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: I don't understand why Vesper killed herself in the end. Can someone please clue me in?

Answer: She loved Bond and had betrayed him. She knew he would probably die trying to save her, and that if he didn't he would be tortured by the memory, so she killed herself both out of guilt and to save him.

Question: Could Ofelia's second task possibly have been to kill the Pale Man? Because after she retrieved the dagger the faeries flew towards the Pale Man before Ofelia picked the grape.

Answer: I saw nothing in the movie indicating that. Ofelia's task seemed to be to retrieve the blade, she failed because she didn't follow Pan's instructions about not touching the food.

Andreas[DK]

Question: Whatever happened to Mulan's father's sword? The last we see of it is when Shang throws it at the ground in front of her on the mountains. Did she leave it up there?

Answer: When Mulan realizes the Huns are still alive, she can be seen re-sheathing the sword on her horse before mounting it.

Question: What is the song playing at the beginning and end credits? The lyrics say "With their guns and ammunition". What is the name and who sings it?

Answer: It is called "Police and Thieves" by The Clash.

Cubs Fan

Question: What is the creepy opera-esque music playing when Donnie sees Frank in the movie theatre called? I can't find it in the soundtrack.

Answer: The track is called "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and it's composed by Steve Baker and sung by Carmen Daye. You're right, it's not on the soundtrack but it can be found through a search engine.

Question: Does anyone know how or if Obi-Wan was going to pay Han for taking him and Luke to Alderaan, if they had gotten there? If he had 17,000, why didn't he just pay the 10,000 that Han originally wanted?

Answer: In the next scene, after leaving the bar, Obi-Wan says, "You'll have to sell your speeder" to Luke. He replies, "Good, I'm never coming back here again." He also agrees to the price for passage, the extra is to insure that Han delivers them. No double crosses or selling them out to the Empire.

Answer: He didn't have it - he was presumably expecting that Bail Organa would provide the money on their arrival. That's why he upped the fee, to get Han to take him and Luke despite not receiving much money up front.

Tailkinker

Answer: Obi Wan does not know or trust Han Solo. He had no money other than the 2,000 for Luke's speeder, but even if he had the full amount, he would not have paid Han the additional 15,000 until he had safely delivered him, Luke, and the droids to Alderan. He offers the higher amount knowing it is less likely that Han will just take the 2,000 and run out or turn them over to the Empire for a reward. Obi Wan had no doubts that the Alderan government would pay the remainder of the fee, considering he was there at Princess Leia's request and how important the information was inside R2D2.

raywest

Question: I heard talk of a sequel. Does this mean that Chev survived and the fall was the antidote?

Answer: That would depend very much on the nature of the sequel. It may be intended to feature the original character, in which case he must have survived. Alternatively, the sequel may be intending to use an entirely new character in a similar situation, in which case Chev's fate is open to debate.

Tailkinker

Question: Can anyone name all the people that the Genie impersonates throughout the movie in order?

Answer: While the Genie takes on the archetype characteristics of many cliché personalities, the recognizable imitation of celebrities appear as follow (quotes associated with these characters are in parenthesis) 1. Arnold Schwarzenegger ("ever impressive") 2. Ed Sullivan ("Right here direct from the lamp") 3. Groucho Marx ("no substitutions") 4. Robert DeNiro ("You lookin' at me") 5. Arsenio Hall ("Wo wo wo") 6. Rodney Dangerfield ("I can't believe I'm losing to a rug") 7. Jack Nicholson ("alright Sparky") 8. Martin Luther King, Jr ("Free at last") and for the record, the scene of the dancing elephants during the song "Never Have a Friend Like Me" are a direct lift from "Dumbo".

OneHappyHusky

Question: In the trivia for Moulin Rouge, it says that Baz Luhrmann included the red "L'amour" sign in this film, as well as Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom. Where is it in this film? Is it the image on the drugs that Romeo and his friends take at the party, or is this a different picture? If this image is not the L'amour sign, where can it be seen?

