Question: Is there any reason besides plot convenience that the Deetzes didn't enter the attic during the three months that the Maitlands were away from the house to meet with Juno? I realise they don't have the key, but seeing as how they were renovating the entire house anyway, it seems like they would have had no problem just knocking the door down.
lionhead
30th Oct 2018
Beetlejuice (1988)
Answer: After the dinner scene when Otho asked where they hid and Lydia said "the attic" Charles replied that the attic was locked. So it seems like she never told them she had the skeleton key.
I addressed this in the question. A key is not required to get into the attic because they could just break the door down.
Except they didn't break the door down. Delia kept banging on the door until it opened. If they had broken the door down, there would have been some damage.
Answer: This is purely for convenience. It's always bothered me. Like since the early 90s when I first had a VHS copy to rewind. That whole house has been gutted and rebuilt but no-one got in to the attic for 3 months? That's BS. For one thing not only would someone like Charles Deets want to see every square inch of his property, but a major company/contractor doing a remodel of that size would have at some time needed access to and been on every square foot of that house.
Quite often, people don't think about the attic along with the rest of the house. Many of them won't be going into the attic every day, not every month, maybe not more than once a year.
30th Oct 2018
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: At the opening of the film, Muldoon and the JP workers are loading a raptor into a pen. I've always wondered, was this raptor bred on Isla Sorna, and brought over? Or did this one escape from the pen, and had to be brought back? Was this the intelligent female raptor Muldoon warned Grant about?
Answer: Yes this Raptor was bred on Isla Sorna and brought to the pen. They hadn't escaped before or he would have told them. Its most likely this is the female raptor that Muldoon warned about. Although it's also possible this raptor was actually shot like Muldoon ordered.
29th Oct 2018
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: When the clones arrived at Geonosis, why didn't Palpatine just execute Order 66 there?
Answer: Palpatine had a clear, detailed plan mapped out. First he was to become Chancellor by sympathetic vote after the invasion of Naboo. Then he would instigate the Civil War with the Seperatists in order to install himself as a lifelong Emperor while using Order 66 to wipe out the Jedi. Finally he would completely dissolve the Senate, leaving no-one left to challenge him. He needs the Jedi to fight in his proxy war with the Seperatists to dwindle their numbers and give the illusion that the clones are fighting for the Republic, when in reality they are fighting for him. When Palpatine finally does execute Order 66, it is after the war has left both sides crippled, with the Jedi at the weakest they've been in ages.
Answer: He might not have had such a plan in place at that time. He also wanted Anakin to eventually become his new apprentice, so he wouldn't want to risk him being killed by ordering the Clone Army to execute all the Jedi.
Oh he did have a plan, but I agree the biggest reason was that Anakin was still a Jedi and he couldn't execute the order until he had turned Anakin to the dark side.
He had a long-term plan to wipe out the Jedi, yes, but at this point I don't think he had any plan to kill them all from a logistical standpoint, especially given that he had just barely received the Clone Army.
The Sith ordered the clone army to be made and they were made specifically with order 66 in them, and Palpatine knew it from his former master (who manipulated Jedi Sifo-Dyas to place the order). It was always the plan to kill the Jedi. He just had to wait.
29th Oct 2018
Ready Player One (2018)
Question: How did IOI figure out how to get the first key? I doubt Wade or his friends sent them an email telling them how to do it.
Answer: They all witnessed Percival and his friends do the race backwards, they just copied the act. Eventually everyone knew how to do it.
Answer: Actually, they never got the first key. They even talked about that they didn't need to since Parzival found it. If they did start getting the keys, they would appear on the leader boards also. So only the High Five found it.
Actually they did need to get the key. The second key can only be acquired by someone who has received the first, and the same thing with the third key. Also, the High Five is simply referring to the first five to actually make it onto the leader-board. The simple fact is that once the secret was discovered, it was only a matter of time before it was general knowledge for everyone to do.
29th Oct 2018
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Question: Why would Harry say Voldemort killed Cedric? Obviously it was Wormtail.
Answer: Peter Pettigrew was believed to be dead by the entire wizarding world. The only witnesses are Lupin (a werewolf), Sirius, who is still on the run, Harry, Ron and Hermione. No one believed him about Voldemort returning, as they thought he was only seeking attention. Its safe to assume everyone would also think the same about Pettigrew being alive.
