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?
Brian Katcher
22nd Nov 2023
Family Matters (1989)
22nd Nov 2023
The Simpsons (1989)
Tree House of Horror III: The Simpson's Halloween Special III - S4-E5
Question: In the opening credits, what is the meaning of the tombstone that says "American Workmanship"?
Answer: They're implying the quality of American-made products had really declined. At the time, the US market was facing stiff competition from Japan and other nations, and some people blamed it on American goods being shoddy.
5th Oct 2023
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Question: Why were Harry and Lloyd walking home at the end? They said the hog broke down, but what about the car they bought? I know they used the money out of the briefcase to buy it, but surely Mary would've let them keep it as a reward since she was gonna give it away to the kidnappers anyway?
Answer: They explicitly say, "First Mary dumps us, then the cops take away our nest egg." So, Mary did not let them keep it (also, it's hard to imagine that she would have been pleased with them having blown all the money that was meant to save her husband). They would not have been able to keep any of the things they bought with the money since they stole the money to begin with (you could argue that they didn't steal it at first when Lloyd grabbed the briefcase, but once they knew it was money, it was certainly theft to spend it all and replace it with IOUs). It all would have been returned to the rightful owners.
Answer: I got the impression the money came from Mary's husband's family, who might not want to gift them a Lamborghini Diablo. Why she didn't buy them a bus ticket, on the other hand.
11th Sep 2023
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: When Captain Miller told Ryan, "You might want to take some time with this, if there's some place you want to go," did he mean he could go off to the side to quietly grieve away from the other men, or did he mean that they could go look at whatever he wanted to they were passing by on the way back to the boat?
Answer: He means he could go off in private and mourn without being watched. The death of three brothers would be a huge blow, and he might need some time to compose himself.
26th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Question: How is it possible that Harry has no problems with trusting Alastor Moody in this movie? At the end of the previous movie, he discovered that "Moody" was an evil imposter who conspired against him. He only saw the real Moody briefly when he was trapped inside his trunk and didn't even interact with him. So how come he isn't distrustful/suspicious towards him if he barely knows him?
Answer: How can Harry trust anyone, knowing they could be a Polyjuice imposter? The rest of The Order of the Phoenix trust Moody, and that has to be enough for Harry.
But in the book, he remembers that "Moody" was fake.
And was caught and replaced with the real Moody.
Still, it would have made much more sense if Harry said, "Professor Moody? Is that really you?" and Moody replied, "Yes, it's really me, the real Alastor Moody, not this cheap imposter."
Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that any evil wizard attempting to gain proximity to Harry by using Polyjuice potion would be unlikely to impersonate "Mad-Eye" Moody, as the real one would now be closely scrutinized and vetted by the Order.
But there is another issue. Harry acts as if he knew Moody very well, despite never interacting with him before.
As mentioned, Harry was present when the real Moody was rescued at the end of "Goblet of Fire." He likely had interaction with him immediately following that event and then later, even though it's not shown on screen. He also knows Moody by his colourful reputation and that Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix fully trust him.
He didn't interact with Moody in the previous movie because Moody was in a bad mental state due to being trapped for a whole year. It took Moody some time to recover from this trauma.
20th Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
Question: Why did all of the officers and high-ranking officials put out their cigarettes when Hitler's plane landed at the airfield?
Answer: Hitler was fanatically anti-tobacco: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-nazis-forgotten-anti-smoking-campaign/373766/.
Answer: They are supposed to stand at attention when he arrives and salute when he walks past them. It is considered bad form to salute the Führer (or any leader) with a cigarette in your mouth or hand.
21st May 2021
Bring it On (2000)
Question: If Missy just moved to area and knew nothing about cheerleading, how had she seen (and recognized) that the routine was a rip-off from another school?
Answer: She said she saw them when watching football games, when they played her school.
18th Mar 2004
Bring it On (2000)
Question: What is the age difference between Missy and her brother Cliff?
Answer: I believe that Missy is a Junior (16-17) and Cliff is a Senior (17-18).
Answer: No, the TV interviewer calls her a senior. They're the same age.
31st Jul 2023
The Village (2004)
Question: I don't think the elders of the village, upon creating the village, took into account things like horns, honking, or the explosions of fireworks on 4th of July and New Year's Eve. So, how would the elders have explained that one?
Answer: They've set up the village as a nature preserve, so isolated that not even airplanes are allowed to fly over. Soundwise, they're far away from civilization, so they can't hear modern noises.
Answer: It was mentioned that the Walker Corporation had paid a lot of money to have the airspace above the village restricted so that no planes flew overhead. Fireworks, horns, and other human-made sounds have been around for centuries and were easily explainable and would barely be heard because the village is so isolated. It's all rather far-fetched, plot-wise, however.
28th Jul 2023
Mean Girls (2004)
Question: When Cady asked a teacher for the "lavatory pass", he laughed at her and told her to sit down. So, when and where was a student supposed to get a pass?
Answer: At my high school, a teacher was only required to let you go if the office had a doctor's note on file, saying that you must be allowed to use the bathroom. A "lavatory pass" could be a version of such a note. Plus, as Brian Katcher wrote, some teachers are strict and want to be difficult.
Answer: Some teachers don't give passes during lectures or instruction time. Some think kids should go between classes so as not to waste time, and some are just cruel.
