Phaneron

9th Feb 2004

The Ring (2002)

Question: When does Rachel realise if she shows the film to someone else she won't die? And if she knew, is that why she showed it to Noah, to kill him on purpose?

Answer: At the end of the movie, she is crying about why she wasn't killed and Noah was. She vocalizes "What did I do, that he didn't?" That's when she sees the copy she made. It wasn't that she just showed it to someone else. She made a copy and Aiden watched that copy. Aiden is why it skipped her.

Almost right. It's just the copy. Copying the video makes it skip you. That's why she has Aiden make a copy as well.

lionhead

You have to show the copy to someone else as well. That's why Aiden asks Rachel at the very end "What about the person we show it to? What happens to them?"

Phaneron

But doesn't he have less than a day left by then? Hardly a time to relax, they need to make a terrible decision, quickly. I always had the idea making a copy was enough because of that.

lionhead

He watched the tape the morning of either Rachel's 4th or 5th day, so he should have at least 3 days left by this point. Though it appears the film was being inconsistent with the markings that Samara leaves on the tape's viewers, since Rachel noticed Samara's hand print on Aiden's arm and then his nose started bleeding. For Rachel, she got her nosebleed before receiving the mark on her arm.

Phaneron

Actually, you need to do both: make a copy and show it to someone else. This is further explained in The Ring 2. At the beginning, the guy had made a copy but since the girl covered her eyes and didn't watch the whole thing, he was still killed by Samara. So making a copy is not enough in itself to be spared if no-one else watches it. The same goes for Rachel. She made a copy on the 2nd day, but Becca tells her she only has 4 days left when she visits the psych ward indicating she hadn't been spared yet. It's only after Aidan watches the copy she made that death skips her for good.

Answer: Rachel doesn't know that showing the film to someone else will cause you not to die until death skips her. She remembers that Samara wanted to be "heard". She never meant to kill Noah.

Ginger Painter

Answer: No, it's wrong. Just making a copy won't save you; you need to show it to someone else, and then this someone else is cursed instead of you. The Japanese movie explains it well. Plus, in the official second movie, a man dies from Samara after making the copy because nobody watched it. Also, at the end of the 1st movie, Aiden asks from the copy, "What will happen to the one who will watch it?"

7th Nov 2019

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Question: Loki was very edgy when Thor returned to Asgard and while I know why, why didn't Thor see through his disguise when he went to Asgard at the end of Age of Ultron?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Loki, in the guise of Odin, might have instructed Thor to go to another world when he returned to Asgard. What tipped Thor off that Loki was impersonating Odin in this movie was Surtur previously telling him that Odin was not on Asgard, and then Thor returning to Asgard to see Odin with a carefree and hedonistic attitude despite the Nine Realms having plunged into chaos, all the while watching a play that was glorifying Loki.

Phaneron

Question: Was there an explanation in-film, or perhaps in the comics, why Thanos (and even Hulk and Iron Man) had to physically snap his finger to get rid of half the population? He seemed to be powerful enough to be able to wield the power of the stones with just his mind. I don't remember him having to snap any fingers to instantly change reality, etc. Shouldn't he have just been able to think about wiping out half the population?

Bishop73

Answer: The gems are so powerful together nobody could wield all of them directly, not even Thanos. The glove is especially made that they can be worked in unison. But there are limitations, since they are being operated indirectly. It's like the staff Loki was using with the mind gem inside. He had to physically touch people with the staff to take control of them. Same goes with Ronin using the Power gem to destroy Xandar, he had to physically touch the ground with his hammer to use it. Same goes for the glove, you have to physically use it to use the gems inside it. He has to do this to to use any of the powers of the gems, he closes his hand into a fist to use one of the powers. The snap is for using all of them at once.

lionhead

Answer: In the comics, the Infinity Stones (where they are known as the Infinity Gems) do not require gestures such as snapping to carry out of the desires of the wielder. They simply respond to that person's will. In the comics, Thanos does indeed snap his fingers in order to wipe out half of all life in the universe, but that was more of a visual gesture for the readers. The Stones in the films are significantly less powerful, as it would no doubt make Thanos virtually unstoppable if all he had to do to use the power of the Stones was think about what he wanted them to do. In the comics, Thanos is defeated by his own notion of being unworthy of omnipotence. The Gems in the comics also do not kill their wielder from an overwhelming amount of power.

Phaneron

3rd Nov 2019

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Question: Why does Widow winship have a cut on her belly?

