I am trying to find out the name of a cartoon that used to come on back in the 80's about a guy who had the powers of animals. I think he was a sheriff in the show and his rival was a old skeleton looking dude in all black. I think it took place like in the desert although I could be wrong about that but his power as far as I can remember came from a bear, a hawk, and I think a cheetah or something?
Answered general questions about movies, TV and more
This page is for general questions - if you've got a question about a specific title, please check the title-specific questions page first. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.
If you ever aim a video camera at a TV screen or a computer monitor, you can easily notice how the screen is refreshing itself. But in almost any show or movie I watch, you don't see this effect. My question is: how are TVs/monitors filmed so that the refresh rates don't show up?
Answer: You have to use some way of synching the camera to the monitor's refresh rate. See: http://www.filmmaking.net/faq/answers/faq107.asp?catid=2.
I am trying to remember a film I saw on Sky 1 a few years ago. It dealt with a cop or ex-cop or somebody of that sort, and an evil guy with a very bad blonde mullet. The only scenes I remember are as follows: there is a small blonde girl standing over a well with a barb wire crank running across it, and the evil guy tells the girl to hold the wire and she her hand starts to bleed as one of his minions cranks the wire; then she looks into the camera; the other is where the guy, he has dark short hair and is crucified on something. He is bloody throughout most of the movie, but for the life of me I can't remember its name.
Answer: Cyborg with Jean-Claude van Damme.
I am trying to remember the name of a TV show that was on in the mid 80's. It dealt with day-to-day life on a US Army post. It was set in the present day (present day for when it was on-the mid 80's), NOT Vietnam. I think the word "Honor" was part of the title, but I am not sure. Anyone?
Chosen answer: Are you thinking of "Major Dad?" It was late 80s and set on a Marine Corps base. Alternatively For Love and Honor from 1983. A soap opera drama about life on a military base which ran for a half a season.
I remember seeing a film on the Sci-Fi channel ages ago. At the start of the film, there's a shot of a spaceship that looks like an earth vehicle (a car or something, and I'm not thinking of Spaceballs). It was a comedy film, with the main "funny" thing being that aliens that look like humans have either hijacked or accidentally stolen a ship of their species (I can remember a scene where a hi-ranking one of these aliens is pretty angry about them), and they crash land on earth, but turn out to be stupider than the average human. The scene clearest in my mind is where one of the "aliens" is trying to show off his advanced technology, which turns out to be a pen, by drawing a squiggly line on a piece of paper. Does anyone know what this film is called?
Chosen answer: That'll be 'Morons From Outer Space' then.
What was the first movie to be release on DVD?
Answer: Twister.
In many films (e.g. Shrek 2 and Chicken Run) there's an action sequence involving a vertically closing door, and a character's hat is knocked off and they retrieve it just as the door closes. Which film did this originate from? It's been used many times.
Answer: It is from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indy retrieves his hat from a fast closing vertical door.
I saw a film a while back but don't know the name. It had Famke Janssen, was set on a cruise ship that sunk, had "scavengers" searching the ship and a weired creature with tentacles killing the people on the ship.
Answer: I believe the film is called Deep Rising and was released in 1998. If you go to the IMDB website you can search for films by actors.
How long do feature films usually run in theaters before they are released on DVD/VHS?
Chosen answer: They typically vary from film to film. It used to be a period of at least 6-7 months before they released them for rental or sale. These days however many are being released quite soon after their release, in some cases even as quick as 2-3 months (The Ray Charles film "Ray" was a recent one). The time it takes all depends on how the studio wants to distribute the film.
I am trying to find the title to a movie. The main part I remember is an old mafia boss in a wheelchair that jumps out of it to save a baby's life to achieve "pennance" with God. Any ideas? I think Jeff Speakman was in it.
Chosen answer: The name of the movie is Crackerjack, and the main character is Thomas Ian Griffith, not Jeff Speakman.