20th Jul 2023
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Question: Did the Professor and the other 2 guys working with him in Scotland survive?
Answer: It's highly implied they did not.
18th Nov 2006
Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
Question: If Mrs Fackler is married to Mr Fackler, the nerdy cop, why does she want to share rooms with Kirkland?
Answer: The way I see it is that Kirkland and her are cadets, Mr. Fackler is not a cadet and wouldn't sleep in same dorm.
Answer: Because Kirkland is a fit and handsome young man.
15th Aug 2005
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Question: Jackson, the sniper of Miller's crew, states that if he was in a mile of Adolf Hitler, he would kill him. So, as they were driven to the beach, why didn't Jackson and other snipers try to pick off the the German guys who were firing the at the boats as the Americans left them?
Answer: Sniping needs stability - the movement of the waves under the boat would disrupt their aim so badly that they wouldn't have much hope of hitting anything.
Answer: Also, the machine gunners were under heavy cover. No one had a good shot at them.
11th Jan 2010
The Golden Girls (1985)
Question: The question "How do the girls' husbands, other than Dorothy's, die?" was answered that in theory, Blanche's husband could have had a car wreck, fallen into a coma, and died while she was getting a pedicure. This is not true. Blanche stated that when George came back to her in a dream, she remembered tripping over his shoe on her way to answer the phone, thus finding out that George had died in a car wreck. Doesn't this prove that the "he had a wreck, fell into a coma, and then died during Blanche's pedicure", theory is out?
Chosen answer: Yes, you are correct, as stated, In one episode Blanche said he had been in a coma for days, in the episode where she's in her dream, she said "The day you died ... The police told me you had been in an accident." Thus the original answers theory is wrong. If he had been in the accident the day he died he could not have been in a coma for days.
Yeah, in another episode she relates how a thoughtless state trooper phoned her and told her that her husband was dead with his mouth full.
20th May 2023
The Golden Girls (1985)
Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mammy - S6-E5
Question: According to this episode, Mammy Watkins and Blanche's father were in love for 50 years. And they would have been married "in another time and place." However, Blanche's father married a different woman in Season Two ("Big Daddy's Little Lady"). Why would he not have married Mammy Watkins after Blanche's mother died?
Answer: Because a lot of people, especially in the southern US, simply would not have accepted an interracial marriage. Depending when Blanche's mother died, it might not have even been legal at the time; the last anti-miscegenation laws in their home state of Georgia were struck down in 1967.
The episode "Mother's Day" shows Blanche visiting her mother, who is age 89, and Blanche does not look any younger than she does in the present. Apparently her mother died in the late 70s or the 80s. However, I live in the southern US. Even now, in 2023, there are still many people who would object to an interracial marriage. Another factor could be guilt; maybe Blanche's father felt too guilty to marry Mammy Watkins after betraying Blanche's mother for so long.
That is a good point. Marrying someone he's known for years...tongues would wag. 'How long was THAT going on?'.
20th May 2023
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Question: Why does the bartender tell Doc "you know what happened last 4 of July" when he offered him a shot of whiskey if he's only been there 1 week?
Answer: In the letter Marty gets, Doc says he's been living in 1885 for the past 8 months. It's dated September 1. Marty in 1955 finds out that Doc dies one week after he wrote the letter (Sept 7th), not one week after he got to 1885. Marty then goes to Sept 2, 1855, one day after Doc wrote the letter.
20th May 2023
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Question: The first time Daniel goes to his brother Frank's place to get made up into Mrs. Doubtfire he asks "Can you make me a woman?" to which Frank excitedly says "Oh honey, I'm so happy!" What did he mean by that? I feel like there's a joke here I'm just not understanding.
Answer: Frank thinks his brother is coming out as transgender and is enthusiastically supportive.
19th May 2023
Friends (1994)
Question: Is it just me or is it a little out of character for Monica to not ask people to take off their shoes before coming into her apartment?
Answer: Sure. However, with the script calling for people to be constantly entering and leaving the apartment, that would slow down the pacing way too much.
Answer: I agree with Brian Katcher's answer. Also, despite Monica, maybe she is not in the practice of asking guests to remove their shoes. I am in my mid-thirties, and I've only been to one home where I was asked to remove mine.
19th May 2023
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
Question: Would the rupturing of one underground cable be enough to cut all the power to the city that never sleeps?
Answer: Of course not. That was a little over the top, even for an over the top movie like this.
8th Jul 2016
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Question: When the historical figures are arrested for causing chaos at the mall, it's clear what most of them did; i.e. Billy the Kid fired his gun, Genghis Khan wrecked the sporting goods store, etc. So what exactly did Sigmund Freud and Socrates do to get arrested?
Chosen answer: It was critical to the storyline to keep all of the historical figures together, which is the primary reason they were all arrested at once. We might speculate that mall security received a number of reports of "odd" characters wandering around the mall. In addition to the shenanigans of Billy and Genghis, Beethoven was pounding out a raucous keyboard performance, Joan of Arc essentially hijacked a dancercize session, and Abraham Lincoln was accused of theft and fled from a vintage photography studio. Importantly, Socrates and Freud made rather strange advances on a couple of (probably underage) teenage girls in the food court, which would surely be enough to get two elderly men arrested in this day and age.
Also, Socrates with Billy when he was shooting up the mall.
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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