Question: In the US, can you really be taken to a police station for (presumably) making a phony phone call? To me it seems like a waste of resources since it is probably a common occurrence. Also Jeannie would have stuck to her story that it was true...as break-ins do happen all the time.
LorgSkyegon
29th Sep 2018
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Answer: Illinois law makes making a false report on 911 a form of disorderly conduct.
Answer: I think the main thing was Jeanie wasn't in school and was probably taken in for truancy as well as the supposedly phony call. But it's unlikely that they would have taken her to the police station if she was picked up at home.
20th Sep 2018
Short Circuit (1986)
Question: At the end, Stephanie, Newton and Johnny Five are all driving to Montana. What about Stephanie's animals and all her things at her house?
Answer: Driving from Central Oregon to Montana only takes about 12 hours. They could drop off Number 5 and be back to move Stephanie and Newton out of their houses within a day or two.
Answer: They were not driving to Montana, they were in the country driving back to the city, while they discussed Stephanie's animals and responsibilities.
Newton said that a relative left him several acres in Montana. Since they were already in a huge van, they could just stop by Stephanie's place and pick them up.
30th Aug 2018
The Core (2003)
Question: If the core stopped spinning, where would all the kinetic energy that keeps it spinning go? Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Answer: For one thing, the rotation of the core is almost identical to (if not a bit faster than) the rotation of the rest of the planet; so the core coming to a stop relative to the rest of the planet is physically impossible. Over billions of more years, the Earth's core and mantle may eventually cool off and solidify (as has happened on Mars), but the core will still be rotating at the same velocity as the rest of the planet. By that time, of course, Earth will have also lost its Moon, so there will be no tidal forces between the Earth and Moon, which means the planet will be seismically dead, but the Earth will still be rotating on its axis. For the time being, though, it would literally take a miracle, an act of divine intervention, to overcome the physics of planetary rotation. If the core could somehow be stopped relative to the rest of the planet (which is physically impossible), then the core's energy would quite quickly be dissipated into the Earth's mantle, which would become an unimaginable inferno (much more so than it already is), propagating seismic and super-volcano activity all over the globe by a factor of, say, 10,000 times normal activity. The Earth's crust would be effectively ripped to shreds by super-earthquakes and eruptions within a matter of hours, perhaps even causing the entire globe to disintegrate into space. As mentioned, though, it would require something on the order of a true miracle to precipitate this chain of events.
Answer: The same place it goes normally: dissipated into the Earth.
27th Oct 2013
The Phantom (1996)
Question: What exactly caused the volcano to explode at the end? It didn't seem active at all and it just decided to blow after Phantom and Diana escaped the pirates.
Chosen answer: The explosions from the skulls and the weapons on the island caused the volcano to erupt.
5th Oct 2013
Die Hard (1988)
Question: When John's infamous vest comes out and we can see his shoulders, he appears to have a scar on the front of one of his shoulders. Is this a genuine scar from earlier in Willis' life or was it put in by the makers of this film to add to the character? As far as I'm aware they never reference it in the film, which makes me think it is a genuine real life scar.
Answer: The scar is real and runs about half the length of his arm. It is a surgical scar from an operation he got at 17 to fix complications from a broken arm.
27th Sep 2013
Street Fighter (1994)
Question: Is Fei-Long in this movie? He is the only character from the game I have not been able to ID in the movie. And if so, where is he? He's my favorite character from the game and I was disappointed to not see him.
Chosen answer: Fei Long was originally intended to be in the film, but was replaced by the character Captain Sawada.
23rd Sep 2013
M*A*S*H (1972)
Question: What is the title of the song Ellie Carlyle dedicates to Maj. Winchester, calling him "a swell guy - with a head to match"? Winchester's reaction implies the song is some kind of joke in its own right.
Chosen answer: The song is the accordion rendition of "Lady of Spain" by Robert Hargreaves and Stanley J. Damerell. It's Ellie's retort to Winchester's earlier quip in the mess tent, where he said "That's quite a retort from our lady of Spain"
11th Sep 2013
General questions
I saw this movie in the 90s where in one scene a girl and a guy are in a laundry room of an apartment, I think. The girl asks the guy if he wants to touch her breast. She sits atop of the washing machine while he does so. I also think the girl and her friend share the apartment room.
Answer: "Slums of Beverly Hills" starring Natasha Lyonne.
2nd Sep 2013
Airplane (1980)
Question: In the film Elaine is going around taking dinner orders on paper like a waitress which has never been the way airlines do it. They bring the cart down the aisle and then ask what you want. So my question is, is this an in-joke, a goof, or did some airlines really do it this way back then?
Chosen answer: Airlines have done this in the past. Remember that back in the late 70's when this was filmed, flying was still somewhat of a rare occasion for a lot of people, and airlines treated customers much better.
2nd Sep 2013
Batman and Robin (1997)
Question: How do diamonds fuel Mr. Freeze's suit?
