Best thriller movie questions of 2005

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War of the Worlds picture

Question: Several other answers and corrections state that the reddish liquid sprayed by the tripods was what essentially grew the red vines. However I thought I heard someone in the film say something along the lines of "using us (i.e. blood) as fertiliser". Can someone please clarify?

Answer: Since the tripods tended to spray the red fluid shortly after pulling a human into themselves, it seems a good assumption that the red fluid is essentially blood. Given this, it seems likely that the "spore" of the vines is spread in the red fluid.

scwilliam

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Constantine picture

Question: Even though Isabel committed suicide, shouldn't she have gone to heaven? She willfully sacrificed herself to insure that Mammon couldn't cross on to earth so in a way, she was saving billions of people, so that should have guaranteed her entry into heaven.

Answer: Sin for a good reason is still sin, and as Gabriel says earlier, you can't buy your way into Heaven. Real Catholic dogma, however, doesn't hold the mentally ill as condemned for committing suicide.

Greg Dwyer

Except Isabel wasn't mentally ill. She saw angels and demons just like Constantine did. It was her parents who believed she was mentally ill.

While suicide is a mortal sin, it's shown later (as in major plot point) that sacrificing yourself to save the world is a redeeming act.

Yes, but Constantine also said "My parents were normal. They did what most parents would do. They made it worse. You think you're crazy long enough, you find a way out" which could relate to Isabel losing her sanity in a way as well because of her family and how they saw her. The whole Isabel's sacrifice is added by the novelization but the movie is ambiguous about the suicide.

mp1920

Except Isabel wasn't mentally ill. She saw half breeds just like John did.

Sacrificing yourself for others isn't a sin.

Answer: If a soldier jumps on a grenade and dies to save his fellow soldiers, it's considered giving one's life for others. To my understanding, that isn't considered a "sin." If it was a mental health issue, a just God would give her a pass. If she was doing it to thwart Mammon's plans, again she was sacrificing herself. If she did it to get Constantine involved to help stop Mammon, again is was self sacrifice. (Notice how she says "Constantine" just before jumping when her sister views the video?). As a plot device, I understand it, but from a theological standpoint it is weak.

Answer: It is shown in the movie that it was Balthazar who whispered into her ear, gave her suggestions. Eventually she committed suicide to escape that, to escape her torment. She certainly didn't sacrifice herself to keep Mammon out because Mammon needed twin psychics, one in hell and one on Earth to do it, which Balthazar achieved for him.

lionhead

The film doesn't give information about the need of having one twin in hell and the other on earth to complete Mammon's plan; the movie states Mammon needs a powerful psychic and God's help. It isn't shown either that Balthazar was the one whispering to Isabel's ear considering she was apparently hearing Hellspeak, but no individual besides her appeared on the death scene; therefore, it was left ambiguous. Otherwise, provide evidence of the statement above.

When John and Angela are walking back to the elevator after taking care of Balthasar they specifically mention Mammon needed twin psychics. The only reason would be for their connection. One is in hell, the other on Earth. Through their connection Mammon is able to posses Angela. As for the second thing. When Isabel commits suicide you both hear Balthasar whisper to her and she has the mark on her wrist, like Hennessy had on his hand palm, the sign of Mammon. They wanted her in Hell.

lionhead

The dialogue, when they are walking towards the elevator, is "Constantine: Beeman said Mammon needed divine assistance to cross over. How's the blood of God's only son? Ángela: The stains on the spear. Constantine: Yeah. Ángela: So he gets the spear. He still has to locate a powerful psychic. Constantine: Not really. Ángela: Twins." Angela says "twins" after hearing Constantine say "Not really." (while looking at her) which made Angela realise that she was Isabel's replacement as a powerful psychic since they had the same gift, but the former's was dormant up until that moment. It's not because the plan needed one in hell and the other on earth. That's never stated as far as we know from the information provided by the film. As for Balthazar, it's never stated it was him who whispered to Isabel. That's an assumption based on hearing the voice alone. Also, the mark appeared on the guy's hand at beginning of the film after he found the spear and Balthazar was probably not there.

It's not an assumption when it's his voice. It doesn't all have to be "stated." And the whole twin part is just a coincidence? Are you saying Gabriel and Balthasar found twin psychics so they have a backup if one of them dies? That's ridiculous. They needed twin psychics specifically, and they make one of them commit suicide. That's not just a random thing, it's what needed to be done. And it's Mammon's sign, not Balthasar's.

lionhead

It's an assumption because there is insufficient evidence to prove it, and there were other voices in the film to assume it was specifically Balthazar's given that Angela heard a similar voice calling her name when she was in hell and Mammon appeared, which could indicate that maybe it was Mammon who whispered to Isabel too but still not clear though. It's more speculation. Yes, not everything has to be stated since some things are implicitly given although it also depends because it can become ambiguous if it lack details which is open to interpretation, but the movie dismisses any possibility of your theory of "one in hell and the other on earth" by stating what the "villain" needed and with that the argument doesn't work. Otherwise, it would be a plot hole for creating an inconsistency with the rules established before. Angela just realised she was the powerful psychic since they had the same gift, so Mammon didn't have to locate another one since it was there in the other twin.

