Question: Can anyone explain the riddle the two guards tell Sarah (before she falls down into the helping hands). I know there's a certain question you can ask and the answer helps you figure out which door it is. can anyone help?
lionhead
24th Feb 2004
Labyrinth (1986)
Answer: One Guard always lies, and one always tells the truth. This is absolute. So when Sarah asks Guard A to tell her what Guard B would say, she knows it will be a lie, no matter what. If Guard A were the liar, he would have to lie about what Guard B would have said. Since Guard B would have told the truth, Guard A would then have to tell the lie to Sarah. However, if Guard B were the liar, he would obviously have lied. However, Guard A would then have to answer the question truthfully which would be the lie from Guard B. Hence, no matter which guard is the liar and which guard is the truth-teller, the answer that Sarah gets would have one and exactly one lie in the answer. Knowing this, Sarah takes the other road.
Answer: I still don't understand how Sarah's logic isn't incredibly flawed. Both guards can say yes or no depending where the right door is and I don't understand how she reached a decision with this in mind.
She figures out that the red guard is the truth teller because the blue guard saying the door behind Red leads to the castle truthfully is impossible since if that's true that would mean Red is lying but said the truth. So, Blue saying the door behind Red is to the castle has to be a lie, so that's the liar and the door behind Blue is to the castle. Basically she asks Red if Blue is the liar, and he said yes, which can only be the truth because a no would mean he is the liar but tells the truth about that. He can't answer no. In both cases (either the liar or the truth teller) the Yes means that the door behind Red is not to the castle.
In no way does Sarah figure out which guard is the truth teller. She just forced the guard she spoke with to give her an answer that contains a lie. She didn't ask the guard which way she should go. She asked the guard what the other guard's answer would be. The liar would lie about what the truth teller would say, hence it would be a lie. And the truth teller would accurately report that the liar would lie, hence the answer would be a lie. Try it out with two of your friends. Have the two of them decide on one to tell the truth and one to lie, unless you change her question or one of them gets confused and answers incorrectly, the answer to your question would have to be a lie no matter who you spoke with.
No it's more specific than that. She asked one guard if the other guard would say if this door would lead to the castle. That's different than asking one guard if the other guard would answer with a lie.
I never said she asked if the other guard would answer with a lie. She asked a question that by its very structure has to be answered with a lie. She guaranteed that the answer would be a lie and then took the other door.
No, again, it's more complicated than that. I was wrong about one thing though, she doesn't know who is the truth teller and who the liar is but she asked a question in such a way that it doesn't matter. The question she asks is indirect, she asks it in a way that both the truthteller and the liar would give the same answer. The Yes being the truth means the other door is to the castle, the yes being a lie would also mean the other door is to the castle. It is true she doesn't find out of who the liar and who the truth teller is, she only figures out which door to pick. In her logic she does conclude that the Red one is the truthteller but in reality she doesn't know that. But she is not wrong about which door to pick.
21st Sep 2020
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Question: If Magneto didn't kill Shaw, what would they have done? It seems like killing him was the only possible way to stop him.
Answer: Charles wanted to incapacitate Shaw and all he needed to do this was to get the helmet off. Once the helmet is off Charles could freeze Shaw and they could figure out a way to hold him. With no helmet Shaw is very little threat (if at all) to Charles. Erik kills a defenseless man unnecessarily.
Actually Xavier says that he can only control this man for so long. Meaning he was struggling keeping him frozen like that. They didn't have forever. An option for Xavier could have been to release Shaw once he knew what Erik was going to do but that could cause Shaw to go nuclear on the spot and kill everyone.
Yes, he could only hold him for so long but instead of taking the opportunity to incapacitate/capture him, Erik steals the helmet, gloats, and then slowly pushes a coin through his head.
I'm not sure what the actual plan was. Charles freezing was the only thing preventing Shaw from killing everyone. Even if Erik manages to wrap Shaw into something, as soon as his mind is free he will be able to use his abilities. He killed him slowly, which was unnecessary, but killing him was the only option IMHO.
