Question: When Ariel rescues Eric from drowning, he still has boots on, but when she brings him to shore, he is barefoot. What happened to his boots? They couldn't have slipped off, as they appear tight on his feet, and Ariel couldn't have removed them and kept Eric above water at the same time. Later during the climax, Eric spends a good amount of time in the ocean with boots on, but after he defeats Ursula, he's barefoot again. Why and how do his boots keep coming off?
raywest
18th Sep 2023
The Little Mermaid (1989)
18th Sep 2023
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
11th Sep 2023
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Question: At the end of the film, Kip shows Memphis the car he's brought him, and Memphis says, "It's Eleanor." How can it be Eleanor? Eleanor was grey with a black stripe down the middle. The car Kip bought was brown and rusty! Even if they'd have saved Eleanor from being shredded, it still wouldn't explain the change of color.
Answer: Eleanor refers to the type of car, a 1967 Shelby GT500, not the specific car they were trying to steal.
Answer: In the movie, the name "Eleanor" refers to the one car, a 1973 Ford Mustang (Internet sources say it was a redressed 1971 Mustang). Two different Mustangs were used for Eleanor, one for stunts, the other for close-up shots, which may account for the color differences. This seems like a movie mistake. The name "Eleanor" was later used for the customized, limited-edition Shelby Mustang GT 500 (a reissue of the 1967 Mustang) that was produced in 2000.
11th Sep 2023
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Question: Is it ever explained how Voller managed to survive his encounter with being hit square in the face and falling off the speeding train without a scratch? My thoughts were that he touched the spear of destiny earlier (focused on in a scene) and became immortal, but Indy said it was fake. Plus, Voller dies at the end in 217BC. He also seems to have aged little compared to Indy. Is that a plot point they dropped or forgot about or something?
Answer: It was never explained and seems impossible that anyone could survive such an impact. My own thought was the scene was deliberately exaggerated to appear as if Voller was killed in order to fool and then surprise the audience when he later turns up alive. I also thought it looked as if he hadn't aged. Voller may have been much younger than Indy, possibly as much as 25-30 years. When Voller reappears in the 1960s, he looks more like actor Mads Mikkelsen's actual age. The film should have made him look younger at the beginning. There's a lot of "suspension of disbelief" here.
It is also possible that he underwent facial surgery after surviving this.
11th Sep 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Why did Hermione change her mind on cursing Malfoy if she was just gonna punch him?
Answer: Hermione is obsessed with following rules and knows she could be expelled for inflicting a spell or curse on another student. She isn't someone who gives in to her emotional impulses. For Hermione, reasoning, calmness, and logic always prevail. She may also have been bluffing and only wanted to frighten Draco, knowing he is a coward.
10th Sep 2023
The Disaster Artist (2017)
Question: The producer in the restaurant scene, played by Judd Apatow, who rudely tells Tommy that he's never going to make it big - was he a real person? If so, did he ever see "The Room" and bump into Tommy since?
4th Sep 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: How did Hermione realise they were in the Shrieking Shack?
Answer: The Shrieking Shack was actually well-known to everyone. The dilapidated house was located near Hogsmeade and was believed to be haunted, as wails and screams were regularly heard. There wasn't another similar-type house in the area, and Hermione, being very smart, merely deduced that based on their location from the Whomping Willow tree, that was where they were.
2nd Sep 2023
Gilligan's Island (1964)
2nd Sep 2023
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: This question could be for the movie and book since I don't remember it being answered in the book. Why has Snape continued to live in his childhood house? It's in a predominantly Muggle neighborhood, and his childhood was unhappy.
Answer: Interesting comment. I live in my childhood home, which I love and will never sell, even though it was not a particularly happy childhood. I've always separated family issues from other good memories and the house itself. Maybe Snape does the same and finds some comfort in familiar things. It was his father who was abusive, not his mother, so he may associate the house with her or even with Lily, his childhood friend he came to love.
I think Lily is a big reason. They grew up in the area, and they probably spent summer holidays together before Lily ended their friendship.
29th Aug 2023
Red Dawn (2012)
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.
29th Aug 2023
Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981)
Question: What was the reason why the two divers at the start of the film chose to go down into the sunken boat to strip and make love? Of all places, why do it there?
26th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Question: How is it possible that Harry has no problems with trusting Alastor Moody in this movie? At the end of the previous movie, he discovered that "Moody" was an evil imposter who conspired against him. He only saw the real Moody briefly when he was trapped inside his trunk and didn't even interact with him. So how come he isn't distrustful/suspicious towards him if he barely knows him?
Answer: How can Harry trust anyone, knowing they could be a Polyjuice imposter? The rest of The Order of the Phoenix trust Moody, and that has to be enough for Harry.
But in the book, he remembers that "Moody" was fake.
And was caught and replaced with the real Moody.
Still, it would have made much more sense if Harry said, "Professor Moody? Is that really you?" and Moody replied, "Yes, it's really me, the real Alastor Moody, not this cheap imposter."
Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that any evil wizard attempting to gain proximity to Harry by using Polyjuice potion would be unlikely to impersonate "Mad-Eye" Moody, as the real one would now be closely scrutinized and vetted by the Order.
