Question: What does Gibbs mean when he says Ari doesn't "police his brass"?
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 Kathy Reich novels, is Bones ever actually referred to as "Bones"?
Chosen answer: I have read each Kathy Reichs novel and nowhere in them is Temperance Brennan called "Bones". The atmosphere of the novels is much darker, grimmer and more down-to-earth than that of the series and the relationships among the characters is more lifelike; the heroine is called "Dr. Brennan" or "Tempe" by everybody, including her on/off lover Det. Andrew Ryan, except for her boss in Montréal who insists on calling her by her full name, Temperance.
Question: I kinda understood the scramble suits that they would wear in the movie to keep their identity secret but I do not understand exactly how they would help. If you had to walk into the office every morning (it would have to be a high security area they worked in) where you would have guards/security and id cards and such to get in, people would know that you worked there simply by watching you entering and leaving the building. The only thing the suits would help with is at public speakings but all they really seem to do is keep your coworkers guessing who you are. You see "Code name guy" walk into room then "regular guy" walk out. Not very hard to figure out. Anybody with a little insight please explain.
Chosen answer: You are working on the assumption that it would be a standard 9-to-5 job and that the same people would be walking in at the same time. Bob Arctor is seen to go in irregularly and "Hank" would also keep irregular hours, much like officers in real-life. James was also seen to enter and exit the building and he was a witness; other witnesses, lawyers, public officials, the medical staff and janitors would also irregularly enter and exit the building. There are simply too many people entering and exiting the building randomly for anyone to definitively figure out who is who, particularly as their real and "suit" identities would be kept as separate as possible, "Hank" only figured out it was Bob because she was Donna. The identities of real-life police officers (particularly officers working undercover, especially on drug-deals) are routinely kept secret and the design of the building that Bob and "Hank" work in would be designed to protect their identities and the scramble-suits would be another layer of protection on top.
Question: What was the real purpose of that short last scene of the movie? Our guess was that it was to advertise Rock Band. Anyone agree?
Answer: I think it was to show that Jerry and Rachel maintained a friendship after it all. Also to maybe, maybe hint about some kind of romantic future in the way that Rachel says, "you remembered", when her ex-husband was said to never have remembered Sam's birthday.That's my thoughts - I think it's just to let us know how the characters turned out.
Question: Besides giving an excuse for the copycat killer to show up, was there any real point for the death of Joey, who was an innocent (and slow) young man? This part of the movie always struck me as being simply pointless and exploitative, with no reason.
Answer: His death is what motivated the guy to do the killings, so it wasn't pointless, it was very necessary to move the plot forward.
Question: Why when they showed them being video taped was the date always 1-26-09? Was it supposed to be the future?
Answer: Yes, the movie is supposed to be set in Jan. 2009.
Question: (Spoiler warning) I didn't really understand why the wildfire was put into the story. I know that fires happen in California often and that the scene at the end of the movie looks creepy with all of the smoke and fires in the background, but was there supposed to be any other special meaning or symbolism?
Answer: As far as symbolism, from a film student's perspective (mine), it's like destruction or division, two common themes in the film. The two characters are split in values and the fire is raging between them. As the fire gets closer to the houses, it increases in intensity, as does the fighting between neighbors. I think in this film, fire was used not only as a plot device, but a metaphor for the story as well.
Question: What did Preston do with the dog? We see that he put it back in the car, but he obviously wasn't going to just walk into his apartment with "contraband". He couldn't just let it go, because the dog wouldn't leave when he tried to before.
Answer: At the end of the film, after Preston kills 'Father' and the explosives are detonated, we see Preston's kids. His son is at school and his daughter is playing with the puppy (she's letting it lick her hand). I assumed that he'd wrapped it up in his coat he used as a bed for it and simply hurried up the stairs.
Question: In the scene in which Cecelia and Robbie meet in the cafe, when Cecelia says she has to be back at the hospital in thirty minutes, Robbie makes an anguished comment that is extremely difficult to understand. What is the comment that he makes?
Answer: He says "Oh god, that's..." He's upset at the little time they have together.
Question: One thing that keeps bugging me every time I see this movie is why Sophie and Sky don't get married. Sophie says to Sky in the chapel that "You never wanted this." What he didn't want was a huge expensive wedding, not no wedding at all. But all of the money is spent, everyone is there, including the priest. So why not just go through with it?
