Question: What is the significance of the penguin as Ed Norton's "power animal"?
TedStixon
19th Apr 2004
Fight Club (1999)
Answer: Author Chuck Palanuik (who wrote the book) stated that he did a similar meditation practice where he was supposed to picture a "power animal," and a penguin popped into his head and told him to "slide." People have theorized that a cute, innocent animal telling him to "slide" in a childlike voice was meant to symbolize the narrator's (and presumably Palanuik's if his story is true) need to let go and relax and not let things get him down so much. (Represented by the penguin gleefully sliding away giggling like a child with not a care in the world).
Answer: Very good question. I was wondering that myself. Here is how I see it, and maybe I am not really right. But the one word used by his power animal was 'Slide'. It was repeated again when Marla Singer 'invaded' his conscious and unconscious manifestations as we find her in the cave. The movie is all about ripping him from ideological assumptions of the things Tyler wants his to see doesn't really matter in life. So here is the line of the movie: The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide."Here the word slide again.
21st Mar 2022
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Question: I know that Sam Elliott, who played General Ross in 2003 Hulk, wanted to play him again in this movie. Why was he rejected and replaced with William Hurt?
Answer: Presumably because this movie was retooled into a reboot that wasn't meant to connect with the 2003 film. So bringing back main cast members might have been seen as being potentially too confusing at the time. (This was nearly 10 years prior to JK Simmons being cast again as J. Jonah Jameson, which proved audiences can go with the same actors being in reboots. But in 2008, it probably would have been viewed as being too risky).
I do think you're right, although it's worth pointing out that Judi Dench was recast as M in the rebooted 2006 Casino Royale after playing her in the Brosnan Bond films. Not sure if that was the first time that's happened.
That is true, although I'd consider it a slightly different circumstance because the Bond films are basically a singular linear film series following one main character, and it was made clear that "Casino Royale" was essentially a full-on reboot. Comparatively, the MCU is multiple different stand-alone "series" (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, etc.) that all tie together via crossovers, cameos and team-up films. They were probably worried that people would assume the 2003 movie was retroactively part of the MCU. (Which you could probably argue is now true given the establishment of the multiverse, and the implication that previous non-MCU Marvel movies are all canonical as part of the multiverse... but that wasn't part of the plan at the time this movie was made).
21st Mar 2022
General questions
I remember catching part of a movie or TV show in the early-to-mid 90's, and some younger kid was singing a song about diarrhoea, along the lines of "When you're sliding into first, and you feel your pants burst, diarrhea, diarrhea." Anyone know what this was from?
Chosen answer: You're probably thinking of the 1989 Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood." In the movie, a kid sings that song. Google it and you can find a clip of the scene.
Answer: There's also an episode of "Two and a Half Men," Season 5 Episode 8, titled "Is There a Mrs. Waffles?" Charlie becomes a children's singing star. He sings about everything kids do playing, eating and sleeping. One song is about doing "potty." I don't remember the lyrics, but he uses words like "poo poo" and "doody."
15th Mar 2022
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Question: Why doesn't Peter take the symbiote suit off normally instead of ripping it off?
Answer: If you'll notice, he seems very stressed out and immediately struggles taking off the suit. Before he starts to rip it off, he holds up his hands, and they're sort of constricted, and you can hear a sort-of plasticy "tightening" sound. And then he starts to moan like he's in pain. Then he starts to rip at it. It seems like the suit senses that he wants to remove it and is trying to hold on by squeezing him. So trying to pull if off normally wouldn't work.
15th Mar 2022
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Question: Cochrane, the first terrorist that McClane killed, went through a machine that crushed his head. What was this machine, and what's its conventional function?
Answer: While it doesn't crush his head, if you look closely the chest doesn't go through, so it's also probable that the rolling press crushed the chest / upper abdomen.
Answer: I don't think it actually crushes his head (especially since you see his uncrushed head screaming), so much as he just gets electrocuted by the equipment, as you see flashing and sparks. I've seen it referred to in articles as a "baggage press," but I can't find anything about such a machine online. If I had to guess, it seems like it's being used to lightly compress baggage/luggage that are in thin or flexible containers, like duffle bags. (Probably to create more space for storage and transportation). Otherwise, it just seems to be some sort-of general part of the storage/sorting machinery.
