Question: Do the creators ever plan on making a sequel? The ending is such a good cliff-hanger that I assumed it would return, although it has been over six years since the film's release that it looks doubtful.
Tailkinker
13th Jan 2010
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
13th Jan 2010
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Question: One burning question: Why do the machines need to capture the humans? What do they need them for? Surely a neurotoxin introduced to the atmosphere or water table would eradicate all non-mechanical life?
Answer: The new T-800 model that Skynet's working on is the first to use real human tissue. The humans are being captured for use in experiments related to that. It is also stated in T1 that some humans were kept to work in the camps.
9th Jan 2010
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Question: Is it true that part of the scenes in which Mrs. Doubtfire are in is shot with a real english lady who looks like Mrs. Doubtfire?
Chosen answer: No.
9th Jan 2010
Star Trek (2009)
Question: In the scene where Kirk boards the shuttle and bangs his head, is this by any chance a homage to the infamous Stormtrooper blooper in Star Wars?
4th Jan 2010
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: Is there a reason why the white bird in the cupboard died? Also, why did it turn black when it came back to life?
Answer: There are two birds, as we see in the cage early on. Draco uses them to test whether the link between the two vanishing cabinets is working - with the white bird, the link is unsuccessful, so the bird dies. After working on it further, he tests it again using the black bird, which survives, telling him that the link is up and running.
2nd Jan 2010
Avatar (2009)
Question: Did journalists disappear by 2113? Why didn't Jake and the scientists try and contact someone on Earth (or even upload the whole thing on Youtube of the future)?
Answer: Because it wouldn't really do any good. Firstly, as is observed in the film, while bad publicity isn't ideal, it's worse to come back with no profits. A successful mining mission, even with some local casualties, would swiftly override any negative publicity from actions taken to secure the prize. Plus, they're six years away from Earth. Even if they could somehow get a message out through a communications system that's likely rigidly monitored by the company running the operations, it's not as if any backup could rush to help them - all they have to work with is what's right there on-planet.
30th Dec 2009
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Question: What's the deal with R2-D2's 'short circuit' after he's shot while trying to override the shield generator's doors? Did the blast cause him to go haywire or is he having a panic attack?
Answer: The impact of the energy shot on Artoo's data-access arm has caused a short in his systems, so he's just going through an overload.
21st Dec 2009
Labyrinth (1986)
Question: On the IMDB Trivia page, it says that little of Terry Jones' script was kept past the point where Sarah eats the peach. I have two questions concerning this: 1) Who wrote the rest of the film? and 2) Why was some of his material removed?
Answer: As with any film, there are often numerous rewrites of the script as the writing process progresses, and it's not at all uncommon for different writers to be brought in to tweak plot points, enhance dialogue and so forth as the script is honed towards the point where they have a finished product that they can shoot. Who ends up with the eventual credit is a highly complex and somewhat arcane process, involving judgement calls on who has contributed what towards the final script. As such, Jones' script being heavily rewritten after a certain point is nothing particularly unusual, but what amounts to standard practice in the movie industry - presumably it was felt that his script subsequent to that point lacked punch in some way, leading to another writer being brought in to revamp it. Other writers known to have worked on the script include screenwriter Elaine May, childrens author Dennis Lee and the film's director Jim Henson. There may well have been others.
16th Dec 2009
Aliens (1986)
Question: When Ripley takes the gun and goes to see Newt, who is then under the bed, she puts the gun on the bed. But then the gun is in the next room when the alien is attacking. Have I just mistaken this and it was placed on the table, or is this a mistake? Thanks.
Chosen answer: Neither, it's a plot point. When Burke released the facehuggers into their room, with the aim of impregnating Ripley and Newt with aliens so that he could get them back to Earth, he took Ripley's gun and moved it outside the room before he locked them in, so that she couldn't use it to defend themselves.
16th Nov 2009
I, Robot (2004)
Question: While Dr. Spooner was driving alone in the tunnel, he requested access to restricted files between Dr. Lanning and Lawrence Robertson. When Robertson was informed of this he seemed appalled. Shortly, two NS-5 trucks came and boxed Spooner in. Did Lawerence activate those trucks?
Chosen answer: No, VIKI did. Robertson is merely annoyed that Spooner is continuing to delve into company business. VIKI is the one who's actually behind the whole plot and is concerned enough about Spooner's meddling to try to take him out.
14th Nov 2009
General questions
Why do a lot of new movies/TV shows have exclusive content that is only on the Blu Ray disc versions? Don't the movie creators still make money if you choose to buy the DVD?
Answer: One possible factor is that BluRay discs and player have certain capabilities that regular DVD players do not. In some cases, these additional extras are designed to take advantage of those features and thus they cannot be put on the regular DVD. Another key point is that BluRay discs can currently be sold for a higher price, while not costing substantially more to make than regular DVDs, resulting in greater profits, and therefore it's in the interests of the studios to tempt more people into making the switch to the more profitable format. Having BluRay-exclusive features is one way of doing that.
14th Nov 2009
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Question: I don't know if this is true or just an urban legend, but did Michael Jackson body double (from the waist down) for the moonwalk/dance moves that Marty did during the scene where Mad Dog Tannen shot at his feet?
