LorgSkyegon
10th Apr 2020
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
10th Apr 2020
General questions
I see a lot in movies, where people will be walking or going around in sewers with rats. Almost always these rats are shown to have no fear at all and almost ignore the people completely. Yet if you see a rat in your house, it's going to run from you like a mouse I believe. So is this really accurate to show rats having no fear of people when down in the sewers?
Answer: Rats, being much larger than house mice, have less fear. Given that they likely go to the surface to scavenge for food, they are likely used to being around people.
8th Apr 2020
South Park (1997)
Question: What's the episode where Barbrady rides with a cameraman from COPS? He talks of how people who assume small-town police have nothing to do are wrong.
Answer: It's Season 2, Episode 4 "Chickenlover".
8th Apr 2020
Gladiator (2000)
Question: When Maximus was sold as a slave and was then attacked using a sword why didn't he fight back, and what did Proximo mean when he said that his time will come?
Answer: Maximus didn't want to be forced to fight. "His time will come" means he will either be forced to fight when put into the arena or he will die.
8th Apr 2020
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Question: Why did Thor let Cap have some of his drink that he said mortal men can't have. I know that Cap's super soldier serum makes him stronger, but he's still human.
Answer: By mortal men, he probably just means ordinary. Since Cap has super powers, Thor doesn't consider him ordinary (plus the we learn in Captain America: The First Avenger that his advanced metabolism prevents him from getting drunk). Since Thor also relents and allows the WWII veterans to partake in the drink as well, it's safe to assume he doesn't consider it to be deadly for humans to have.
Answer: Cap now has a superhuman metabolism, as shown in the first Cap movie when he was unable to get drunk after Bucky died.
6th Apr 2020
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Question: What kind of vehicles were the guys driving while being chased by ostriches?
Answer: It's a Polaris RZR sand rail.
Can it be used on sand dunes as shown in the movie?
Yes, that's why it's called a sand rail. It's a similar term to dune buggy.
13th Mar 2020
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
The Habitation Configuration - S6-E7
Question: I understand why Amy wouldn't like what Will said but wasn't she way ruder to him? She doesn't act like she did at the start so I'm confused.
Answer: There's a difference between Amy trying to get the best take for Fun with Flags and Wil flat out insulting her.
18th Sep 2004
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Question: Other than the prominent portrayal of Jesus' mother Mary, what Catholic influences did Mel Gibson put into the film?
Chosen answer: There are not as many as have been rumored, but a few prominent ones include the portrayal of the devil, the stations of the cross, and the miracle of the floating cross.
2nd Feb 2020
Cars (2006)
Question: Is it really possible to turn on dirt simply by turning right to go left?
Answer: The idea of drifting is that you are swinging the back end around and losing traction on the rear wheels while counter-steering with the front wheels to maintain control. Once you enter into the left drift, you turn your wheels right to point them forward.
I know what the idea of drifting is. What I'm asking is whether or not it's possible to drift on dirt.
Answer: It's a rally move know as the "Scandanavian Flick" where you throw the car back end first into the corner and then counter the slide with opposite lock and flick the car around. I'm advanced driving instructor and it's one of the thing we teach pretty much straight away on a skidpan.
25th Jan 2020
Star Wars (1977)
Question: Are lightsabers capable of cutting through any substance, or are there objects in the franchise (even if the examples are no longer canon) that have been specifically mentioned as being resistant?
Answer: There are several substances in canon and non-canon that are resistant to lightsabers. Beskar, also known as Mandalorian iron or Mandalorian steel was used to make armor and weapons by the Mandalorian people. Cortosis was an ore that, when heavily refined, stopped lightsaber blades and blaster bolts. Phrik was another metal, used in Darth Sidious' lightsabers and the electrostaffs used by Grievous' robot guards. Neuranium was a very, very dense and heavy metal that was partially resistant to lightsabers, but was more often used to shield from scanners. The species orbalisk and vonduun crab had carapaces that could withstand the blow of a lightsaber.
Answer: The Force Awakens features stormtroopers using the "Z6 riot control baton", which they use to block the lightsaber when Finn uses it.
Is it the baton itself that is resistant, or the energy surge around it? Because I know Snoke's guards were able to block lightsabers with energized weapons as well.
Yes you see them in Episode III as well when fighting on the bridge of the chancellor's ship. My guess is the energy blocks the lightsaber. It's logical they would come up with some sort of technology to block lightsabers if materials that can block them are that rare.
Answer: There are a handful of items, but I don't believe any have been mentioned or shown in the film series (other than another lightsaber itself). Mandalorian Iron (also known as Beskar) and Phrix are resistant to lightsaber attacks and have been mentioned in the TV show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", but I don't recall if their resistance is specifically mentioned in the show.
11th Nov 2019
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Question: When Philip was in the hospital there is a man in a black suit in the background who appears to be coming to see him but then did not approach them. Who was that supposed to be?