There is no inconsistency with the rules, there is help from god, there is a psychic. All that fits, the Hell Bible just wasn't specific enough, they didn't know the full plan. There is something significant about them being twins. Both because Isabel was killed and Angela and Constantine realise that's what Mammon was looking for.

Now, all that is just speculation, and misinterpretation of what has been explained in the reply above yours. Not continuing the discussion.

Answer: The film itself can't be blamed for that really because it was left ambiguous; the novelization added the part of Isabel's sacrifice to the story. If we go by what the film gave us then Isabel might have been an unstable person considering even Angela didn't back her up about what they could see which could've led her to believe that maybe she was indeed crazy, and as Constantine said "You think you're crazy long enough, you find a way out." Perhaps she just wanted to end everything that was happening to her. There isn't enough information in the movie to confirm or deny it.

mp1920

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V for Vendetta picture

Question: It becomes clear that V gives his victims Scarlet Carson roses in memory of Valerie, but how does Delia work out that the murderer is V from the roses? Surely she didn't know that Valerie had written to V mentioning them. Also, are we ever told what V was originally imprisoned for?

Answer: Nothing is ever revealed about V's history before Larkhill so we don't know why he was there. As for the roses, in the original comic book, in order to keep him compliant during his time in captivity, V was allowed to tend a small garden while his health was monitored. It was during that time that he first grew the Scarlet Carson roses and also surreptitiously obtained the chemicals that he would use to destroy Larkhill and make his escape. Whether this can be considered consistent with the film storyline is an open question - certainly nothing in the film actively appears to contradict it.

Tailkinker

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Batman Begins picture

Question: Shouldn't Bruce be as insane as Falcone? Unless the dosages delivered to Batman and Falcone, respectively, were different. Also, why didn't Rachel yell and scream and go crazy like Falcone did when he was hit?

Answer: Bruce is just as infected as Falcone, however he is rescued by Alfred shortly after he is poisoned and given an antidote by Lucius shortly after that. He is then bedridden for many hours. If he had not been saved as quickly as he was, he no doubt would have been a blubbering mass just like Falcone. The reason Rachel and even Bruce don't react the same as Falcone the moment they are poisoned comes down to how each individual person reacts to fear: Bruce tries to fight, Rachel faints, Falcone screams in horror.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: Also he had taken it before, earlier in the mountains.

Answer: Bruce was thoroughly trained to deal with fear. It's likely he'd be able to hold his mind together better than most.

JokerInTheBronx

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Saw II picture

Question: How is it that all the dead victims (except Adam and Lawrence) are found? What kind of clues could the police follow to find those secret locations and still don't have any about the jigsaw?

Answer: Perhaps someone in the vicinity smelled the bodies and called the police. Each of the victims shown on screen appears to have been dead for at least a few days.

alex garrido

Lawrence didn't also die, as he was shown to have survived in Saw 3D. I'm assuming you are talking about Zep.

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Mr. and Mrs. Smith picture

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.

KeyZOid

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Red Eye picture

Question: This just interests me, but how on earth did Jackson manage to get a ticket right next to Lisa on the plane so quickly, considering that Keefe changed his plans at the last minute, and they didn't know Lisa's grandma was going to die, and she'd be taking the last plane back to Florida?

Answer: These are very tech-savvy terrorists. Not only would they be watching Keefe, but also Lisa, who is integral to their assassination plot. The assassins would have been monitoring their every move, intercepting cell phone calls, hacking into the hotel's and the airline's computers, and so on. It is unknown how Jackson got a seat right next to Lisa, but as it's a late-night flight, there would likely be fewer passengers and he could have managed to be seated next to her or somehow got the airline to switch him with another passenger.

raywest

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Cursed picture

Question: Who was the werewolf who killed Jenny? It couldn't have been Joanie as she was seen as having dark brown fur when she turned into a werewolf and the one that killed Jenny had dark gray fur.

Answer: I assumed it was Jake based on what transpired in the previous scene and his face was the last one shown before the elevator door closed. Jake told Ellie he didn't want to lose her, they had something "special", and asked if she would bear with him until he overcame some difficulties. Jake saw Jenny as a pest as well as someone who could ruin his still-developing (blossoming) relationship with Ellie. Jenny confronted Jake about not calling Becky anymore. Jake responded that he put himself "off the market" (was no longer available because he was pursuing Ellie), to which Jenny responded that she was "bummed" (disappointed because Jake was not free to pursue her). Jenny also put her hand over Jake's shoulder, which Jake did not like because he was not interested in her and was afraid that Ellie would see (which she may have). To top it off, Jenny kept following Jake around the room when he was talking to other people. Jenny was clingy and persistent - so had to be eliminated.

