Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
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Question: At the drive-in, Kenickie confronts Rizzo about being pregnant, but she tells him not to worry because "it was someone else's mistake." What does she mean?
Carmen DawsonAnswer: Rizzo doesn't actually mean someone else got her pregnant. She is just letting Kenickie "off the hook," probably because she figures he wouldn't want to take responsibility, anyway, and she was probably going to have to handle this on her own. Kenickie is hurt by this, however, as we can tell by his expression when he replies, "thanks a lot, kid."
Michael AlbertI always read it as an expression of relief when he says "Thanks a lot, kid".
lionheadAnswer: She says it to hurt him.
Answer: She just means that someone else got her pregnant, and that the pregnancy itself was unintentional.
Cubs FanAnswer: Both Kenickie and Rizzo are upset and being sarcastic. The interpretations of his and her words are debatable, especially since there is no way of knowing if Rizzo did, in fact, sleep with someone else. However, there's no indication that Rizzo was with another boy/man, so it can be assumed Kenickie is the father and both know this is true. My interpretation was that Rizzo, by saying "it's someone else's mistake", was referring to herself - that she was stupid enough to even have sex with someone like Kenickie in the first place. (The second inferred meaning is that she will not hold him responsible because she knows he isn't interested in being a father/paying.) Kenickie's response, "thanks a lot, kid" was returning an insult - the "thanks a lot" part being sarcastic and "kid" meaning immature and not old enough to have even been given the chance or "be lucky enough" for him to (lower himself and) sleep with her, given all the other "better" girls - WOMEN - around from which to choose.
KeyZOidAnswer: It's been a while, but I thought the quote was: Kenickie: I don't run away from my mistakes Rizzo: Don't worry, you're someone else's mistake. I would agree with others that she's essentially letting him off the hook in the storyline (everybody knows it's his), but this particular quote is basically just a joke implying HE was HIS parents' mistake...as a way to lighten the mood.
She didn't say "you're someone else's mistake." She says "it was somebody else's mistake."
lionheadQuestion: When was 'Giant' first shown (month-day-year) on network television?
Question: This was the first of Toho's "Minilla" films (Minilla being the diminutive son of Godzilla), featuring an actor known as "Marchan the Dwarf" in the role of Minilla. Is there an official or even unofficial biography of Marchan the Dwarf? I'm not seeing anything on him through conventional searches.
Charles Austin MillerQuestion: How did the pirates manage to recapture Phillips after he tried to escape by swimming?
Answer: They do it exactly as shown in the movie: Phillips, due to currents and his own physical condition, is unable to swim very far from the boat, so the pirates just follow him, trap him, and bring him back onboard. In addition, the Marines fire a flare, which lights up the scene...this was done so they could be certain the escapee was Phillips, but it also makes it easier for the pirates to spot him.
Question: I heard that Quirrell was the muggle studies teacher before this year. So after he took defense against the dark arts, why not give muggle studies to Arthur Weasley?
Answer: Mr. Weasley was fascinated by Muggles but he was not an expert. His knowledge in that subject was somewhat sketchy and based on erroneous assumptions. He frequently got many details wrong. He usually relied on Harry for explanations.
raywest
Question: When Cinderella's stepmother overheard the grand duke telling the captain about his promise to marry off Kit to Princess Shalina, did he (the captain) recognize the stepmother later on when they arrived at her doorstep?
Answer: Even if he did, he didn't know she was the stepmother of Cinderella.
Question: Billy admits that he shot his wife and daughters to save them from a more horrible death at the hands of the vampires. Grieving, he says, "I tried to shoot myself, too, but the fucking gun jammed." But Billy is a deputy sheriff, and any competent law officer can resolve a jammed gun in a matter of seconds. Did Billy actually chicken-out of killing himself after murdering his family?
Charles Austin MillerAnswer: Perhaps Billy was not a competent law officer. Or maybe you were right he chickened out. Billy could have killed himself in other ways. Other ways more quiet than gunshot.
Alan KeddieExactly. How could he go on living after killing his whole family? A minor problem such as a gun jam shouldn't have prevented him from committing suicide. In fact, he couldn't become a law enforcement officer without demonstrating a proficiency with firearms, including the ability to field-service his weapon quickly in an emergency. The simple procedure for fixing a jammed firearm is at the top of the list of required skills.
