Question: Tom Hardy puts his shotgun shells in his mouth before swimming from his patrol boat to the larger boat. Why is this?
Tailkinker
15th Aug 2005
Striking Distance (1993)
Answer: That's not true but the shotgun shells he was using are waterproof.
15th Aug 2005
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Question: The opening synopsis says that the Trade Federation blocked all shipping to Naboo. Do we know what the shipments consisted of? Was it raw materials, food, machinery, or are we not really meant to know?
Chosen answer: Put purely and simply, we have no particular need to know for the purposes of the plot. That being said, Naboo seems to be a largely pastoral world, so is likely to be self-sufficient on the food front, but may require the import of more industrially based goods, like machinery and so forth. Books related to the series suggest that Naboo has a highly profitable plasma-fuel industry - presumably fuel shipments would also be blockaded, depriving the planet of vital income.
15th Aug 2005
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I never understood why the Elf contingent arriving at Helm's Deep was led by Haldir, the marchwarden for Galadiel and Lothlorien. But he brought greetings from Elrond of Rivendell, who wasn't really the equal of Galadriel. Did Rivendell have troops that Lothlorien didn't? And yet, there were plenty of armed Elves as the Fellowsip arrived in Lothlorien in FotR.
Chosen answer: Haldir brings the message from Elrond, who is very much Galadriel's equal, that they fight in honour of the earlier alliance - Elrond fought in that alliance, while Galadriel didn't, so it makes sense that the message would be from him. The elven forces have been sent from Lorien for the simple reason that it's much closer to Rohan - they also don't have to cross the Misty Mountains, which would be a serious problem for any group sent from Rivendell.
3rd Aug 2005
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Obi-Wan says to Anakin- "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." Isn't this line an "absolute" as well?
Answer: Not really - it's just a factual statement. The term 'absolute' tends to mean things like good and evil, life and death, that sort of thing, rather than simple facts like what Obi-wan says.
22nd Jul 2005
Fantastic Four (2005)
Question: Is it true that there are going to be two sequels to 'Fantastic 4'?
Answer: Generally speaking, when setting up a possible franchise situation, the actors will have at least one and often two sequels included as part of their original contract - Ioan Gruffudd has confirmed that this was part of the deal on this film. Whether those sequels eventually occur depends on how well the first film does at the box office - in this case, Gruffudd stated that he has already been informed that the second film will be going ahead, so takings were presumably satisfactory. Whether this will ultimately lead to the option for a third film being taken up remains to be seen.
8th Aug 2005
The Incredibles (2004)
Question: Why does Mr I so often say "showtime"? Is it a reference to another movie?
Answer: Many superheroes have catchphrases; "Showtime" is his.
8th Aug 2005
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Question: I heard that Boromir, although he died in the first movie, appears in one of the scenes of the movie. If he is, can someone tell me which one of them he is seen?
Answer: In the theatrical version, I think he only appears extremely briefly (about a second) in a flash-back to his last battle. In the extended cut, a scene has been added where Denethor berates Faramir for letting Frodo leave with the Ring - in that scene, he hallucinates Boromir standing behind his brother.
8th Aug 2005
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Who is exactly in charge? In ANH it seemed that GM Tarkin was Darth Vader's superior, but in Episode III, Darth Vader seemed to be above Tarkin. Who has been mentioned to be a General at this time?
Answer: Vader's military rank is unclear - it may be that he has no official rank and is therefore not technically part of the command structure. However, as the personal representative of the Emperor, he holds an enormous amount of personal power within the Empire and, as we see, can have military units assigned to do his bidding. Most officers will respect that power (plus his tendency to kill those who displease him) and will show him the proper subservience - just as we see the younger Tarkin show deference to the Emperor and Vader in Episode 3. By the time of Episode 4, however, Tarkin has advanced to become one of the most highly-ranked officers in the Empire, has acquired considerable personal power of his own and is held in high esteem by the Emperor himself. All of which serves to put him on the same sort of level as Vader himself, allowing him to skip the fawning and grovelling. In Episode 4, Vader is on the Death Star, Tarkin's command, so the Grand Moff has the ultimate say in what goes on there, although, as we see, he does follow Vader's suggestions, even when he has his own misgivings.
3rd Aug 2005
The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
3rd Aug 2005
Star Wars (1977)
Question: How was it possible for Vader to survive when his ship was dashed out into space from the Death Star before it was destroyed? When the TIE fighter crosses Millennium Falcon Obi-Van says "A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own" and "It would be as well to let it go, it's too far out of range" and Vader's ship is about the same size. Could we assume his ship was some sort of special long-range fighter, or that he was lucky enough to reach an imperial base or catch up with a convoy?
Chosen answer: Vader's ship was a prototype of the TIE-Advanced, an enhanced model that ultimately proved too expensive to be mass-produced. Part of the reason for that expense was that the fighter was equipped with a hyperdrive, allowing Vader to reach safety with little trouble.
3rd Aug 2005
Doctor Who (1963)
Question: If the Doctor gets a TARDIS, does that mean other Timelords get a TARDIS as well?
Answer: TARDISes are generally available for properly authorised use on Gallifrey; they're not usually assigned to a particular Timelord on a long-term basis. The Doctor stole his when he left his homeworld.
