Best movie questions of 2012

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Taken 2 picture

Question: Where did Kim learn how to drive stick-shift? Is her dad that paranoid to prepare her for driving a stick-shift car?

lionhead

Chosen answer: Hardly paranoia, as such, more just giving Kim options. Kim has a noted interest in travelling abroad; cars in Europe are far more likely to be manual transmission than in the automatic-dominated US, and thus, by teaching her to drive a manual car, Mills may have made it easier for her to, say, drive a hire car on her travels. Manual transmission cars also tend to get better fuel mileage, are usually less expensive, certainly give you more control and are, in my opinion at least, more fun to drive, so there are some practicalities involved as well. Really the question is why wouldn't anybody at least learn how to drive a manual car, even if they usually end up driving an automatic.

Tailkinker

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Safe House picture

Question: After they escape the safe house, Weston calls the CIA and says "no chance of an SDR, I've picked up a tail." What does SDR stand for?

The_Iceman

Answer: "Surveillance Detection Route." It's what you do when you think you're being followed (drive a specific route to detect if you're under surveillance or not). Weston says "I think I might have picked up a tail", so he was unsure if he was actually being followed or not, but had no time to try and determine if he actually is being tailed or not.

Bishop73

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Red Dawn picture

Question: What was the actual reason why Russia and North Korea (actually, it was intended to be China) chose to invade the United States? Was it because they saw it as a threat to them? What purpose would dedicating troops and logistics to an invasion of the USA have served?

Answer: The flimsy plotline was that the European Union's economic crisis had weakened the NATO alliance so much that they were vulnerable to a North Korean and Russian invasion. American troops were deployed to support NATO defenses, which supposedly left the U.S. mainland and its infrastructure open to terrorists and cyberattacks. Presumably, Russia's and Korea's joint objective was to weaken/cripple the USA's power, economy, and global influence by creating internal chaos.

raywest

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House at the End of the Street picture

Question: At the end of the film it made it clear that there were not 2 siblings Ryan and Carrie Anne, there was just Carrie Anne that wanted to be a boy called Ryan, so why when Ellise picked up a photo frame did it have a young boy and young girl in the photo?

Answer: SPOILER ALERT: There actually were two siblings at one point, Ryan and Carrie Anne. The young Carrie Anne dies in a swing accident. In the end, we learn in flashback that the parents, who blamed Ryan for Carrie Anne's death, proceed to punish him by making him dress up as Carrie Anne and take her place. When he protests, he is physically abused by his mother. So, it isn't Carrie Anne who wanted to be a boy called Ryan. It is Ryan who was forced to take the role of his dead sister, Carrie Anne. Eventually, in the persona of Carrie Anne, Ryan kills his parents, and proceeds to find women whom he tries to transform into his dead sister.

Michael Albert

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Chosen answer: Most likely to conceal her naturally bright red hair. If that fact is known, it would make it easier for the enemy to identify and target her, either for surveillance, to be kidnapped, killed, etc.

raywest

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Chosen answer: Yes, it does. The movie is based on the British TV series.

raywest

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Lincoln picture

Question: In all the articles I have read, Booth shot Lincoln then jumped out of the box into the audience below, spraining his ankle. He managed to escape because the audience thought it was part of the act. In the movie the show is interrupted by the Manager coming onto the stage to announce that Lincoln had just been shot - no disruption during the show until then. Is this a goof or not?

Answer: Lincoln was shot at Ford's theater while attending the play Our American Cousin. The interruption by the manager to announce that Lincoln had been shot was during a different play that Tad Lincoln was watching at the time in a completely different theater.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Parental Guidance picture

Question: I don't understand why Barker couldn't get unbuckled in the car. Why couldn't Artie just remove his hand from the seat belt?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: It's demonstrated throughout the film that Artie struggles with the modern way of doing things. This may extend to modern car seat belts with their five point harness systems. That and the fact they're already late for school and holding up the traffic makes it a stressful situation for Artie and it was probably easier (and to add comedy) for Artie just to rip the seat out with the boy still in it.

Neil Jones

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Chronicle picture

Question: Why did Matt save Andrew's abusive father?

Answer: Because he was a human being and Andrew was attempting to murder him in cold blood.

BaconIsMyBFF

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This Means War picture

Question: I've never understood at the end when Tuck and his ex are walking in slo-mo, he puts his hand on the small of her back and she reacts to that. It then shows him confused and he looks down at his hand. Why? What was that all about?

MindyLeDuc

Chosen answer: I would think that she was leaving the impression that while she was interested in reconciling with Tuck, it wasn't going to be an overnight thing.They were going to have to take it slowly.

