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: Why is this movie called "Airport"? It is not really a sequel to the original Airport, as Patroni is the only character in both films. Further, the original Airport focused on airport operations. It gave us glimpses of various airport professionals and how they respond to challenges and controversies. That was its appeal. But beyond showing the mobile lounge at Dulles, and it doesn't even introduce us to the pilot, Airport 75 has nothing to do with any airport.

Answer: It's all about branding and marketing. The first Airport film was hugely successful, prompting a sequel. Reusing "Airport" in the title has built-in name recognition that people would immediately associate with the previous film, which helps sell tickets. The movie is part of what became a movie series (four in all) under the collective "Airport" name.

raywest

Question: Higgins presumably knows about the ball's high standards of dress for men and women. Why then is he the only man there who is not wearing white gloves (which are routine for such occasions)?

Answer: Higgins is eccentric and a bit anti-social. He does not always follow social norms and protocol. He somewhat enjoys upsetting his snobbish peers, as well as his mother. He's also highly focused in the moment on passing off Eliza as a high-society lady.

raywest

Answer: My guess is that something happened either during her birth or after she was born. Some twins are born early and can have problems with breathing after being born.

Question: Why did Tom-Tom/Lucy have a nose job? Their nose was basically the same (and pretty as well). And why do people call her Tom-Tom?

Answer: Near the start, when Tom-Tom holds up her school photo packet, her real name Lucy Thompson is on the packet (there's a sticker at the right side of the photo with her name, sideways). So the nickname Tom-Tom may stem from Thompson, though we're not told why or when that nickname even started. Within the movie we're also not given the outright reason for her nose job. If she became self-conscious about her nose, regardless if others thought it was a "pretty" nose, she opted to have rhinoplasty to alter the shape, even in a small way.

Super Grover

I just looked at that scene, and her name isn't on the packet. It has "Tamarack" in big letters at the top, in between two 1987s, but it says the same thing on Jenna's, which I'm presuming is the name of the school. So that can't be it.

Look again. Both Jenna's and Lucy's packets have their names on stickers at the right side of their photos. On Jenna's it reads "RINK, Jenna 03-88743" (we see it when Jenna picks up her photo packet from the table), and on Lucy's packet it reads "THOMPSON, Lucy 04-22578."

Super Grover

Answer: I think the "Tom-Tom" and nose job details were just bad writing. She says, "No one's called me that since I had my nose job." Thompson is not an unusual last name, but I've never heard of anyone being called "Tom-Tom" because of it. And it sounds like the nickname is connected to her nose, even if it's not supposed to be. Just not good writing. Maybe someone based this on an "inside joke"/private joke, not realizing that a mass audience might not understand it.

Show generally

Question: Is it just me or is it a little out of character for Monica to not ask people to take off their shoes before coming into her apartment?

Answer: Sure. However, with the script calling for people to be constantly entering and leaving the apartment, that would slow down the pacing way too much.

Brian Katcher

Answer: I agree with Brian Katcher's answer. Also, despite Monica, maybe she is not in the practice of asking guests to remove their shoes. I am in my mid-thirties, and I've only been to one home where I was asked to remove mine.

Question: When the kidnappers leave the barn after putting Amy in the freezer, why doesn't Jeff try harder to pull the latch off the door and free his wife? If I were in his situation, I would be desperate to free her and run away so we could call police. He tries a few times to pry the bar off, but eventually gives up and runs into the house. This doesn't seem to be a very wise strategy to adopt.

Sniffeh

Answer: It's about plotting. There would not be much of movie left if Jeff was able to easily free Amy and they then run away. This is artistic license so there can be a dramatic, exciting climax.

raywest

Question: Dylan and Jamie are sitting on the Hollywood sign discussing life. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to sit on that sign?

Answer: In real life, and since it's restoration in the late 1970s, it is illegal and impossible for anyone to climb and/or sit on the Hollywood sign. It is fenced off and electronically monitored by security 24/7.Unless they found a way to bypass the security, this is movie fiction.

raywest

Question: How did Charles Nichols borrow Richard's car in the first place? Didn't Richard have his keys with him?

Answer: Near the start, the detectives escort Richard to the police car. Then it cuts to flashbacks of the fund-raiser at the Four Seasons Hotel (Charles Nichols had already borrowed Richard Kimble's car earlier, offscreen). At timecode 00:04:20, Charles thanks Richard for loaning him the car earlier, then he hands Richard the parking garage valet ticket, and Charles tells Richard that Richard's keys are downstairs (with valet parking attendants). So at this point within the flashback, Charles had already used Richard's keys to also unlock Richard's home, enabling Sykes to enter and wait for Kimble, who was the intended target. When Richard and Helen leave the fund-raiser, they retrieve Richard's keys from valet parking, then drive home.

Super Grover

Question: Would the rupturing of one underground cable be enough to cut all the power to the city that never sleeps?

Answer: Of course not. That was a little over the top, even for an over the top movie like this.

Brian Katcher

Question: When Barbara and Adam change their faces and are ready to go scare everyone, Barbara confesses to Adam that she doesn't want to go through with it. She says that she wants to be with Lydia. Why does she suddenly become infatuated with wanting to be with this girl whom she hardly even knows? It would make more sense if they both grew to love the whole family instead of just Lydia alone. Thus, her sudden change of heart seems kind of strange.

