Question: When the state police and national guard were called in to draw Rambo out into the open to capture him, why weren't the Marines or other active duty Green Berets called upon instead to deal with an unstable war veteran who was unpredictable and armed and dangerous? The government sent over Colonel Trautman, but he could have at least brought a group of special forces with him to help out in the hunt.
Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.
Question: When Frank travels into the future and sees an older Calvin sitting on the floor, Calvin glances up. Did Calvin see Frank?
Answer: It's a vision, not reality, so one could interpret it either way. I think it's more powerful if Calvin is seeing Frank, silently accusing him of being (at least partially) responsible for his (Calvin's) situation.
Question: How did English Spider-Man (the rebel one with the guitar) get back to his own dimension after leaving his watch thing for Gwen in her dimension?
Answer: Hobie or Spider-Punk gave Gwen's Father a watch he'd built himself. It's fairly safe to assume he built more than one.
Question: How exactly was Burke planning to convince the others to get an impregnated Newt and Ripley off the planet without causing suspicion from Hicks or the other marines if the facehuggers had succeeded as he wanted?
Answer: The marines worked for the Weyland-Yutani company. They're basically a corporate para-military. Burke was in charge of the operation, so he presumably assumed they, and also Bishop, the company android, would follow his orders, not fully knowing the circumstances. Burke probably intended that most of the marines would also be "infected."
Question: I've never understood why the three antagonists never escape and continue to scream after the ghosts have gone. Is there something horrible that they see and the audience don't that freezes them and makes them scream in fear?
Answer: The audience sees everything they see. At first, they're transfixed by the magical apparitions around them and are marvelling at how beautiful/supernatural/awe-inspiring it is. Just as, I imagine, anyone else would. Then, the figure in front of them changes into something terrifying, and they scream in fear because they realise whatever is coming out of the Ark is, to put it mildly, not friendly. Then (again, as you'd expect), they are rooted to the spot in terror, and after that, well, it's kind of hard to escape when your face is melting off and/or exploding.
Question: If Norman married Claire when she was "touring with a baby" (Caitlin), why is he not referred to as Caitlin's stepfather? When they take her to college, Claire refers to him as "Norman" when speaking to her. I've seen the movie a few times and always thought this was a little odd. Many people would even think of a stepfather as "father" if he was the one who raised them for most of their life.
Answer: There's no rule about how a step-father is referred to. Caitlin may simply not consider him a father figure and is close to her real dad. Most step children call their step-parent by their first name, regardless of how long the parents have been married. Most likely it's a plot device so that the audience isn't confused about or doesn't forget that Norman is not Caitlin's real father. Some may be offended by a father killing his biological child's mother. It makes Norman less attached to either Claire or Caitlin.
I am not trying to be rude, but have you seen this movie? You say that Caitlin might be close to her real dad. He is dead. Claire was "touring with a baby" after he died, and then she met Norman. Hence why I found the situation a bit odd. Norman has been in Caitlin's life since she was a "baby."
I saw the movie some years ago and don't remember all the small details. However, my main point was that calling Norman by his first name was a plot device to keep the audience focused on him not being Caitlin's biological father. This kept his character more detached from Claire and Caitlin, and made him less sympathetic. It showed there was emotional/personal divide between Norman and his wife and her daughter. He has less resistance in killing Claire if they did not share a biological child.
Question: When watching Tony on the news, what did Anton mean when he said it should have been Ivan?
Answer: Howard Stark and Anton Vanko together developed the arc reactor technology that made Stark Industries so big and wealthy, and indirectly responsible for the Iron Man suit. But Anton got discredited, so his son Ivan didn't get the opportunities like Tony did, by not inheriting any of the wealth and recognition.
Question: Why does Alice team up with Carlos after he points a gun at her in the school?
Answer: The movie quite literally explains it. They've both been contacted by the same person with the same offer, so even though their initial meeting is tense, they quickly team up. As the phrase goes... strength in numbers. It's easier to complete a difficult task with more allies.
Question: Mel Gibson used what looked like an AK-47 to shoot Jet Li. Is a rifle like that watertight and able to fire underwater?
Answer: It can be fired underwater, yes, although its effective range is tiny since the water instantly slows the bullet down. It'd definitely be able to kill Jet Li as demonstrated though, since it's pushed right up against him, thus the bullets would have very little resistance from the water. Although I don't know if it'd get quite as many shots off before jamming up. There are plenty of videos of people firing them underwater, but they always only fire a single round, presumably for safety reasons. Either way, the scene is more or less realistic.
Answer: The AK47 is known for its simplicity and durability, with a design that is easy to use, maintain, and repair, even in harsh conditions. It can function in extreme temperatures, dusty and sandy environments, and even when it is dirty or partially submerged in water."How far can an AK-47 shoot underwater? - Not very far. Besides having to push water out of the barrel, bullets don't go very far through water even when the bullet exits the barrel at full muzzle velocity. Bullets hitting the water travel about 3-feet before stopping."
Question: Why did Mrs. Incredible look at herself in the mirror? I never did understand that.
Answer: She sees her reflection and notices her thighs and rear-end look a little big, before letting out a slightly disappointed sigh. It's there to indicate that she has minor body-insecurity issues, much as Bob did earlier in the film. She hasn't been a super in a while and has had kids in the meantime, so she's put on a little weight... it's a nice moment to remind us that despite being a superhero on the surface, she's also a normal person with normal worries deep down inside.
Answer: She was noticing her larger hips/butt thanks to the skin-tight super suit. As with a lot of people, she gained weight as she got older, and she was no longer a superhero, so she didn't get the exercise she had in her youth.
Question: Why is Eeyore always sad? Does he suffer from depression?
Answer: It's never definitively explained, but Eeyore apparently suffers from depression, is sad about his tail, and generally always feels unhappy. Actually, he is just one character that displays a certain emotional type. Tigger is hyperactive and attention deficit, Rabbit is obsessive-compulsive, Owl is narcissistic, Piglet suffers from anxiety, and Pooh has an eating disorder.
Question: Since the Alien and Predator movies take place in the same universe, is it possible that Jerry Lambert (who was played by Bill Paxton) may be the ancestor of Hudson (also played by Paxton) from "Aliens"?
Answer: Not likely. Bill Paxton was a popular actor who was in high demand by various directors. He also had a reputation of being a professional, reliable, well-liked actor. Many directors or producers like working with the same actors in various projects.
Question: Why were animators constantly repeating footage throughout the entire series? For me, this method was totally nonsensical because it led to numerous continuity errors. For example, in the episode "Enter the Punisher," Spider-Man lacked his extra arms in one shot because the footage was used from a different episode. Why were animators doing this?
Question: Why were the Proffitt boys all in the same class even though they're different ages?
Question: Why did Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts hate each other during the filming?
Question: Why is a toad, a cat or an owl a requirement for first year students?
Answer: Witches are said to have familiars. Animals that act as guardians, protectors, and mascots. Merlin, Circe, and Morgan Le Fay all had familiars.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: The answer is in Trautman's first appearance in the film: he is very adamant that the way to deal with Rambo is to deescalate the situation, not add more firepower/soldiers/hunters. It's likely the government considered sending special forces, but Trautman, who knows Rambo, would have declined for the same reason he explains to Teasle: the best thing to do is let Rambo escape, let him calm down, and apprehend him once he's no longer in "survival" mode.