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: Besides in "Treasure Island," is there and actual legend about the black spot? If so, is it in any available anthologies?

Answer: People who were believed to be pirates would be sent a piece of paper with a black spot in the middle, saying that they would be killed soon.

Answer: It is believed that Stevenson made up the Black Spot specifically for Treasure Island.

Tailkinker

Question: When Axel and Mikey return from the bar, Axel opens the door to his apartment, goes in and - almost immediately - two thugs come out of a hideaway and catch Mikey, beat him up then shoot him. Why Axel didn't come to investigate? Is he deaf or something?

Answer: Axel gets knocked out by one of the thugs as soon as he opens the door. His boss later make mention of the fact that he's lucky he didn't get killed too. They probably spared him because he didn't see who hit him and therefore could not tell anyone what they looked like.

XIII

Question: When the Plastics and Aaron are walking through the hall, I can't tell if Cady really does fall into the trashcan, or if it's in her imagination. Is this answered anywhere?

Answer: I don't think it actually happened. I've had to change bags in similar trash cans, at places where I worked, and many of them are not very heavy and sturdy. They would easily topple over if a person fell in. When Cady falls, she seems to stick her legs up in the air and wiggle them. Almost as if she does a hand-stand inside the can.

Answer: We can assume that it really did happen, because in the scenes of her imagination, it then jumps back to show what really happened, and in this case it doesn't.

Christina

Question: Why does that woman commit suicide at the beginning? Who is it she is scared of and why?

Answer: She's afraid of Renard. She's apparently of the opinion that, if she allowed herself to be captured, that he would still be able to get to her regardless and would undoubtedly be deeply unhappy that she had allowed herself to be caught. She apparently feels that suicide is a preferable option to whatever he might do to her.

Tailkinker

Answer: Her name is "Lara Lor-Van" (though it was originally "Lora", not "Lara"). Look here for more information about her.

Garlonuss

Question: When Steve and Stella are at the restaurant on a date, Steve catches on that Stella is John Bridger's daughter because she says the phrase her father always said (about not trusting the devil inside of people). But then, after he has grabbed her wrist, he says "I knew I recognised you from somewhere" or something like that. The thing is that if Steve had recognised her before (obviously when she went to his house as the 'fake' cable engineer) why did he not do anything?

Answer: It was more a nagging thought at that point. Just like when you see someone on the street that you think you've seen before but you can't quite place where. It wasn't enough for Steve to act on at that time. He didn't even know it was someone he'd *want* to act against; for all he knew, she could have been a friend's sister he met once.

Phixius

Answer: To add to the other person's previous answer, Steve does state when Stella comes over as the cable woman, "Haven't we met somewhere before?" to which Stella says "I don't think so." I am paraphrasing from memory but that was the essence of what was said. So he had already established that he was trying to place her. Could have met her at a club or something for all he knew. He also thinks Charlie and company are dead at this point. They only reveal themselves after he confronts Stella about being Bridger's daughter.

Question: What song is playing when Esqueleto first eats the corn on a stick? Part of the lyrics are something like "yes, I am a foreign man".

Answer: The song is Hombre Religioso (Religious Man) by Mr. Loco.

pinkwafer

Question: Who were the people standing around Tia Dalma's hut at the end of the movie, and what was their purpose?

Answer: They are the inhabitants of the swamp where Tia Dalma lives. They are there to mourn Jack's passing. Tia Dalma has supernatural powers and no doubt she knew of Jack's demise before the Black Pearl crew arrives. It also appears she foresaw them coming.

raywest

Question: If the law enforcers are all taking their drugs, why, in the gun battles, are all of the soldiers ducking down and showing signs of fear?

Answer: Feeling actual fear and being trained to not deliberately stand in the line of fire are different things. The soldiers are acting out of self preservation, not fear.

Gary O'Reilly

Question: Is Collins a homosexual? Because he loves Angel as a woman but Angel is actually a man. So is he gay because he loves a man or straight because he loves a woman?

Answer: He is homosexual. He loves Angel as a person. Albeit, a person who is a man that dresses like a woman.

Phixius

Question: What is the "3rd" or "Lost" disc that I've seen mentioned? I have the 2-disc edition. How do you get the 3rd disc?

Answer: It was released as part of a three-disc edition. As far as I know, there's no way to get it without simply buying the three-disc version, which is probably not worth doing if you already own the two-disc edition.

Tailkinker

Answer: The most often used spelling (in the credits where her parents appear, for example, is Green. However, Greene is used on occasion, such as the nameplate in her office.

pinkwafer

And on the wedding invitation to Ross and Emily's wedding.