21st Sep 2020
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: Are there canonically any Jedi with lightsabers that are yellow, orange or just plain white? Mace Windu got a distinguishing purple one at Samuel L Jackson's request, and pink ones I suppose aren't viewed to be intimidating enough.
Answer: Ahsoka Tano uses white lightsabers later in life: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano%27s_white_lightsabers, reflecting her choice not to affiliate with the Jedi or Sith. While yet to be confirmed, Rosario Dawson is strongly rumoured to be playing the character in season 2 of The Mandalorian, and we may well see her with white lightsabers in live action then.
Answer: In Clone Wars we see Yellow (also in episode IX), Yellow-Green, Light Blue, Black and White. In the canon videogames you even see Orange, Cyan and Magenta.
3rd Sep 2020
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Why didn't Hermione use the time turner to save Buckbeak before Scabbers bit Ron, since she had it on her?
Answer: They needed to make it look like Buckbeak had escaped by himself. If they had freed him earlier, the Ministry of Magic would have believed that Hagrid deliberately released him, and held him accountable. They freed Buckbeak while Dumbledore and Fudge were inside Hagrid's hut so that the Ministry would know Hagrid was with them when Buckbeak "escaped" and Hagrid could not be blamed.
I'm not sure if I explained myelf properly. What I mean is, when Hermione was crying on Ron's shoulder, why not she just tell them about the time turner then instead of crying? Or just go back in time herself.
She's not allowed to tell anyone about the time turner. It's only after the events in the shack, when things are a lot more dire, does Dumbledore basically give permission for her to use it. She also had to sign to say she wouldn't use it for anything other than it's intended use. Saving 1 Hippogriff is not worth the risk of being caught.
I know she can't tell anyone but like I said, she could have done it on her own. Then they wouldn't know.
She can't mess with it and use it to do things on her own without approval. She was given it to be able to attend more classes and was specifically told not to use it otherwise.
17th Sep 2020
Iron Man 3 (2013)
6th Sep 2020
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Question: Is this movie in the same universe as Reservoir Dogs? If it is, it would mean Mr Orange has a twin brother, who talks with a British accent for some reason. If it isn't, it would mean Vic and Vincent Vega aren't related.
Answer: Short answer, yes, they're in the same universe. Tarantino has stated his films exist in two different universes. Basically a "real universe" and a "movie universe." Most (if not all) of his films are all set in this same "real universe" (like RD and PF) while some films, like "Kill Bill" and "Dusk to Dawn", appear in a special movie universe within the "real" universe (meaning they're actual movies that exist in the "real" universe). Some speculate that Mr. Orange was Pumpkin after he turned his life around and that PF is a prequel to RD. Although Pumpkin was called Ringo and not Freddy.
1st Sep 2020
Passengers (2016)
1st Sep 2020
Passengers (2016)
Question: Why announce to the passengers you're passing a star for viewing when everyone is supposed to be asleep? Can't imagine you would waste time programming that?
Answer: The computer detects there are people awake so it gives this kind of information. It's not clever enough to understand that's not supposed to be the case, but since pods shouldn't malfunction they never put that kind of programming into the computer.
1st Sep 2020
Dune (1984)
Question: Is there any reason they can't introduce sand worms to other planets in the Duniverse, there to proliferate and produce a greater, more widely distributed quantity of the spice? The newborn worms are called sandtrout, by virtue of being more or less the size of such. Should be easy enough therefore to capture some, surround them with sand in the spaceship to imitate their homeworld, and take them to some other planet the Empire is willing to give up for any other use, then let them grow and produce spice? Much greater abundance, much surer supply (the proverbial eggs in one basket), much closer at hand for any other world in the Universe?
Answer: In the books people were trying this with no success, at least by the end of book 3 which is as far as I got. The implication was there was a complex eco-balance needed which they were failing to achieve. It is a big part of book 3 that the smugglers were capturing the sand trout and selling them to offworlders, since this is how Leto II got them to perform his metamorphosis. Perhaps in later books they succeeded at starting another location.
Isn't it so they only discovered the sandworms were the source for the spice by the time Leto II takes charge and turns into one? After which he turns Arrakis into a paradise with only a small patch for sandworms to produce spice in.
