Question: Why were the bank intruders digging a hole, finally reaching a large pipe?
raywest
7th Jul 2022
Inside Man (2006)
7th Jul 2022
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Question: When we first see Alan Grant, he and his team are excavating old dinosaur bones. Given that this is a time when Dinosaurs roam freely on earth, why is he even bothering? He could learn far more from simply studying a live dinosaur than its bones. And secondly, given that dinosaurs are alive and free, who is gonna have the slightest interest in bones that are millions of years old. I considered this a goof, but I'm opened to any explanations.
Answer: The live dinosaurs are genetically tweaked recreations, they're not the "pure" dinosaurs of the past, which would still be of great interest. Plus just like any other archaeology or historical study, there's always more to be learned about the past, and a great many people are interested in what the past has to teach us.
Answer: Agree with the other answer but would add that while to date about 1000 species of dinosaurs have been identified, it is believed there are at least 1,000 more types that existed and are still to be discovered and studied. Only a tiny fraction of the known species were cloned by In-Gen and Biosyn, and, as noted in the other answer, they are not genetically pure. Also, there is much to learn about dinosaurs' habitat, range, species evolution and decline, mating habits, health and diet, the existing climate at the time, and so on. That would be why paleontologists like Alan Grant continue digging.
Answer: The existing answers are good. In the movie, Alan Grant actually asked, "Why do we dig?" and answered his question, "Because paleontology is science [fossil animals and plants], and science is about the truth. And there is truth in these rocks." [00:20:52].
25th May 2004
The Great Escape (1963)
Question: Why is Hilts the only prisoner out of the 11 or so who are returned to the camp after the great escape the *only* one to be sent to the Cooler? Shouldn't the other escapees be sent there, too?
Answer: The other escapees undoubtedly faced some sort of punishment - Hilts was singled out for the Cooler as he caused the most disruption while free.
Answer: Hilts was a habitual prison camp escapee. No matter how many times he was recaptured and punished, he continued to escape, agitating the Germans. He was called the "Cooler King" because of how much time he spent in isolation. That is likely why his punishment was swifter and more severe than the other prisoners. There was also a limited number of cells, so not enough for every escapee to be punished at once. Hilts also caused quite a bit of mayhem before being recaptured. Of course, this is also a movie-making decision to focus on the main character Hilts to show that he is back where he always ends up-in the cooler.
23rd Jun 2022
The Firm (1993)
Question: Why did Mitch tell his firm about being contacted by the FBI in D.C.? What purpose does it serve him? It probably only attracted more attention to him.
Answer: He's not sure if he believes the FBI, and if they're telling the truth he doesn't want the Mafia discovering he'd been talking to law enforcement behind their back. This way he can avoid taking sides just yet.
I think he did it because he wasn't sure if he was being watched.
Answer: He knew the Firm was watching him and would probably learn about the meeting. To head off suspicion that he may be cooperating with the FBI, he voluntarily tells his superiors about it, all while acting naive and showing he has nothing to hide. He may also be displaying a (false) willingness to be drawn into any nefarious Firm activities, allowing him to learn more about it.
22nd Jun 2022
Evita (1996)
Question: In her death scene Evita sings a final solo and she cries out one line. What does she say? It sounds like "So soon" but I can't get the line. I've listened to the recording of both the film and the Broadway versions.
Answer: Within the movie version, when she is lying in bed singing her final song (titled "Lament"), I think you're referring to the words "how they shone, but how soon the lights were gone" near the end of this song. Also, the following may be helpful to you. This movie is available to watch free on Tubi. The full lyrics to the movie version of "Lament" are available here. For the "Lament" lyrics from the 1979 Broadway version, see here.
Answer: YouTube captions are often autogenerated and have no relation to what's actually being said.
I realise they are autogenerated, which is why I said that it "may" help to work out what the line was. While imperfect, they certainly are relevant to what is said. I've used it myself to figure out parts of movie dialogue. Also, streaming sites showing this movie might have closed captioned dialogue that is not auto-generated and is more accurate.
21st Jun 2022
Titanic (1997)
Question: How can Jack carry around a case of drawings without them rubbing together, and smudging the graphite or charcoal? Many modern artists will spray those mediums with hairspray or art fixative, but I don't think those were available in 1912.
