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 Aragon and the others were a day's journey behind the Uruk-hai in the canyon, and one of the Uruk-hai was able to smell "man-flesh", so how is it that the Riders of Rohan were able to sneak up on the Uruk-hai while they are camped by the forest and the Uruk-hai not smell them?
Chosen answer: We don't know that they didn't smell them. We just know that the riders found the camp and that there was a fight. If you read the books, it says that they knew the riders were coming, but there was no way they could outrun them on the plain; they headed for Fangorn Forest, hoping they wouldn't follow, but the riders caught up with them just outside of it. Obviously, some things are skipped in the movie, so it's a little less fluid. Check out The Two Towers, ch. The Uruk-Hai, about 1/2 way into the chapter.
jleQuestion: When Neo and Trinity are flying towards the machine city, a sentinel hovers in front of the hovercraft and flies directly into the windshield. In later scenes the glass is not broken so it couldn't have gone through the ship (no physical damage either) but it flies through Neo in the "Matrix vision" and it obviously affects him. I don't understand what happens here.
Chosen answer: He felt its 'consciousness', or rather its life force. When the Sentinel was destroyed, its machine essence remained suspended, and Neo felt it.
furious1116Question: Near the beginning of the film when Edward Norton and Meatloaf are hugging Edward's character says something along the lines of "things like this make me grow a big rubbery one". What does he mean by this, exactly?
Chosen answer: Sharing of feelings and hugs and crying are the antithesis of arousal. While something erotic or bad-ass might cause him to have an erection, this scene causes the opposite: a rubbery one would be a flaccid, unexcited penis, flopping around like rubber (not stiff). A mood killer.
Question: In an interview in the Extended DVD Peter Jackson says at one time that they had cast the character of Aragorn "a little too young" and changed their decision to Viggo Mortensen on pretty short notice. Just wondering, does anyone know who they had originally cast as Aragorn?
Chosen answer: Stuart Townsend was originally cast as Aragorn but after filming a few scenes it was deemed he was a little too young and Viggo Mortenson was cast as Aragorn.
Question: How are Indy and Marion able to avert the Angel of Death by merely closing their eyes?
Chosen answer: The Angel of Death can only kill those who look directly at her/it, therefore closing their eyes killed only the Nazis and Belloq.
Question: Why is the Black Pearl able to sail so fast (let alone faster than the Interceptor) with tattered sails? If the ship is cursed like the crew, then you'd think they'd only look tattered in moonlight. And even still, it's hard to settle why a cursed ship would be faster than normal. The curse means the crew can't be killed, not that they're superhuman. So how does the "supership" come into it? It might have been the crew using the oars, but the Pearl sails just fine even without the oars. With those sails, it shouldn't be moving hardly at all.
Chosen answer: First of all, the tattered sails are only to make it look more the part of a ship or a cursed crew. While still technically a mistake, it is intentional. Secondly, the curse has nothing to do with the speed of the Pearl. It is the fastest, as it is the best built ship of the time.
Question: I don't know if this can be answered, but does Rose die at the end? And why does she throw the necklace into the ocean at the end of the movie? I have a feeling it was left unclear so everyone has different interpretations of the movie, but I was hoping someone may have information to give a definite answer to these 2 questions.
Chosen answer: Rose does die at the end. She dies above the wreck of the Titanic and returns to the ship (metaphorically) with all those who perished on. I think she throws the necklace into the ocean because people should be interested in what happened and feel sorry for those who died rather than to look for treasures (my interpretation).
KaraAnswer: The ending is left ambiguous. After lying down in the bed she either, a) has one more dream of Jack or b) has died in her sleep and is now reunited with Jack.
Question: What is the name of the style of the Merovingian's tie knot? How is it done? He also has a different mystery style in the dinner and fight scenes in Reloaded.
Chosen answer: In Reloaded the knot always looked to me as if it's a regular necktie, tied in a windsor knot, only backwards. At a lot of angles it's tricky to see, but the narrow end of the blade is at the front, and the wide end is at the back. Tie a windsor and turn it around, you'll see. One method to duplicate the Merovingian's knot from Revolutions is to first tie a normal Windsor knot. Then with the small blade of the tie from behind, wrap it loosely around the base of the knot twice, tucking it through the loop you've just made down the back again.