Charles Austin MillerAre we ignoring that he was obviously extremely distraught at this time? My take on this has always been that he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed, and he just gave up on everything. He literally didn't care enough about anything at that point to even bother taking his own life anymore. Let the vampires take him; or not. His family is gone, by his hand no less, nothing at all matters anymore. I didn't see it as an inability to clear the jam, I saw it as a psychological breakdown that resulted in complete and total apathy. The jam was nothing more than the straw that broke the camel's back.
PhixiusIf he gave up on everything, why did he covertly signal Eben with a flashlight? If Billy had truly given up, why not just walk out into the street and be slaughtered by the vampires, rather than continuing to hide?
Charles Austin MillerQuestion: In all honesty I have little (if any) anthropological knowledge of what life was like for Native Americans in the USA in the nineteenth century. But it seemed to me that, for much of the time, the Native Americans in the movie did not resemble the members of a 'hunter gatherer' society whose way of life was under threat from the onset of the modern industrial world. Instead the Native Americans seemed to live, act and behave much more like the members of a 1960's hippie commune. How accurate is that?
Rob HallidayAnswer: Some members of tribes like the Cheyenne joined in the 'modern' world to some extent, using guns and even putting on Western clothes and eating Western food. While nowhere near the technological nous of the white settlers, the natives were far from being hunter gatherers at this point.
Answer: Well observed sir! What you say is correct. I admit I probably was wrong in calling Native North Americans 'hunter gatherers' as I think some tribes had agriculture and permanent settlements well before Columbus ever reached the American Continent. I also think that the Cherokee consciously tried to adapt to modern life by building houses and becoming farmers. My point was more that it seemed to me that the portrayal of many Native Americans in Little Big Man did not seem historically accurate, but showed them as being more like 1960's hippies. But I am fully aware that this may have been intentional, since the film was giving a 1960's 'spin' on the legends of the 'Wild West'. But please, do not take my posts on this website too seriously. I am fully aware that this was a film made to entertain people, it was not meant to be a historical documentary. And it was the fictional recollections of a 121 year old man. And the film poster said 'Little Big Man was either the most neglected hero in history OR A liar of insane proportion', so you are invited to have your doubts about anything that happens in the film.
Rob HallidayRob, you may want to look into reading the novel the film was based on written by Thomas Berger. He wrote some pretty twisted stuff.
Question: There is an entry stating that military members can't just choose which orders to obey. Is that actually true?
Answer: Article 90, 91, and 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice makes it a crime to willfully disobey a superior commissioned officer, superior non-commissioned office, warrant officer's legal order or fail to obey any general lawful order. Punishment for not following lawful orders during wartime can include death. The keyword being "lawful" orders. Military personnel do not have to obey unlawful orders. Military courts still hold individuals responsible for their actions, even if following orders. Thus, following unlawful orders can result in court discipline and the phrase "I was just following orders" has never worked. An unlawful order is the only time a military personnel can choose not to follow an order. Of course, just like in civilian life, they can always choose what orders to follow and not to follow and simply risk the consequences of a court martial.
Bishop73Answer: Unless the order contravenes a standing order issued by the higher ups, or violates a treaty the government signed (the Geneva Convention, for example) then it has to be followed. Sometimes soldiers will disobey an illogical order and it turns out OK - but they will have to justify it at tribunal at some point if necessary.
Answer: Of course it is. When you join the military you get given orders and you follow them. You don't get to pick and choose to follow only the ones you like or the ones you agree with. The military is basically "do as you are told"
The_IcemanQuestion: When Sorrento activated the Cataclyst, why didn't i-R0k immediately log out of the oasis by removing his VR Visor like Art3mis did in AECH's shop instead of trying to reach a portal?
Answer: I think on Battleworld it's not that simple, or anyone about to be killed can just log off before it happens. On Battleworld you need to reach a portal to log off. It's basically a PvP area. Aech's shop isn't (safe zone) and you can just simply log off directly there.
lionheadAnswer: This is something that's answered in the book, but was left out in the film. In PvP areas such as Battleworld, you can't remove your visor to log out, removing your visor just leaves your character open for attack.
