Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: Why didn't Batman just contact Gordon and tell him what was really going on in Arkham City? They could use that against Professor Strange and stop Protocol 10 before it even began.

Answer: Because Batman didn't know until it was too late, and there was interference as he spoke to Alfred, if you remember hearing that. So contacting Gordon would've been even harder.

Rob245

Question: Considering that there are many different theories about how time travel works, such as the grandfather paradox, temporal paradox, etc., why did Adam assume that the butterfly effect was the primary rule of time traveling?

Answer: It's just the rule they used for the movie; not a lot of thought was put into the time-traveling rules with the obvious inconsistencies the movie has throughout regarding it, especially in the ending.

lionhead

Question: When Seymore is having the final confrontation with the plant, the plant sings, "You can keep the Thing. You can keep the It. You can keep the Creature, they don't mean shit!" I get that "the Thing" is a reference to the monster from "The Thing From Another World" and "the Creature" is a reference to Gillman from "The Creature From The Black Lagoon", but what is "the It" a reference to?

Answer: Most likely it is referring to It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) or possibly It Came from Outer Space (1953).

Answer: I'm assuming that "it" is simply a vague reference to non-human creatures. (It most likely wouldn't be a reference to "It" by Stephen King, as "It" came out after the song was written.)

TedStixon

Answer: He was speaking in general. It being used as a subject, direct object, or indirect object of a verb, or object of a preposition, usually in reference to a lifeless thing.

Answer: Seems like "It" is the titular creature from Stephen King's novel "It." It was a shapeshifter, but mainly took the form of Pennywise the Clown. The novel was released 3 months prior to this film's release.

Bishop73

Question: How did the kids in the flashback know it was Lonnie who stole their brother's candy?

Answer: The way that I look at it is: they didn't know. Not for certain anyway. They just guessed and as it turns out, they were right. Also, they were bullies. And there were three of them and one of Lonnie.

ChristmasJonesfan

Question: At the very end of the movie, why did Jody and her mother hide the reason for all the Leonard killings from the police or the FBI?

Trainman

Answer: The police knew. Deputy Mina, who was sitting across from Jody and her mom in the interrogation room, smiled knowingly. They just didn't tell the feds to keep Jody's dad's name out of it. He was, after all, Leonard's biological father and the Markens didn't want the FBI to know. Or at least that's my take on it.

ChristmasJonesfan

Question: Kathryn wants Sebastian's car if she wins their bet. Considering the upper-class lifestyle of their family, why has she not gotten a car already if she wants one? Sebastian was able to get one, presumably by asking his father and/or Kathryn's mother. Do you think Kathryn never really cared about getting his car, and if so, why make the bet?

Azalea

Answer: Because the car was important to Sebastian, and she wanted to show him who was boss by taking it off him.

Question: When Anderton, after his eye surgery, has his dream about the day he lost his son, look carefully at the people shown at poolside after Anderton discovers that his son is gone. For about a second, the camera follows a suspicious-looking man wearing a fairly wide-brimmed hat, and a towel around his shoulders. While we see this man, the video suddenly becomes "choppy," as though something significant were happening. The camera also zooms in toward his face. This all happens in about one second. Are we to assume that this is the man responsible for kidnapping Anderton's son?

Matty Blast

Answer: In my opinion, no. I do see what you are referring to, but this has been shot and edited in a manner to give the entire sequence a dreamlike effect. There is nothing in this scene (or in the entire movie, really) that gives any clues to Sean's fate, which is left intentionally ambiguous.

jshy7979

Question: When the state police and national guard were called in to draw Rambo out into the open to capture him, why weren't the Marines or other active duty Green Berets called upon instead to deal with an unstable war veteran who was unpredictable and armed and dangerous? The government sent over Colonel Trautman, but he could have at least brought a group of special forces with him to help out in the hunt.

Answer: There's no evidence that the government sent over Trautman. Just because Teasle says that's what happened, it doesn't mean he was correct; he could have just been speculating. I've always assumed Trautman heard about Rambo on the TV or Radio and headed over of his own volition.

Answer: The answer is in Trautman's first appearance in the film: he is very adamant that the way to deal with Rambo is to deescalate the situation, not add more firepower/soldiers/hunters. It's likely the government considered sending special forces, but Trautman, who knows Rambo, would have declined for the same reason he explains to Teasle: the best thing to do is let Rambo escape, let him calm down, and apprehend him once he's no longer in "survival" mode.

Question: When Frank travels into the future and sees an older Calvin sitting on the floor, Calvin glances up. Did Calvin see Frank?

Answer: It's a vision, not reality, so one could interpret it either way. I think it's more powerful if Calvin is seeing Frank, silently accusing him of being (at least partially) responsible for his (Calvin's) situation.

Question: How did English Spider-Man (the rebel one with the guitar) get back to his own dimension after leaving his watch thing for Gwen in her dimension?

Answer: Hobie or Spider-Punk gave Gwen's father a watch he'd built himself. It's fairly safe to assume he built more than one.

Question: How exactly was Burke planning to convince the others to get an impregnated Newt and Ripley off the planet without causing suspicion from Hicks or the other marines if the facehuggers had succeeded as he wanted?

