Question: The woman making the announcements in Grand Central Terminal in Superman: The Movie sounds a lot like the Mother computer. Could someone confirm this?
Tailkinker
20th Oct 2012
Aliens (1986)
22nd Aug 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Question: Why did Bane take blood from the professor on the airplane at the beginning?
Answer: He needs people to believe that the professor is dead. He therefore takes some of his blood and puts it into the body they're carrying with them, so that there'll be evidence that the professor died in the crash.
4th May 2012
The Avengers (2012)
Question: Was Natalie Portman ever approached to reprise her role as Jane Foster (from Thor) for this film?
Chosen answer: As she was extremely pregnant at the time of shooting, which would have been impossible to hide, it's likely that her participation was never considered seriously. Given the desire to get the film out on their chosen release date, there would have been no question of delaying shooting to include her in what could only have been a minor supporting role at most.
13th Aug 2012
Cool Runnings (1993)
Question: Could someone as overweight and unhealthy as John Candy's character really have lived in Jamaica? I would have thought the extreme hot weather conditions would have been rather dangerous for someone in his shape.
Chosen answer: It may not be the wisest place to live, but that doesn't mean that he's physiologically incapable of living there, even relatively long term. It's pretty dangerous being that size anywhere in the world, as Candy's sadly premature demise illustrates; living somewhere as warm as the Caribbean probably wouldn't make the situation significantly worse than it already is.
8th Aug 2012
Robocop (1987)
Question: When the Swat team leader is trying negotiate with the guy in the Mayor's office, he says to him "Hey no problem Miller. Let the mayor go. We'll even throw in a Blaupunkt". Could someone please explain what a Blaupunkt is? I've never heard that word and its not in my dictionary.
Chosen answer: Blaupunkt is a major manufacturer of car stereos. Miller wants a car as part of his ransom demands, so the SWAT team leader is playing along with those demands telling him that they'll make sure the car he wants is fitted with a really cool stereo.
8th Aug 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Question: What exactly was the point of Daggett? He funds Bane's endeavors with the promise that he will take over Wayne Enterprises, Bane sabotages the stock market to make Wayne go broke, and then, almost immediately after doing this, Bane kills him. Why even have Daggett in on the scheme if the (supposed) plan was to have Miranda Tate take over Wayne Enterprises?
Chosen answer: Because they needed somebody to be the fall guy. For Tate to take control, somebody needs to take Bruce Wayne's majority share out of the picture and the highly ambitious Daggett is the perfect candidate. They use him to further the plot to remove Bruce from his position, while Miranda cultivates Bruce's trust, positioning herself as the person that Bruce would turn to for help. Daggett's hostile attitude would alienate him from the other board members, whereas Tate, carrying Bruce's seal of approval as his nominal successor, would have a much easier time. They used Daggett to do the dirty work, then took him out of play, allowing Miranda Tate to step in unopposed and, importantly, still trusted by Bruce.
8th Aug 2012
Aliens (1986)
Question: Has there ever been a canon answer as to whether or not the Space Jockey's ship was destroyed in the explosion at the end? Something from Cameron or another of the film's writers? Comic adaptations and novelizations aren't canon.
Chosen answer: No, there hasn't, although an upcoming computer game, "Aliens: Colonial Marines", which is set post-Aliens, includes action set on the derelict ship. While obviously of dubious canonicity, as there are as yet no official statements to the contrary, the ship can currently be considered to have survived the detonation of the atmosphere processor. Should a future film provide further information on the subject, the status of the ship can be reconsidered canonically.
31st Jul 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Question: Bane has a nifty facial device that apparently keeps him alive. When Batman damages it a bit, Bane looses power, nearly faints even. Bane is a beefy fellow, but how does he eat?
Answer: The mask doesn't actually keep Bane alive, it feeds him a constant stream of pain-killing gas in order to stop the excruciating pain from his injuries preventing him from functioning normally. When the League of Shadows rescue him from the prison, Bane appears to simply have his face wrapped in bandages, and certainly would have no access to a constant supply of painkillers in that environment. With this in mind, it seems safe to say that he is capable of removing the mask, it's just highly unpleasant for him to do so. Most likely when he wants to eat, he simply mentally prepares himself, takes the mask off and puts up with the pain long enough to finish his meal.
