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: I have a few questions. Were the conditions in the film and book the way they were in reality? Like did they really have movie theaters back then? If it was reality, what happened in the penal system that changed penitentiaries to become more "strict"?

Answer: This question is a bit vague and open to multiple answers, but here's one. Shawshank is a fictional prison, an amalgamation of the general federal penitentiary system of the 1940s-1960s, and as such depicts elements common to prisons of the era. Many penal colonies had movie theaters and other entertainment for the prisoners...it depended on a lot of factors, from the crimes committed by the inmates, to the laws of the particular state, to the inclinations and philosophies of the warden. Most prisons nowadays still have these amenities...they haven't become "more strict" since the time period depicted in the film. And, just as now, prisons like Shawshank had guards that were more or less brutal towards the inmates, inmates who worked for the guards (unofficially), corrupt wardens who exploited the prisoners' labor, draconian punishments, etc.

Question: If there is a name for it, what is the name for the hover bus in the scene right after Obi-Wan says "Another happy landing"?

Answer: Wookieepedia just calls it a Jedi shuttlebus or a Senate shuttlebus, manufactured by GoCorp.

Sierra1

Question: Why does George go to find Dennis since he hates him? Did he also expect Dennis to listen to him after he had just scolded Dennis?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: He doesn't hate Dennis and does not want anything to happen to him. He's just a rather crotchety old man who is annoyed by a precocious kid. He may not expect Dennis to listen to him, but he at least makes the effort to reach out as most adults would.

raywest

Question: In The Wolverine, when Yashida (as the Silver Samurai) breaks his claws, Logan regenerates his claws, but they are made out of bone. How come they are metal again when Logan panics and slashes Kitty?

Answer: No definitive answer has been given, although director Bryan Singer has said a possible explanation is Magneto helps. At the end of the Wolverine film, Professor X and Magneto are waiting for Wolverine at the airport. So at some time in the future, Magneto could have rebonded the metal to Wolverine's bone (which has happened in the comics). In the comics though, the True Adamantium turned into Beta Adamantium due to the presence of Logan's mutant healing factor gene. Beta Adamantium has regenerative powers as well (it's also what allows bones to function as they grow properly) and Logan's metal claws could have possibly just grown back, over time.

Bishop73

Question: Are there Slytherins who fought in the battle of Hogwarts? JK Rowling said that the reinforcements from Slughorn was Slytherin. Although it was not mentioned in the book and in the movie. But is this true that the reinforcements are Slytherin?

Answer: Since JK Rowling is the author and said that Slytherins are the reinforcements of Slughorn, then it is most likely true that there were Slytherins who fought in the battle.

DFirst1

Answer: All the Slytherin students were in the dungeons. Slughorn definitely was a Slytherin as stated in the book. And unless you explicitly mean fighting on the Hogwarts side, everyone on Voldemort's side is Slytherin.

Answer: In several location throughout France, from Paris to Mertz, with many scenes being filmed on location. You can find more details on IMDB or Wikipedia.

Bishop73

Question: In the movie and in most of the live shows Christine is brunette but I have heard that in the original book she is blonde. Is that true and if so, do you know where in the book they say it?

Answer: In the English translation I've read (I have not read the original French version); in chapter V, The Enchanted Violin, when the old man is telling the story, it reads "Raoul looked at Christine's blue eyes and golden hair". It should be noted that Christine is Swedish and black hair is uncommon among the Swedes.

Bishop73

Question: When Alex and Clear go to the mortuary and talk to Bludworth, he says that the only way to stop Death is to disrupt the order in which they die in. When Alex saves Carter's life before he dies from the train, shouldn't that have disrupted the order and prevent Death from claiming the rest?

Answer: No. It only stops death from going after its current target, and moves onto the next one.

MasterOfAll

Answer: When all of the others are dead then death goes to claim the one that was skipped.

Chosen answer: Yes, Data's contacts did noticeably drift on occasion, which was a source of angst for Brent Spiner (who played Data and Lore). Spiner never had anything good to say about his yellow contact lenses, as they were his least favorite part of the lengthy makeup process. Rather than further discomfort Spiner by constantly adjusting the contacts, they would often just continue shooting in spite of this minor makeup malfunction, unless he looked positively cockeyed.

Charles Austin Miller

Question: I may have missed this, but early in the film, how did Mia and Sebastian get into the empty planetarium? It must have been locked up pretty tight. Did someone let them in? Did they break in? I'm guessing this was explained and I didn't catch it.

Michael Albert

Chosen answer: The answer is, "It's a movie." They wouldn't have been able to drive up to the entrance either. The entire sequence is fantasy-driven.

