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: At the mansion, how did Edward get the newspapers/magazines that he clipped articles from?

Answer: His father/creator probably saved issues of magazines and papers. Some might have been delivered to a mailbox after the father's death, if subscriptions were already paid for.

Answer: Bart's implying it really was the actor, who hadn't been in movies for years and had apparently turned to a life of crime.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why does the male MUTO mate with the female if she is already pregnant?

Answer: The female produces the eggs, and then the male mates with her to fertilize them. She is technically not "pregnant" until after the mating.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: What did the man that Lois interviewed mean when he said that he hoped Custer paid for the land?

Answer: The Indian Chief sold the "worthless piece of desert" for a "stupid high price" to an unknown buyer, and the Indian Chief made an earnest sarcastic joke that he hopes it's Custer, as in George Armstrong Custer, who had been a Cavalry Commander during the Indian Wars.

Super Grover

Question: Why was this movie a box office flop?

Answer: This was the fifth movie in the series, and it was not critically well-received. Most reviews felt it was unoriginal and unfunny compared to its predecessors and should probably have been released straight to video. With tepid reviews, audiences probably were willing to wait until it was available on DVD or streaming. Although not as financially successful as its predecessors, it did make around $408.5 million against a $105 million budget, so it did not lose money.

raywest

Question: At the end of the film, Wonka mentions his golden ticket contest was for a "child" to take over for him. Even though more likely, children would be the ones to eat the bars and find the tickets, many adults worldwide were trying for the tickets as well. What if one of them found the ticket and tried to enter?

Answer: For argument's sake, he would have let them in and filtered them out in the same way he filters out the "unworthy" children before Charlie wins. Even the finding of the Golden Tickets was not entirely random (evidenced by the fact that Slugworth/Wilkinson is already present when Charlie finds his). Wonka planned the factory tour to test each individual's weaknesses, and anticipated "losing" people along the way (which is why the foam-powered car is only big enough to seat Wonka and two pairs, instead of all the original entrants, for example). So, if an adult had won and entered, Wonka would simply have adjusted the tour to create some kind of temptation for them, geared to their individual idiosyncrasies.

Answer: It was cancelled. Originally, the show was supposed to have five seasons, with the fifth season having Jack discovering a spell that would remove the curses on all of the items that were collected during the show's run.

Question: What was the liquid Mr. Miyagi soaked the cloth in and told Daniel: "Smell bad, heal good?"

Answer: Since it's not stated within the movie, it's presumed to be an herb/plant with a foul smell (it's been steeped/brewed so Myagi wrings out the cloth), which has potent healing properties.

Super Grover

Question: I have a question regarding some of the slang used in the film. During the briefing just before the marines go down to the planet, Hudson asks, "Is this going to be a stand-up fight or another bug-hunt?" And what does Gorman mean when he says they think xenomorphs are involved? People say xenomorph is a fancy term for the species of aliens in this film series, however, it's made clear that at the beginning of the movie this is an unknown species, so that term couldn't refer specifically to them.

Answer: In addition to the other answers, I'd like to point out that xenomorph simply means strange or alien form.

Answer: It wasn't exactly an "unknown" species. "The Company," the commercial operation funding everything, knew the alien creatures existed and had wanted them as bio-weapons since the first film. It's unclear what Gorman knew but likely little more than his troops. Burke knew about the creatures and his purpose was to collect one, the same as Ash in the original "Alien." The term "xenomorph" is a general term that could be applied to any extraterrestrial non-humanoid species. Hudson is asking if they're hunting a non-sentient being.

raywest

Yeah, Gorman had no clue about the xenomorphs whatsoever. No way. The Company did, Burke is part of the Company, but Gorman isn't. He, like the others, is just cannon fodder. The term is used as you describe it though. You gotta understand that the Company itself probably doesn't know how a full-grown xenomorph actually looks like. Not until Alien 4. They just know there is alien biotech to be claimed.

lionhead

Question: Why is Harry Bailey wearing a uniform at the end of the movie?

Answer: He left in the middle of the banquet they were giving him for winning the Medal of Honor and immediately flew to Bedford Falls when he heard his brother was in trouble.

Brian Katcher

Answer: Agree with the other answer but would add that, from a moviemaking perspective, the film was released shortly after the end of WWII when American patriotism was extremely high. The filmmakers emphasized Harry's status as a military hero and George's role in having saved him when they were boys. It visually reminds the audience of who Harry is and what he did.

raywest

Question: Why isn't the old Chinese man's grandson in this film? Whatever happened to him?

Answer: He wasn't relevant to the plot.

Rob245

Show generally

Question: Why doesn't the real CSI have the lab in house like a correction stated? It also said that DNA testing testing is prioritized by case importance. Why doesn't the CSI use this method in real life?