12th Mar 2022
General questions
I just remembered this brief moment from a movie. An Asian man with shoulder-length hair growls - he has the growl of a tiger or other big cat. In the moment that I remember, he might have been bare-chested/shirtless when he growled at someone. I saw this sometime in the '90s - am quite sure it was not the 2000s or later. Thank you.
Answer: That sounds very similar to a scene in the 1995 "Mortal Kombat" movie. A shirtless man with shoulder-length hair is in the first major fight scene of the tournament, and a few times, they loop in a sort-of tiger growling sound while he's shouting/yelling. (I believe it happens twice.) The only difference is that he's a black man and not an Asian man.
Thank you. I just watched the scene on YouTube, and it seems to be the one I remembered. I must have been mistaken about who did the growling.
5th Mar 2022
Monk (2002)
Question: Is there a reason they chose the last names Monk and/or Teeger?
Answer: I couldn't find any info on the name "Teeger," but Monk got his name because they wanted to come up with a simple, single-syllable name for the protagonist that could easily stick in your head. They eventually settled on "Monk," which seemed to fit the character.
Just learned Bitty Schram's middle name is Natalie. Of course I'm overthinking it, but it's interesting.
Obviously without confirmation from a writer that's where they got the name, you can't be sure. But it is an interesting fact that makes it seem plausible that the writers used her middle name as a tribute when she was let go from the show.
3rd Mar 2022
Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D (1982)
Question: Who is the woman that pops out of the lake and grabs Chris near the end? This is the first and last time that we see her, but who was she? And, was Chris dreaming/hallucinating or did it really happen?
Answer: It was the decomposing body of Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees. (Who, as I'm sure you know, was the killer in the original movie.) And it was just a nightmare. It didn't actually happen.
28th Nov 2019
Forrest Gump (1994)
Question: Three questions here: Why does Jenny insist Forrest touch her chest, why does she go all the way with him then leave, and wouldn't this be considered a crime on her part as he's only got an IQ of 75?
Answer: Jenny loves Forrest and cares about him deeply. She knows he's in love with her, so she gives him that "gift" before leaving. They were both consenting adults, so unless there was a third party who insisted Forrest couldn't give consent there wouldn't be a legal issue.
Answer: As for the last part of your question, it's usually viewed that a person with a mental handicap can still legally give consent for sex so long as they display knowledge and voluntariness when it comes to the encounter. (Aka, they have a basic understanding what is happening, know the positives and negatives, and want to proceed.) Given that Forrest has been shown to be pretty high functioning (he's quirky and slow, but can do a lot of the things other people can, and has shown a lot of fields of talent), and would obviously consent because he loves her, Jenny shouldn't be in any legal trouble. If Forrest was more severely handicapped or showed a bigger lack of awareness, then that might be an issue. I actually read up about this years ago because I'm in the autism spectrum, and a previous (non-disabled) sexual partner I had expressed their concern about this very topic.
18th Dec 2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Question: Are the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies now part of the MCU?
Answer: No, they are part of the multiverse. The MCU is just one of those universes within the multiverse.
Answer: I almost think the best way to refer to them would be to call them "MCU-Adjacent." Both answers nail it - they're not part of the MCU universe itself, but are canonical to it and co-exist alongside it thanks to the establishment of the multiverse. And considering the "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" trailer teases Patrick Stewart as (presumably) Professor X, I think we could probably also apply this to pretty much any other Marvel adaptation ever made that was not made by Marvel Studios itself. It all co-exists and is all canonical to each other through the use of multiverses/alternate timelines/alternate dimensions.
Answer: No. It's explained that they are from another universe, and were sent back to their universes at the end of the film.
27th Dec 2017
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Question: What happened to the two French-speaking girls on the beach in the ending of the first movie?
Answer: While we know that the two girls are French-speaking, we don't actually know that the game landed in France. The two girls might have been on holiday, which would mean that the scene could potentially take place anywhere in the world. Given the ability of the game to distort space and time, it is highly likely they had their own game and similarly tried to throw it away.
