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: How exactly are those head band things that the precrime cops put on the "criminals" supposed to work.

NoWhereMan

Chosen answer: I think they probably pulse a form of an electric current into the temples, which puts them into a state of deep sleep. Don't get too uptight, though, it's set in the future.

Question: What is the significance of the third judge being Chuck Norris? The thing is that everybody in the theater laughed when it showed it and he gave the thumbs up, I'm just wondering what it's all about.

Answer: There were many celebrity cameos throughout the film. It's just kind of strange that Chuck Norris would do this.

Question: When Elvis trades places with Sebastian Haff, his limo plate is AZN-700. Later when he is driving Haff's car, the plate is the same. Obviously two cars with different owners can't have the same plates, so it's probably a reference of some sort. Anyone know if that's the case, and if so, what?

Grumpy Scot

Chosen answer: There's no significance I can find anywhere for the number "AZN-700" - it's just a fake plate they used twice due to the limited budget, and its repeated use is a mistake.

Show generally

Question: Does anyone know when the complete third season is being released? An ad said it was coming 2004 but does anyone know a specific date?

Answer: It is scheduled to be released on August 24.

Question: Could someone please explain to me the different ranks onboard the ship? Like there were the men in uniform, the kids in uniform, then the other guys who had no uniform?

Craig Bryant

Chosen answer: Traditionally aboard any type of Royal Navy sailing vessel you would have a heirarchy of officers. Beginning with the Captain (technincally not a real rank, Post Captain was the real rank. Post Captain meaning you had commanded a vessel three years or more and had shown yourself of distinction worthy of promotion), then going down through Lieutenants 1st through 5th. The younger boys were juinior officers, or non-commissioned officers, and thus had the lowest rank of any officer, Midshipman, meaning they had command authority in the event of the death of another officer or if it was bestowed upon them in the absence of a higher ranked officer. The non-officers seem to be a mix of ensigns and hired hands. There were also Marines aboard (guys in red and white uniforms), with their ranks usually including either a Lieutenant or Sergeant Major, his subordinates, and a number of infantry units, usually corporals or privates. The Marines were ususally at platoon strength or higher, meaning about 12-20 Marines. There were also what appeared to be Corpsmen (military doctors), but I couldn't really tell if the doctors on board were all civilians, or a mix of Corpsmen and civilians.

Question: Is there evidence that Peter Jackson was influenced by the 1996 PC game "Warcraft II" in how the soldiers of Gondor and the Orcs dress? The armored uniforms of the Gondorians resembled those of the humans in Warcraft.

megamii

Chosen answer: For practical armouring, there are only so many possibilities that you can go with - inevitably some of these will resemble each other. The Gondorian armour is described to a reasonable degree within the books - the designs would have been based on those descriptions, rather than any non-Tolkien influences.

Tailkinker

Question: What does Claudia give the twin boys to keep their blood warm, and what does Lestat think it is?

Answer: She says that she gives them laudanum, an opium-based drug that was very popular at the time. She tells Lestat, however, that the two boys are merely completely drunk on brandy. After biting them and feeling the bad effects, he initially asks if she's fed them absinthe, an extremely strong (usually 60%, but can easily be as high as 75%) herbal liqueur with a flavour resembling licorice, before being told the truth.

Tailkinker

Question: When Riddick says that the monsters can track them because the girl is bleeding, and Jack is revealed to be a girl, is it her period that he is talking about? Did Riddick smell it, too?

Answer: Yes, it is her period. Considering that he lived in darkness for years, it's possible that he smells it too. It's also equally likely he realized she was a girl and that the creatures were all riled up and put two and two together. But the first explanation fits Riddick's character better.

Grumpy Scot

Question: I never would have picked Tom Cruise for that role, but he did a fabulous job. However, I was wondering who else the casting people considered, and what made them choose Tom Cruise?

Answer: Daniel Day Lewis was offered the part, but turned it down. There's also a rumour, that I've never seen confirmed, that Johnny Depp was approached - if true, he presumably said no. The studio wanted a good name in the role (Lewis was riding high in Hollywood after "The Last of the Mohicans", Depp was very much an up-and-coming actor at the time) so Cruise would have seemed like an obvious choice. He was initially cast against the wishes of Anne Rice (who created Lestat with Rutger Hauer in mind) - after seeing his performance, however, she made a public apology for doubting him.

Tailkinker

All Good Things... (1) - S6-E23

Question: In all of the previews for the series finale, it shows Joey standing at what appears to be a dresser opening what appears to be a ring box. I taped the finale and that scene never appears. Was it deleted or did I somehow miss it?

Answer: You must have missed it. It was in the version I saw. It appears in the beginning of the episode, when Joey and Christopher are discussing their trip and Joey is wondering what to pack. Christopher walks into the shower and Joey opens the dresser to continue packing, and finds the ring.

Question: What did they do with the model of Titanic after they were done filming?

