Tree House of Horror III: The Simpson's Halloween Special III - S4-E5
Question: In the opening credits, what is the meaning of the tombstone that says "American Workmanship"?
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Question: What is the name of the song that blasts in Dr. Wentworth's car and causes his ears to rupture? Or was it something created for the movie?
Answer: It was a song written by Mel Brooks for the film. It's called "If You Love Me Baby, Tell Me Loud."
Question: The four main protagonists are constantly sliding into a different universe, with just the clothes on their backs, and they are usually very short of money or have money not used in that universe. So, how come they have such a varied and expensive wardrobe?
Answer: They could go to an ATM and withdraw money from the account of that universe's double or, depending on how long they're stuck in whatever dimension they're in, they could do some odd jobs for some extra cash.
Question: When Leanne first came to the Hill house, did she really intend to change her life? Or was she deceiving everyone because she needed somewhere to stay?
Answer: Given she's not too bright, I'd guess she really wanted to change her life and not deceive anyone.
She is portrayed as coming from a "trashy" lifestyle. She had limited opportunities for healthy relationships and decent-paying jobs. It's easy for such people to return to their old ways, after burning their bridges elsewhere. She might have actually wanted to change. However, addicts need to make the right choices every day. Contrary to popular belief, an addict is never "cured"; they simply learn to manage.
Question: I get that Craig entered too late after Malkovich's 44th birthday, and was thus doomed to be a prisoner in Emily's mind, with no control over anything. But why wasn't this his fate the first time he entered the portal? Wasn't he too late after Dr. Lester's 44th birthday? Why wasn't he a prisoner in Malkovich's mind?
Question: A question that has been nagging me for so long: When the trio is chased by the Snatchers, why don't they just disapparate?
Answer: Apparition is not an easy spell to use. Wizards are only allowed to apparate at age 17 and are given lessons from that age. Ron definitely has never apparated before, only Harry and Hermione. It's highly unlikely they would have been able to take Ron along with apparition (side-along apparition) in the stressful situation without danger. If you do it wrongly, you get what is called "splinching," meaning parts of your body won't arrive at the destination. Ron already has injuries because of that. So, in short, it's too dangerous for them to try to apparate out of the situation.
Ron took the Apparating class at Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione. He failed his first license exam only because an overly-strict Ministry tester noticed he splinched some eyebrow hairs. Ron most certainly became practiced at it while hunting the Deathly Hallows. A hasty exit can be dangerous, however, as when Hermione hastily apparated herself, Harry, and Ron to escape the Ministry of Magic and is how Ron got his shoulder splinched.
Answer: I've wondered the same thing. There's no explanation, but it could be argued they were just panicked when the Snatchers took them by surprise. For all their abilities, they are still kids and occasionally lack critical thinking and failed to have a fallback plan for such an event or if they somehow became separated. Of course, it serves the plot as the story needs for them to be transported to Malfoy Manor. You should submit this as a plot hole.
I think even adults can panic in scary situations and not think of something that seems like an obvious solution. I've read online "tips" for getting away from muggers/robbers, but when I was actually shot by one, none of those came to mind.
In one of the books, Mr. Weasley says that many adult wizards don't apparate. It needs to be precise and it feels uncomfortable. Some would rather use a Portkey or fly on a broomstick.
Question: Was Paul Giamatti's lazy eye achieved through practical means or CGI? If it was practical, how exactly did they do it?
Answer: The best information I read was from an online "People" magazine article. Actor Paul Giamatti says he is sworn to secrecy on how the lazy eye effect was achieved, other than to say it was "movie magic." I hope someone finds additional information and shares it here, as I'd like to know more.
Question: What was this demon really supposed to be?
Answer: His belief in a family curse.
Question: Given Kate met Gizmo in the previous movie, how could she mistake Daffy for him? He looks different from Gizmo.
Answer: She only saw him briefly, never in full light either. Plus, it was some time ago. I don't think she would suspect there is another one either.
At the end of the first movie, after killing the gremlins, everyone is at Billy's house, and Kate puts a thermometer in Gizmo's mouth and looks directly at him while doing it, giving her plenty of time to look at him.
Still, very briefly, still in low light. She has had way less interaction with Gizmo overall.
Question: If Maddie's driving a van borrowed from her friends, then why not use this for her job until she can buy a new car?
Answer: Uber has multiple rules regarding the cars drivers are allowed to use, and the van wouldn't meet most of them. Ex. It's not technically her car, so her name wouldn't likely be on the insurance policy, which is one of the requirements. It doesn't have a proper passenger seatbelt. The condition of the van itself doesn't seem to line up with what they want in terms of cosmetics and accessibility. Etc. You can't just drive any old car you want with Uber. If she tried to, she'd probably just immediately get reported by a rider, given the van's condition.
