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: When Max meets Felix pretending to be Vincent, does Felix not tells one of his guys to follow him and to kill him if he doesn't get the job done? What ever happened to him?

Paul Ingram

Chosen answer: Yes the dudes from El Rodeo follow Max to Fever nightclub and they watch if he'll execute Peter Lin, so when Max and Vincent get to the nightclub and the shitstorm happens, they even try to kill Max but Vincent saves his life. There's a whole lot going on since the Feds are also there, Lin's people along with Felix's vatos.

Question: This is an odd question, but have any historians commented on the battle scenes? Aside from the heroes' fights (such as Legolas, Gimili and Aragorn defeating hundreds of orcs by themselves), how true to life are the battles compared to real medieval sieges / battles?

Gary O'Reilly

Chosen answer: The LOTR is a heavy interpolation of different times, civilizations, religions, and cultures. Mainly, strict European and no Greek or Roman influence. There are bits and pieces of Medieval era, but then it can shoot to pre-Rome eras, and then shoot to strict religious material. It bounces back and forth all over the place, between pieces based on historical fact. For example, based on the armor, aspects, weapons, and fighting styles, the Elves would be the Gauls and Britonnic, around the time of Julius Caesar. The Dwarves are the Goths (Germany, Austria), but they also are the Nordic tribes ("vikings"). The Orcs bear strong similarity to the Vandals and Khazars, and the Mumakil are the Mauretanians (Moors). The Hobbits, Elves, Ents, Gandalf, are strong nods to the Druidism religion (Gandalf, the Elves, and Saruman are Druid priests, the Ents are supernatural beings). The Dwarves, dragons, trolls, giant spiders, orcs and Sauron show heavy nods to Asatru (Odin, Thor, Freya faith). Man seems somewhere in the middle, with more Medieval Christian hints here and there every so often, but very rarely. Besides the giant wolves, eagles, and such obvious fiction, the battles can go from very realistic to utter fiction. But they keep close enough to real history to be identifiable with who they are based on. The elves seem to follow a Gaul and Britonnic style, copper and gold armor, momentum-based swordplay, and a single-man fighting style. Many of the elves ring close to the Britonnic "kluddargos", high class swordsmen. The trolls seem similar to the very early Goths and Brits, as well as the Nordic "sky-clad" warriors who did at times use clubs and maces while stark naked and whipped up into a powerful "mind-over-body" state. The orcs show some resemblance to the Vandal forces, as well as the Thracians and many Celtic tribes (orcs are based off African American miners by J.R.R. Initially, and the whole story has rings of racism mixed with Christian elements, but take it for what it is. It mostly is a story copied from various myths, lore, and some events of Europe before Rome conquered the tribes Game of Thrones is closer to historical facts, and is not really racist at all, but also bounces around with interpolation as bad as LOTR). The Rohirrim bear strong resemblance to the Iberian horsemen who fought alongside Hannibal against Rome, as well as Viriatus; they were Celtic-like natives of Portugal (before Rome took it over and dominated the ethnic look of the region). The orc warg riders are akin to Nordic and Vandal horsemen, Dwarf combat is very close to actual Nordic and Gothic combat, lots of momentum, speed, heavy blows, and strength. The Elves have some resemblance to Gaulish and Britonnic high class warrior combat, but at swordplay and shields. The archery, on the other hand, is copied from Roman archers, Greek archers, and Sudanese (Nubian) archers (who could quickly whip from bow to sword in combat). The trolls use a style somewhere between fiction, but also with the real religion-hyped warriors of the Pechts, Vandals, Goths, viking tribes and Gauls: naked men armed who jumped into battle in a frenzy. The Uruk-hai berserker bears more resemblance to the Asatru religion "Úlfhéðnar", or Norse berserker. The Uruk-hai show resemblance to Goths mixed with European tribal warriors who sided with Byzantine. The Dunedain are very medieval Europeans, primarily England. So, to answer your question. Are the fights factual? sometimes, and not always the entire fight. Are they medieval fights? Again, sometimes, but usually they are mimicry of pieces of history or tribes and states during the Roman era. The closest to mimicking facts, even more than so-called fact based movies, is the game Skyrim. Skyrim can be very close to mimicking historical facts.