Blathrop

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Death Race: Inferno picture

Question: A voice-over says "Log-on and get inside access on your favourite drivers. For an additional cost, you can tap into the closed circuit camera INSIDE the driver's car", but Carl/Frankenstein has his mask OFF while he's driving & isn't the audience meant to be kept in the dark about who Frankenstein actually is? He's meant to be the most popular character/racer, so everyone would then know his true identity.

aat666

Chosen answer: The camera being inside the car could be pointed out the windshield so you can see what the driver sees. It doesn't have to be pointed at the drivers.

rswarrior

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Premium Rush picture

Question: During the chase scene at the impound lot, Wilee is chased by a cop onto a high platform and another cop climbs on top of the platform. To avoid the other cop, Wilee jumps off the platform with his bike. In a sudden close-up of Wilee, a slash sound is heard. What is this slash sound I am hearing? (01:11:40)

Chosen answer: I think that sound is the front wheel giving way. If you look closely, you can see that his front wheel is wobbling a little as he escapes. This may be why he ditches his bike and steals the cop's bike soon after.

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Aftershock picture

Question: What's with all the baby corpses that Monica found in the hidden tunnels?

Trainman

Answer: Early on, Ariel tells Monica that the old tunnels beneath the church are the burial site of many babies (the results of years of illicit sex between the nuns and priests), and that's what Monica comes across. It's possible the earthquake/aftershocks were meant to have exposed the tombs. The reason some of the bodies look bloody and more 'fresh' is most likely for shock value, typical of Eli Roth films.

Purple_Girl

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter picture

Question: What exactly was Adam's plan the whole time? I don't fully understand it and even if I did, how does that make him the bad guy? Can someone please explain?

Answer: Adam wanted to turn the whole nation into vampires. And as head vampire, he would be the leader. Part of the plot line was vampires feed on slaves, so Adam wanted to keep slavery legal. During the course of the Civil War, Adam conspired with Jefferson Davis to send vampires to the front line to help with the war for the South, in return for claims to the North for his clan (although he would probably turn on the South afterwards).

Bishop73

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Beasts of the Southern Wild picture

Question: I have two questions about this film. Firstly, was the black woman Hushpuppy was dancing with at the strip bar her biological mum? And secondly, were the huge pigs (whatever they are called) that appear at the end really there. Or were they simply imagined by Hushpuppy? Because the other kids responded to them, but they seemed way too oversized to be real.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Both questions are left open-ended. It is unlikely, but not impossible, for Hushpuppy to have found her mother (although I believe the music playing at that moment is a hint that she is a look-alike). The beasts are supernatural creatures; up to you whether they are literal or in her mind.

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American Reunion picture

Question: Can someone please explain the photos in the yearbook? It seems like it was the gang in 1999, but they never posed for those photos in the first American Pie.

MikeH

Chosen answer: They have been friends for a long time. They had plenty of time to take pictures. We only see them on screen for a few hours of their lives spread over a short while.

Greg Dwyer

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Home Alone: The Holiday Heist picture

Question: What caused Finn and Alexis to become technophiles?

Answer: I'll provide a "response." This seemingly simple/ straightforward question has a straightforward answer as well as a complicated one. The simple answer is it is impossible for anyone to know with certainty what "caused" them to be or become anything. There are theoretical perspectives that may offer different possibilities. Scientifically, there can be factors that are associated/ correlated with being a technophile, but there can also be unknown factor (s) that contribute. The complicated answer would break down your question and not take it for granted: What do you mean by "technophile"? What criteria are used to define someone as a technophile? Is "enthusiasm" measurable? Do Finn or Alexis meet the criteria for a technophile? Is using a technology that is readily available because of the historical time in which one lives the same as being enthusiastic over new technology? Is an addiction or obsession the same as enthusiasm? What evidence do you have that they are technophiles, etc?

KeyZOid

Both Wikipedia and Home Alone Wiki state that Finn and Alexis are technophiles.

Does either provide a definition of "technophile" or provide criteria or evidence?

KeyZOid

Finn is obsessed with video games and Alexis is obsessed with listening to music via headphones.

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Dredd picture

Question: Why doesn't Kay kill Anderson after he grabs her and takes the elevator up to Ma-Ma? Or at least, why doesn't Ma-Ma kill her when Kay comes in with her? They were intent on killing the Judges and didn't care about the consequences. So what was Ma-Ma hoping to accomplish having her as a hostage that she couldn't try to accomplish without one? At this point, she already had the 4 crooked Judges on their way.

Bishop73

Answer: Kay wanted to punish her for what she did to him earlier. Ma-Ma wanted leverage against Dredd should he get past her Judges.

MasterOfAll

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Answer: The movie doesn't appear to be set in a particular decade, probably to give it a more timeless appeal. Styles seem to range anywhere from mid-to late-20th century.

raywest

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Seven Psychopaths picture

Question: Where does Hans get the Post-it note at the end to put on the tape recorder?

Answer: Billy brought an odd selection of items with him, including labels for the guns. It wouldn't be surprising for him to have also brought Post-It notes. Hans could have easily taken one so he could leave the tape for Marty.

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