Answer: She was pregnant. The Horseman stabbed her in the belly to also kill her unborn child. This is why Magistrate Phillips tells Ichabod that there are 5 bodies in 4 graves and why Ichabod subsequently performs an autopsy on the widow's corpse.

Phaneron

3rd Nov 2019

Sin City (2005)

Question: Why did Becky lead Rafferty and his friends into a trap? They went to Old Town looking for some fun and weren't causing any trouble at the time.

Answer: She wasn't leading them into a trap. He was stalking and harassing her despite the fact that she was repeatedly rebuffing his advances. The girls of Old Town look out for each other, so when Rafferty pulled his gun on Becky and told her to get in his car, he sealed his own fate.

Phaneron

7th Oct 2019

Daredevil (2003)

Question: When Matt Murdock becomes blind his other senses are enhanced. Is this possible in reality?

Answer: Not to the extent in the show, of course, but it can absolutely happen to an extent: https://www.livescience.com/58373-blindness-heightened-senses.html. In short the brain is quite "plastic" and good at redirecting its resources where needed. Not being able to see can "free up" brain power and improve other areas. Only up to a point, of course.

Jon Sandys

Answer: Not blindness, but the same principle applies. I know a deaf comedienne that doesn't like people to use flash photography at her shows because she relies on her eyesight to help compensate for her diminished sense of hearing, and the flashing can mess with her senses.

Phaneron

7th Oct 2019

Joker (2019)

Question: Spoiler! The scene at the very end, with Arthur locked up talking to the doctor/social worker - is that meant to be later, after he's been captured again, or is it a flashback to when he was hospitalised before, as was referenced earlier in the movie?

Jon Sandys

Answer: This is later, as the building appears to be Arkham. He's committed there instead of going to jail based on his insanity. It appears he is laughing about the death of Thomas Wayne, we see a flash of that scene again for a reason.

lionhead

Chosen answer: I think it's meant to be deliberately ambiguous. I took at as him being locked up for his crimes, but others have commented that they think he was always locked up and the entire movie takes place in his head.

Phaneron

4th Oct 2018

The Predator (2018)

Question: The movie Predator, is supposedly canon to only the first Predator film and never acknowledges the second film from even happening. Sort of a Superman Returns deal where it's a sequel to an earlier film, retconning the later films. This movie, however, acknowledges both of the first films but nothing about Predators is ever mentioned. But considering the premise of Predators, maybe just nobody in the film researching these aliens knows about the events of that film, however unlikely. So my question is this movie canon with all 3 previous films, or does it not count Predators?

Quantom X

Answer: Well, in the case of Predators, it was violent criminals, mercenaries and military being randomly kidnapped and dumped on an alien planet. From the perspective of humans, it would appear that the criminals and mercenaries had gone missing in a more mundane fashion or simply died. If the Predators were covert about it, the Predator researchers would not be suspicious at all. So it's entirely possible it's canon.

Answer: The second film is actually subtly acknowledged by Jake Busey playing a scientist named Keyes, implying that he is the son of Peter Keyes from the second film who was played by his father Gary.

Phaneron

5th Sep 2019

The Predator (2018)

Question: Why would the main character send the obviously dangerous and unstable alien tech to his house? I could see no other reason then to just simply get the plot to move along but it's obvious he doesn't have a consistent stable relationship with his son and wife - why send the tech there? And on top of that with no explanation to them as to what it is? On top of that he seemed like he was a respected member of the military - there was no reason for him to go against that and hide this information.

tlaxio

Answer: He actually states that he sent it to a P.O. box because he didn't want it at his wife's house and potentially endanger her. But since he hadn't been paying his P.O. box fees, the postman brought the box along with some other mail to the house.

Phaneron

Answer: McKenna states that he assumed his estranged wife would just put the box with the rest of his stuff and leave it alone. He doesn't trust sending it to anyone else because they might open the box and have questions. As you suggest, it is indeed quite an egregious plot contrivance because why would his wife be any less prone to open his mail than anyone else? And in fact, Rory does open the box so the plan didn't even work. McKenna hides the tech from the military because he wants the credit for discovering alien life, and he also fears the government will try to cover up the discovery, which of course they do.

BaconIsMyBFF

1st Oct 2019

The Simpsons (1989)

Answer: They simply didn't like the real Seymour Skinner. He was headstrong and didn't vibe with the townsfolk. Armin was a pushover who didn't really rock the boat, so to speak, so they wanted to keep him around to maintain the previous status quo.

Phaneron

30th Sep 2019

Forrest Gump (1994)

Question: Given what a brute Jenny's boyfriend is at the hippie party, why would everyone just stare silently at Forrest when all he did was deck the jerk, merely defending her?