MasterOfAllQuestion: Was the woman in the cave scene Teddy's imagination?
Answer: Yes, she was part of the imagined conspiracy.
Jason HoffmanQuestion: Marlon mentions having been very sick and hospitalized for a long time when he was a boy. Is this supposed to be when they switched a child actor for someone who was willing to commit to the show indefinitely?
Brian KatcherAnswer: Yes and no. Yes because they could have found someone who looked remarkably similar to the child actor that played him and if he had been "sick" for a long time (depending on the illness he "had") it would have explained why he looked slightly different. No because of him being Truman's best friend. Unless the studio found an actor who did look almost identical to the child actor, Truman would have been able to figure out his best friend was a different person.
Question: Aren't freight trains awfully loud in real life? Triple doesn't seem very loud in the movie.
Answer: Freight trains average 80db at 15 meters. This is loud enough to cause hearing damage over a period of time. As such, movie producers lowered the noise level so that a normal conversation could be heard.
SsiscoolAnswer: Yes, they are loud. However, the movie makers probably employed some artistic license to soften the sound so as not to distract from watching the story.
raywestQuestion: The Vikings led by Rolfe and the Moors led by Aly Mansuh are both seeking a gigantic bell, 'The Mother Of All Voices', twenty feet high, made of solid gold. Eventually the Vikings find it, and transport it on their ships back to Aly Mansuh's capital. How can they do this? One of the world's most famous bells is 'Big Ben' in the Houses of Parliament: a mere seven and a half feet high, this weighs thirteen tons! Not only is 'The Mother Of All Voices' considerably larger than 'Big Ben', it is also made of gold. Now, gold is heavier than lead, so how much will a gold bell over twenty feet high weigh? How can the Vikings transport this over the sea on their 'long ships'? And what do either the Vikings or the Moors plan to do when they have the bell? If they keep it to admire for its beauty and craftsmanship, then it will just be a financial liability to whoever owns it. Or if they melt it down for the gold they will destroy all the craftsmanship and artistic endeavour that went into making the bell.
Rob HallidayAnswer: Perhaps, when I submitted my question, I may have been pondering the internal logic of a film that makes a good adventure story, but is historically rather doubtful to say the least (I can say this as I have a degree in medieval history, and have worked as an archaeologist on Viking settlements). In all probability, if historical Vikings were seeking treasure or plunder, and found a bell made of gold, they would melt it down for its precious metal content, with no regard for its artistic significance.
Rob HallidayAnswer: It's unlikely Viking ships could transport such a heavy object, but movies, which frequently ignore historical and scientific reality, often use plot devices like this to tell the story. As far as the Vikings and Moors admiring the gold bell's craftsmanship, that may be the case, but they might also be like the Spanish conquerors who plundered Mexico and South America with little regard for the culture, and shipped finely-crafted gold objects back to Spain where they were melted and remade into coins, jewelry, and other art objects.
raywestQuestion: Why did Alex kill Ellen's pet bunny and how did she get inside the house to boil it? Didn't Dan and Beth lock the door?
adamtrainman@aol.comAnswer: Because she is insane! And she picked the lock. By murdering the innocent pet bunny rabbit Alex was sending a message. She won't be ignored! She's just letting Dan know that she can get to him, or in this case his family (daughter's pet), anytime she wants to. He's not safe.
Alan KeddieQuestion: Would the kind of field trip the kids were going on in the movie ever be allowed in real life?
Answer: Absolutely. I went on a similar one when I was at school. They are planned in advance to avoid service lines etc and schedules may need to be adjusted but it is possible. It's just unfortunate for movie purposes this one almost ended in disaster.
The_IcemanQuestion: What's the significance of the Dalai Lama when Vic wants Hart to smile?
Answer: It is an image Victor Melling conjures in an effort to elicit a calm, zen-like state for Grace. He is trying to assist her to focus on the competition, rather than her fear of walking the stage in a two piece swimsuit.
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Answer: The whole meaning behind it is that Rizzo really is pregnant with Kenickie's kid but Rizzo says it's someone else's: "someone else's problem," pretty much giving a chance for Kenickie to be off the hook as not being the father. But Kenickie obviously knows she is lying. And he's upset and says "thanks a lot kid" sarcastically.
Bbanda100