Super Grover

Question: What is "priori incantatem"? I'm told it's explained in the books - what's the deal?

Moose

Chosen answer: In order to explain "Priori Incantatem" an explanation is first needed for "Priori Incantato." In the book Goblet of Fire, during the Death Eaters' rampage at the World Cup, Voldemort's Dark Mark appears in the sky. Amos Diggory uses the spell "Prior Incantato" to see the last spell that was cast by Harry's wand, which in the book is the wand that created that Dark Mark in the sky. That spell creates an image of the last spell cast by a wand, and it emerges from its tip; this is the "echo" of that original spell, and the echo is different depending on that spell. As for "Priori Incantatem," Harry's and Voldemort's wands share the same core - Fawkes' feathers (Dumbledore's phoenix), and when two wands that share the same core battle each other - as Harry and Voldemort in the cemetery, "Priori Incantatem" takes place. This is a reversal of the last spells cast, and the images of Voldemort's victims of the Avada Kedavra curse appear out of the tip of his wand, which include Cedric, Frank Bryce, Lily and James Potter.

Super Grover

Question: What does Gandalf say right before he falls? I've watched it over and over and I still can't understand it.

Answer: Gripping the edge of the bridge of Khazad-dum, Gandalf says, "Fly you fools!" and falls into the chasm.

Super Grover

Question: On the second DVD for Special Features, how do you buy your owl in Eeylops? The narrator tells you to pick an owl and that you'll need it for communication. How do you buy it? I've clicked on all three of them and nothing happened. None of my friends can figure it out either.

Answer: Those owls are not essential. Just follow these instructions to view the deleted scenes: 1) In the Main Menu click the Owl - Diagon Alley. 2) To enter, choose the bricks in clockwise order from the left. If you make 4 mistakes, it will open anyway. 3) Once in Diagon Alley, hit the Key, located at the bottom of the Gringotts sign. 4) Click on the Coins. Then hit the Arrow to go back to Diagon Alley. 5) Click on the Ollivanders sign. 6) Pick a Wand Box, until the wand chooses you and then you'll be sent back to Diagon Alley. 7) Click on the Arrow to go back to the Main Menu. 8) Click the Wand on the table - Classrooms. 9) Place the cursor over the word- Transfigurations under the Cat and hit DOWN Arrow (or simply move the cursor directly to the *H* under the fire and skip to 12). 10) The two Owls under the fire will be highlighted. Hit Enter. 11) The *H* above the Owls is highlighted. Hit Enter. 12) Click on the Flute, above Fluffy's three heads. 13) Click on the tiny key with the bent wing tip at the door. Or pick any key. When you miss four times the correct key will be shown in the center of the screen, much much larger than the others. Click it. 14) Click on the short, round, yellow bottle in the back. Do this fast or you'll land in the Hospital Wing anyway. 15) In the Mirror of Erised click on the Stone.

Super Grover

3rd Nov 2005

General questions

I've seen this throughout the site, but what exactly is a "Wilhelm scream" I know what it sounds like, but why is it called a "Wilhelm" scream and why is it so important?

Sir William

Chosen answer: The original scream was recorded for the film "Distant Drums" in 1951, and it was archived as "man being bitten by alligator and screams" in the sound effects library at Warner Bros. Studio, and used numerous times thereafter. In 1953, the scream is heard in "The Charge at Feather River" when a soldier named Private Wilhelm is shot by an arrow. In the mid-70s, when Ben Burtt was hired as a sound designer for Star Wars, he found the original recording, dubbed it "Wilhelm" after the earlier character. Both he and friend Richard Anderson adopted this scream, and it's been used in all the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" films, dozens of other films, TV shows, and even at theme parks. Though there is no documentation, this popular scream is believed to have been done by Sheb Wooley, a musician and character actor. For more information, this website is dedicated solely to the infamous Wilhelm: http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/.

