Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: When they are viewing the virus through the microscope, we see its shape is like a long strand, sort of coiled up at one end and uncoiled at the other end (think cobra rearing up). That structure seems too complex to be a virus. Are any viruses really shaped like that?

Answer: Yes, the fictional virus would be a filovirus similar to Ebola. These are filament shaped virus that can coil up.

Bishop73

Question: At the end when the Bible is placed in the book shelf, you can read Holy Bible, New King James Version, Alcatraz. But next to Alcatraz there is something written that I can't pick up. Any ideas?

Answer: Press. Alcatraz Press would be the fictional publishing company of the Bible.

Bishop73

Question: At the hospital, Pi says "I thought he was going to hit me again but Mother started pounding on him with her fists, screaming, "Monster, monster!" She yelled at me to go to the raft." Then, he says some words, like "Ni bbola!" It's probably Hindi. What does this mean?

Bunch Son

Answer: His mother speaks Tamil, and I think she said "Nee poda", which I think means get lost, go away, or something like that.

Sierra1

Question: Why wouldn't Shmuel escape? It would've been very easy. He could've done it the same way he let Bruno in.

MikeH

Answer: Samuel knew the dangers of the camp and knew that trying to escape would result in death. He knows Bruno is likely to be allowed IN to the camp as he is a German and Germans are running the camp. Plus, if Shmuel did escape, where would he go? He's 8, on his own and alone in the woods.

Answer: Wouldn't have been much fun for her. He would be working most of the time and she would be stuck in the hotel. They wouldn't even he able to go out to dinner as he mentioned they would order room service. And the kids would be there so they wouldn't have any time alone together.

Answer: Unfortunately, a functioning psychopath might be able to pass a basic psych evaluation. There are several real life examples of serial killer policemen.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: With all of his access to Elysium, why wouldn't Spider have cured his crippled leg?

Answer: Only citizens of Elysium can use the machines that cure them so it wouldn't work for him anyway. He just waits for the moment they can go and become citizens.

lionhead

Question: Is there supposed to be any significance to the elevator being out of order in the building Bruce is sent to?

Answer: Also, Bruce needed to learn a little humility.

Brian Katcher

God recognizes that Bruce is expecting things he hasn't earned and is attempting to teach him about the importance of hard work and earning things. Bruce has to climb the stairs (harder than taking the stairs) and God asks for his help mopping a very large floor (hard, but satisfying work).

Answer: It's just the idea that using the stairs is better for your health, so God forces him to use it.

lionhead

Question: Being unable to believe Paul's existence, Clive attacked Paul by gripping his throat in the RV. Then Paul said "That's my fucking jorph. Get your fucking fingers out of there! If I get a jorph infection, you're dead!" What exactly does jorph mean? Where does the word come from?

Answer: Since Paul is an alien, his race would probably give their body parts names that are in their own native language. To humans, we have throats. To Paul's race, jorph is their word for throat.

It cannot be a throat as it is an opening, it is more likely an opening that acts like a human ear.

Answer: A courtroom trial that has been terminated prior to its normal conclusion. A mistrial has no legal effect and is considered an invalid or nugatory trial. This often happens when there is a lack of Jurisdiction, an incorrect jury selection or, as seen in many of the episodes, a hung jury, i.e. some jury members finding the defendant guilty while the other members of the jury will find the defendant not guilty and all jury members won't change their decision.

Answer: I was once a juror on a trial where the defendant started crying and talking about how his son would suffer if he went to jail. The judge became furious, decided that he had prejudiced the state's case (we were now thinking of his family, rather than if he were actually guilty), and declared a mistrial.

Brian Katcher

Answer: In short, any time a trial ends and is declared void before the jury delivers a verdict or a judge issues a decision. Generally a mistrial is caused by a jury not being able to come to unanimous decision or the prosecution does something that would make the trial unfair to the defendant.

Bishop73

Question: Why does Jamie calling him uncle stop him? That and why honor her request to see his face?

Rob245

Answer: Sorry about that and thank you.

Rob245

Answer: The question was more-or-less answered in a previous question, so I'll copy part of my answer here: Director Dominique Othenin-Girard made the puzzling decision to try and humanize Michael in this film by showing he still had some traces of emotion that could be momentarily reached. Thus when Jamie talks to him, he briefly recovers his humanity, takes off his mask and sheds a single tear. Basically, Othenin-Girard felt it made Michael scarier by showing his humanity could be momentarily "reached." Of course, it really doesn't make sense and contradicts the other films... but it was just a decision the director made.

TedStixon

Answer: Thank you.

Rob245

Answer: It's tricky to say, as the films have contradictory explanations, and there are different "timelines/universes" in the series. But in the context of this film, Michael is for some reason compelled to kill his family for reasons unknown. Presumably he's just finishing the job he started by killing his sister Judith decades earlier. (They try to give a more concrete explanation in the movie "The Curse of Michael Myers," but it's... flimsy at best. And is contradicted by the following film).

