Best movie questions of all time

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Alien 3 picture

Question: How did the alien egg get on board the Sulaco? I thought it was by the Queen but she did not have that organ that she was connected to when we first see her and so she couldn't reproduce eggs.

Answer: Agreed the Queen could have stowed the eggs away on her body as Alien bodies, especially one her size, could easily have a couple of eggs hidden upon her, and we would not know. They are masters of disguise these creatures and can merge in with their own environments or others...what's to say an egg can't look like part of the Queen's body? In addition, could Facehuggers not attach themselves to the Queen's body and merge with it somehow? Flatten themselves against her skin maybe?

Answer: As we don't know the precise details of the Alien reproductive cycle, we don't know for a fact that the Queen would be unable to produce eggs without the sac seen in the film. The only other possibility is that somebody got the egg up there somehow. The only possible candidate would seem to be Bishop, who would have had to somehow have got the egg from somewhere, and flown it up to the Sulaco while Ripley was off rescuing Newt. There doesn't seem to have been time for this, so the only remaining option seems to be that they did indeed arrive with the Queen in some fashion, either laid while up there or, possibly more plausibly, rescued intact from the destruction caused by Ripley and carried somewhere on the Queen's body.

Tailkinker

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Alien picture

Question: Question about the Director's Cut of the film. The scene where Brett is looking for Jones has been altered slightly - when he looks up at where the water is dripping from, you can actually see the Alien hanging motionlessly from one of the chains. Has Ridley Scott given an explanation as to why he added this new dynamic to the scene? It's easy enough to speculate why, but a link to an 'official' explanation would be appreciated.

Answer: According to the commentary on the DVD, Ridley didn't add this scene to the original cinematic release because he thought it revealed the true horror of the Alien too soon in the film. The scene is quite early in the film and he thought revealing the fully matured Alien at that time would reduce the viewer's fear.

I had watched Alien several times before I noticed the Alien hanging there.At this point the Audience have no idea what the Alien looks like, they're looking at pieces of science fiction equipment put in by the production crew that they can't relate to, so for all they know the Alien could just be a piece of kit hanging there.

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Dogma picture

Question: Why is it that The Metatron, Bartleby, and Loki all refer to God as "He" when God actually turns out to be a woman? The Metatron even says "her" and "she" to Bethany, in reference to God, in a very patronizing manner, as if she's holding on to an incorrect belief.

Answer: Metatron explains at the very end that God has no gender, and can appear on Earth as a man or a woman. Metatron's patronizing tone is indicating that there are far more important matters afoot than which gender noun to use to describe God.

Moose

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Scream picture

Question: A small thing that I was curious about: when Billy and Sidney are in the police station, they are in two rooms/areas that are only separated by a glass wall. In real life, would a suspect be kept so close to the person they are accused of attacking?

Answer: No, this is completely incorrect from the film makers. US police stations by law have to have an interrogation cell deliberately so as to avoid the accused person intimidating witnesses or the victim, as billy does to Sydney. Even if the interrogation cell were being used when Billy is brought into the station, he would then be put in a holding cell to wait his turn - they categorically would not just allow him to sit in the public, non guarded part of the station near the accuser.

swordfish

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The Patriot picture

Question: At the end of the movie, Martin stabs Tavington in the stomach, and then in the throat. How does he know Tavington is really dead this time? Earlier in the film, Tavington pretended to be dead twice after Martin's sons shot him.

Answer: Guns were less powerful during Revolutionary times and the wounds were more survivable. Deep and ripping knife stabs to areas like the abdomen and the neck area are more likely to be fatal. Tavington may not die instantly, but he would probably bleed out and/or bleed internally fairly quickly.

raywest

Would being stabbed in the stomach, and in the throat have been enough to kill a person as tough as Tavington?

Absolutely. A deep stab to the stomach/intestinal area would be very deadly even today. Being stabbed directly in the throat would kill someone very fast due to a lack of air and inhaling blood into the lungs.

LorgSkyegon

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Empire of the Sun picture

Question: Can anyone who speaks Japanese tell me what Jim says to the guard who's beating up the doctor? He says a few lines, then bows. The guard seems embarrassed and walks away.

Krista

Chosen answer: The first time, Jim says "Nanika no machigai desu. Bokutachi wa minna tomodachi desu yone. Senso no sei desu." This roughly translates to "There has been some sort of mistake. We are all friends aren't we? It is the war's fault." The second time, Jim only says "Nanika no machigai desu. Bokutachi wa minna..." and then gets pushed aside. "There has been a mistake, we are all...". I hope that helps.

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Copland picture

Question: Did Ray set up the killing of Joey Randone because of what he saw them do, or was it just luck on Ray's part that he was attacked and left hanging from a TV aerial to then plunge to his death, and this is why he stalled for time with the door lock?