Answer: It appears to be an accordion folder rather than a clipboard. My guess would be that it's someone Philip used to take care of his financial situation.
8th Jan 2020
House, M.D. (2004)
Question: Why did Nate beat his chess opponent after winning? I know it's revealed that he's simply a jerk, but that's not the behaviour of a jerk, it's the behaviour of a psycho, and it seems like it wasn't addressed.
Answer: The hemachromatosis the patient suffered from can cause rage attacks due to hormone imbalances.
30th Dec 2019
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: If Harry's relatives hate him, then why are they against him going to Hogwarts to study magic? Why wouldn't they be excited to be rid of him most of the time?
Answer: Because they know of his wizard heritage and they hate it. They think he and his parents were freaks.
Good answer, but I'd add they also knew it was something Harry would very much want, and they would always deny him simply to be as mean-spirited as possible.
Not to mention one of Vernon and Petunia's overriding motivations is to appear normal to their neighbors, and the more magic Harry knows, the less likely they are to achieve that. It could presumably also be dangerous for them, as future books/movies confirm.
1. They were constantly being barraged with letters from Hogwarts in an increasingly disruptive manner. Eventually, this would be noticed as something weird by their neighbors, which is something they REALLY don't want: anyone to know about Petunia's magical relations. 2. They were flat out threatened by Hagrid and terrified on both him and Dumbledore Better to let him go there then have to spend their entire lives on the run without it even working.
They were against it long before the barrage of letters or Hagrid showing up. They knew about the school, Petunia's sister went there and she told Vernon. They don't want to seem weird to the neighbors in general, they aren't afraid people around them will think they have a wizard in their family because nobody believes in wizards.
24th Jan 2008
The Karate Kid III (1989)
Question: On IMDB, the bio for actor Sean Kanan who played Mike Barnes, stated that he almost died during filming of this movie. However the trivia section states nothing about it. Does anybody out there know what happened that caused him to almost die?
Chosen answer: Kanan performed his own stunts, and during one of these he was injured with an internal bleeding, which was not discovered until later. When he took aspirin for the pain, combined with his injuries he went into hypovolemic shock and had to be rushed to the hospital.
It was the scene where Mr. Miyagi threw him through the doors of the new Cobra Kai dojo. They did a large number of takes, and it tore his abdominal wall.
20th Nov 2019
Twilight (2008)
Question: How come the vampires don't die during the day and are awake? How can the werewolves transform at will instead of by a full moon?
Answer: Because they are fictional characters, and Stephanie Meyer made up new rules for them to suit her narrative.
She should've still respected the lore as most do. This series is her as Bella and the two guys are based on guys she lusted for in high school who ignored her. Read between the lines people.
Answer: The moon has no effect on the Quileutes because they are not werewolves. In the books, they are shape-shifters that can change at will. Rather than being created by a werewolf's bite, some Quileutes are born with a gene that becomes active and transforms them into wolves when vampires are near. They cannot turn other people into wolves. The movie series glossed over this fact, apparently to avoid confusion about the differences. Even though they are called "werewolves" in the movies, that is not what they are.
In addition, actual werewolves do exist in the Twilight universe. They are called "Children of the Moon." They follow most of the standard werewolf myths: changing only during the night of a full moon, feral behavior, infecting others by biting them, etc... They are also immune to vampire venom. The Volturi hunted them nearly to extinction after one nearly killed Caius.
Answer: It seems like you already decided your own answer, but like a lot of mythology and lore, hundreds of variations occur. Most often werewolves can change at will once they've gone through their first transformation. In a lot of lore, the full moon only forces them to change, even if it's against their will. It does not mean it's the only way to change. Meyer did add a twist to vampires in the sun, but in many stories, sunlight is not fatal, they can be safe in the shadows, or the sunlight only weakens, not kills, them, and/or they are strengthened by the moonlight (which is why they came out at night).
Didn't decide, only observed what I'd seen with the like of Chaney's Wolfman and Lugosi's Dracula, that's all.
The horror movies of that era, like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, etc. freely adapted their own interpretation of traditional folklore.
24th Nov 2019
Star Wars (1977)
Question: Has there ever been any sort of canonical discussion about the morality of droid treatment in any Star Wars titles? They're intelligent/sentient, are treated well by most people, even like friends/pets by some. And yet they also seem to casually get their minds wiped, or if they're destroyed many people shrug rather than mourn. Tools to some, valued comrades to others, it's just a bit all over the place. Idle thought really.
Answer: Lucas has gone on record as to the treatment of droids in Star Wars being a thought-provoking allegory for the way people treat minorities. I've never heard him specifically talk about how it's almost never commented-upon in-universe, but intentionally or not, I'm of the opinion that it's more compelling this way. Why doesn't anybody do anything about the way droids are treated? Well, go around asking people why they don't do anything about the way other people are treated and you'll quickly find out.
