raywest

25th Apr 2025

Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

Question: How did Tom keep getting out of the bio-bed if he was asleep and locked in?

Answer: The bio-chambers could be opened from the inside and exited if needed. The induced stasis was not intended as a deep sleep or long-term, but only temporary to protect the crew while traveling through hostile space conditions. External circumstances could awaken crew members. Tom was claustrophobic and highly nervous about undergoing stasis. His anxiety may have prevented a deeper sleep. Tom was essentially sleepwalking and had no memory of leaving the bio-chamber.

22nd Apr 2025

Notting Hill (1999)

Question: When William says, "Apart from the American, I've only loved two girls, both total disasters," Max replies, "That's not fair." What did he mean? William is technically right. Does Max think William is generalising?

Answer: He means it's hard to judge from only dating three women. Plus, he meant that American and British women are totally different, so one cannot compare the two.

Answer: I took it to mean that Max was probably unlucky in love and couldn't even claim to have had one significant relationship and was envious that William has loved three girls, even if two relationships were disasters.

17th Apr 2025

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Question: At the end of the movie, Charles and Carrie decide to spend the rest of their lives together without being married. If Charles loves Carrie so much and wants to spend the rest of his life with her, why doesn't he just marry her?

Answer: I've been with my girlfriend for 25 years, and we are not married. You do not need to marry someone to love them.

Answer: Carrie had just gone through a divorce, and Charles had left a woman at the altar. They were both kind of soured on the idea of marriage.

Answer: I don't recall if it was determined whether or not they eventually married. The end showed them together with their baby and implied that they had married by then.

He specifically asked her not to be his wife.

17th Apr 2025

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Question: If Carrie loves Hamish so much, why does she still hang out and sleep with Charles?

Answer: Carrie was immediately attracted to Charles and gave in to her passion; she even said she thought they had a missed opportunity. Most likely, she never truly loved Hamish, was attracted to his status and wealth, and probably believed it would work out. Carrie really didn't know what Hamish was like.

24th Mar 2025

Back to the Future (1985)

Question: Did Crispin Glover audition for the role of Marty before being cast as George?

Answer: According to online sources, he did not. Glover was only considered for the role of George McFly. Michael J. Fox was always the first choice, but other actors did audition. Eric Stoltz was cast as Marty when Fox was unavailable due to his TV show commitment. Stoltz was later fired, and Fox was able to take over the role.

9th Apr 2025

Malcolm in the Middle (2000)

Question: Do they ever say what Francis did to get sent to military school?

Answer: Apparently, nothing specific. He was just a difficult, combative, and destructive child.

10th Apr 2025

The Substance (2024)

Question: Although it's not officially stated or mentioned, the movie definitely takes place in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the time-lapse sequence of Elizabeth's Walk of Fame star, there's a wintery part with snow covering the walkway. Is it realistic to depict snow in Southwest California, especially in LA?

Answer: It's rare, but it has occurred in Los Angeles and the surrounding area, particularly along Sunset Boulevard. However, according to online sources, the last time mentioned was 1949. Update: there was a report of light scattered snowfall in 2019.

9th Apr 2025

Malcolm in the Middle (2000)

Question: Why does Jane Kaczmarek's name come first in the credits instead of Frankie Muniz, who plays the title character?

Answer: Kaczmarek was an established name actor and therefore given top billing. Muniz was a juvenile, lesser-known talent with mostly minor roles in other film projects.

24th Feb 2006

Match Point (2005)

Question: Is Nola really pregnant? She's taking medicine and the police say nothing about a pregnancy to Chris, when they show him Nola's diary.

Answer: No, she's not pregnant.

Wasn't there a clip of her with a positive pregnancy test? But in saying that, surely she would have written about it in her diary, and it would have shown up on her autopsy.

Answer: Yes, she was pregnant. At the end, Mrs. Eastby's ghost confronts Chris about killing his unborn child by murdering Nola. This was intended as a literary plot device known as "exposition." It tells the audience that Nola was pregnant and that Chris, by his response, knew it was true, making his crime even more heinous.

Mrs. Eastby's ghost could just as easily be conjured up by Chris's own mind, which means that "she" wouldn't know anything that Chris wouldn't know. If you're going to be snarky, it helps to have thought through the possibilities a bit better.

24th Mar 2025

Match Point (2005)

Question: What's the story with Chris's accent? It certainly doesn't sound Irish.

Answer: Chris came from a lower-class Irish background. My take is, he was an ambitious social climber and minimised his natural Irish accent for a more gentile one to fit in with the English upper-classes that he was mingling with and eventually married into.