29th Oct 2018
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Question: Why didn't they just cast Avada Kedavra on the Horcruxes and then disapparate before the ministry could find them as I think they can detect the unforgivable curses being used?
Answer: The avada kedavra curse did not work on the horcruxes while there was more than one in existence. That was why baby Harry survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him using that curse, and why Voldemort could not be killed until all the other horcruxes were destroyed. The horcruxes could only be destroyed by a few methods, such as with basilisk venom or fiendfyre. The horcrux inside Harry was later killed by Voldemort using avada kedavra, but that seems to be because the other horcruxes had already been destroyed. Voldemort never knew that Harry carried a horcrux inside him.
Actually Harry survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him because of the love of his mother and her sacrifice. Voldemort's killing curse rebounded upon that love spell and caused a piece of his soul (already shattered from killing Harry's parents) to transfer to Harry. The reason Voldemort's killing curse worked to kill the horcrux inside Harry was because Harry was simply killed by the killing curse along with the horcrux and then the resurrection stone resurrected Harry, but not the horcrux.
That's true, his mother's love protected him. However, at the end, Harry wasn't dead-he was in-between life and death and he had the choice to either go back to the living world or "move on." He chose to return. The resurrection stone did not play a part in reviving him. There is still much confusion and debate over exactly when and how the horcrux inside Harry was destroyed.
He had the resurrection stone in his hand when he confronted Voldemort in the forest, that's why he had a choice, because of the stone. After resurrecting the stone was left behind.
That is incorrect. Harry is holding the Resurrection Stone while he is speaking to the spirits of his mother, father, Lupin, and Sirius. Just before he leaves them, he drops the stone, and it is seen falling from his hand to the ground in the forest "before" he goes to meet Voldemort. (In the book, the stone is left in the forest so that no-one will be able to use it.) The stone did not play any part in Harry being revived. You can watch the clip on YouTube.
Hm, yeah all right. But then he didn't actually use it, only to talk to deceased loved ones, which bothers me and when I'm bothered the ground quakes. I always thought its power worked on till the moment he got killed and then resurrected him.
The Resurrection Stone was only to bring back someone else from the dead, not one's own self. It had to be used by a living person who called for a dead person to return to the earth, though as Hermione read from the book (when the Trio was at the Lovegood house), the dead person was never really resurrected to a full living being again and did not understand the world they were brought back to.
29th Oct 2018
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Question: During jury selection, Kevin decides to have one of the jury dismissed, I believe, because of the shoes the jury member wore. What exactly do the guy's shoes have to do with anything?
Answer: The shoes showed him this man polishes them every day, also his clothes are custom made. That all means the look he has of a black thug is deceiving, instead he's a cautious, proud person they can't use in the jury. Just to add, Kevin knows all this because the devil (his father, spoiler alert) is giving him the talent to do it, not a logical explanation can be given why he dismisses these people.
It is a judgement of character based on how one takes care of shoes. Highly polished shoes symbolize success and are sympathetic to the client represented by Kevin. It contrasts with the religious school teacher who is shabbily attired, i.e. one who would be (automatically) not sympathetic to the client represented by Kevin.
28th Jun 2009
The Shining (1980)
Question: What exactly happened to Jack? Why is he in that picture at the end of the movie?
Chosen answer: There are two possibilities: Most likely, Jack's soul is forever linked to the hotel, and every once in a while, he is reborn into the world, only to return to it, and instigate more killings. Basically, he is constantly resuming his duties as the caretaker of the spirits in the Hotel. That, or every time someone dies at the hotel, their soul becomes linked to it, and the photo at the end changes to illustrate that link. However, if that theory were true, then the cook would also be in the photo.
The cook would not be in the photo, as he was not succumbing to the Hotel, he died fighting it, and therefore his soul does not "belong" to the Overlook.
Jack is never reincarnated. Period. The hotel decides that Jack will become the next caretaker in the afterlife when he attends the initial interview! Therefore, when he dies, he becomes part of the ghosts in the hotel and immortalized in the infamous group photo on the wall! And he will make his presence known to the next victim.
Answer: I always believed, as have others, that anyone who is "killed" by the hotel has their soul added to the hotel which materializes as them being added to the picture.
Yeah, but it seems kinda weird he is in the middle of the picture with everyone around him even though he was added last. And the ghost calling him "the caretaker" suggest he is the caretaker in that picture too, so the same person as the original one who was caretaker all that time ago.
