Question: If this wasn't supposed to be the last episode, was there any plan on how to explain Red Dwarf's survival, or were they just going to ignore the problem, like they do in "Back to Earth"?
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: When Maddie leaves Abe's bedroom (after they shared a quick kiss), he rushes back out and calls her. Why does he call her back? If he wanted to say something to her, why not say it when she was in the room?
Answer: Because he apparently had to work the courage up to say whatever it is he wanted to say. He was conflicted in his feelings for Maddie. He's a priest and isn't supposed to 'want' her the way he does. Catholic priests take a vow of chastity and he was trying to deal with his feelings as a man and his vows as a priest.
Question: Why do all the members of Project Mayhem chant Bob's name after "Jack" says he has a name?
Chosen answer: Because they interpret what he's saying as Bob being elevated to a place of honor. Since none of them have names and now Bob has one, he must be special.
Question: Is it important for the storyline of the movie that Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) can understand the policeman, when he is speaking Arabic to his wife on the phone?
Question: Why did the T800 near the end destroy the 600 that was experimenting on Reese? It just seemed to be a bit out of "character" for the Terminator to unnecessarily kill one of its own kind.
Answer: Because the T-600's targeting system was damaged by Kyle shoving that steel rebar into its neck, and the T-600 was out of control just shooting anywhere and everywhere, presenting a danger to the T-800.
Question: Why did Fletcher stop up the water pump at Faraway Downs?
Answer: So they'd be unable to water their cattle. Which has two benefits for Fletcher. The first being that they'd have to take their cattle to the watering hole on the border of their property, making it easier for Fletcher to steal the cows. Second, and more long term, their cattle would be of poorer quality due to lack of proper care. The ranch would lose money as a result, and they'd be more amenable to selling the ranch to their competition, whom Fletcher works for.
Question: How does the Phantom get his salary? I know he tells Firmin, "Send it care of the Ghost by return of post," but what exactly does this mean? And also, what does he do with his salary?
Answer: Mme Giry acts as the intermediary. She brings the notes, so sending the money by return of post means the money should be given to her to pass it on. As for what he does with it, the luxury of his clothing and lair bears witness that he doesn't pile it. He spends it on anything that will bring beauty around him, whether it's a wig, a mask, clothes, furniture or anything else. And it wouldn't be surprising if a few bribes weren't given here and there.
Question: I don't understand. What did Russell mean when he said, "Phyllis is not my mom." and why was this so dramatic?
Answer: It means his parents are divorced, or at least separated (since his dad is living with another woman), meaning he comes from a broken home and making the fact that his father never shows up to his events a lot harsher.
Question: John Connor knows about the future because of the experience he had with the Terminators sent to kill him and the tapes his mother left him. But what about Skynet? How does Skynet know who Kyle Reese and John Connor are and their importance on the future? How does Skynet knows that Kyle Reese will, or has, become John Connor's father? Because that isn't happening in the future, but in the past where Skynet didn't even exist.
Answer: Sarah Connor told her story to lots of people, the guerilla fighters and mercenaries she trained with, the psychiatric hospital she was locked up in, etc. Many of these could have left records (the hospital is even shown to have videotaped several of her sessions in T2). In addition, John himself could have told the entire story to resistance fighters, who were later captured and forced to reveal everything they knew.
Question: This has been confusing me for some time. Who owns Bolt legally? The network or Penny? The opening prologue shows a younger Penny selecting Bolt at a pet store when he's only a puppy. Fives years later, during the making of the TV show, the network forbids Penny from taking Bolt to her house because they want him to think he's a superdog. This raises additional questions. How long has the show been on the air? Is what the network doing to Bolt legal? Is Penny allowed to quit the show at any time if she feels like it? Do they have deal with the studio lawyers over custody of Bolt if she resigns from the show?
