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: In the flashback scene of Bruce's father being carted off in a straightjacket after he had murdered Bruce's mother and blew up the base, who was the man that stood beside young Bruce and patted him on the shoulder?

Answer: General Ross.

Phaneron

Question: Who exactly did MJ want Harry to help in the fight between Peter and Flash? I'd assume Peter since she didn't want Flash to attack him but Peter wasn't exactly in trouble during that fight.

Questionasker800

Answer: She meant Peter. Flash was hell-bent on beating Peter up, and Peter had a reputation for being a feeble nerd, so it's not like anyone early in the fight thought he could actually stand a chance against Flash. He was merely dodging Flash's attacks until the very end.

Phaneron

Question: Why couldn't Batman just follow Lau to his house and kidnap him there instead of this elaborate plan with the plane?

Answer: To add to the other answer, Lau is likely to have heavy security no matter where he is, so an equally elaborate plan would be necessary even if he left his tower.

Answer: Lau probably lives and works at his tower.

lionhead

Question: Wouldn't betting on yourself be illegal? I get that betting on yourself to lose would be a no-no, but wouldn't betting on yourself at all be against gambling rules?

The_Iceman

Answer: Short answer is no, it's not illegal. For example, boxers are allowed to bet on themselves. There may be leagues or clubs that prohibit their players (and even staff) from any form of gambling, not just betting on themselves or their team. But it doesn't mean it's illegal. Some casinos or bookies may not take players' bets unless it's a straight bet to win, as opposed to a player betting he'll win in the 6th round.

Bishop73

Question: After the events of this movie, why does Darth Sidious call himself Emperor Palpatine? Vader was expected to ignore his old life as Anakin Skywalker. Or was that a personal choice of Vader's?

Answer: Anakin, renamed Darth Vader, is a choice by Palpatine/Sidious. It is a Sith name. Darth Sidious, however, has two roles to play as both a Sith Lord and occupying an official position as the Emperor, so he uses his real name for that. The rest of the universe cannot know him as Darth Sidious.

lionhead

Answer: He suspects that Cartman just wants an excuse to stay home and slack off on schoolwork.

Question: If Jay does know about the village in the woods, why wouldn't he have done something about it?

Answer: Do what about it? He's been hired by the Walker Corporation to maintain and protect the preserve and the village inside. He makes sure the junior guards do their job without asking too many questions. The village could not otherwise exist if it didn't have the support and protection of Edward Walker's money. Edward likely put his late father's corporation into a blind trust, to be run in his absence. Key people within the company would also know about the village and provide whatever is needed like the preserve's round-the-clock protection and maintenance, the medicine that is on hand in the event of an emergency, etc.

raywest

Question: I don't think the elders of the village, upon creating the village, took into account things like horns, honking, or the explosions of fireworks on 4th of July and New Year's Eve. So, how would the elders have explained that one?

Answer: They've set up the village as a nature preserve, so isolated that not even airplanes are allowed to fly over. Soundwise, they're far away from civilization, so they can't hear modern noises.

Brian Katcher

Answer: It was mentioned that the Walker Corporation had paid a lot of money to have the airspace above the village restricted so that no planes flew overhead. Fireworks, horns, and other human-made sounds have been around for centuries and were easily explainable and would barely be heard because the village is so isolated. It's all rather far-fetched, plot-wise, however.

raywest

Question: At the beginning, what were the cops looking at in the basement that was so bad? As far as I recall, there was just the dead guy chained to the wall, and possibly Jenna Ortega's body. Neither of which seem any more messed up than the bodies the cops already covered up.

Answer: It was just the naked man chained up. Lorraine was being dragged inside when she gurgled, and the old man had a heart attack and died. They were just inside the front door.

posty

Question: When Blade is getting ready to leave the morgue and Karen is lying on the ground after being attacked by Quinn, Blade is about to walk by and leave her there. However, a flashback of his mom reaching out for help appears twice, triggering Blade to save her. This represents his mom, which I understand. But his mom's death occurred in the opening scene or at the beginning of the movie, and Blade was only a baby. How could he possibly have a memory of that as an adult from being a baby? (00:14:35 - 00:15:03)

Answer: I don't think it's so much a memory as it is Blade just equating Karen with his mother in that moment. The only way to convey his thought process to the audience, though, is to show his mother onscreen.

Phaneron

Question: Where exactly is Empire Bay supposed to be located?

Answer: The fictional town is supposedly located somewhere on New York's coast, near the mouth of the Culver River, also fictional.

raywest

Question: At the beginning, why did Jo's dad try to hold the storm cellar door against the raging winds of a tornado when he could have just scooted them into the farthest corner of the cellar – and even shielded them with himself if necessary? It was almost foreseen what had happened when he held the door.

Answer: His impulse thinking was to close the cellar door to best protect him and his family. He likely didn't believe they could survive if it was left open, even if they were all huddled in the furthest corner.

raywest

Question: How did the aliens drop down from their ships that were shown on TV? Did they land and drop them off, or did they have some kind of teleporting device? Also, why didn't the Air Force attempt to shoot down any of them?

Answer: It was never shown how they did this, so it's all speculation. It was shown that the ships were apparently hidden by a shield, making them appear invisible. This was seen on the TV footage when birds in flight were hitting something in the sky and suddenly dropping to the ground.

raywest

Answer: Madame Leote's spirit was encased in the crystal. The singing busts were inanimate objects brought to life.

Answer: He still had control over them, that's why they've never been able to move on.

Answer: She was African American, most likely the daughter of slaves. He felt she would have brought shame and disgrace to the mansion and the family name.

Question: What were all the cities that were attacked during the invasion?

Answer: Most likely, coastal cities or cities near a large body of water.

Question: Is the Egyptologist's (Jonathan Hyde) name ever revealed in the film, or is he always referred to as just the Egyptologist?

Answer: I don't recall his name ever being mentioned, but IMDb lists his name as Dr. Allen Chamberlain, so it's possible he was named in the script.

Phaneron

Answer: In the late 90s and 2000s, she was reported to be dating several different men. She was often called a "serial dater."

Question: How could Chris have legally become sheriff? Wouldn't he have had to go to law enforcement school or academy before he could have been considered for a role as sheriff?

Answer: The role of sheriff is an elected, political position, and as recent US politics have shown, one can be elected to office with little or no previous relevant experience.

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