Question: When Jess is being introduced to Mel in the locker room, Mel says to Jess "Welcome to the Harriers," then looks at Jules and says "Paints and decorators are in." It sounds like rhyming slang but I never heard that one before, what's she mean?
Tailkinker
14th Jun 2004
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
14th Jun 2004
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997)
Question: Was the Angel spin-off created because it was time for the character to be written out of Buffy but Angel was too good a creation to ditch, or was the character written out because people thought a spin-off would be a better idea?
Chosen answer: Joss Whedon claims to have had the idea for a spin-off series while watching David Boreanaz's performance in the late second season episode "I Only Have Eyes For You" - he began to feel that Boreanaz would be capable of carrying his own series. From that point on, taking Angel off to his own show was on Joss's mind and many of the events of the third season were written with this intention.
14th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: I know about Peter Jackson's cameo on the Corsair ship, but does he do another cameo in the film? I thought I spotted him for a second in the charge on the Pelennor Fields.
Answer: He's been very quiet about it if this is true, and he's generally open about his cameo appearances. It's unlikely, I think, Jackson didn't really have the time to throw himself in all over the place - he seems to have stuck to one cameo per film. There was at least one false report of an additional cameo in the Two Towers, which would imply an actor who bears a resemblance to the director - maybe the same actor was used in the Pelennor Fields shot that you saw.
14th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: In the first movie (Fellowship), Galadriel says that she will 'diminish' and go to the west. What happens to the elves after they reach the Undying Lands. Do they lose their super-natural powers?
Answer: In Valinor, the elves will live with the Valar, their 'gods', in peace and tranquility. Elves don't really have supernatural powers - they have abilities appropriate to their species, which are strange to us, but not actually supernatural - these should remain the same. Galadriel will lose some of her abilities, yes, but this isn't because of relocating to Valinor, it's mostly down to the power of her Ring being lost. Whether those elves with magical abilities (spell-casting and so forth) will keep them is unclear - it's fairly questionable that they'd need them.
14th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: Are there hidden allegories (Christian, political, social, etc.) behind the stories of the Ring trilogy?
Chosen answer: None whatsoever. To quote Tolkien "As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none". He was strongly opposed to those who tried to read deeper meaning into the books.
3rd Jun 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9th Jun 2004
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997)
Homecoming - S3-E5
Question: In this episode Oz says "As Willow goes, so goes my nation". Is this a variation on a famous quote, and if so, which?
Chosen answer: "So goes the nation" seems to have been used on many occasions, with various different US states in the "As .... goes" section. Most commonly it seems to be California that's considered to lead the way, but probably most other states have appeared in the lead role at some point or another. Other things have also been used - no less a person that Pope John Paul II said "As the family goes, so goes the nation...". The origin of the quote format is unclear - in US politics it goes back into the 19th century, when it was Maine that held the title spot, but, while no definitive origin is known, it seems highly likely that it goes back considerably further than that.
10th Jun 2004
The Alamo (2004)
Question: Did the real battle for the Alamo happen during the day or during the night?
Answer: The siege of the Alamo lasted thirteen days, so events would happen both day and night. The actual final assault began at around 5am, and took no more than ninety minutes - it was over by sunrise.
10th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: Does anyone know why they decided to call Aragorn's horse Brego? In the books Aragorn rides two horses: Hasufell and Roheryn. Brego is actually the name of a former king of Rohan. It's strange that the film-makers don't use one of the "real" names when they are mentioned in the books.
Answer: Aragorn does ride Hasufel - just as in the books, he is lent to Aragorn by Eomer when they meet on the plains and Aragorn rides him until they reach Edoras. As for Roheryn - in the books, this is Aragorn's own horse, brought to him by a group of Rangers who join him for the fight. As this doesn't happen in the film, an alternative horse was needed. Choosing to use the "kingly-named" Brego, former steed of the late Theodred, the heir to the kingdom of Rohan provides a subtle reinforcement of Aragorn's gradual ascendancy towards the kingship.
10th Jun 2004
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Question: Most tsunami are caused by earthquakes underwater that trigger a huge wave. However, there are no earthquake-causing fault lines anywhere near New York City. So what caused the tsunami?
Answer: That's not a tsunami - it's a catastrophic rise in sea level caused by the disruption in the ocean's balance. Same basic effect, different cause.
