Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: Why did Don Corleone send Luca Brasi to gather intel on Sollozzo? Wouldn't it have been obvious to the Don that sending his bodyguard, who was widely known to be unquestionably loyal, wouldn't fool his adversaries, which would eventually, with Brasi dead, lead to his own death?

Answer: Luca wasn't Vito's bodyguard, Paulie Gatto was. In Mafioso circles the bodyguard is also usually the chauffeur which was the other part Paulie played. Luca was an independent who had loyalty to Vito. Unlike other members of the family, Luca had his own operation and his own scams. He was usually only called into service by the Don when some particularly nasty piece of business needed to be taken care of for which Luca was paid handsomely. Few people knew why Luca was loyal to Vito, it had to do with a bit of trouble Luca got into with a young girl, Luca was looking at some hard time and Vito was able to get him out of it. As explained in the books, Luca didn't care if he lived or died, he didn't even care if he was killed, but he cared very deeply that he wouldn't be killed by Vito. That was the hold Vito had on Luca which made his loyalty so deep. So far as the rest of the underworld was concerned Luca was just an independent contractor who worked for the Corleone's from time to time. If you'll recall when Kay sees Luca Michael tells her "he helps out my father sometimes." Barzini was probably the only other one who truly understood how deep Luca's loyalty went. So, why did Vito send Luca: Vito thought he was dealing with the Tataglias. Ten years prior to the Sollozo meeting there had been a Mafia war. Vito planned the strategy of the war while Sonny handled the tactics. The war was bloody and costly but the Corleone's were able to out maneuver the other families and come out on top. After that war Vito was top dog of all the 5 families. Had Vito been correct that Philip Tataglia was behind Sollozo, sending Luca would have been a smart move. As Vito mentions after the meeting of the commission "Tataglia is a pimp, he never could have out fought Santino." Tataglia would have seen getting Luca as a huge win, not only would he have Vito's special muscle, but he'd probably also believe he'd be able to get information from Luca. Where Vito made the mistake was not seeing Barzini pulling the strings, had he believed Barzini was involved he'd have handled it differently.

The line in Goodfellas seems illuminating here where Henry Hill explains that the Mafia is essentially an organisation that offers protection for those who can't turn to the legitimate law of regular society. This suggests that these "family" ties are not as strong as we imagine. These criminals are not a definite part of an orderly corporation, like head of HR at IBM, but a loose confederation of connections and loyalties that are rather more fluid. This is a theme also explored very well in the book and film, Donnie Brasco. Therefore, it wouldn't be totally unthinkable that someone in Luca Brasis position could turn to another "family" if he felt it expedient. However, these kind of guys have a tendency towards mistrust.

Answer: Luca was instructed by Don Corleone to act as if he was unhappy with his current situation within the Corleone family. In the book, this mission was planned more thoroughly and was spread out over a longer period of time with Luca frequenting the Tattaglia family's bars and bordellos, where he (falsely) bitterly complained to the prostitutes and anyone who'd listen about how he was underpaid and undervalued by the Godfather. Either this ploy did not fool Sollozzo or, if he did believe it, he didn't care and used it to send a message to the Corleones by killing Luca.

raywest

Chosen answer: No, no one from the film asked him to do a cameo. Stan Lee has said he never requests a cameo and waits to be asked.

Bishop73

Question: What did the car exploding towards the start of the movie mean?

Answer: Are you referring to the Director of the Louvre's car getting killed in the Paris tunnel? He was killed for knowing too much.

Answer: He was on his way to a press conference, probably to "blow the whistle" about the whole plan, and somebody silenced him.

Question: When Judy starts her mission to find Mr. Otterton and finds Nick with his partner, Finnick, she manages to hustle the fox, get him to confess his crimes on a voice recorder, and forces him to assist her on her mission before she decides to arrest him. Finnick laughs at Nick's humiliation and walks away. Why does Judy let Finnick off the hook despite the fact he was involved in Nick's scams?

John Ohman

Chosen answer: Finnick didn't say anything that could be used against him and she had no proof that he was delinquent on his taxes, as he said, "She hustled you good!"

Finnick was involved in all of Nick's scams so shouldn't he have been charged as an accessory and therefore also forced to help Judy?

Nick's crime was not paying taxes. Judy had no evidence that Finnick was guilty in any tax evasion or that he even participated in earlier scams.

Question: My question is about radio chatter. Sometimes in the movie McClane talks on the radio and the bad guys hear him, and sometimes the bad guys talk and everybody hears. Now there are times that McClane is talking to the Sergeant and it appears only him and the Sergeant are listening - can everyone listen to them? Also when talking with Theo about the safe, can McClane hear their conversation?

Pedro Teixeira De Freitas

Chosen answer: The gangster/terrorists were using a set of what are called "commercial" or business walkie-talkies which have special, dedicated channels so that they only communicate with other radios within the set. These are typically used by security and event-staff personnel, and they can't be monitored by general-purpose or citizens-band radios. Even the police wouldn't be able to monitor commercial radio traffic unless they had special tuning gear and scanners. The major mistake in "Die Hard" was that John used one of those commercial radios to contact a police dispatcher and then an individual police officer. No can do.