1st Aug 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Question: In the flashback scene of Bane inside the prison, why were prisoners attacking Bane?
Answer: Bane is acting as a protector for the young Talia, keeping her safe and ultimately holding off the other prisoners while she escapes. As for what a bunch of male prisoners might want with a young girl, well, it's not going to be nice.
31st Jul 2012
The Dark Knight (2008)
Question: How did the Joker convince Harvey in the hospital to become bad? I know he talked him into the whole creating chaos in the world thing but that scene confused me. Also, when did we find out that some of the cops were corrupt? Did they help tie up Rachel or something along those lines? Sorry I just got confused with those plot lines.
Answer: Harvey's basically lost it already, driven insane by the death of Rachel and his own injuries. The Joker basically just tells him that order, having rules, hasn't brought him anything but pain, that maybe he should let things get a bit more chaotic, go with random chance rather than regimented rules. In his deranged state, Harvey goes along with it. As for the cops, Harvey knows that both he and Rachel were being escorted home by members of Gordon's team, only to both wake up surrounded by bombs. Fairly obvious from that that there are some bad apples in the bunch.
Harvey also worked for Internal Affairs. He states earlier in the film (and Gordon confirms) that he had investigated many people on Gordon's team. He knows many people on Gordon's team are dirty, but as the DA, he can't do much about it without proof.
25th Jul 2012
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Question: I saw a question about where the Red Brick road leads to. Someone answered it by saying that it lead to the Sapphire City. Is this true? If so, is there a movie where I would see it?
Answer: While there is a Sapphire City in Oz, there's no evidence to suggest that the Red Brick Road leads there. The Red Brick Road does not appear in any of Baum's books and appears to be entirely an invention for the movie. As such, it's quite likely that it was created purely for aesthetic purposes and no specific destination was ever decided upon, as it bore no relevance to the plot. The Sapphire City appears in only one book in the series (The Giant Horse of Oz) and has never been seen in a movie.
25th Jul 2012
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: In Episode II, Anakin jumped out of a moving speeder while he and Obi-wan were pursuing the bounty hunter who put the poisonous insects in Padme's bedroom. Other Jedi do similar falls in the Clone Wars movie and series. So why did Mace Windu die from being pushed out of Palpatine's office window?
Answer: Anakin hadn't just had his arm cut off and been electrocuted at full force by a Sith Master. Windu's in phenomenal pain and is likely barely conscious; in no condition to focus the Force enough to survive the fall.
25th Jul 2012
The Matrix (1999)
Question: Where do humans get their power from, like electricity? Because there is no sun and I know they're like a big furnace thing, but surely there are no resources left because there is no sun. Also, life cannot be sustained without sunlight, so the film is flawed. But I still love it.
Answer: Zion runs on geothermal energy, drawn from deep within the Earth. Given the advanced technology of the future, it seems entirely reasonable that they could produce enough food to keep Zion fed using artificial lights and hydroponics techniques. Life might not be overly pleasant, but it would be sustainable.
25th Jul 2012
The Matrix (1999)
Question: How exactly does the blue and red pill work? How does Neo taking the pill trigger him to wake up?
Chosen answer: The pills are the Matrix representations of computer programs. The red pill contains code designed to disrupt Neo's input/output signals, so that Morpheus' team can pinpoint his physical location in the real world. Once located, a signal of unspecified type is sent from their ship, which presumably serves to wake Neo up.
25th Jul 2012
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Question: In "Underworld Evolution" Tanis said (to Kate and Michael) that Viktor killed Selen's family in Winter when Lucian escaped with the key from the castle. But in this movie, Viktor at the end goes into the hibernation chamber. How possible? Is this a continuity error?
Chosen answer: He's badly injured, so he goes into the hibernation chamber to heal. Doesn't mean that he's staying in there for hundreds of years; he could easily emerge as soon as he's healed up and kill Selene's family off.