20th Aug 2020
Elysium (2013)
20th Aug 2020
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Question: Is there supposed to be any significance to the elevator being out of order in the building Bruce is sent to?
Answer: Also, Bruce needed to learn a little humility.
God recognizes that Bruce is expecting things he hasn't earned and is attempting to teach him about the importance of hard work and earning things. Bruce has to climb the stairs (harder than taking the stairs) and God asks for his help mopping a very large floor (hard, but satisfying work).
Answer: It's just the idea that using the stairs is better for your health, so God forces him to use it.
2nd Apr 2018
The Green Mile (1999)
Question: Just before Del's execution, Paul realises that the sponge is dry because there's no water on the floor. Why didn't he halt the execution before the switch was thrown? If he had, Del wouldn't have suffered an agonizing death.
Answer: It was only 15 seconds between when Paul first sees what doesn't look right until the switch is thrown. He was spending most of that time looking at the rest of the floor and Edward's head to see if he could see wetness, which only left about two to four seconds from when he probably was actually concerned until the switch was thrown. The ceremony is obviously very structured, and if he halted it at the last second it would be a major issue so if he did and nothing was wrong there would be hell to pay so he probably trusted (poorly) that he was mistaken rather than take the risk. There is also an attitude of not getting your coworkers in trouble so stopping the execution would also go against that - the trouble of an execution with a dry sponge is a counterargument that probably didn't dawn on him in the couple seconds in which the decision had to be made.
He could have take the bucket and doused Del's head. This would have resolved the dry sponge issue immediately.
That's a terrible idea. He could get others wet including himself and electrocute them.
Answer: They all had pistols. In Last of the Mohicans Hawkeye shoots the British officer being burned alive to spare him the suffering. You'd think these guys would have thought to do the same.
It is shown in great detail how precise and professional the guards are during an execution, and how seriously they take it. There is simply no scenario where any of the guards would have taken out their service weapon and used it on Del in a room full of people.
14th Aug 2020
Predator 2 (1990)
Question: What was a Predator doing in L.A.? Why not stick with the jungle?
Answer: There's really no reason for it not to. Predators are hunters that hunt for both sport and for honor. It likely saw hunting humans in an urban setting (especially one as chaotic as LA is portrayed in the film) as a potential greater challenge, and thus a greater reward.
Note: Cities are sometimes compared to jungles. So for the predator there is hardly a difference.
Answer: The Predator kills humans for sport and wants to kill as many as possible (for fun and status). There is "critical mass" in cities (urban areas are heavily/densely populated) but relatively few people live in or are found in jungles. The Predator went where he was most likely to encounter MANY people and thereby maximize his head count. (Why spend all day waiting to see if you can find a human in the jungle when you know there are hundreds of thousands - even millions - of people in major cities/urban areas?).
Answer: I believe the reason was, it was looking for the ultimate challenge. In the first movie, it was the first time they had ever been defeated. They considered humans nothing more than animals to be hunted for sport. Now humans had evolved to the point, where they learn to fight back. So the Predators went to the city looking for someone who was smart, tough and shows no fear. He was studying Danny Glover, following him and taunting him.
14th Aug 2020
Aliens (1986)
Question: Can anyone explain the airlock that the Queen gets sucked out of at the end? The location for the activation levers seems ridiculous. Ripley gets pulled in by the Queen, then starts climbing out and pulls a lever to open the outer door, then has to climb out to the top to close it. This seems like an insanely dangerous design.
Answer: The airlock was probably designed to drop out cargo in space to be taken to another ship or a space station or for astronauts to go on space walks or make repairs to the outer hull of the ship. Maybe to quickly get rid of something dangerous or deadly, like a bomb or alien monster.
Answer: The simple fact of the matter is she overrides the safety protocol of the airlock by opening the outer door manually whilst the inner door is still open. This of course is highly dangerous but necessary given the circumstances. For dramatic effect though she then climbs out of the airlock to close the inner door instead of closing the outer door first. It's possible though she can't close the outer door anymore because she overrode the system (or the outer door is now damaged) and she closes both doors at the same time after climbing back up.
