What is the name of a Woody Allen movie containing a bird and a snail? I saw a few scenes in this over 20 years ago but don't really remember the film.
KeyZOid
1st Jul 2019
General questions
17th Sep 2018
General questions
In a lot of crime dramas, why is it when someone isn't aware that they committed a crime are they let go but in others they are arrested. Eg: In an episode of Law and Order: SVU, a teenage boy ends up raping his girlfriend's little sister but, he doesn't remember doing it because he was sleep walking so he was let go. In another crime drama, if somebody receives stolen property but was never aware that it was stolen, that person gets arrested.
Answer: It's called "drama" for a reason. Screenwriters seldom immerse themselves in legal fact, but almost always use legal consultants to just "fact check" their fictional work. As any attorney can tell you, it's virtually impossible to consolidate all of the intricacies of criminal or civil law into a one-hour television episode or a two-hour feature film. Even jury selection can last days or weeks, as the legal counsels attempt to explain "the law" and court procedure to jury candidates. So, anything you see in theatrical depictions of "the law" is often arbitrary and cherry-picked and sensational and has very little to do with the actual practice of law.
Answer: In general, there must be "mens rea" (guilty mind) or intent in order to be convicted of a crime. The defendant/accused had to be aware that a crime was being committed and there was no legal defense/ justification/ or excuse for committing the crime. There are usually exceptions to these general rules of law, such as "strict liability" offenses (merely committing the act makes the person guilty). Although a law cannot be vague, criminal statutes often must be interpreted (and one court's interpretation can be overturned by a higher court). The laws are not always clear-cut, legislators cannot necessarily foresee unusual acts that may or may not fall under a particular law or defense to committing a crime, juries are not always willing to convict defendants who appear to be guilty (think "OJ Simpson"), and so on. The legal drama shows often use very unusual situations and/or newly-decided cases to create a similar (perhaps bizarre) case that will have a dramatic or shocking outcome.
12th Nov 2019
General questions
I've noticed that in some TV shows, District Attorneys have the authority to investigate cases and make arrests - that's not the case in real life, is it?
Answer: The answer depends on jurisdiction and such things as the statutorily defined duties of the District Attorney (DA), population, amount of criminal activity in the area and resources. I can provide a partial answer using general information about DAs in U.S. counties. The DA is the elected prosecutor and known as The Chief Law Enforcement Officer. The DA is usually quite busy deciding whether to prosecute and, if so, trying the case in court. Both of these depend on whether there is sufficient evidence to go to trial and get a conviction. The DA usually relies on police to investigate crimes and acquire evidence, but it is the prosecutor's (DA's) ultimate responsibility to investigate criminal activity - so the DA could investigate/participate in collecting evidence. Almost anyone can make what is known as a citizen's arrest. The police are armed/better prepared to make arrests and there's little reason for a DA to risk injury/death by making arrests. In movies, it's all about drama.
8th Aug 2005
The Good Son (1993)
Question: Why would Henry do so many evil things to his own family?
Answer: Henry apparently has what is called a "conduct disorder" - the term used for kids below the age of 18 engaging in what would be (and most likely will become) a diagnosis of sociopathy/psychopathy (antisocial personality disorder) when he becomes an adult. He is "evil", highly manipulative, self-centered, without remorse or other true feelings, and probably incapable of forming loving or long-term attachments. Many sociopaths are believed to have above average intelligence and make good imposters, capable of fooling others because they come across as "charming."
Answer: Because he's nuts!
16th Feb 2017
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Question: Why wasn't Patrick arrested for killing the child molester?
Chosen answer: Even though he executes an unarmed man, it is doubtful given the circumstances that he would be investigated with much fervor for his actions. One police officer has just been shot and killed so Patrick's actions could easily be described as self-defense in the eyes of an investigator. Anyone making a claim to the contrary would risk having to stand up for a child murdering cop killer.