The_Iceman

Answer: I would think this would just have been random luck. There is no way you can just pay some random criminal to find and single out Joey and his partner to attack. With all the cops on patrol anyone of them could have responded to that call, so that was just pure luck that Joey and his partner encountered the criminal that threw him to his death on the roof.

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The Bourne Supremacy picture

Question: When Bourne interrogates Nikki (under duress) in the underground station, Nikki insists that Bourne had never worked in Berlin, much less completed his first mission there. But it is established that Bourne had killed the Neskis in Berlin on what is described by Conklin as his first mission. Assuming Nikki has no reason to lie and that she would have accurate information about Bourne's activities, what might explain that issue?

Dusibello

Chosen answer: Conklin ordered Bourne to kill the Neskis, telling him it was a training mission, when in fact it was an unofficial, off-the-books assignment to cover up his and Abbott's corrupt dealings with Gretkov, which Neski was about to expose. Nicky did not know about this Berlin mission as it was not an official Treadstone operation.

Sierra1

Conklin did not tell Bourne that it was a training mission. Conklin told Bourne "this is not a drill soldier...this is a live project, you're a go."

Partially correct. After Bourne eliminates the Neskis, Conklin says "Congratulations soldier, training is over." This implies that while the mission was real, Bourne was still an asset in training, and off the books.

By "not a drill" and "live project", Conklin is telling Bourne to actually kill the Neskis - like killing the hooded man for Hirsch, it's training him to do anything for Treadstone. It could be that the edit is out of chronological order, but the order of the scenes implies that after Bourne has done the job and returned to the car, Conklin says "Congratulations, soldier. Training is over."

Sierra1

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The Relic picture

Question: How big is the Kothoga? In some scenes, the Kothoga is about the size of a tiger but in other scenes, it's almost the size of a horse. During the Kothoga's attack during the Supernatural exhibit, it is seen chasing a SWAT officer and it's very huge but in another scene, when it crashes through a skylight and lands in front of some computers, it's not very large.

Answer: While the size is never explicitly stated, the creature does seem to be somewhat larger than a tiger and approaching the size of a horse when the scene needs it to be. Perhaps its size changes as it eats and needs sustenance?

Erik M.

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Little Children picture

Question: In the foursome dinner scene, Cathy checks under the table and sees something about Sarah's feet that heightens her suspicion about the affair. What does Cathy see? The camera seems to focus on Sarah's painted toenails, but I don't understand why that would arouse suspicion.

Answer: In the book it explains that the color is one that only a young teen would like, and a mature woman would never wear, unless she were too in love to notice that it was gaudy.

MoonFaery

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Seven picture

Question: When shaving their chests by the end of the movie, Mills and Somerset are joking and then Mills gets serious, says "You know...?" and then stops. What do you think he was going to say? Maybe he was going to be nice to Somerset, but then refrained himself?

xerop

Answer: I've seen se7en hundreds of times, and I've always wondered what Mills was trying to say to Somerset, and here's my take. If you've noticed, the recurring theme between the two was their conflicting views on how they see the world around them. Somerset is the grizzled, experienced detective who has been through the ringer, so he's views are more pessimistic in nature. Which I can sympathize with. Mills being the rookie detective that he is, was the optimistic, "I'll be the hero" kind of guy. So much so that Somerset called him out for being too Naive, and that he can't be like that. So getting back to the question at hand. During the chest shaving scene, I believe Mills was about to tell Somerset that his dark pessimistic view of the world around them makes sense. Mills wanted to say that Somerset was right, which he wasn't able to bring himself to do.

Answer: I've always wondered this question as well. I think he was gonna say something along the line of "you know I haven't talked to my wife all day And that's very weird." Especially since Somerset just said be prepared for anything while transporting Doe. Speculation at best though.

When Mills and Somerset enter the station building just before John Doe gives himself up the female desk sergeant tells Mills his wife had phoned this puts Mills' wife into the mind of the viewer. When Mills says to Somerset during the chest shaving scene 'if I keep coming home late my wifes gonna think something up' is placing Traci again in the mind of the viewer. Then Mills says 'You know?' prompts the question what has happened to Traci.

Answer: Since he stands for wrath in the plot, in the said scene he was probably going to acknowledge his short-tempered nature. He doesn't and therefore he looses a chance of confession. What say?

Could be right. He certainly has explosive episodes of anger throughout the film. He may, just for an instant believe himself to be wrath. I think he ignores the thought because he is always optimistic, caring and believes in good. Therefore, due to these virtues he cannot be wrath. Somerset, the calmer, more laid back character is the pessimist who sees evil everywhere. One would think he would be angry at the world. Maybe he was like Mills when he was younger.