Charles Austin Miller

Question: Why did Draco want to gate-crash Slughorn's party? It seems to have something to do with his mission to kill Dumbledore, but Dumbledore was not there.

Answer: He wasn't gate-crashing. Draco was caught in the halls, where he should not have been. He was en route to the Room of Requirement where he was secretly working on repairing the vanishing cabinet. The "gate-crashing" was an excuse he came up with when Filch happened to catch him outside where Slughorn's party was being held.

raywest

Answer: Draco poisoned Slughorn's present for Dumbledore.

Question: On the phone conversation, Howard Payne claims that it took him two full years of his life setting up that elevator job and investing himself in it. So how is he able to move out of his old retirement home and relocate in an apartment building in downtown LA near Pershing Square, rig 2 city buses with a handheld remote with C4 bombs, rig his old home, cut the hole on the street underneath the garbage can and think of that revenge plot and plan and set up everything else in just a month. That's just not enough time for him to do all that.

Answer: Apart from setting the bombs and a camera on the buses, the rest of the setup (the apartment, booby-trapped house, hole under the garbage can) could have been part of the elevator job, which Payne just re-used.

Sierra1

-30- - S5-E10

Question: What is Valchek's last sentence in the show as he is being promoted to commissioner by Nerese Campbell? Looks like a joke, but no subtitles and it is pretty difficult to hear.

AnthonyA

Chosen answer: As he's trying on his new hat, Valchek says, with a smile, "fits like a glove!"

Answer: Every screen shot of the set of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry, RFD, " including overhead shots, that I have found shows no more than two jail cells.

Question: Does anyone think that Meg, Madame Gerty's daughter is a love child with the Phantom?

Answer: It is conceivable, I suppose, but extremely unlikely. The role of Madame Giry (the correct spelling) in the opera house, and her relationship to Erik (the Phantom) and Christine Daae differ somewhat between the book, the stage musical, and the 2004 film. But never is a romantic connection between Madame Giry and Erik, past or present, even implied. She functions more as a knowledgeable intermediary and is more or less employed by the Phantom to represent his interests to the Opera House administration, even though she had never seen him, but had only heard his voice. Also, if Meg were his daughter, it wouldn't make sense, given his personality, that Erik would have absolutely no apparent relationship with her. Further, given the dramatic payoff that could be added to the story by revealing that Meg is the Phantom's love child, it is all but inconceivable that such a relationship would be salient in the mind of author Gaston Leroux, but that he would never make it explicit. Ultimately, anything is possible. But in the absence of any evidence to support the theory, I would say it's a pretty clear bet that Meg Giry has no blood relationship to the Phantom.

Michael Albert

The theory of Meg being the Phantom's daughter would not be at all an explanation as to why he is not interested in her as he is with Christine. This would only make sense if you were implying that he was a pedophile which I can tell you that he most likely is not because in the short song ("I have brought you to the seat of sweet music's thrown...") between 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Music of the Night' he says "You have come here for one purpose and one alone. Since the moment I first heard you sing, I have needed you with me to serve me, to sing..." This shows that he brought Christine to his lair because of his attraction to Christine and her talent or whatever (but absolutely not because he is attracted to young girls), the talent which Meg lacks is shown due to her mother's reaction/attitude/actions when Christine goes up to sing 'Think of Me' - in the movie, she looks at Meg and touches her hair, giving her that look of disappointment on the DL; in the theater version, after the performance, she scolds Meg (and the other ballerinas), speaking to her as if she were somewhat unworthy or not as good as Christine. I hate to ever use Love never Dies references to back up my statements when discussing tpoto, but I am sure that Madame Giry would not allow Meg to have affection towards the Phantom neither seek equivalent attention from the Phantom as he gave Christine if you understand what I'm saying. Like Meg was crazy obsessed with winning the Phantom's attention.

debbi.ee

Question: Why would Blackbeard take so long to stop the mutiny? Sure he gives the ones responsible their punishment, but if it really bothered him or made him angry enough, then why not come out sooner, or be more angry? He seemed pretty calm during this scene.

Answer: He took his time because he knew the mutiny would fail because has complete control over his ship. Better to make sure he knew who he couldn't trust.

Greg Dwyer

Question: Benny gave a hat to Smalls to replace the fish hat. What team and what year was the hat?

Answer: It's a blue hat with a yellow/gold capitol "C" for the logo, which doesn't correspond to any major league teams. It could be a minor league or school team hat. Benny refers to it as his "old" hat, so he may have replaced it with the Dodgers hat he's wearing.

