Question: What are those blades (the ones used at the end on the caviar factory) used for in real life?
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Bartlet's Third State of the Union - S2-E13
Question: The music heard as the theme tune to the political TV show ("Capital Beat") CJ appears on - is that heard in other US shows? Because here in Britain it's the music for the ITN "News at 10" (or was a while ago, at least). Just curious as to whether it's recognisable in the US.
Chosen answer: As a frequent watcher of the show, I have never heard the tune and thought, "That sounds familiar," so I would guess that it is not a theme song to any other shows (political or otherwise) here in the States.
Question: Does anyone know the name Bastian screams out the window during the storm to name the Childlike Empress? It doesn't matter how many times I've seen the movie (too many to count), I can never make out that name.
Answer: According to the book, he names the Empress "Moon Child" and this is what he appears to be shouting, although I admit that it isn't likely that his mother was named Moonchild. Although it was a popular name during the Flower Power period.
Question: Deeds tells the fat opera singer that he looks like Mr. French, who exactly is Mr. French?
Chosen answer: Mr. French was the butler on a TV show from the late 60's, called Family Affair. He was played by Sebastion Cabot, a rotund actor.
Question: What happens to Haldir, right before he dies? I've watched it several times, but still can't figure it out.
Answer: The first stab Haldir gets in his side, when two orcs come at him at once. The second blow, from what we can see, Haldir receives from above by an orc sword. The orc swings it downward, and from the jerk of Haldir's head, it apparently cleaves downward through the back of his skull, or his neck. Either way, it's enough to sever a vertebrae (or whatever elves have). Peter Jackson was gracious enough not to show it.
Question: After Frodo has been stabbed by the Morgul blade and Arwen is taking him to Rivendell, right after she uses the river to sweep the Ringwraiths away, Frodo makes a wheezing noise and begins to look radically worse. Why does Arwen get off the horse, lay him down on the bank, and cry? Why doesn't she just speed off to her father who can cure Frodo? Why the delay?
Chosen answer: If she had started riding off w/ him, he could've died on the way there. Instead she stopped and got off the horse and prayed to the Gods to "give him the grace you have given me." Basically to save his life was what she was asking for.
Question: Isn't it common knowledge that Nicole found Tom's mask and put it on his pillow? I always wondered why Tom freaked out so much when he finds it. Is he afraid that Nicole knows where the mask is used? Or that someone else placed it there? And unless I missed something, how come this was never discussed between the two? You'd think Nicole would be asking why he left this in his safe?
Chosen answer: I think someone from the freaky orgy broke in and put the mask on the pillow to warn Cruise's character to keep his mouth shut. That's why Cruise's character is so upset-they got into his home and his safe.
I always assumed that she was a member of the orgy party. She was letting him know that she was there.
No, she wasn't.
Question: In the very beginning of the series Zach, Lisa, Screech and Mr. Belding all live in Indiana and attend the same junior high. Somehow they all end up in Malibu, California attending the same high school. Does anyone else find this a little odd?
Answer: The show that took place in Indiana that you are referring to was titled "Good Morning Miss Bliss." This show only lasted one season. The kids on the show, however, were popular so they decided to create a spin-off titled "Saved By the Bell," that aired on Saturday Mornings. I'm sure they changed the location because they thought the California setting would make the show more fun and watchable for pre-teens and teens.
Question: I have always been confused by the kitchen 'door' behind the table as it appears to lead nowhere. Characters are always coming in and out of that door from elsewhere in the house. But as far as I can tell the door leads to nowhere else in the house, and based on the layout of the other rooms, it certainly doesn't lead to either the living room or the upstairs. (In stage terms, I'm referring to the door 'downstage', not the three 'upstage' which lead outside, to a food cupboard and to the living room respectively). Does anyone know where the magic door leads?
Answer: Since they don't have a door there in the living room but they do have a door there in the dining room I assume it leads to the dinning room and the door upstage is probably straight to the living room while the door downstage goes to the dinning room and then through more doors you get to the door in the the living room. Hope that made sense.
Question: Right when Marty gets back to Doc before he goes back to 1985, he's praising his dad's actions of the night. One line that's bothered me ever since I can remember is "My dad laid out Biff. He's never stood up to Biff in his life." And then the Doc pauses for a second and gets a strange look on his face and says, "Never?" To that, Marty says, "No, why?" and the Doc shrugs it off saying, "Nevermind." What's Doc thinking? The best I can come up with is that he's wondering what effects it'll have on the future, but that's a rough guess. If anyone out there knows, I'd be happy to hear it.
