Brian Katcher

12th Mar 2024

The Simpsons (1989)

Homer's Enemy - S8-E23

Question: When Frank Grimes is shown on the news, where is he receiving his degree? He appears to be outside of a house, but he says later that he lives between two bowling alleys.

Answer: The news crew might have wanted to film him outside, on a nearby street, instead of going to his apartment. It looks more cheerful.

Answer: There's no telling. Possibly his parents' house. Possibly a house he sold when he moved to Springfield and he had to downgrade when his promised high-paying job went to a dog.

Brian Katcher

His parents abandoned him.

Good point. Then his own house, wherever he lived before Springfield.

Brian Katcher

23rd Feb 2024

Ronin (1998)

Answer: Sorry for posting an off-topic comment, but why are so few questions and mistakes posted anymore?

In large part it's reduced traffic, sadly - I'm always running a bit of a backlog of submissions (about 200 currently), because life gets in the way, but some get auto-approved so there's often a trickle of new content regardless. Mainly though it's just that thanks to search algorithm updates the site's now getting half to a third of the traffic it was about a year ago. I think also there are just fewer mistakes being made! Going back a while a DVD would come out and people would spot a lot of relatively obvious things. Now so many get fixed with CGI before release, and with streaming being wholly digital, lots of things are fixed even after release.

Jon Sandys

Thanks for all your hard work.

Brian Katcher

You're welcome! I've got no intentions of abandoning it, whatever the traffic. Still enough regular and irregular visitors to keep it trundling along!

Jon Sandys

I second that! Jon does an amazing job.

raywest

Thanks! I've got no intentions of abandoning it, whatever the traffic. Still enough regular and irregular visitors to keep it trundling along!

Jon Sandys

I have to assume it's just down to 1) maybe less people are submitting, and 2) the site primarily being run by one guy (Jon), and I have to imagine that he probably doesn't have the time to constantly check the site and do updates. I've noticed that sometimes it can take a while for things I submit to be posted, but they usually are within a week or two. To be fair, there's also been in excess of 600 mistakes posted within the last month, and I have around 60 mistakes waiting to be approved (going through the "Chucky" movies and shows looking for mistakes), so it's still happening... just a bit slower than it used to be back in the day.

TedStixon

I don't think it's a problem with fewer submissions. I've submitted several questions that have not made it onto the site yet, and mistakes were that were finally posted after an unusually long time.

I know there have been volunteers who do a lot of work here, but maybe that has dropped off.

raywest

Have been wondering the same thing.

raywest

Answer: Regarding the movie question, there's no way of knowing what was in the case. It is a plot device called a "MacGuffin," a term coined by director Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't actually matter what the object is but it just drives the story. It can be any type of object or device such as a "secret formula," "enemy war plans," "nuclear weapon," "treasure map," and so on that the characters are either searching for or protecting. There was never any intention to reveal what it was. Its purpose is to motivate the characters' actions and tell the story. Most likely it was intended to be McGuffin just to keep the audience thinking about the movie long after it ends.

raywest

15th Feb 2024

Daria (1997)

Show generally

Question: Whenever Kevin talks to Mack, Kevin calls him "Mack Daddy." Mack always responds with "Don't call me that." What is the reason Mack doesn't like to be called "Mack Daddy"?

Answer: "Mack Daddy" was a 90s phrase meaning "Ladies man," and Mack simply doesn't like the stupid nickname.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why on earth does Bilbo remove the ring in front of Smaug? He has no real reason to believe that Smaug won't simply eat him or roast him. Smaug can hear and smell him but can't see him, so as long as he remains still, he is safe unless Smaug gets lucky. Seems like taking the ring off is a huge risk that was not necessary.

oldbaldyone

Chosen answer: Bilbo is actually quite clever, I think he was trying to talk his way out by buttering Smaug up. If he tried to run, Smaug, who was on high alert, would have caught him and swallowed him without a second thought. By playing with words he was able to both interest and distract Smaug, and get away.

Answer: Smaug started talking about the ring, which started drawing the attention of the Necromancer (Sauron), causing Bilbo pain. Remember, wearing the ring made one noticeable to dark forces.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why did one of the Nazgûl stab Frodo at weathertop?

Answer: Because they were trying to kill him and take the One Ring for Sauron.

