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: According to imdb.com Jerry Goldsmith composed the music for the film. But I ran across a copy of the soundtrack which names Danny Elfman as the composer. I have also seen him credited for the music in both "Gremlins" films on several occasions, both on TV and online. Why is Elfman getting credit if Goldsmith composed the music?

Answer: It's hard to get a definite answer to this, as I've found conflicting answers online. However, by 1984 Danny Elfman hadn't done much composing, with his musical work largely restricted to songs as part of his band. As such I'd think it was unlikely he composed the Gremlins score. No music from the Gremlins films are on either of his compilation CDs either. The closest thing to a reason I can find for the mis-crediting is that on the Gremlins 2 DVD one of the deleted scenes apparently has some music from "Beetljuice" (which Elfman scored) used over it, which may have led to the confusion.

Jon Sandys

Goldsmith also had a cameo in the film (as did Steven Spielberg) as the man at the phone, while Spielberg rolls around on some sort of bicycle-type vehicle.

Scott215

Answer: I purchased the Gremlins theme on my iPhone, listed under Danny Elfman, and it's the original theme. I'm guessing Danny bought the rights.

Any Gremlin theme song you bought with Elfman's name attached was mislabeled. He didn't buy the rights to any of the songs Goldsmith created.

Bishop73

Question: Why did Michael's secretary keep asking him if she could go to the toilet?

Answer: She felt that she had to ask permission to do everything. She feared that she would make Michael angry if he needed her and she wasn't there.

moviemogul

Question: I was reading one of the first transcripts of Scream on the internet and at the end of the movie just before Sidney kills Billy, she says something along the lines of "and this, Billy Studbucket, is for having an incredibly small weenie." Does anyone know why this was cut out of the final film?

Answer: I have read the original scripts and that line isn't in them, so don't know what you read, must have been fake.

Answer: Who knows. Almost every movie made has gone through a myriad of script rewrites before ending up with the finished movie and changes are made on all levels of production; from the initial scriptwriting, to on the set changes, to changes made in post production.

Andreas[DK]

Question: Why would shoppers need to carry a scanner round a store with them like Kate does early on in the film?

Answer: She is picking he items she wants on her wedding registry. You scan the items you want, so people will know what to buy you.

pross79

Answer: It's Peter; he's the main protagonist in the series so naturally the title and theme song are referring to him.

Andreas[DK]

Question: I haven't seen this movie but I've seen the adverts. Is the woman who plays Sandler's wife the same woman who plays Kate in Lost? She sure does look like her.

Answer: No Sandler's wife in the movie is played by Kate Beckinsale. Kate on Lost is played by Evangeline Lilly.

Andreas[DK]

Question: Why didn't they just shoot Mystique with the cure, rather then hold her in a cell like they did? Knowing how dangerous she is, and how she can shape-shift into anyone, why keep her incarcerated? Surely they knew that Magneto would try to rescue her, and how unstoppable he could be. It would have been in their best interest to just "cure" her.

Answer: Because they're not allowed to. You can't just beat a potentially violent prisoner unconscious. This is along the same lines. The legality of usage of "the cure" has not been fully clarified. So all personnel were given the order not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Phixius

Question: Does Cyclops sleep with his visor on?

Answer: He has various other sets of glasses made of the same material - he would wear one of those rather than his bulkier visor.

Tailkinker

Conspiracy - S1-E25

Question: What happens if a "Captain-eyes-only" message comes in and the captain is off the ship and not easily accessible? Is the message transferred, or does the captain give his first officer permission to view the message?

Answer: It would depend on just how inaccessible the Captain was. If possible the message would be transferred. Otherwise, in the Captain's absence, the first officer would be the acting Captain and would be permitted to view the message.

Phixius

Show generally

Question: Does anyone know what is the order of replacement for the captain on the Bridge? All I know is that Riker is the first, but is it the captain's choice after that?

Answer: According to rank and seniority, the chain of command is: Picard, Riker, Data, LaForge, Troi and Worf as of the series finale. Troi was added when she took command school, Tasha Yar would have been between Geordi and Worf, and Wesley or Ro Laren would have been after Worf had they not left the Enterprise.