Answer: Honestly... it's pretty common for sequels to ignore the final scene/stinger of the previous film. It happens because the filmmakers decide to take the sequel in a different direction. For example, "Species" ends with rats being infected by the alien DNA, and this was going to be the set-up for the sequel... but then "Species II" ignores this and goes with a different story. Another example is that in "X-Men: Apocalypse," the Essex corporation was established and was supposed to be a big threat in the film "Logan " but then they took "Logan" in a different direction. You also see this happen a lot in horror movies that end with a final jump or surprise kill. I personally use the rule of thumb that if a movie ends with some sort-of final jump, or a "the adventure continues" set-up, I don't necessarily view it as canonical until a sequel confirms it, because sequels so often ignore the final moments of the previous film. I'd chalk this up to this movie just sort-of ignoring the final scene of the original.
Answer: Maybe they became NPCs.
Answer: Presumably they had their own adventure with the game then got rid of it or nothing happened.
Answer: This was my biggest gripe with the film - turns up on a French beach at the end of the first film and then one year later turns back up in Brantford? It's like they just wanted to make money so badly.
The girls could be French speaking Canadians.
16th Feb 2022
The Invisible Man (2020)
Question: When is Adrian dressed up as The Invisible Man and when does Tom take over?
Answer: According to the director, it's almost always Adrian, except for the climax, where it is explicitly shown that Tom is wearing the suit. Adrian had him take over knowing that there was a very good chance Tom wouldn't survive, because he wanted to set Tom up as the fall-guy for him. (Of course Tom didn't know this).
Where does the director state that?
In an interview with Perri Nemiroff, director Leigh Whannell said Tom only wore the suit once. https://collider.com/invisible-man-when-is-adrian-wearing-the-suit-explained/?fbclid=IwAR0FeHR0w-7DPFjFq71By1SEN9e8C5tR_WPDWGQp26Rm9_ASasjqjMLKKMI.
Thank you.
18th Feb 2022
The Invisible Man (2020)
Question: How did Cecilia manage to change so quickly during that final dinner, especially after she put on the invisibility suit, killed Adrian, then changed back into her little black dress so quickly? I would image the suit would have been so difficult to wear and remove. (01:13:00)
Answer: A couple things... when she pulled the mask off Adrian's brother earlier, the suit seemed pretty thin and flexible, so I can't imagine it's all that difficult to put on and remove. It'd probably be like slipping on some coveralls. It would defeat the whole purpose of the suit if it was hard to put on, wear and use. I also don't think she necessarily needed to take the time to completely change. Her dress is small enough that she could honestly probably just slip the suit on over it. Finally, it's really not uncommon for movies to "compress time" a bit by cutting scenes shorter. You could easily make an argument that we're simply not seeing everything in "real time." Why waste an extra 30 seconds just showing Adrian lying on the floor bleeding? It'd totally kill the pacing of the scene.
17th Feb 2022
The Invisible Man (2020)
Question: How come the footage from the security cameras in the restaurant and the mental hospital haven't been looked at when Emily was murdered and all those guards were attacked? They all could've proved Cecilia's claims.
Answer: It's entirely possible that there weren't any security cameras in the restaurant that would have her on camera. As for the mental hospital, it doesn't really matter whether they look at the cameras or not - there are now plenty of witnesses to back her up, as evidenced by the fact she is free at the end.
16th Feb 2022
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Question: Why did Nick Stahl and Claire Danes refuse to reprise their roles from Terminator 3?
Answer: They didn't refuse to return. According to Stahl, the studio simply told them they wouldn't be returning. They wanted to recast the roles with actors who could look a little older and more battle-hardened, since the film takes place about 15 years after "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." So they went with Christian Bale and Bryce Dallas Howard instead of Stahl and Danes.
16th Feb 2022
The Invisible Man (2020)
Question: How long has Cecilia been away from Adrian after her escape? Had to ask because the nurse said to Cecilia that she had been pregnant for around a month.
Answer: Using context clues from the movie, we can assume she's been gone for a few weeks. She likely got pregnant shortly before she escaped, hence she's about a month along when she goes to the doctor. The events of the movie transpire over a relatively short period of time, so it all lines up pretty well.