I say it's a storm surge.
9th Jun 2004
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997)
Question: In the title sequence (series 1 and 2, anyway), at one point the theme music has a squeal over the top of it and there's a shot of Buffy (or possibly Willow) holding her hand up against a blast of light. What episode is this from?
Chosen answer: If this is the bit I think it is, it's from the episode "Witch" - the person in the shot is actually Catherine Madison, the villain of the episode. The shot used in the title sequence is different from what's seen in the episode - possibly an alternate take.
10th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: Who is Arwen's mother and where is she? Is she alive?
Answer: Arwen's mother is Celebrian, daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn. Around III 2510, about five hundred years prior to the events of the film, she was captured by orcs in the Redhorn Pass (the pass of Caradhras that the Fellowship fail to cross) and tortured. Rescued by her sons, Elladan and Elrohir, and healed by her husband, she chose to sail into the West.
10th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Question: How does Gollum get into Moria after the gates were destroyed? If there is another way in, why didn't the Fellowship use that after Gandalf couldn't open the doors?
Answer: Gollum was already in Moria, hiding out after escaping from elven captivity. Note that Gandalf tells the Fellowship that Moria will take four days to pass through, then, later, tells Frodo that Gollum's been following them for three days. At that point, they're very close to the exit, so Gollum must have picked up their trail after they entered Moria - ergo, he was already there.
9th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: I was just wondering why Aragorn didn't claim his throne in Gondor earlier? we know he went of to be a ranger but why didn't he become king? is it because he was afraid he would turn evil?
Answer: It's not so much becoming evil that he fears, but that Isildur's weakness may run in his bloodline, leading him to fail at a critical moment. He questions his worthiness to lead the world of men.
9th Jun 2004
Air Force One (1997)
Question: Can someone who knows a bit about airplanes and such tell me if it's really possible to rescue people from a plane the way they do it in the end of the movie. To me it seems nearly impossible, is it?
Answer: Mid-air transfers between planes have been done - insane stuntmen have crossed between planes simply by walking from wing to wing in the past. While it takes considerable skill and more guts than your average slaughterhouse, this sort of thing is possible, yes.
8th Jun 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: How is it that when the kids are on the train with Lupin, Lupin is able to preform the Patronus spell without saying the incantation?
Answer: There is something that witches and wizards can learn, and it's called nonverbal spells.
Answer: There are numerous examples in the series of adult wizards and witches casting spells without any incantation. Presumably, as they age and gain experience, they no longer need to say the incantation out loud - they may choose to, or possibly speaking the words aloud increases the potential power of the spell. The pupils at the school need to know the incantations, so are told to speak them out loud - this would allow the teachers to correct flaws in pronounciation and so forth.
7th Jun 2004
24 (2001)
Day 2: 9:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. - S2-E14
Question: At the end of this episode (when they find the bomb in the van) Jack calls for the 'bomb disarmer.' "N.E.S.T" is visible on the back of their jackets. Does this actually stand for something?
Answer: Nuclear Emergency Search Team.
7th Jun 2004
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Question: What happened to the Moulin Rouge in the film after Satine died?
Answer: It's not clear. Given that they owed a lot of money to the Duke, he probably closed them down.
7th Jun 2004
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Answer: He wallows in self-pity for a while, then eventually begins to write their story. There's no indication that he has any further links with the Moulin Rouge - it would probably be too painful for him. Christian actually states in the movie that the night Satine died was the last time he ever stepped foot in the Moulin Rouge.
In what scene did he state that I'm curious.
When he talks about going back there to see if she still loves him. Right before he goes back there that last time.
When Christian sneaks back in after having been tossed out, he says he returned to the Moulin Rouge one last time.
7th Jun 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: Could someone give me the following statistics about the Battle Of Pelennor Fields? How many Orcs were present? How many Gondorian soldiers were guarding Minas Tirith? How many Rohirrim came to Gondor's aid? How many Mumakil flanked the Rohirrim? How many Oathbreakers emerged from the Corsairs' ships?
Answer: There are no particularly precise figures anywhere - all that's available would be educated guesses based on watching the films, and you'd be just as qualified to do that as anybody.
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Answer: It's not rhyming slang, in this particular case. This is a phrase used (in the UK, anyway) to indicate that a woman is having her period.
Tailkinker ★