Question: Could the other vampires transform and fly like Dracula and his brides? And if not what made his brides special?
lionhead
8th Jul 2020
Van Helsing (2004)
Answer: In the original book, Dracula made Mina Harker his bride by having her drink the blood from his chest. Thus making her different from the others to quote Dracula, "Blood of my Blood, Flesh of my Flesh." She became mentally linked to him.
Question: Why did Norrington let Jack escape?
Answer: At no point did he actually "let" him escape on purpose. Jack was always just too witty for Norrington (who is kinda slow). That's counting 3 occasions where Norrington failed to capture Jack, but perhaps you can be more specific as to which escape you are referring to.
Answer: In addition to the other reasons mentioned, Governor Swann suggests it, and not wanting to cross him may have contributed to Norrington's decision.
29th Jun 2020
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: Whilst I appreciate the comedic value of Jeff Goldblum, why has Dr Ian Malcolm been invited to the island? How is his academic knowledge of chaos theory relevant to deciding whether a theme park is safe?
Answer: Malcolm spoke with Hammond about the idea of Jurassic Park prior to the visit. Hammond dismisses Malcolm's math as "codswallop" and "fashionable number crunching," and complains that Malcolm has "never been able to adequately explain [his] concerns..." But why ask him? Malcolm is an expert in complex systems. His particular brand of scientist is known for modeling "the real world" in mathematics. This is why you hear him refer to the complexity of the system in phase space and chaos (as in chaos theory). Gennaro refers to him as 'too trendy." Hammond likely asked Malcom to analyze the idea of the park as a publicity stunt, but got back a scathing paper. Gennaro has picked someone openly hostile to the park to give it a review. The investors want two experts to sign off. Hammond knows that Malcolm is hostile, so Hammond finds a paleontologist and paleobotanist (Grant and Sattler) in the hopes that they will sign off due to sheer awe and excitement.
Answer: Malcolm was there to calculate the probability of what and how the theme park could go wrong. The park's financial backers are aware the dinosaurs pose an extreme danger to visitors that could result in massive lawsuits. They want to know every conceivable scenario of what could go wrong. It's the old adage of, 'If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.'.
Answer: From google: Ian Malcolm was invited to the park by Donald Gennaro as an insurance consultant as Donald apparently felt that Ian, as a fiduciary, would be able to notice any dangerous shortcomings the park had.
Answer: According to the wiki, he is brought along by the lawyer Donald Gennero because he is a parent of several children and thus be able to notice any shortcomings regarding safety to children.
29th Jun 2020
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Question: At the end of the film, which Clint Eastwood is Dave McFly referring to when he tells Marty "Who are you supposed to be, Clint Eastwood? Was he referring to the real Clint Eastwood or to 1885 Clint Eastwood? (Marty's alias in 1885).
Answer: Since Marty is dressed the same way Clint's character in the spaghetti westerrns was, I pretty sure he was referring to the real Clint Eastwood.
Answer: The joke is that Marty as Clint Eastwood has become a historical figure, known probably only in their town. His clothes are probably most remembered, so Dave thinks he is impersonating him.
9th Jun 2014
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Question: Why did Harry and Ron get into so much trouble for using the flying car in "Chamber of Secrets", but in this movie/book, the Order of the Phoenix members openly fly on broomsticks?
Answer: Ron and Harry, who were under-aged, took the car without permission, flew it haphazardly, nearly got Harry killed, were seen by Muggles and it was reported in the Muggle news. They also crashed the car into the Whomping Willow, causing much damage and could have injured others at Hogwarts. Their actions also got Mr. Weasley into trouble with the Ministry of Magic, because Mr. Weasley bewitched a muggle object which is illegal by wizards' law. When the Order of the Phoenix is moving Harry to a safe house, it was carefully planned and precautions were taken to avoid being seen, much like how the Knight Bus is always undetectable to Muggles.
They flew next to a ferry which would also be a bad idea.
Even though it's illegal to bewitch a muggle object, several wizards have enchanted cars. The ministry of magic owns several enchanted cars. Think about the Knight bus, not illegal. So Mr. Weasley was not in trouble for that.