9th Aug 2020
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: In the last shot of the knight waving goodbye to the Joneses, is it just me or has the actor been swapped out with a dummy?
Answer: It is the real actor and not a robotic dummy. He moves a bit slowly and deliberately, apparently for effect, but it's a real person.
Just to be clear, I'm not referring to when we see the knight raise his hand to wave goodbye to them, but rather right after Indy says "Please Dad," and he and Henry begin to flee the collapsing temple, you can see the knight in the background with his arm raised and he looks rather stiff. You can see it at around 2:22 of this clip: https://youtu.be/PAfZ7V2VyD8.
I took a closer look. There is the shot where the knight raises his hand and you can see him moving. It then cuts to Indy and Henry, then a cut back to the knight where it briefly looks like it could be a mannequin, then there is another cut and back to the knight again and this time it's definitely the live actor. So yes, for that brief long shot, I think it could be a dummy. This may have been for the purpose of efficiency in the filming, it being easier to use a stationary prop for doing multiple takes, rather than the live actor just standing there. Sometimes they do what is called "pick up" shots, where, post-production, a part of a scene or close-ups are re-shot or added weeks or months later, and it would just be easier to use mannequin rather than recall the actor.
But he does move, so most likely a real person.
21st Jun 2017
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: I know this is an opinionated question. Can someone give me the top 10 most powerful characters in Star Wars?
Chosen answer: It really is impossible to give a completely accurate list about this, as there are many meanings to the word "power", and no measuring unit for it.Anyways, these are just my opinions.Here's my attempt: 1. DARTH SIDIOUS/PALPATINE - He was able to use "force stealth" on the Jedi. Plus, he is the Dark Lord of the Sith. He was able to kill his master (Darth Plagueis) in his sleep. 2. YODA - The Grand Master of the Jedi Order. He can control the force lightning of Sidious and Tyranus. It was said that only Mace Windu, Count Dooku and Palpatine were able to fight with him on equal terms. 3. DARTH VADER - He is an extremely powerful in the force by lifting objects without using his hands, able to defeat Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. 4. DARTH TYRANUS/COUNT DOOKU - A menacing Sith Lord and a rogue Jedi. Though old already, he was able to defeat Obi Wan twice and Anakin once. He could use a force lightning ability which Darth Maul and Darth Vader couldn't do. Sidious, Yoda and Windu are considered his equals.He was the swordsman in the galaxy. 5. MACE WINDU - A higher rank of the Jedi Order. Considered one of the greatest swordsmen ever produced by the Jedi Order. He was a master of all seven forms of lightsaber combat. He began his development of the deadly form of combat known as Vaapad. 6. OBI-WAN KENOBI - A wise and brave Jedi Master. He was the first one who kill a Sith Lord Ever. Aside from Darth Maul, he defeated General Griveous and the Pre Darth Vader version. He was able to appear as a force ghost after his death. 7. DARTH MAUL - Wielded a double bladed lightsaber and he was a skilled Zabrak warrior. Very fast in a lightsaber duel. He even resurrects in the Clone Wars Series. 8. LUKE SKYWALKER -The greatest Jedi of all time. He is able to redeem his father to the light, which Obi-wan couldn't do. 9. QUI-GON JINN - A maverick and wise Jedi master. He had used the Force to help and protect Anakin all the way. 10. ANAKIN SKYWALKER - The Chosen One and he was prophesied to destroy the Sith, which he did in the end. *HONORABLE MENTION* - GENERAL GRIEVOUS - though not knowing the ways of the force, he is a skilled lightsaber combatant. With four arms with lightsabers, he could block himself from blasters.
This needs an update. Merge Anakin with Vader since they're one and the same and add in Kylo Ren and Rey. New Order: 1. Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious 2. Yoda 3. Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker 4. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo 5. Rey "Skywalker" 6. Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus 7. Mace Windu 8. Obi-Wan Kenobi 9. Darth Maul 10. Luke Skywalker Honorable Mentions - Leia Organa, Qui-Gon Jinn, General Grievous.
Sidious isn't the most powerful force user. Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu and Yoda overpowered him. Obi-Wan could probably beat him too. Sidious' powers lay in his secrecy and intrigue. Only that way he survived. Not his force use.