Answer: Many/most people think child molesters are evil, disgusting, utterly loathsome, and irredeemable - they don't deserve to live - so a dead child molester is one less child molester. Even worse, Corwin Earle was also a child killer (although he claimed "it was an accident"). Many people, including police, would believe he deserved to die and Patrick did the right thing. Others, of course, would assert that "street justice" is not justice at all, but there would be little, if any, evidence that Patrick's shooting was not a justifiable homicide. IF Patrick were charged, his attorney would raise a defense that would most likely result in a "not guilty" verdict. Besides, this was a movie, and the audience needs to feel that justice has been served.
21st Oct 2013
General questions
What is the name of the movie about children who are at summer camp pretending to be Indians and cowboys?
Answer: I can only think of one movie about kids at a summer camp and there was a counselor for an Apache Tribe: The Rainbow Tribe. I doubt this is what you are looking for, but no-one else has given any suggestions.
15th Aug 2019
Donnie Darko (2001)
Question: What was the message that Dr. Thurman was trying to say to Rose? She said she needs to talk to Rose for some reason. Why?
Answer: I think I can recall enough to answer. Dr. Thurman's most recent therapy session with Donnie resulted in her assessment that Donnie's condition had quickly deteriorated and he was (or might be) in imminent danger of hurting himself or engaging in some type of dangerous or violent or self-destructive behavior (or doing something bizarre, such as attempting time travel). Under hypnosis, Donnie admitted to Dr. Thurman that he "did it again" (flooded the school), burned down Cunningham's house because he had "kiddy porn", that "Frank" was going to kill someone, and the "sky was going to open up"; Donnie was also crying. Dr. Thurman wanted Rose to be aware and, undoubtedly, keep a close eye on Donnie and inform her immediately of any changes or behaviors of concern. Why Dr. Thurman would leave a telephone message under these circumstances and fail to immediately intervene or take preventive measures does not speak highly of her competence. I think showing the party before Dr. Thurman leaving the message left some viewers in the dark.
14th Nov 2019
General questions
Many actors and actresses have openly admitted that they hated the movies they starred in. If they felt that way, why do they agree to be in them?
Answer: There could be a handful of reasons. Perhaps they entered the project believing it could have been a good movie, but later realised the end product wasn't good or wasn't what they were expecting. Maybe the studio interferes and it goes through reshoots or rewrites. Or maybe they didn't really have that much investment in the project to begin with and were only doing it for the money.
Answer: Another possibility is to try to diversify and/or avoid being stuck in a particular type of role. For example, Daniel Radcliff did not want to be known forever as Harry Potter, so got involved in other types of movies (more adult roles) in order to continue having a career as an actor. (I'm not claiming that he didn't like the new roles - I'm only giving an example of why actors try to move on).
Answer: Because they were contracted by the film company or studio and had to be in the movie whether they wanted to or not. A classic example is Val Kilmer, who didn't want to be in Top Gun, but was contractually obliged to. https://news.sky.com/story/val-kilmer-i-didnt-want-to-be-in-top-gun-but-begged-to-appear-in-reboot-11977483.
Answer: To expand on the other fine answers, actors will take roles in mediocre movies solely because they need the money. They have to support a lavish lifestyle or their careers have peaked and, no longer being offered plum roles, take any job they can get, often in low-budget horror or mediocre sci-fi movies.
Answer: Some actors will accept almost any role in order to work under a particular well-known/famous director or alongside a superstar, hoping to become better performers via the experiences and, in turn, get better offers in the future. (It doesn't always work out, so there may be regrets).
25th Feb 2020
General questions
I saw a movie years ago that had two main characters and there were background plots of someone stealing from (I think) the mafia and a serial killer on the loose. I think they ended up at a motel together and the twist at the end was that the one you thought was the killer was the thief and vice versa. I was sure it was called hatchet man but I can't seem to find anything about it.
Answer: Sounds like NATURE OF THE BEAST Starring Eric Roberts and Lance Hendrickson.
That's the one! Thank you.
Glad I could help. That's actually one of my favorite movies.
4th Nov 2019
Simon Birch (1998)
Question: After Simon had helped all of the kids out of the bus when it was in the water he was taken to the hospital where he later dies. What did he die from? Was he sick or did his body just shut down?