5th Dec 2014
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: Why didn't the Dursleys just dump Harry at an orphanage, or refuse to take him? Why did they care about doing what Dumbledore asked?
Answer: Dumbledore never would have allowed it. The charm that protected Harry was only effective as long as Harry lived with his blood relatives, that being his aunt. Also, though Aunt Petunia would be too afraid of the consequences if she ever tried to abandon Harry, she was not evil. There was a line she would never cross that would put her sister's child in danger. She knew his living in her household protected his life.
Does she care though? Because her and Vernon often tell him that he is punished with no meals for a long time and lock him in a cupboard.
They probably felt obligated, not enthusiastic. Consider how Severus Snape felt about secretly protecting Harry over the years. He was not happy that Lily fell in love with James and they produced Harry, but he felt obligated to protect Harry anyway, in honor of Lily.
They cared enough for his life, not his well-being.
Answer: According to the books, once they agreed to take him in, the protective became active. So it seems like they had the choice not to take him in.
Question: In the prologue to the movie, Galadriel states that the ring has been forgotten, but Galadriel herself was around during the historic war against Sauron, and Elrond encouraged Isildur to throw it into the lava in Mount Doom, and there's even a mural in Rivendell of Isildur cutting the ring from Sauron's hand, so obviously the ring has not been forgotten. What gives? It can't be that "forgotten" means "believed now only to be a myth" ("History became legend; legend became myth") because Elrond and Galadriel (and countless other elves) would know that the ring wasn't a myth because they were a part of the earlier events. Nor can it be that Galadriel is referring to general history when she says, "For none now live who remember it," because she is not extemporizing on the nature of history, she is specifically referring to the ring: "For two and a half thousand years the ring passed out of all knowledge." Not just men's knowledge, or dwarves' knowledge, but all knowledge. Similarly, Gandalf has been in Middle-Earth for "300 lives of men", but Gandalf has to look up the story of the ring in historical papers; how did such an epic and giant war escape his notice?
Answer: Elves usually count themselves out of affairs like this, preferring to keep to themselves. It was a man who took the ring, so it is a man's tale until the elves choose to involve themselves again. And Gandalf is well aware of the war that saw the supposed defeat of Sauron. He's researching the historical documents looking for any clues, any seemingly irrelevant yet ultimately useful minutia, he may not yet be aware of.
Your answer doesn't make any sense. She says has fallen out of all knowledge. Whether or not elves prefer to keep to themselves doesn't change that they have knowledge of the ring.
The ring was deemed lost for good, eventually those that were there forgot it existed (or could still exist) untill the dark shadow over Mirkwood and later Mordor jolted their memories.
21st Jun 2020
General questions
There's often a trope in police dramas that an officer being suspended or put on leave is told to "turn in your badge and gun." The officer then just puts the gun and badge on the desk and walks away. How accurate is this though? I heard there's paperwork to fill out and firearms have to be properly returned. Plus, don't many officers carry their own personal firearm that they'd be more comfortable with? Obviously a movie/TV show doesn't want to be bogged down by boring red tape, but what really happens when an officer is suspended or put on leave? Wouldn't turning your badge in be the same thing as being fired?
Answer: Not the badge ("shield") nor gun makes a cop a cop so handing them in symbolically when suspended doesn't happen in real life. The badge is just your symbol of taking an oath. Police have what is called a "Police Identification Card" which is their legal document of authority, not the badge. As you mention a lot of cops have their own gun and their chief isn't allowed to take it unless the cop is convicted of a crime or the gun is to be used in evidence (like if the cop fired it at a crime scene). Indeed, handing in your badge is done when you are fired.
21st Jun 2020
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Question: How did the inmates on rooftops manage to get their hands on beer?
Answer: It was given to them by the guards.
But isn't beer banned in prisons?
Andy gives Hadley (the head guard) financial advice on how to keep a large sum of money, which he (Hadley) received as an inheritance. Andy, being an accountant, offers to do all the necessary tax work, in exchange for three beers apiece for his fellow inmates. Hadley agrees, and arranges for the beer to be delivered and given to them. (All of this is shown in the scene immediately prior to that in which the inmates are drinking beer).