29th Mar 2025

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Question: A bit morbid one, but there's a broken off - therefore missing - piece of Chip's teacup "body." Shouldn't he miss that part from his human body as well when the curse is gone?

Answer: Not necessarily. There's no indication in the film that every part, feature, or molecule of their furniture bodies is equivalent to one on their human bodies. When they're changed back to their human form, they don't need to "match."

Answer: Chip, a small child, had probably lost a baby tooth before he was transformed into a teacup, and that was the missing piece. So, not morbid at all. (I just checked some online photos of human Chip, and he is missing a front tooth.)

24th Mar 2025

House, M.D. (2004)

Question: What is the episode where a woman who used to be obese and lost the weight learned that her being skinny is what's killing her?

Answer: Sounds like the season 5, episode 10, "Let Them Eat Cake."

24th Mar 2025

Timecop (1994)

Question: In the fight at Walker's apartment, wouldn't the shoes worn by the guy with the taser ground him, making him immune to the shock that killed him?

Answer: Shoes do not guarantee protection from electrocution. Very thick rubber soles might be somewhat effective in certain situations, but regular shoes combined with water on the floor and being zapped with 50,000 volts is likely lethal.

24th Mar 2025

Taken (2008)

Question: How did the Albanian traffickers manage to gain entry into Amanda's apartment building so quickly?

Answer: It's not shown, but they could have picked the lock or broken in by force, taking Amanda by surprise before she could react. They may simply have knocked on the door, and Amanda opened it. Also, the girls might have been careless and left the door unlocked. These guys were ruthless and highly experienced at snatching young girls, so there are any number of possibilities.

24th Mar 2025

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Question: It has to be an opium dream because - how can a suitcase remain in a locker in Grand Central or Penn Station for 35 years?

Answer: It couldn't have been left there for that long. That's movie fiction. It would have been removed after a few days, maybe a week, then likely placed in "Lost and Found" for a period of time before being discarded or sold off.

24th Mar 2025

Anastasia (1997)

Question: How was young Anastasia never aware of the secret door in her room? You would think her family would have told her about it since secret doors were often built into castles and palaces for the safety of royal families.

Answer: There may have been some concern that young Anastasia might try to leave the palace to go exploring, could carelessly reveal the secret to someone, or sneak someone into her room. There's any number of reasons. She probably would have been told about it when she was older and more trustworthy with information.

24th Mar 2025

Die Hard (1988)

Question: What about Al's driving made John question if Stevie Wonder was driving? Later on in the bathroom, he states, "The way you drove that car, I figured you for the streets." What exactly is wrong with his driving?

Answer: At first, John made the mocking Stevie Wonder remark because Al drove up to the Nakatomi Building very slowly and leisurely after John's frantic emergency call to the police. He expected a forceful police response. Later, John is referring to how Al had suddenly flown into action and expertly drove the cop car backwards after the dead body hit the hood/windshield. John meant that Al must have been a patrol cop skilled at high-speed driving. Al responded by saying, "In my youth."

24th Mar 2025

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Question: Why does Han think that Luke "can't even take care of himself, much less rescue anybody"? They rescued Leia from the Death Star together, and they fought in the Rebel Alliance together for three years after that, before Han was frozen.

Answer: Han doesn't actually believe that about Luke, but he still considers him something of a young kid. Han, unaware of Luke's Jedi skills, is skeptical that Luke alone can defeat Jabba's entire force.

24th Mar 2025

Taken (2008)

Question: When Sam is speaking with Bryan and Lenore on the phone at Stuart's mansion, he says the one Bryan spoke to over the phone is named Marko. How was Sam able to confirm that Bryan was indeed speaking to Marko?

Answer: The trick is, they are all called Marko, as Bryan finds out when he meets them. "Marko" is just a cover name for them all to hide their identities. Sam knew this was part of the gang's signature, although failing to mention the name wouldn't help further.

Answer: Sam likely used voice recognition software to identify Marko's voice on the recording Bryan made while he was still on the cell with Amanda, in addition to other intelligence information he would have access to.

9th Mar 2016

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Question: At the opening of the movie, when it shows the wagon in the river, what is the white thing in the water toward the right of the screen near the bank? At first it looks like rapids, but looking closer it looks more like something rolling in the water.

Answer: A barrel.

Answer: Don't disagree with the other answer, but I watched the scene a few times, and it looks like it could also be a chunky piece of a log bobbing around in the water.