Question: Could someone please explain the ending of this movie? Am I right when I conclude that Rusty Nail planted the Ice Truck guy's body in the driver's seat and then got away leaving cops to think the Ice Truck guy was the killer? I think I'm missing something here because that ending would be ridiculously unrealistic. Thank you.
Question: Several times in the movie one character is able to ascertain in which hotel room another character is staying simply by asking the front desk for the room number. Was this realistic at the time the movie was made? Today, a hotel would never divulge a guest's room number to a stranger, since such information could potentially be used by burglars and/or predators to gain access to hotel rooms. Was security really that lax in the 1950s?
Answer: Not really. You could (and at some hotels are still able to) keep your room number private or you could not - i.e. you could ask the hotel staff to keep your number secret from strangers, or you could ask them to tell anyone who might ask. Not having seen this movie, I don't know how likely it would be in the situations you speak of that the hotel guest would choose the latter option- it might be a mistake.
Answer: Yes, security was that lax in the 1950s and beyond. People could acquire all kinds of information about individuals from various types of businesses. Not all were so careless, but many were or they naively didn't see a concern. In the late 1980s, I was a student at a university where a non-university person obtained his ex-girlfriend's class schedule simply by requesting it in-person from the registrar's office. Using that information, he was able to locate and fatally shoot her on campus.
Question: Why did Michael hand the knife to the patient with the clown mask after killing Laurie at the beginning of the movie? Was he trying to frame him for the murders at the institution, or was there a deeper meaning I might have missed?
Answer: Or maybe he's thinking that his mission to kill Laurie is done. He's been trying to kill her for a long time and succeeded. No need to continue, but when those kids invaded his house, the killing began again. No one goes into his house, but him.
Chosen answer: Michael handed the knife to the guy in the clown mask so it looked like the guy in the clown mask killed Laurie, not Michael.
He actually handed the knife to the guy as a memento, not to frame him.
Question: When they notice there's a gap in the freeway they keep to that route. However, there were other routes available. Why not take them?
Answer: If they had, there might have been the possibility that to get to these routes they would have to go down a different road and depending on which route they take they might have to slow down to make the turn which would likely cause the bus to drop below 50 mph. Better to just keep going straight and keep the bus going. There's also the possibility that had they taken a different route, they would have to deal with a lot of traffic especially if there was traffic stopped at a red light. By using the highway, there'd be no traffic lights and less traffic to deal with.
Question: How does Mrs. Smith get to know that her husband is the shooter?
Answer: She notices that he shakes his right leg twice after peeing, just like her husband.
Answer: It comes down to a deleted scene. And I remember it as clear as day from when I saw it at the cinemas. There is a scene where Jane is brushing her teeth at the basin. John walks into the large bathroom and begins to take a leak. As John finishes up, Jane looks over her shoulder at him, just in time to see him lift one leg and give it a couple of sharp shakes. Later in the movie, after the ailed assignment/shootout in the desert, Jane is watching the footage of the other assassin doing the very same memorable action. Right as she is in the middle of replaying it back a couple of times, John turns up at her building, and one of her agents who has answered the intercom says, "Jane, it's your husband." And that is when the penny drops! For some bizarre, unknown reason, they removed that very important key bathroom scene from every TV and DVD release, leaving people who did not see the theatrical release at the box office asking the question of how Jane realized it was her husband.
Answer: From the way he stands and moves, height, weight and general mannerisms.
Answer: They worked for different agencies and were unaware that they had been given the same target (Diaz?) to kill in the desert. Mrs Smith initially thought that Mr Smith was a civilian that just happened to interfere with her assignment. She was given 48 hours to identify and eliminate (kill) the "witness." While reviewing the videotape of the scene, all Mrs Smith could see was the back side of the "civilian." While still looking at him, a secretary or similar employee yelled from outside the room that Mrs Smith's husband was on the phone and was back from his trip to Atlanta. By the secretary saying, "It's your husband" during the time Mrs Smith was looking at his back side on the tape, plus the information that he was back from Atlanta, it became obvious to her... and she wondered how she could have been so stupid to not know before this time.
Question: (Spoiler warning) I didn't really understand why the wildfire was put into the story. I know that fires happen in California often and that the scene at the end of the movie looks creepy with all of the smoke and fires in the background, but was there supposed to be any other special meaning or symbolism?
Answer: As far as symbolism, from a film student's perspective (mine), it's like destruction or division, two common themes in the film. The two characters are split in values and the fire is raging between them. As the fire gets closer to the houses, it increases in intensity, as does the fighting between neighbors. I think in this film, fire was used not only as a plot device, but a metaphor for the story as well.
Question: When Alan has reached Jumanji, why were the bullet and rifle pulled into the game? They weren't from the game, but purchased by Van Pelt from a gun store.
