Question: Why did Chris insist on the group stealing the cannibals' truck? Wouldn't it have made more sense to hide out somewhere until they leave, then try to get one of the other cars running? Looks like most of them only had flat tires, could have taken 1 tire off 4 cars to get one functioning car. I doubt very much they drained the fuel out of them, older ones could have been hotwired and if they had flat batteries, nothing a bump start couldn't solve.
Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
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Answer: They were planning to try to get one of the cars started. Chris says "Maybe one of them still runs, look for keys". But of course the cannibals turn up, meaning they don't have time to look for a working car.
Answer: How long would it take you to change four tires? Now how long would it take you if you had no tools, if you didn't have the key to the trunk to get the jack, if you had to do it under the cover of dark, and if anyone found you, you'd be killed?
Question: At the end of the episode, Dicky's parents are called and informed that the government has killed him? Why did they do this?
Answer: They live in a totalitarian state where people who are deemed too smart (and therefore a threat to the authorities) are done away with. That's the point of the test, to eliminate potential troublemakers.
Answer: It's the opposite - not smart but dumb. The voice said he failed to get a perfect score, less than one hundred percent.
Quote: "We regret to inform you that your son's intelligence quotient has EXCEEDED the government standard, according to section blah blah blah of the New Code." As in the original short story, they were eliminating intelligent people.
Where can I find the short story?
It's in the compilation "100 Great Science Fiction Short Stories" edited by Isaac Asimov.
It's by Henry Slesar and a quick Google search will show you some online copies. It's only two pages.
According to Wikipedia, it was first published in the February 1958 issue of Playboy magazine; it may have been reprinted elsewhere since then.
Question: Does the Red October not have a signal light on the periscope like the Dallas? It's a little ridiculous that they have to ping them to acknowledge them.
Answer: Red October would certainly have a signal light. If Dallas thought they were talking to the ready to defect Captain, I can't think of a more dangerous way to ask him to reply. Ordering the sonar signal certainly alerted the entire crew that something very unusual was going on. Plot error for sure.
No plot hole. Ramius explains the first and second ping to his crew as "(re)-confirming range to target." If they had seen him toggling a bunch of morse code via the signal light, they would either have recognized the morse code themselves or at a minimum wondered whom he was talking to and what about.
Question: Why does Tom Cruise constantly flash his doctor's ID card like he thinks he works for the FBI?
Answer: To convince others that he is going about legitimate business and to demonstrate that he is trustworthy because of his professional status. At a deeper level, he does it to reassure himself as he finds himself in progressively more bizarre circumstances.
Question: I've noticed a few times in the film they mention "Phase 2." For example, when Fury is talking to the council they bring it up and Fury says "Phase 2 isn't ready." Given that the MCU was broken up into phases, with this being the last film in Phase One (with Iron Man 3 released a year later as the first film in Phase Two), was this an inside joke or nod about the MCU phases, or just coincidence and I'm reading too much into it?
Answer: Phase 2 in the movie refers to the plan executed in Captain America: Winter Soldier, Project Insight which is their next phase for total security of Earth (along with Stark's Ultron program). It is coincidental that it is the same term used for the MCU itself.
Question: Before Paxton escapes he sees guards talking to the police outside the building. I'm confused to why he says "oh shit" - is it because they pay the police to keep it quiet and that is why he doesn't shout for help to the police?
Answer: Exactly, yes. This interaction tells him that the police are in on the operation, and will not help him.
Question: For any military pilots out there: Is it even realistic that Maverick's accident would've been investigated, concluded, and Mav would have been cleared and put back to flight status within the time-frame of the TOPGUN class? Wikipedia says TOPGUN in the 80's was only 5 weeks and today it's 9 weeks. I don't remember how far along they were when Mav and Goose crashed but I'm guessing 1/2 way through at most, so that gives 2-3 weeks to investigate and clear Maverick.
Answer: Totally unrealistic, especially since it was a fatal incident. These can take weeks and months to be investigated and the pilot returned to flight status.
Question: Before I claim this as a continuity or factual mistake - a question: When the Arab raiding party shows up over the dune, they camp by a collection of scrub that was not all dead, some was green. There were also a number of plants in that low-lying area around the camp. Wouldn't the survivors had a better chance of surviving more days by digging for underground water in that area? Perhaps deep, but there. If they took 12 days to build the plane, it seems 2 days digging for water would have given them more time.
Answer: In the desert, the only place you can find water as at an oasis or maybe digging in a dry river bed. Those bushes would be extremely salty, and any meaningful water would be far too deep under the sand.
Question: There is a major plot point which doesn't make sense to me. When Selene killed Viktor, who turned her into a vampire, why didn't it kill her too? I thought that when one vampire dies, all the vampires that were turned by them died too. That's why Viktor never killed Marcus. Is there something I'm missing?
Question: The opening scene shows a military base with an equestrian event taking pace, which Bond infiltrates and places a bomb in an aircraft before getting caught, then escapes with the aid of his assistant and a small jet aircraft. How was this related to the rest of the plot?
Answer: It wasn't meant to be related at all. It was just an action sequence to start off the film as Bond completes a previous assignment before a segue into the familiar 007 opening theme and a new song. I recall there were some other earlier Bond films that also used this formula. After the opening bit, the story starts as Bond meets with "M" for a new mission, then a briefing with "Q" about the latest spy gadgets. There was also the obligatory flirtatious banter between Bond and Miss Moneypenny.