Chosen answer: The chemical properties of diamonds enhance the laser beams that cool his suit.
30th Aug 2013
The Bodyguard (1992)
Question: Something that's always bugged me, when Rachel gets nervous at the awards and runs off stage, one of the other hosts says "f**king actresses". I thought she was a singer, we don't see anything throughout the whole movie about her films, so can someone please tell me why he says "f**king actresses"?
Chosen answer: She is both, being there to accept the award for Best Actress.
Answer: She was receiving the Oscar for her movie Queen of the night.
Answer: At the beginning they mention she was in the movie "I have Nothing", which the title song was a hit for a long period of time.
15th Aug 2013
Con Air (1997)
Question: Why does Cyrus not believe Cusack when he tells him that one of the guards faked a heart attack and that's how they were found out?
Chosen answer: Probably because Cusack interrupted Colm Meaney in the first place. Also he probably knew Cusack would lie about whatever excuse he gave.
14th Aug 2013
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Question: In the scene where Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White and Nice Guy Eddie are driving to the meeting, Nice Guy Eddie calls Steve Buscemi "Mr. Pink." How did Nice Guy Eddie know that his name was going to be Mr. Pink before they went to the meeting?
Chosen answer: Joe is his father. They probably planned the crime together.
Yes, but why didn't Mr. Pink respond to that? At that time, Mr. Pink didn't know that his name was going to be Mr. Pink. If someone suddenly and unexpectedly gives you a name like that, wouldn't you be surprised?
He could have already been told that it was going to go like that so that he wouldn't tell Mr. White or Mr. Orange his name, and then once it was brought up at the meeting, he asked why he had to be that color.
Answer: Or, Why was he shocked to find out he is Mr. Pink later on if he was cool with it in the car?
Sounds like it was just a blooper/mistake.
12th Aug 2013
Braveheart (1995)
Question: Why does Wallace spit out the pain killer that the princess gives him?
Chosen answer: Just like he said, it would dull his wits and not leave him fully lucid the next day when he had to face the torture.
He wanted his full awareness so he didn't accidentally yell for mercy.
Answer: Because it's a reference to what his Father's last words to him were at the beginning of the film before he was killed, 'I know you can fight but it's our wits that makes us men'. That's why Wallace says to the Princess, 'It will dull my wits and I must have them always'.
3rd Aug 2013
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Question: Does anybody know why Bud is so poor, living in a trailer and working as a bouncer? Should he not be rich from being an assassin? Also, Bill looks rich enough, and Bud is his brother; why doesn't he give Bud some money?
Chosen answer: Bud has been done with the assassin life for some time. Given that he's a bouncer/janitor at a bad strip club, it's quite likely he made poor decisions with whatever money he had. As for Bill giving him money, it's certainly possible that either Bill cut him off or that Bud refused Bill's help.
30th Jul 2013
American Psycho (2000)
Question: Do we know what Patrick does to the 2 girls he takes back to his flat? We see his instruments in his drawer but then they leave in the next scene.
Chosen answer: He tortures them. You can see them bleeding as they leave. Christy also says she had to have surgery afterwards.
18th Jul 2013
Escape From New York (1981)
Question: How did Snake lose his eye?
Chosen answer: During a mission known as the "Leningrad Ruse." He and his flight squadron were sent unknowingly on a suicide mission. During it, his goggles cracked and let in a poisonous gas, paralyzing his iris. He has to wear the patch because his eye can't focus against bright light, causing pain. This is mentioned in the novelization.
16th Jul 2013
Equilibrium (2002)
Question: When Preston goes into Father's office to face off against Brandt and DuPont, he is surrounded by several guys in gray suits with swords. Just before Preston cuts them down with little effort, the one directly in front of him growls and Preston smirks. The guy that growls... who is he? I could swear I have seen him in a movie or something before, but I can't place where. I know I have seen his face before. Who is he and what has he played in?
Chosen answer: He is a stuntman named Lucas Wolf. His filmography can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1705173/.
13th Jun 2013
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
5th Jun 2013
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Question: I've always wondered, but what is the scene about at the beginning of the film before the titles? Is it just there to showcase the team or is there another reason?
Chosen answer: It's an excuse to show off the team, as well as the reason they are already in Eastern Europe.
Answer: In the United States, phoning in a false report to police can be treated as either a misdemeanor or felony offense (depending on jurisdiction). A false report is considered obstructing law enforcement, which is pretty serious. A misdemeanor offense can result in jail time of a year or less, while a felony offense can result in more than a year's jail time and heavy fines. The important factor that makes it a crime is knowingly trying to mislead the police, not accidentally reporting false information. In "Ferris Beuller's Day Off," Jean was not trying to mislead the police; but, lacking evidence, the police assumed she was knowingly phoning in a false report, so they arrested her (probably on a misdemeanor).
Charles Austin Miller