Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: Does Fletcher also have the ability to know everything? Just think about this dialogue: Fletcher : Your honor, would the court be willing to grant me a short bathroom break? Judge : Can't it wait? Fletcher : Yes it can. But I've heard that if you hold it you could damage the prostate gland, making it very difficult to get an erection, or even become aroused! Judge : Is that true? Fletcher : It has to be! That dialogue implies that he had never heard that fact, but he still knew it.

MikeH

Answer: There's a lot of things people hear that aren't true (myths, old wives tales, etc), Fletcher only HEARD that it could damage the prostate, but it's not a real fact. Since Fletcher did hear the myth, he technically wasn't lying, even though he was wrong. While holding in your urine for extended periods of time can lead to some issues, like an infection, enlarging the prostate isn't one of them.

Bishop73

And, just to expand: Fletcher says it has to be true, but this is just due to his own imperfect understanding of what is happening to him. As the answer says, he says he HEARD it, which allows him to say it even if it's not a true fact. The important thing about the curse is HIS OWN perception of what he says. If he believes it himself, he can say it.

Question: At the start of the movie, Igor tells the story of what happened to Malaria's weather. If that's so, how come the people hadn't noticed that the king's supposed beacon started producing storm clouds at the first place?

Roman Curiel

Answer: The King's Beacon keeps everyone feeling gloomy and depressed...so not only is it oppressive, but once started-theoretically, anyway-it will STAY that way until someone shuts it down. Igor's friends do just that while he saves Eva, the kindly "monster."

Erik M.

Question: Doc seemed hell-bent on destroying the DeLorean. So why did he go to the future and get a hover conversion done on the train? Why didn't he just build the train, return to his own time and then destroy the train?

Answer: Quite a bit of time has passed for Doc since Marty went back to the future; he and Clara are married and have two children who look between six and ten years old. Plenty of time for him to change his mind and decide he likes the time traveling life with his family.

Answer: He didn't return to the Old West, both of them had a desire to go to the final frontier. Their favorite author is Jules Verne, who wrote "From Earth to the Moon."

Answer: Doc was happy living in the Old West but returned to the future to collect his dog, Einstein, and he didn't want Marty to worry about him. He probably also wanted to make sure that Marty had made it safely back to his own time, to properly say goodbye, and make sure the DeLorean was never used again. He never indicated he would destroy the train, only the DeLorean. The hover conversion on the train would have been done in the Old West, not in the future.

raywest

I doubt he was able to make the train hover in the old west, whilst he could easily go to the future with it and do it there, like he did with the DeLorean. He did say he has been to the future with it, so it's logical to assume that's where he upgraded it.

lionhead

Doc never says he went further into the future with the train or did the hover conversion there. If he could build a time-traveling locomotive in the 1880s, then he could create a hovering one, as he had the knowledge. Marty asks if he's going back to the future, and Doc says no because he's already been there. That could be interpreted a number of ways. It's a sci-fi movie, and there is a lot of suspension of disbelief employed here.

raywest

While the movie isn't explicit about when or where the Time Train was built, other sources do indicate its hoverconversion was done in the future. While Doc could invent a machine that was capable of time travel (the mechanics of which aren't really discussed), he had to travel to the future to convert the DeLorean and couldn't even fix the DeLorean in the past.

Bishop73

What 'other sources' indicate Doc travelled to the future for the hover conversion? Any fan speculation is invalid. I also don't get the argument. While Doc was unable to fix the DeLorean when Marty was in the Old West, he could, and did, in later years, build the time-travel train in the past. He could not otherwise have gone anywhere into the future to do anything. Time-travelling without the hover ability would be extremely difficult as a locomotive would be noticeable and require taking off and landing on empty train tracks. Doc would have to hide the locomotive while converting it. He would also have to know before time-travelling that the railroad tracks he took off on still existed in the future, as he could possibly arrive smashing into what became an urban development. This should be considered as both a deliberate plot hole and a plot device using "suspension of disbelief" solely intended to give the series a spectacular finale.

raywest

The comics reveal that Doc Brown traveled to 2017 in a prototype time machine and purchased materials which he brought back with him to the 1890s to use on the Time Train.

Question: If Amanda felt guilty about abducting Adam, why couldn't she just return to the bathroom, unshackle his chains, and nurse him back to health, like John did with Dr Gordon, instead of killing him?