KeyZOid

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Flightplan picture

Question: At the end of the movie, when they are at the tip of the plane, Jodi and her daughter slip into a tiny compartment, just as she activates the bomb. She and her daughter are safe, and the small space they were in must have been bomb-proof. Since that compartment is at a part of the plane that is rarely visited, how come a tiny place was made entirely bomb-proof? Or what was the space they climbed into and for what reason was it made?

Answer: The hatch they climb into is the hold of the plane, i.e., the section with the coffin, the car, and all the other luggage in. It only appears small because of the way it is filmed. As Kyle would have known, it would have been extra strong and reinforced, as it was a break in two sections of the plane.

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Chosen answer: I think we can safely assume that "The Man" kills Becky in the elevator, yes. But unlike the first woman, Becky had done something to piss off a lot of people (basically betraying all the girls working in Old Town), and they sent him to eliminate her.

Twotall

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Answer: It was the only way out. She followed Aiden's voice to the cliff and kept hearing it from the same direction. She knew she had to jump off to get back to the real world.

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Stealth picture

Question: What is the deal with a apples in this movie, is it a subtle reference to something? Aside from the main bad guy chomping on one while tailing with someone (rude), there are several scenes with large bowls of apples. In one scene, there are two tables with bowls of apples on them.

Answer: Its a Navy thing. Centuries ago, to ward off the threat of Scurvy when sailing long distances, eating apples would prevent it, and the tradition carries over into modern times.

After 21 years of Naval service (10 years destine and four ships) I have never heard of apples warding off scurvy. It was discovered that lemons were very effective. Later in time the British started using limes to avoid scurvy. While limes were cheaper than lemons, they were not as effective. This is also where we get the phrase "Limey Brits" from.

Yep you're right. It's the Vitamin C in limes and oranges that prevents scurvy. Not much of that in an apple.

stiiggy

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The Interpreter picture

Question: Am I mistaken, or did Sylvia say she was born in the US before moving to Africa? I'm just puzzled as to why she was deported in the end even if she has dual citizenship.

Jason Feng

Chosen answer: Dual citizenship is complicated, and it does not guarantee a person equal rights, privileges, and obligations in both countries. Nor does one country or the other always recognize dual citizenship. Since Sylvia's main residency has been in Africa, the US would consider that her primary homeland and could legally deport her there. Basically, the government is giving Sylvia a way to avoid prosecution in the US by allowing her to leave the country.

raywest

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White Noise picture

Question: I was really confused by the ending, who were the three figures we kept seeing, and what were they trying to do?

Answer: The figures are spirits who figured out how to contact the living, like Michael Keaton's wife. But where his wife wants him to help others, the three spirits are evil and want to only do bad things.

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The Island picture

Question: At the beginning of the movie, Lincoln 6 Echo is missing his left shoe. Is there any importance in that?

Answer: As far as I could tell, it seems to indicate his growing mental awareness of himself and his environment. He begins noticing more things around him and is questioning when things don't seem right or are out-of-place. The other clones don't exhibit that type of cognitive functioning as much as he does.

raywest

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The Skeleton Key picture

Question: What was the deal with the mirrors? Are there spirits in the mirrors? Or can Violet (or whoever's body happens to be inhabited) see her "true self" in the mirror? When Caroline first spends the night, a figure, like Mama Cecile, can be seen in her little mirror. If the spirit is in the body (Violet's), why would it be wandering around? So, the mirrors expose their true identity, correct?

RareJewel

Chosen answer: Yes.

Phixius

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Hide and Seek picture

Question: When Charlie first goes into the cave, he places Emily's music box on a plank of wood, and pushes it so that it floats along the small stream; why did he do that?

Answer: It is just to scare them. The music makes an eerie noise. and the music box was one of Emily's prized possessions. it would scare her to see it floating in the stream.

Christina

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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children picture

Question: How was Cloud able to survive being shot in the head in the opening chase sequence? Did the bullet just graze his forhead, or did it bounce off of his protective goggles?

Answer: The bullet bounced off and thereby did not directly hit him. As Kadaj's gang were after their "mother", you can be sure Yazoo did not intend to kill Cloud yet, so he must have aimed for the goggles. It's impossible for the bullet to graze his forehead in that angle, even though Yazoo could have calculated that, too.

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Boogeyman picture

Question: In the preview for this movie, there is chanting in the background of something that ends with 'When you see him count to five, pray that you will stay alive.' What, if anything, is this?

Answer: This is a made up children's rhyme just like the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series has "One, two, Freddy's coming for you, three, four, better lock the door,..."

Myridon

Answer: It's from the TV Spot for the Boogeyman from 2005. This is the clip that it comes from. The rhyme haunted me for a long time and I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers it! It goes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCzBRCJXvU When you're scared just count to ten, you will feel all good again. When it's dark just count to eight, the Boogeyman will hide and hate. When you see him count to five, pray that you will stay alive.

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Answer: Love each day.

Answer: "Love Each Day", essentially a reminder to appreciate every day that's given to us.

Casual Person

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