Answer: The point of the picture at the end is to show Jack has indeed been at the hotel before. This explains the deja vu he feels upon entering the hotel. Notice none of the other ghosts, such as Delbert, the twins, Mrs Massey, etc. are visible in the photo. That's because they were at the hotel after 1921. The answer that says his soul has been around a long time is correct.
7th Sep 2017
Labyrinth (1986)
Question: The ancient Aramaic or Minoan looking script on the shields of the four lying/truth-telling guards: does anyone know what it says or what language it is in?
Answer: What I have been able to decode is "one question. One answer. Tricks and challenge. And one says "lies" while the the other says "truth."
What did you use to decode it with? I have been over several pages of Khuzdul language and was only able to decipher what is written up there "Vzhklaiheaksh." That's the best I could figure it out.
Answer: It's Runes, but I'm not sure which, there a few alphabets.
Answer: Its Tolkien dwarvish, the Khuzdul language. But i'm guessing its just gibberish. What it says on the bottom left part of the left shield is "Vzhklaiheaksh." Which means nothing.
Try with theban runes. They are often mistaken for tolkiens.
Answer: It looks like Tolkien's Runic language. As to what it says, there are translators online that may help.
15th Oct 2018
Grease (1978)
Question: What does Rizzo mean at the Frosty Palace when she asks Danny if someone is snaking him?
Answer: Actually, according to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, snake means "to whip or punish, " originating from a teamsters whip which was commonly called a "snake" in the 1930's. I rewatched the scene with this definition in mind and it fits perfectly. Rizzo walks in and immediately notices Sandy sitting at a table with Tom. She walks straight over to where Danny is sitting with the rest of the gang and says, while glancing back over her shoulder at Sandy, "somebody snakin' ya Danny?" It seems clear Rizzo is referencing Sandy's behavior, which is designed to punish Danny for treating her poorly in front of his friends.
Answer: It's 50s slang and she's asking if Tom is moving in and stealing his girl.
15th Oct 2018
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Why did the trio watch Buckbeak being executed?
Answer: Because they had some small hope that something would happen that prevented it, they stayed to see if a miracle would happen basically. They didn't want to see it of course, but they felt it too terrible to just not know if there was any hope it wouldn't happen and then miss it.
Answer: They didn't actually see Buckbeak being executed because he never was. They were far enough away that they only partially saw the executioner wield the axe, but he was actually chopping a pumpkin out of frustration because Buckbeak had disappeared. If they had been closer, they most likely would not have looked at all, not wanting to witness such a gruesome scene.
Thank you but I was meaning to ask why they stayed on that hill to watch instead of returning to the common room?
It's pointless to speculate what their reasoning for watching was because it really comes down to it being a plot device. The audience has to think that Buckbeak has been killed in order to propel the story forward. That is achieved by having HR&H stop atop the hill and watch what they think is the execution. It also is to convey their sense of grief and hopelessness.
12th Oct 2018
General questions
A random movie or TV quote has occurred to me and I can't place it. It's delivered in a faintly Al Pacino way, but I don't think it's him, saying "I will not let...these animals...", then something like "ruin my city", but I only remember the first part. Any clue what it's from?
Chosen answer: That's from the movie Bad Boys II (2003), Captain Howard played by Joe Pantoliano says it at the end of this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw6WIbR1eQw.
Thank you! Not seen that in far too long.
11th Oct 2018
Grease (1978)
Question: At the diner, why was Rizzo mad at Kenickie? She seemed to be mad at him about something and I get the feeling that it wasn't because of how he ate his burger.
Answer: He was being a jerk and insensitive. But really she was worried she was pregnant and that made her have a short fuse.
Answer: Kenickie said Rizzo had the personality of a wet mop. After Rizzo said "Don't start with me!", Kenickie put his arm around Frenchy and said "Eureka, how about I finish with you." which means that Kenickie was going to break up with Rizzo. Rizzo thought that Kenickie put his arm around Frenchy because he was going to dump her for Frenchy. He didn't, though.
Answer: No, earlier on there was a big argument between Kinickie and Rizzo that was cut from the movie and that's why they were upset with each other in that scene.
Is there a clip of it?
5th Oct 2018
Aliens (1986)
Question: How did all the colonists get relocated to where the queen is? Do the aliens paralyze them when interacting with them? I can't imagine Hudson going there to be cocooned without struggling.