But there is another issue. Harry acts as if he knew Moody very well, despite never interacting with him before.
As mentioned, Harry was present when the real Moody was rescued at the end of "Goblet of Fire." He likely had interaction with him immediately following that event and then later, even though it's not shown on screen. He also knows Moody by his colourful reputation and that Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix fully trust him.
He didn't interact with Moody in the previous movie because Moody was in a bad mental state due to being trapped for a whole year. It took Moody some time to recover from this trauma.
Answer: And why shouldn't Harry trust Moody? He was a loyal member of the Order Of The Phoenix. Barty Crouch Jr., who impersonated Moody, was sent back to Azkaban. And even though Harry hardly knows him, he knows well enough that Moody is there to help him.
26th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: Do the teachers have a way of checking that other teachers awarded or deducted points for appropriate reasons? For example, Snape called Hermione "an insufferable know-it-all" and took five points from Gryffindor. I remember him doing that in the book also.
Answer: Adding on to the response by RayWest: In the books, it's common for the teachers to deduct or award five to ten points (twenty or more if the student has done something especially good or bad). The Heads of House are probably not suspicious about most incidents of someone winning or losing these smaller amounts.
Answer: I remember that the four giant hourglasses (one for each House) that is located in the entrance hall magically added and deleted House points by using different-colored gemstones. Even though it was done automatically as soon as a teacher awarded or deducted points, they were also supposed to report it to the House heads and would give their reasons.
23rd Aug 2023
Awakenings (1990)
23rd Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Question: When Hermione tells Harry and Ron that Neville has a partner for the dance, why doesn't she tell them that it's Ginny, Ron's own sister?
Answer: Because it's not really her place to tell them anything. She probably enjoys keeping them guessing, particularly Ron, and wants them to find out for themselves, which will surprise them even more. I don't remember how it was in the book, but for the movie, it sets up the scene for the audience to be surprised as well.
20th Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
19th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: The pure-blood extremists, such as the Malfoy family, don't want Muggle-born children to attend magic schools. However, wouldn't this cause Muggle-borns to be out in the world, accidentally doing magic, without supervision? For example, the things that Harry did before his eleventh birthday.
Answer: Yes, but the pure-bloods don't care what happens in the Muggle world. What damage they do in the Muggle world, they don't do in the wizarding world. They don't want Muggle-borns to be called wizards; they think they are too weak to train in wizardry. If they stay in the Muggle world, they don't have to deal with them.
Answer: In the "Deathly Hallows" book, the Ministry of Magic, now controlled by Voldemort, has a statue that depicts a witch and wizard sitting on mounds of Muggle bodies. Some of the extremists might want to exterminate Muggles or force them into servitude.
20th Aug 2023
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Question: After the incident at the zoo, on Dudley's birthday, Harry is restricted to his cupboard until after the summer holidays start (see beginning of Chapter Three). If Dudley's birthday is before the holidays, then why does Mrs. Figg normally watch Harry that day (except this year)? Any year when Dudley's birthday was not on a weekend, Harry could have simply gone to school as usual.
Answer: Harry has already experienced a few magical incidents, as children from Muggle families usually do. For example, changing a teacher's wig hair to a blue color. If Dudley's birthday is on a school day, his parents probably don't want the risk of a problem at school. It's easier to make Harry stay with Mrs. Figg all day.
Answer: As I recall, Mrs. Figg had broken her leg so she was unable to watch Harry. The Dursleys were then forced to take Harry to the zoo for Dudley's birthday.
That is not the question. The question is why she has been watching Harry every other year, except for this time (due to her injury). If Dudley's birthday happens before the summer holidays begin, why has she been watching Harry during the years when Dudley's birthday is a school day? Harry could have just gone to school.
Thank you for clarifying as your original question was rather confusing. I was assuming that Dudley's birthdays were not celebrated on an actual school day, but later on the weekends and that is why Mrs. Figg watched Harry. I don't think Dudley would be staying home from school every year on his B-Day.
20th Aug 2023
Valkyrie (2008)
Question: Why did Stauffenberg have to put in his prosthetic eye whenever he had to be in Hitler's presence?
Answer: In real life, Stauffenberg regularly switched from wearing his glass eye and an eye patch. He wore the glass eye when meeting with senior officers, not only Hitler. At other times, he used the eye patch. This was attributed to the glass eye probably being uncomfortable. Presumably, he did not want to appear handicapped or weak to his superiors. He may also have felt the eye patch was a distraction or looked less dignified.
17th Aug 2023
Jaws 2 (1978)
Question: Why did Roy Scheider and Jeannot Szwarc dislike each other during filming?
Answer: There appears to be a number of reasons. When Scheider signed onto the project, there was a different director and a script that he liked. He disliked the changes and had creative differences with new director Szwarc, who he felt spent too much time filming scenes with the kid actors.
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Answer: Co-director John Musker was asked this on Facebook. He said that they had Eric wash up barefoot because they thought he looked more like he'd "been through Hell", and didn't really think about how or why his boots came off.