Rob245

Answer: He disrupted the Black Panthers' meeting and assaulted one of their members (or at least someone allied to their cause).

Phaneron

Question: How did Ronnie do what he did to the guy who was about to sack him during the Groveton game? Is that even possible?

Answer: Yes, it is possible. He lowers his body and uses the opposing player's own momentum to flip him over his back. I don't know the official name of it, but I've seen it performed by NHL players and the announcers called it "submarining."

Phaneron

27th Sep 2019

Mr. Bean (1989)

Answer: There isn't anyone in particular that is credited with the role on IMDb. Given that Mr. Bean's encounters with the car usually ended with that car being run off the road, the person behind the wheel is not an actor, but a stunt driver.

Phaneron

26th Sep 2019

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Question: Where was Gamora during the funeral scene and when the Guardians leave at the end. Was she just hiding on earth or something?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: This version of Gamora had abandoned Thanos, but she is also not a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, so she flees to parts unknown. There's an alternate version of the scene when Tony dies showing all the heroes bowing to him, with Gamora looking back at Tony momentarily before heading off all by herself.

Phaneron

25th Sep 2019

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Question: What would have been the legal status of Widow Winship's unborn baby if the Horseman hadn't killed her or the baby?

Answer: Van Garrett amended his will naming the widow Winship as his beneficiary, so had the child been born, she likely would have been the heir apparent of the widow.

Phaneron

But, what would the legal status of the baby be?

They were married in secret before they were killed, so the baby would have been legitimate.

Legal as in what? If she's born on U.S. soil and her mother lives as well, then she's a protected citizen entitled to her father's name and whatever rights a female would have been granted by the U.S. Constitution at the time. If the mother dies, she presumably becomes a ward of the state until someone adopts her.

Phaneron

Not sure why I decreed the baby to be female as I don't think the film ever specified its gender, but the same basic things would apply to a male baby as well, possibly even more so since men had more rights back then.

Phaneron

25th Sep 2019

The Mist (2007)

Question: Why didn't the insect that landed on Mrs. Carmody attack her?

Answer: She remained calm. If a spider was crawling on your arm and you flailed your arm in response, it might instinctively bite you.

Phaneron

Question: Why doesn't JJJ look like himself? True he's being played by JK Simmons but here he's bald without the trademark Jameson hairstyle.

Rob245

Answer: This is a different version of JJJ, not the one from the previous Spiderman movies, just like PP.

lionhead

Thanks folks though it's still weird looking since he should have his brush top look.

Rob245

I agree. But I'm already glad it's JK Simmons and not some other actor.

lionhead

Answer: The general movie-going audience doesn't always know the difference between MCU movies and movies that are based on Marvel properties made by other studios. Jameson's different look might have been done to avoid confusing fans into thinking that this iteration of Spider-Man is somehow connected to the Sam Raimi films.

Phaneron

Question: Bit of a silly question, but what happened to Felicity Shagwell? She appears to have disappeared after the Spy Who Shagged Me, did Austin just forget about her?

Answer: Felicity Shagwell was originally in the beginning of Austin Powers in Goldmember, but her scene was cut from the final film and has not appeared on any DVD releases. Because of that we do not actually know the reason why she decided to leave Austin.

Answer: There were 2 Austins at the end of the 2nd film, that being said past Austin stayed with her and the other Austin left to the future to fight against Dr. Evil.

Answer: Just like most Bond Girls, she was swept aside in favor of a new love interest in the sequel. Had they made a fourth movie, they likely would not have brought Beyonce back either.

Phaneron

26th Mar 2019

General questions

I need help identifying the title of a book. My brother was reading it in the mid-90s, and the only thing I remember him telling me about it was two gruesome deaths: one of a character getting hit in the face with a spiked baseball bat, and the other being a character I think was named Eddie who is decapitated by a wire while he is riding a motorbike. I could have swore that it was "The In Crowd" by Christopher Pike, but no such book appears in his bibliography, nor does there seem to be any adult fiction novel with that name. I seem to recall that the cover of the book depicted a teen girl sitting at a computer with a distressed look on her face.

Phaneron

Answer: Found the answer. The book is "The In Crowd" by Nicholas Pine.

Phaneron

18th Sep 2019

General questions

I'm looking for the title of the movie where the lead character has a string of partners who after they break up then go on to meet the person they marry, and it really bums him/her (can't remember) out. It's like they're the person everyone has to date to figure out what they really want in life.

Answer: Sounds like it could be "Good Luck Chuck" with Dane Cook and Jessica Alba.

Phaneron

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