TedStixon

Answer: Because he's a psychopath. And purely and simply evil.

ChristmasJonesfan

Question: Ames was in prison for 10 years and after that time he was executed? Why after 10 years?

Answer: The appeals process for capital murder cases is long and arduous, and it is also automatic in most jurisdictions. It typically takes years for those on death row to actually be executed.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Is there a scene where Reid turns into a hose to dose Doom?

Smoke

Answer: Yes... at least in one version of the film. In the theatrical version of the film, Thing merely uses his foot to channel water towards Doctor Doom. However, in the version released on home video, Reid turns his body into a "hose" of sorts to channel the water towards Doom. Evidently, they couldn't quite finish some of the effects (such as Reid turning his body into a "hose") on time for the theatrical version, but finished them for the DVD/Blu-Ray. The DVD/Blu-Ray version also has a few other minor tweaks, such as the music is also slightly different in the final battle. (It is important to note that confusingly, the theatrical version was released in some territories on home video and is also used on some streaming platforms - notably Netflix used the theatrical version).

TedStixon

Question: How is Rogers alive at the end? Shouldn't he have died of old age?

MikeH

Answer: It's safe to assume that due to the treatments he received that gave him his super-powers, he also ages a bit more slowly compared to other people. At least that's the way I took it.

TedStixon

Answer: While he may not really look like it in the film, based on information dates given in the film, Rogers would be 106 at then end. While not a common age to live to, it's certainly obtainable as non-super enhanced people have lived past that age (122 years old being the verified record). Also, it should be noted, people don't "die of old age." Being old doesn't kill you, disease, illness or injuries do.

Bishop73

Question: Did Little Walter really shoot a person who was posing as him, as portrayed in the movie?

Answer: From what I have read, this is total fiction, apparently to show his real-life alcoholism and short temper.

raywest

Question: Why did Ray get Robbie and Rachel into the car before he even knew that Manny had fixed it?

Answer: He doesn't know for sure. He's just reacting to the situation, making an assumption after talking to Manny that the car was fixed.

raywest

Answer: They were in immediate danger and needed to flee. Ray knew that all the vehicles around him had dead batteries, but Manny and his helper were working on fixing the van - which meant that the van was THE only possibility for a working vehicle. Ray was not necessarily certain that Manny had fixed the van, but knew that Manny agreed with his recommendation to try changing the solenoid. The van was not only a good prospect, it was the ONE immediately available chance at getting to flee in a vehicle. If Ray's assumption that Manny DID fix the van turned out to be wrong (the van did not start), little time had been wasted. Ray and his kids would then be running for their lives ("hoofin' it") like everyone else. In short, Ray put the kids in the van because he presumed Manny changed the solenoid and it was now in running condition; fleeing in a vehicle would be much faster than fleeing on foot.

KeyZOid

Question: What did Arthur mean when he said "They couldn't carry a tune to save their lives"? What does singing have to do with their deaths?

MikeH

Answer: The 3 men on the subway started singing 'send in the clowns' moments before they attacked Arthur. He is making a joke about their deaths, by saying their singing was really bad and that's why he killed them.

Answer: It's just an old metaphorical expression (not literally about singing) meaning someone is incapable of doing something properly or solving a problem.

raywest

Question: As the monster is breaking free from the crate, Wilbur snaps out of the hypnosis that Dracula placed on him. When Wilbur sees Dracula and the monster ready to leave, he immediately pretends to still be hypnotized and unable to move. Since he only pretended to still be hypnotized so as to not alert Dracula and the monster, as soon as Chick, McDougal and the insurance agent showed up why didn't he immediately run to them screaming for help? Why was he acting like he was still hypnotized?

Answer: He's a rather simple-minded guy. He was scared and had become so overly-immersed in pretending to be hypnotized that it took time for him to act normally. Also, it's a movie. They're going for comic effect.

raywest

Answer: The comedic gimmick of both "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family" television shows in the 1960s was that both families were convinced they were normal and everyone else they encountered was odd. The Addams Family, for example, thought their "normal" visitors were mentally unbalanced because they always fled the Addams' weird home in panic. That was a running gag throughout the entire Addams Family series, so much so that easily half of nearly every episode was devoted to the predictably terrified reactions of their visitors (always accompanied by identical canned laughter). Meanwhile, in the Munsters' universe, the family thought "normal" people were physically deformed and even quite hideous. For example, the Munsters believed that their beautiful niece, Marilyn, was socially handicapped by her ugliness (the exact opposite of the truth); and, in the episode "Just Another Pretty Face" (S2E17), when Herman Munster was temporarily transformed into a "normal" person, his entire family found him utterly repulsive. The family's hidden revulsion to "normal" people was the running gag of The Munsters.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: They do not see themselves as being the different ones.

raywest

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