14th Feb 2022
The Dark Knight (2008)
Question: How was Batman able to get to Harvey Dent faster than police to Rachel? I mean, I can think Bat's technology being way faster of course. But for example: if all units were sent to Rachel's location, there might have been some units patrolling near her location so it would have been faster to have them go there first. Right? What other possibilities am I not considering?
Answer: I honestly think within the context of the movie, we are just meant to assume that most units are either at the police station (given a high-profile terrorist suspect - the Joker - and many of his goons were just captured) or still at the scene of the massive chase that just occurred earlier in the night, since there was a lot of destruction or chaos. Thus, there simply wouldn't be any available units closer to Rachel's location. It's a little far-fetched, sure... but it's basic "suspension of disbelief." It's required dramatically for the plot to progress. (Similar to the fact that in the sequel, many of the Gotham City PD got stuck underground by Bane... it's a little far-fetched, but it works for the plot.) Batman was simply able to get to Dent's location faster since he's using the batpod, which is a bit of a technological marvel and can get around much quicker and easier than a police car.
Answer: This could be a plot hole, but I would posit: Given how corrupt/easily corruptible the Gotham police are, it's likely the Joker may have bribed/threatened/otherwise coerced the beat cops to a) steer clear of the areas where he was holding Dent and Rachel, or b) ignore the call to go to that location. You're right that Batman's tech is what allows him to reach Dent faster than Gordon et al. Reach Rachel; the Joker set it up that way, so that whoever Batman saves means the other one dies.
Answer: Batman showed up only a few seconds before the GPD, they arrived as the building blew.
24th Nov 2020
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Question: Why is this movie so full of mistakes and plot holes? Was it created by incompetent crew?
Answer: It was made on a very low budget. Golen - Golbus productions bought the rights to Superman. They were mostly known for B-Movies with not so big name stars. It was there attempt to play with the big studios. Plus at least 45 minutes of scenes were cut out, with major subplots.
In addition to budget cuts, they kept shortening the runtime, meaning scenes needed to be cut. The comic book adaptation has the uncut scenes and makes much more sense.
Answer: It should also be noted that the film was originally slated to have a budget of $32 million, which is in roughly the same range as the budget for "Superman III" and movies like Tim Burton's original "Batman." However, shortly before shooting began, the budget was cut by nearly 50%, all the way down to $17 million. As a result, the production was very patchy and rushed. This had an adverse effect on everything.
9th Feb 2022
Hostel: Part II (2007)
Question: In the bloodbath scene, is it really possible for someone to lose that much blood and remain conscious, even if barely? Not to the mention the fact that the person was a young woman.
Answer: Probably not, but given the actual murder was only about 1 minute long, you could argue that with enough adrenaline, you might be able to stay awake just long enough for the scene to play out. Obviously, you should take the movie with a grain of salt since it's for entertainment, and they're exaggerating the volume of blood, the spray, etc. for the sake of cool visuals. In reality, your risk for passing out starts getting higher and higher as you hit 30%+ blood loss, and they say you experience organ failure and will probably fall into a coma when you hit 50% blood loss. But at the same time, I actually know a guy who recently had to get emergency surgery and an absolutely massive emergency blood transfusion after losing more than 50% of his blood internally... and he took himself to the friggin' hospital because he was feeling a bit weird and was worried he might have COVID. He didn't even know what was going on until he was examined. So stranger things have happened. The human body is weird.
17th Jun 2015
God Bless America (2011)
Question: Why did Frank's co-worker (whom he sent flowers to) file a sexual harassment complaint against Frank, when she appeared interested in him?
Answer: It's been a while since I've seen it, but I believe it's because he went behind her back and found out her address without asking her first, which probably came across as a little creepy or stalker-ish to her, even if he didn't intend it that way. It's weird when someone you don't know finds out your address or phone number and contacts you or sends you something.
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Answer: If you listen to the commentary the producer explains that the whole ice cave scene is himself reminiscing about some childrens' book series.
This is simply wrong. What the answer may be referring to is the director's instructions to make the penguin move like the ones in Mary Poppins.