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: If agents are programs that are actually embedded into the Matrix coding themselves, then in theory, shouldn't they never miss the targets they are shooting at? We have aimbots and other programs today that can be used in video games, I've never used one but my understanding is they don't miss. Why would this not be the case in the Matrix?

six56

Chosen answer: It is theoretically possible for agents to get something similar to an aim-bot since the matrix is a simulation and agents probably do have access to the data needed to calculate how they should move and how they should fire their gun, calculate trajectories etc. in order to hit their target. The fact that they don't have an aim-bot mechanism only points to one thing. They don't have access to the computing power to calculate all that. It may take very little computer power in our games but if you want to make a prediction in the matrix you will need to simulate part of the matrix (not to say all of it if you wanna be 100% accurate) and have enough processing power to fast forward it and check if the outcome is you hitting the target in the coming seconds. But that's not all, you have to run that for every possible move you can think of until the outcome of this calculation is yes. Oh and every agent in the matrix should have that processing power available and with no delays, all this has to be real time or it's gonna be useless. So just like in our world when you don't have the computer power to calculate something you estimate it, you make an algorithm that is kinda good at it but far from perfect. Vis-a-vis agents AI algorithm.

Chosen answer: They are spoofing a Nike commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBVqX2cmVtY.

Mortug

That and the music group known as "Stomp".

Chosen answer: Most likely, the Federation sent a ship to pick him up after the events of the movie. After all, some time passes between the destruction of Narada and the ceremony of Kirk's promotion.

Twotall

Question: Are Jethro and his daughters Arabs or Jews? I'm asking because a couple of things don't make sense to me: In Jethro's tent, there are several men (sheiks) who are dressed in the traditional Arab headgear. Also, his daughters shown him respect by gesturing with their hands.

Answer: Jethro is a Kenite shepherd and priest of Midian. Midian was likely in the area that is now known as Saudi Arabia.

kristenlouise3

Answer: He was a descendant of Ishmael, so that makes him an Arab.

Question: In the sniper scene, the terrorists quickly took out one of the mercenaries on the Barrett. However, when Sergeant Sanborn took the same position, the opposing sides didn't even take a shot and hardly retaliated. Is there any reason why this is so? Including the guys on the roof, the guy to the far right, and the guys in the window not trying to move positions either.

Answer: The problem for the sniper was once he'd taken his shot, he was now pretty exposed. He didn't have a lot of cover and it wouldn't have taken the Americans long to figure out where the shot came from, hence why the enemy snipers made no attempt to move.

GalahadFairlight

Question: Why did Harry and Nagini crash into a child's room at Bathilda Bagshot's house in Godric's Hollow?

lelapc

Chosen answer: The child's bedroom is part of the neighbor's house that is attached to Bathilda's. It was just part of their fight, not something intentional.

raywest

Question: In the real world when it's day wouldn't the people of Ember notice because, if the kids could see the city, I'm pretty sure they could see the sky.

bk123456

Chosen answer: The light from the sky would have been back-lit by the lights from the city, a bit like how we can't see the stars at night because the sun is too bright. If there were a power failure at noon perhaps the sky could have been seen, however.

Phixius

Question: In the very ending of the theatrical cut, Evan walks past Kayleigh, but he doesn't do anything. My question is why doesn't he do anything? Every thing is alright in the 'present' he has created, so why wouldn't he try to meet her 'again', after all, he loves her.

Answer: Because none of the alternative realities he has experienced show him causing anything but misery for Kayleigh. It's because he loves her that he chooses to not allow himself to be part of her life, and protect her from suffering.

Manky

Answer: That was just another typical nondescript boy who might have looked like Evan. Again, everything that we see after Evan's death sequence in his mother's womb is a result of his never being born. So it would be impossible for Evan to exist in any of those "flash-forwards" we see after Evan dies.

Chosen answer: "You have the face of a donkey."

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: "You have a face like a donkey."

Answer: What he says is "You look like an ass."

Question: After Harry and Ron find the sword of Gryffindor, how do they find Hermoine again? The camp had enchantments and spells around it to keep them safe and Harry had to leave the protection set up around camp.

crystalsbella

Chosen answer: Because Harry already knew where the camp was. The protection spells they use (Harry is shown at one point casting them as well) seem to be sort of like the Secret Keeper spell. If you cast them or they are cast on you, it allows you to see through the spells. Also, don't forget that the deluminator led Ron right to the general vicinity of the camp and that the Snatcher team could smell Hermione's perfume through the spells earlier.

Guy

Question: I don't quite understand the part of the movie regarding the camera recording inside of the bus. It seems obvious they can pick up the signal to the bus via UHF, then tape it, then make the loop so the same tape runs over and over, fooling Dennis Hopper long enough to facilitate the rescue. But how do they transmit the images from the loop back to Hopper's safehouse?

Answer: Payne obviously has some sort of transmitter attached to the camera, feeding the picture back to him. By broadcasting from the much more powerful TV van transmitter on the same frequency, they would effectively swamp the camera signal with their own, so Payne would see their looped tape, rather than the real images from the camera. Although not shown, Jack could also simply have disconnected Payne's camera as soon as the looped tape ran, to prevent the possibility of the real signal getting through and revealing their ruse.