Answer: There appears to be purely an urban legend. While the repeated use of lower-body shots does suggest that Michael J Fox didn't perform the moves himself, there's no evidence that indicates that it was Jackson himself who stepped in. In the end, the moonwalk is not actually a particularly complicated dance move; if Fox didn't do it himself, it would not have been difficult for the production to locate somebody with a matching build who could do the steps.
10th Nov 2009
District 9 (2009)
Question: Was there ever an explanation given for how the humans and the prawns learned each others languages? Both speak only their native dialects yet they're able to communicate with each other perfectly fine.
Answer: There's no specific explanation given, but it's not difficult to work out. A basic vocabulary could be worked out relatively easily simply by producing a series of items and learning the respective words for them. Over time, this vocabulary would build up until rudimentary communication was possible, which could then be refined over the decades since the prawns first arrived.
9th Nov 2009
Backdraft (1991)
Question: Can someone please tell me why Kurt Russell is playing his own father in the flashback scenes. I just don't understand why.
Chosen answer: Why not? There's no reason why an actor couldn't play his own father at the same age - indeed, it can serve to emphasise a family resemblence between father and son. It can also serve as a swift way of letting the audience know that this is the father, rather than having a different actor come in and have to have the relationship established through dialogue.
8th Nov 2009
Batman (1989)
Question: When the Joker and Vicky are going up the cathedral, Vicky trips and loses her left shoe; the Joker kisses it and throws it over the railing. When they reach the top both her shoes are gone and she's barefoot. Where did her right shoe go?
Chosen answer: It's quite hard to walk properly with only one shoe on and the stairs they're climbing are not the most even surfaces in the world. It would make sense that she simply kicked the other one off so that she could walk evenly rather than risk tripping again.
4th Nov 2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Question: Did Patrick Stewart physically perform for this film as Charles Xavier, or was the scene with him either computer-generated or shot with a look-alike?
Answer: Yes, that was Patrick Stewart, digitally de-aged in post-production to look younger than he does in the later-set X-Men films.
3rd Nov 2009
The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)
Question: Exactly what happened at the end? I didn't get it. She stabbed herself and then commits her dad. What did it mean?
Answer: Molly attempts to commit suicide to avoid having to join the Devil. Unfortunately for her, the clock strikes midnight before she can kill herself, and thus, having reached her 18th birthday, her soul now belongs to the Devil, who preserves her life. Molly, now one of the Devil's minions, has her father committed to the asylum, presumably having framed her father for her self-inflicted injuries, leaving her free to continue her life working for her new master.
27th Oct 2009
Shrek 2 (2004)
Question: When Shrek and Donkey are lost in the woods, one of them says something about passing a bush that looks like Shirley Bassey. Who is she?
Answer: Welsh-born internationally famous singer, who started her career back in the fifties and is still singing today. Probably most famous for her involvement with three different James Bond movies, having performed the theme songs for Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. For further information, try her Wikipedia article.
Answer: A Black Bush whiskey is also known as a Shirley Bassey.
Shirley Bassey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Bassey What I find most interesting is the animated and nicknamed shrub was inspired by a real bush! Link to pic here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?FBId=6491477774216765&set=a.6491486730882536 They stopped to sketch my larger than life topiary lady (A Personable Hello in Ligustrum sp.) on a main route to the lake one fine summer day. She used to be part of an overgrown hedgerow and was salvaged from a driveway widening project.
26th Oct 2009
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Question: I can't remember which film it is (I think it's the second one but I'm not sure). In the film there is a scene where Gollum and Smeagol are fighting and Smeagol tells Gollum to go away. Gollum calls Smeagol a murderer and Smeagol looks ashamed and says something. Gollum laughs and says "Go away" patronisingly. I assume it's "Go away," but it always sounds to me like "You win." Is it "you win" or "go away"?
Answer: It's quiet and a little muffled, but he does say "Go away".
23rd Oct 2009
Titanic (1997)
Question: When Rose and Ruth are sitting with Ruth's friends, Ruth comments on how Rose chose lavender for the bridesmaid dresses, even though she knows Ruth detests the colour. Why should it bother Ruth that Rose chose lavender, when after all, it's Rose's wedding and not hers?
Answer: Because some people are shallow, vain and self-centered and are bothered about such inconsequential things like how they're going to look on somebody else's wedding day. Ruth is annoyed that, despite the fact that Rose knows that she hates lavender as a colour, she still chose it for her to wear anyway. In her self-centered way, Ruth thinks that Rose should have chosen a colour for the bridesmaids to wear that she would approve of. Some people are just like that. It could also be a small measure of payback for Rose. Since Ruth arranged Rose marriage to Cal, whom she does not love, Rose's gets a small jab back at her mother. Her attitude is: since you are forcing me into this marriage with a man that I don't love, then you will be forced to wear this color that I know you hate.
Answer: She says that Rose did it to spite her mother, knowing that her mother detested the colour. I think Ruth was trying to illustrate how needlessly rebellious, unseemly, immature, difficult and obstructive she thought Rose was being - basically trying to show her up in front of the other high class ladies there.
Answer: During that time period, lavender was the color of half-mourning, to be worn half a year after solid black. It would be the equivalent of your bridesmaid wearing a black armband to a wedding today. Lavender and half-mourning is explored in the first season of Downton Abbey as well.
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Chosen answer: The film was critically panned and a commercial failure. While the possibility of a franchise would obviously have been considered, the poor box office returns would have put paid to any studio interest in a sequel.
Tailkinker ★