Super Grover

16th Sep 2005

Frasier (1993)

Show generally

Question: When Nanny G says that she has played the same character for twenty years it gets a big laugh. What is the joke? Am I missing something here?

Answer: Nanny G (Nanette Guzman - played by Laurie Metcaf) has been a children's entertainer for twenty years, and tells Frasier, "Do you know what it's like to play the same character for 20 years?!" The joke is that Kelsey Grammer has been playing Frasier Crane since 1984, when the character first appeared on "Cheers", so Kelsey in real life has been doing just that!

Super Grover

16th Sep 2005

Spider-Man (2002)

Question: In the scene after Peter has been exploring his powers for the first time and is back home late, why is the note his Aunt and Uncle left him addressed to 'Michelangelo'?

Answer: It is a reference to earlier, when Uncle Ben reminds Peter about his promise to help paint the kitchen he calls him Michelangelo - as in the famous painter. So when Peter returns home late he had broken his promise, and the "Michelangelo" in the note is meant to remind him of it.

Super Grover

31st Aug 2005

Friends (1994)

Answer: It is one of two things, one being his inability to achieve or maintain an erection while they are going at it, and the second is premature ejaculation, both of which Ross would be mortified about.

Super Grover

Question: What is the actor who played the Slytherin seeker in this movie called?

Answer: Will Theakston plays Terrence Higgs, the Slytherin seeker, according to the IMDb.

Super Grover

Question: When the Ring is destroyed and all the bad guys fall into the earth, but the good army does not, how do they get on to other land when all around them the ground has collapsed? I'm guessing that the eagles pick them up, one by one, but I'm not sure.

Answer: After Barad-dûr, Sauron's Dark Tower, crumbles, the Black Gate falls into ruin and the area around it quakes and opens up. The Men of the West are surrounded by Sauron's army on all sides, but it is only the ground between the Men and the Black Gate that collapses, taking with it many in Sauron's army, but not all. The ground behind the Men of the West is still intact.

Super Grover

19th Jun 2005

General questions

What is a "Genny Operator" (listed in credits) ?

Hamster

Chosen answer: It's the nickname for Generator Operator, a specialized area within the Lighting Dept. The Genny operator must be a fully qualified electrician, and operate the electricity generators on location, when an electricity supply is needed for many aspects of production. Their foremost obligation is to load the generator, drive it to the location and ensure that it is fully operational with the necessary specifications for the shoot. They also clean and maintain the generator, as well as some maintenance on the vehicle carrying the generators.

Super Grover

Question: I have heard that in ROTK Extended, there will be a scene with Ghan-buri-Ghan, chief of the Woses, helping the Riders Of Rohan reach Pelennor through the Druadan Forest - as noted in the book. I have also heard that Ghan will be played by New Zealand entertainer Wi Kuki Kaa - who also had a small part in the Worzel Gummidge Down Under TV special. Is any of this true?

Answer: There is no such scene in the extended version of RotK, and as such, Wi Kuki Kaa does not appear in the film.

Super Grover

18th May 2005

Lost (2004)

Season 1 generally

Question: When Claire is pregnant with her baby, her belly looks very realistic. Does anyone know how they make it look so real?

Answer: Using a mold, a realistic pregnancy belly is made of latex (rubber), including the distinct belly button, to suit the proportions of Emilie de Ravin who plays Claire. It is then painted with a special paint/adhesive compound that adheres to the surface and for shots of the actual belly, additional veining and stretch marks are airbrushed on.

Super Grover

Question: I listened to the scene where Harry goes to visit Ron and Hermione at the end after he gets out of the hospital wing. Ron and Hermione apparently have a conversation that's not appropriate for a PG rated movie, and I turned it up as loud as I could, and I heard Ron say something like, "I have this black shirt." Can anyone tell me what he really is saying?

leyesalot82789

Chosen answer: While he stands at the top of the stairs with Hermione, Ron says, "I had a resurrection!!", referring to his 'near death' experience on the chess board earlier in the film. Some people mis-hear it as a reference to "an erection" which is why you may have heard people think it's inappropriate.

