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: Does anyone remember the name of the Italian orphanage where Derek Jr. lived?

Answer: Picollo Cletusi.

Answer: It's left ambiguous as to who the father is.

raywest

Answer: "It" appears to know that Henry and his gang are "The Losers" antagonists and is using him as a weapon against them.

raywest

Question: Are lightsabers capable of cutting through any substance, or are there objects in the franchise (even if the examples are no longer canon) that have been specifically mentioned as being resistant?

Phaneron

Answer: There are several substances in canon and non-canon that are resistant to lightsabers. Beskar, also known as Mandalorian iron or Mandalorian steel was used to make armor and weapons by the Mandalorian people. Cortosis was an ore that, when heavily refined, stopped lightsaber blades and blaster bolts. Phrik was another metal, used in Darth Sidious' lightsabers and the electrostaffs used by Grievous' robot guards. Neuranium was a very, very dense and heavy metal that was partially resistant to lightsabers, but was more often used to shield from scanners. The species orbalisk and vonduun crab had carapaces that could withstand the blow of a lightsaber.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: The Force Awakens features stormtroopers using the "Z6 riot control baton", which they use to block the lightsaber when Finn uses it.

Jon Sandys

Is it the baton itself that is resistant, or the energy surge around it? Because I know Snoke's guards were able to block lightsabers with energized weapons as well.

Phaneron

Yes you see them in Episode III as well when fighting on the bridge of the chancellor's ship. My guess is the energy blocks the lightsaber. It's logical they would come up with some sort of technology to block lightsabers if materials that can block them are that rare.

lionhead

Answer: There are a handful of items, but I don't believe any have been mentioned or shown in the film series (other than another lightsaber itself). Mandalorian Iron (also known as Beskar) and Phrix are resistant to lightsaber attacks and have been mentioned in the TV show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", but I don't recall if their resistance is specifically mentioned in the show.

Bishop73

Answer: They are Oakley Square Wires. Oakley is the brand mostly worn throughout the Blade series as Wesley Snipes is allegedly a big fan.

lionhead

Question: When this movie was first released in theaters, I vaguely remember a scene where one crewman yelled "go to commercial" and another crewperson said something like "we already had (some big number) commercials, stand-bys..." and other things in the sentence related to a big delay of the show. When this movie was recently on cable, I watched it and never found this scene in it, but remember this in 1982. Was this scene edited out in recent years, or am I mistaking this scene with another movie?

Answer: No I believe that's from the movie.

Answer: Nick also points out that the crime scenes are always contaminated. The evidence was probably contaminated by the cops.

Answer: The reason the DNA was inadmissible was not elaborated on. We're only told it was inadmissible because of the "exclusionary rule." Therefore, the judge in the case must have deemed the way the DNA was collected from the suspects was in violation of their constitutional rights. The why was not explained and anything would be a guess (something like when they were arrested and there was no probable cause to take a DNA sample). But it's seems more of plot convenience to move the story forward quickly. Clyde passing out had nothing to do with the DNA being inadmissible, it only meant his eyewitness testimony may be considered unreliable. Therefore the DA's Office was not willing to try both men using Clyde as a witness, but go with the plea deal.

Bishop73

Answer: Because Clyde passed out.

Question: Who taught Annie to read, and how come Annie's parents never signed the note she keeps?

Answer: Some people can teach themselves to read. Also at one point in the movie you can see a classroom of some type so at one time they may have been taught how to read.

Question: In the first classroom scene with Mr. Morgan, what does he call Joey?

Answer: He calls him "Chachi." This seems to be a reference to the "Happy Days" and "Joanie Love Chachi" character Chachi, who was played by Scott Baio. Joey (played by Andrew Keegan) looks like a young Scott Baio.

