Phixius

Question: How did the Decepticons bring something as big as the Driller on Earth unnoticed? It's an earthworm the size of a building. Also, Megatron got here on purpose, Sentinel got here by accident, so did the original Seven Primes, so that would be an extreme number of coincidence. And even if that thing had been here for all these years, how did it manage to stay hidden? It's not like it can transform into something a little more subtle like a car.

Friso94

Chosen answer: Sentinel did not get here by accident. They stated out right that he was headed for Earth when he accidentally crashed on the moon. The Driller went unnoticed because it can tunnel underground; no one saw it. The Primes may have come by accident, but their arrival is the reason all the other Cybertronians keep coming here.

Phixius

12th Sep 2011

The Lion King (1994)

Chosen answer: Rafiki is a bit of a msytic or a shaman; a quasi-magical character. He was able to smell Simba on the wind that we followed from one to the other.

Phixius

Answer: Rafiki just knows because he's wise.

Question: Were the CGI artists running out of time at the end of the movie? I ask because towards the end there is an increase in reusing footage, and masking the Transformers off with dust, explosions, sheets of fabric, pillars and some more uninteresting stuff. What's the reason behind this? This only starts after the forest battle, before that, everything looks just fine.

Friso94

Chosen answer: It was probably as much to do with cost as it was with time. Although, there's no real way to know which scenes the CGI was actually made for, and which scenes it was borrowed for since they could very likely have animated a sequence for the climax then use elements of it for much earlier scenes. No reason to assume they'd work on the effects in the order we see them in the movie.

Phixius

Question: How is it possible that Peter Petigrew was in Gryffindor? The main Gryffindor attribute is bravery, and we can see that Petigrew is a total coward.

Feather

Chosen answer: The sorting hat takes into consideration your choices. Black, Lupin, & Potter befriended Pettigrew on the Hogwarts express. So when Black and Lupin, preceeding Pettigrew alphabetically, were sorted into Gryffindor, Pettigrew chose to join his new friends thinking to have them as protectors from school bullies.

Phixius

18th Aug 2011

Annie (1982)

Question: When Mr Warbucks goes to the orphanage to adopt Annie, he already has the adoption papers with him. But shouldn't the papers be at the orphanage since Annie was only going to be staying with him for a two weeks and he only decided that morning that he wanted to adopt her permanently?

Answer: The orphanage would certainly have adoption papers handy, but Warbucks is super-wealthy. His lawyer is undoubtedly quite used to procuring legal documents for Warbucks on a moment's notice. It just seemed the fastest way to go about it to him: have the paperwork as filled out and ready to go before he ever got there so all he'd need was Hannigan's signature, as pointed out in the song "Sign".

Phixius

Question: Is there any particular reason as to why Lisbeth is dressed like a punk in the courtroom?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: That is how Lisbeth prefers to dress, and she refuses to change for anyone or anything.

Phixius

Question: Did Narcissa Malfoy know that Harry was still alive when she goes to check the body after Voldemort "killed" Harry? The Malfoys all seem a bit nervous and afraid afterwards when Voldemort has Hagrid carry Harry's body to show everyone that he "defeated" Harry.

Answer: Yes, she could feel his heart beating. If Harry had answered no, to her question of whether or not Draco still lived, Narcissa likely would have told Voldemort Harry was still alive. But as Draco survived long enough to have a chance to be saved from Voldemort, and Harry was the only one who could defeat him, Narcissa lied to aid Harry, ultimately for her son's benefit.

Phixius

Question: Just regarding the entrance to the great hall. In Deathly Hallows Part II it is shown that the double doors of the dining hall lead out straight to the courtyard area (where Harry's final battle with Voldemort takes place in case it needed clarifying). This is all on the same level (i.e. no stairs going up or down a storey). However, in earlier films, e.g. Philosopher's Stone, when the new students arrive they are all shown walking up some stairs and then waiting outside the hall entrance (the same place where young Voldemort and Dumbledore talk over the future of the school in The Chamber of Secrets). Having also visited Christ Church college at Oxford (filmed at this location) I know that there are stairs, so basically (and finally!), my question is whether anyone can explain why Hogwarts seems to have changed. I can't work it out, either decision by the producers/directors/etc. or I've failed to recognise/remember some detail. Either way, any help would be very much appreciated! P.S. (Sorry for the essay).

Answer: Hogwarts has changed because it's been torn apart by the battle! That entrance hall (and the stairs) is still there, but now it's missing walls and a ceiling.

Phixius

Question: Isn't it revealed in the book that Dumbledore is gay? If so, why did they leave this out?

Answer: No, it is not stated in any of the books that Dumbledore is gay. When asked about his romantic history, Rowling stated that she "always thought" Dumbledore was gay. But that's as specific as it gets.

Phixius

30th Jul 2011

Titanic (1997)

Question: At almost the end of the Titanic, they show pictures of Rose doing the things that she had talked about doing with Jack. EX. riding a horse with one leg on each side. Then they show "Old Rose." Is she asleep dreaming about Jack or is she dead and has gone to "be with Jack." I was wondering because they show Jack and Rose kissing by the clock, on the boat, at the very end. Then the screen goes white. So I figured that she had died. Am I correct?

belmontpark08

Chosen answer: I believe you are correct: Rose has died.

