is the longest running live-action movie franchise with 36 films since 1954, but not in the same continuity. They rebooted several times. But, there are several Japanese and Chinese movie franchises that have between 40 and 60 movies, one even 123. Many are for kids (power rangers style, not counting anime) and their continuity is doubtful at best. There is also a western series called "The Durango Kid" that had 64 movies and the western series "The Three Mesquiteers" with 51. I'm sure India's Bollywood has a couple as well.

lionhead

21st Mar 2022

General questions

I remember watching a black and white short film in history class in high school. It featured a man about to be hanged (I recall a closeup of his face with tears rolling down his cheeks, and he had a thick mustache). He managed to escape and lead his captors on a chase, but his escape ended up being either a dream or fantasy, and the act of him dropping or his noose snapping is what brought him back to reality. Anyone know what this was?

Phaneron

Answer: I remember it well. This was the Oscar winning, 1962 short French film titled, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," directed by Robert Enrico. Set during the Civil War, there is virtually no dialogue. It was televised two times as a special edited episode of "The Twilight Zone." It is not part of the series syndication, though an edited version (dubbed over with awful music) is on YouTube. It was based on a short story by Ambrose Bierce, who served in the Civil War as a Union soldier.

raywest

Answer: There was a 1962 French short film called "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" with no dialog where a man being hung escapes when his rope breaks and when he makes it home the film cuts to him hanging from the rope because it was all a fantasy. The "Twilight Zone" then bought the rights to the film and included it as a season 5 episode.

Bishop73

21st Mar 2022

General questions

I remember catching part of a movie or TV show in the early-to-mid 90's, and some younger kid was singing a song about diarrhoea, along the lines of "When you're sliding into first, and you feel your pants burst, diarrhea, diarrhea." Anyone know what this was from?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: You're probably thinking of the 1989 Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood." In the movie, a kid sings that song. Google it and you can find a clip of the scene.

TedStixon

Answer: There's also an episode of "Two and a Half Men," Season 5 Episode 8, titled "Is There a Mrs. Waffles?" Charlie becomes a children's singing star. He sings about everything kids do playing, eating and sleeping. One song is about doing "potty." I don't remember the lyrics, but he uses words like "poo poo" and "doody."

3rd Mar 2022

General questions

I watched a sitcom in the early 90s, and there was a family attending a school raffle, hoping to win a trip to Disneyland. They placed their ticket in either box 6 or 9 just before the drawing, only to realise they were looking at the number upside down, and they ended up winning therapy sessions, which angered a young girl because, as she put it, "I needed that therapy!" I believe this was part of ABC's TGIF lineup, so it could have been "Going Places" or "Camp Wilder." Anyone know the show?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The show was called "Phenom."

23rd Dec 2021

General questions

I once saw part of what I think was a TV show (Little House on the Prairie, maybe?), and it featured a scene where a girl in school has drawn a picture of her teacher. The teacher sees the picture and, offended by it, asks who drew it. The boy sitting next to the girl stood up and claimed he did it, and as punishment, the teacher whipped him with a stick. Anyone know what this was from?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: That's from the Disney version of "Tom Sawyer" (1973). I remember that scene, watching it as a child.

2nd Aug 2021

General questions

I remember seeing an action movie, probably from the 90s, and at one point a henchwoman was beating up either the hero or a supporting character, during which she says something like "Oh, did that hurt? Want mommy to kick it better?" Anyone know what movie this is?

Phaneron

25th Jun 2021

General questions

I once saw part of a movie I think from the 1980's that featured Christopher McDonald, and I believe he was in a club looking for his son, and I think there was also a man in the club that had a really tall mohawk. Anyone know the name of the movie?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: Maybe "Conflict of Interest"? That came out in 1993.

Heather Benton

That's the one. I looked up the movie on YouTube, and luckily the entire thing was uploaded, and I was able to find the scene I was describing, though it appears the guy with the mohawk didn't have it styled straight up, but was parted. Interesting that it came out in 1993, because the hairstyles and wardrobe for the film definitely have an 80's vibe to them.

Phaneron

Answer: Could you be thinking of "SLC Punk!" (1998)? McDonald plays the father to Stevo, a punk with a huge mohawk.

Bishop73

No, this seemed like more of a horror or crime thriller movie. I also live in Salt Lake, so watching SLC Punk! Was almost required viewing for me.

Phaneron

4th May 2021

General questions

I remember seeing part of a movie or TV show in the 90s, and it showed a boy and girl on the Haunted Mansion ride at either Disneyland or Disney World. When they got to the part of the ride featuring the wedding, the girl started crying and said it's because she always cries at weddings. Anyone know what movie or show this was?

Phaneron

Answer: There is a 1997 Disney movie, "Tower of Terror." A man wants to reopen a hotel but can't because it's haunted. A group of ghosts have to discover how they died, once they do an elevator takes them to the ballroom at the top floor. One ghost finally gets to propose to his girlfriend.

27th Jan 2020

General questions

When I was a little kid I checked out a Batman graphic novel from the library. It had a lot of his rogues gallery in it, most if not all of whom were killed in it. I specifically remember Catwoman being shot and her dying words were along the lines of "Batman, I'm so cold." Batman then kissed her before she died. Does anyone know what the name of this graphic novel/storyline is?

