Questions about cinema and rental titles

Elf

Question: Has anyone noticed what looks exactly like a Buddy Elf doll standing on the kitchen counter during the breakfast scene where Buddy is pouring syrup for the mom? If you pause when the camera pulls back to show Buddy pouring syrup and the back of the moms head, you'll see the elf doll on the right side of the scene (our right, Buddy's left) facing away from the camera. It's on the counter directly below the cabinet knobs; behind the back of a chair and in front of what looks like a radio that sits against the counter wall. Ideas? Looks just like a Buddy doll to me.

Answer: It might just be a regular elf doll that, coincidentally, is dressed in real elf clothes.

Answer: This was probably deliberately added to the scene. Movies often add in-jokes like this. I believe it was "HP and the Chamber of Secrets" that while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Diagon Alley, the entire Harry Potter book series can be seen on a shelf in the background. In "Raiders of The Lost Ark," there are a little C-3PO and R2D2 carved into the stone hieroglyphs in the Well of Souls. "Jurassic Park" openly displayed JP merchandise, the same merchandise that was sold in stores. Filmmakers love to add little "Easter eggs" like that for audiences to find.

raywest ★

Fast X

Question: Spoiler! Does this movie actually end with Dominic and his son Brian about to die and the bad guy Dante winning?

Answer: It does - it's a massive cliffhanger leading directly into the next (and apparently final) film. The team's plane has been shot down and crashed, seemingly killing them all (but let's be honest, that's unlikely...). Dom and Little B survive the drive off the dam and crash into the river. Dante looks down on them and arms massive bombs along the length of the dam, they apparently have nowhere to run to... End of film.

Jon Sandys ★

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Question: When Lucy Gray tells the peacekeepers to "give her a minute," why do they all back off and let her sing instead of carting her off to the train? The police basically take orders from her, and I'm pretty sure singing would have been classified as rebellious behavior. Was it because she had to have protection now that she was one of the chosen Tributes?

Answer: The Peacekeepers were likely a little subdued because a large crowd is watching and everything is being aired on live TV. They would not risk inciting a riot. The Peacekeepers are low-level Capitol servants, so they may be concerned about the repercussions to themselves if they are overly rough with a female tribute. Allowing her to sing also makes for better TV, and the Capitol is trying to increase viewership.

raywest ★

More The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes questions

John Wick: Chapter 4

Question: Regarding the scene where people catch fire after John Wick shoots them with a particular gun, what exactly is causing them to catch fire? I recall an earlier scene showed men carving lines into the tips of their bullets, though I don't remember if the two things are related. If so, is there something about carving the bullet that causes it, or is it the particular gun?

Phaneron ★

Answer: These are dragon's breath shotgun shells. The shells are filled with magnesium pellets and ignite when fired. The film seems to exaggerate the stopping power, making it seem almost like an explosive round rather than incendiary. These are not the same rounds that we see the men carving into. Carving grooves into a bullet is done so the bullet expands upon impact and causes more damage similar to a hollow-point round, though the effectiveness of this method is debated.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: It may be incendiary ammunition (not to be confused with tracer bullets). The bullets have a hollow head containing a flammable mixture that ignites upon being fired.

raywest ★

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Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning

Question: When Ethan and Grace are "racing" with the Fiat 500, the sound of the engine does not sound right. To me, it should be rougher. To me, the sound was more of an electric car, especially during gaining speed. Or, did I miss something?

Answer: While it looks like a normal Fiat 500, this is a specialised IMF car, as evidenced by the controls inside and its ludicrously high speed. It being electric is in line with that.

More Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning questions

Oppenheimer

Question: Why are most of Robert Downey Jr.'s scenes shown in black and white?

Phaneron ★

Answer: The black and white scenes are shown from the perspective of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), whereas the scenes in colour are shown from Oppenheimer's perspective.

Casual Person

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Question: When someone becomes a Sith, they take a different name, i.e. Palpatine becomes Darth Sidious, Count Dooku becomes Darth Tyranus, Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader. Does anyone know Darth Maul's non-Sith name?

Answer: No. According to the official sources, Maul was trained in the Sith ways from a very early age - it's quite likely that he himself doesn't remember his original name. Even if he does remember it, it would mean nothing to him any more - the Sith and their ways are his life - and he certainly wouldn't answer to it. According to the non-canon novel "Darth Plagueis", Darth Maul was named "Maul" by his mother before she turned him over to a young Palpatine. He didn't take a new name when he got the title "Darth."

Tailkinker ★

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