Question: When Brian is about to be crucified, soldiers arrive with news of his release. The soldiers ask for Brian, and everybody shouts "I'm Brian." Is this a parody of the "I'm Spartacus" episode in the Kirk Douglas/Stanley Kubrick film of "Spartacus"? If so, would this support my feeling that Life Of Brian is primarily a parody of classical/biblical 'epic' films?
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Answer: The scene is a parody of the scene in "Spartacus" (although they are saying "I am Brian" for completely different reasons.) However, the film is meant to be a satire on religion itself and not a parody of epic films. The Pythons did a lot of research to try and accurately portray 1st century Judea, which is why it may look like a biblical epic, but I can't recall any biblical epics they parodied. At the time it was considered blasphemous, and not a parody, and banned in several areas in the UK and some countries. Although the Pythons argued it's not blasphemy but heresy.
Answer: You are indeed correct. It is a parody of the "Spartacus" scene but mostly of religion.
Perhaps not so much a parody of "Spartacus" as a tribute to Stanley Kubrick. Monty Python writer Terry Gilliam was very much a fan of Kubrick films and became friends with Kubrick in the 1980s. Gilliam claimed that Kubrick had even spoken with him about making a sequel to Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" (with Gilliam as director). Chances are, the "Spartacus" allusion was part of Gilliam's contribution to the "Life of Brian" screenplay, a tip-o-the-hat to Stanley Kubrick.
Question: Why did the T-1000 kill the officer in the beginning and steal his clothes? Later we see the uniform heal so we know he can create clothing.
Answer: He didn't steal his clothes, but copied them. He can only copy things that he physically touches. He had to touch the cop to take on his look. Also since the cop was a witness to this ruthless killing machine, it needed to kill him to protect itself from being discovered too soon. The Terminator is an infiltration unit on an assassination mission to kill John Connor. As advanced as it is, it needs as little attention drawn to it as possible. Having the entire police force chasing him down would not be ideal for his goal to get Connor and would inevitably slow him down and risk allowing Connor a better chance of escape. The T 1000 also is an emotionless machine programmed by other machines that are intent on killing off all humans in the future. It doesn't value human life, and if anything has been programmed to regard them as a pest to be dealt with. The cop was a means to an ends and an obstacle to take out. As well, the cop did also posses a weapon, and was the T-1000's quickest way to get his hands on a gun.
Answer: While the T-1000 did kill the officer at the beginning (which is pretty much standard behavior for Terminators), it didn't steal the officer's clothes. It merely sampled the officer's appearance as soon as it touched him. However, it did steal the officer's firearm, because the T-1000 could not mimic complex mechanical objects or weapons (it could only mimic stabbing and cutting weapons).
Question: Why can't Thanos stop Stormbreaker using all 6 stones?
Answer: He wasn't quick enough in that moment, having only obtained them a second ago. He has to close his hand or snap his fingers to do what he wanted to do, like stop stormbreaker. He didn't have time for that.
Answer: It should be noted that compared to their comic book counterparts, the Infinity Stones are not quite as powerful. In the comics, a closed fist is not required to use the Stones. They respond to the will of the person wielding them. The Infinity Gauntlet is merely a means of housing them and giving whomever wields them a place on their person to keep them. In the comics, Thanos would be able to stop Stormbreaker with but a thought, but in the film, the Stones essentially need a moment to "charge up," and Stormbreaker's trajectory is working against them.
Question: Why was Wolf such a bully to Frank Morris?
Answer: This is a fictional account of a real-life event and the people depicted in it. Frank Morris was a vicious and dangerous criminal who, played by movie-hero Clint Eastwood, is made into a sympathetic figure. The Wolf character, who was probably not real or highly fictionalized, is contrived solely to create conflict in the plot by making him Morris' enemy. It also shows the constant danger and abuse from other prisoners.
Question: Why would the council not make Anakin a Jedi master?