3rd Aug 2005
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: How long did Darth Sidious keep Darth Maul, Tyrannus, and Vader on as apprentices?
Chosen answer: We have no particularly accurate way of telling how long Maul was his apprentice, although it's stated that Maul was trained as a Sith from a very young age, so it was probably some considerable time. As far as we know, Tyranus became the apprentice after Maul's death, so he held the position for roughly thirteen years. Vader then took over, holding the position until the events of Return of the Jedi, a period of about twenty-two years.
27th Jul 2005
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Considering that only Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa knew the truth about Luke and Leia's existence, do we know if Bail told his wife about the truth of Leia's background? Also, in episode IV, when Owen says, "That's what I'm afraid of," in response to Beru's comment that Luke has too much of his father in him, it seems to imply that he knows that Anakin is Vader, and that Vader is Luke's father. So how much of Luke's background did Obi-Wan reveal to Owen and Beru?
Answer: I think it's fairly unlikely that Obi-Wan told Owen and Beru everything - had he told them the truth, they might well have refused to take Luke. Owen is obviously aware that Anakin was a Jedi Knight, from their encounter in Episode 2, and he's also aware that the Jedi have been hunted down and exterminated. With this in mind, a more likely interpretation of his statement is that he worries that Luke will learn about his true heritage somehow and start learning about the Force. This could easily have the effect of bringing him to the attention of the Empire, which would probably end with his death. Owen's simply concerned that he'll get himself killed on some adventure or other, which is probably what he thinks happened to Anakin.
27th Jul 2005
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Question: What is the weakness of the Jedi that Mace and Yoda talk about? I'm thinking that it has something to do with the fact that they cannot sense Palpatine as the Sith Lord, despite him being in the same room as them, and in episode III when Palpatine tells Yoda, "Your arrogance has blinded you."
Answer: They make frequent references to the dark side clouding their vision - without knowing any specifics, it seems that there may be a general buildup of dark-side energy throughout the galaxy, which is hampering their abilities, and is almost certainly why they can't detect a Sith Lord standing right in front of them. Palpatine's statement seems to refer more to the fact that they didn't pick up on him than any specific weakness of the Jedi. Presumably the Jedi had a certain faith that their abilities would detect a Sith Lord in the vicinity - they were obviously wrong on that one, and Palpatine chooses to refer to their faith in their abilities as arrogance.
27th Jul 2005
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Question: How come it takes such a long time for the Super Star destroyer to be able to catch the Millennium Falcon in the tractor beam? In episode 4 when Millennium Falcon is captured by the Death Star, it is caught in the tractor beam immediately, and from a much greater distance. I understand the plot requires the Millennium Falcon to escape, but this seems a bit illogical.
Chosen answer: The sheer size of the Death Star and its colossal power generators would allow it to have a much more powerful tractor beam than any capital ship would be capable of supporting, giving it much greater range. The Millenium Falcon was caught quickly because they were unaware of what they were approaching - by the time they realised, they were already captured. With the Star Destroyer, they're aware of its presence and can take steps to avoid a tractor beam lock-on.
27th Jul 2005
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Question: At the end when the team are standing in front of the huge fountain and leave on at the time, what is the music in the background?
Answer: "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy.
24th Jul 2005
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: What happens to the dinosaurs of this island (Isla Nublar) after the characters fly to safety? Are they killed? The hurricane that is mentioned in the sequel affects only the buildings of the other island (Isla Sorna), not the dinosaurs on this island.
Answer: In the book, the island is saturation bombed, killing all the dinosaurs. In Jurassic World, it is revealed that at least the T-Rex was recaptured and put into a new paddock.
24th Jul 2005
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Question: Why does Satine decide not to run away with Christian, just because she finds out that she's dying? Why couldn't they have run away anyway, and escaped from the Duke entirely?
Answer: If Satine runs, the Duke takes control of the Moulin Rouge and shuts the place down, putting everyone she works with onto the streets. If she stays with the Duke, she'll still die, but the Duke won't have any real reason to shut things down. She could run away with Christian and have a few days of freedom and love with him, but she'd be condemning everyone at the Moulin Rouge to destitution, plus the Duke would probably have Christian hunted down and killed. By staying for her final few days, she saves everyone that she loves, at the price of her own happiness (and that of Christian, but at least she'll save his life).
23rd Jul 2005
La Confidential (1997)
Question: What is up with the corpse in the woman's basement, and how did it get there?
Answer: The corpse under the house is the ex-cop named Meeks. He was working with Dick Stensland to deal drugs - things turned sour and Stensland killed him, hiding the body under the house belonging to his girlfriend's mother.
Answer: Why didn't Bud White tell the cops about the corpse?
Because like Edmund Exley, White realised that this was likely due to Dudley Smith's corruption and he wasn't going to tip him or his corrupt cops off.
22nd Jul 2005
Finding Nemo (2003)
Question: I read that this film was inspired by Lord of the Rings and that there are many similar elements between the two. Can anyone please tell me if this is true and also point out what the 'elements' are?
Answer: It's not true - other than both films dealing with quests, there are no real similarities.
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Answer: Because they'd be completely useless if he allowed them to get soaked by the water.
Tailkinker ★
But his head comes out of the water. So the shells got wet anyway.