Question: I don't understand what the women in the Porsche were on about. What's so significant about lights at 32 miles per hour?
Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.
Question: I could never understand this in any of the Matrix movies. They need to go to a phone that is ringing in order to leave the Matrix and go to the real world. The guy in their command center tells them where they can find that phone. Why can they not use any phone in the Matrix? Why do they have to go so far to get to a ringing phone? And why can't they just use their cell phone they have on them in order to get back to the real world?
Chosen answer: It has to be a hard line phone, one that is part of the matrix code, that's been previously hacked by the rebels. There's a network of them throughout the city, and the operator directs them to the nearest one after activating it. Their cell phones won't work because they aren't part of the matrix; they're loaded in just like the guns and clothes. It's possible the "hard" aspect of the phone also translates to a literal physical connection in the real world which the rebels can connect to.
Question: Does anybody know if the "Our Town" song was written just for this movie, or was it a pre-existing song? Who performs it as well? Thanks.
Chosen answer: The original song 'Our Town' was created for Cars by Randy Newman and sung by James Taylor. It was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for the best Original Song.
Question: If Bootstrap Turner took a coin from the chest, then how did he die? He should be cursed and therefore invulnerable. I know they later show that he is with Davey Jones, but that means that he is dead, or if he isn't dead, wouldn't the curse demand his blood, not his sons?
Chosen answer: When the curse was lifted he was still at the bottom of the sea (alive due to the curse), Davy then offered him 100 years of serving him or death, and he chose the 100 years.
No, he says in the second movie that he was "unable to move, unable to die" as he was tied to a cannon and being crushed by the weight of the water. Davy came along and offered him a way out. Technically you could say he was dying, just not able to die, and dying or being dead doesn't necessarily seem to be a requirement to join Davy's crew since Will was able to wager his soul in servitude to Davy during the dice game. As for needing Will's blood and not his father's, the pirates didn't seem fully sure it would work. But since it's doubtful they bothered to mark where in the ocean they dumped Bootstrap, they had to go for their best option.
Question: How was the scene where Stewie dances with Gene Kelly achieved?
Chosen answer: According to the episode commentary, it is literally just frame by frame editting of a sequence from the film "Anchors Aweigh", in which Gene Kelly dances with Jerry Mouse (from Tom and Jerry). They drew Stewie over Jerry in each frame, which is why he seems to stretch oddly in some parts (they had to match Jerry's movements exactly).
Question: During the scene when the Titanic's engines are reversed as soon as the iceberg is in sight, the stokers close all the dampers to the boilers just before the engines are reversed, why is this?
Answer: Not closing the dampers would make the boilers still burn and keep the Titanic going forward. The shock of cold water hitting the burning coals could also cause explosions.
Question: I saw this movie in the theaters and then rented it on DVD when it came out. There are a few scenes missing from the DVD, most noticeably where Barton Blaze tells Johnny about the helicopter jump and where Blackheart and the Hidden attack the grave keeper. Any idea why this happened?
Question: Was the Ark the same prop used in Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Answer: Yes. It was retrieved from the Lucasfilm Archives specifically for use in the film. It also appeared alongside George Lucas in a promotional photoshoot for the film.
Question: Would it actually be possible, with today's technological standards, to design a toy that incorporates all of Buzz Lightyear's little widgets? I'm aware it does seem a bit of a stretch but given we're now seeing figures boasting 25 bendable joints as well as lights and a voice chip is it still outside the realm of possibility?
Answer: It already is a toy.
Answer: I promise you, as a child growing up, I had one with all the moving parts, buttons, wings, the works! Nowadays the toy story 4 Buzz isn't the same, but he once had it all.
Question: David was fired by the station manager Howard for his continued meth problem and mishaps on the radio, yet Howard was originally the person who gave David the meth and even did it with him sometimes. When David was fired, he just got ticked off and told Howard that the radio station sucked and walked out. Question - of all people, couldn't Howard have at the least been fired as well? And why would David let that opportunity slide?
Question: When Claire walks off towards the end of series 4, leaving Aaron in the care of Sawyer, who then hands him over to Kate, who then takes him away from the island; how are they feeding him? Claire couldn't have bottlefed him because they didn't have formula or sterilised bottles and if she was breastfeeding, how did Sawyer and Kate and Sun take over? He can't already be eating solids as he's only 5 weeks old.
Answer: I would have to believe there was food or supplies for Aaron on the beach. They had a large number of supplies of Dharma initiative foods and the fact that Sun was preparing for her pregnancy, she might have started looking at what foods were available on the island in case they couldn't get off. As for feeding it might simply be a case of we don't see this going on. The show's episodes are generally spread over a short amount of time. There is the chance they might have not had time or hadn't got around to it on certain occasions.
Question: When Jones has the bazooka pointed to the Ark and shouts something, Belloq turns around and there's a moment in which you can see an ant or something going into Belloq's mouth. What is what goes into his mouth exactly? Is this a mistake, a joke on purpose, or something more?
Answer: When Indiana threatens the Nazis with a Panzerfaust, you can see a fly creeping into the mouth of Paul Freeman. Contrary to popular belief, he did not swallow it. Freeman explained in an interview years later that the fly flew off at about the instant he uttered the word "bad, " but Steven Spielberg noticed it and decided it would be funny to cut out a few frames so the fly would not be seen flying away. This made it look as though Freeman ate it, and he found the edit highly amusing.
Question: What does the note Juno writes to Vanessa say? I could never read it.
Answer: Juno tells Vanessa that she's still willing to go through with the adoption if Vanessa is also willing ("If you're still in, I'm still in") - knowing that Vanessa will be a divorced single mom. She knows how much the baby means to Vanessa.
Question: Is Charlie Irish? His brother Liam has a very Irish name and accent, but Charlie sounds more British.
Chosen answer: Nope, Charlie's British, most likely from Manchester. The name Liam was chosen for his brother as a deliberate nod to Liam Gallagher, who, with his brother Noel, formed the real-life band Oasis, which was part of the inspiration for Drive Shaft.
Question: In one of the court scenes it states the date as the 26th of December. Upon a bit of searching it doesn't seem to fall as a holiday in the New York Supreme Court holidays calendar. While the day is generally observed as a holiday in many countries I am not sure about whether it is observed in any states of the United States?
Chosen answer: December 25 is observed and some places close on the 24 (or just close early). The 26th is a normal work day.
Question: Gandalf doesn't need his staff to do magic, or does he?
Answer: This is difficult to answer. Tolkien, in the books, appears to tie the use of magic to the staff. There are several times that staffs are lost or broken and it is inferred that the Maia (the race, if you will, of wizards) is lessened by it. However, Gandalf is able to defeat the Balrog after he lost his staff at the chasm in Khazad Dhun. To do that, he needed his powers although he died in the process. So it doesn't seem that he absolutely needs his staff to do magic, but it certainly helps.
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Answer: They are moving thru city streets where the traffic lights are setup to sequentially change so that a vehicle traveling at 32mph will get a green light all the way through the area, never having to stop.
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