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 was Benicio Del Toro's character killed in the film, what was the point if he was doing the job as well, surely it just makes it harder with less men?

Answer: Fenster was running away, making it entirely clear that he had no intention of going through with the job. As such, he was killed, both as revenge for crossing Soze and to make it clear to his erstwhile cohorts that attempting to flee was not a viable option.

Tailkinker

Show generally

Question: I still cannot understand the dynamic of the plane crash. I mean, the tail breaks off at mid-air, and crashes into the let's say 'south' side of the island. The mid-section will end up at the other side ('north') and the cockpit crashes in the middle of the island, between the tail and the mid-section? I know this island is weird and full of mysteries, but this crash seems a little too bizarre. Any thoughts?

Answer: One plausible sequence of events is as follows. The tail section breaks off first and hits the ocean on the 'south' side. The plane is obviously not flying in a stable fashion at this point, and the loss of the tail is only going to make matters worse - it begins to tumble in mid-air, flipping end over end. Under those circumstances, it would be entirely plausible that the nose section could end up between the tail and the mid-section.

Tailkinker

Question: Does anyone know if Mary Jane and Peter will have a daughter in the movies (as they did in the comics)?

Answer: Given that, in the films, they're only just starting their relationship, it can be safely said that any thoughts of starting a family are likely to be some distance off.

Tailkinker

Answer: Yes, it is a real condition, although debated by some. IMS is by this page considered the male equivalent of menopause for woman.

Lummie

Question: What does Fowler signal when the truck full of marines pass a car with a woman with a veil in it?

Answer: Its a crude gesture meaning "I want to perform oral sex on you."

Grumpy Scot

Question: What happened to General Grievous? Was he badly injured and put inside a droid-ish body?

Answer: That's pretty much it, yes. Grievous originally refused to take up the leadership of the Seperatist armies, so Dooku secretly planted a bomb on a shuttle carrying Grievous leaving behind enough evidence to implicate the Republic in the assassination attempt. The critically injured Grievous was then reconstructed into his cyborg form by the Geonosians. Filled with rage directed towards the Republic that he thought had maimed him, Grievous finally agreed to lead the Seperatist forces in battle.

Tailkinker

Question: What music is played in the scene of Norrington's promotion ceremony, where he receives the sword from governor Swann?

Answer: It's an instrumental version of the song Rule Britannia.

Tailkinker

Question: Darth Maul had to feel that Anakin was very Force-sensitive, so why would he almost hit him with his speeder (it looks intentional)? And why wouldn't he tell Darth Sidious about a very Force-strong boy being with the Jedi?

Answer: There is nothing to indicate that a Force-user should automatically detect Force sensitivity in others. In fact, in the books it is made very clear that this is not the case (as Luke has to discover a way for himself to detect potential Jedi candiates). As Anakin did not use the Force while Maul was present, Maul would not pick up any indication that Anakin could use it, and would therefore not suspect Anakin to be any more than a slave.

Twotall

Question: Does Darth Maul know that Darth Sidious is Palpatine?

Answer: Yes, Darth Maul did know Palpatine's true nature. Palpatine/Darth Sidious was his master. Also, in the movie, they have a brief discussion on the balcony outside Palpatine's office.

Bruce Minnick

Question: In the extras DVD of the deluxe boxset, there are a few videos of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman performing the opera (and from what I can tell the video looks from around the time or the original stage show). But it looks to be very much done for the camera (rather than just a recording of the show being performed live). Was the whole opera done in this way, using the original cast? And was it released? I can't find any reference to it at all on IMDB. If it has been released, where can I find it?

Gary O'Reilly

Chosen answer: In 1986-1987, before the show actually premiered, a few songs featuring Sarah Brightman were released to promote it, including the signature theme, featuring both her and Steve Harley (and not, as is often assumed, Michael Crawford). Although the song is from the stage musical, the lyrics used were not the definitive ones and the accompanying video was specially recorded for promotion purposes and was not from the actual show.

Sereenie

Question: What's with Obi-Wan disappearing when he dies? I mean, I've never seen anyone else in the Star Wars 6-logy do it.

Answer: Yoda does it as well. This is linked to the bit at the end of Episode 3 when Yoda tells Obi-wan that his old mentor Qui-gon has managed to 'return' through the Force and instructs him to learn how this can be done. As such, when they die, both Yoda and Obi-wan are, in some unexplained manner, absorbed into the Force - this is what allowed Obi-wan to continue to communicate with Luke during the subsequent films.

Tailkinker

Question: On the Star Wars website is a picture of Mara Jade. It's supposed to be her dancing in Jabba's palace. I've looked and can't spot her. Can anyone tell me what shot she is in or near?

Answer: In a nutshell, she's not in there, so you can stop looking. When Mara became a pivotal character in the book series that cover the time after the films, a number of images were created for, among other things, the Star Wars collectable card game, using a model named Shannon McRandle (a.k.a. Shannon Baksa) to portray her. There were rumours that Shannon would cameo in the revamped Special Edition of Jedi using newly shot footage, but this did not occur.