25th Jul 2012
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Question: Why is it in one scene revealed that the headless horsemen is just a normal guy? That doesn't fit into the plot.
Answer: Try watching a bit more closely. The "guy" in question is Bron, Katrina's would-be suitor, who is pretending to be the headless horseman to make fun of Crane. They're playing a joke on him, nothing more than that.
Answer: The scene happens to be a play on a common theory of how, in the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow, that Brom was pretending to be the Headless Horseman in order to scare Ichabod Crane away from Sleepy Hollow.
23rd Jul 2012
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: Just curious, but how does Indy's dad know what the trials to get to the Grail are if he's never done it and anyone who has hasn't survived past the first task?
Chosen answer: He states quite specifically in the movie that he found the details of the trials in the Chronicles of St Anselm. How the details got in there is anybody's guess - given what's seen to occur in the movies, divine inspiration is an entirely reasonable explanation.
Of course, that begs the question... If the grail was not meant to be discovered, then why inspire Henry with the clues to get to it?
The Grail is meant to be discovered, but only by those who are worthy of locating it. In a Grail Quest, the hero has to overcome various challenges and seek out clues to be considered worthy of finding and wielding the Grail. You can't get the Grail if you're unworthy. The 3 Challenges in the temple specifically require traits like faith, wisdom, and bravery to pass. Only someone who understands what the Grail represents would be able to succeed. When divine inspiration is used in storytelling, the goal is to spur people on to want to make themselves better, or to fix something. There may be some divine inspiration that gave Henry the nudge to want to find the Grail, but he still has to put in the work and make himself worthy of it.
24th Jul 2012
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Question: Towards the end of the film, when Harry and Lucius are talking after leaving Dumbledore's office, after Dobby stops Lucius from casting a spell on Harry, Lucius says, "You're parents were meddlesome fools too". I don't recall any indication in the book that Harry's parents knew the Malfoys. Obviously the Malfoys probably knew the Sirius Black/Peter Pettigrew storyline that is explained in PoA. I seem to recall something in one of the last two films where Voldemort discusses something about the Potters with Lucius.
Answer: I'm not really seeing a question there - you might want to work on your wording a little. Bear in mind that you don't have to actually know people directly to describe them as meddling fools. Malfoy would obviously be aware of the Potters, both before their deaths, through his role as a Death Eater, and after, as their son's role in Voldemort's apparent downfall was known throughout the wizarding world. He can readily describe them as meddling fools if he wants to - he doesn't have to have actually met them to do so.
23rd Jul 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Question: SPOILER: At the end of the movie, it is common knowledge that Bruce Wayne is dead. A tombstone is erected and Wayne Enterprises are executing his will. Since everyone knows Batman died, did Gordon (or someone else) out Bruce as Batman? Fair enough, they could've come up with a cover story for Bruce's death, but surely people would get suspicious if Bruce Wayne and Batman died around the same time.
Chosen answer: Given that no accurate records would have been kept of what occurred in Gotham during Bane's occupation, it would be very easy to claim that Bruce had been in the city when the bridges fell, been captured and subsequently executed by forcing him out on the ice, as had happened with many other socialites. Plenty of people died during Bane's takeover of the city, particularly in the final hours. There's no reason why Bruce would stand out among them as a candidate, and even if anybody did harbour some suspicion, it could hardly be proven.
28th Jun 2012
Prometheus (2012)
Question: The cave paintings found in the Isle of Skye are reckoned to be 35,000 years old. Is this possible? Would not Skye have been under several metres of ice 35,000 years ago?
Answer: While the dating given in the movie does put it during the last major glacial period, which lasted from about 100,000BC to around 10,000BC, that period saw a number of advances and retreats by the ice, with the maximum ice coverage only occurring around eighteen thousand years ago, a considerable number of millennia after the dating given for the paintings. As such, it's certainly plausible that Skye was inhabitable during the time frame stated by the movie.
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Chosen answer: No, it isn't the same woman. Mother was voiced by actress Helen Horton, who is not credited for any role in Superman, although, coincidentally, she did appear in Superman III in the minor role of Miss Henderson.
Tailkinker ★