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 do the hyenas attack Joseph's brother, and not Joseph? At the end of the movie we find out that Sarah is the one who is possessed by the devil, not Joseph. So how does one explain the hyenas acting like Joseph didn't exist?

Answer: Maybe Sarah has planned to to blame Joseph being possessed. At least it is how I understand it, because in that way it makes sense.

Question: Is the building used as the outside of the school in the film, the same one they used for the courthouse in Back to the Future 2? If so, how did they remove the lake? (the one Marty falls into during his escape from Griff's gang).

Answer: According to IMDB, the town sets for Gremlins and BTTF were both shot on the same set. But since Gremlins came out well before Future 2, they would have actually added the pond.

Question: Near the beginning, Buzz says something about drinking hot smores. What are smores?

Answer: Buzz tries to reassure Woody by telling him that soon he and Andy will be sitting at a campfire "making delicious hot shmoes," then Woody corrects him and says, "They're called s'mores." Well, these campfire s'mores are made of marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker. Toast marshmallow over campfire flame, place it with chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers, so the hot gooey marshmallow heats the chocolate. It's said to have originated in the 1920s by the Girl Scouts, and received its name when kids asked for "Some more!"

Super Grover

Question: When the shark has deflated Doug's boat, Andy exclaims, "Hey Bligh, someone popped your balloon?" Why does he call him Bligh?

Answer: He is referring to Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty. Its an insult as Captain Bligh was a real jerk.

Grumpy Scot

Question: There's something I don't understand: To lift the curse, the pirates need the blood of every person who took the gold. In the end they had the blood of every pirate and of Jack. But what about Will who had to make the blood sacrifice instead of his father? He never cut himself.

Answer: Yes he did - the cut is visible on the palm of his hand as he drops the last medallions into the chest.

Tailkinker

Question: When Aragorn throws an apple to Pippin which hits him in the head, Merry says Pippin's name in an annoyed tone. Why does he do that?

Answer: As in "Pippin! Wake up and watch what's going on around you!"

scwilliam

Question: Why is Violet's hair black when her parents have brown and blond hair? None of them obviously dyed their hair, Dash and Jack Jack have blond and brown hair respectively.

Answer: Violet could dye her hair; I don't think it ever said she didn't. Come to think of it, either one or both of the parents could conceivably dye their hair, too.

Krista

Answer: My sister has natural blond hair, while the rest of us have dark brown hair.

Answer: Would Violet be able to turn her hair invisible if it's dyed?

That would depend on the nature of her ability. If she is generating a skin-tight field of invisibility around herself (including her hair), then yes, that would effectively cause her hair dye to become invisible. If she is somehow only changing her own molecules to be invisible, then no. However, if this were the case, her hair wouldn't become invisible either, since it's dead material.

I'm in love with this question. This would mean that one of the parents has to dye his/her hair, Helen probably. Or, Helen cheated on Bob (probably with Gazerbeam).

lionhead

My guess is that Violet's powers work like those of the Invisible Girl/Woman of the Fantastic Four by bending light in her immediate vicinity in such a manner that she appears invisible to the naked eye; this would explain why her clothing becomes invisible as well despite not being part of her body. If this is the case, then there's no reason her hair wouldn't turn invisible as well, dyed or otherwise.

zendaddy621

Answer: Judging by the slight blue tint of Violet's hair, it's probable that she dyed it.

Question: Is the portrayal of the historical figures and their respective surroundings accurate in any way?

Answer: Yes and no. The basic premises are all right; the years are accurate, and maybe the costumes. Napoleon was at war in 1805, and Joan of Arc was undoubtedly in church at some time during 1429, etc. But everything with the mysterious King Henry and his two teenage daughters in the middle ages is completely fabricated. Although there were four King Henrys during that century, none of them fit the age or family situation seen in the film.