Question: I'm submitting this as a question because it's not an obvious mistake, if it is even one. When Harry and Tanya are in the paddle boat, Harry asks Tanya what the father of the bride would normally do. Tanya responds by saying "Pay." Harry then jumps into the water and swims ashore. After "Does Your Mother Know" is performed, Harry presents Donna with a check to help with the wedding costs. Where did Harry get the check? All of his luggage is on Bill's boat. Did a reasonable enough time pass that allowed Harry to go to the boat, write the check and come back ashore by the time this scene begins?
Answer: Either that, or he had brought some stuff, like a wallet with a checkbook, with him off the boat.
Question: What was the purpose of the man driving up to Jerry and Rachel and run off angrily, only to get roasted to a crisp by the telephone poles? This never made any sense to me.
Chosen answer: I'm pretty sure it's to prove to the people watching the movie and to both Jerry and Rachel what can happen if they disobey, as after this event they followed the orders from ARIA closely.
Question: There may not be any reason for this, but why did Buck want to ride to the quarry in Hank's truck?
Answer: At that point in the investigation Buck was trying to frame Hank for the murder of Debbie. Buck tried incriminating him on tape and planting a shotgun shell in his truck. Using Hank's truck to go to the quarry gave him an opportunity to plant the shotgun shell. Why he picked the quarry specifically is left unknown, but it was likely one place that would be deserted and easy to speak freely.
Question: I noticed the librarian, Judith, never appears after the retrieval of penicillin, I say this because I missed a tid-bit of the film after they acquired it. Is she there just camera shy or did she freeze?
Answer: She is indeed alive. Take a close look at the scene when Jack Hall arrives. Judith appears in that scene.
Question: In tournament action, is the crane kick an actual legal move to use? How about the stance to start the move?
Chosen answer: There are no rules about how a fighter must stand before throwing a kick, and it's basically just a jumping front kick, which is completely legal.
Answer: It was not the technique that was illegal but where and how he made contact with Johnny that was illegal. I'm not 100% sure how to describe what is wrong with it but it is the spot he made contact with and that he kicked Johnny with intent to hurt him (witch may seem weird but believe it or not point based karate sparring is in fact a non-contact sport somehow).
In the film, there was nothing illegal about the contact he made, nor was it determined he had an intent to harm. Bobby was disqualified for an excessive and deliberate attack, but he also intentionally kicked the leg, which was not a part of the body to earn a point. What you may be trying to describe as illegal was lack of control. The ref even says to watch the control. It could be up for debate about if Daniel had control over his kick, but in the film, the ref found it acceptable.
Question: In 'Breaking Free' Troy doesn't look at Gabriella until a few seconds after what should have been the start of the first line. Does this mean that Gabriella should have started the song, but Troy encouraged her by starting the song?
Answer: I'm not positive, but that is what I've always assumed.
Question: I have one question I'd like to ask other viewers. In the opening sequence at 01:48, is it just me or does that look a LOT like Anne Hathaway in a blonde wig? You might need slow motion to few this. The next shot is of the "real" Anne Hathaway kissing her boyfriend and it struck me that they look very similar. At 02:31 you see the blonde again and she somehow looks very different. What do you think? (00:01:45 - 00:02:30)
Answer: I have always thought the blonde woman in the opening credits in the boots who kisses her sleeping man was Anne Hathaway, and after pausing it, I STILL believe that is Anne Hathaway. Look at the mouth/lips. It's her. What I don't know is why it's her. A goof, just having some fun? Was she dressed like that for another scene and they just went with it. Either way, the blonde (Anne) who kissed her man is definitely not the woman dressed the same later in the same boots getting a taxi. That was a goof for sure.
Answer: I watched this scene several times, and my personal opinion is that the first shot of the blonde woman is not Anne Hathaway. The blonde actress in question appears to be the same woman, although the differing camera angles may make her look slightly different.
Question: What is the (store) name on the slushie cup? It was in the extras on the DVD but I can't find it anywhere on the net. I was thinking it was something like 'Lick & Gulp', 'Slurp & Gulp' or something like that.
Answer: Slurp & Slush - it's on this picture: http://www.axelmusic.com/resources/covers/back/024543506874.jpg.
Question: They may have answered this, but how does the island have plumbing, power, and Internet if it is remote and almost completely uninhabited?
Answer: Generator. It's shown several times during the film.
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.
Chosen answer: "Policing your brass", means to pick up your expended shell casings, after firing your rifle, or pistol.
pross79