Phixius

Answer: The ending can be interpreted in two ways. 1. Rose is still alive and is having one more dream about Jack. 2. She has finally died and is being reunited with Jack.

8th Jul 2011

The Ring (2002)

Question: Why not just try every way possible (physically or spiritually, for example, pour holy water on them) destroy all of the tapes. Thus ending the cruse forever? Will that just make things worst?

Titanic

Answer: Destroying the only copy won't work because Samara can make copies with her supernatural powers. If destroying the copies could work her father would already had done it before.

Chosen answer: Destroying the only copy of the tape would prevent the curse from spreading, but the last person to see it who didn't make another would still die seven days out.

Phixius

I think this is the best answer. Also, at the end of the Japanese original movie, it says " - you have to copy it and show it to someone else within one week. And this someone else has to do the same. - So it never ends? - That's right, it goes on and on. But if you don't want to die, you'll do it, won't you?" This last sentence is so well said.

29th Jun 2011

Matilda (1996)

Chosen answer: What about choosing not to cook precludes owning a recipe book? I'd guess Zinnia bought it simply because it's the type of thing a housewife would own. Or I suppose there's a chance Matilda, who is very resourceful and very fond of books, procured one herself from the library or elsewhere.

Phixius

Answer: As said in the comment above, it is also mentioned in the book that she procured it from the library, and was very fond about learning how to cook.

27th Jun 2011

Time Bandits (1981)

Question: Evil tells of his assistants, "tell me about computers". And he later says, "show me subscriber trunk dialing". Why does such a powerful entity have an interest in technology? (01:30:45 - 01:31:35)

Chosen answer: This technology may pose a threat, as a counter, to Evil's magic, or it could be used to enhance his own powers.

Phixius

Answer: Remember his whole speech about technology being his version of the universe, while the Supreme Being concentrated on nature?

Brian Katcher

20th Jun 2011

Tangled (2010)

Question: Why does a section of her hair not die forever after the witch cut it as a child while at the end of the movie all her hair is brown and short from being cut?

Answer: That section that was cut when she was a baby is brown and shorter than the rest. She shows it to Flynn.

Phixius

Question: The Axeman doesn't die when Luther shoots three rounds into his head. But how come when Alice blows his head off, he does die?

Friso94

Chosen answer: The damage caused by Alice was more extensive and therefore sufficient to put the creature down.

Phixius

Question: How did the Transformers stay hidden during the days when there weren't any mechanical devices? Jetfire explains that he's been here for millenia, and there are probably more like him all over the world. For that matter, why didn't the Egyptians or the Chinese or the Greeks ever make a note about the Transformers, while their markings are all over the structures?

Friso94

Chosen answer: A lot of historians, or pseudo-historians some would say, believe the Ancient Egyptians did in fact have technology that surpasses even our own today. And that this technology was handed down to them from extra-terrestrials they worshiped as gods. This seems to fit the context of the movie, where the Transformers would be those extra-terrestrials.

Phixius

31st May 2011

General questions

I'm looking for the title of a movie about a racist black man. He even goes as far in his racism as joining the KKK. However, he doesn't know he is black because he is blind.

Friso94

Chosen answer: That sounds like a skit from Dave Chappelle's "Chappelle's Show" featuring the character Clayton Bigsby, a blind White Supremacist.

Phixius

Question: Philip is supposedly killed by Blackbeard and then wounded in battle later in the film. How does he manage to survive and show very little signs of being injured?

THGhost

Chosen answer: He was stabbed with the same tranquilizer that Jack was shot with, to make him appear to have been killed when he was in actuality completely unharmed. He reacted appropriately to the wound received later too. Stomach wounds hurt like mad, but it is possible for them to take a very long time to kill you if they are mortal wounds.

Phixius

Question: At the end of the movie when the mermaid offers to save the religious guy, why does it appear that she is just dragging him underwater to his death?

Answer: The difference this time is that she actually kissed him before pulling him under. Either she breathes for him that way, or there's some magical property to a mermaid's kiss. They mentioned earlier in the film how a mermaid's kiss can save a man from drowning. Also, once the end credits start to flash on the screen (background is under water), about the 4th set, the screen lightens, and you can see two "mermaid" figures/shadows swimming toward the upper right of the screen. This is most likely Philip and Syrena. He became a "mermaid/merman."

Phixius

Answer: The Mermaid said, "I can save you. All you have to do is ask." The man said, "All I ask, is for your forgiveness." That was close enough for the Mermaid.

24th May 2011

Star Wars (1977)

Question: What did Obi-Wan mean when he said to Vader "You can't win, Vader. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine"? Also when he said "Strike me down", did he specifically mean taking Obi-Wan's life?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Yes, he meant take Obi-Wan's life. By killing him, Vader would release Obi-Wan from his body allowing him to follow and advise Luke wherever he goes.

Phixius

I believe that Obi-wan would also win because he was willing to "let go" in this situation. Helping Luke was more important than destroying Vader right now.

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