Answer: She could have, but if she did and John found out, she might get punished and he might start to lose her trust. He could also just put Adam in another game (possibly inescapable since he was meant to die of thirst).

Question: In a real life situation, would Blankes and Copeland have any disciplinary actions against them when their guns were taken from them and used to hold Harris hostage and shoot at Mahoney?

Answer: With no witnesses to say HOW their guns were taken, they could have said they were taken by surprise and overpowered. Knowing their characters, this is likely what happened. No one would know the truth, that they simply froze and allowed the man to take their guns away.

Question: In the opening scene, after the bird is hit; did anyone else think the blood on the ball makes a crude Bat signal?

Bishop73

Answer: Yes, it did.

Question: Why does Stanley believe writing a book is a cop-out?

Answer: Because writing isn't a real job with a regular paycheck. Jack hasn't paid his mortgage in 6 months, so he's not making a living as a writer. So when Jack replies he has a job as a writer, Stanley is saying Jack is using that idea as an excuse not to work a regular job.

Bishop73

Question: If Blade knew the bomb on the back of Reinhardt's head wasn't actually a dud like Scud believed it to be, why didn't he detonate it and kill Reinhardt instead of using it to kill Scud? Surely Reinhardt is a bigger threat than Scud. Blade could kill Scud with his bare hands if he wanted to.

Phaneron

Chosen answer: Killing Scud with it probably was more satisfying for Blade than Reinhardt, who he easily beat as well. He hates familiars and that moment he used the bomb to have Scud reveal his betrayal, and then kill him, so he won't get away. Reinhardt he knew would not try to run, he was killing him anyway.

lionhead

Agreed. I saw it as he was waiting for Scud to show his hand. Like Blade said, he knew Scud was a traitor/a familiar the moment they turned him. He was waiting for the perfect time to let Scud know that he was already well informed on his betrayal, and that his azz was now cooked. Doing it that way was way more satisfying for Blade.

Answer: Yes they did. In addition to selecting football players from Marshall's Junior Varsity team, the coaches also recruited several players from other sports. Some of those athletes had never played on an organized football team previously.

BaconIsMyBFF

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't it have been awfully risky to recruit athletes who've never played football in their lives?

Not necessarily. Since they were already collegiate level athletes, it is likely they were quite physically fit. Those who had little football experience were likely used as bench players and saw little on field action.

BaconIsMyBFF

I don't know that your statement that those who had little football were likely used, as bench players and saw little on field action is true. See, most of Marshall's experienced football players were killed in the plane crash which the movie is about.

There were about 20 freshmen players and several upperclassmen from the varsity team who weren't on the tragic flight that played the 1971 season. The majority of the team were at the very least, experienced high school players. The number of athletes on the team that had NEVER played on a football team before was low, but it was noteworthy.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: He took her into space because of bad writing and special effects.

Originally, he wasn't supposed to take her into outer space, but to the skies above Metropolis.

Answer: I think that he took her there because he wanted her to see Superman's ultimate defeat.

Answer: There is no logical reason for him to take her there.

Question: Why wouldn't the vampire elders just kill Deacon Frost if he's such a problem for them? It's not like they have a code of ethics to follow, plus it would send a message to any other rebellious vampires.

Phaneron

Chosen answer: It would seem Deacon has gathered a lot of strength around himself, in followers of "young" vampires like himself. After he kills Gitano he just abducts all the vampire elders, showing his followers are a lot stronger than the elders are. So they probably couldn't have killed him even if they wanted to, not unless they want to unleash a war. They thought his pursuit of the vampire god was totally pointless, so they let him waste his time and were probably trying to find a way to get rid of him.

lionhead

Chosen answer: He is squatting the entire time in every scene. The suit probably helped in ways to balance himself whilst squatting, so he could hold on much longer than normally.

lionhead

Question: When Indy is in the final room to get the golden idol, how does he know exactly which plates to step on? None of them have moss like the first that he pushed down with the wooden torch. They have no distinguishing features. How can he tell which ones are the safe ones?

Answer: Note how Indy only steps on the darker area surrounding the centre of each plate, but triggered the trap by pushing down the centre area. That could mean that the plates consist of two parts and only the centre part is the trigger. Thus it would've been easy to figure out that "walking on the cracks" is the savest way. Additionally, Indy might be putting on a "genius at work" show for the clumsy assistant. If tomb raiding was revealed as being rather easy, everybody would do it.

