Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: Why does Andy go to Norton (warden) about the information that Tommy provides him rather than see his lawyer? While he may not think Norton would go to the lengths he did to keep him there, what advantage would seeing the warden before a lawyer do?

Lummie

Chosen answer: You're right--it's a character mistake, but an explainable one. Andy probably figured that because he was doing so much work for the Warden (accounting for dirty money, kickbacks, tax compliance, etc.), that the Warden would use his power to get Andy a new trial. Sounds like a fair trade--Andy makes sure there's no way for anyone to disover the illegality of the laundering, and the Warden gets Andy pardoned. What Andy didn't realize, however, was that the Warden didn't want to risk having Andy, after his pardon & release, reveal the details of the illegal schemes that were going on. So to make sure Andy got the message that he was going nowhere and would reveal nothing, he was give the two months in solitary confinement (as you know from the movie, of course).

Matty Blast

Answer: It was the 1940's to 1960's. Prisoners did not have the same rights and access to the legal system as they do today. Look what happened when a new prisoner cried...In those days all they had to say was "he got out of line and we had to beat him and he died." Prisons were not scrutinized - they were there to hold "bad" people and no one really cared what went on in them.

Question: At the end of the film, how does the ship carrying the adult and the juvenile T-rexes get from San Diego back to the island off Costa Rica without a pilot and crew? It seems to just sail away on its own. Did I miss something?

raywest

Chosen answer: Once Sarah and Ian trap the T-rex back into the "cargo hold", we never see the ship sail away on its own. It couldn't do so. The ship crashed into the dock, it would have taken days for them to free the ship - plenty of time to get a new crew. Notice how when they are watching the TV at the end, how clean everyone is?

XIII

Chosen answer: The episode is called "Sweets and Sour Marge" from Season 13, Episode 8.

Lummie

Question: How was it possible for Vader to survive when his ship was dashed out into space from the Death Star before it was destroyed? When the TIE fighter crosses Millennium Falcon Obi-Van says "A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own" and "It would be as well to let it go, it's too far out of range" and Vader's ship is about the same size. Could we assume his ship was some sort of special long-range fighter, or that he was lucky enough to reach an imperial base or catch up with a convoy?

killin_kellit

Chosen answer: Vader's ship was a prototype of the TIE-Advanced, an enhanced model that ultimately proved too expensive to be mass-produced. Part of the reason for that expense was that the fighter was equipped with a hyperdrive, allowing Vader to reach safety with little trouble.

Tailkinker

Question: Is that stimulator thing that Jack Nicholson uses on his head when he comes out of the shower a real gadget that you can buy somewhere or was it just made for the movie? If you it is real does anyone know where I could buy one?

Rollin Garcia Jr

Chosen answer: It's called a Violet Wand, and MANY years ago they were claimed to be an electrical cure-all for any ailment (along with Coca Cola extending your life-span etc). These days they're used for other purposes, I am sure any decent Adult retailer can supply you with one. Probably get one on ebay.

Soylent Purple

Question: When a Jedi accepts their death, their body disappears. Darth Vader accepted that he was going to die, so why didn't he disappear? Did he not accept his death, or is disappearing more complex than just accepting death?

Answer: As noted by Yoda in the novelization of Episode III, the disapearance of certain Jedi at death is NOT just about 'accepting' that death. It is a technique, learned through study, that enables the Jedi to bond his conscious soul to the Force instead of simply merging with it. His reference to Qui-Gon at the end of the movie implies that the technique can be learned after death too.

Question: In the opening credits, Vanessa Ferlito is listed as a cast member. In the end credits, she is listed as Louise. I looked up Vanessa on IMDB, and didn't recognize her from anywhere in the movie. So, just who is Louise?

Answer: She is one of Mary-Jane's co-stars in the Play she stars in.

XIII

Question: What is the weakness of the Jedi that Mace and Yoda talk about? I'm thinking that it has something to do with the fact that they cannot sense Palpatine as the Sith Lord, despite him being in the same room as them, and in episode III when Palpatine tells Yoda, "Your arrogance has blinded you."

Answer: They make frequent references to the dark side clouding their vision - without knowing any specifics, it seems that there may be a general buildup of dark-side energy throughout the galaxy, which is hampering their abilities, and is almost certainly why they can't detect a Sith Lord standing right in front of them. Palpatine's statement seems to refer more to the fact that they didn't pick up on him than any specific weakness of the Jedi. Presumably the Jedi had a certain faith that their abilities would detect a Sith Lord in the vicinity - they were obviously wrong on that one, and Palpatine chooses to refer to their faith in their abilities as arrogance.

Tailkinker

Question: If there still are dinosaurs on this island, and they are a known threat, why does the government allow them to still live there? With the incident at San Diego, that should have been a harsh wake-up call to the government about the threats of the dinosaurs.

Answer: The dinos have no way of leaving the island, so why would any government go and kill them all? A live tiger or lion would be dangerous if released in a city, but governments do not kill them all just in case.