Question: If Kylo Ren idolizes his grandfather, Darth Vader, why did he turn to the dark side? If Luke was the one who trained him, surely he would've told Kylo that Darth Vader redeemed himself at the end of ROTJ after saving Luke and killing the Emperor.

Answer: He would have to have taken Luke's word that Vader was redeemed as there were no witnesses who survived - Snoke may well have convinced him that Luke was lying to him. The Dark Side is predicated on lies.

Sierra1

Pilot - S1-E1

Question: What is the song the kicks in when Tommy says, "Have you noticed how hot your sister has gotten?", and then plays on when Tommy and Oliver are driving around in the SLR?

Friso94

Chosen answer: "C'mon Doll" by My Goodness.

Bishop73

Question: What was the whole "pancake" scene all about? I understand the director had the kid doing karate for the movie because he was impressed with it. But what does the kid yelling "pancake" have to do with karate?

SAZOO1975

Chosen answer: Pancake is the name of Henry's dog, he shouted it after he found his dog dead by the disease. If you are wondering who Henry is, it's the guy at the beginning who got infected first in the film, and I guess the kid screaming it obviously knew what happened to Henry, he obviously knew Henry and Pancake.

Answer: When they bring Paul to the hospital he sees a person in a bunny suit holding a needle and a plate of pancakes over a kid. Maybe Dennis was there before.

Question: In a deleted scene Lockhart gives a quiz in his first class, and after it he mentions Hermione knowing his greatest ambition, Susan Bones smiles at Hermione. Why?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: There is not a particular reason. All the girls had huge crushes on Gilderoy Lockhart. Susan Bones also is taken with Lockhart and she is just enjoying the attention that Hermione is receiving.

raywest

Question: I have 3 questions. 1) Did Sirius really care about Harry or was he just using Harry as a chance to have his best friend back? 2) When did Sirius ever treat Harry like Harry's dad if he ever did treat Harry like James? 3) Why did Sirius say Harry only might be able to live with him if Harry was expelled from Hogwarts and then not talk to Harry when he found out he could go back to Hogwarts?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: Sirius truly loved his godson. Sirius didn't specifically treat Harry like he was James but he did see him as something of a substitute. This is better explained in the novels. Sirius was incarcerated in Azkaban as a very young man, resulting in his emotional maturity being stunted and his judgment impaired. He sometimes acted recklessly and treated Harry more like his friend and equal rather than his ward who he should be mentoring and setting good examples. He sometimes unwisely supported or encouraged Harry's acting inappropriately as he and James had done at that age. Sirius never would have shirked his responsibility as godfather and would have made sure Harry always had a home. Harry believed that Sirius, who was lonely and isolated from being in hiding, may have been hoping Harry was expelled so he could live with him and keep him company. Because Sirius was a hunted fugitive, he could not openly talk or visit with Harry once he returned to Hogwarts. That would risk Sirius being captured and also implicate Harry as abetting a convicted criminal (although Sirius was innocent).

raywest

Question: Has anybody been able to work out where V's hideout is, since there are only a few clues given within the film such as the colour of the stone, the fact it is underground, and the domed roof (when Evie walks in the rain) and is modern enough to have an elevator to take her there. I've always thought it would be under Victoria station but cannot find the matching dome in the area.