Answer: I don't know if it was ever stated what Simon died of, but Simon - against the odds - lived much longer than the doctor thought he would. Simon continued to "outgrow his body" (internal organs became too large for his tiny body). It can be assumed that Simon contracted pneumonia or hypothermia from being in the frigid water when he rescued the children from the submerged bus. I think Simon - expected to die at a very young age - was staying alive until he could realise his purpose or "God's Plan" for him. To "believers", Simon was "made small" and practiced holding his breath underwater (seemingly for no apparent reason) so that he'd be able to save the kids on the bus... then, having fulfilled "his purpose", was called "home."
7th Oct 2019
Sleepers (1996)
Question: The boys are playing baseball and young Carol shows up in a wheelchair. Shakes says she is his sister, so why later in the film does she ask him why he never asked her out.
Answer: I believe you are confusing two characters and what person's sister. The girl in the wheelchair (can't remember her name offhand) was Hector Maldonado's sister. Hector was on the opposing stickball team. Carol (who was not in a wheelchair) was Michael's girlfriend, so Shakes saw her as "taken" and "off limits." (Shakes wouldn't steal his friend's girlfriend).
24th Jun 2020
The Village (2004)
Question: Is there any reason why this is M. Night Shyamalan's only film to not have a Blu-Ray release? Like rights issues or something of that matter? Seems very odd that of all movies, this is the only one not available in HD.
Answer: I don't know if there is one particular reason why The Village was not released on Blu-ray, but there are several factors that might help explain why not. I believe the movie had mixed reviews - some people liked it and other people did not. If a movie does not appear to be in high demand, it wouldn't make financial sense to release more on DVD or Blu-ray. If a movie already made a big profit ($200 million), perhaps it is best to move on to a new movie. Also, many people never bought any Blu-ray discs, primarily because they didn't think the higher costs were justified and/or they never bought a Blu-ray player. Blu-ray discs typically have a lot of "extras" that many people want to see. Perhaps there were few, if any, extras that could have been included, thereby reducing a Blu-ray's appeal. Even if none of the above is significant, there is a big factor that is/will be affecting all movies - discs in general are already obsolete, streaming has been taking over.
This is unrelated to the movie itself, but many people are interested in the extras, such as commentary tracks, making of - documentaries: features streaming services can't provide.
At least one streaming service I know does support extras, Apple, and has since 2009.
Answer: True... but I'm saying that maybe they didn't have anything to add.
9th Jan 2019
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Question: What was the deal with the watch switch? The only person who could connect that watch to Slevin, as far as we know, is Lindsey, and he has no reason to try and make her think he's dead.
Answer: The plan was for Lindsey to identify him at the morgue and then be taken out by Goodcat. She knows that he's going to take her out so the watch is to now used to fool Goodcat by making him assume the original plan is followed. Lindsey verifying Slevin, ending the search, killing her tying up the last loose end. Hope that cleared it up.
Answer: There were actually a few watch switches, which need to be recalled to understand. In particular, GoodKat took Nick Fisher's watch and gave it to Slevin. When Lindsey asked Slevin why the mugger did not take his watch, Slevin responded that it was fake. Slevin later switched watches with Yitchok (rabbi's son), which means Yitchok was now wearing Nick Fisher's watch. By wearing Nick Fisher's watch, Yitchok could be implicated in his death and the police would believe they had solved the murder case but did not have to "try a dead man." Slevin now had Yitchok's watch which was, undoubtedly, an expensive name-brand such as Rolex. In short, Slevin "upgraded" his watch and Yitchok gets tied to Nick Fisher's murder.
The 1st watch swap Slevin's dad is at the track, representing the last time he would see him. Also, explains the importance of the "fake" watch. The watch Lindsey sees is his father's as he wouldn't go anywhere without it. Slevin swaps with Fisher. Later flashback to Fisher look at his watch, then fwd to Slevin wearing it. Slevin swapped out of necessity, knowing it would identify him. Goodcat returns his dad's burnt watch at the end. Yitzchok's watch isn't mentioned. Value was irrelevant.
Slevin doesn't get Fisher's watch until they drop his body. That's the first and only swap. Yitzchok's watch is never mentioned, and value is irrelevant. The "try a deadman" was a fake plan involving 2 lovers killing each other told to the Boss and had nothing to do with the watch. Tried to find anything in your answer that was accurate but unfortunately nothing in your answer was in the movie.