Question: Does anyone know what Quint caught with his fishing line? Quint is adamant it's a shark, whereas Hooper, who's a shark expert, doesn't believe it is. Quint managed to reel it in somewhat, and given that Bruce was able to pull the entire Orca later on, I'd say there's no way Quint would be strong enough to reel Bruce in, so that kinda rules him out. So what on Earth was it that they actually caught?
Answer: It was Bruce. Quint doesn't reel him in as such, rather just reels in some of the line that was slacking. Bruce even pulls the line with sufficient force to frighten Quint, making him exclaim "Jesus Christ...!" The piano wire had been cleanly bitten through, and as Quint points out no small fish could do that. Further, the soundtrack kicks in when the line is tugged. Spielberg specifically stated he only ever used music to indicate the presence of the shark, hence no music during the earlier fake shark scare.
Answer: It was never revealed in the film exactly what it was. It's possible that it was another shark or some large game fish that broke the line. Mostly it's a plot device to foreshadow the coming encounter with "Bruce," and it creates suspense and tension. It also highlights the growing conflict between Quint and Hooper as to who knows more (college educated vs blue-collar smarts).
Question: Why did Lock, Shock and Barrel disobey Jack and take Santa to Oogie, even after Jack specifically stated that Oogie was to be left out?
Answer: They work for Oogie (they state as much in their song, referring to themselves as his "little henchmen"), so they simply decided to disregard Jack's order to keep him out of the matter, and instead give him Santa.
Question: Once cured and returned home, won't some of the villains, like the Lizard, still go to jail anyway?
Answer: More than likely... but that doesn't strictly matter. They'll still have been cured, avoided death, and "saved" in a sense. Even if they lose their freedom, they still are going to have a happier ending than they would have otherwise.
Remember that Oscorp is a corrupt company in the Amazing series. More than likely, both Connors and Dillon might be killed in prison under orders, so some happy ending.
That's a very bold assumption to make, especially considering they DIDN'T kill Connors after the events of the original "Amazing Spider-Man." At most, Connors will remain in prison. But I don't even know about Dillon. There's an exceedingly high chance he could just walk, especially presuming he'd be teleported back to around the time he was originally killed, and the world would think he's dead.
Question: Why did Daniel and Ethan fight on the train hand-to-hand, instead of using guns? (02:16:00 - 02:20:00)
Answer: Maybe they didn't have any guns at that point.
Answer: In an enclosed place, a bullet can ricochet around until it hits something - one of them or an innocent person: man, woman, or child. Worse, it could hit a section of the train, a brake line, a cable connecting the cars, or one of the conductors.
Question: Why would Martin risk putting Laura in danger by sailing for the first time (which backfires on him anyway), especially at night, when he knows full well (believes) that she can't swim? He could have had her practice a few times to make sure she was comfortable and ready, then it would be easier to convince her to come along.
Answer: Considering Martin's controlling, sadistic nature, his driving motive most likely was to further torment Laura by forcing her into something he knows she fears. Though he was not intending to deliberately put her in danger by the unexpected storm, he had no concern about her emotional comfort and security. Also, I don't believe it was the first time Laura went sailing. As I recall, Martin said he tried to get her out on the water at least once a year.
Homer's Triple Bypass - S4-E11
Question: Bart and Lisa say they don't feel highs and lows because their generation watches MTV. Can someone explain more?
Answer: I think Lisa and Bart are actually referring to Generation X and early Millennials. People of these ages are also known as "the MTV Generation." They dealt with the political, social, and economic issues that were happening in the '80s and '90s. Many were also "latchkey kids" who had to be independent from an early age. They are known for being apathetic or even cynical, after growing up the way they did.
Answer: They probably mean that MTV has little to do with real life, and viewers became numbed and emotionally detached from reality by watching the contrived idealized images almost non-stop. It prevents them developing empathetic feelings toward others in their lives.
This episode aired Dec 1992, and given that it took 6-9 months to produce an episode, the writing took place early or mid 1992. MTV's first reality show, "The Real World", didn't air until May 1992. "Road Rules", MTV's 2nd reality TV show didn't air until 1995.
But that's all equally applicable to watching endless music videos, shortening attention spans. The fear is/was that constant "input" like that would slightly numb people to the real world, with exciting music/images being the only thing that generates an emotional response, in comparison to the more "boring" real world.
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Answer: They're implying the quality of American-made products had really declined. At the time, the US market was facing stiff competition from Japan and other nations, and some people blamed it on American goods being shoddy.
Brian Katcher