Show generally

Question: Forgot the episode and the season, but does Mark, the kid that gets home schooled and ends up beating Kyle, ever show up in later episodes?

Answer: He appears in at least 5 other episodes, but usually just as a background character. He can be seen at Cartman's party in "Immaginationland". He was also one of the kids trying out to replace Butters in the "Professor Chaos" episode.

Bishop73

Strength - S1-E10

Question: The gorilla is said to possibly be able to lift two family cars, which weighs over 2090kg. If it can, then why is it only number 8 in the countdown while the rhinoceros beetle is number 1?

Answer: They based it on how much they can lift in relation to their body weight. A Rhinoceros Beetle can lift 850 times its own body weight, which would be equivalent to a Gorilla lifting 255 tons (over 100 times more than 2,090 kg).

Bishop73

Chosen answer: Dooku lost faith in the Jedi order when his padawan Qui-Gon Jinn died on Naboo at the hands of Darth Maul. He left the Jedi order and pursued wealth and power. He was contacted shortly after leaving by Darth Sidious, joined him and became a Sith.

lionhead

Question: In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when the Room of Requirement is found, it is a practically small empty room so that the students have enough room to practice their magic. But why in this movie, when looking for Ravenclaw's diadem, is it suddenly an enormous room filled with what seems like centuries of stuff? Since the room changes to fit the person's needs and Harry, Hermione and Ron were so desperate to find it, wouldn't it be easier for the room to simply be empty and small so they can find it more quickly?

Answer: They wanted to find the room that held the diadem. The room simply provided it for them. The original room that held the diadem was big and full of stuff because it needed to be hidden inside it. The room of requirement can't change the location of items within it.

lionhead

Answer: The room does change size, shape, and function according to a person's specific needs. However, when Harry was searching for the diadem, it appears the room simply reverted to the same configuration it was when the diadem was hidden there. The room may simply be incapable of finding a particular object.

raywest

Question: This was produced by the Walt Disney Production Company. Unlike other Disney films that were family friendly, this one had a dark tone to it and even terrifying moments. Why would the Disney Production company help produce this film considering how scary it is? It seems unusual considering that a lot of the movies they made were more light-hearted.

Answer: Disney at the time was trying to break the stereotype of only producing family-oriented animation films. So they were interested in making more mature films, especially ones targeted to the teen audience. At the time they had already produced "The Watcher in the Woods" and "Dragonslayer". "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was toned down though and some things deemed too dark were removed. It should be noted, this was also the last film under the Walt Disney Production label.

Bishop73

Question: Why does Obi-Wan believe that Anakin (the chosen one) is not ready for an assignment on his own even though he has been his apprentice for the last 10 years? Also, why does Obi-Wan not let Anakin face the trials to become a Jedi Knight even though again he has been his apprentice for the last 10 years?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: Anakin is very talented, but still struggles with anger and emotion. Obi-wan knows this, and knows he's not ready.

Question: Riddle said he knew Harry would try and solve the mystery of who was behind the attacks. Particularly if one of his best friends was involved, but how did he know Hermione was one of Harry's best friends?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: Ginny, most likely. She had been writing in it before Harry found it and confiding her feelings and fears to Riddle.

Cubs Fan

Question: Angelina said that two people flew better than Ron at the tryouts so why let him be keeper just because he and Harry are best friends?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: Harry didn't choose Ron because he was his friend. Harry knew Ron had the talent and ability to be a good keeper but lacked confidence in himself to perform well. Harry realised that part of the reason for Ron's low self-esteem was because he came from a poor background and was overshadowed by his talented siblings and also by Harry's fame. Harry wanted to give Ron an opportunity to excel on his own. Also, picking team members isn't only about selecting the most athletically talented, but choosing people who work well together and follow orders. Cormac, who was also trying out as keeper was talented, but he was obnoxious and would have challenged Harry's authority at every turn.

raywest

Question: During the phone call scene in the beginning: when the killer asks Casey the first movie question, threatening to kill Steve, why does she unplug a cord?

Answer: When she unplugs the cord, the light goes out in the area where she is hiding. Perhaps, in her panic, it is a quick way to feel like she's better hiding from the killer. Of course, in reality, she's backing herself, literally, into a dark corner. But she probably isn't thinking rationally.

Michael Albert

Answer: It's harder to spot someone in the dark and the TV was letting out light.

Question: What's the deal with The Hoggett's children and grandchildren?

Answer: Very vague question. There is no "deal" with them. They are just modern.

MasterOfAll

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