Answer: Not in the films, but several of the books removed from canon by Disney mentioned a "droids' rights movement" that decried memory wipes and other dismissals of sentience. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Droid_rights_ (movement).
Solo, which is canon, features a subplot about droid's rights. So not everything has been scrubbed regarding this topic.
Chosen answer: Nobody in the Star Wars universe, except on rare occasions, has shown sympathy towards a droid or any AI. Even though these robots learn, they don't really evolve beyond their programming so they aren't considered "alive" (unlike in other fiction like Wall-E), not even by the most sentimental of people. Organic beings develop attachments to droids, but mostly towards their usefulness, not because they like their personality, not even Luke Skywalker towards R2 or Poe towards BB-8. If they are destroyed, too bad. Memory wiping doesn't remove the droid's original programming either, and their way of talking and manners stay.
In Episode 2, Obi-Wan makes the offhanded comment "Well, if droids could think there'd be none of us here", implying that droids do not actually possess artificial intelligence. R2-D2 seems to be a particularly unusual droid in that he is uncommonly resilient and steadfast, which makes his allies quite fond of him. Poe and BB-8 appear to have a bond that goes beyond simply being attached to the droid's usefulness, but like you say that appears to be a unique case.
Just because he said that doesn't mean they didn't have AI. They think for themselves, so they have AI. Just not as advanced as in other fiction.
The point is raised again later in the film when the cloners state that unlike droids, clones can think for themselves.
21st Nov 2019
Pokemon (1998)
Question: Why hasn't Ash's pikachu evolved into raichu?
Answer: I don't think so. Pikachu needs a thunderstone to evolve and I think in that episode Pikachu said it was happy the way it was.
Answer: He refused to! He is also not the only Pokemon in the series to have done that, the first time in episode 14 fighting a Raichu, and then other times in the series (episode 540 comes to mind). Pokemon have their own free will (for being a bunch of critters locked in tiny balls...) and some are so happy with themselves that they prefer not to turn into their evolved version. Which usually is way less cute, incidentally.
Unlike most Pokemon which evolve as they gain levels, Pikachu can't evolve into Raichu unless it uses a Thunder Stone. In Indigo League episode "Electric Shock Showdown", Pikachu explicitly refuses to evolve, wanting to win its rematch with Lt. Surge's Raichu itself. Pikachu again refused to evolve in the Diamond and Pearl episode "Pika and Goliath!", simply resolving to train harder.
What I heard is that pikachu is the mascot of the franchise, and evolving it into raichu the anime would enrage a lot of pokemon fans.
Even if Pikachu had evolved into raichu, wouldn't there be a risk that it would decrease the number of the show's viewers?
21st Nov 2019
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Question: If they're spies then why are the four shown being booked in regular jail? Why aren't they in a federal prison?
Answer: Because it's just a movie, it's a comedy, and the filmmakers are not concerned with exact, realistic details. They expect the audience to just enjoy the silliness and not be overly concerned about reality. The two other Home Alone films employed similar "suspension of disbelief" in the plots.
Exactly like what happened to the guy that gave them the chip. Wouldn't he be arrested too, but we don't hear anything about what happened to him. I'm assuming since he had a plan to catch he was going somewhere he can't be extradited.
The guy who hired Beaupre and his team was in China the whole time, so he couldn't be extradited to America since China has no extradition treaty with America.
Answer: There are two possible explanations: 1) Because there is far less space available in federal prisons, compared to state and local facilities, federal prisoners and arrestees are often kept in local facilities. 2) Because the federal charges or providing support for terrorism and industrial espionage are harder to prove compared to the state-level charges of breaking and entering, assault and battery, and attempted murder.
It's doubtful the writers had all that in mind when writing a comedy holiday script. The plot simply calls for the spies to be caught and thrown into jail at the end of the story. There is also a difference between prison and jail. Prison is for those convicted of a crime. Jail is a temporary holding place after an arrest is made. With police being involved in the arrest, the spies would initially be booked and held in the local jail. The spies would later be transferred to federal custody to await trial.
6th Oct 2019
Superman II (1980)
Question: Why does Non never speak?
Answer: Jor-El calls him a "mindless aberration" and "without thought or voice." So it's either some sort of mental or physical defect.
6th Oct 2019
Forrest Gump (1994)
Question: Would the army really take a guy with a low I.Q., much less one with a cleft lip?
Answer: The Army doesn't issue IQ tests upon enlistment. Given that Forrest had a college degree, and passed basic training with flying colors because of his amazing ability to follow orders, he would be allowed in just fine. And Bubba didn't have a cleft lip, just big gums.
Answer: I can't even guess why you think a cleft lip would disallow someone from being admitted into the Army, or anything/anywhere else for that matter.
Because an unrepaired cleft lip is a disqualifying disability. You can't join the US military if you have one.
Answer: Tarantino once explained to David Carradine that Budd was also in love with Beatrix. He left the DVAS right after the wedding massacre because he was upset he had to kill her.
LorgSkyegon