Tailkinker

Question: When Pai Mai has Beatrix's arm twisted around, is there a special name for that 'move.'

Hamster

Chosen answer: The position her hand is in is known as the 'Swan's Neck' - by forcing the palm of the hand towards the inner forearm, it creates immense pain centering around the wrist.

Question: Did DaimlerChrysler re-introduce the Dodge Charger in conjunction with the film, or was their timing merely coincidental?

Answer: Given the massive hype surrounding the film, and the untold publicity it garnered the Charger, I think it's highly unlikely that it was a coincidence, more a cynical marketing strategy.

Manky

Question: Are we ever told exactly why Jerry needs the money? His $750,000 deal with the parking lot falls through and he owes GMAC $320,000. He is going to give the kidnappers $40,000, but then it's increased to $80,000. But he sets the ransom at only $1 million. So what is the deal?

Answer: This is incorrect. Jerry had already devised the kidnapping plot before his father-in-law refused to loan him the money. It's never stated why Jerry needs the money. He owes $320,000 to GMAC but why he took that money from GMAC in the first place is never stated. Jerry is a greedy person who got himself into massive debt. He even balks when Carl demands they get $80,000 instead of $40,000, when, if the plan works, Jerry would still get $920,000. He's greedy and desperate and is willing to do foolish things for money. That's basically the "moral" of the story.

Jerry's balking when Carl demands $80,000 could be acting on his part. That amount is supposed to be the entire ransom, so Jerry had to pretend as if Carl's demand was unacceptable. Jerry may well be greedy, which could be why he's in financial trouble to begin with, but in the movie he needs money out of desperation, not greed.

ironcito

Answer: The business deal didn't actually fall through. Jerry needed $750,000 to proceed with it. He tried borrowing the capital from his father-in-law, who refused to lend it to him. Instead, the father-in-law wanted to invest in the deal himself and to give Jerry a small finder's commission. Outraged, Jerry devised the phony kidnap scheme so he could get the money to invest in the parking lot. (He never intended for his wife to be harmed.) Presumably he planned to pay off the kidnappers and partially repay GMAC with some of the $1,000,000 ransom money, and use the rest for the investment deal.

raywest

This is incorrect - he meets with the kidnappers before visiting Wade (the father-in-law) about the loan for the deal.

Question: Am I mistaken, or did Sylvia say she was born in the US before moving to Africa? I'm just puzzled as to why she was deported in the end even if she has dual citizenship.

Jason Feng

Chosen answer: Dual citizenship is complicated, and it does not guarantee a person equal rights, privileges, and obligations in both countries. Nor does one country or the other always recognize dual citizenship. Since Sylvia's main residency has been in Africa, the US would consider that her primary homeland and could legally deport her there. Basically, the government is giving Sylvia a way to avoid prosecution in the US by allowing her to leave the country.

raywest

Question: In the scene where General Esperanza takes control of the plane he is on, it shows him locked in chains, but then later it shows him strangling the guard aboard the plane. it is never shown how he got out of the chains, so how did he do that?

Answer: He wasn't released from the chains when he strangled the guard, he would have sweet talked the guard into coming near him for something, killed him and then got the key from him.

Cybermoose

Mirror Image - August 8, 1953 - S5-E22

Question: I believe in the final episode, Al the bartender asked Sam where he would like to go and Sam said home. He then said he couldn't because he had a wrong to put right for his hologram friend Al, which he did. After telling Al's wife that Al is alive he leaps. I think it said after that that Sam never makes it home. So does he continue leaping forever or is he stuck in the last person he leaps into? I know he lost his memory but what happened after that?

Carl Missouri

Chosen answer: Per the Quantum leap page at http://www.scifi.com/quantum/episodes/season5.html. 8 August 1953: An enigmatic leap lands Sam in a Pennsylvania tavern, as his own grown self on the day of his birth. As Al and Gushie work frantically to locate him, Sam befriends a wise bartender (popular character actor McGill, who'd appeared in a different role in the very first "leap") and a group of coal miners. As a host of familiar-looking faces pass through the bar - with different identities than Sam remembers - Sam ponders his life of leaping with Al the bartender, who tells Sam he controls his own destiny. Pressed for more, Al the bartender simply shrugs and says, "Sometimes, 'that's the way it is' is the best explanation." Sam realizes he must right at least one more wrong before he can go home, and leaps back to tell Al Calvavicci's wife Beth (from "M.I.A.") to wait for Al, who will survive Vietnam and come home to her. The closing title cards state that Beth and Al have four daughters and will shortly celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary ... and that Sam Beckett never returned home.

Boobra

Question: Was this film a biopic about Kurt Cobain's last days? Is it authorized?

Answer: It was inspired by Kurt's last days, but it is purely fiction.

Rlvlk

Question: What's the building the UFO nuts are on top of; it looks very familiar to a building in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.

Answer: Now it's the US Bank tower, the tallest structure in downtown Los Angeles, although at the time of filming I believe it belonged to IBM.

Krista

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