Question: Why does Zamira (Bucho's henchwoman) have no lines of dialogue? Is she mute? Or was it done to make her character enigmatic?
TedStixon
26th Jul 2022
Desperado (1995)
10th Jul 2022
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Question: I read somewhere that Rooney Mara almost quit acting after starring in this movie. Is this true? And what was the reason for her to consider quitting acting?
Answer: She has confirmed this is very true - she did almost quit acting after making this movie. While she didn't come right out and say it, she basically heavily hinted that she thought the movie was absolutely awful (which I'll admit I agree with), and she found it disheartening and discouraging since she was mostly getting offers for other similar low-quality films. She's even flat-out said she didn't want to make this movie... she just took it to have a job. But after doing it, she realised she didn't want to just keep doing a bunch of bad movies, so she contemplated quitting acting altogether. Then she got the script for "The Social Network," and it reinvigorated her spirit and made her decide not to quit.
28th Apr 2020
Malcolm in the Middle (2000)
Question: Why was Otto suddenly written out?
Answer: Because the actor died unfortunately.
He actually died five years after the show ended. It was because he had cancer and was going through treatment, and was physically unable to continue doing some of his roles.
22nd Jun 2022
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Question: Pinhead and the other Cenobites have no memory of their human lives. When Channard is being turned into a Cenobite, how come he still retains his memories?
Answer: In general, the Channard cenobite seems different from the others. Ex. He seems directly linked to Leviathan through the (rather phallic) stalk/tube. It's entirely possible that his transformation was different all around, and keeping his memory was part of his individual process. Also, there's nothing that necessarily indicates the other cenobites immediately forgot their past lives. It's entirely possible they forgot them over time as they became more acquainted with hell and their new "lives" as "explorers" in the realm of pleasure and pain.
Answer: Probably because he's fresher than the others.
When Elliot Spencer is being transformed into Pinhead, all memories of his human life are immediately erased. The same thing happens with the other Cenobites.
It never shows how long it took them to lose their former memories. Just that it did.
27th Nov 2004
The Thing (1982)
Question: So what happen to the two guys at the end of the movie? Are there any stories about them in the PC game or an alternate ending or something like that?
Answer: The Game shows Child's frozen body where we last saw him in the movie (Whether he is a thing lying dormant or not, we never find out) There is a comic book series that continues where the movie left off, where MacCready and child's are rescued by another research team on a ship. And it is discovered that Childs was in fact a Thing, spawning a whole new generation of things among the team.
Can you tell me what comic book series that is? I'd like to read it.
The comic series is called The Thing From Another World, just like the original movie from the 50's. It was published by Dark Horse comics. Besides some decent artwork, especially on the covers, the series isn't very good and actually contradicts the movie in a few areas.
Thanks! I read it, it's not bad.
Answer: No one knows what happened. They had no transport and couldn't make radio contact, so very likely they froze to death. If one or both are Things, then they just went dormant until rescue shows up. There is nothing in the game or on the DVD that answers this for sure. BTW It's very hotly debated amongst Thing fans, that Childs is a thing because you cannot see his breath in the cold. (It's very difficult to tell if you can or not because of the scene's lighting).
Answer: Just to add to the other answers, I actually saw an interview with Keith David recently where he explained that it was purposely shot to be ambiguous. They shot two different versions of the scene - one where they played the scene as though neither was the thing... and another where they acted more suspicious of one another. And they built the scene out of the footage they had. He also debunked the popular fan theory about how you couldn't see Childs' breath being a hint... he explained that the way the scene was blocked, the air around him was slightly warmer than it was around Kurt Russell due to the fire and the debris around them - hence you just couldn't see his breath while you could see Russell's, who was about 5 or so feet away. (Not to mention you can actually see a little bit of his breath once or twice.) It wasn't a conscious decision to try to hint that Childs might be the thing. The scene really is just meant to be super ambiguous and unexplained.
23rd Jun 2022
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Question: After Harry discovers that Peter is really Spider-Man, he tells Peter that he murdered Norman Osborne. Why didn't Peter just say, "I didn't kill your dad. He was already dead when I brought him to you"?
Answer: As the other answer suggests, it'd be a dangerous waste of time. Additionally, Harry is literally driving himself insane believing that Spider-Man killed his father... so it's not like Harry would actually believe Peter anyway even if he tried to explain it in that moment.
23rd Jun 2022
Halloween II (1981)
Question: Why does Michael waste time leaving "Samhain" on the blackboard and killing all those hospital people? He's able to slip all over the place so all this extra killing seems pointless.
Answer: Michael is insane. It's no different from him killing all the people in the first movie and setting up all the elaborate things he set up like the tombstone and the bodies. In the context of the movie, he's simply driven to kill and do evil things on his way to his goal.
21st Jun 2022
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Question: So does magic exist in this universe or not? We know Blackwood isn't using magic and is just a fraud, but other characters such as Standish act like magic exists; and then there's Holmes having those visions when he performs the ritual. Does magic exist in this world?