Answer: The game is essentially "resetting reality" back to the point Alan was first sucked into the game. So it is undoing everything that has been done - including taking away the gun and bullets Van Pelt had purchased.
Answer: The gun and bullets may have been from the real world but they were Van Pelt's property. He purchased them at the gun store. Apparently the game pulls in Van Pelt and anything of his he was using to hunt Alan. It makes sense that the game would do this because Alan defeats Van Pelt by following the rules of the game. Having Van Pelt be able to simply purchase a gun in the real world and kill a player with it even after they've completed the game would be a huge cheat.
Question: Does this movie take place in the same universe as ALIENS?
Answer: No. The Alien franchise, which kicks off in the year 2122, depicts a human civilisation in possession of faster-than-light transport and multiple interstellar colonies. The civilisation seen in Avatar, the majority of which is set in 2154, do not appear to have FTL travel, as they take six years to travel to the Alpha Centauri system, a distance of approximately 4.5 light years.
Question: It was discovered that Chucky was able to transfer his soul into Andy's Good Guy in the first movie by not only saying a chant but also using a magic amulet. So why, in the other three movies, when he is starting the chant does he not need the amulet to transfer his soul out of the doll into someone else, but in this movie, he needs to use it if he wants to return to his own body?
Answer: There's two possible explanations. First, and the most likely, is that this is simply what's referred to as a "retcon." (Short for "Retroactive Continuity") A term to describe new information/rules/backstory/etc. that are introduced in order to alter the path of a story, or impose new ideas into a narrative. In this case, the series creator and writer Don Mancini needed a reason for the characters to go on a road-trip, hence he created this new idea for an amulet that Chucky need to obtain. And basically, Mancini himself has admitted that he will often change the rules for the series as needed from film to film based on the story he wants to tell, which makes this the more plausible explanation. The second possible explanation is that you could argue that the amulet will allow Chucky to transfer his soul regardless of how long he's been in the doll's body, surpassing the time limit imposed in previous films. But in all seriousness, the former is the more likely explanation. They just needed a new story-element to justify the road-trip aspect of the story.
Both answers work for me. Thank you.
Question: How can they use the elevator to get to the surface if the Red Queen shut the power down?
Answer: She must have had trouble in keeping control of the elevator's power as the impact of the explosion blew out some of the windows and the sea came rushing in.
Answer: The force of the water moved the elevator up the shaft, hence why it did not go all the way up.
Question: When Robocop is about to arrest Jones, he suddenly feels his system malfunctioning. Jones then explains that Directive 4 is used to shut him down if he attempts to arrest a senior officer of OCP. Why did Jones put this directive into Robocop? At the time nobody knew he was working with Boddicker.
Answer: Because he knew he was doing illegal activities. Robocop was said to be highly efficient at his job and Jones did not want to risk him out on the streets without the insurance of shutting him down if Robo came after him.
Question: The final scene in the car at the red light in front of the Police station. They are discussing escaping to Mexico for the rest of their lives. They hold each other. The car doesn't move. Do they give themselves up to the police? Is that what the writer is implying?
Answer: Although Connie wanted them to go to Mexico and assume new identities, it is implied that Edward, who initially goes along with that idea, will likely turn himself into the police. However, there's no definitive ending given, so the audience is left to interpret the outcome.
An alternative ending was shot in which Edward says goodbye to Connie in the car and walks into the police station. The director discusses this on the commentary track. The alternate ending is on the DVD.
Answer: Connie wants to say she is guilty and asks her husband to forgive her.
Answer: I think that they had already decided that Edward would turn himself in after the school event. That's why the were so sad when they danced and why they engaged in an escape fantasy conversation at the red light. They knew that the police would soon figure it out and it was only a matter of time before Edward would be arrested. Rather than live in fear, they decided that it would be better for Edward to turn himself in. That's my answer but I have two other questions that I can not answer. 1. WHY did she do it? 2. How long did the affair last? I can't figure out the season but m y guess is between fall and the end of November but I can't be sure because the seasons don't seem to be correct. Is it sunny/warm enough to plant a garden in November in NY? I don't think so.
"Why did she do it?" I think that is the question she asked herself once she realised that she had made a terrible choice. Initially, it made her feel alive and young and excited. She had everything, but she began to feel invisible. Ultimately, her son will suffer the impact of her choice, and she will never have peace again.
Question: Through most of the film Malcolm is dead. All the other ghosts still have scars from how they died but why doesn't Malcolm have his mark which should be a bullet wound?
Answer: Because as Cole tells us in the middle of the movie, "They only see what they want to see." The movie shows us Malcolm as he perceives himself. He can't actually put on an overcoat, or change clothes. He sees what he expects to see. He goes outside in the cold to visit Cole, so he sees himself wearing an overcoat. He doesn't know he is dead - he doesn't see his wound. To preserve this misdirection throughout the movie, we are shown Malcolm as he sees himself.