Question: According to Wikipedia, a "disused spa", the Kaiserbad, was supposed to be used as the exterior of the Casino Royale. I found a picture: and the "Grandhotel Pupp serving as the "Hotel Splendide" where Bond stays during his time in Montenegro." I only recall seeinng the Pupp, thinking that building was both the casino and the hotel. When the players go to their rooms, I thought they were in the same building, but apparently not.

Answer: Nope, in the movie the hotel and casino were not in the same building.

Andreas[DK]

Question: At Miami airport, the cops shoot the fuel trucks tires. Wouldn't that be dangerous? Would there be a risk of a bullet hitting the fuel tank and blowing it up? And if, so, wouldn't the cop think twice before shooting?

Answer: Unlike how it's often portrayed in movies, it's actually pretty hard for a bullet to ignite a fuel tank. The Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel tried it once and were unable to do it with anything but a tracer round. (That is a round that burns as goes through the air). Of course a stray bullet could make the tanker leak, but apparently that was a risk the police thought was acceptable compared with the dangers of having a rogue tanker driving around.

Andreas[DK]

Answer: She accepted the Oscar nomination for the film. She turned down the Tony nomination for the Broadway musical because no one else got nominated and she thought it was unfair.

Myridon

Question: At the end, David (as Bud) leaves Pleasantville by using the remote control. Why didn't he do this in the first place when he realised that they were in Pleasantville? And where did the remote control come from?

Answer: Upon first being sucked into Pleasantville, both David and Jennifer were angry this had happened and wanted to leave Pleasantville immediately. The repairman was taken aback by this as he stated he spent years looking for the right super fan and believed David would see it as an honor. As a result of this lack of appreciation, he was hurt and essentially left David and Jennifer in the show believing it would be good for them. In terms of where the remote came from, David always had it after being sucked into the TV. When Betty Parker came into the living room and saw David [as Bud] in front of the TV [trying to get back in touch with the repairman] David stuck the remote behind the leg of the sofa when he realised they were stuck there.

Invader_Gir

Answer: The repairman is essentially the architect of the whole show. He doesn't allow them to leave at the beginning because he thought Tobi and Reece would be a good fit for those characters, it is never really explained why he wanted to change things because supposedly everything in Pleasantville stays the same, but who knows, little kid with a magnifying glass and a bunch of ants theory, maybe a god complex?

Answer: Because he didn't want to go back to his real life. By the end of the movie he's decided he wants to return.

He did want to leave at first, he even told the repair man to let them leave.

Question: I get how no one saw the child get on the plane. But how did no one see the kidnappers take her and put her under the plane, not even crew members?

Answer: Carson told Kyle that he put Julie inside a drink cart and used that to transport her to the lower area. Since one of the crew members was an accomplice, it's likely she helped move the cart.

Thisbe

How would they have put Julia inside a drink cart? Children Julia's age can weigh 40 to 60 pounds. That's more than drink carts are built to take. How would they have moved the cart without Julia's weight causing it to break?

"Suspension of disbelief" rears its head again-the audience isn't meant to analyze or be aware of the drink cart's limits, or how anyone could put a child into one while on a plane full of passengers. A limp body is not easily carried or maneuvered, but the viewer is just supposed to accept that they managed it for plot sake.

Erik M.

Question: In all the Vacation movies, the children are played by different actors. What is the reason behind this? Is it simply a joke?

Answer: According to the commentary from "Christmas Vacation" this is an inside joke referencing the fact that Clark is away from home so much with work, he hardly even recognizes them anymore. "European Vacation" could not obtain the same kids who played in the original Vacation, namely Anthony Michael Hall, and tried to cast kids whom looked close. Thus the joke began. No doubt the actors' aging between movies also plays a part.

Jazetopher

Answer: Ironically in 2003, Dana Barron (the original Audrey in the first film) returned as Audrey Griswald in "Christmas Vacation 2: Eddie's Island Adventure" although this film did not contain Chevy Chase, Beverly D' Angelo or a Rusty actor (Rusty not in this film).

Answer: They had already dated and broken up. When they began their online relationship, they were unaware who the other person was.

raywest

Question: In the first movie, when Elizabeth falls off the wall, you hear Jack telling the guards "and then they made me their chief." Does this mean that he has been to the island before? Will they explain this further in the third movie?

Answer: Yes, this is the same island (Pelegosto) Jack was telling the two marines about. That is why he is able to (somewhat) speak the natives' language. The film's writers confirm this in the DVD commentary. It's also a reference to the Fast Show, a favourite of Johnny Depp.

raywest

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.