Grumpy Scot

This has changed over the series but it all depends on who is available and rank has little to do with it. When Worf became the Security chief after Tasha died, he essentially became the fourth in Command (with some exceptions IE: Commander Shelby in The Best of Both Worlds) from then on. Even though Crusher, Geordi, and Troi all outrank him, Worf is a Bridge Officer, so that apparently elevates him in the chain of command over higher ranking Officers.

Question: Does anybody know were I could get the Fruity Oaty Bar (the strange advert that makes River go mental) song, as I really like it but don't know where to find it. Thanks in advance.

Answer: Here it is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLF5J7rFjhs.

Myridon

Question: What is the song that Cab Callaway sings to stall the crowd?

Answer: It's called "Minnie the Moocher", and was first recorded by him in 1931.

Twotall

Answer: It's exactly like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. No one knows for absolutely sure, but it is a near-certainty that they did because they were in the first wave charging across no man's land. Like BC and the SK, they stop the scene just as they were rushing in.

Zwn Annwn

Question: The architect mentions a "mother" of the Matrix. Who is she? When Neo asks if it's the Oracle, the Architect says "Please." Does he mean please how can you think that, or please don't interrupt, I'm speaking?

Answer: It's the Oracle. The Architect says "please" because Neo called her an oracle. To the Architect, she's just another program. He is scoffing at Neo for using that term, not for coming to that conclusion.

Phixius

Question: If the witches were being hung outside the house when Winifred's book showed her how to cast the life spell, where did the black flame candle and its instructions come from?

Answer: They were set up, beforehand, just in case. Winnifred knew about the spell, but she didn't memorize the incantation. So she needed the book to see how to cast it.

Phixius

If you pause the movie, you will see that the book opened up to the Black Flame Candle spell.

Question: According to the mistakes page, there's a shot of the Death Star hangar in the original theatrical version and a crew member walks in then realises he's in shot and walks back out. I have got the original on DVD and have searched each hangar shot and can't find it. Anyone help?

Answer: It may have been edited out for the DVD release. They clean up things like that on DVD.

Phixius

Question: Why exactly does the radio in the movie (and the game) react with static when a monster approaches? I've never been able to figure this out.

Answer: It's either simply the same phenomenon explored in the film "White Noise," or it could be Dark Alessa warning them. She doesn't want the mother to be killed; but she does need to refine the mother's will, for the final conrontation with Christabella, with tests of emotional and physical endurance.

Phixius

Question: At the end of the movie, Jennifer asks Doc about the note she got from the future that became erased when Marty did not participate in the race with Needles. Doc's answer to her question is that her future had not been written yet, and he goes on to say that no-one's future has been, but if that is so, then how come in the previous movies he could travel into the future with Marty to see Marty's future?

Answer: What they saw was one possible future, not a definitively laid down one - one of the key plot devices in the series is that making changes in the past will affect the future. As such, what Doc's saying is that, while they've seen one possible future, actions that they take in the present can change it for the better (or worse).

Tailkinker

Question: What is the significance of that guy at the gas station, as he closes the door on the cannibals' truck, is he one of the inbred family or what?

Answer: The chosen answer is incorrect. In part 2, the old man turns out to be one of them. He tells Dale, you killed my boy! The 3 cannibals are his sons.

Answer: Both answers are correct. In the first movie, it isn't clear what the old man's relationship to them is, but is implied they leave him alone in exchange for leading people to them. In the second movie, its established that he is their father. However, if you're going by the first movie alone, he does appear to be afraid of them, which is why he shuts the garage door when he sees their truck approaching.

Answer: He is frightened of them, which is why he hides when they go by. He allows unwary travelers to encounter the crazies as a means of protecting himself. So, they leave him alone in return. But, apparently, it doesn't do much to dissuade his fear.

Phixius

Answer: This is hard to understand. In the first movie he is scared of them. In the second movie and its sequels and prequels he is helping them and caring for them.

Question: What is a "Panama" from the boat explosion scene?

Answer: "Panama" is their nickname for the escape tactic employed which caused the boat to explode. As they said in the movie, it is so named because the first time they tried this stunt they thought they were in Panama.

Phixius

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