Tailkinker

Question: During the bank robbery scene one of the clown henchmen in the bank is wearing the purple coat, trousers and leather gloves the Joker wears for the rest of the film. Does this mean once he is hit by the bus the Joker stripped him of the clothes or dragged his body onto the bus when he was off-camera to take the clothes later? Because as he says to the Mob bosses that "the suit isn't cheap, you should know you bought it", so does this mean he had a replica suit made?

Answer: Yes, the implication is very strong that he had the suit, which is far nicer and better made than the vaguely similar one worn in the opening heist, using the money that he stole from the mob bosses.

Tailkinker

Question: What happened to the Space Marines and Draxites who were fighting outside the space station? We have a great big shootout and then they're not even mentioned or seen when the station explodes. And there's no mention that anyone was recovered afterwards. (Just Jaws and Dolly).

John.G

Chosen answer: One of the Marines is heard to say to return to the shuttle after Bond gets in. The Draxites must have returned to the station.

Grumpy Scot

Answer: There is a very brief scene of the Marines' shuttle undocking from the space station.

Question: One of the thugs helps Rapunzel and Flynn escape by showing them the passage that starts from their pub. The Stabbington Brothers - who escape the clutches of the guards - follow them in. Later when the red-headed thieves meet Mother Gothel in the forest, they exit through a secret door in a tree trunk with the same "Snuggly Duckling" symbol on the secret door at the pub; that's where Mothel Gothel waited and expected to meet Rapunzel and Flynn after threatening one of the thugs to tell her where it was. Strangely, however, Rapunzel and Flynn end up at the dam that appears to be the dead of the tunnel, while the Stabbington Brothers burst out of another tunnel below them. If the forest was where the other end of the tunnel was located, then why didn't Rapunzel and Flynn end up there? How come the Stabbington Brothers came out from another tunnel, and how on earth did they find their way to the other end of the tunnel where Gothel was waiting?

Answer: When the dam breaks, Rapunzel and Flynn run for cover and subsequently get trapped in a cave that was not originally part of the secret tunnel. The Stabbington Brothers get washed away by the water, and are implied to have found the real exit of the tunnel once the tide died down. Gothel went to the same exit because that is the legitimate exit of the tunnel, and the only one the drunk viking would've known about, especially since Rapunzel and Flynn only escaped the cave out of pure luck.

virtual-toast

Answer: Mother Gothel said: Where will you go? He won't be there for you. Then Rapunzel said: What did you do to him? So I assume she found out at that time she said that.

Answer: There is a scene where Rapunzel is in her bedroom and has brief flashes of herself as a baby with the King and Queen looking down at her. Also the sun symbol she kept drawing, she began to figure things out. That's when she realised she was lied to.

Question: How do the people in the film share a dream? I understand that the briefcase contains sedatives to put everyone to sleep, but how do they get inside a certain individuals dream? How do they end up being in the same dream together?

oo0O0oo

Chosen answer: The details are never explained in the depth, but all the dreamers are connected via the briefcase, so it seems likely that the briefcase acts in some way as a networking hub for them to share the dreamspace.

Tailkinker

Question: Throughout the film, Megamind transforms himself to take the appearance of other characters. Early on in the film, these characters are killed (or otherwise disposed of), allowing Megamind to take their appearance. Near the end of the film, Megamind takes Metro Man's appearance, but Metro Man is not dead (we see him as retired after faking his death, then specifically in the crowd scene at the Megamind museum opening). Is this an error, or is there some other reason why Megamind doesn't need to kill Metro Man to take his appearance?

Answer: The characters are only 'disposed of' so that they won't be able to reveal Megamind's deception. Remember, the warden wasn't killed and neither was Megamind when the warden was transformed into him. It is not necessary for the device to function that the individual being copied be eliminated.

Phixius

Question: Do we ever find out why the Chinese man in the trunk is naked? I understand that Stu claimed he was his lucky charm, but that doesn't explain why he was naked.

Awesomo

Chosen answer: Presumably being locked in the trunk/boot of a car in the sweltering heat might cause someone to get a tad warm whilst in said trunk/boot.

GalahadFairlight

Answer: Ken Jeong just thought it would be funnier to jump out naked, so he did.

Question: If there are a couple of scenes where Pascal, the chameleon, changed colors not to blend with objects but only due to his emotions. Is it possible for a real chameleon to do, or is it something only Pascal can do? In other words, is it something a chameleon can do only in a cartoon?

Answer: The ability of a number of chameleon species to change colours is generally used a form of social signalling - it's a common misconception that they shift colour in order to blend in with their surroundings. Although some species of chameleon have displayed the ability to use their colour changes as a primitive form of camouflage, most only change in response to social situations or changes in their physical or emotional state. So, yes, it's very possible that Pascal could change colour due to his emotions, in fact, it's really the norm.

Tailkinker

Question: Tangled is promoted at Disney's 50th Animated Motion Picture. There is even a countdown of the 50 films on the blu-ray. But, they seem to be missing some movies from the list. I did not see Duck Tales the Movie (1990), A Goofy Movie (1995), An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000), Return to Neverland (2002), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), or Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005). Now I know these weren't blockbusters, or timeless classics, but they were Disney, animated, and theatrical motion pictures. Why were they not on the list?

Answer: I've actually found the answer to my own question. It seems that it is a matter of which a Disney sub-company actually produced those films. There are films promoted as "Disney" which are from "Disney Toon Studios." However, since these are not "Walt Disney Animation Studios" they are not on the list. A complete list of everything Disney can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_theatrical_animated_features.

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.