Answer: It appears on one of the billboards on Verona Beach. It's red and white, and in the style of the Coca-Cola logo.

Sierra1

Question: SPOILER WARNING: Why was it necessary for the two Borden's to alternate women? For mere amusement? Or was there something I missed?

Answer: They did not spend time with their loved ones, at least not the whole time: Sometimes Sarah would feel that "no, today you don't [love me.]" and once a Borden twin says to Olivia, after she kissed him, that "it feels wrong sometimes". Furthermore, there is a scene where Borden tells Fallon (his twin) that he should talk to Sarah after a struggle, indicating that this particular Borden is not Sarah's husband and this particular Fallon actually is. As to why the alternate: One theory is that they HAVE to alternate to minimize diverging life experiences, both on stage and off stage. They both have to live the life of the other so that none differs too much in order to not reveal these differences to outsiders. In the book however, they do not alternate between the women, but that is another story [literally].

t-6

Show generally

Question: In "His Story III" (I think it's a Season 5 episode but I'm not sure), JD barely appears at all. The Janitor kidnaps him at the beginning, then right at the end releases him from some kind of water tower. Since JD normally has a fairly major part and there's no real explanation for why he isn't in this episode, I figured there was some reason like Zach Braff was unavailable for filming or something? I know he's been in a couple of films recently, is this why? A definite answer on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer: From what I can find out there does not appear to be anything definitive to say that Zach Braff was unavailable. But a number of things would suggest that he wasn't unavailable. First of all most actors on TV shows will film their episodes over a period of time and commit to that project until the show has wrapped up for the season. Secondly it was only one episode. Most actors that have been absent from a series (e.g. Jesse L. Martin from Law & Order, Kelsey Grammer from Frasier) generally will miss more than one episode if they have other commitments. Finally the show might generally revolve a lot around JD but many of the other characters are featured quite prominently. The fact they have done more than a few episodes where other characters have narrated the show and focused on them is partly proof there is interest in more than just JD's character.

Lummie

Answer: She played an elderly (and presumably gay) resident of Llandewi Breffi, Daffyd's village.

Sierra1

Question: Is it legal to have sex in an airline bathroom?

Answer: It depends on whose airspace you are in when it occurs, whether or not anyone else sees you (public indecency), the laws of the nation that the airline is based in, etc.

Grumpy Scot

Answer: Much of Bill's background was revealed in the episode "A beer can of desire". He was born to a wealthy Cajun family in Louisiana. Although most of the information about his parents is fairly unknown. Bill has from time to time mentioned that his father was abusive and I believe an alcoholic.

Lummie

Question: I first saw "Raiders" at the cinema when it was released in Australia and I distinctly remember a scene which has never appeared on video or DVD. After the end credits, there's a cut back to the crate housing the Ark in the warehouse, and the U.S Govt. stamp on the side of the crate is slowly burning off, as if a fire within the crate is scorching it. One other friend (also in Australia) also remembers. Does anyone else remember this, and can anyone shed any light on what happened to this scene?

Answer: I also remember this scene. After the ark is sealed, the camera performs a close up of the side of the crate. The stamp reads "Top Secret Army Intel 9906753 Do Not Open" This stamp is burned off just like the swastika is in the scene on the submarine, because in the eyes of God, no nation is holy or worthy enough to claim ownership of the ark. However, this final scene was cut (the burning of the stamp) from the film for a variety of unclear reasons. While it was in theaters, this scene was not included on the DVD version.

Add me to this. We saw the movie in a "pre release" version in Orlando Florida. No advance warning of the movie. We went to see another flick and at the end were "invited" to see this if we were willing to critique it afterwards. This scene was included. I also always wondered why the change.

I also remember seeing this mysterious 'burning' of the logo, most likely it was on a VHS copy of this movie. Yes, it did exist.

