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: On the front of the ship that rescues Tom Hanks, there is a symbol in white. What does that symbol mean?

Answer: I think you're referring to the symbol that looks like a "5" without the top line. It represents the fact the ship has a bulbous bow and its shape. That way tug boats bringing the ship on are aware, since it may be underwater and not visible.

Bishop73

Question: What was the game that Harlan and Marta were playing with the board and black and white pieces?

Answer: It's a game called "Go."

Bishop73

Answer: There's no way of knowing what was in the case. It is a plot device called a "MacGuffin," a term coined by director Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't actually matter what the object is but is just something that drives the story. It can be any type of object or device such as a "secret formula," "enemy war plans," a "nuclear weapon," a "treasure map," and so on that the characters are either searching for or protecting. There was never any intention to reveal what it was. Its purpose is to motivate the characters' actions and tell the story. Most likely it was intended to be a McGuffin just to keep the audience guessing and thinking about the movie long after it ends.

raywest

Question: This question applies to all Mario Kart games except Mario Kart 8 and leaving out that they're part of the Mario universe. What is the purpose of collecting gold coins? They can't be used to buy anything and even if a player doesn't have any and falls into a pit, Lakitu will still help the player out.

Answer: Absolutely nothing.

Answer: Across all games, collecting at least 10 coins gives a slight speed boost. In some games, collecting coins unlocks things.

LorgSkyegon

Show generally

Question: Loreli got pregnant at 16 and takes off for a long time. Why didn't Emily and Richard report her as a missing person? If not, go find her yourself. Or even just check up on her if she is safe wherever she is. They had money, also a private investigator maybe?

Answer: Most likely they made some attempts to locate Loreli, but the exact circumstances are unknown. Realistically, this is a plot device that drives the story between Loreli and her parents, so the details are deliberately vague.

raywest

Question: When Gilbert and Becky get ice creams, why does Becky suddenly want to trade cones with him?

Answer: She may have been allowed to have a sample of his ice cream, and decided that she liked it better than hers, so she traded.

Answer: From online sources, it appears her character's storyline had gone as far as the show wanted to take it after one season.

raywest

Thank you.

Rob245

Answer: Kruger said O'Toole was an unpleasant person, often was drunk on set, and was a "hellraiser." That pretty much fits O'Toole's history of drunken and wild behavior for most of his adult life.

raywest

Question: Was the ill-fated Rollercoaster in the film supposed to be a working one? The owner's angry reaction to its destruction suggested that it was, but if you look closely, there were gaps in the tracks and also where was the actual rollercoaster itself. This has always confused me.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: To me, in real life, it looks like a roller coaster was already set up for demolition because of its poor conditions, and the crew was able to film it for the movie. However, in-universe, the owner kept saying they were closed. It's possible they were closed to repair the roller coaster to make it work but now it's completely destroyed and beyond repair.

Bishop73

Question: After Cady claims to have written the Burn Book, Ms. Norbury doesn't believe that she wrote the whole thing alone. Why does Cady refuse to "talk about people behind their backs"? The other Plastics really did write it, and reporting them to a teacher is different than gossiping.

Answer: I think Cady was trying to end all of the catty behavior and bullying. If she told Ms. Norbury that the other Plastics wrote parts of the book, the "drama" would continue.

Answer: Yes. While making the movie, he was arrested for drunk driving.

Answer: To add to the other answer, this is from Wikipedia: Nolte had struggled with substance abuse for the majority of his adult life and had begun abusing alcohol at an early age. After remaining sober for nearly 10 years, he resumed drinking in the late 1990s. Following his 2002 arrest, he again stopped drinking.

raywest

Question: If Zaltar founded Argo City, why would he need permission to use the Omegahedron? Shouldn't he be allowed to use it when he wants?

Answer: The Omegaahedron is the power source for the whole city. It supplies the air, the dome that protects them, the lights, and the machines they need to survive.

The question was why would Zoltar need permission to use the Omegahedron, not what it could do.

Question: How could Fred have been trapped in the jack-in-the-box for so long? He could make himself appear whenever he wanted and could always appear someplace else, so shouldn't he have been able to appear outside of the toy after it was covered in duct tape?

Answer: When she trapped Fred in the box, she was closing off the part of her imagination. The part of the brain that stops believing in fairy tales and decides to grow up.

It was Lizzie's mum who taped up the box when Drop Dead Fred went inside. Not Lizzie herself. And why didn't Lizzie simply take the jack-in-the-box and remove the tape to let Fred out?

Question: Why did Tony's mother, before he went to look for Gina, say to him "Ungrateful! Bad son!"?

Answer: She raised him with religion and morals, gave him a good home with food to eat. It wasn't enough for him. He wanted more; enough was never enough. That's why she was cold to him when he first showed up at her door, and his sister admired him.

Answer: He's a mob boss. A ruthless, merciless, cold-blooded killer. What mother would be proud of that? Even when he first came to visit her, she knew he was up to no good.

But what did she mean by yelling "Ungrateful!" to him?

This is just my two cents, but after they've fled Cuba, and been given a new lease on life away from the communist regime, she feels Tony's being ungrateful towards his new country by becoming a criminal. And doubtlessly towards her as well, after she's clothed, fed, and raised him and Gina.

Jukka Nurmi

Answer: The Seal of the City of New York.

Question: After the first photon torpedo hit from Chang, when the bridge is shaken and everyone flies from their seats - so do the bridge seats, like office chairs with wheels. Shouldn't bridge equipment be bolted down to the floor? (01:33:22)

Answer: Sure, but it's a lot more fun to see them sliding around.

TonyPH

Question: Why did Rowena steal Isabella's cup? Was she in need of money or did she owe Fabian?

Answer: For poison, and she was in need of money.

Question: Just a thought. If the Mattsons chose to file a complaint against Abel, would his history of unethical behaviour on the job make his superiors more inclined to take the complaint seriously? It just seems odd to me that accusations of inappropriate behaviour against a policeman outside the job would be dismissed so easily when he has a long history of questionable behaviour on the job.

Movielover1996

Answer: The department may want to cover up Abel's behaviour to avoid bad publicity or accusations about police brutality and corruption. Most likely, it would result in an investigation by Internal Affairs, which they may have various reasons, aside from Abel, of wanting to prevent.

raywest

Question: Why is Maude dressed like a viking maiden in the Dude's dream sequence?

Rob245

Answer: She looks like one of the Valkyries, a Nordic female spirit that guided brave warrior souls to Vallhalla. This may foreshadow Donny's death.

raywest

Question: After removing the safety protocols from Chucky, why did the employee kill himself?

Answer: The employee's bosses overworked and abused him. He was depressed, had emotional issues, and probably felt his life was hopeless. Before committing suicide, he wanted retaliation against the company for making him so miserable, so he disabled the safety protocols on the "Buddi" doll's computer chip. Mostly, it's a convenient plot point to explain how Chucky came about.

raywest