Answer: Under all but rare circumstances, alcoholic beverages are not allowed in US prisons, which was also the case in 1949, when this scene takes place; the significance of this scene is to establish that Andy began to enjoy special privileges while incarcerated, which is also how he eventually got the warden to allow him to establish the prison library.
17th Sep 2015
Back to the Future (1985)
Question: If Doc doesn't want to know what's going to happen in his/the future, then why did he tape the letter Marty gave him in 1955, which he tore up, back together instead of throwing it away? Also why did he have it on him at the end to give to Marty, if he had no idea Marty would show up at Lone Pine Mall after coming back to 1985?
Chosen answer: It's not stated directly in the movie, but it's easy to infer that Doc Brown was subject to the one thing that just about all scientists fall victim to... Curiosity. You can guess that after Marty vanished back to the future, Doc became too curious to resist and assembled the paper back together to read it. In turn, this would give him the information he needed to save himself with a bulletproof jacket, and know the important of why Marty would go back in time when it is 85. And he would have kept the note on him because he DID know Marty would come back to that point. After all, he did send him back off 30 years prior, with the intent of going back to that very day. Doc is intelligent, and would have expected things to turn out that way given the unwritten laws of time travel and paradox.
But after this, it poses a new question. Wouldn't he have found a new power source instead so he won't be shot?
No, he is very careful about changing anything in the timeline. So after reading the letter he came up with the bulletproof vest so he could survive without changing anything about the events that led to Marty being sent back to 1955 in exactly the same way. That way he prevented a paradox.
12th Jun 2020
Ready Player One (2018)
Question: The Leaderboard shows the top 5 gunters. 1) Why would zeroing out cause the board to go blank? They were still the first 5 to get the keys. If zeroing out does it, Aech and Saito (?) should have left the board earlier (dying earlier on Planet Doom). 2) Others had to be collecting keys too, including dozens/hundreds of IOI players, and hundreds of other players. Surely someone on the planet was a gunter and was sleeping during this excitement? Unaffected by the Cataclyst, they should have moved to the top of the board.
Answer: The idea was that anyone who had anything to do with the game was there, in sector 10, certainly all IOI and Gunters. The Cataclyst is specifically meant to zero out anything it reaches, unlike a death on planet doom, which only lets you lose what you currently have on you and not your entire avatar.
12th Jun 2020
The Purge (2013)
Question: Why didn't those purge people just go find someone else? Why waste all their time on one house and why did the girls go around in flimsy dresses and barefoot on a cold night?
Answer: These purgers are pretty crazy. They were hunting this person, a homeless man, and they wanted to kill him specifically. They wanted their prize, the trophy of their hunt. And they won't let anyone stop them as it's their right. So being blocked from their target only increases their desire.
Answer: Shortly after letting the black guy into their house, the gang leader tells James that he (the black man) killed one of their members, and they wanted revenge.
8th Jun 2020
The Neverending Story (1984)
Question: When Bastion asks about the book Mr. Koreander is reading, he responds that the books Bastion reads are safe and to forget about the book he's reading, because it's not for Bastion. As Mr. Koreander takes a phone call in the next room, Bastion takes the book and leaves the store. After noticing that Bastion has left, Mr. Koreander also notices that the book is missing. Was it Mr. Koreander's intention to let Bastion take the book? If so, why?
Answer: He has read the book himself many times, being drawn into the adventure himself, he knows someone like Bastian would really enjoy the book, and knows he would take it regardless of his warnings. He leaves it unattended intentionally. He wants to share the experience of reading that book.
8th Jun 2020
The Mask (1994)
Question: Didn't Charlie notice that Ipkiss isn't with him when he enters the Coco Bongo? He is entering with the girls but didn't seem to notice that he wasn't with him.
Answer: He was too busy with the girls and taking in the scene. He probably simply assumes Ipkiss followed them in and he lost sight of them, he didn't have to suspect he was left outside.
