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.

Chosen answer: Currently there is still no release date as of yet but my guess would be early 2008 it will likely be released in Australia.

Lummie

Answer: The title comes from a con trick that is similar to the scam emails from people claiming to represent wealthy Nigerians. (For more information on this click here.) Being that much of the episode revolves around a con man and conning the title seems more suitable than to the episode Peggy accidentally kidnaps the Mexican girl Lupe.

Lummie

Question: There's one thing that bothers me. It's when Evan ends up in mental hospital, and his brain is once again attacked by torrent of new memories, then we see very fast switching pictures of various faces, with lots of mixed voices in the background. What is the meaning of this?

Answer: Those are his "new" memories rushing into his brain.

Phixius

Question: Was David Swift credited as a screenwriter because he wrote the 1961 film, or did he actually help write this one?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: According to IMDb.com David Swift is credited for writing the original 1961 movie and doing the screenplay for the 1998 movie.

OneHappyHusky

Show generally

Question: I don't understand how Michael and Lincoln have different last names when they are brothers with the same parents, why aren't they both Burrows or both Scofield?

Answer: Michael took his mother's maiden name after his father deserted them.

SexyIrishLeprechaun

Question: What was the meaning of John's ponytail? Why didn't he want it to be touched or cut off?

Answer: During the Qing Dynasty it was compulsory for men to wear a queue to prove loyalty to the Manchu rule. Refusal to follow can result to execution considering that as treason. Also, he not only prevented him from going back to China but also preventing him from informing the Emperor of his crimes without his queue.

Yes, but in fact, Jackie Chan wasn't wearing a queue in the movie. He only had the pony tail. His head should have been shaved half bald, especially if he was the Emperor's Guard. They just didn't want to show Jackie Chan in a half-bald hairstyle.

Similarly happened in 1976 film Hand of Death in which Jackie co-starred in. That film too was set in the Qing Dynasty but all men still had their queues but no shaved temples. The slaves in Shanghai Noon however some of them did actually have that hairstyle correctly having both queue and front temples shaved bald.

Answer: The queue is loyalty submission to Manchu rule during the Qing Dynasty. Refusal to wear that hairstyle is considered treason and punishable by death. Fong cut it off to make it as if he's a slave with no honour and would label him a traitor to China. He not only prevented him from coming back but he also cannot report his actions to the Emperor if he were to go back to China (but cannot because of Fong cutting off his queue).

Answer: In the Qing Dynasty (which was in power at the time the film was set), all soldiers were required to wear the Manchurian hairstyle of the queue (Chon Wang's "pony tail"). Cutting off his queue ensured that he would not be able to fight in the Chinese army for a while.

Answer: His religion states, more or less, that if his hair is ever cut then he cannot enter heaven.

Phixius

Question: Why exactly do the spirits in the Ark kill everyone who looks at them? Do they only kill evil people such as the Nazis, or everyone who looks at them, regardless of how pure they may be (say, for example, would the Pope be able to open the Ark without incident)? Does that also mean after being closed, the Ark was never supposed to be opened again by anybody ever? I was never quite clear on the explanation to the Ark's somewhat malefic nature.

Answer: The idea that the contents of the Ark could not be viewed was lifted from God's statement to Moses that He could not appear to Moses in all His glory lest Moses be killed by it. The Ark would kill everyone who looked at it because, Biblically speaking, "all [Pope included] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." No, the Ark was never meant to be opened. The Ark is not, strictly speaking, malefic either. It's just too Holy for human endurance. It is humanity's malefic nature that causes the Ark to kill.

Phixius

Show generally

Question: In the first few seasons, the Charmed Ones can retrieve a spell from the Book Of Shadows by just hovering their hands over the book & the book will turn to the correct page. However, in later seasons they have to turn pages manually. Why?

Answer: They weren't searching the book. They were "concentrating" and their ancestors (Grams specifically) were helping them search. Later, they begin to know what to look for.

shortdanzr

Answer: Only Phoebe had that ability in 2x03, due to the Smart Spell she cast, and in some cases Grams or Leo were scrolling the pages to help the girls find what they're searching.

Damentian

Show generally

Question: In "I'm With Stupid", can someone explain to me who those people were who thought they were Patrick's parents, and how they knew to show up, and knew everything about Patrick?