Answer: In the original script, yes the aliens have a barb at the end of their tails which is used to sting their prey and paralyze them. This was deemed unnecessary, however and the idea was dropped. We are shown an alien grabbing Dietrich and carrying her away and they do indeed just seem to strong-arm their victims and carry them, kicking and screaming the whole way. Bear in mind that a xenomorph is considerably stronger than an average human. It doesn't appear to be any more difficult for them to carry an unwilling human than it would be for a parent carrying a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Could be even more than that, they could concuss their captives or release some sort of odour that causes sleepiness. Could be anything. The captives always wake up cocooned before being impregnated so they are anesthetized at some point. We know the facehuggers anesthetize their victims, so the fully grown xenomorphs must have still have the same chemical compound as well.
The comic books and novels go into great detail regarding the chemical the facehuggers use to put people to sleep. It has a name and everything. This chemical is what causes some people to have nightmares while they are subdued. Curiously, I've never noticed them saying the adult xenomorph also uses the chemical but like you say, it stands to reason that they do. Why the movies and novels etc. ignore this element entirely is anyone's guess. It seems like an interesting element that has been consistently left out and, like you also say, people just seem to "wake up" after being cocooned but before they are impregnated so obviously they were put to sleep at some point.
4th Oct 2018
Braveheart (1995)
Question: Why did they decapitate Wallace after he said "freedom"? I thought they implied that if he said "mercy", they'd give him a quick death, but if not, they'd continue to torture him. So what would they have done if he said "mercy"?
Answer: In the end, they just gave up. They realised he was not going to say it before dying anyway, so they ended it. If he would have said "mercy" they would have done the same thing, but it didn't matter anymore. They couldn't break him.
30th Sep 2018
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
29th Sep 2018
The Time Machine (2002)
Question: How is the hologram artificial intelligence system still operational and has power after 800,000 years?
Answer: We don't know what kind of power supply the AI system is running upon, but it's possible it's a system that works on some unlimited energy source that doesn't need fuel or uses very little energy.
Answer: It's a plot hole. Just as, in the original 1960 George Pal movie, the Eloi are still human and speaking 20th Century English. After 802,000 years, all artifacts and traces of our modern civilization will be long, long, long vanished (excepted perhaps for a handful of fossilized bones). Additionally, after such a long time, the human species will probably be long extinct.
26th Sep 2018
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Answer: Didn't think he had to.
Answer: While it's purely speculation, here are few ideas: 1. He didn't think he needed to. He now possesses the most powerful weapon in the universe and thought hitting Thanos in the chest would be enough. 2. He may have aimed for the head, but Thanos was trying to repel the axe, which caused the aim to be off. 3. He wanted Thanos to die slowly so that he could deliver his "I told you..." line.
24th Sep 2018
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Question: When they are heading down in the lift to the vault in the SWAT suits, who is the character to left of Brad Pitt? Because as you can see his face he doesn't look like any of the Oceans 11 characters at all.
Answer: This is actually a mistake in the movie, there is an extra person in the elevator. It is listed in the mistakes.
23rd Sep 2018
The Green Mile (1999)
Question: What was with the scene where John picks up and smells the grass after he's snuck out to help Melinda? And what did John mean when he said 'no matter how it happened, Del was the lucky one.' Did John somehow take all that pain so Del wouldn't? I never really got it.
Answer: He smelled the grass because he had missed it being locked up. As for the other thing, John was tired, he constantly felt the pain of others around him, he wanted it to stop. Del died, to John that's the way out, to get rid of the pain. Even though Del felt a lot of pain, for John it doesn't matter, as long as he gets out, so the pain stops. He didn't take Del's pain.
Watch John closely during Del's execution. His body reacts the same as Del's throughout. He said Del's the lucky one because he wouldn't know earthly pain any longer, something that John is longing for by the time of his own execution.
He didn't take his pain.
I believe that John himself had lived a long time because of his powers, maybe he couldn't die from old age, but could be killed like other people, he was tired of being alive, so the execution was his way out.
Answer: He smells the grass, because it's pure.
Answer: No reason was given, but they probably felt no immediate need to enter the attic. I've never been in my own house's attic. As you pointed out, it's really a matter of plot convenience.
raywest ★
Maybe Lydia reserved it like Charles reserved one room for himself too.
lionhead
Good point.
Phaneron ★