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: How would Stone have known where she would land? Was it just pure luck that she landed in water and not on land?

Answer: She didn't. Thing is, the Tianggong station was deorbiting already, and the Shenzou was attached. She was re-entering the atmosphere whether she wanted to or not, and the fact that she landed on (or rather, near) land was just lucky.

Friso94

Question: I don't understand what Henry is hiding from Paulie when gets out of jail? And also, why is Henry cheating, and does Karen know? (01:00:00 - 02:00:00)

gabbott163

Answer: Henry is hiding because he's become addicted to cocaine, which he knows will cause Paulie to consider him to be too great of a liability to the mob. Henry cheated on his wife simply because he was afforded the opportunity, and Karen was indeed aware of Henry's infidelity throughout most of their marriage, but she mostly overlooked it because she'd become too accustomed to the cushy lifestyle of a mob wife to risk giving it up by divorcing Henry; it's possible she also didn't want their kids to suffer through their parents' breakup.

zendaddy621

Question: Why was the money wrapped up in aluminium foil?

Answer: When criminals transport large amounts of money, it is often wrapped in foil and plastic to protect it from accidental damage from liquids and fire. There is also an urban legend that wrapping it in foil will keep it from being detected by scanning equipment.

LorgSkyegon

Foil is also used to shield against RFID sensors which is a safety feature used to protect items.

Ssiscool

Question: Did Charlie ever work at the skate shop?

Answer: You can see Charlie working at the skate shop in the second movie, with Jan saying that he hired him because he was spending so much time there to avoid being around his stepfather.

LorgSkyegon

Question: Why did the mom's boyfriend Ben adopt Joe? Shouldn't the minister have adopted Joe seeing as he was the boy's father?

Answer: For the reverend to admit to being Joe's father, meaning he not only had a child out of wedlock but knowingly abandoned him, would destroy him. Ben knew him and cared about him and would be able to take care of him.

LorgSkyegon

Question: As we learned later that Lt Einhorn killed Roger Podactor, how did Einhorn get out of the big apartment after murdering him without being seen? The manager who is at the crime scene doesn't seem to recognize her.

adamjustus

Answer: The old lady said that she heard a scream and called the police. That could easily leave several minutes when she could escape through a back exit or merely hide in the building until after other police get there and said she just arrived. There is no reason to assume that the manager knows everyone who comes into the building, especially if she had only been there a few times.

LorgSkyegon

Question: Towards the ending, why was Sadness trying to run away from Joy?

Answer: Because Sadness thinks that she is the cause of all the problems that Riley is having and she doesn't want to go back to headquarters.

LorgSkyegon

Question: What was wrong with Rachel's sister Zelda? In the flashbacks it shows the older sister as having a twisted spine and being in bed. But what was wrong with her? Was she crippled?

Answer: In the original film, she has a condition called "spinal meningitis," which is an infection in the fluids and membranes around the spine and brain. The disease in real life can cause a range of effects including severe joint and back pain, weight loss, light sensitivity and even brain damage. The implication in both films seems to be that we're not really seeing the "real" Zelda, but more of a monstrous version of Zelda based on Rachel's memory as a child.

TedStixon

Question: Before firing the first barrel into the shark, Hooper attaches something that appears to be a locator beacon to the line. While this device is seen in some later shots it never appears to be used. What is the device and why was it never used?

Answer: I haven't seen the movie in a while but the script says it is a strobe light so the shark can be spotted if it surfaces at night. The climax of the movie is in daylight so the light of the strobe is not visible.

Answer: She called him a "smelly old shoe brush"

lionhead

I don't get that.

Well in that Scene Ron and Hermione were fighting over their pets and Ron called Crookshanks "a pig with hair" so Hermione retaliated by calling Scabbers a "smelly old shoe brush".

lionhead

It's just a polite insult that is used to show disgust.

Ssiscool

Answer: Because he realised it was in braille.

Answer: He found it very hard to believe Eli was blind/able to read a book written in braille.

Question: Early in this movie while still in the USA, Gail says she can't support the research that the blood orchid flower can be used to renew youth for humans, which would make that flower the fountain of youth. Why can she not support the valid scientific research?

Athletic Jason

Answer: I interpreted it as "I can't support this claim the chemical will extend cell life" because she already said it was impossible. However, the way the line sounded when delivered off screen makes it seem like it was dubbed over different dialog. So someone may not have like what was initially said and had this in as a foreshadowing of her objections later in the film, or it was just a throw away line.

Bishop73

Nothing was stopping her from saying that before they left the United States so that is awful writing. She had no valid reason to think or expect that saying "I can't support this" would change the President and other persons minds after they saw a great presentation with images along with science research to substantiate the claim that the blood orchid flower could renew human youth like a fountain of youth. I assume by objections you mean she didn't want to continue to go through with the expedition after Ben was killed by a giant anaconda, also she gave some answer about evidence not being valid.