Why didn't the nazgûl simply take ring from Frodo?

They tried, but they were interrupted by Aragorn.

lionhead

How was one of the nazgûl able to stab Frodo when he put the ring on at weathertop? Considering that people who put the ring on are usually invisible.

To mortal people, yes. But the Nazgûl can sense when someone is using it. Note how they immediately changed directions when Frodo put it on at the Prancing Pony.

Brian Katcher

5th Jan 2024

General questions

What is the name of this possibly Japanese cartoon I saw in the 80s? Futuristic soldiers are converted into cyborgs to work in space. It follows an elite team before and after the conversion. One was an alien from the planet 'Mime' who never spoke. Another were a twin brother and sister who had the code names 'Iron Heart' and 'Iron Will.' During conversion, they realized Iron Heart had a defective heart, so they replaced it with machinery, making his name more appropriate.

Brian Katcher

Answer: "SilverHawks" (1986). The twins were called "Steelheart" and "Steelwill," who had artificial hearts put in during their transformation. Steelheart was the sister, though; Emily Hart, and her brother was Will Hart.

Bishop73

Thank you! Me confusing iron and steel made it impossible to Google.

Brian Katcher

5th Jan 2024

General questions

What TV character approached two people and said "Good morning" to one, then "Good afternoon" to the other, pointing out that the time had changed to noon in between? I know it's a trivial moment, but I suddenly remembered it and now I'm curious.

Answer: In the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VIII, Professor Frink points this out to the family in a parody of "The Fly".

Brian Katcher

Thanks.

Question: When the Mentors were discussing with the Tributes on how to sell their performances for the audiences, why did the shackled Reaper fake lunge at Dovecote?

Answer: Because he didn't like her, he realized she was just a rich person who saw him as a means to an end, and really didn't care if he survived. He wanted to give her a scare.

Brian Katcher

21st Dec 2023

The Simpsons (1989)

Answer: Bart's implying it really was the actor, who hadn't been in movies for years and had apparently turned to a life of crime.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why is Harry Bailey wearing a uniform at the end of the movie?

Answer: He left in the middle of the banquet they were giving him for winning the Medal of Honor and immediately flew to Bedford Falls when he heard his brother was in trouble.

Brian Katcher

Answer: Agree with the other answer but would add that, from a moviemaking perspective, the film was released shortly after the end of WWII when American patriotism was extremely high. The filmmakers emphasized Harry's status as a military hero and George's role in having saved him when they were boys. It visually reminds the audience of who Harry is and what he did.

raywest

Question: Did Christmas Eve used to be a regular work day? The bank is open, the bank examiner is at the building and loan, and Zuzu had school.

Brian Katcher

Answer: Did they used to have school on Christmas Eve day?

Brian Katcher

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that Christmas Eve was never a Federal holiday. It really depends on the individual company or organization on whether to give employees the day off. When I worked for the state, we used to get Christmas Eve off, but that was eliminated when MLK Day became a Federal holiday. Employees then had to use a vacation day if they wanted Christmas Eve off.

raywest

Answer: Yes, and it still is. The standard work day was 9:00 - 5:00, and Christmas Eve (not a "holiday") starts at 6:00 PM - after work. Christmas "breaks" may have been extended over the years, though.

KeyZOid

18th Dec 2023

Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Question: In the restaurant scene with Mentalino, after the boys eat peppers, Mental goes out and calls in, then comes back and asks the boys why they travel so light - only saw a briefcase and some other stuff. So... Why didn't Mental just take the briefcase and leave? That's what he was along for - to find.

Answer: At this point, Mental still believes the boys are highly trained professionals. He wants to find out who hired them, and then eliminate them.

Brian Katcher

Show generally

Question: Why is this show called "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and not "Heracles: The Legendary Journeys"? Heracles was of Greek mythology and Hercules was from Roman mythology.

Answer: Because most Americans are more familiar with the name Hercules. The show, as I recall, wasn't exactly true to the original Greek mythology anyway.

Brian Katcher

Question: Del was able to get a rental due to having Neil's card. Then, how was Neil able to get a rental card that eventually got him left in the parking lot if he didn't have a card?

Answer: He had multiple cards. He shows the burnt remains when he tries to rent a room.