Answer: I fully agree with the other answer, and just to expand a bit: we also don't question how Indy knew to "stay out of the light" on the previous trap, or how he knows the idol is on a platform triggered by a change in weight. Clearly, he's done his homework.

Answer: Indy is an archaeologist and would have extensively researched the culture, history, customs, technology, etc. digging up any clue to how and where to find the idol. There may have been other treasure caves found with similar booby traps in place that others tried and failed to overcome. Indy was making a (literal) leap of faith that he had the correct knowledge. There is some "suspension of disbelief" employed here, where the audience accepts that Indy had somehow gained the proper knowledge.

raywest

Question: When New York got hit with a tidal wave and Sam asked the receptionist where the "pay phones are?" Why didn't he just ask to use one of the 100s of phones throughout upper parts of the building? I'm sure a verbal warning was the last thing the receptionist mind, I mean there was a freaking oil tanker floating up the street. (00:25:00 - 01:00:00)

Answer: The power had been knocked out meaning anything more than a basic telephone wouldn't be able to work. Payphones would get their power directly from the phone line and given how essential phones are to call emergency services, phone lines usually have backup power sources (batteries, generators etc) in case of power outages.

Question: Shortly after Andy leaves Woody and Buzz behind at the gas station, Woody shouts "YOU!" and charges toward Buzz, when he is interrupted by a tanker truck's horn. What was Woody about to do?

Answer: He has become a lost toy, and he blames Buzz for it. He is especially angered by the fact Buzz keeps staying in character as a space ranger.

lionhead

Question: During the highlight reel at the stadium, what was the make and model of the car that hit the ball player?

Answer: 1988 Oldsmobile Firenza.

Bishop73

Question: Is there any particular reason why there is some kind of wire either hanging or protruding from the golf club when Happy hits a ball for the first time? It's most noticeable when says "Look at this stupid thing."

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The wire is actually some sort of line that would be wrapped around the club attaching the club head to the shaft.

LorgSkyegon

Question: Why would Dumbledore hire Lockhart to be a professor at Hogwarts? Dumbledore knows how incompetent Lockhart is and that the DADA is cursed.

Answer: This is better explained in the book. Dumbledore, and also the other Hogwarts' staff, always doubted the narcissistic Lockhart's credentials and abilities, but no-one else would accept the job, knowing it was cursed and no instructor lasted more than a year. At the time, Dumbledore was pressed to hire a new teacher before the school year started, and Lockhart was the only option and better than nothing.

raywest

Answer: On paper, Lockheart is far from incompetent. Look at all his books. It appears he has exceptional experience of the Dark Arts and creatures such as Hag's Banshee's etc. So as far as Dumbledore knows he's the best position of the job. With regards to the job being cursed, it's been cursed for 13 years with no teacher lasting more than a year. He still needs a teacher. And all the teachers get more and more qualified as time goes on. Consider the fact that he hires ex-auror, Moody.

Ssiscool

In the novels, Lockheart has admitted to Harry and Ron that he's a fraud. His backstory goes that all of his "accomplishments" were told to him by other wizards that actually achieved them and after he learned the whole story, he used Obliviate on them to make them forget what they did and claimed them as his own. Even the spell that he claims would work on pixies failed.

In the movie he tells them too. Nobody knew that though, not even Dumbledore when he hired him. Although some do start getting suspicious, like Snape.

lionhead

Dumbledore was aware of Lockhart being a fraud as two of the wizards that had their memories erased were friends of his and was able to correctly guess that Lockhart was responsible.

I wouldn't consider Dolores Umbridge, who succeeded (the fake) Mad Eye Moody, as an improvement. She was mediocre in addition to being corrupt. The real Mad Eye, never taught, so it's unknown how well he would have done. Barty Crouch, Jr. (the fake Moody) was a dark wizard, making him an effective instructor. Lupin was an excellent teacher, as was Snape, though he didn't last a full year.

raywest

Question: Why didn't one of the elders go get the medicine once they decided that someone could go get it? I get why they picked Ivy because she was unlikely to pick up on the lie due to her blindness, but why didn't her father just go? There'd be no risk to the secret being revealed if he did that.

Answer: Because they'd each sworn to never leave the village, no matter what.

Jukka Nurmi

Question: Given Tim had "The Right Missy"s phone number how could he have mistakenly texted the other one?

Rob245

Answer: Because he had both girls in his phone as "Missy" and he didn't check which Missy he was texting or forgot he had the "wrong" Missy in his phone.

Bishop73

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