Answer: I had originally posted this as a mistake before being corrected. My own opinion aside, there is no real evidence to how they knew about Patrick. Its all I think meant to add to the stupidity of starfish in the show. Not only do the fake parents not even have kids but Patrick didn't even realise they were not his parents until they mentioned their names.

Lummie

Question: When Professor McGonagall turns the bird into a water goblet, what type of bird is that?

Michele Hedges

Chosen answer: I believe it's a breed of toucan or hornbill. Tropical in origin. Not sure if it's South American or African.

Answer: This bird appears to be a conglomeration of bird parts, not matching any known species. The bill is that of a hornbill.

Question: Why does Ironhide transform in the final battle just to say "It's Starscream!"? As far as i know, from wathing the series 'Cybertron' they can talk in vehicle mode. Of course no one would think this is weird, they already know that they can turn into giant robots, if that's not already weird enough.

Answer: He transforms into robot mode so he (and Bumblebee) can pick up the truck to protect the group from the imminent attack from Starscream.

XIII

Question: If Lennox is a captain and Epps is a sergeant, then why is Epps the one who calls the Pentagon and relays the information about the thing that is attacking the village? You'd think the higher ranking officer would be the one to call the Pentagon.

Answer: Usually, yes, unless the higher ranking officer designated the lower ranking officer to do so. But this was not a casual situation. Whoever was able to make the call, made it.

Phixius

Answer: Elvis Costello covered Beautiful especially for House M.D.

Garlonuss

Question: Why doesn't one of the autobots take the all-spark to the roof of the building instead of guarding Sam while he carries it?

Answer: Because they are needed to hold off the attack.

shortdanzr

Question: Is that a tissue stuck in Miss Honey's watch band? And if it is, why is it there?

Answer: That's where a proper lady keeps her tissue/handkerchief by rules of etiquette.

Rlvlk

Answer: As stated above it is a tissue and kept there as etiquette. You actually see her use and replace the tissue on a couple of occasions.

Ssiscool

Question: How did Bumblebee regain the ability to talk?

Answer: Its never properly explained during the movie. It would have most likely have happened when he came in contact with the Cube. Just like when Frenzy came in contact with it, he was able to "rebuild" himself back to his original form (after being hacked up by Sam and Mikela). Bumblebee being the good soldier that he was waiting until for the right "time to speak".

XIII

Question: What is the Rabbit Foot? It was never really explained in the movie or did I miss something?

Answer: It's never explained. This is what's known in the film industry as a McGuffin, a term popularised by Alfred Hitchcock, which is an item that's crucial to the plot, but the exact nature of which is never revealed because it actually doesn't matter in the slightest.

Tailkinker

Question: I read somewhere that there was one plot hole between the 3rd and 4th episodes that the filmmakers forgot to fill in when making the 3rd movie. I tried to click on the link, but it wouldn't work, so could someone please tell me what the plot hole was?

Answer: This is very much a matter of opinion. As with any film, some people consider there to be multiple plot holes, whereas others don't. One thing that Lucas did originally say would be explained was the erasure of Kamino from the Jedi Archives (as discovered in the second film). This ultimately didn't happen, which some have claimed represents a plot hole in the series, whereas all it really is is an omission of information (which was ultimately dealt with in the book "Labyrinth of Evil" anyway). It's really down to how people look at it and what they consider to be a plot hole.

Tailkinker

Question: This is really a question for all of the Star Wars movies. Is it always necessary to commit murder to become a Sith? It seems that most of the characters who have turned to the dark side have committed murders around the same time—i. e. Count Dooku killed Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas around the time he became Darth Tyranus, Anakin killed Count Dooku (and was an accomplice in the killing of Mace Windu) right before he became Darth Vader, and Luke, had he turned to the dark side, would have done so by killing either Darth Vader or the Emperor. If murder really is a necessary prerequisite for becoming a Sith, whom did Darth Maul and Darth Sidious kill? (I know that Sidious killed Darth Plagueis, but he was already a Sith apprentice by then, so that couldn't have been the murder that turned him to the dark side.).

Answer: No, it's not an absolute prerequisite. Sith are obviously very dark by their nature, so murders tend to follow in their wake, but it's not essential to become one. A murder may well advance them towards the Dark Side, thus improving their eligibility for Sithdom, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Tailkinker

Question: Before the movie came out, I saw a picture of Anakin standing in the hallway (with white walls) of the ship that is in the beginning of A New Hope. Was this in a deleted scene?

Answer: No, it was purely a publicity shot.

Tailkinker

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