Super Grover

22nd Mar 2005

La Confidential (1997)

Question: Sid Hudgens uses the phrase "Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush." What does "q.t." stand for?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: "QT" is slang which literally means "quiet" and it is also used as a police radio term which means "secrecy required regarding location."

Super Grover

Question: I was startled by the authentic-appearing emotion on Hugo Weaving's face at the coronation scene when he told Arwen to "Go to him." Is he that good an actor, was there a real emotion running through the scene, or was he simply exhausted by the whole thing?

scwilliam

Chosen answer: According to commentary, they reshot this part of the scene and these particular shots were done in pickups, long after the shoot in New Zealand ended, so exhaustion had nothing to do with it. Hugo Weaving is simply a good actor, receiving direction from a good director.

Super Grover

Answer: Jack the monkey is a Cabochon monkey, and is played by a female named Tara and a male named Levy.

Super Grover

21st Feb 2005

General questions

There was a show on PBS that was on when I was a kid and I don't remember the name. It was about kids who ran a TV show and I think they may have sang songs on it. What is the name of that show?

Bowling255

Chosen answer: The show is called Kidsongs, the premise being that some kids are given the opportunity to run a show of their own. Kidsongs really started as a set of home videos and then had a brief run on the Disney Channel in 1992. It later ran on PBS for about eight years, with some changes to the format during that time, until 2002. There are some episodes available on DVD at Amazon.com, including 'A Day at Old MacDonald's Farm' and 'Play Along Fun'.

Super Grover

3rd Feb 2005

General questions

Maybe an older member will be able to help me out. Circa 1975, there was a original Ghostbusters cartoon that aired. It was not the one we all know today with 4 guys and Slimer. In this one, there were two ghostbusters, and they had a gorilla that would help them. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of it on VHS or DVD? I have tried looking, but the only place that seems to have even heard of it is imdb.com.

T Poston

Chosen answer: In 1975, there was a live action TV series, 'GhostBusters', starring Forrest Tucker (Jake Kong), Larry Storch (Eddie Spenser) (both of F-Troop btw) and Tracy the Gorilla. In 1986, Filmation's animated 'GhostBusters' starred the two sons of Jake Kong and Eddie Spenser, with Tracey the Gorilla, Jessica (a TV reporter), Futura (a girl from the future), and Belfry the Bat. There are animated episodes available only on VHS at Amazon.com, and they are: 1. Prime Evil & The All Ghoul Band; 2. Heroes Haunts & Hilarity; 3. Revenge of Prime Evil; 4. Second Chance; 5. Ghosts Coast to Coast; 6. Ghoul in Every Port; 7. Outlaw Inlaws; 8. Ghost of a Chance; 9. Spirits Spooks & Specters.

Super Grover

4th Feb 2005

General questions

I'm after the title of a film about a boy obsessed with a horse. He rides out on them at night and then stabs them in the eyes. Very weird, black film. Sure the title had Phoenix in it?

Sarah Davis

Chosen answer: I believe the film you're referring to is "Equus", from 1977, which received three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Richard Burton. I might add that before the film this was originally a play at the National Theatre and then an acclaimed Broadway show, which earned quite a few awards, including awards for Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Super Grover

4th Feb 2005

General questions

What is involved in the process of principal photography?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: Principal photography is simply the shooting of a film, whether on location on city streets, on an island somewhere or on set at a studio, etc., during a specific number of months - for instance beginning in the summer of 2005 carrying into the spring of 2006. Many times the production can be halted or pushed ahead because of actors' and crew's schedules or even strikes. Once principal photography is wrapped the actors go on to their next project and post-production attends to things like CG work, numerous sound effects - like foley and special effects, and if necessary (usually it is) actors come to the studio for looping/ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) or pickup shots - usually close-ups for a particular scene, which means that the actor's 'look' in the film has to be duplicated.

Super Grover

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.