Answer: No, there's nothing to indicate that magic actually exists. Characters may be superstitious and believe it exists... but as Holmes displays, it was all cheap parlor tricks. As for his "visions," it's shown throughout the movie that Sherlock is amazing at deduction and prediction, so I assume the visions are a result of that. To me, it seemed like he was doing the ritual more to put himself into the right "mindset" than to actually perform magic.
Answer: Those were not visions, he was calculating the best scenario to use to defeat his opponent. All the other times after examining clues he was recreating the events that best fit the situation.
21st Jun 2022
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Question: When the Kraken is attacking the Pearl, what was the point of hoisting all the gunpowder as high as possible? The Kraken is below the water and it's just the tentacles that are above the water. Did Will really expect it to kill the Kraken?
Answer: If they set it off too close to the deck, it could kill members of the crew or severely damage the ship. Hoisting it high and hoping that it would cripple the Kraken by maiming its tentacles was their best bet.
2nd Jun 2022
Highlander (1986)
Question: In the director's cut (which seems to be the most widely available version these days), what's the deal with all the backflips in the opening fight? The editing is very awkward. Fasil goes from running, to doing backflips, then back to running, then back to doing backflips several times, seemingly between shots, during a short section of the fight. Is it just bad editing? Or is the movie trying to suggest that it's a different person doing the flips? Or... what? It's so confusingly edited.
Answer: The Director, Russell Mulcahy, started his career making music videos. He was known for using fast cuts and tracking shots.
Answer: I always felt the idea was given he was trying to move very rapidly whilst also being silent. In a garage with those shoes on your footsteps are very loud. Perhaps he was trying to confuse MacLeod as to where he was.
I'm not asking why he's doing backflips. I'm asking why the editing is so confusing, since he goes from doing backflips, to running somewhere completely else, then back to backflips at the first location between edits. (Look up the clip "The Highlander (1986) 1080p : Underground parking Fight Scene. Epic!" on YouTube and pay attention around 4:20.) He also loses his sword whenever we see him doing backflips, even though he's carrying it when he's running. The editing makes absolutely no sense.
31st May 2022
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Question: Why did Knuckles say "wait, that wasn't the deal" after noticing Robotnik trying to steal the master emerald?
Answer: Because Robotnik was betraying him. Dr. Robotnik promised to help Knuckles get the Master Emerald, so they could use it to defeat Sonic. But Robotnik was using him all along because he wanted the Master Emerald for himself... he never actually cared about Knuckles and never intended to help him get the Emerald. Thus, Knuckles is shocked and says that Robotnik taking the Emerald for himself was not part of their deal.
24th May 2022
Saw (2004)
Question: So sawing through the thick chain would take too long. What about the padlock which is much thinner? Does flesh plus bone take less time than a thin padlock?
Answer: Nope. Wouldn't work. Per a quick Google search: Padlocks are typically made with hardened steel specifically to make them impenetrable by basic tools like hacksaws. That's why power-tools, bolt cutters or torches are often used to break padlocks... you can't just saw through them with a regular hacksaw.
16th May 2022
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Question: How does erasing the day Shrek was born change anything that erasing any other day of his lifetime wouldn't change? After all, it's not like he just suddenly came into existence that very day. He already existed in his mama ogre's belly. The only true day to erase that would have the intended consequences would be the day he was conceived. Without that day, the exact "tadpole" that would become Shrek would have a low chance of winning the same "race to the finish line" that allowed Shrek to be.
Answer: First of all, it's nebulous magical rules in a fairy-tale setting. It's easy enough in the context of a magical spell to make the leap that "Getting rid of the day Shrek was born" = "Shrek doesn't exist." (For all we know, he simply vanished from his mother's body that day.) Second... do you SERIOUSLY expect them to make a kids movie where they discuss a baby ogre being conceived sexually, hahaha? Like... really? You know this is a movie that small children watch, right?
16th May 2022
The Addams Family (1964)
Question: How was effect of the light bulb that lit up whenever Fester put it in his mouth achieved?
Answer: Basically from what I understand, they stuck the innards of a small flashlight into the base of the bulb and put a little switch on it. When he put it in his mouth and bit down, his teeth would hit the switch, which would turn on the flashlight and made the bulb light up.
15th May 2022
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Question: If Bill is behind the death O-Ren's parents, did she know? If so why didn't she go after Bill?
Answer: There is nothing in the film that states or even particularly indicates that Bill is somehow behind the deaths of O-Ren's parents. The only explanation we get is that their death was ordered by Yakuza boss Matsumoto, who brought in the thugs that killed her father. There is a semi-popular fan-theory that the man in white (Pretty Riki) is actually a young Bill, but to my knowledge, this was never confirmed by Quentin Tarantino. (In fact, according to the Kill Bill wiki, Tarantino actually denied they were the same person, but I can't find the source for that.) So there's literally no reason for her to go after Bill. As far as she (and the audience) knows, he was uninvolved in their deaths.
7th May 2022
General questions
I remember watching a movie when I was younger around 1996 and a boy has a learning disability, and he becomes friends with a blind lady who is black. He tries to read but can't because the words look funny to him, so she teaches him Braille. I remember the old lady later dies and the boy becomes so upset that he runs away and finds his grandmother and stays with her until he feels ready to return home to his single mom. I think actress Della Reese was in it. What was this movie called?