Chosen answer: I think that is *exactly* what he is thinking. He realizes that by standing up to Biff, George may have irrevocably changed his personal future, and therefore affected Marty's future as well. This is exactly the sort of thing Doc was so eager to prevent by refusing to hear any information about the future.
Question: This is as good a place to ask as any. In various US TV shows (including this one, and this episode), someone says "I could care less", when they always seem to mean "I couldn't care less", ie. they have no interest in what's going on. Surely if they COULD care less that means they actually care a reasonable amount? Is there any logic to this, or is it just a really annoying innate lack of sense?
Chosen answer: A really annoying innate lack of sense. My friends and family say the same thing all the time, and I'm endlessly trying to correct them. I think people just don't know any better and (ironically) couldn't care less that they're speaking incorrectly.
Answer: It's an endlessly annoying dropped negative, and it's been a common colloquialism for far too long. I believe it comes from an original (and now omitted and merely implied) "As if" preceding the statement. "As if I could care less." (Meaning "As if it were possible that I could care even less than I do.") But there's really no way to know.
Question: On the DVD (UK, not sure about anywhere else) there is a feature called 'the secret of esrever', which tells you to look for very subliminal hidden images in the film - I have looked so many times and there is still one I can't find - does anyone know where the 'water' one is? The only thing I can see is what looks like an owl's head made out of the trees in the scene where the woman is drowning a baby in the lake. If this is it how does it relate to the film? Also is there a message in the images? There are a few words but I can't make a sentence out of them.
Answer: In the scene where the baby is submerged in the water, watch the lower right-hand side of the screen. You'll see the shadow of a stickman emerge and come higher into the frame.
The One With Joey's Big Break - S5-E22
Question: When they are playing the game I dont even understand half the questions, maybe they are American-based, for example who are Simon and Garfunkel? Any explanations would help.
Answer: Simon and Garfunkel were singers Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, and they were a folk/rock duo popular in the 1960s and early 1970s. They sang "Bridge over troubled water" and "Mrs. Robinson," but split up due to personal and creative differences. They had since rejoined with a recent tour together. A quick Google search would probably tell you more.
Question: When Aragon and the others were a day's journey behind the Uruk-hai in the canyon, and one of the Uruk-hai was able to smell "man-flesh", so how is it that the Riders of Rohan were able to sneak up on the Uruk-hai while they are camped by the forest and the Uruk-hai not smell them?
Answer: We don't know that they didn't smell them. We just know that the riders found the camp and that there was a fight. If you read the books, it says that they knew the riders were coming, but there was no way they could outrun them on the plain; they headed for Fangorn Forest, hoping they wouldn't follow, but the riders caught up with them just outside of it. Obviously, some things are skipped in the movie, so it's a little less fluid. Check out The Two Towers, ch. The Uruk-Hai, about 1/2 way into the chapter.
Question: When Neo and Trinity are flying towards the machine city, a sentinel hovers in front of the hovercraft and flies directly into the windshield. In later scenes the glass is not broken so it couldn't have gone through the ship (no physical damage either) but it flies through Neo in the "Matrix vision" and it obviously affects him. I don't understand what happens here.
Answer: He felt its 'consciousness', or rather its life force. When the Sentinel was destroyed, its machine essence remained suspended, and Neo felt it.
Question: Near the beginning of the film when Edward Norton and Meatloaf are hugging Edward's character says something along the lines of "things like this make me grow a big rubbery one". What does he mean by this, exactly?
Answer: Sharing of feelings and hugs and crying are the antithesis of arousal. While something erotic or bad-ass might cause him to have an erection, this scene causes the opposite: a rubbery one would be a flaccid, unexcited penis, flopping around like rubber (not stiff). A mood killer.
Question: In an interview in the Extended DVD Peter Jackson says at one time that they had cast the character of Aragorn "a little too young" and changed their decision to Viggo Mortensen on pretty short notice. Just wondering, does anyone know who they had originally cast as Aragorn?
Answer: Stuart Townsend was originally cast as Aragorn but after filming a few scenes it was deemed he was a little too young and Viggo Mortenson was cast as Aragorn.
Question: How are Indy and Marion able to avert the Angel of Death by merely closing their eyes?
Answer: The Angel of Death can only kill those who look directly at her/it, therefore closing their eyes killed only the Nazis and Belloq.
Answer: To add to the previous answer, technically, the Angel of Death can kill anyone if choose to, but simply chooses to kill those who don't show proper respect by closing their eyes.
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Chosen answer: We see them in the movie when Bond first arrives to meet Electra - they're used for cutting trees in a straight line. Google "helicopter tree trimmer" to see dozens of examples.
Jon Sandys ★