Question: In a few episodes, the FBI agents will walk into a room and say "smell that?" and the reply is "shots fired", supposedly because they can smell the distinct odor of burnt gunpowder. Then they'll look behind a desk and find a dead body in a pool of blood. But wouldn't the smell of a dead person, or the blood, be way more overpowering? Or would it take too long for a dead body to start to smell? And how long would the smell of gunfire in an enclosed room last?
raywest
24th Jun 2024
Numb3rs (2005)
23rd Jun 2024
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Question: Why wasn't Andromeda spread by the wind, killing birds, wildlife, and individuals in the area around Piedmont?
Answer: The satellite containing the Andromeda strain was recovered quickly, helping contain the contagion. Also, Piedmont was an isolated town, further limiting the spread. Dead birds and other animals were shown, but most would be happening off-camera. The scientists also learned later that Andromeda quickly mutated into a non-lethal form but one that caused certain synthetic materials to dissolve, creating further havoc. To eradicate the strain, clouds were seeded to produce rain, which swept Andromeda out to sea where the alkaline ocean water rendered it inert. Would add that movies at this time and before had stricter standard codes and did not show excessive blood and gore like they do today.
23rd Jun 2024
War of the Worlds (2005)
Question: In the end scene with the tripod that has no shield, what are the black tentacle things hanging from under the tripod?
23rd Jun 2024
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Question: Unless it's an oversight, how did the family get their pickup truck from town back to the farm where it was in the first movie without making any sound to alert the creatures?
23rd Jun 2024
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
23rd Jun 2024
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Question: Why did everyone at the baseball game decide to leave upon seeing the meteor descend from the sky?
Answer: It didn't look or act like a normal meteor streaking through the sky and burning up in the atmosphere. It was large, the fiery mass seemed suspended in air, and it was close enough to the ground that spectators, erring on the side of caution, sought shelter.
What does a "normal" flaming meteor look like? How many meteors do you think the people of a small town in upstate NY have seen? Don't know what you mean by "seemed suspended in air." It was passing over and would land miles away, posing zero threat to the people of the town.
1. Smaller and less fiery. 2. Probably lots on TV. 3. Means it was moving slower than a meteor would be expected to move. 4. They had no way of assessing the potential threat. As it turned out, it posed a very real threat to them.
10th Jun 2024
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Question: Why did Jack Albertson hate working with Shelley Winters when making this movie?
Answer: There's nothing specific reported about them, but other actors have also expressed disliking working with Shelley Winters. Stella Stevens, who was also in Poseidon, mentioned not getting along with Winters on another movie they made together because she was drinking at the time. Winters had a rather ditzy and brash personality that annoyed some people, which is probably what Albertson was referring to.
Moreover, Albertson once said, "The happiest moment making the movie for me was when she died."
18th Jun 2024
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: Why not take over this planet's cloning process instead of shutting it down and recruiting others to be Stormtroopers, when the clones were 100% obedient and loyal to the Emperor?
Answer: I think recruiting people is one of the sneaky ways of controlling the galaxy. Many Stormtroopers might have spouses and children back home. They could be receiving a tiny salary. Maybe some younger adults are eager to get away from their home planets, as Luke and Anakin both were. Still, others could be criminals who agreed to serve as Stormtroopers instead of another sentence (in "Game of Thrones", some convicted criminals can choose to join the Night's Watch order). These would all be ways to convince more citizens to support the Empire, instead of just training clones.
I'd like to add besides these points that it's possible the cloning process is just too slow and cumbersome for the Emperor. They were useful as shock troops, to fight droid armies. But their numbers were not great enough to cover the entire galaxy as a security force. This especially once the Rebel Alliance shows up. I'd say recruiting people gives him a much-needed manpower boost in a shorter time.
Answer: There would be serious moral and ethical issues about cloning sentient beings just to become mindless, obedient servants/slaves/killers to achieve your cause, regardless of its good intent.
But the Empire clearly doesn't really have moral/ethical issues about most stuff, so that's not really an argument.
Ray West mentions "mindless, obedient" servants, which is a good point. I think an army of "mindless" clones would actually be less effective. Instead, the Emperor claims that the Jedi wanted to overthrow the Senate. If he can persuade a decent number of people to support him, and spread his way of thinking, he can slowly gain more influence around the galaxy.
18th Jun 2024
Star Wars (1977)
Question: Why did the Emperor wait 20 years or so to dissolve the Senate?
Answer: Likely because it takes time. Fascist/autocratic takeovers usually happen with supporters gradually and strategically being inserted into key government roles at all levels. They then systematically begin dismantling democratic norms, enact new laws and regulations, eventually weakening the entire system for a complete takeover.
10th Jun 2024
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Question: Why did Billy Green Bush quit acting after starring in this movie?
Answer: It's not uncommon for a lot of actors to want to retire after being in movies and TV shows for so many years.
17th Jun 2024
Beetlejuice (1988)
Question: Whenever Beetlejuice is shown in the model cemetery that Adam made, does it mean that a "real" Beetlejuice is the real cemetery in the town?
Answer: No. It's not meant to be an exact replica of the town cemetery. Beetlejuice just inserted himself into it.
17th Jun 2024
Signs (2002)
Question: If the aliens were there to attack and kill people and spent some time getting ready, how did they not know about how to set a fire or smoke out families that barricaded themselves?
17th Jun 2024
Beetlejuice (1988)
Question: I hope this question is not too speculative, but why would it be bad for living people to learn about the afterlife? Juno tells Adam and Barbara that they can't let people find out.
Answer: Probably because people would go to extreme lengths to try and contact the dead. There would be a media frenzy. It would create a massive opportunity for shyster mediums to victimize living people who want to communicate with lost loved ones. Science would be turned upside down investigating it. There would be all kinds of religious issues and conflicts. People would want to commit suicide to leave unhappy lives. The dead would be hounded relentlessly and never able to "rest in peace" again.