Actually, we do see Malcolm and Cole sees him. The entry wound in his abdomen is tiny, and the large, obvious exit wound is on Malcolm's back, which we never see.
Question: What did the term, "tying your shoe" mean?
Chosen answer: It means you need to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Originally, terms like "tying your shoe" or "pulling your socks up" meant ducking to avoid flying bullets. In a more generic sense though, it needn't be about gun violence per se. Just that you don't want to be on the receiving end of violence meant for someone else. In the movie, this was a way of telling Edward that if he could not defuse the situation, then others would be forced to harm the professor. Here, they weren't actually going to put Edward in harm's way. But if he failed to change the professor, then violence against the professor was forthcoming.
Question: After the robbery and once the dust settled (business was back-to-normal at the bank, etc.) why did the bank president not immediately go to open the safety deposit box and see what happened to its contents? He knew it was the target of the robbery. Reason would dictate that one of the first things he would have done would be to open the box and see what was there... Not leave it to the NYPD to open it and discover a mostly empty box except for the big ring, chewing gum and note.
Answer: The aforementioned answer fails to keep in mind he is the owner of the bank and could've have done this hours before the bank was opened and or hours after the bank was opened. Dalton spent 3 days behind the wall. Mr Case had a special fixer, and she had the mayor in her pocket. It is a reasonable assumption that a billionaire like Aruthur Case would be able to have the contents of his safety deposit box removed with little to no problem. One way is "yes Mr. Mayor I will be giving you a blank check for your reelection campaign." The issue is this was a major plot hole that almost ruined a otherwise great and well thought out movie.
Answer: Arthur Case did not want anyone to know about the safe deposit box or what was in it. In fact, the box's number had been left off the bank records. The police did not immediately know if anything had been stolen during the robbery. Case going to the bank to check on the box, would only have drawn attention to it. The contents, the diamonds, were a link to Case's criminal Nazi past that he wanted kept hidden. It was only by chance that Detective Frazier discovered the box and the clues that had been left inside it by Dalton Russell.
Question: Was the ghostwriter murdered? Why? The book had already been published, and he only discovered the truth about Ruth minutes before, so who would have wanted him dead?
Answer: Who would want him dead? Ruth, for one, as well as Professor Emmett (her CIA recruiter) and others involved in the conspiracy. Yes, the book had been published, but the secret message only comes across if one is in possession of all the knowledge that the writer had acquired, which the casual reader would not have. And minutes is plenty of time for Ruth, Emmett, or anyone else to make a phone call and arrange the hit.
The published book was a rewrite and would not have the secret message in the chapter beginnings.
The published book was a rewrite of the original manuscript. He gives her the original manuscript that he was working off, not a final draft.
We know the beginning of the book was rewritten as he didn't like it. Almost certainly, the clue is not in the published version of the book. Ruth was shocked to read the note and is delivering her speech so is unlikely to be complicit in the murder of the Ghostwriter. The ending suggests that Ruth, too, is little more than a pawn in the whole conspiracy.
Makes no sense, he was run down 2 minutes after she read it.
Question: Why did Argyle want to kill Michael? I can understand wanting to kill those who harmed him but Michael was an innocent boy.
Answer: She said in the movie, "He must see himself as a child in Michael. He wants to get rid of him to erase his past."
Answer: While Argyle shows a strange affinity for Michael, his primary goal is still revenge on the entire town. Innocent or not, Michael is connected to those who tortured him.
How could Michael have anything to do with those men that he killed? He's just a kid.
How is he connected?
Question: After they search Leary's hotel room, they find a piece of paper that says "SW SKELLUM LA." We learn that the SW stands for Southwest (a bank he was using) and SKELLUM is a phone number. What does the LA mean?
Chosen answer: LA is short for Los Angeles, which refers to the city Leary attempts to assassinate the president in.
Question: How does Ben Hildebrand die? Only his skeleton is shown in while Billie removes the parasail. He would not have been killed and eaten by a dinosaur because his skeletal remains are still there, and he wouldn't have been strangulated as he was talking to Eric as per the video.
Answer: While the movie doesn't explain this, it most certainly wasn't a dinosaur (since a carnivorous dinosaur would eat him). However, in Jurassic Park Adventures: Survivor, he dies from internal injuries due to the rough "landing".
Answer: Raptors.
Answer: Compisigthus or compies would have done the trick.
Chosen answer: That's exactly what happened leaving room for the sequel, if they make one.
T Poston
But the kidnapped girl-Charlotte-would have told the police what Rusty Nail did and what he looked like. And, since Rusty Nail would have fled on foot, he would have been easy to find. Also, in order to pull off this stunt, Rusty Nail would have needed to find a way to floor the gas pedal. Finally, it would be easy for the police to identify who owned the truck Rusty Nail crashed into the motel. He either owned it or the owner of the truck knew who was driving it.