I see what you mean. I'm thinking of those films where the opening scene has some link to the main plot (e.g. The Spy Who Loved Me), but Moonraker is like this one, it starts off (spectacularly) with Bond at the end of a previous assignment.
Question: Why was the original trilogy always titled episodes 4, 5 and 6, when the prequel trilogy wasn't even planned?
Answer: The original wasn't. It was just "Star Wars" when I saw it in the theater. In fact Lucas wasn't planning on any sequels when he made the first. After the first made it as a big success and drafts of a sequel were started, the second was first numbered as 2, but Lucas decided on a series with prequels, so the first became number 4, and so on. For a long time after 4-6 came out, people doubted if 7-9, let alone 1-3 would every be made. It was 16 years between the release of #6 and #1.
Answer: It is true "Star Wars" was not originally called episode IV, but Lucas always had the idea of doing a sequels. His original script became too big for one film, so he took the first third of the script (Act 1) and turned it into "Star Wars." However, since the film gave no context or background information to the audience (we're basically just thrown into the action), Lucas took the opportunity when "Star Wars" was a success to plan on creating prequels.
Https://drbeat.li/album/Bücher/The_Secret_History_of_Star_Wars.pdf (pdf of "The Secret History of Star Wars"). And here is a quote from Lucas "The Star Wars series started out as a movie that ended up being so big that I took each act and cut it into its own movie...It was like a big script. It was way too big to make into a movie. So I took the first third of it, which is basically the first act, and I turned that into what was the original Star Wars."
Question: Considering that Chuck had been on the island for four years, would he actually still have all of his teeth or would he have lost them all? From all the things that he saw in the packages that he opened, not one of them had anything to keep his teeth clean.
Answer: Even without dental care for four years, it would take far longer for a generally healthy person to lose their teeth if they had previously maintained proper oral hygiene. Chuck's diet was a factor (little or no sugar) and he could also fashion a primitive toothbrush or toothpick from materials on the island. Ancient humans had relatively little tooth decay. It was after sugar was introduced into the European (and later American) diet in the 11th century, that dental problems started becoming more prevalent.
Answer: It's possible that he could keep his teeth, provided he doesn't eat too many sugars. Just think of all the cultures throughout history and today that do not brush their teeth. They certainly have dental issues compared to those who regularly brush and see a dentist, but it's not like none of them have teeth.
Answer: Toothpaste and toothbrushes (+ floss) are not the only things that can be used to clean teeth! (What did people use before toothpaste and toothbrushes were manufactured?) A CLEAN finger can be used or a wet piece of cloth - and some fruits (e.g, apple) and vegetables (e.g, carrot) can help remove gunk from teeth. He had access to sea salt, which could help. If he "wiped" his teeth (after every meal and snack), he would be able to avoid plaque and tartar buildup. Toothpaste in and of itself is NOT necessary - it is added flavor to supposedly make brushing teeth taste better (e.g, bubblegum flavor for kids), be more pleasant (and thereby encourage people to brush longer), and/or add fluoride. Few, if any, people make it through adult life without a cavity, but there's no significant factor during his four years that would make him lose all of his teeth! The information given in the previous answers is also relevant.
Answer: I wasn't told as a kid I had to brush my teeth every day. I brushed them only before going to the dentist or a special occasion, would sometimes go months without brushing. I only started brushing properly after puberty and I still have each and every single one of my teeth. They're a bit yellower than average, but not that bad. Even with smoking all my life and practically living of sugar, most people actually think I have pretty decent teeth and I never get comments about having bad teeth. They do tell me that if this had gone on for much longer, I would regret it and my gums have retracted a bit from all the tartar, but this makes me assume that, being healthy, you can probably go at least 10 years with poor mouth hygiene before your teeth actually start rotting.
The Violin - S5-E5
Question: All the way up until season 5 Nelly (the nice Grandma) and Martin get along nicely. In season 1 EP 3 they are joking with each other. In season 2 EP 7 he apologises for pouring water on her (and keep in mind he is being sincere here). But in this episode he hears that she had a fall and suggests that she have a bigger one. What happened?
The Jingle - S1-E2
Question: Did anyone else notice a few things that are weird about this episode. 1) Jim is known for his shaky voice and propositioning Jackie but in this episode he seems to talk normally and isn't even asking to see her. It's like Mark Heap forgot to do this or the showmakers were testing it for future episodes. 2) The camerawork is different. In all the other episodes the camera shots are shaky but still OK; however, the camera stays still and uses normal zooming in and normal camera switching methods.
Question: I'm pretty sure I've heard Black Dynamite's line about "When your so-called Revolution starts, you call me and I'll be right down in front showing you how it's done." in another Blaxploitation movie but can't quite place it. Don't think it's Super Fly or Dolemite. Anyone know?
Answer: Shaft.
Question: According to the credits, the smallest of the three Satan Knights that come over to get JJ is nicknamed "Sweet Pea." However this name is never mentioned by anyone in this episode. The other two are mentioned (Mad Dog and Neck Bone). Why would the credits use a name not used?
Answer: Could have very well been that he did have a speaking part, but ended up on the cutting room floor, and they just didn't fix the credits.
Answer: He did have a speaking part many times throughout the episode, but gang name simply not used (just his real first name by Florida). James even referred to him in the start of the next episode by saying "Neck Bone and that other character."
Answer: Whilst hiding and waiting for them to leave would have been better in the short term, there was no guarantee that any of the cars were runners. This was potentially the only opportunity they had to secure a running vehicle. Plus, even if by some miracle they did manage to get one of those cars started. The mutants could have chased them down, run them off the road etc. with their truck.