29th Apr 2013
Super 8 (2011)
Question: During the scene where the kids are eating in the diner and they are talking about the train crash, you can see Joe's father getting out of his police car across the street at the Auto Sales lot. I've noticed in movies that they don't usually have a major character appear in a scene without a reason, even in the background. So it makes me wonder if they cut out some interaction with Joe's father in the diner, or if this diner scene was originally intended to appear at a different point in the film, such as when Joe's father visits the car lot when the owner is complaining about things missing from his cars. I've watched my DVD many times, and I only just noticed this. Now I'm dying to know.
Answer: The explanation for the police car going into the auto dealership when Joe and friends are at the dinner is provided by J.J. Abrams in the "Commentary": "As it was originally written, you [audience] were simultaneously with the father going into the car dealership... umm... and with the kids in the diner. We ended up moving the structure around. So, it wasn't... umm. It was no longer simultaneous." Abrams said that the kids had been rehearsing at the table. Filming the auto dealership scene was finished so they went ahead and filmed the kids at the diner, too.
31st Aug 2020
I Am Sam (2001)
Question: At Lucy's birthday party one of the kids says that Lucy said that she was adopted. Did Lucy really say this or was the boy lying?
Answer: Based on Lucy's reaction to and disbelief over the boy saying that she said she was adopted, it appears that Lucy did tell the boy she was adopted. Lucy was shocked and embarrassed over her father being informed of what she said. Lucy loves her father but has reached the age where she sees that he is "different from the other fathers." She is sensitive over her friend calling her father a "retard" and mocking him by repeating some things he says, such as "Sorry Mr. Egg."
1st Sep 2020
Freedom Writers (2007)
Question: Did Erin Gruwell really have her students write diaries as shown in the movie?
Answer: It is my understanding that she "encouraged" her students to keep diaries. Some students did and some of the diary entries were later included in a controversial book (which some people found offensive because of the language used).
20th Dec 2017
General questions
What was the name of the movie about a young boy named Matt and his neighbor who was an old woman recluse? He broke her fence and she made him repair it, and little by little they became friends - she taught him many things. She dies at the end of the movie.
Answer: Sounds like "A Rumor of Angels" starring Trevor Morgan and Vanessa Redgrave.
23rd Sep 2019
Super 8 (2011)
10th Sep 2020
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Question: When the TX tastes a sample of John Connor's blood at Kate's vet clinic she seems stunned. How is this possible on a cyborg and why look so surprised?
Answer: Advanced Terminators occasionally show signs of emotion: T-X also exhibits frustration, anger, and genuine malice, as well as smirking mischievously on two occasions. When she samples John Connor's blood, she's stunned to come across her primary target, whose whereabouts Skynet was unaware of.
Answer: Her goal/duty was to terminate John Connor. She must first find him in order to terminate him. Identifying John's blood - fresh blood, in fact - meant he was nearby and she was getting close to achieving her goal. This excited her. There was a stimulus and response, similar to Pavlov's dogs who salivated when they heard the bell indicating that food was coming.
3rd Jan 2020
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Question: Are Matt Damon and Ben Affleck geniuses, or did they have to do extensive research for the movie?
Answer: The answer is not necessarily one or the other-geniuses sometimes do extensive research. The answer also depends on how "genius" is defined/measured. I have read several online articles asserting that Matt's [and Ben's] IQ is "as high as 160." One definition of genius is having an IQ over 160, suggesting that maybe he is and maybe he isn't! (Real helpful, huh?) But there are different tests to measure IQ and IQ scores are only based on certain factors. Many experts assert that the really high IQ scores don't exist and/or there is no known test that can accurately measure very high IQs. I wondered about the math questions/proofs in the movie and don't know if they are real examples or if they are just a bunch of symbols slapped together to give the appearance of advanced mathematics. High IQ people tend to be eccentric, socially awkward, and/or loners who "do their own thing"; Matt does not appear to fit this profile. Psychologists, such as Matt's mom, have access to IQ tests.
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Answer: Broadway Danny Rose (1984)?
KeyZOid