Answer: There were many different "models". There were many miniatures, CG models and the full scale model down in Rosarita Beach, Mexico. The full scale model was disassembled by crew. Many other "regular folk" who knew about it, went to Mexico to grab what was left. Occasionally, various pieces come up for auction on EBAY.

Lynette Carrington

Show generally

Question: Throughout the series, people mutate fairly soon after their exposure to kryptonite. Is it ever explained how Lana has managed to wear a piece of kryptonite around her neck for 12 years and not change?

Answer: The kryptonite only creates mutations when it reacts with the environment and an individual. Remember, the FDA and several environmental groups did check out Smallville after the meteor shower, but found no danger in the rocks. Obviously they're not always emitting mutating rays, or all the flora and fauna of the surrounding area would be horribly mutated.

Phoenix

Question: Mia asks Joe in the limo if they can "86 the flags." Obviously this means get rid of, but what is the origin of "86?"

Answer: Check out this link: http://www.yaelf.com/aueFAQ/mifeightysixnix.shtml.

Kenneth Brown

Chosen answer: Anderson is one of the producers of the show, so I guess right from the start he wanted the role of Jack. (I believe he was instrumental in making the show happen) Nor do I see Kurt Russell wanting to do a weekly TV show.

Kenneth Brown

Show generally

Question: What religion are the Simpsons? I know they're Christians, but what branch (e.g. Catholic? Protestant?).

Answer: Since Reverend Lovejoy is both married and referred to as 'Reverend', they must be Protestants. They never name the exact protestant denomination.

J I Cohen

The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism First Church of Springfield.

Answer: No, that was David Leisure, who was the Joe Izuzu Guy.

Pam-I-am

Actually, no it wasn't David Leisure, he plays one of the Krishnas.

Answer: The man that was punched was Conrad Palmisano. He's credited as Religious Zealot #4.

Bishop73

Question: What's the difference between a "normal" guitar and a bass guitar?

Answer: A guitar has normally got 6 strings while a bass has got 4. Also the bass guitar got thicker strings to sound "deeper" hence the name bass.

Mortug

Question: If you read the book version of Contact you know that the stuff about transcendental numbers and the Artist's Signature was left out of the movie. This makes no sense to me, since it's not only the real ending, it's the whole POINT of the story. Without this information, the story's fundamental question (does God exist?) is not answered in the movie. Does anyone know why this was left out?

Answer: If anything, I think the film's producers deliberately left godly topics unaddressed (and questions dangling, unanswered) because they didn't want to alienate any particular audience. However, we know the producers of "Contact" certainly did vilify religion through the sinister scenes with Joseph, the evangelical extremist. At the same time, the film created empathy for the president's glib theological adviser, Palmer Joss. So, I don't think the film was shying away from religious topics, and I think it was pretty fair to the religious viewpoint, for the most part. But this movie wasn't about religion; it was about a primitive, materialistic, self-centered and aggressive species (humanity) reluctantly acknowledging the existence of vastly more intelligent and even godlike entities throughout the cosmos. Even the first-contact entities, advanced as they are, acknowledge other entities much more ancient and much more advanced (the virtual architects of the space/time conduit). The implication was that we live in a universe that may be populated with many intelligent entities that answer every human criteria of godhood. Ellie's narrow-minded atheism was surely shaken to its foundation by her experience; and, while she didn't "convert" to archaic earthly religions, she was spiritually a different person upon her return. The film, however, is open-ended and fence-straddling and doesn't presume to definitively answer the question of the existence of god, leaving it up to the audience to decide.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: The film chooses to focus on Ellie's personal journey and how she deals with and comes to terms with what happens - it doesn't really involve God at all, other than the inclusion of Palmer Joss as a religious advocate, choosing to restrict itself to the much less theologically controversial theme of a straight first contact scenario, without the religious overtones. Given the depth of feeling on religious matters in the US, it's hardly surprising that the filmmakers preferred to leave this particular hot topic out. While Carl Sagan died during production of the film, he both co-produced and was involved in the story process, so he was clearly not concerned about this change.

Tailkinker

Question: What exactly is the purpose of the inoculation-scar looking thing on the Necromongers neck, if it doesn't keep Vaako and his wife from plotting overthrow of the Lord Marshall, or help suss out the existence of the other remaining Furian?

Rooster of Doom

Chosen answer: They say it in the film, it is one pain that helps to ease another. It is like an initiation and a branding all in one. It is the Mark of the Necromonger.

Question: On the back of the PAL DVD there is a picture of Alex holding back Clear from a car during the day. It looks to be at the place where Terry was killed. Does anyone know if this is a deleted scene not on the DVD? Also, on the commentary the makers of the film said that they shot the bus hit from inside the bus, as well as from the side. Does anyone know where these scenes are now?

Answer: The scene where Terry was killed was most likely shot during the day. It is quite common for film makers to film a scene during the day to get the right lighting effects and then later CGI the night sky and the proper shadowing. This is most effective when you have an area that would otherwise be too dark or have environment that wont allow for the proper lighting for a night shoot. As for the bus, your guess is as good as mine.

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