Answer: In the graphic novel, V's hideout is, indeed, revealed to be Victoria Station, but if you are referring to the film, the building in question sits next to the Bank Underground Station, at the corner of Lombard and Cornhill.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: When after a car chase, Mr. Brown, Mr. White and Mr. Orange are confronted with the cops, Mr. Brown (Tarantino) has been injured on his forehead, but nothing fatal (he was just able to drive the car, and seems quite vigorous). At first sight, it doesn't look worse than it might be caused by him bumping his head into the steering wheel while hitting the parked car. Mr. White shoots both arriving cops while they're still in the police car, while Mr. Orange passively witnesses from outside the car, where Mr. Brown is still behind the wheel. After the shooting, we see Mr. Brown again, now seemingly dead from his head injuries. I always thought this change happened all too sudden for Mr. Brown to die from the injuries he'd already suffered, but Mr. White was shooting away from him; the cops did not even have time to draw their guns before being shot themselves; Mr. Orange is shown as being passive; and there doesn't seem to be any bullet holes in the windows of the car, front or back. Also, in the warehouse Mr. Brown is said to have been killed by a bullet to the head by one of his colleagues. So, who killed Mr. Brown and how/when?

knahrvorn

Chosen answer: They say "Brown took one in the head" but not from one of his own men. He was shot in the head with a small caliber bullet. It probably broke the blood/brain barrier and he slowly bled out internally but was able to survive to that point.

Captain Defenestrator

Replacements - S1-E4

Question: When members of Easy company spot Captain Sobel again one of the Replacements asks Bull "Who is he sarge?" and Bull replies "It's our first CO." Then the replacement asks "What happened?" and Bull replies with "He got promoted." I never understood that line. What was it about his promotion that made Bull say that? As I understand it Sobel was already a hated man before becoming Captain. So what did Bull mean?

lionhead

Chosen answer: Col. Sink gave Sobol a promotion after the men came to him and said they wouldn't follow him into battle. It was a promotion that ensured he wouldn't see combat and took him away from the troops, so it was technically a punishment.

Captain Defenestrator

Chosen answer: According to the trivia section of IMDb.com, Jon Heder created all of the drawings in the film except the unicorn.

Michael Albert

Question: Would it not have been necessary for Kevin to at least wait and change the camera batteries while on the flight?

Answer: Movies are full of "if onlys" and this is one of them. Sure, it would have been better to wait but he is 9 years old and excited. He didn't want to wait so tried to do it when they were rushing to the terminal.

The_Iceman

Chosen answer: It is an implication that Carrie White is not really dead.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: It's most likely just a metaphor for the terrible memories that those who survived the prom massacre must have in their minds forever. The memory of Carrie White haunts them.

Question: When Young Joe is waiting in the field for Old Joe's arrival from the future, the sky is perfectly clear blue, except for a single, strange and very prominent zig-zag cloud that almost looks like a contrail of some sort. What is the significance of or explanation for that weird cloud?

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: Clouds are a strong visual motif in this film, present in different forms throughout the film. Look also for the "cloud" of cream in Joe's coffee and the "cloud" of blood when the gat-man is killed in the house.

Question: I've got two questions about the sentinels. 1) Why didn't Blink ever create portals to another country or maybe space every time the sentinels showed up, instead of just bringing the sentinels a tiny bit further, or is she only able to create a portal to somewhere she can see? 2) Would the sentinels have been able to adapt to Quicksilver's powers fast enough before he could escape from them into another room, or is there another way they could have been fast enough to kill him?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: 1) Blink's powers seem to have a short range, although it does seem to extend beyond just places she can see (she is able to open a portal for Magneto back into the room with Charles but she can't see into the room). 2) It really is impossible to answer this question, as we never see Quicksilver in the future. Presumably he could outrun a sentinel as none are shown to have super speed. However they were shown to use their sheer numbers and a bit of cunning to defeat the X-Men more than once.

Question: Whenever Jack is talking to Delbert Grady, Grady mentions his wife and two daughters; one of whom tried to burn the overlook down. My question is, are they the same twin girls Danny has visions of? Whenever Danny sees them dead in the hallway, the vision matches the story Ullman told Jack about Charles Grady. Why does Delbert Grady deny killing his wife and daughters when he was the caretaker, but then contradicts himself and go on to say he "corrected" them? Was he only denying being the caretaker since Jack has always been the caretaker? What is the connection between Delbert's story and what happened with Charles Grady?