I saw it in former Czechoslovakia in the second half of 80's in cinema (west movies came to the east countries' cinemas years later). And I thought it was a great joke that burning out the swastika wasn't just because the Nazis are bad but because nobody is great enough to own the arc. Then after the Velvet revolution I saw the film again on TV (beginning of 90's) and said everyone around: watch it until the end, wait on the post-credit scene, there will be a surprise.

And there was a surprise. The scene was cut off! I was angry on the TV they didn't show the scene. I cannot be influenced by internet discussion or urban legend. The internet didn't exist yet.

I saw it in Portland, Oregon, and was so impressed with the message it carried, that I told friends and we went several times just to see it. Funny thing was when I mentioned it a few years ago, many people said I was a LIAR that it never happened. I could not convince anyone. It was removed because it wasn't Politically Correct. USA is a force for good, God would not burn off AMERICAN TEXT! BUT WE DID SEE IT. Thanks to our Australian eye witness, we know we did not imagine it.

Answer: I also remember that scene.

Answer: This scene never existed. Plus, the crate never has a US Govt logo stamped on it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbr.com/movie-legends-revealed-alternate-ending-for-raiders-of-the-lost-ark/amp/.

Bishop73

Answer: I remember the side of the crate being "charred" when it was in the ship's cargo hold, in the scene when the Nazi's arrived in the submarine. It was the Nazi swastika on the side of the crate that was burned off. It also showed a rat keeling over dead from the energy it emitted. (I just watched this again on the Paramount cable channel.)

raywest

Question: I was wondering whether the evidence that Adrian Brody gathered was true, or if it's artistic license. It seems that if it were true, there should have been a further inquiry into George Reeve's death.

Answer: Here is a good link that will help separate fact from fiction. http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/celebrity/george_reeves/1_index.html.

pross79

Question: It is repeated that Bryan owes Dom a 10 second car. To me, a car has 4 wheels and an engine. What is a "10 second car"?

SAZOO1975

Chosen answer: It's a car with the power to do a quarter-mile drag race of the type depicted in the film in ten seconds.

Tailkinker

Racist Dawg - S7-E20

Question: When Bobby goes into the room with the water heater and says "Hello, I'm Bobby" to Mack, he sort of sounds like he is trying to do a British accent. Beside the fact that Bobby likes to be funny, is there any specific reason why is he doing this?

Answer: I believe when he says this he is doing it in his normal voice but in a more pleasant and happier tone than his regular scratchy voice. Being that Bobby can be fairly friendly with friends and strangers goes to reason why he would be this nice.

Lummie

Life Time - S8-E11

Question: There are several close-up shots of the wounded soldier throughout the episode and I've wondered for some time what the surgeons (i.e. Hawkeye, B.J., etc) are really working on during their parts in surgery.

Answer: Throughout the show, you never actually see a wound, but some things about how they did it can be deduced from the shots: Hawkeye first simply sticks his hand under the rather thick, blood soaked pressure bandage. In the OR, they put the wounded soldier into a canvas bathtub, which of course is very handy for hiding prop tricks as well. We can see Hawkeye juggling bandages and fiddling with sutures, but we can't really see where he puts them. Most probably, he put them into the bandages that he threw in, which probably the wounded soldier actor held in place for him. That guy probably also operated the squirting blood effect. Another possibility we know was used (because it's visible in one episode of Season 11) is prop-blood soaked polyurethane foam, which they either mounted onto the operating table or strapped onto an actor's body and could cut, sew and clamp it for real.

Doc

Question: The scene when Wessex thinks that Shakespeare is dead, but he then comes into the church and Wessex thinks he is a ghost come to haunt him, seems like the scene in Shakespeare's play Macbeth when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost. Is this another example by the film-makers of showing how Shakespeare's life inspired his plays, or just a coincidence? Was Macbeth written before or after this film was set? Thanks.

Answer: Oh, it's undoubtedly intentional, another of the many nods to Shakespeare's work scattered throughout the film. The precise date of authorship of Macbeth is unclear, but even the earliest likely date is still some years after the setting of the film.

Tailkinker

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.