Best mystery movie questions of 1998

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The X-Files Movie picture

Question: If the "cold drink" vending machine was unplugged and the buttons were unresponsive, WHY did the saboteurs deliberately illuminate the front of the machine? Wouldn't this ATTRACT people to the machine, only to subsequently arouse curiosity when it failed to function (as it did with Mulder)? The more logical approach would be to disable the vending machine (including the illumination) and tape an "out of order" sign on it. People would then just ignore the machine, arousing no suspicion. The illuminated vending machine gimmick looks like an illogical contrivance to advance the plot.

Charles Miller

Chosen answer: If they had put an "Out of Order" sign, or left it unilluminated, someone in charge might try to have it fixed or replaced, or could have checked to see if it's plugged in, etc. By leaving it illuminated, it doesn't look out of place and simply not taking money wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. In my own life, when I've come across a seemingly working vending machine that won't take my money or dispense drinks (but gives my money back), I just find another one instead of calling someone or reporting it. But yes, it is very convenient to the plot that Mulder just happens to try and use this particular machine.

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The Faculty picture

Question: In the scene where the main characters are talking about their peculiar behaviours i.e.- "Stokely, since when did you start liking boys" and "What, Delilah, you haven't gone without hairspray and contacts since birth". Can anyone please tell me what Delilah means when she says to Casey- "And Casey, since when did you become Sigourney Weaver?" I have never understood what it means but I think it might have some reference to the movie "Alien".

Answer: That's exactly right. Weaver fought aliens in all the "Alien" movies.

Krista

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The Big Lebowski picture

Question: At the very end of the scene in which Walter and the Dude are spreading Donnie's ashes at the coast, a dark and unidentifiable figure appears for a few seconds in the upper right screen, apparently hiking a trail along the cliff. Was this an accidental walk-on by an actual hiker, or was it written into the script? With all the star-power in this film, I thought every bit of background action was supposed to be meticulously crafted.

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: There's no way of knowing. If the hiker was that far away, it could have been someone who happened to stray into the scene by accident. The filmmakers may or may not have noticed, but if they did, may have felt it added to the realism. I did this myself during the filming of a street scene for the TV show, "Northern Exposure." Filming was underway before I realised I was in the midst of it. I just kept walking like I was supposed to be there.

raywest

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Practical Magic picture

Question: Near the end when Sally is in the circle with Gilly, there is a series of flashbacks. There is a shot of a woman with curly shoulder length hair surrounded by white. Who is she? She's not their mother as she has long straight hair.

Answer: She is the one from the opening sequence, their "great, great, great" grandmother who started the whole "curse" thing.

Bruce Minnick

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Wild Things picture

Question: Did Kelly Van Ryan really love Sam Lombardo or was she trying to use him to get her mom's money? Or both?

Answer: Yes, Kelly WAS in love with Sam. And the money was just a bonus.

ChristmasJonesfan

Answer: Kelly loved Sam and hated her mom. She wanted the money that was left to her by her grandfather and this was the only way to get it without her mom dying.

Greg Dwyer

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Meet Joe Black picture

Question: Where is the birthday party for Bill held? On whose estate?

Answer: The script calls it the "Parrish country estate", so it belongs to Bill Parrish and his family.

Sierra1

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Ringu picture

Question: Can anyone tell me exactly how much the American remake follows the original Japanese film? I have seen all of the Japanese movies, but only a bit of the American remake, and for some reason, I am having trouble finding it at local video stores.

Answer: It follows it fairly closely, but removes some Japanese cultural references. All of the names are changed, the psychic powers of some characters are removed, and all references to "sea goblins" are gone. Samara is a young girl (not a grown woman like Sadako) and speaks to victims on the phone, rather than the phone call only having strange noises. The lead character is more heroic and investigatory and there are more special effects (for example, the victims' bodies are deformed).

Moose

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Urban Legend picture

Question: When Reese finds Sasha's body, you can hear Sasha's voice saying something over and over again, as if on a loop. Does anyone know a) what she's saying and b) what's causing it?

Shay

Chosen answer: She is saying "I'm not stuck, he is!" which was what the caller was saying when she was disconnected.

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Answer: Russian Beer Roulette. The scene is meant to be a recreation/tribute of "The Deer Hunter", where they slapped a lot. Instead of a revolver with one round in the chamber, one beer can is shaken up and put in with unshaken up ones so that the "loser" gets sprayed when opening the wrong one.

Bishop73

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I Still Know What You Did Last Summer picture

Question: Was there any indication or hints that Will was actually Ben Willis' son before the reveal at the end?

Joey221995

Answer: I believe it was supposed to be a surprise plot twist, I don't remember there being any indication that Will was setting them up.

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The Negotiator picture

Question: The ending apparently had to be reshot, because the original ending leaked out. What was this original ending?

Answer: The original ending features a huge shoot-em-up, involving more than 150 cops, but it was changed to a shoot-em-up on a much smaller scale that involves only Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Rifkin.

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Psycho picture

Question: When private investigator Milton Arbogast is attacked on the stairway, this film inserts two non sequitur pieces of footage right in the middle of the attack sequence: Just as Arbogast's face is slashed twice, a shot of a virtually-nude woman wearing a sleep-mask is inserted for a split-second, followed a moment later by a split-second insert of what appears to be a small calf standing in the middle of a road in a rainstorm. What is the meaning of those two inserts?

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: His life flashing before his eyes? Snapshots of Norman's fractured psyche? The director's vision?

Alan Keddie

Those are just more questions.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: I'm sorry. There are no answers to your question. Or. The inserts were added to make the movie, which I liked, even more horrible.

ChristmasJonesfan

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Sphere picture

Question: Does anyone think that Harry may not have forgotten about the sphere in the end? He seem awfully calm while Norman and Beth look confused.

Answer: He's also a psychiatrist, he's used to keeping calm while others are upset. But it is certainly possible he remembers it. Why not?

Grumpy Scot

Answer: Harry was a mathematician. Norman was the psychologist. Harry does give a look like he did not forget but then again the Sphere did fly away. I believe it was A. Poor acting or B. To cause the viewer to ask questions.

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