Answer: Here's a bit more detailed of an answer, after I had some more time to think about it. Remember that Anakin is still young, in his mid to late 20's approximate. He still had a ways to go till he reached the rank of Master on his own anyways, with the council being skeptical of him to begin with. His induction onto the Council was not something they wanted in the first place. Rather, it was Palpatine that appointed him as his representative on the Counsel.The Jedi had been growing to distrust Palpatine in this time and even Mace Windu stated that they could feel the Dark Side surrounds him. They didn't yet know he was secretly Sidious, but even still they had a growing concern about him and his ability to stay in office longer than intended as well as him reaching for more power. The Jedi allowed Anakin onto the Council because it was an opportunity for them... to use Anakin to spy on Palpatine. An assignment given to him off the record. They denied him the rank of Master for a number of reason. 1. His age. Again he's not even 30 yet and Obi-Wan even stated that to be on the Council at his age was unheard of. 2. They didn't trust him fully. He hadn't earned the respect and experience needed for the rank of Master yet. And there was the matter of Yoda sensing his future to be very clouded and unsure. Like Charlies said, his exceptionally high Midiclorian count and his unpredictability due to it was a high cause for concern. 3. It's likely they didn't intend to keep him on the Council. The war was close to ending, or so they hoped. The Separatist armies were dwindling and on the run. It looked like victory was a sure fire deal in the near future, as Count Dooku had been killed and they had traced the location of General Grievous. Once Grievous was dealt with, the war would pretty much be over at that point. They just feared that Palpatine might not relinquish his power at the end and needed someone close to him to keep an eye on him. Anakin was the only one among their ranks that could do that job due to his friendship with Palpatine. Which also that friendship was another red flag for them for Anakin. I believe that once the war was over and Palpatine finally removed from office now that things were settled, they did not intend to keep Anakin on the council any longer since he was an unwelcome semi-forced member in the first place. Allowing him to possibly earn his own way in the future and achieving the Rank of Master on his own right, if he could do it. So, basically, they didn't trust Anakin, he was too young, they needed him on the Council only temporarily, and intended to boot him off the Council and let him earn his own way back on his own after the dust had settled from the war. Just as we know... things didn't turn out that way.
Anakin was also acting very immature.
This is true. After he was put on the council he complained that it's not fair and not right.
Answer: He had not yet proven himself enough. Keep in mind he's still pretty young here, somewhere in his mid 20's. The Masters are older, more experienced and proven Jedi who are wise and have gained the respect. Also his closeness to the Chancellor made him a liability and they were not sure they could trust him to make decisions rationally when he was involved.
Answer: In "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace," Qui-Gon Jinn discovers and reveals to the Jedi Council that 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker has the highest midichlorian reading ever recorded. Midichlorians, of course, are the microscopic lifeforms that allow Jedi and Sith alike to wield The Force. Anakin's midichlorians are off the chart, meaning that he has potential to be the strongest Jedi Master ever. Ever. That's why the Jedi Council approaches Anakin's training very, very cautiously. Rather than fast-tracking him to Jedi Master, the Council extends Anakin's apprenticeship to focus on his self-discipline, because they fear that this kid is a ticking bomb who could, potentially, flip to the Dark Side with catastrophic results (which is precisely what happens).
Answer: The only two ways for a Knight to achieve Masterhood, are for the Knight to successfully train a Padawan to Knighthood. The other is an extreme act of heroism, as determined by the Council. Then the Knight can be given a second set of trials more difficult than the first, pass them and achieve Masterhood. Anakin hasn't done either of those.
Question: Why does Art3mis seem surprised that she can't finish the race past King Kong for the first Easter egg? Isn't it widespread knowledge by then that nobody can get past that point (which is why there's barely anyone trying to complete the hunt anymore)?
Answer: If it's widely known then they wouldn't do the race. They keep on trying and getting to the point with King Kong is all they know, somehow getting past him this time. Artemis, when she saw the jump, thought she could do it this time, but after Parzival saves her and tells her it can't be done she realises he is probably right and she wouldn't have made it.
Answer: Maybe she thinks a motorcycle can do it because cars and trucks haven't been able to do it yet.
Question: Is there any real significance to the key around Beverly's neck that you see her wear throughout the film? I don't believe they ever really mentioned it and she is just seen fiddling with it a couple times. But she's never seen without it.
Answer: It's the key to her apartment. She wears it around her neck so she doesn't lose it.
Question: Rosie is carrying a long pointed item off the boat and you see it again when they get to the resort. What’s is she carrying?
Answer: I don't think there's a definitive answer for this, but I have two possible answers which fit with Rosie's personality and the storyline. Rosie tells Donna that she's taking Bill and Sam fishing, and since we see that Rosie also brings this mysterious item with her when she goes to Bill's boat, so either a fishing rod or a monopod would make sense.
Question: I know little of complicated politics so despite seeing it as a plot hole, I'm putting it in as a question. As Walker gives the missiles targets, there is talk of starting World War III if they are allowed to hit. The attack on the White House would be world wide news, on every major channel. Wouldn't these countries know it wasn't America who bombed them but was the work of terrorists?
Answer: Knowing is not believing. They might know, but they wouldn't necessarily trust the media. After all it could have been a grand conspiracy to cover up the actual truth from the people.
I highly doubt world war 3 would start before these countries did their homework though. It wouldn't take long for them to suss out it was actually terrorists who detonated the bombs and not America.
Question: Why did the town of Santa Mira have a curfew?
Answer: Because that's when Conal Cochran and his minions do their 'work'.
Question: Why does Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire" yell Deb and Debbie instead of Stella?
Answer: The voiceover in this episode says this is a first draft of "Streetcar", meaning other, more improved and streamlined versions are coming up. Obviously, "Deb" and "Debbie" were rejected in the final draft of "Streetcar" in favor of "Stella" which was the joke.