Bishop73

Show generally

Question: I seem to recall seeing an episode of this show when I was a little kid that featured Bull being involved in an elevator crash, and when he emerges from the elevator afterwards, he is drastically shorter. Did this actually happen, and if so, what episode was it?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: I just saw the episode again; it's "Blues of the Birth" (original airdate May 2, 1990), which was the same episode in which Christine gave birth to her baby boy. Bull rushed into the broken elevator in which Christine was forced to give birth to retrieve her shoes; the elevator then plunged from the 18th floor to the ground floor, which then resulted in Bull apparently losing at least two feet of height.

zendaddy621

Answer: The scene did in fact happen, as I distinctly remember it; I don't, however, recall the specific episode.

zendaddy621

Question: Did Harry ever find out of the truth about how his father died? If so, then how?

Answer: Yes, it's shown in the film. The butler tells him, and it's why Harry decides to help Spider Man at the end of the film. In fact, this is one of the plot points that caused such derision of the film because it was so ridiculous that the butler would have waiting so long to tell Harry what really happened to his father.

wizard_of_gore

Question: How could WOPR not know the difference between a game and real life?

Answer: While merely speculation, the WOPR is not alive and knows only what it's been programmed to do. It would have no concept of life or death, and as such would see no difference between the simulation and the real thing. That being said, an easy way to make it see the difference would be to program it to not waste physical resources. It would then see the use of all its actual warheads as less desirable.

Answer: This film is science fiction and hardly reflective of a real-life scenario. The WOPR is depicted as being almost semi-sentient that is flawed. The movie employs an illogical, suspension-of-disbelief plot line.

raywest

Question: At the beginning of the movie, we see everyone getting picked up by the police for the lineup. Everyone except for Verbal. Given that he had the power to orchestrate the lineup, did he get picked up as Verbal, or did he get there some other way?

Answer: Verbal is telling the story to Agent Kujon and makes it up as he goes based on things he sees around the room. Verbal Kint is a master manipulator, so to believe anything he says is ridiculous. The entire story is made up, as he tells it using various bits of truth and things he can see in front of him, which help him to remember his lies. That there even was a lineup would need to be verified to know for sure. The only fact of the story is that the ship burned and all but one witness and Kint are dead. Everything else is speculation based on the word of a known criminal and apparent habitual liar.

Question: How did the new gauge in the car read the boiler temperature? It wasn't connected to the train at all.

Answer: It was based on the speed the train, and therefore the car, was travelling.

Answer: He was in the water.

Question: Just how could she rise up so high in a publishing house way before this citizenship problem began? Clearly she took maybe ten years or so to achieve this, so how is this possible without the immigration problem beforehand?

Rob245

Answer: Margaret's visa apparently expired and she had failed to get it renewed, so she was being deported to Canada.

raywest

Question: Does Carrie's mother in any of the versions (mainly this one) truly love her? I mean she's nuts but surely wouldn't it be possible for her to love her daughter?

Rob245

Answer: In her own twisted and demented way, she did love Carrie and believed everything she did to her was to protect or cleanse her of sin.

raywest

Question: This was in the Richard Donner cut: Why does Lois want to expose Superman's identity? That and why doesn't she think it through? She's risking the safety of his family after all.

Rob245

Answer: Like many reporters, she feels she has an obligation (and the right) to uncover the facts, even though it could potentially cause harm.

raywest

Answer: I never got the impression that she wanted to expose him, more that she just wanted him to admit it to her. Even if he had turned into Superman when she jumped out of the window, no one would have seen that, and she could have kept his secret.

jshy7979

Question: When they were about to blow up the one guy's car but wouldn't because his wife and kids got in it, I was wonder what kind of car was that the target was in?

Quantom X

Answer: '72 Citroen DS 21.

Question: Who was the girl said, "Sh-Shark! Shark in the estuary!" in Jaws? Does anyone know the character and/or actress' name?

Erik M.

Answer: The name of the actress is Carla Hogendyk.

Super Grover

Thanks, Super Grover! Now I know the character was known as Artist Hippie Girl thanks to you! Cheers and awesome job spotting her!

Erik M.

You're quite welcome. Happy to have helped! Rikki.

Super Grover

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