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: Why couldn't Batman just follow Lau to his house and kidnap him there instead of this elaborate plan with the plane?

Answer: To add to the other answer, Lau is likely to have heavy security no matter where he is, so an equally elaborate plan would be necessary even if he left his tower.

Answer: Lau probably lives and works at his tower.

lionhead

Question: Wouldn't betting on yourself be illegal? I get that betting on yourself to lose would be a no-no, but wouldn't betting on yourself at all be against gambling rules?

The_Iceman

Answer: Short answer is no, it's not illegal. For example, boxers are allowed to bet on themselves. There may be leagues or clubs that prohibit their players (and even staff) from any form of gambling, not just betting on themselves or their team. But it doesn't mean it's illegal. Some casinos or bookies may not take players' bets unless it's a straight bet to win, as opposed to a player betting he'll win in the 6th round.

Bishop73

Question: I don't think the elders of the village, upon creating the village, took into account things like horns, honking, or the explosions of fireworks on 4th of July and New Year's Eve. So, how would the elders have explained that one?

Answer: They've set up the village as a nature preserve, so isolated that not even airplanes are allowed to fly over. Soundwise, they're far away from civilization, so they can't hear modern noises.

Brian Katcher

Answer: It was mentioned that the Walker Corporation had paid a lot of money to have the airspace above the village restricted so that no planes flew overhead. Fireworks, horns, and other human-made sounds have been around for centuries and were easily explainable and would barely be heard because the village is so isolated. It's all rather far-fetched, plot-wise, however.

raywest

Question: After the events of this movie, why does Darth Sidious call himself Emperor Palpatine? Vader was expected to ignore his old life as Anakin Skywalker. Or was that a personal choice of Vader's?

Answer: Anakin, renamed Darth Vader, is a choice by Palpatine/Sidious. It is a Sith name. Darth Sidious, however, has two roles to play as both a Sith Lord and occupying an official position as the Emperor, so he uses his real name for that. The rest of the universe cannot know him as Darth Sidious.

lionhead

Question: When Blade is getting ready to leave the morgue and Karen is lying on the ground after being attacked by Quinn, Blade is about to walk by and leave her there. However, a flashback of his mom reaching out for help appears twice, triggering Blade to save her. This represents his mom, which I understand. But his mom's death occurred in the opening scene or at the beginning of the movie, and Blade was only a baby. How could he possibly have a memory of that as an adult from being a baby? (00:14:35 - 00:15:03)

Answer: I don't think it's so much a memory as it is Blade just equating Karen with his mother in that moment. The only way to convey his thought process to the audience, though, is to show his mother onscreen.

Phaneron

Question: At the very end where Lou is visited by the cops and Joyce, couldn't one of them smell the gasoline everywhere? Lou drenched the entire house before they arrived.

sunfox35

Answer: They most certainly should have. Even a small amount would be detectable. This seems to be a "plot hole".

raywest

Question: Does anyone know what Rusty Nail is saying to the guy in room 17? I can hear them talking but can't make anything out.

Answer: The conversation before the banging and gasping sounds is as follows: Ronald: "Who the hell is it?" Rusty: "I bought the drink. I bought the pink champagne". Ronald: "Is this a god damn joke? I swear to god". Rusty: "Are you Black Sheep?" Ronald: "Why don't you come over here? Are you f**king with me, standing in the dark like that? Show your face."

Answer: In the late 90s and 2000s, she was reported to be dating several different men. She was often called a "serial dater."

Question: What exactly was "The Flight of the Birds" that was mentioned during one of the elders' meetings before Lucius was first introduced?

Answer: The "Flight of the Birds" is a metaphor for the village elders. They fled modern society and established the isolated village to escape societal violence. In some scenes, such as when Noah finds an elders' costume under the floor - loose feathers are seen. The feathers are a clue and symbolise the elders.

raywest

Answer: He still had control over them, that's why they've never been able to move on.

Question: What were all the cities that were attacked during the invasion?

Answer: Most likely, coastal cities or cities near a large body of water.

Answer: She was African American, most likely the daughter of slaves. He felt she would have brought shame and disgrace to the mansion and the family name.

Answer: Madame Leota's spirit was encased in the crystal. The singing busts were inanimate objects brought to life.

Question: What's with all the baby corpses that Monica found in the hidden tunnels?

Trainman

Answer: Early on, Ariel tells Monica that the old tunnels beneath the church are the burial site of many babies (the results of years of illicit sex between the nuns and priests), and that's what Monica comes across. It's possible the earthquake/aftershocks were meant to have exposed the tombs. The reason some of the bodies look bloody and more 'fresh' is most likely for shock value, typical of Eli Roth films.

Purple_Girl

Question: Why on one DVD cover for this did they remove the axe Harriet's holding behind her back?

Rob245

Answer: The version without the axe is the original version. It was a later version that "shopped" in the weapon, presumably to even up the picture and mirror the fact that Charlie has something behind his back. Technically, the axe version doesn't even make sense since Harriet is not, in fact, an axe murderer.

Purple_Girl

Question: How did the girls survive for five whole years in an abandoned house in the woods? Did Mama help them to survive by giving them things to eat like cherries?

Answer: I'm pretty sure that they ate cherries because of all the pits shown when the two men enter the house. They probably ate other things as well because Lily is shown eating a moth in one scene.

Answer: Yes, Mama kept them alive. We see a wild apple rolling across to the floor to the huddled girls, implying that Mama gave it to them, and would have continued to give them forest fruits. She undoubtedly also showed them where to find water.

Purple_Girl

Question: When Finton is underneath the strung-up shelter with Ivy during the rain, it is made to believe he saw something in the woods. Did he really? And, do we get any glimpse of what he saw - or what he thought he saw? Or, was his mind playing tricks on him from him "knowing" those things were out there, possibly watching them?

Answer: He apparently saw something-movement or the red color-but it's left ambiguous, so the audience never knows for sure if something is there or if it's his imagination because he's frightened. He likely saw some movement or a shape that was Noah disguised as a monster.

raywest

Question: Why did Finton Coin want Lucius to sit with him in the tower? What did he mean when he told him, "I do hope no one saw you"? And why was no one supposed to see him?

Answer: The guards are supposed to be alone in the tower while on duty. Lucius went to keep Finton company as he was a bit fearful about the recent activity regarding the creatures in the woods. Finton hopes no-one saw Lucius going into the tower because he's breaking the rules.

raywest

Question: When Lucius first approaches the body of elders regarding his request to go to towns, why do they all just stare at him in silence instead of doing something else, like commending him on his willingness to want to help his fellow villagers? It would have been more interesting if they all just told him "No" in unison, a split second before the scene changed, instead of them all just sitting there looking at him. And Edward Walker even looked like he was a bit annoyed with him even asking to go.

Answer: I wouldn't say that Edward was annoyed. The elders had adopted a sober persona and tended to react in a gentle, non-emotional way to just about everything. Lucius wanting to travel to another village created a problem for the elders, who wanted to keep the younger villagers from leaving for any reason, mostly by constantly instilling fear of the unknown creatures. It would be unrealistic for them to simultaneously say "no". It is also a plot device. The audience is deliberately left without any definitive answer about what the elders are thinking.

raywest

Question: What was the reason for the ceremony of meat, where they tossed it onto the rock? And why couldn't they have just walked over and put it there instead of the wind-up toss? That was kind of ridiculous.

Answer: The meat is supposed to be an offering to appease the "monsters" in the woods. As to why they tossed it, that's just what they chose to do. If something is heavy, it is easier to swing and toss it, rather than merely hoist it up.

raywest