Answer: Did a quick Google search, and the television film "Anya's Bell" from 1999 seems to fit the bill perfectly plot-wise, plus it stars Della Reese. Only discrepancy is the date (it came out in 1999). But I'm 99% sure that's it. Check out the Wikipedia and IMDb pages for it.
Answer: Thank you that is the move. I don't know why I thought it was 1996 must have been because of the tape we had it on. It was full of movies that were taped off TV, and they were all from different years, so I just estimated with the year.
5th May 2022
The House (2017)
Question: Is there any indication how much of this film was unscripted or how much Amy and Will improvised their lines. I can't tell if it's just the acting style the actors chose, or if it was the way the director wanted it, but a lot (especially the opening scenes) comes across as bad improv. Or am I the only one that gets that vibe?
Answer: A lot of the time with modern comedies, they'll usually do a scene as written, then do a number of improv takes where the actors and director come up with jokes on the fly. Then in editing, they'll pick the (presumably) best bits from both the scripted and improv takes to put into the finished film. And Will Ferrell confirmed that there was indeed a lot of improvising on-set of "The House." Unfortunately, without a copy of the shooting script, it's basically impossible to tell exactly how much of the finished film is made up of the unscripted improv. But it's fair to say that at least a decent chunk of the movie was made up of improv comedy. So chances are it's not just you.
1st May 2022
Home Alone (1990)
Question: I know it's just a movie, but how were Gus Polinski and his wife unable to even realise they left their own son behind at a funeral home, let alone leaving him there all day, as Gus was explaining to Kate near the end of the movie (especially under the assumption that it began the night before during a typical service or even during calling hours)? Surely, any parent with common sense would know not to leave their children unsupervised in an event like that.
Answer: It can be any number of things. High stress. Forgetfulness. Just being tired. Maybe they got hyper focused and it simply slipped their mind. Etc. (And since it's a funeral home in his case, it could be all of those things, plus more.) And it's really not all that uncommon. One survey I found online showed that over 10% of parents admitted to accidentally forgetting their child was in their car with them and leaving them in the back seat. And in another survey, 9% of parents have admitted to accidentally either losing track of or leaving a child behind somwhere while they were out. It just... happens.
Answer: While Gus doesn't state many of the particulars of the event, I've attended numerous funerals where kids are constantly on the move. Going in and out of family rooms, going outside, etc. It's possible to lose track or think they're with another relative. Gus is used to being on the road and isn't always in "Dad mode." My own parents forgot me at school numerous times.
11th Apr 2022
Spaceballs (1987)
Question: Planet Spaceballs intends to steal all the air on Planet Druidia. Spaceball city and Planet Druidia are neighbors. When Megamaid explodes, her head lands on a beach on a planet that presumably has air. Why not steal the air on the planet inhabitated by apes? There's apparently no air shield. Additionally, the desert planet where Yogurt lives also has air and no air shield. Two other planets, in addition to Planet Druidia, that have breathable air.
Answer: It also might stand to reason that the very fact that Druidia has a shield is what makes it viable. It almost creates a docking port for Mega Maid who was presumably designed for that very purpose. After all, what other purpose could a space maid with a vacuum possibly have?
Answer: The Spaceballs are a race of bullies, they only pick on planets they know have no defense, like Druidia. Yogart, like Yoda, was a very powerful being with mystic powers, While the planet of the Apes were highly intelligent and were most likely able to out smart a race of idiots.
Answer: In the context of the movie, the Spaceballs seem to hate Planet Druidia. So why not steal air from the planet they hate? In a more meta behind-the-scenes context... it's just better for the plot for them to target Druidia since it makes more sense dramatically and creates stakes for the story.
8th Apr 2022
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Question: What did Anakin's torpedoes hit that caused the droid control ship to explode?
Answer: It was the main reactor of the ship, according to wookieepedia.
I have a problem with that because realistically would destroying a reactor be enough to cause whatever it powers to explode?
Not sure why you have a problem with that notion. It's a common sci-fi convention/trope that destroying the main reactor of a ship usually causes a chain-reaction that destroys the entire vessel. That's also what destroyed both Death Stars in the original trilogy. (Luke fires a missile into the reactor through an exhaust port/Lando and the others fly into the core and destroy the main reactor.) This is not a documentary... it can operate by nebulous sci-fi rules. Not to mention, none of these things actually exist, so who's to say destroying the main reactor WOULDN'T destroy the ship?
It destroyed the main reactor of the droid control ship itself, not what it powers. Anakin was inside the ship and blew it up from the inside.
If you go by official books put out you see lots of ships in Star Wars are powered by a gas type fuel source. Taking out a reactor could cause that fuel to explode as well. As you see in the movie it not one big boom but a lot of little ones at 1st. But once that fire gets to the main tanks it's all over.
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Answer: Having a tough-looking, silent henchman/henchwoman is a pretty common trope in action movies. She's basically there to look tough and mysterious. I wouldn't read into it more than that, especially given how minor the character is. (Minor enough that I had to Google her, because I couldn't even remember her, and I've easily seen this movie a dozen times over the years).
TedStixon