Answer: Artists at that time could use fixatives to protect graphite or charcoal drawings. I had a small foldable metal sprayer for my drawings. The small metal tube is inserted into a bottle of fixative. The hinged top of the sprayer is bent at a 45-degree angle. As the liquid is wicked up through the tube, you blow through the bent part and it sprays the fixative onto the paper. It's a little hard to explain, but it works. There were also hand-pumped misting sprayers and atomizers (like the old-fashioned perfume bottles). Artists made their own fixative with shellac and isopropyl alcohol and also used clear casein (made from diluted egg whites) to paint over drawings.
10th Jun 2022
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Question: I know that, after Richard Harris died, Ian McKellen was considered to play Dumbledore, but he refused. Why did he reject this role?
Answer: McKellen said he turned it down for two reasons: first, he had already played a famous wizard (Gandalf) and didn't want to do it again; and second, he didn't want to take over a role from Richard Harris after Harris had called him a "dreadful actor."
To clarify, Harris never said that McKellen was "dreadful." He was quoted in an article as describing McKellen as a, "technically brilliant, but passionless" actor. He was also including Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi in that assessment and referred to them all as "nice actors" who were "careful." It was just his opinion about an acting style different from his own, which was more emotive.
15th Jun 2022
Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein (1948)
Question: Why would Dracula need to put Wilbur's brain in the body of Frankenstein's Monster? I understand the Count wanted a Monster who would be much more obedient and easier to control, however it seemed like the Monster was that way already; he would follow Dracula's commands with "Yes, Master." So what did Count Dracula need Wilbur for again?
Answer: The monster may have seemed obedient, but its overall behavior is unknown to us. It's possible that it was at times defiant, obstinate, or just didn't follow instructions completely or competently. It's also just a plot device for a silly movie. There has to be some reason, however flimsy, why Dracula wants Wilbur's brain.
15th Jun 2022
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Question: Originally Christian says that when his biological mother overdosed he was taken to the hospital which is where Grace, his adoptive mother finds him. Then near the end of Fifty Shades Freed, they see the picture of the foster family where he and Jack were in the same foster home in Michigan. How was he in a foster home in Michigan, if Grace took him and adopted him when he was at the hospital?
Answer: Christian mentions he was in and out of foster homes for various periods of time before his mother overdosed and died. She had likely cleaned up enough to where Christian was returned to her custody, but she then reverted to her old ways and became involved with an abusive man before overdosing. Christian then met Grace at the hospital.
15th Jun 2022
Secret Window (2004)
Question: Why did Mort/Shooter kill Chico the dog? I don't think he wanted to upset Amy, because she never finds out that Chico is dead. She calls his name when she takes the divorce papers to the lake house, where Mort/Shooter kills her.
Answer: "Shooter" (actually Mort), killed the dog as a threat and a warning to Mort, implying this will happen to him if he doesn't cooperate. Mort, as himself, has no recollection of doing this and believed "Shooter" was threatening his life. Mort then reports it to the sheriff, which only fed into his delusion that Shooter was real and shows he's losing his grip on reality. It wasn't about Amy.
2nd Jun 2022
Dr. No (1962)
2nd Jun 2022
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: Is this true that David Thewlis initially wanted to play professor Quirrell in this film before being cast as Lupin in the later movies?
30th May 2022
Red Dragon (2002)
30th May 2022
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Question: Where was Jackson when Shelby was dying?
Answer: He was at the hospital, often by her bedside. He signs the permission form to remove Shelby from life support. Later, at the cemetery, M'Lynn says she was the only one in the family able to remain in the room as Shelby passed. Jackson, Drum, and Shelby's two brothers were too emotionally devastated to stay and went to the waiting area. As in the entire movie, there was more focus on M'Lynn and Shelby's relationship and a mother's reaction to losing her daughter.
Thank you. I watched it again and saw that. I don't know how I missed it.
18th May 2022
The Village (2004)
Question: Why didn't the elders keep medication in the village? They walk about on the odd occasion in a costume, they could, say every year or so, get vital supplies of medication from a ranger. The ranger in the shack may be aware of the village. The Walker family was left with billions of pounds which created the village, hired the rangers and made a no fly zone. But with that money they didn't think to have one ranger who could throw over supplies on occasion, and pick it up under their costume.
