Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: When Christof and his employees examine the basement where Truman is supposedly asleep (just before Marlon is sent there), Christof discovers something under the chair that obviously reveals to them that Truman is gone. What is it that they discover?

Answer: Christof sees Truman's hand as he is sneaking away. This means that he can't be under the blanket.

Greg Dwyer

Question: Going along with another question that was submitted, why did Bellatrix teach Draco how to do Occlumency? Anyone who knows her character knows that she wouldn't want to conceal his thoughts and plans from the Dark Lord, she'd be going against the master she loves.

Answer: So nobody else, aka Dumbledore, could read his thoughts and know he was going to kill Dumbledore. She assumes Voldemort will be able to see if he is trying to hide something from him, so she's not worried in that aspect.

Question: Why do all of the Death Eaters hesitate to lend Lord Voldemort a wand? In "Chamber of Secrets", when Ron's wand was damaged, Professor McGonagall just said he would need to replace it. So I am assuming that purchasing a new wand is not particularly unusual or difficult.

Answer: Normally replacing a wand is easy, but there are only a few wizards who can make them. Voldemort has kidnapped Mr. Olivander, tortured him, and destroyed his shop, so he is not currently in a position to be making new wands. The Death Eaters fear offering their own wands to Lord Voldemort because he often strikes out, often fatally, at anyone who fails or displeases him. If someone gives him their wand and it does not perform adequately, they know there may be severe repercussions. Voldemort is also gauging his Death Eaters' reaction to his request so he can judge their loyalty and willingness to do his bidding. Most also realize that the request is mostly aimed at Lucius Malfoy, who has fallen from Voldemort's favor. Voldemort is taunting him.

raywest

Question: A couple times throughout the film the phrase "I had to make the call" is used. It is first used by Dom at the beginning of the film directed towards Brian: "You had to make the call, huh?" and then towards the end of the film by Brian when the car chase ends and he saves Dom and says "I had to make the call." So my question is: what exactly were the calls that were made? I'm assuming the second one was Brian letting Hobbs know what was going on since he arrives seconds after Brian kills Zizi.

Answer: They don't mean a call as in a telephone call, they mean it as in a judgement call. The first one is that Brian went along with Vince on the job, and the second one is when he turned around to help Dom instead of leaving him behind.

Friso94

Question: What is the point of so many dream layers to get to the "inception" of the idea? I guess the movie would lose all of its intricacy without it, and would be much less appealing. So what is the excuse to use that trick from the director?

AnthonyA

Chosen answer: For inception to work the idea must be planted very deeply within the subconscious. The more dream layers there are, the deeper into the subconscious you get.

Phixius

Question: I really don't get the ending. Can someone please explain it to me? Thank you.

Answer: The Maitlands and the Deetzes have agreed to share the house peacefully. Meanwhile, Beetlejuice is returned to the afterlife waiting room after the sandworm "kills" him again; he then angers a witch doctor who shrinks Beetlejuice's head, thus adding insult to injury.

zendaddy621

Question: Seeing how most of Christopher Nolan's movies are filled with symbolism, themes, and deeper meanings, what exactly was Nolan trying to say with the brief introduction of the copy-cat Batmen? I ask because it would seem to contradict the recurring theme of "Anyone can be Batman", but I doubt Nolan would include something like that without having a reason that goes beyond simple plot reasons.

Answer: Batman has inspired others to take up the cause of vigilantism, but they're taking it to an extreme and crossing lines that he never would.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: How does the security boss of the firm listen to the conversation between the wife of Cruise and the secretary of the private detective, in the last scene of the hotel in the Bahamas? Why did he have any reason to suspect anything in the first place?

AnthonyA

Chosen answer: At first the security guy doesn't suspect Mitch any more than any other new associate hired by the firm. His job is to keep a close watch on all new associates to see if they realize the firm has mafia ties. He starts watching Mitch (Tom Cruise) more closely after he was approached by the government agents who wanted him to spy on the firm. He knows that Mitch now suspects there are illegal activities going on and may decide to aid the government. It is also shown that Mitch's house was being bugged, and it can be assumed the resort cabana regularly used by the firm in the Bahamas would also be bugged.

raywest

Question: This bugged me for years, when Billy said there is something in the trees to Dutch and in the next shot it shows the trees, is the Predator there, as in visible onscreen?

ezorro

Chosen answer: Yes. The predator can be seen not in the immediate shot after, but the one a few seconds later as they are seen walking away.

XIII

Before or after Ramirez gets hit in the face with the branch?

About 3 seconds before. If you look VERY closely (probably needing to pause the screen around 00:40:55 - about a minute after Billy said, "There's something in the trees"), there appears to be a transparent image of The Predator in the background above the major's (Arnold's) right shoulder. If this is meant to be The Predator, its body is curved around a tree trunk and its arms are extended toward the right of the screen (near Arnold's right ear), camouflaged as green leaves.

KeyZOid

The Predator - in a recognizable form - really wasn't visible until another minute later @ 00:41:55 when it was on the ground approaching Hawkins and the woman.

