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: On the front of the ship that rescues Tom Hanks, there is a symbol in white. What does that symbol mean?

Answer: I think you're referring to the symbol that looks like a "5" without the top line. It represents the fact the ship has a bulbous bow and its shape. That way tug boats bringing the ship on are aware, since it may be underwater and not visible.

Bishop73

Question: Why did J ask K, "How do you know this song in the end?" and what does "Secrets of the Universe" really mean?

Question: What was the game that Harlan and Marta were playing with the board and black and white pieces?

Answer: It's a game called "Go."

Bishop73

Question: Was the ill-fated Rollercoaster in the film supposed to be a working one? The owner's angry reaction to its destruction suggested that it was, but if you look closely, there were gaps in the tracks and also where was the actual rollercoaster itself. This has always confused me.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: To me, in real life, it looks like a roller coaster was already set up for demolition because of its poor conditions, and the crew was able to film it for the movie. However, in-universe, the owner kept saying they were closed. It's possible they were closed to repair the roller coaster to make it work but now it's completely destroyed and beyond repair.

Bishop73

Murphy's Luck - S2-E16

Question: How did Prue get her job back as a photographer when the last conversation she had with the studio guy had him angrily calling her a fraud, telling her she was not only fired but he would make sure she would never be hired by anyone else, etc.?

Mlp1327

Question: What brand of pen did Oda Mae use and then ask the teller if she could keep it?

Answer: Yes. While making the movie, he was arrested for drunk driving.

Answer: To add to the other answer, this is from Wikipedia: Nolte had struggled with substance abuse for the majority of his adult life and had begun abusing alcohol at an early age. After remaining sober for nearly 10 years, he resumed drinking in the late 1990s. Following his 2002 arrest, he again stopped drinking.

raywest

Answer: He considers Toretto a friend and has fallen in love with his sister.

Answer: From online sources, it appears her character's storyline had gone as far as the show wanted to take it after one season.

raywest

Thank you.

Rob245

Answer: Kruger said O'Toole was an unpleasant person, often was drunk on set, and was a "hellraiser." That pretty much fits O'Toole's history of drunken and wild behavior for most of his adult life.

raywest

Question: After Cady claims to have written the Burn Book, Ms. Norbury doesn't believe that she wrote the whole thing alone. Why does Cady refuse to "talk about people behind their backs"? The other Plastics really did write it, and reporting them to a teacher is different than gossiping.

Answer: I think Cady was trying to end all of the catty behavior and bullying. If she told Ms. Norbury that the other Plastics wrote parts of the book, the "drama" would continue.

Question: Obviously, Evan has traveled back in time more than what was shown in the movie itself. I was just curious, how many times had he likely time traveled before the second-to-last jump, with the blockbuster that killed Katie? Keep in mind, I'm talking about off-screen ones done as well on here.

Mlp1327

Show generally

Question: Loreli got pregnant at 16 and takes off for a long time. Why didn't Emily and Richard report her as a missing person? If not, go find her yourself. Or even just check up on her if she is safe wherever she is. They had money, also a private investigator maybe?

Answer: Most likely they made some attempts to locate Loreli, but the exact circumstances are unknown. Realistically, this is a plot device that drives the story between Loreli and her parents, so the details are deliberately vague.

raywest

Answer: Sorry for posting an off-topic comment, but why are so few questions and mistakes posted anymore?

In large part it's reduced traffic, sadly - I'm always running a bit of a backlog of submissions (about 200 currently), because life gets in the way, but some get auto-approved so there's often a trickle of new content regardless. Mainly though it's just that thanks to search algorithm updates the site's now getting half to a third of the traffic it was about a year ago. I think also there are just fewer mistakes being made! Going back a while a DVD would come out and people would spot a lot of relatively obvious things. Now so many get fixed with CGI before release, and with streaming being wholly digital, lots of things are fixed even after release.

Jon Sandys

Thanks for all your hard work.

Brian Katcher

You're welcome! I've got no intentions of abandoning it, whatever the traffic. Still enough regular and irregular visitors to keep it trundling along!

Jon Sandys

I second that! Jon does an amazing job.

raywest

Thanks! I've got no intentions of abandoning it, whatever the traffic. Still enough regular and irregular visitors to keep it trundling along!

Jon Sandys

I have to assume it's just down to 1) maybe less people are submitting, and 2) the site primarily being run by one guy (Jon), and I have to imagine that he probably doesn't have the time to constantly check the site and do updates. I've noticed that sometimes it can take a while for things I submit to be posted, but they usually are within a week or two. To be fair, there's also been in excess of 600 mistakes posted within the last month, and I have around 60 mistakes waiting to be approved (going through the "Chucky" movies and shows looking for mistakes), so it's still happening... just a bit slower than it used to be back in the day.

TedStixon

I don't think it's a problem with fewer submissions. I've submitted several questions that have not made it onto the site yet, and mistakes were that were finally posted after an unusually long time.

I know there have been volunteers who do a lot of work here, but maybe that has dropped off.

raywest

Have been wondering the same thing.

raywest

Answer: Regarding the movie question, there's no way of knowing what was in the case. It is a plot device called a "MacGuffin," a term coined by director Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't actually matter what the object is but it just drives the story. It can be any type of object or device such as a "secret formula," "enemy war plans," "nuclear weapon," "treasure map," and so on that the characters are either searching for or protecting. There was never any intention to reveal what it was. Its purpose is to motivate the characters' actions and tell the story. Most likely it was intended to be McGuffin just to keep the audience thinking about the movie long after it ends.

raywest

Show generally

Question: Whenever Kevin talks to Mack, Kevin calls him "Mack Daddy." Mack always responds with "Don't call me that." What is the reason Mack doesn't like to be called "Mack Daddy"?

Answer: "Mack Daddy" was a 90s phrase meaning "Ladies man," and Mack simply doesn't like the stupid nickname.

Brian Katcher

Question: Was Dzhokhar really slapped to the ground from off the boat as depicted in the movie? Or was that exaggerated to show the finality of the authorities finally getting him?

Question: How did Ian know the "Declaration" would be in the basement? If Gates had not stolen it, the "Declaration" would still be on display, protected by all that security.

Answer: I did some reading on this. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, all stored at the National Archives, are lowered nightly from public viewing displays to a basement vault. Ian would know about the routine and plan accordingly. It's still inconceivable that any document could be stolen, considering the high security guarding them, but it's a move, after all.

raywest

Answer: The Declaration was moved to the basement some time before the party, plenty of time for someone with as much money and connections as Ian to find out it had been replaced by a replica and moved to the other location.

Question: Why are all the men dressed in their best clothes for the physically demanding, dirty job of a barn raising? The "Town Men" in particular are in suits and ties.

Answer: No realistic reason. It's a movie artistic choice to contrast the more genteel townsmen with the rugged Pontipee brothers. The active dance sequence emphasizes the rivalry between the two groups, and the different costumes make it easier for the audience to identify the men who are vying for the girls' affections.

raywest

Answer: Not every military vehicle looks or is built exactly the same, even if they perform similar functions. Different defense contractors would have their own particular designs. Newer vehicles often have improvements or additional capabilities added.

raywest

Answer: Are you referring to the AT-DP? Those are similar to the AT-ST, but have an entirely different mission use.

kayelbe

Answer: It typically goes by the name "pizza saver", but it's often called a pizza stool or pizza table (some have 3 legs and some have 4). When Carmela Vitale was issued a patent, she called it a package saver.

Bishop73

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