Answer: Delbert Grady has always been at the hotel, just as Jack Torrance has...however, "Charles Grady" was one incarnation of the hotel's "caretaker", which Jack Torrance currently is. Delbert, evidenced by his appearance, occupation, and archaic racial views, has been with the hotel since its turn-of-the-century inception, just as Jack, in the photo at the end, has been. We don't know what "spirit-Jack's" function in the Overlook is...we only know that the present Jack (whom Delbert is talking to) embodies the "caretaker" who has always been there, just as Charles Grady did in his time. Delbert refers to his wife and two daughters, whom he did not murder...his "caretaker" version, Charles Grady, did that.

Question: There is a scene where Chris and the other three discover the cannibals' cabin. When they hesitate to enter the house, Carly tells the others that she needs to pee. Then her boyfriend, Scott says to her "Well, l need to remind you of a little movie called Deliverance." Well, what does Scott signify there? I've never seen the movie.

Bunch

Chosen answer: Deliverance (1972) was about a group of canoeists who are attacked, raped, and murdered by a group of deranged, inbred hillbillies. Scott is implying the cabin looks like a place where those sort of people might live. Http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068473/.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why was Percy still not talking to his family if he (and the ministry) knew Voldemort was back? The ministry also hadn't been taken over yet so nobody could stop him from leaving.

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: It's explained a little more in "Order of the Phoenix". The row Percy had with his family (and his father in particular) was about more than Voldemort. It's mentioned in an early chapter of "Phoenix" that over that summer, Percy was promoted at the Ministry, working directly for Cornelius Fudge; as Ron says, Junior Assistant to the Minister is a remarkable position for someone only a year out of school, and their father believed Fudge hired Percy in order to spy on the Weasley family and, through them, Dumbledore. Percy, meanwhile, felt insulted that his father wasn't pleased about it and said, among other things, that Arthur's lack of ambition was the reason for the family's poor economic status. He also felt that his parents' support of Dumbledore was foolish, and as long as they continued to do so, he would not consider himself a member of the family.

Question: How did Nicolas Cage manage to keep his job for so long? You'd think he'd get fired for coming to work drunk the first time.

MikeH

Chosen answer: On the contrary, the social contacts at work typically tolerate, sympathize with, and even enable alcoholics and other substance abusers, because many of the other employees are also similarly (and secretly) engaged in addictive behavior of their own to varying degrees. Usually, no action is taken until the addictive behavior starts affecting company income, insurance and morale. So, some substance abusers can lead lengthy careers within a company before the hammer falls.

Charles Austin Miller

Season 1 generally

Question: In multiple episodes we see a box hanging just inside the barracks door. What is that? It is mostly blue, and appears to have flowers or something painted on it.

TDPierce

Answer: After careful inspection, the aforementioned box is a decorated holder for the boxes of long matches needed to light the stove.

Movie Nut

Chosen answer: In different episodes of "Hogan's Heroes, " the arrangement of items in the barracks varies. Sometimes there is a sink on one side of the door. Sometimes there is a chest of drawers on the other. I have seen episodes where a hanging box is there, as you describe. To my eye, the decoration appears to be a kind of camouflage design. I had assumed it was where mail was delivered to the prisoners. It could also be a storage for small items, such as a medicine container. I don't recall ever seeing it opened or otherwise used. Normally, in situations like this, when questions arise regarding set pieces, set decoration or costumes, I attempt to look up the show's crew members IMDb.com to pose the question to the source (when I can find them on, say, Facebook). In this case, however, all of the gentlemen responsible for set decoration on "Hogan's Heroes" have since passed away.

Michael Albert

I have the series on DVD, and have been able to scrutinize the blue box. It is a decorated holder for the long matches used to light the stove. Occasionally, you can see part of the word 'matches' through the slot on the side.

Movie Nut

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.