Phixius

23rd Jun 2008

Scarface (1983)

Question: Does anyone know the approximate timeline of the movie? I noticed shortly after Tony kills Frank (I think it was the scene when he meets with his lawyer), he and Manny walk near a billboard advertising the "all-new 1984 Corvette". The '84 Corvette went into production in March 1983, so I don't want to call it a mistake in case it is factually correct.

Answer: Early 80's is about right. That billboard wouldn't constitute a mistake either way. That same billboard could still be visible years after the car was released.

Phixius

22nd Jun 2008

Speed Racer (2008)

Question: Who is Sparky? Trixie's constant presence already means the future family model is pretty weird, but, why is Speed's "operator" living as part of the family? Is he an employee of Racer Motors, or what?

Answer: They're a close-knit team. Sparky's a close family friend as well as an employee. It's rather like Race Bannon living with the the Quests as part of the family, even though he is employed by Dr. Quest.

Phixius

Question: At the end of the film there are a bunch of people in the lost city of gold. If the devices were busted up and didn't work any longer, how did they get the water out? Also, if there's not really a way in any more, how did they all get in?

Answer: You can see the hoses and pumps that were used to pump the water out. Now that the location is known, even though the entrance was blocked, they could gain entrance by drilling/blasting/tunneling/etc.

Phixius

Question: Does anyone know for sure if Harrison Ford wears the same hat in each movie or are there multiple copies. I'd like to know for sure, not speculation or guesses.

Grumpy Scot

Chosen answer: Not only does he wear a different hat in each movie, he wears several different hats within the same movie. After Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford was given the original hat, which he personally helped the costume designer give its old and worn but well-loved appearance, to keep for his own.

Phixius

Answer: There were not only multiple Indy hats used in each movie, but multiple styles and sizes of Indy hats used for various scenes. In "Raiders," for example, Herbert Johnson hatters in London produced 45 copies of the hat for use in that movie alone. Those hats were used by Harrison Ford himself, his stand-ins and stuntmen. In dark scenes, where lighting was critical, Ford wore a version of the hat with a modified brim to accommodate facial lighting; and, in the daylight "Basket Chase" scene in Cairo, the style of hat is noticeably different with a slightly wider brim. The hats vary greatly from movie-to-movie, as well, with variations in brim, crown and felt color. By the last movie, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the hat is distinctly different from the original used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Charles Austin Miller

13th Jun 2008

The Matrix (1999)

Question: I could never understand this in any of the Matrix movies. They need to go to a phone that is ringing in order to leave the Matrix and go to the real world. The guy in their command center tells them where they can find that phone. Why can they not use any phone in the Matrix? Why do they have to go so far to get to a ringing phone? And why can't they just use their cell phone they have on them in order to get back to the real world?

SAZOO1975

Chosen answer: It has to be a hard line phone, one that is part of the matrix code, that's been previously hacked by the rebels. There's a network of them throughout the city, and the operator directs them to the nearest one after activating it. Their cell phones won't work because they aren't part of the matrix; they're loaded in just like the guns and clothes. It's possible the "hard" aspect of the phone also translates to a literal physical connection in the real world which the rebels can connect to.

Phixius

7th Jun 2008

Toy Story (1995)

Question: Would it actually be possible, with today's technological standards, to design a toy that incorporates all of Buzz Lightyear's little widgets? I'm aware it does seem a bit of a stretch but given we're now seeing figures boasting 25 bendable joints as well as lights and a voice chip is it still outside the realm of possibility?

Answer: It already is a toy.

Answer: It would be quite an expensive toy, as far as action figures go, but yeah it could be made.

Phixius

Answer: I promise you, as a child growing up, I had one with all the moving parts, buttons, wings, the works! Nowadays the toy story 4 Buzz isn't the same, but he once had it all.

Question: When Jones has the bazooka pointed to the Ark and shouts something, Belloq turns around and there's a moment in which you can see an ant or something going into Belloq's mouth. What is what goes into his mouth exactly? Is this a mistake, a joke on purpose, or something more?

Answer: When Indiana threatens the Nazis with a Panzerfaust, you can see a fly creeping into the mouth of Paul Freeman. Contrary to popular belief, he did not swallow it. Freeman explained in an interview years later that the fly flew off at about the instant he uttered the word "bad, " but Steven Spielberg noticed it and decided it would be funny to cut out a few frames so the fly would not be seen flying away. This made it look as though Freeman ate it, and he found the edit highly amusing.