Answer: He is yelling out names of people he has met...he does this at parties.
Question: When Saul buys Jesse's house from his parents, he said that he showed their lawyer, Mr. Gardner, "all the pertinent financials", meaning $875,000 in cash available to buy the house. Jesse only had $450,000 and that money was not in any account. How did Saul show Mr. Gardner that he had $875,000 in cash?
Answer: Saul is a criminal himself. It's not past his capabilities to forge some documents to show the 857k is available.
Forged documents by Saul is most likely the correct answer.
Answer: In all likelihood, he sold some more meth.
Question: Why did Bond and the others go to see the 'dragon' and even attempt to incapacitate it?
Answer: Bond suspected that Dr. No was collecting radioactive materials for his secret project to sabotage the American space program, and Bond suspected that heavily-guarded Crab Key was the center of Dr. No's secret operation. Bond knew that the "dragon" was just a mobile flame-thrower protecting the most vulnerable area of the island, and so he and the others deliberately targeted it (although they failed).
But they didn't need to seize it, did they? This whole scene appears to be 'forced' in order for Bond and the girl to be apprehended and Quarrel killed off (why didn't he just run?). It just doesn't seem right that Bond would attack an armored flame throwing vehicle with just a gun. The Bond I know would stealthily have followed it to the base, or even simpler, followed the tire tracks.
Well, it wouldn't be the first or last time Bond allowed himself to be captured in order to penetrate the heavy's inner-sanctum.
Answer: Well, Bond knew that dragons didn't exist and when he was proven correct, he attempted to halt the 'dragons' advance.
In what way did the dragon have the upper hand? They did not know where Bond and the others were. Bond and the other two could have simply stayed where they were and the dragon wouldn't be any threat to them. Even if the dragon did manage to find them, they could simply run deeper into the woods/cross a river so they couldn't be followed.
Question: Why did Lee agree to come with Carter to try and rescue Soo Yung instead of going back to Hong Kong, during their conversation on the plane? They talked about Carter's father and his dislike of the police profession. Why did this change Lee's mind? (01:12:30 - 01:13:05)
Answer: Lee believed Carter was selfish and only cared about finding Soo Yung to further his own career. Carter explained that he was cynical about police work because his father was an excellent cop but was killed during a routine traffic stop. Hearing the story about how Carter's father died showed Lee why Carter acts the way he does. Lee was wrong to write Carter off and he recognizes that Carter really just wants a chance to prove himself. Carter shows Lee that he is willing to accept that there is more to police work than serving your own interests when he says "Prove me wrong." This is what changes Lee's mind.
Question: What is the significance of the phone call from China that Consul Han receives after his daughter leaves for school, when no one answers? (00:10:10)
Answer: I believe that they were confirming he was still there, possibly in an attempt to ensure he and he daughter were not together in the car to school. If he was present with her, then that would ruin the kidnapping and extortion situation.
Question: In the beginning of the movie it shows the electric motor on an engine hoist, but he hasn't taken the old motor out yet. Wouldn't he need the engine hoist to get old one out before having the new one ready?
Answer: Not if he has more than one engine hoist.
Question: About Luther. Does Ethan tell him the whole truth between Langley and London? How else to explain their conversation about "not letting the list get out in the open"? As far as Luther knows they just stole the NOC List and are about to sell it to an arms dealer. He doesn't know Ethan doesn't intend to actually let Max have it. Unless Ethan let him in on the whole thing. In that case does he also know he won't get paid?
Answer: He does tell Luther, that's why he jams the transmission on the train. By this point the transaction was made. Luther doesn't want any of the agents to get killed because the list was leaked.
So he tells him the whole story off camera? That he only stole it to prove his innocence, etc.
Because Luther is a disavowed agent, but has a conscience and remains loyal to his country. When he realises via camera he has helped steal the NOC list, and says "mother of god", he understands the weight of the information. It sets up Luther's arc from disavowed criminal to reformed criminal working with the government on impossible missions to both of their benefit.
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Answer: Actually, no, the primary goal of "Life of Brian" was not to parody biblical films. Terry Gilliam has stated that the "important" objective of the movie was "to offend a lot of people," particularly "Jews and Christians, because they're easy to push around." Gilliam further said that, at the same time, they were "very cautious not to offend Muslims, because they're the dangerous ones." Both Gilliam and John Cleese have also said that, while the Pythons took care to avoid blasphemy (not directly mocking Jesus of Nazareth, with whom the Pythons had no quarrel), they fully intended that the film be heretical (in defiance of Catholic Church doctrine and dogma). Make no mistake, "Life of Brian" is not supposed to be a lighthearted parody of biblical films; it's supposed to be a sharp stick in the eye to the Roman Catholic Church.
Charles Austin Miller