3rd Aug 2020
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Question: How come Malcolm could realise he was dead, but none of the other ghosts could?
Answer: Ghosts can't move on until they've completed some unfinished business. Malcolm felt guilty for not helping the kid who shot him. By helping Cole control his powers, he was finally at peace and realised the true state of things.
To add: the little girl Cole helped uncover her murder definitely knew she was dead.
Why do you say she knew? I didn't see any evidence. Cole says ghosts don't know they're dead. The girl wasn't after revenge, but to protect her younger sister, who the mother had started poisoning.
She is one of the few ghosts aware that she can use Cole to help her out. Leading him to the evidence of her murder shows to me she knew she was too late for herself. At the end of the movie it is even revealed that these ghosts probably unconsciously approach Cole for help, so they can move on. They can't do that unless they are aware, or if Cole makes them aware of it. For Malcolm it was even necessary for him to know he was dead before he could say his goodbye. Cole just needs to tell them.
Answer: On top of it, Malcolm only realised he was dead when we saw his wedding ring drop from his wife's hand (he would have had it on him except if he were gone) and he saw her cold breath; these two things together helped him put all the pieces together (that we are shown in the movie) to show that she was grieving and mourning from his death and not that they were growing apart because he was wrapped up in a case (or to put it differently, he was so wrapped up in Cole that he did not notice that he hadn't had a conversation with his wife or even another human being for goodness knows how long - dead people see what they want to see).
Answer: Malcolm didn't realise he was dead until much later in the movie. By then he had a strong relationship with Cole, and being a psychiatrist, wanted to help him understand and cope with his ability and no longer fear it. Being a psychiatrist helped Malcolm analyse his own situation and work out that he had died. Once Cole was comfortable with his ability, Malcolm was able to move on. Also, as Cole noted, ghosts only saw what they wanted to see. Some were unable to come to terms with their deaths and therefore remained among the living.
3rd Aug 2020
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Question: Why did Ace punch out the Monopoly guy? Is there a reason why he did such a thing?
Answer: The woman told him to try and "enjoy the fruits of nature", meaning wearing an animal as a piece of clothing. So he punches the monopoly guy out cold and puts him over his shoulder to try out wearing an animal.
23rd Nov 2005
Serenity (2005)
Question: Why is River bare-foot so often, especially on a ship that has a lot of metal flooring?
Answer: She has several mental disorders, presumably she finds shoes confining or uncomfortable. It's notable that when she does have footwear it's almost always heavy calf high boots, instead of slippers or more comfortable shoes.
To add; She likes to dance, and being barefoot it's easier to move around.
Something I always wondered is when she goes on the heist barefoot at the beginning of the film, none of the other characters seem to notice or care that she's in bare feet. Even her brother, Simon, didn't try to get her to wear shoes.
Answer: The reason is that Summer Glau had severe tendinitis and arthritis in her feet and wearing shoes was painful for her.
I actually got to ask Summer this at Galaxy Con. She said that being barefoot helped her focus on becoming her character.
26th Jul 2020
Serenity (2005)
Question: How did Reavers fly those space ships while they are just zombies. How did they manage the whole Reaver community?
Answer: The reavers are not just zombies, they reacted to the drug in a way that caused them to become insane. They are angry, cannibalistic, violent, hysterical. You can't communicate with them, but they can still think. They do have a society, a community. Their community is based on pillage and plunder however, finding new victims to cannibalise.
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Answer: It is the same as multiplying. Two positives or two negatives make a positive and a mixture of positive Lets say right door and negative left door will always return a negative answer. To simplify further lets call the one door -X and the other door +X. -X (X) = -X So when done this way the answer you get back is always the negative. Then to switch polarity you just multiply by -1. Or for the more vocal learners out there the friend (+) of my friend (+) is my friend (+). The friend (+) of my enemy (-) is my enemy (-) and lastly the enemy (-) of my enemy (-) is my friend (+) or to explain with the doors The Liar and The truth Teller Produce/tell a lie when you have one answer for the other (multiply thier values). So you know the answer is the polar opposite or inverse value.