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?
Brian Katcher
11th Sep 2023
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
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.
Answer: And why shouldn't Harry trust Moody? He was a loyal member of the Order Of The Phoenix. Barty Crouch Jr., who impersonated Moody, was sent back to Azkaban. And even though Harry hardly knows him, he knows well enough that Moody is there to help him.
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?'.
Answer: My interpretation is that Blanche's father didn't feel quite the same way about the relationship. Blanche only has Mammie's word that they "would have been married" in another life. I've heard of situations where a person had a longtime affair with someone, but refused to leave their spouse, for whatever reason (maybe finances and reputation/image in their community). This actually happens to Dorothy in another episode: she dates a married man who wants a secret relationship with her, while keeping his marriage because it's predictable and safe.
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.
20th Nov 2022
Beetlejuice (1988)
Question: What did Jane say to Barbara that upset her? The only thing I could make out was, "This place" and "family."
Answer: Jane says "the house is meant for a couple with a family" and is therefore too big for them. Meaning that Adam and Barbara have no children and thus aren't a family yet. It upset her to be reminded that they don't have any children.
Adam even suggests 'trying again on vacation,' implying they'd tried to have a child before. It's why they bonded with Lydia so well; they'd been hoping to be parents.
4th Mar 2016
Beetlejuice (1988)
Question: When the Maitlands return to their home after it's been altered by the new owners, Juno tells the Maitlands that they should be thankful that they didn't die in Italy. What did she mean by that?
Answer: Italy is the center of the Roman Catholic Church, which includes exorcisms as a real-life ritual. Presumably, ghosts in Italy are at greater risk of encountering trouble in Italy because of this reason.
Answer: It's in reference / added on to her previous statement about being quiet/peaceful: Italy, presumably, has a louder, more raucous group of the living.
Answer: Italy, is a trendsetter. There would be constant art-deco changes that conflict with the Maitland's personal taste. In comparison, the Deets' are pretty tamed.
Chosen answer: When the Maitlands first meet their case worker, Juno, they tell her how miffed they are with the new family that has moved into their home. Juno glances around the peaceful house and remarks, "Things seem quiet here. You should thank God you didn't die in Italy." The case worker's name, "Juno," is a traditional Italian girl's name; and we see (when she smokes a cigarette) that Juno's throat has been slashed open from side to side, implying that she died a very violent and grisly death. Based on her personal experience (probably being murdered in Italy), Juno is commenting that the Maitlands could have died a far worse death under far more horrific circumstances, and that they really have little reason to complain.
I'm Italian: there's literally not a single female being, girl or woman, who has (had or have) this name in this country. Let alone being "traditional." "J" is not even in our original alphabet, go figure. I also think it's about us Italians being noisy and the place being quiet, that's all.
You may be Italian, but you're not informed. While the formal Italian alphabet (derived of Latin) does not have a "J" character, the letter "J' is used in modern Italian writing every day. "Juno," in your limited world, would be spelled "Diuno," who was a Roman goddess (queen of the heavens). As this pertains to Beetlejuice, she is a Roman goddess in charge of organizing.
Juno slashed her own throat. It says earlier in the movie that people who commit suicide become civil servants, which is what Juno is as their case worker. The beauty queen at the desk implies the same when she talks about what happens to people when they die. She says "if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have had my little accident" holding up her slit wrists, implying that she wouldn't have committed suicide if she knew she'd become a civil servant (as a desk girl).
It's never stated or established that Juno committed suicide.
I really think she was supposed to have had a tracheotomy due to her smoking.
29th Jul 2020
General questions
Anyone recognize this horror movie/TV show from 1990 or earlier? A surly preteen is walking down a street, when he's accosted by a strange man who says the boy is upset because it's his birthday and his parents forgot. The boy runs off, but obviously the comment hit home. He walks into an abandoned building to find a party with cake and presents all set up for him. He keeps calling for his family to come out, but instead, strange toy robots come clanking out of the darkness. When the boy opens the cake box, there's a severed human head inside which smiles and says 'hi', causing the boy to scream and run off. I was babysitting when I watched this and it was upsetting my charge so I turned it off, and I never got to see the ending, and it always bothered me.
Answer: The movie is called Spookies.
Thank you.
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.
Brian Katcher