Answer: I've also seen Seven hundreds of times. I've spent hours breaking down each and every scene inside my own head and I still have a hard time fathoming how insanely perfect the relationship Andrew Kevin Walker created between Mills and Somerset. Somerset's ability to pick up on the smallest comments Mills makes helps reinvigorate his passion for being a detective at a point in his career where he has all but given up hope for the world around him. Mills shows moments of vulnerability many times during the film but maybe not more so than the chest shaving scene. Personally I don't think his statement of "you know?" has any literal reference to anything physically happening in the story. I think he's merely gathering the courage to thank Somerset for his help, guidance and mentorship over the course of the past Seven days. I think he stops because he feels simply saying "thank you" will make him appear weak in front of a man he's no yet ready to open up to.

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Fright Night picture

Question: When Evil is walking down the alley, why did Jerry chase after him? Evil didn't believe in the existence of vampires, so he wouldn't have been a threat to Jerry at all.

Answer: Peter's odd behavior at Jerry's house made Jerry suspicious. When he discovers the shard of the mirror on the ground he finds out why Peter was spooked: Jerry doesn't cast a reflection. Jerry then decided that Charley's friends must be dealt with. In Ed, Jerry sees something which would lead him to believe Ed would make a good servant. Jerry turns Ed into a vampire and sets him against Peter while he himself deals with Charley and Amy.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Jaws picture

Question: There are two scenes on the boat after they have seen the shark and Brody has a panicked look, while in the background a shooting star passes right behind him. This happens twice, but it's in the day time. Was it real?

Answer: Although the 1995 documentary "The Making of Jaws" claims that the shooting star was real, the fact is that the shooting-star background effect is a Steven Spielberg trademark in most of his films (first noticed in "Jaws," but also appearing in "Close Encounters," "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Saving Private Ryan" and others). Spielberg has always had a fascination with shooting stars, dating back to his childhood, and he works them into almost every film. Http://americanprofile.com/articles/steven-spielberg-shooting-stars-movies/.

Charles Austin Miller

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Forever Young picture

Question: Would the labels on the Budweiser bottles be the same in the older era during the beginning of the movie, as it is in the latter part of the movie (1994)?

Answer: The color and design of the label hasn't changed in decades, although the script on it has changed some over time. They all look almost identical from a distance.

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit picture

Question: Does "pattycake" also mean something sexual? We were obviously at first supposed to think Jessica and Acme had sex, but if they were, why would she say "pattycake" and why does Maroon say "You're not the first guy whose wife went pattycake on him"? Am I missing out on something?

MikeH

Chosen answer: According to the director, Pattycake is the toon equivalent to sex.

Greg Dwyer

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Cube picture

Question: How did Quentin find others in the last scene? he was left unconscious and he had no way to figure out where others went after that (considering his lack of knowledge in mathematics) so how could he possibly make his way to the bridge room?

Answer: It's established that sound travels throughout the structure reasonably well. Also, they didn't travel relatively far, even with the rooms shifting.

Actually, considering the distance that they travelled and the injuries he sustained, Quentin would have had extreme difficulty catching up. It looks like the 3 travelled upwards at least 12 cubes, meaning Quentin would have had to climb up each one with the chance that any of the rooms could be trapped fast enough to catch up to them with enough strength left over to kill Leaven.

Adrenaline is an extremely driving force, so I'd still consider it entirely possible it happened that way.

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Forrest Gump picture

Question: How did Lieutenant Dan find out about Forrest and Jenny's wedding? Forrest appears to be surprised to see him there, and Jenny had never met him before.

Answer: Presumably, Forrest called Dan and invited him. He seemed surprised to see Dan standing. The last time Forrest saw Dan he was in a wheelchair. His reaction was all about Dan's "magic legs".

af4dable

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Bend It Like Beckham picture

Question: Is there some reason that we are considently seeing planes fly over her house? Is that supposed to symbolize something?

Answer: Jess' house is supposed to be on the main flight path of Heathrow airport. Her mum and dad work there.

Answer: I doubt it; it's probably because the film is set in the Borough of Hounslow, which is in the flight paths of many London airports, including Heathrow.

David Mercier

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Brave picture

Question: It's now clear why Angus is found in the circle of stones, even though he was afraid to enter it in the first place. There's one part of that matter I don't quite understand, though. Why is he afraid to enter that circle in the first place? Is there something in that circle frightening him? Is there a special effect?

Answer: The stone circle is like a gateway to the spirit world, something slightly supernatural. Angus senses this, and it makes him freak out.

Ioreth

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Return to Me picture

Question: What is the purpose or the story behind the little stuffed dog that appears in so many scenes? It's on the table when the guys are playing poker, it appears in the bowling scene too.

Answer: Presumably it's a favorite mascot of the group. There's likely no backstory per se, it's just something the filmmakers did to add to sense that these people have been together for a very long time.

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