Answer: Lydia is a child, and Barbara and Adam both wanted to have children. Barbara's mother instincts just suddenly kicked in.

lionhead

Answer: I agree with the answer by Lionhead, and I would like to add: Lydia has already spoken to the ghosts more than her parents have. She has been more understanding and tolerant. To me, it makes perfect sense that Barbara has already connected with Lydia more than Lydia's parents.

Question: When the guys are trying to recap the night, they are having breakfast by the Caesars' pool. I've stayed at Caesars twice and never saw this as an option. Was this filmed somewhere else or staged for the movie?

Show generally

Question: Is it true the cast hated Marcel the monkey that much? Would he have had more of a storyline if they didn't? Same goes for the character of Julie?

Answer: It was mostly David Schwimmer (Ross) who had issues with Marcel the monkey. He became frustrated working with an animal that often missed its mark, didn't behave properly in scenes, etc. resulting in constant retakes. As Ross was Marcel's owner, Schwimmer had the most interactions with the animal. Regarding Julie, there's no indication that any cast member had issues with Lauren Tom, the actress who played her. She was an extended guest star only intended to appear for a few episodes. Her character was simply a "complication" to Ross and Rachel finally getting together. There was no reason for Julie to remain on the show any longer.

raywest

Question: What sort of mental illness does Darian have? And for that matter, she seems to come from a stable home and family. Since this is the case, why should she be mentally unstable and how come her parents never noticed her condition when she was growing up?

Answer: Darian would likely be considered as a depiction of Borderline Personality Disorder. She immediately idealizes Nick, becoming emotionally attached to him, which leads to her wanting him all to herself and becoming jealous of his relationship with Amy. Nick's rejection of Darian's sexual feelings for him and his insistence that they be simple friends is what leads her to her feelings of wanting revenge, while she also has unpredictable short-lived mood swings and unreasonable anger over trivial situations. To top it off, her pettiness and lack of remorse in sabotaging Nick in ways like vandalizing his car, erasing his work, trying to harm Amy and even her closest friend, would be almost certain to lead to a comorbid diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder, especially considering she didn't change in the end, and those with BPD aren't typically violent against others (as media often portrays).

Movielover1996

Answer: I don't think Adrian was written as having a specific mental illness. Regarding her family, it's not unusual for someone with her issues to come from a stable, well-respected home. Real-life stalkers and killers have. Their families, friends, neighbors, etc. were truly shocked by what these criminals did. They knew a totally different person, compared to the person who the victims encountered.

Question: At the beginning, Jill tells the police that she believes the caller is watching her through the windows. Since he calls her, how is this possible since cell phones did not exist at the time this movie came out?

Answer: Sorry, editing my answer because I misunderstood the question. The caller is using a different phone line in the same house. It's possible to have multiple different landlines/phone-numbers in the same building. However, Jill doesn't realise this and probably assumes he's watching her from a different house using binoculars or something similar.

TedStixon

Question: How is it possible Comrade Phlemenkoff never suspected Anya might have been Anastasia the whole time she was at the orphanage? She obviously would've known that the Tsar and his family were killed with the exception of Anastasia, and young Anastasia just happened to be brought to the orphanage around the same time she disappeared and that she's wearing a necklace that looks like its made of gold and jewels. These would have all been major clues that she was the missing princess.

Answer: This was during the Russian Revolution. Millions of people were killed in the resulting violent turmoil, resulting in tens of thousands of children who lost or were separated from their parents. There was no reason to suspect that "Anya" was anyone important and this was a rural orphanage where mainstream news could be spotty. The necklace was likely considered costume jewelry.

raywest

Question: Benjamin and Gabriel both agree that moving Charlotte and the children to the Gullah encampment would be a safe place to hide. How is living out in the open by the ocean a safe place to hide?

Answer: It's the idea of hiding in plain sight, somewhere your enemy is unlikely to look. Tavington and Cornwallis are both upper class Brits and would not likely think of a village of slaves/ex-slaves as somewhere a gentleman would go. Nor would they likely know of any connection they would have there.

LorgSkyegon

Question: Considering the time period that we see Benjamin grow up in the nursing home, why would there be both black and white people residing together?

Question: According to Captain Panaka and Qui-Gon, if the Hutts discover Queen Amidala on Tattooine, it will be just like landing on a planet controlled by the Federation. Why would they care about her? What would they do?

Answer: They would likely take her hostage and hold her for ransom.

Phaneron

So the Federation was probably offering a bounty/reward for her capture?

Possibly, but given the criminal nature of the Hutts to begin with, it would be in line for them to try to capture her if they became aware of her presence and ransom her off to the highest bidder, be it the Trade Federation, her home planet of Naboo, or the Galactic Senate.

Phaneron

Question: When the girls realize that cellphone signals are available at the base of the tower, why can't they fly the drone down with the cellphone as a load? Is the payload too heavy?

Answer: They don't have the backpack at that time?

Question: When Val says, "Is it all right, Dad?" Did Robin Williams say, "It's all right, Danny?" That's the actor's real name. (When Val told him he was getting married).

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