Brian Katcher

15th Dec 2023

The Simpsons (1989)

Chosen answer: It's called a blackjack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_ (law_enforcement) #Blackjacks_and_saps.

Brian Katcher

1st Dec 2023

General questions

In some English shows or movies, sometimes there's a scene where an English speaker can't understand a foreigner because of the language they're speaking. Like "I'm sorry, I don't speak/understand German." So what happens when these shows or movies get translated/dubbed into that foreign language? So in my example, if it was dubbed into German, would they dub all the German lines into a different language, like French?

Bishop73

Answer: It really depends on the show and the circumstances. In the Airplane! movie, for instance, the Black characters speak with a thick Bavarian accent in Germany and a thick Neapolitan accent in Italian dubs. In some Spanish dubs, however, I've heard characters say 'I don't speak Spanish' in Spanish. It's understood by the audience that the characters are actually speaking English.

Brian Katcher

Question: If Alex was being honest about being pregnant with his child and wanting Dan to take responsibility for it, then why didn't she just make an appointment with the authorities? If the child was proven to come from him, then surely he would be required to support it by law, at the very least financially.

Movielover1996

Answer: Alex is completely mentally unstable. She doesn't just want child support or a legal acknowledgement of paternity. She wants Dan, and she wants him all to herself.

Brian Katcher

Is it possible that she was not even pregnant? (I have not re-watched the movie recently, so apologies if I forgot something.) There are a couple of online discussions about this.

Of course, that was possible. I'd wondered about it too. She was either lying to trap him or allowed herself to get pregnant. The chances of her being pregnant were slim, however, since they basically had a one-night stand. She could also have gotten pregnant by somebody else. My own opinion is she was not pregnant, at least not with Dan's child.

raywest

That's true. However, they do say in behind the scenes though the her becoming pregnant was to be a motive to not move on from Dan. Though they probably decided to make it ambiguous. Though I'd say she's at least pregnant given the way she vomits unexpectedly when watching Dan and his family.

Movielover1996

1st Dec 2023

Ghostbusters (1984)

Question: When Ray says, "aim for the flat top," is he referring to the platform or Gozer's haircut?

Answer: Their hair: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattop.

Brian Katcher

25th Nov 2023

Signs (2002)

Question: How come Ray Reddy wasn't charged for killing Graham's wife? Since it was an accident, he most likely would've got sentenced for manslaughter. If so, wouldn't he have been sitting in a jail cell during the movie's storyline events?

Answer: According to a Google search and a few law websites, it actually appears that legitimately falling asleep at the wheel could potentially help someone avoid vehicular manslaughter charges. It would depend on if them falling asleep was the result of them behaving negligently. For example, if you took medicine that makes you drowsy or stayed up for 24 hours straight, you would likely get manslaughter charges, since you were behaving negligently. However, if it was legitimately just a freak accident (ex. You were more tired from a day at work than you realised and passed out at the wheel), you have a decent chance of avoiding manslaughter charges. (Or at least avoid a guilty verdict or harsh sentence if it went to court.)

TedStixon

Answer: Agree with the other answers, but would add that the accident was only six months earlier. The investigation, charges, a trial, etc. may be ongoing. Reddy could be awaiting sentencing or was sentenced to probation, community service, counseling, credit for time served, a suspended sentence, or restitution. Reddy could be out on bail or on his own recognizance while awaiting sentencing. It's unlikely he would be considered a flight risk.

raywest

Answer: It's never addressed in the film, so it's safe to say it's simply a plot contrivance. In the real world, he definitely would have been charged; the film chooses to ignore this for the sake of the story it wants to tell.

Who's to say he wasn't charged? Guilty people get off all the time, and if the judge thought it was just a case of an upstanding citizen making a freak mistake, he could have gotten probation and a suspended sentence.

Brian Katcher

You're right, I hadn't considered that, or the other answer, when I posted.

22nd Nov 2023

Family Matters (1989)

Dog Day Halloween - S2-E7

Question: The robber instructs Steve to go behind the counter and fill the bag with money. Why tell a customer to do this, instead of a bank employee?

Answer: A bank employee would be well-trained in what to do during a robbery and could hit a silent alarm, hand the robber money with a dye pack or tracer, or otherwise do subtle things to thwart the robbery. A civilian wouldn't know any of that and would probably be too scared to resist.

Brian Katcher

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