10th Jun 2024
Ghostbusters (1984)
Question: When Gozer says, "Choose your destructor," Peter Venkman then says, "Whatever person or thing we think about, that's what'll appear to destroy us. If we think of J. Edgar Hoover, he'll appear to destroy us." Why then didn't a giant J. Edgar Hoover appear?
Answer: This question was huge in 1984 after the movie came out. The running theory was that Ray had already thought of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man before Venkman said his line. The delay in Gozer saying the choice was made was because she was determining if it was a viable choice.
9th Jun 2024
Charlie's Angels (1976)
Question: Did all six actresses get along with each other during the show's run, or was there some bad blood between some of them?
Answer: The original three (Jackson, Fawcett, Smith) apparently got along. It's well documented that Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd (Fawcett's replacement) often clashed. Jackson had a reputation of being the most difficult of all the Angel actresses, and Jacklyn Smith the nicest. Smith and Ladd are close friends to this day. There's nothing reporting that Shelly Hack or Tanya Roberts had any issues, though both were only on the show for one season each.
9th Jun 2024
General questions
Is there a general reason why American actors are chosen for starring roles as British characters, or vice versa? I've read about Renée Zellweger working at a British publishing firm to prepare for the Bridget Jones movie. Andrew Lincoln played a Southern US man on "The Walking Dead" for several years. Natalie Portman hired a coach to help her prepare for playing Anne Boleyn. With all due respect to them, would it not be easier to simply use an actual British or American actor?
Answer: Why "easier"? If an actor can do the right accent and is the best fit for the role, there's no great hardship in someone traveling for work and changing their voice. It's not like they're hiring someone with a completely inappropriate physical look that will involve hours in makeup every day. If the best person for the role happens to be a different nationality, far better to get them to do an accent and make the movie better, rather than hiring someone with the right natural accent but who isn't actually as good a fit. Producers and directors and casting directors don't owe it to actors of either nationality to give them work, their job is to find the best person for the film they're making.
Why the snappy response? This is why people are afraid to ask questions.
What was "snappy"? You used the word easier, I asked why. I didn't accuse you of implying anyone was owed work, I was just stating that as a fact. Slightly odd you'd reply "thank you for your comment" then later come back with your own "snappy" response, when I just answered the question you asked. No evidence anyone's afraid to ask question either - they get asked here all the time.
By "easier", I only meant that some of the preparation work might have been skipped by choosing someone who is already American or British. Also, I did not mean to imply that any actors are "owed" work. They're not. I was only curious about why actors are chosen for such roles. Thank you for your comment.
Even actors playing someone of their own nationality often have to work with a dialect coach to perfect a regional accent. An American actor who grew up on the West Coast does not speak the same as someone from New England, the Mid-West, the South, Texas, New York, etc. The same for British actors as there are many regional accents and dialects they may have to master.
Answer: Working Title Films tried for years to raise the finance to make "Bridget Jones' Diary", but nobody was interested, even with Rachel Weisz and later Kate Winslet attached as Bridget. Then one day Renée Zellweger signed on and Miramax and Universal threw money at them. This explains the many jarring Americanisms in the film, sops to the film's US financiers.
Answer: Would add to the other answers that it's typical when casting a movie there are usually multiple actors considered for a main role. Movies are a huge and risky financial investment, so for a big-budget film, it's usually a small pool of bankable A-list actors that are considered, regardless of their nationality. In the case of Bridget Jones' Diary, Helena Bonham-Carter, Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Toni Collette were considered. Some were already tied to other projects, Winslet was ultimately considered too young, Weisz was too pretty, and so on before producers landed on Zellweger. I also suspect some of these well-known actresses balked at playing a slightly overweight character that would have required them gaining weight for the role. Zellweger put on 20 lbs. To pay Bridget.
10th Jun 2024
Wonder Woman (1976)
Question: Did Lynda Carter wear a wig as Wonder Woman?
Question: At the end of The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies, Bilbo lied to Gandalf and said he lost the ring. In this movie, how did Gandalf know that Bilbo still had it?
9th Jun 2024
Goldfinger (1964)
Question: How did the CIA find out about the plot at Ft. Knox from the note Bond put in the "late" Mr. Solo's pocket after he was crushed inside the car and brought back to the farm to be "separated from the gold"?
Answer: This is actually addressed in the movie itself. When Felix asks James: "What made her call Washington?"
9th Jun 2024
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Question: In the part with the Harry Potter book, how did Andy copy two books from the original copy, also put the book's cover in one hour and deliver it to the twins on the train? How did she know the time of departure or what train? Also, why didn't she connect herself, the designer of the book cover? Her boss said that they know everybody in the business. Also, Andy said that author J.K. Rowling couldn't help, why is that?
Answer: The whole comic point was Miranda assigning Andy an impossible task just to fire her. Of course, IRL Andy could never have accomplished it, but it shows her resourcefulness in thwarting Miranda. The premise is, Christian obtained the unpublished manuscript from the graphic artist designing the U.S. book cover. Andy then rushed to a nearby photocopy shop to get it express-copied. The photocopies were bound with simple plain covers. Miranda was being sarcastic that Andy "knew" everyone in the business. The HP book publications were such a top-secret, high-security operation that Andy facetiously implied that even J.K. Rowling could not help her. Christian saying "one hour" was just a generalization. Also, Andy would know the twins' nanny, so a quick phone call would provide their travel plans so she could arrange a messenger service to deliver the copies.
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Answer: It takes 24-48 hours before a decaying body begins producing a decaying odor. It takes a number of days for it to intensify enough to be immediately noticeable when walking into a room.
raywest ★