Mlp1327

Answer: The marines worked for the Weyland-Yutani company. They're basically a corporate para-military. Burke was in charge of the operation, so he presumably assumed they, and also Bishop, the company android, would follow his orders, not fully knowing the circumstances. Burke probably intended that most of the marines would also be "infected."

raywest

Question: I've never understood why the three antagonists never escape and continue to scream after the ghosts have gone. Is there something horrible that they see and the audience don't that freezes them and makes them scream in fear?

Big Game

Answer: The audience sees everything they see. At first, they're transfixed by the magical apparitions around them and are marvelling at how beautiful/supernatural/awe-inspiring it is. Just as, I imagine, anyone else would. Then, the figure in front of them changes into something terrifying, and they scream in fear because they realise whatever is coming out of the Ark is, to put it mildly, not friendly. Then (again, as you'd expect), they are rooted to the spot in terror, and after that, well, it's kind of hard to escape when your face is melting off and/or exploding.

Question: If Norman married Claire when she was "touring with a baby" (Caitlin), why is he not referred to as Caitlin's stepfather? When they take her to college, Claire refers to him as "Norman" when speaking to her. I've seen the movie a few times and always thought this was a little odd. Many people would even think of a stepfather as "father" if he was the one who raised them for most of their life.

Azalea

Answer: There's no rule about how a step-father is referred to. Caitlin may simply not consider him a father figure to remain close to her real dad. Many step-children call their step-parent by their first name, regardless of how long the parents have been married. Most likely this is a plot device so that the audience isn't confused about or doesn't forget that Norman is not Caitlin's real father. Some may be offended by a father killing his biological child's mother. It makes Norman less attached to either Claire or Caitlin.

raywest

I am not trying to be rude, but have you seen this movie? You say that Caitlin might be close to her real dad. He is dead. Claire was "touring with a baby" after he died, and then she met Norman. Hence why I found the situation a bit odd. Norman has been in Caitlin's life since she was a "baby."

Azalea

I saw the movie some years ago and don't remember every small detail. However, my main point was that calling Norman by his first name was a plot device to keep the audience focused on him not being Caitlin's biological father. This kept his character more detached from Claire and Caitlin, and made him less sympathetic. It showed an emotional/personal divide existed between Norman and Claire and her daughter. He has less resistance in killing Claire if they did not share a biological child.

raywest

Question: What did Lau Xing say, or rather, tried to say, in French to the cashier after they arrived in Paris?

Answer: He wasn't trying to say anything. Lau Xing doesn't know French at all but only pretended to because Phineas asked him to speak to the man in the booth in French.

Question: After Mitch first arrives on campus, he talks with a guy who makes a remark about his references. Mitch takes a step back and bumps into another student. Is this other student played by Tom Hanks?

Answer: I found an internet reference that Hanks appears as an uncredited extra in the crowd scene. However, there's no verification, with some claiming he was in it, and others say he was not. I've seen the clip, and it looks like him, but not sure it is.

raywest

Question: When watching Tony on the news, what did Anton mean when he said it should have been Ivan?

Answer: Howard Stark and Anton Vanko together developed the arc reactor technology that made Stark Industries so big and wealthy, and indirectly responsible for the Iron Man suit. But Anton got discredited, so his son Ivan didn't get the opportunities like Tony did, by not inheriting any of the wealth and recognition.

lionhead

Question: Why does Alice team up with Carlos after he points a gun at her in the school?

Answer: The movie quite literally explains it. They've both been contacted by the same person with the same offer, so even though their initial meeting is tense, they quickly team up. As the phrase goes... strength in numbers. It's easier to complete a difficult task with more allies.

TedStixon

Question: Mel Gibson used what looked like an AK-47 to shoot Jet Li. Is a rifle like that watertight and able to fire underwater?

Answer: It can be fired underwater, yes, although its effective range is tiny since the water instantly slows the bullet down. It'd definitely be able to kill Jet Li as demonstrated though, since it's pushed right up against him, thus the bullets would have very little resistance from the water. Although I don't know if it'd get quite as many shots off before jamming up. There are plenty of videos of people firing them underwater, but they always only fire a single round, presumably for safety reasons. Either way, the scene is more or less realistic.

TedStixon

Answer: The AK47 is known for its simplicity and durability, with a design that is easy to use, maintain, and repair, even in harsh conditions. It can function in extreme temperatures, dusty and sandy environments, and even when it is dirty or partially submerged in water."How far can an AK-47 shoot underwater? - Not very far. Besides having to push water out of the barrel, bullets don't go very far through water even when the bullet exits the barrel at full muzzle velocity. Bullets hitting the water travel about 3-feet before stopping."

Question: Why did Mrs. Incredible look at herself in the mirror? I never did understand that.

Answer: She sees her reflection and notices her thighs and rear-end look a little big, before letting out a slightly disappointed sigh. It's there to indicate that she has minor body-insecurity issues, much as Bob did earlier in the film. She hasn't been a super in a while and has had kids in the meantime, so she's put on a little weight... it's a nice moment to remind us that despite being a superhero on the surface, she's also a normal person with normal worries deep down inside.

TedStixon

Answer: She was noticing her larger hips/butt thanks to the skin-tight super suit. As with a lot of people, she gained weight as she got older, and she was no longer a superhero, so she didn't get the exercise she had in her youth.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Why did the police chief choose to banish Romeo instead of organizing a manhunt for him, a person who committed a murder against another?

Answer: It was just in keeping with the plot of Shakespear's original play, which was set in 14th century Italy. A massive manhunt would deviate too much from the storyline.

raywest

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