KeyZOid

Question: When Snape tells Dumbledore that he "doesn't want to do this anymore", does he mean his spy work in general or just the agreement to kill Dumbledore?

Answer: He is referring to his promise that, if necessary, he will kill Dumbledore as they had planned. Snape wants to protect Draco from having to do this as Voldemort planned, but he also does not want to end Dumbledore's life in such a manner.

raywest

Question: On Mustafar, when Anakin accuses Padme of bringing Obi-wan to kill him, why doesn't Obi-wan tell him that Padme didn't actually do it (Obi-wan hid on her ship)?

Answer: Obi-Wan knows Anakin is so far gone into the Dark Side that he won't believe him, despite it being the truth.

Cubs Fan

Question: In the scene when The Beast first meets the mutant boy who is the "cure" what video game is the boy playing?

autumwitch

Chosen answer: It's not any particular game, just one the crew made up.

TRENCH117

Show generally

Question: My understanding is Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard, and even Amy and Kripke work for a university; but none of them seem to be teachers. And if they are, they never have office hours, or are seen grading homework, and Sheldon seems inept at teaching. Do universities really hire that many people who simply do research with no actual work requirements? Or what's going on? (I understand not filming boring office hours or grading, etc. But they never even allude to it, their work never interferes with random daily events, and I imagine college teachers/professors would stay extremely more busy.

Bishop73

Chosen answer: The boys work for Caltech, a research university mainly dedicated to science and technology. It's never been stated where Amy works, except that she has her own lab. But remember, her lab is fully funded by the Saudi prince that she is pseudo-engaged to. Any business or university would hire her for that reason.

Greg Dwyer

Answer: In season 7 though Amy came to work at the university til the end.

Question: As pointed out in another question, most Muggles would be surprised to find out about the wizarding world. Surely some of them would think that their child's Hogwarts letter was a joke or something. So do all Muggles with Muggle-born magic children know where the children are going?

Answer: All Muggle parents whose offspring attend Hogwarts know where their children are going and that it is a school of magic. Initially they may think the letter their child receives is a joke, but they are also visited by representatives of the school who can demonstrate that magic is real. Most children have already displayed some type of magical ability, so the parents are not completely surprised. Muggle parents are sworn to keep the wizard world secret.

raywest

Question: Why was Voldemort at a train station in one of Harry's visions? I am wondering why he would let himself be seen by several people. The news that he has returned would get around to Cornelius Fudge.

Answer: Voldemort wasn't actually at the train station. Harry is just having a mental vision of him. This only happened in the movie, and it was to show the growing mental connection Harry shares with Voldemort.

raywest

Question: Do some Hogwarts students stay at the school during the summer break? I ask because in the flashback scene, Tom Riddle tells Dumbledore that he will have nowhere to go if the school closes. But he is sixteen, so where has he gone during the summer breaks of his previous school years?

Answer: Students cannot stay at the school during the summer. In the book, during the summer break, Tom always went back to the same orphanage that he grew up in.

raywest

Question: In the bonfire scene when the girls are taking Sandy over to meet Danny, and after Danny acts differently toward Sandy in front of his friends, why did Rizzo do all of that? Obviously she did it because she knew how Danny would be in front his friends but it seems like there was something else. Did they ever date in the past?

aniyaaaaa

Answer: Danny and Rizzo had a relationship in the past. At the beginning of the movie Jan asks if Rizzo had seen Danny that morning and Rizzo says "that's ancient history." Meaning their relationship is over. I think when they were together Danny treated her poorly and broke her heart. That's how she knows how he'll act towards Sandy at the bonfire and also why she wants to get back at him.

Chosen answer: Remember that Rizzo didn't like Sandy at all. Her clean-cut personality was the opposite of Rizzo's and she hated that. So chances are, she just wanted to humiliate her. Also she didn't like Danny either, so this was like killing two birds with one stone for her. It's possible that she might have dated Danny previously - Jan says to Rizzo that Danny is looking good this year and Rizz says "that is ancient history."

Gavin Jackson

Answer: Likely, Sam's narrations are just his own internal monologue and not reports back to the project or anything.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: In terms of the scene when Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven are chased by the snow monster, I have two questions to ask. 1) Why does Olaf call the monster Marshmallow? 2) While Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf fall off the cliff and Sven runs into a different direction when the chase begins, how does Sven get down to the bottom of the cliff?

John Ohman

Chosen answer: 1. Because the monster looks like a marshmallow. 2. Sven knows that area well, he probably just went a different direction that leads to the bottom of the cliff.

Question: After the weasels who work for Judge Doom leave Eddie's office having failed to find Roger, Roger remarks that Eddie saved his life. It is mentioned in the movie that The Dip is supposedly the only way to kill a Toon, so how would Roger have been killed if the weasels did find him, especially since they were holding guns?

Answer: As you mention, the weasels work for Judge Doom, who is in possession of the dipping machine. Had they found Roger, they would have simply delivered him to Doom, who could then put Roger into the Dip.

Cubs Fan

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