Athletic Jason

Question: At one point in the film, Joker says to his henchman Bob "You are my number one, and I..." I understand this is a callback to Carl Grissom saying almost the same thing to Jack Napier early in the film, but since he doesn't finish the sentence, what exactly did Joker mean by the "and I..." part?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: Actually he said, "you are my number one guy."

Question: I'm asking this as a question, cause I'm unable to determine if this is actually a mistake with the weird writing... or if I'm just missing something. Right after The Jackal kills Lemont, it cuts to the FBI in a room trying to piece things together. Witherspoon walks in and says "Here we go, sir. Eleven days ago, Charles C. Murdock bought himself a brand new Dodge mini van. Now, that was a big surprise to Mr. Murdock, whose passport and wallet were stolen 16 days ago at the Helsinki Airport." He says this to Preston and the rest as if this is brand new news, a new lead they have to go on and a break they've needed. But then Preston just looks at him contemplating this and immediately responds. "Anything from the border? We sent a description of the van to every crossing from here to Manitoba." Him saying this as if they had this information long ago and already had people searching for it. To me this doesn't make any sense with how either of those characters said their lines. Witherspoon has been with Preston and the others almost this entire time in on the investigation and would have known if they already knew about the van. And if the van was actually a new lead Witherspoon just found and was telling them. Then what Preston said makes no sense. So where is the error in this or am I just missing something? (01:01:35)

Quantom X

Answer: It seemed to me that they had a description of the van, but had not yet identified the owner. Witherspoon is saying the van was purchased with a stolen identity and therefore they still don't know who really bought the van.

Bishop73

But how did they even have a description of the van then? Up to that point it seemed they didn't know anything about a van. This is why i'm confused.

Quantom X

The film makers may have cut out some scenes that would explain it in better detail, but as it is, there's no mention when the FBI knew about the van. However, they did know the Jackal was using James' passport and flew into Montreal so they have been able to follow him, although they're always a step behind. I don't think it's a plot hole or bad writing though, but it certainly up for debate.

Bishop73

In the movie the Jackal (Willis) often changed the colour of the van, white, blue, red etc. So for a proper BOLO of a van especially in 1997 there are many (including currently) many colours of a minivan (family van) so the color it was sold as was changed and it showed him practising washing away one color over another and the last being red.

Answer: Sirius was attempting to break into the Gryffindor common room to find and kill Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail), who had been disguised as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers for the past twelve years.

raywest

Following on from this answer, when the Fat Lady would not give him access to the tower because he didn't have the password, Sirius (not Lupin) became angry and slashed the painting in an attempt to get her to open and allow him access. However, she still refused him access and then left the portrait, essentially sealing off the common room.

Ssiscool

Question: Why were the bad guys that had captured Ramsey driving so close to one another?

Answer: Highly skilled drivers who are working as a team to protect their hostage. Therefore driving in a tight unit offers more protection.

Ssiscool

Answer: He was locked in an institution since he was 6. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of drivers only ACT like they're 6.

Answer: He winked to show he had already thought of this happening. Hence his best.

Ssiscool

Question: How exactly did Janet con Freddy and Lawrence?

Answer: She pretends to be a clueless, naive "mark" for them to con. They initially think she is a rich, spoiled heiress (the kind of mark Lawrence usually exploits), and make a bet as to which of them can extort $50,000 from her first. Freddy poses as a veteran in need of $50,000 treatment; Lawrence poses as the psychologist who charges a fee of $50,000 to treat him (Freddy). They later "discover" that Janet is in fact a poor girl who won a contest to go to Europe. This turns them against one another, as Lawrence wants to cancel the bet, since he does not take advantage of people who cannot afford to lose the money he takes. Janet later tells Lawrence that Freddy stole the $50,000 she raised for his treatment, at which point Lawrence, disgusted by Freddy's behaviour and rich enough to make it right, gives her $50,000 of his own to cover her loss. After Lawrence sends Janet away, Freddy arrives and it is revealed that she never gave him $50,000, and trapped him until she could tell her story to Lawrence. Only then do they realise that she is, in fact, The Jackal (another con artist whose name has been dropped throughout the story, and who Lawrence initially believes is Freddy's alias), and she conned them both for $50,000.

Answer: If you're talking about the pendant that's a long, thin rectangle; it's her name, "Electra", written in lowercase Greek letters. They used "chi" instead of "kappa" so that her name has a "c" in it instead of a "k." (epsilon lambda epsilon chi tau rho alpha).

Bishop73

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