I used to watch a reality show that took place in a castle. Couples competed against each other to win the chance to retrieve gold for a chamber; however, after a certain amount of time had passed, tigers came out. The couple had to get out before the gates closed or they would be trapped with the tiger. What was the show?
Answer: The show is called "Fort Boyard".
How does one define a "blockbuster"?
Chosen answer: The term originated with the premire of "Jaws" because the lines for the theaters were around the corners, hence the term "blockbuster". Now, movies with huge fan followings (such as "Star Wars") or those with extreme media coverage and the potential to gross over $100 million (such as "The War of the Worlds") are immediately considered blockbusters.
What is a "Genny Operator" (listed in credits) ?
Chosen answer: It's the nickname for Generator Operator, a specialized area within the Lighting Dept. The Genny operator must be a fully qualified electrician, and operate the electricity generators on location, when an electricity supply is needed for many aspects of production. Their foremost obligation is to load the generator, drive it to the location and ensure that it is fully operational with the necessary specifications for the shoot. They also clean and maintain the generator, as well as some maintenance on the vehicle carrying the generators.
I remember watching a cartoon series on British TV on Saturday mornings when I was a kid (about 15-20 years ago), and I have forgotten its title. The only thing I remember is that it focused on four or five kids who drove giant mechanized lions to defeat whatever evil they were fighting, and when things got too rough, the lions would transform into various parts of a gigantic android warrior. They all lived in this castle-like building, and to get to their respective lions they used transportation tubes a la "Futurama". I also have a vague recollection that their leader was an astronaut from Earth who had arrived on their world through a wormhole, but I'm not sure if I'm confusing this with another cartoon. Anyway, does anyone know the title of this series I'm talking about?
Chosen answer: You're thinking of Voltron. There were a couple of different versions of Voltron. One was a large group of vehicles that combined to make the giant warrior Voltron. the other was the one you are thinking of, in which five lions combined to form the warrior. Go to http://www.voltronforce.com/ for lots more info on both shows.
If both contain 2 rear speakers, 3 front speakers and a sub-woofer, what is the difference between Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 ?
Chosen answer: Compression rate. Dolby Digital 5.1 compresses the digital signal to one twelfth (1/12) of its original size, whilst DTS 5.1 compresses the signal to one quarter (1/4) of its original size. Whilst on the average home theatre there would no detectable difference, its when you start to get into more professional sound equipment that there becomes a noticeable difference.
I remember a TV show (not a movie) about a guy who was stuck in a computer. That is all I remember about the show - what is the name of it? I think it was an educational programme.
Chosen answer: Could you be talking about Max Headroom?
I remember this film about a family who move to a new house, and there is a factory with girl dolls in it. The dolls come alive and cause mayhem, including a scene where a women is electrocuted in a pool of water in a basement, and a little girl slowly gets more possessed by one of the dolls. What's the film title?
Anyone familiar with a film about a man with 8 kids who gets transferred to Australia? Once there, the man is constantly traveling for work and the rest of the family have to adjust to outback life. I think they eventually herd sheep and earn money from wool. The father come back, only to tell the mother that he wants a divorce and will be moving back to America. The mother decides to stay in Australia and sell wool.
Chosen answer: It was a TV movie called 'A Place Called Home' made in 1987 starring Lane Smith (who played the senator in 'Air America').
What is the film with the most sequels/prequels spawned from it?
Chosen answer: My best guess would have to be either the James Bond 007 series (22 films currently with a 23rd on the way) or the Friday the 13th series (11 parts including Freddy vs Jason). In terms of "pure" sequels, Star Trek currently stands at 10 films.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: You are probably thinking of "BraveStarr". It was a sci-fi cartoon where he was the marshal of an outlaw planet called New Texas during a "goldrush" (although what they were searching for was a stuff called kerium, not gold). Bravestarr could call upon different animal totems to get the eyesight of a hawk, the strength of a bear, speed of a puma or hearing of a wolf. Check out http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/2077/contents.html.
Twotall