Soylent Purple

Question: Do the "participants" need to be in certain room upon 6:06:59? Am I right in saying if all the rooms converge, then as long as you survive until 6:06:59 you can make an escape?

Answer: Yes, as long as you are alive when the rooms converge, you can get out.

Phixius

Question: When Jordan and Lincoln are on the streets of future LA, and Jordan sees herself on the TV screen, is that Scarlett Johanson's Calvin Klein commercial?

Answer: Yes - both the print ad in the background and the television commercial were done and published before the movie.

Steph_Jared

Question: At the end when the team are standing in front of the huge fountain and leave on at the time, what is the music in the background?

Answer: "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy.

Tailkinker

Question: This is more of a book question really. According to the Tale of Years Pippin and Merry left their offices in the Shire to their sons when they left for Gondor and Rohan for good. Pippin's son Faramir is in his family tree, but looking at the Brandybuck family tree Merry does not even have a wife. Is there some other text by Tolkien which gives more details on this, was the child perhaps left out of the family tree because it was a "bastard" child? Is his son, or the mother, mentioned by name anywhere?

Answer: The discrepancy lies with Tolkien's late addition of information on Meriadoc's wife. She was Estella Bolger, sister to "Fatty" Bolger. Tolkien did not add her into the family tree until after the first edition, so it has taken years for the name to get into all versions.

scwilliam

Question: In the scene where Dwight and the ghost face off in the wheel-chairs, a couple of doves flies between them.What movie is this a spoof of?

Answer: It's a spoof of a director trademark. John Woo often marks big action scenes with doves flying by. You can see this in "Face/Off" and "Mission Impossible 2" to name a few examples.

Question: In the final scene with Bourne and Landy, we find out Bourne's real name is David Webb. As this scene was only added after previews, was the audience originally going to find this out?

Answer: The original final scene, Jason walking through the snow, was described as "dismal". Something slightly more upbeat had to be added, paralleling the happy ending of "The Bourne Identity".

scwilliam

Question: Upon first meeting each other, Veruca says "Let's be friends", and Violet replies "best friends". I get a strange feeling this is a reference to something. Is it, and if so, what?

Answer: They're there to compete, but are pretending to really like each other. It's not a reference to anything specific.

Jane Doe

Question: What is the significance of Latveria? It is referenced to a few times in the movie.

Answer: Latveria, in the comics, is a small country in the Balkans that Dr. Doom took over and became king of, see http://www.ffplaza.com/commcenter/articles/Latveria.shtml.

Myridon

Question: Considering that only Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa knew the truth about Luke and Leia's existence, do we know if Bail told his wife about the truth of Leia's background? Also, in episode IV, when Owen says, "That's what I'm afraid of," in response to Beru's comment that Luke has too much of his father in him, it seems to imply that he knows that Anakin is Vader, and that Vader is Luke's father. So how much of Luke's background did Obi-Wan reveal to Owen and Beru?

Answer: I think it's fairly unlikely that Obi-Wan told Owen and Beru everything - had he told them the truth, they might well have refused to take Luke. Owen is obviously aware that Anakin was a Jedi Knight, from their encounter in Episode 2, and he's also aware that the Jedi have been hunted down and exterminated. With this in mind, a more likely interpretation of his statement is that he worries that Luke will learn about his true heritage somehow and start learning about the Force. This could easily have the effect of bringing him to the attention of the Empire, which would probably end with his death. Owen's simply concerned that he'll get himself killed on some adventure or other, which is probably what he thinks happened to Anakin.

Tailkinker

Question: Does anyone know how old Chris is meant to be in the film?

Answer: He is meant to be maybe in his early to mid 20's.

Question: What does the Phantom eat and what does he spend his salary on? Presumably he can't just go to the shops etc with his mask on. If he doesn't leave the opera house where does he learn his skills like driving a carriage, who does he practice sword fighting with? Wouldn't his health suffer if he spends decades living in this damp cold rat infested place wading through lakes all the time? He even complains about it being cold himself at one point. Surely if it snowing outside his lair can't be warm but he's not wearing much.

Answer: First, it is established in the movie that he is dependant on Madame Giry and it is presumed she does his shopping for him. As for learning skills, it is established he is a genius and one can assume he is very well read. Additionally, for single handed skills, like driving a carriage, he can possibly go out at night to learn them. As for his living conditions, the human body adapts well to continuous conditions, it is how the people in Siberia can tolerate lower temperatures better than those who live close to the equator. Lastly, one can easily assume he has other (warmer) clothes that he wears off camera.

OneHappyHusky

There is a character simply known as 'the Persian' He has known the Phantom his whole life and would have taught him horse driving. In the book, the Phantom has a life before the opera house where he would have learned fencing and torture. Also, the phantom knows all the secret passages. When it's cold he leaves his lair and lives someplace warmer.

You're totally right but also, in addition to your mention of The Persian, in the book it is he that is the Phantom's only "friend" or whatever but in the movie there is no Persian exactly but the two Characters Madam Giry and The Persian from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston L. Are both combined as one, to be know as Madame Giry in the 2004 flim.

debbi.ee

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