Question: What year is this film set in? The clothing and architecture don't make it clear. Is it meant to be timeless?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Suess as we know him, published most of his books between the late 1930's and the late 1980's. "The Cat in the Hat" was first published in 1957. Dr. Seuss' works generally tell the stories of fantastical characters in imaginary places, meant to be timeless. Illustrations and animated adaptations show buildings and objects with unusual proportions, odd shapes and bizarre functions. The live action film of "The Cat in the Hat, " however, is rooted to reality by its decidedly human child protagonists in an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood. The production design, costume design and set decoration of the 2003 film seem also to have the goal of achieving a certain timelessness. No date reference is given. However, there a decidedly stylized quality of 1950's-1960's suburban architecture and design, complete with its generic forms, chimneys, picket fences, and colors such as yellows and avocado greens, reflecting the common decor of the time. Similar to the 1971 TV short, which seems to provide a reference point for the design aesthetic of the film, nothing appears exceedingly futuristic nor rooted in period styles like victorian or colonial. I have also posed your question to Rita Ryack, the film's costume designer, whom I found on Facebook. If she sees my questions and decides to respond, I will add her insights to this answer.

Chosen answer: The movie "Paul" was riddled with inside jokes and homages to classic science fiction and adventure movies and tv shows, so it would not be surprising there would be a reference from an Indiana Jones movie. Also, Paul is, indeed, "short" with a "round" head.

Scott215

Question: I am confused by Darth Vader's attitude in this movie. In Episode V, he asked Luke to join him and get rid of the Emperor. He seemed quite confident and happy about this idea. Now, in Episode VI, he tells Luke that he "must" obey his master, that the Emperor is Luke's master now, etc. Why does he now want himself and Luke to be the Emperor's servants?

Answer: There are a few possibilities. One is that Vader's proposal was always a ruse - note that even the Emperor offers himself as bait to tempt Luke to turn. Another is that Vader's plan was genuine but he abandons it after Luke rejects his offer. Afterwards Luke's resolve has only gotten stronger, and at that point the only hope to turn Luke to the dark side will require the assistance of the Emperor himself. In either case it's probably best to see Vader's demeanor here as an extension of his final scene in The Empire Strikes Back, where we last see him quietly retreating in disappointment.

TonyPH

Answer: Vader was always the emperor's servant. In ESB, he was ordered by the emperor to turn Luke. Vader (as a Sith) was attempting to convince Luke to follow him (his father) so that they could overthrow the emperor. Once that failed, he could no longer keep his plan a secret from the emperor. Vader most likely suspected the emperor planned to replace him with Luke anyway.

Question: Four questions; One, why the hell would Angelica be dressed and acting like Jack, and how could she think she could pull him off? Second, wouldn't Angelica and Blackbeard find it suspicious that Jack keeps asking questions about the Fountain of Youth? He claims that he's been there, and yet they don't find it weird that he's asking about something he's supposedly seen? Third, how was Syrena gonna save Phillip when she drags him underwater? Is there an undersea hospital or something? Fourth, why did Jack leave Angelica on an island by herself? I never understood that.

Answer: Angelica merely wanted to create the "illusion" that it was Jack Sparrow in order to shanghai a crew for her father's ship to search for the Fountain of Youth. They would be more willing to follow Jack Sparrow than Blackbeard. Most had never seen the famous Jack Sparrow in person and were half-drunk most of the time, and likely wouldn't notice the deception. Angelica and Blackbeard may have been suspicious about Jack, but he was their only means to finding the Fountain. The mermaids appear to have magical powers that would allow Syrena to save Phillip, possibly by transforming him into a merman, though this is never explained. Although Angelica claimed to love Jack, he did not trust her motives, and that was why he left her on the island. Jack knew Angelica had the ability to escape. He would not leave her to die.

raywest

Question: Near the end when Indiana and Marion are tied to the post and the Germans are about to open the Ark, Indiana closes his eyes and tells Marion to close her eyes so they can't look. But how did he know when they should open them again? He wouldn't know the Ark had been sealed again afterwards unless he took a risk and opened his eyes to see.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: The events were quite loud. Once the noise had stopped, and the sound of the ark slamming shut had been heard, he slowly opened his eyes to check it was definitely safe.

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but also immediately after the events, Indy noticed that the ropes binding him and Marian to the pole had somehow become undone, also indicating the event was over and it was safe to look.

raywest

Question: Nora goes out with Julian. She asks him where he wants to eat. He doesn't speak. Nora stares at him over sunglasses and says, "Food. Manja." What does manja mean?

Bunch

Chosen answer: This might actually be the French verb "manger." When spoken it sounds like "manja." It means "eat."

raywest

Question: Who was the father of Widow Winship's child?

Answer: The father of the widow Winship's unborn child was Peter Van Garrett, the wealthy landowner who was the second victim of the horseman, killed in the field after jumping from the coach when he saw the headless body of his son, Dirk Van Garret atop the coach.

Question: What does Depp try to signify (if anything) with the facial tic of open mouth jaw popping?

Answer: The tick signifies Shooter's attempt to "come out." In the beginning, Mort complains of a jaw ache before the first appearance of Shooter and at the end, when Shooter takes over Mort, the ticking of the jaw indicates that Shooter is the personality with control, not Mort.

Answer: It's from grinding/clenching teeth. Due to anxiety and stress. The biting down and clenching your teeth will leave your jaw soar and tenses. He's opening and stretching his jaw to relieve the tightness. I had the same thing first year of college.

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