8th Jun 2020
Hannibal (2001)
Question: Why does Clarice not have the handcuffs on when she is found by the police at the end? if Hannibal cut his hand off, then he would slip the cuffs off and she would still be wearing them. Even if she had the key, there was little time to get them or take the cuffs off.
Answer: She had plenty of time to take the bloodied cuffs off, we only see her again when she is outside looking for Hannibal.
8th Jun 2020
Breaking Bad (2008)
Negro Y Azul - S2-E7
Question: How come Hank threw up when he saw a severed head, but earlier in the show, he ripped a corpse's arms off, and laughed?
Answer: The corpse was old and he was around people he knew. Seeing a severed head walking around on a turtle was just too much for him.
Answer: Hank is very emotionally vulnerable at this point. He'd just had an intense shoot-out with Tuco that affected him more than he is willing to admit.
8th Jun 2020
Alien (1979)
Question: One thing that bugged me from a recent rewatch. When Brett comes across the Alien skin that it has recently shed, it in no way resembles what the creature looks like now, and is completely disproportionate with its size a few minutes later when it kills him. Now I know that its methods of 'growing' we are lead to believe are different to those of Earth creatures in that they are more accelerated etc...but if it is following a similar pattern to Earth animals that shed their skin shouldn't it have shed at least ANOTHER skin or maybe two to achieve its near-adult human size? And also why in 'Aliens' were no shed skins in abundance dotted around the place when it is part of the Aliens' natural life-cycle? They don't strike me as the kind of creature that would worry about leaving their shed skin around to cover up their presence?
Answer: The skin Brett finds is presumably the first skin the creature shed based on its size. There might be other skins that were shed all over the place but we never see every inch of the ship. The alien in this film primarily uses the air ducts to move around, but the film only shows the air ducts in one brief scene. There could be other skins somewhere in those ducts we never see. The same is true in Aliens. We never see every inch of the floors of the colony, they could be anywhere. The floor of the hive does have a considerable amount of debris, some of this debris could conceivably be shed skins.
That's a much more logical answer, thank you.
Answer: They shed their skin once, probably some kind of protective fleece around its immature body it disposes of, not actual skin like with a snake. These are smart creatures, yes they would hide their shed skin.
If that's the case why did the first Alien shed skin get found? If as you say they are 'smart' enough to hide their shed skin why was this one left laying around?
Because in later movies the aliens have a lot more space to shed their skins where it can't be found. Maybe they don't actually hide it, but it's logical they hide themselves as their skin sheds because they are vulnerable. The alien in the first movie simply couldn't find anywhere to hide.
29th May 2020
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
29th May 2020
The Truman Show (1998)
Question: What happened to the car radio when Truman was going to work and accidentally discovered someone was narrating his whole movements in advance?
Answer: The radio caught the radio chatter of the director giving instructions to the actors. They have to do that constantly as they follow Truman so they can react and improvise in time and prepare the coming situations.
26th May 2020
Joker (2019)
Question: Is it just me or did he fire 8 times with a gun that only holds 5 rounds at a time? I am referring to the subway scene where Joker got his first kills of course.
Answer: I counted 4 shots on the train and 3 shots on the platform. Someone submitted a mistake about this, then someone corrected it saying he could have reloaded, then someone commented it's unlikely. I find it unlikely that he reloaded when on the train because on the platform he shoots 3 times and then dry fires 2 more times because he's out of rounds but doesn't seem to realise. So you'd have to say he had the wherewithal to reload a gun that's not empty, or only had 4 rounds in it for some reason, but reloaded it with only 2 or 3 more rounds, and then forgot how many rounds he just reloaded it with.
He has time to reload so it's plausible, that's all it takes really. Arthur is out of his mind at that moment, having just been beaten up again and working purely on adrenaline and blind rage. I doubt he is counting his shots. Does fit him though that when he saw the 3rd guy run he wanted to kill him too but wasn't sure if his gun was empty so he loaded 2 more bullets before he exited the train.
Answer: All vampires can transform and fly. It might depend on age how easy and effective it is.
lionhead