Answer: There are some exceptions; some smaller divisions have a lab in-house and sometimes LE is nudged to put one case over others and solve it quickly (i.e. very public cases to save their reputation). These have to be exceptions and not the rule. It is expensive to house together (real labs are much bigger than seen on the show and there are many more scientists who all specialize in an area). It can also cause contamination if labs are open to more people and makes mistakes easier to happen. Not to mention if the scientists work that closely with the detectives, they could be biased and get the cases dismissed. If it's independent, this isn't an issue. They also need to work on several cases at once rather than focus on one priority or it'll cause heavy backup, which is not fair to other families/victims. Any time LE is nudged to go quicker than usual, it only backs up other cases and creates a bigger risk of a case not being properly solved. All cases should be treated with care.

Answer: The best information I read was from an online "People" magazine article. Actor Paul Giamatti says he is sworn to secrecy on how the lazy eye effect was achieved, other than to say it was "movie magic." I hope someone finds additional information and shares it here, as I'd like to know more.

raywest

According to a YouTube video from WhatCulture that I watched today, Giamatti recently revealed on the Howard Stern Show that he wore a big soft contact lens, which practically blinded him in that eye.

Phaneron

Question: Did Christmas Eve used to be a regular work day? The bank is open, the bank examiner is at the building and loan, and Zuzu had school.

Brian Katcher

Answer: Did they used to have school on Christmas Eve day?

Brian Katcher

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that Christmas Eve was never a Federal holiday. It really depends on the individual company or organization on whether to give employees the day off. When I worked for the state, we used to get Christmas Eve off, but that was eliminated when MLK Day became a Federal holiday. Employees then had to use a vacation day if they wanted Christmas Eve off.

raywest

Answer: Yes, and it still is. The standard work day was 9:00 - 5:00, and Christmas Eve (not a "holiday") starts at 6:00 PM - after work. Christmas "breaks" may have been extended over the years, though.

KeyZOid

Question: What song is the hobo playing when Hero Boy first meets him on top of the Polar Express?

Answer: It's "Good King Wenceslas," a traditional Christmas carol.

raywest

Question: Dr. Jones is the prime suspect for the murders at Hunter College. He and Helena return from the Siege of Syracuse (212 BCE) to their time (1969 CE) but the actual murderers, Voller and his goons, do not. Assuming Indy isn't awaiting indictment, how do you think they absolved him? We will not accept Helena Paid Off The Police. Although such argument is clever, it breaks our suspension of disbelief. Two murders and assaulting an officer cannot be bribed away in NYC 1969.

Answer: Other than flimsy circumstantial evidence, there's no substantial proof that could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt in a trial that Indy was guilty, much less enough to charge him. Also, Helena could give a statement to the police.

raywest

Question: How was it possible in the beginning of the movie for Doris Walker to be able to look out her window and see into Mr. Galey's apartment, where he and Susan were watching the parade? This takes place when Doris returns home midway through the parade and asks Cleo where Susan is. Cleo replies, "Oh, she's watching the parade with that nice Mr. Galey." Doris then goes over to her window, looks out, and sees Mr. Galey and Susan watching the parade.

Answer: I don't understand the question. She looks out of her bay window and sees her daughter with Mr. Galey in his apt. Most buildings in New York are U-shaped, so looking out of your window and seeing another apartment is not uncommon. Besides, buildings were designed with an Art-Deco look back in the 1940s.

Question: When we first see Goldmember, he comes out and says, "Hi everybody, I am from Holland. Isn't that weird?" What is so weird about him being from Holland?

Answer: Name one supervillain, from any spy movie, who has come from Holland. Then you get the joke.

Question: After watching Star Trek: Wrath of Khan recently, something I'd never noticed before... Why does the Kobyashi Maru have 300 passengers? It's an ore-carrier with just over 80 crew. You don't have oil-bearing ships ferrying holidaymakers about now, but maybe in a little over 300 years, things might be different.

Answer: Being that "Kobyashi Maru" is a Star Fleet Academy training exercise for a no-win situation that future officers might face, the details might be somewhat exaggerated for a more dramatic effect. It's conceivable that a civilian transport ship also carries paying passengers. Today's cargo ships also carry some passengers. It's a cheaper, no-frills way for people to travel.

raywest

Question: At one point in the film, the Crypt Keeper tells the main characters he's trying to warn them about what could happen to them. Why would he tell them this if it's later revealed that they're already dead?

Answer: Basically, it's a plot-twist ending to surprise the audience. Telling the characters that they are already dead and going to Hell would certainly affect their reaction to the situation and it would ruin the shock value for viewers. The Crypt Keeper also has a perverse sense of humor.

raywest

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.