Phaneron

Answer: All Stars #17?

Based on my Google search results, "All-Star Batman" is a more recent publication. The year I read the book in question was probably 1993, so it was probably published in the late 80s or early 90s.

Phaneron

I believe the answer should have been DC Super-Stars #17. That issue features the death of the Earth Two Selina Kyle as part of the origin story of her daughter, Helena Kyle (The Huntress).

BaconIsMyBFF

Someone on Reddit guessed it was Batman Annual 15 (Armageddon 2001), and based on the panels that are pictured on the website of the link they provided, it appears to be that one.

Phaneron

That's not it either, unfortunately. I specifically remember Killer Croc being in this, because it was the first time I ever heard of him, and he didn't debut until 1983, six years after DC Superstars #17. I think Batman killed Joker at the end out of revenge for Catwoman. With so many other characters being killed in it, I'm pretty certain it was an Elseworld story and not connected to whatever the main DC universe is or was at the time.

Phaneron

18th Dec 2019

General questions

I saw a made-for-TV movie in the early to mid 90s, in which a man holds a daytime talk show host and her audience and crew hostage because his daughter previously appeared on the show and ended up committing suicide afterwards, for which he blames the host and wants her to admit fault and will then execute her. Does anyone know the title?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: It was a 1997 TV Movie titled Murder Live! David Morse (St. Elsewhere) played the distraught father and Marg Helgenberger (Species) played the obnoxious talk show host.

21st Aug 2019

General questions

I saw a movie on TV in the early-to-mid 90's. I didn't catch the beginning, but I think a kid shot and killed a criminal and is heralded as a hero afterward. When he returns to school, there are wrapped presents on his desk from his classmates. One of his classmates was jealous of the attention he was getting, and maliciously knocked some of the presents out of his hand when he was walking home from school. Later in the movie, he goes hunting with his dad and starts throwing up after they shoot a deer. At the end of the movie, the partners of the criminal he killed drive around the family's property and terrorize them. He goes out to confront them and I believe broke their windshield with a rock. He later tells his mom that he isn't brave, and she responds by telling him what he just did in confronting the men was the bravest thing she's ever seen anyone do. Anybody know the name of this movie?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: It's a 1994 TV-Movie Titled, "Armed and Innocent." Gerald McRaney, (This is Us), played the father.

26th Mar 2019

General questions

I need help identifying the title of a book. My brother was reading it in the mid-90s, and the only thing I remember him telling me about it was two gruesome deaths: one of a character getting hit in the face with a spiked baseball bat, and the other being a character I think was named Eddie who is decapitated by a wire while he is riding a motorbike. I could have swore that it was "The In Crowd" by Christopher Pike, but no such book appears in his bibliography, nor does there seem to be any adult fiction novel with that name. I seem to recall that the cover of the book depicted a teen girl sitting at a computer with a distressed look on her face.

Phaneron

Answer: Found the answer. The book is "The In Crowd" by Nicholas Pine.

Phaneron

17th Dec 2018

General questions

I saw a TV movie in the early 90s. The plot centered around a man abducting a young boy under the guise that he was a co-worker of the boy's father and that he was looking after the kid while the dad was tied up in a meeting. At one point in the movie, the kid is keeping his distance from the man in an attic and manages to break his nose with a canoe paddle. Later in the movie, someone else tries to claim the kid. The kidnapper says the kid got away and the other man says "What did he do, punch you in the nose?" The two get into a scuffle that ends with the kidnapper killing the other man by stabbing a screwdriver into his neck. At the end of the film when the boy is rescued, rather than face the consequences, the kidnapper commits suicide by jumping out of the window. Anyone have any idea what the title of this movie is?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The kid taking refuge in the attic and the kidnapper jumping out of the window, is from a 1990 TV movie, Bump in the Night. Christopher Reeve takes a little boy to his N.Y. townhouse. The boy evades him long enough to call his mother, Meredith Baxter, for help.

Wow, quick response. I thought this one was going to be too obscure. Thanks.

Phaneron

5th Jun 2018

General questions

A few years ago I was scrolling through titles on Netflix and came across a horror movie (an anthology one if I remember correctly). The artwork depicted a man holding a knife in one hand and his own severed head in the other. The poster was evocative of movie posters from the 1980s, which leads me to believe the movie came out in that decade. Does anyone know what movie this is?

Phaneron

Answer: Found it! It's called "From a Whisper to a Scream."

Phaneron

12th Apr 2018

General questions

I caught the tail end of a presumably made-for-television movie some time in the early to mid 90s. It featured a man who had himself altered to look exactly like another man whose life and family he wanted. The two ended up fighting with one of them falling to his death. We are led to believe the evil man died, but it is shortly thereafter revealed that he was the one who survived when he is shown shuffling a coin on his knuckles, which my brother told me is something he was shown doing earlier in the movie. Does anyone have any idea what the title of this movie is?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: I believe this is the 1994 TV movie 'Natural Selection' starring C. Thomas Howell.

Purple_Girl

That's it. Thanks. I was wondering for years what that movie was called.

Phaneron

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