Question: Often when Gollum is in the middle of a sentence, he will cough the words "Gollum, Gollum". Why is that? It does that in the book too but I don't understand it.
Chosen answer: It is not known exactly why he makes this noise only that it started after he recieved the ring. Since any people that knew him are now dead or have forgotten his name, the sound he makes (gollum,gollum) is what people now call him.
bessytheevilcowQuestion: Why was the videotape made? I don't think it was ever explained.
Chosen answer: The tape was never made as such, Samara projected the images onto the tape when the college kids tried to record the football match. In the original novel she is trying to spread her curse across the country - each person will see it and pass it on to another person, or two other people to be safe and so on until everyone is infected. There is no reason given - she is just angry with the world after her mother's death.
ShayQuestion: The box for the Region 1 DVD of this movie says that there are 3 alternate endings on the DVD, but I've only seen two listed (one showing Jim dying in the hospital, the other being an almost identical version of the original ending, but with Jim cut out). Does anyone know where the last alt. ending is located on the disc?
Chosen answer: Special Features -> Alternate Endings then at the bottom of the page is a arrow pointing right. Select this and you get the option "Radical Alternative Ending". It is worth seeing since it is much more than an ending. It is a completely new film starting at the point they reach the roadblock in Manchester. It is presented in storyboard format.
jleQuestion: Trolls usually turn to stone if they are exposed to daylight (like in the Hobbit). How is it then that the trolls that were opening and closing the Black Gate (when Sam and Frodo wanted to try to sneak in after the foreign army) weren't turned to stone and it was the middle of the day?
Chosen answer: It was so cloudy that not enough sun came through. Or it could be that the Trolls were of Sauron's new Troll-breed, Olog-Hai, who could withstand direct sunlight
Question: When Mark is watching a video in which he views himself being swallowed by a random monstrosity, he says, "I love you Eddie." Now, I took it as a reference to the "Eddie" that was part of a famous Iron Maiden stage show back in the eighties. A friend of mine took it as him (Mark) being thankful for his friend, Eddie, giving him the drug inbibed brownies that he was eating. Which was it?
Chosen answer: I'm pretty sure it was the Eddie that gave him the brownies, because the band we see that is onstage at the time is Gwar, if I am not mistaken. They were famous for having a monster onstage that would 'eat' fans.
T PostonQuestion: When they are having thanksgiving at Harry's and Peter's apartment, why does Norman get up and leave so quickly?What has come to his attention?
Chosen answer: Seeing the cut on Peter's arm makes him realise that Peter is Spider-Man, as Spider-Man was injured in the same area earlier. He leaves either to stop himself losing control and/or to plan his next moves.
Jon Sandys
Question: I've just rented the Director's Cut and I'm wondering what differs from the original. I've seen the original so many times I almost know it by heart and I couldn't find anything different in the DC.
Chosen answer: According to the IMDB, "This was supposed to be the director's cut with additional 20 seconds of footage. But due to company policy (which does not allow to release unrated DVDs), the same cut as on the 1997 DVD was put onto this DVD. The director's cut was available on laserdisc."
jleQuestion: Can somebody please explain to me everything that happened in Mulholland Drive? What is up with the bum behind the diner, the little people chasing Naomi Watts at the end, who is who, what is the key for? Ideally give a website reference which has a full answer, as a full answer will dominate this page.
Chosen answer: There is no one right answer. See http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,634856,00.html for some theories from movie critics.
jleAnswer: Naomi Watts killed her lover, Laura Harring, rather than lose her to someone else. She felt such guilt, she created an alternate reality using everything and everyone she knew, to create a happy and peaceful world. But the real world was sneaking in and the key was to unlock her blocked memories.
Chosen answer: She's infertile. She wasn't ever supposed to have children. It's hinted that she made a deal with evil forces to have Samara.
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Chosen answer: She makes a copy of the tape and shows it to someone else within the seven days. This is the only way to avoid dying.
Kara