Krista

Answer: Not entirely, especially Beethoven. He was supposed to be in the early stages of his deafness, and he showed no signs of resentment towards Napoleon, whom he once admired, until he crowned himself Emperor of France. This caused Beethoven to despise him and rename his Third Symphony to Eroica, which was originally titled "Bonaparte Symphony" when he admired Napoleon.

Question: What did the Chinese guy mean when he did a thumbs up towards Harry on the oil rig?

Answer: Thumbs up in America means "good job" or "Yes. ok" something along those lines. The Chinese guy has no idea what Liv Tyler and Harry Stamper are talking about in English and just gives the "thumbs up" to him as a way of saying "good job on the oil rig, everything looks great!"

shortdanzr

Question: According to many websites including IMDB, it says Staney Kubrick demanded about 128 takes of Shelley DuVall saying a line. Does anybody know this scene and specific line?

Hamster

Chosen answer: The scene was from when she discovers all his papers just say "All work and no play..." to when she bonks him on the head. That was one continuous scene, with no cuts, and Mr. Kubrick wanted it perfect.

SexyIrishLeprechaun

Answer: In hair terms, a fringe, the piece that hangs in front of your eyes. Seems to be just a US term.

SexyIrishLeprechaun

Question: I know that Chris Columbus didn't direct this movie, but was his daughter an extra like she was in the past 2 movies?

Answer: According to IMDB, Violet Columbus was "Girl With Flowers."

Hamster

Answer: ROTC is the Reserve Officers Training Corps. It's a program for people who would like to join the military when they get out of school. They wear uniforms and do military training exercises after school. While not always the case, most people in the ROTC program tend to hang out mostly with other people in the program.

Myridon

Question: Is it ever explained why the characters cannot use magic to protect themselves from the werewolf (Lupin)?

Answer: No, it's not really explained, though one could argue that it's simply because nobody wanted to harm Professor Lupin. Potions can be used to help subdue the beast, but it was too late by the time Lupin transformed.

LuMaria 1

Question: Wat keeps threatening to "fong" people. Is this a medieval term or did Alan Tudyk just think the word was funny?

Answer: In the commentary, Alan says that it means to kick someone. But the cast also thought it was funny.

Bobbert

Question: What exactly is the relationship between Merry and Pippin? I know they are cousins, but other than that. They seem to be regarded as a unit but Merry seems to be annoyed by Pippin all the time and not too happy to be around him. What kind of relationship are they meant to have?

Answer: They're best friends, partners in mischief and so forth. Merry probably started out acting in an older brother-type capacity (being eight years Pippin's senior), and, as we see, still frequently gets exasperated by the younger hobbit's actions, but neither would ever choose to be without the other.

Tailkinker

Question: As Peggy Sue and her friends walk down the school hall, she glances up and sees a Mylar balloon. While it is intended to remind her of the reunion, I wondered if Mylar balloons were available in 1960?

scwilliam

Chosen answer: It was meant to be an anachronism. When she is talking to Richard later in the film, Peggy Sue says "I am a walking anachronism", meaning she is in the wrong time for what she knows. The balloon is a physical anachronism, being something she brought back to the past with her from the reunion.

Question: Is Miss Hannigan Annie's actual mother? I know she says that her real parents were killed in a fire but there seems to be overwhelming evidence that this is a lie. Any thoughts, references, that might clear this up?

synthetikrose

Chosen answer: No, Miss Hannigan is simply a cruel, manipulative orphanage matron. Annie's parents did indeed die in a fire.

LuMaria 1

Question: What tune is Thumper whistling after launching a ball on the table of the frat boys? Is it from a song?

Answer: He whistles "Rock-A-Bye Baby" in order to menace the frat boys.

LuMaria 1

Question: In the brief scene where Hannibal is having a fancy meal served to him in his cell as a reward for helping Will, what classical piano music is playing in the background? This is just before we see Will and his co-workers watching a home video of the Jacobis.

Answer: I think it's part of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Incidentally, it is part of this piece that is playing when he kills the 2 guards in his cage in The Silence of the Lambs. He is also seen playing part of it himself in Hannibal.

David Mercier

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