Answer: The elders were committed to complete isolation, secrecy, and rejection of all modern things. They vowed never to contact the outside world. It's unclear how much the head ranger actually knew about the reserve, which would prevent information about the village from being spread once an employee leaves the job. Another factor, many medications require proper storage. The antibiotic that the junior ranger gave Ivy was refrigerated, and the village had no electricity whatsoever. Also, delivering medical and other supplies would cause the younger villagers, who knew nothing about the modern world, to ask probing questions about what everything was, how it was made, where did it come from, and why couldn't they go there. This really boils down to the movie being one huge unbelievable plot hole that makes little sense.
16th May 2022
The Time Machine (1960)
16th May 2022
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Question: Why did Mackenzie and Jake split up because Lurlynn said he knew he needed more than an apology to win her back and when she visits the dog's grave Jake says he told Bear it was his fault? Was it just the pregnancy that split them up?
Answer: I believe you mean Melanie, not "McKenzie." A variety of factors split them apart. They had married barely out of high school because Melanie became pregnant. The marriage and pregnancy had derailed Melanie's career goals and plans to move to New York. Jake was content with where he was. He also never felt he was good enough for Melanie and that she would not have married him if she hadn't gotten pregnant. After Melanie miscarried, Jake believed he was only holding her back if they stayed together. He blamed himself for not fighting hard enough to prove that he loved her and was worthy. That motivated him to start his successful business.
15th May 2022
Game of Thrones (2011)
Question: Why were so many actors in this show recast? If the showrunners knew they would be using certain characters for multiple seasons, then why not lock them in long term?
Chosen answer: Considering the show was in production for nearly a decade, it is hardly surprising that many characters were recast. Actors constantly move on to other jobs, creating scheduling conflicts. Some may not want to be tied to one project for so long a period, particularly for relatively minor roles that paid little money. As some characters became more prominent, the producers did recast a few roles with better-known actors. For example, Max Von Sydow replaced the actor who originally played the Three-eyed Raven. Some actors voluntarily left for personal reasons. Jennifer Ehle was originally cast to play Catelyn Stark but dropped out because she'd recently given birth. Other actors claimed they were replaced for "political" reasons. Here is a website with a rundown of which actors were replaced and why: https://screenrant.com/game-thrones-characters-recast-new-actors-every-why/.
14th May 2022
Copycat (1995)
Question: Does Holly Hunter survive? I assumed she had a bulletproof vest on, but maybe not. She seems to have sunk to the ground after having shot the killer.
Answer: She lives to shoot the killer thereby saving Helen. She only plays dead. Or was knocked unconscious. After all she was shot more than once. The vest may have saved her life but it didn't stop her from being out of action for a time.
Answer: She was shown with the vest on before going out that night. She said something like makes my wonder bra obsolete.
12th May 2022
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Question: How did Athos realise that Raoul's death was actually planned by Louis? How could he know that the king wanted his son to die?
Answer: To add to the answers, Raoul himself mentions that he's been recalled to the front and says that he couldn't make Christine a widow. Meaning that by going to the front, both Louie and Raoul knew that the chances of him getting killed were very high leaving Louis free to have Christine.
Answer: But it is later revealed that Louis deliberately set it up in order to get Raoul killed. Christine becomes Louis' mistress after finding out about Raoul's death.
Answer: Athos knew the king well enough that he was returning Raoul to battle solely so he could pursue Christine, Raoul's fiancée, as his mistress. The king presumed Raoul would be killed by having him placed in a dangerous position at the front. Although Raoul subsequently died, he conceivably could have survived. After becoming Louis' mistress, Christine later wrote to someone in the military who revealed it was the king who issued the order to have Raoul placed at the battlefront. Christine, distraught, considered his actions to be murder; arguably the king mostly wanted Raoul out of the way, though he still was responsible. Louis had no long-term interest in Christine and had a continual succession of mistresses, soon becoming bored with them.
But it is later revealed that Louis deliberately set it up in order to get Raoul killed. Christine becomes Louis' mistress after finding out about Raoul's death.
Answer: The hole was a makeshift toilet in the hiding space where Dalton Russell stayed until he exited the bank some days later. One of the robbers, while it's being dug, comments about it being used for that purpose.
raywest ★