Answer: Okay, here we go: Since Bolt was bought by the network FOR Penny, the network technically owns the dog. IF the dog was purchased by Penny's parent(s) or legal guardian, Bolt belongs to Penny legally. This is never really explained, but one can assume the studio owns Bolt since they lay down the law to Penny about taking Bolt off the set and keeping him in his own fantasy world. The show has been on the air for at least two years given Bolt's growing from a puppy to a dog and getting properly (fooled) trained all the while. The show is a colossal hit and it would have taken a studio at least two seasons to achieve that kind of success. Studios spend that kind of advertising money on TV shows that are major hits. (Look at "Lost" and "Heroes" and their advertising budget!)Next: Yes, what the network is doing to Bolt IS legal given the parameters of the film's content. (If a screenwriter writes that it's legal; it's legal!). If this were REAL life, PETA would have shut them down immediately! Penny is an actress and CAN quit anytime she wants provided she's NOT under any contract that prohibits her walking out. Given that fact that she almost DIES at the end, she was probably given anything she wanted by the studio to keep it out of the press and avoid any major lawsuits. This would means she could leave AND take Bolt with her as per the studio lawyers!
Question: How does Frank get into the hands of the bad guys after Malcolm crashes into his house? It seems as if one minute the ambulance blows up, the next he is on a gurney.
Answer: Just before the scene ends, somone in black taps him on the shoulder and knocks him out. We can presume that the person in black is one of the bad guys.
Question: According to scale, Cloud's buster sword blade ends at about his shoulder. If he puts it in his holster on his back, how is he able to pull it out with one arm, if one arm is half the length of one's body?
Chosen answer: Look at long swords and scabbards today. Often, the scabbards have cuts out of the sides so they can be removed easier.
Question: During the assault on the machine gun nest, when Upham uses his scope to see the action, there is a scene which shows an ally tossing a grenade to the nest, but the enemy catches it and tosses it back. How did the ally manage to survive the blast? The grenade was tossed back straight to him and exploded where he was standing. I paused at the point of the blast and I could see some blood flying along with the explosion.
Chosen answer: SGT. Horvath went right, so that was him throwing the grenade, which the German catches and throws back. When Horvath throws the grenade he is actually inside a bomb crater. When the grenade is thrown back by the German soldier, the blast happen on the grassy flat ground outside the bomb crater. So Horvath was sheltered by the blast being down inside the crater. Those are bullet holes in Wade's chest, and not grenade wounds.
Question: Who is Beckett's friend from Singapore, that he mentioned in the conversation with his servant about brethren court?
Chosen answer: Sao Feng became Beckett's man in Singapore, as referenced by a conversation between Will Turner and Sao Feng, which was overheard by Mr. Mercer, during the battle in Singapore. The giving of information was never shown on screen.
Question: What is the name of the song which plays during the first basketball game where Scott turns into the wolf?
Chosen answer: Way To Go by Mark Vieha. Its on the soudtrack if you can still find it.
Question: I've always wondered about one scene in the movie. It happens when Tom Hanks says, "prepare for a little jolt, fellas." We see the astronauts being propelled forward in their seats as the spacecraft accelerates very quickly. But the only time you'd be going forward was if you were riding in a car and the brakes were suddenly slammed on, right? Can someone explain this to me?
Answer: While this did actually happen on Apollo 13 it was completely unexpected, the "get ready for a little jolt" line was made up for the movie. There are retro rockets on the S1-C (first) stage of the Saturn V that are supposed to fire at separation to slow the S1-C and create more separation before the S-2 ignites. The retros fired one second early on this mission so it was before separation and the unexpected reverse thrust is what caused them to get thrown forward. Apparently Jim Lovell even had marks on his helmet from hitting it on the panel when this happened.
Answer: You have to think three-dimensionally. The rocket is travelling upwards under the thrust of the first stage - the moment that thrust cuts off, the only force acting on the ship is gravity, so it's effectively as if the brakes have been slammed on, relatively speaking, as they are no longer moving forwards anywhere near as fast. Then the second-stage engines kick in, propelling them upwards at speed again, pushing them back into their seats.
Question: It's not unusual for Pixar to put characters from their next movie in their movies (like the Nemo doll in "Monsters Inc."). Are there any characters from "Up" in this movie?
Chosen answer: There aren't any characters from Up in Wall-E, however during the first scene in Wall-E's trailer you can see Carl's walker briefly.
Question: Is it usual for gun store clerks to leave ammunition and bullets on the counter where anyone can pick them up and load them into a gun?
Chosen answer: No, it's not, but not every gun shop owner is reputable or responsible.
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Answer: The original idea was that they would do a feature film which would cover subsequent events, but, despite numerous attempts, they were never able to get it off the ground. By the time Back to Earth aired, years later, it was presumably decided that enough time had passed that it was no longer necessary to address the issue and instead focus on telling an entirely new story.
Tailkinker ★