Answer: Looks to me like a midge. It's not a joke or anything, it just happened and the actor didn't break character so there was no reason to do a retake.

Phixius

Question: I heard that, originally, the relationship between Indiana and Mutt was going to be unstated and ambiguous (rather than being outright confirmed). Is there any truth to this, or is it just rumour?

Answer: Just a rumor. The earliest drafts involved a daughter, who was obviously later changed to a son, but the intention to reveal the child as Indy's was always present.

Phixius

5th Jun 2008

General questions

I remember watching a TV show (miniseries?) in the late ninties about a guy, his daughter, and their golden retriever, who end up in Fairy Tale Land. They eventually meet up with the big bad wolf, who is really just a guy with a tail, who isn't that bad a guy, who is hitting on the daughter. That's about all I remember. Thanks for helping me out! I really hope someone can answer this question.

Question: What reason did the bounty hunter (Leia in disguise) have for staying in Jabba's palace overnight? Wouldn't Jabba expect the person to leave after getting the payment for Chewbacca?

Answer: Not necessarily. Jabba's palace is sort of an entertainment hub for the likes of Boushh (the bounty hunter Leia is disguised as). Jabba runs the place like a business, sort of a hotel/club.

Phixius

Question: Since Pan can change his shape, what kind of animal is the raccoon-looking form he takes?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: In the books he favored a white ermine. They seem to have changed his color and markings for the film, but the animal species remains the same.

Phixius

Question: Is it possible for someone to drink to the point of passing out and then moments later appear completely sober (as Marion does)?

Chosen answer: Probably not, but Marion was faking it. She won a betting game that way. If she didn't at least act drunk, she'd never get anyone to compete against her. Sort of like how pool sharks pretend to be bad just to get people to play them, then they play just good enough to be assured of a win, but not so good that the player won't come back for more thinking they have a chance of winning their money back.

Phixius

11th May 2008

I Am Legend (2007)

Question: Can we be sure that the "trap" set for Smith wasn't just bad luck? Is there proof that the infected set it up that way? I thought that it was just a coincidence that he got stuck, at first.

Answer: No, it wasn't a coincidence that an inanimate object found itself halfway across town right next to a snare trap.

Phixius

27th Apr 2008

Juno (2007)

Question: When Juno first meets the Lorings, she mentions that she saw them in the Pennysaver, and, suddenly, Vanessa looks very shocked. Why?

Brad

Chosen answer: Because she is wealthy and she considers the Pennysaver to be "beneath" her. Their adoption request was submitted to a syndicate and that syndicate printed the request in all of its publications, the Pennysaver being one of them; Vanessa did not choose to appear in the Pennysaver.

Phixius

Chosen answer: Either a criminal or a prisoner of war. Either way, "who he is" is of little consequence. All that matters is that Bourne killed him without knowing whether or not he deserved to die.

Phixius

Question: Is it just me, or do the Expelliarmus, Everte Statum and Rictusempra spells all do exactly the same thing- knock the opponent backwards? And why doesn't Expelliarmus disarm the opponent?

Blibbetyblip

Chosen answer: The spells have different effects, not necessarily visible, they're just cast so strongly that the spell has the added effect of throwing the opponent back.

Phixius

Question: What is the awesome music being played while Qui-Gon Obi-Wan and Darth Maul are fighting? It is played during lightsaber duels in Episodes 2 and 3 as well.

Blibbetyblip

Chosen answer: The song is called "Duel of the Fates". Incidentally, the words being sung are Sanskrit. John Williams chose them purely for the way they sound and their meanings, whatever they are, are completely irrelevant to the song or the events.

Phixius

8th Apr 2008

Sweeney Todd (2007)

Question: After Sweeney kills Signor Pirelli, why isn't Toby curious about where he is/why he's missing?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: Because Toby is glad to be free of him; Toby doesn't care where he is, just so long as he's gone.

Phixius

27th Mar 2008

Sweeney Todd (2007)

Question: Is the montage of murders before the re-opening of the restaurant supposed to be shot in real time or is it going over days around the same time of different days?

Movieman123

Chosen answer: It is over several days.

Phixius

Question: This is for the movie and the comics. Can Jon hear Garfield? I'm asking because in the comics, Jon responds to what Garfield says, but Garfield's speech is always in thought bubbles. But in the movie, Garfield's lips are moving. Can someone please explain?

Brad

Chosen answer: Jon makes educated guesses in the comics based on Garfield's body language and surroundings, he doesn't actually hear Garfield in either medium.

Phixius

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.