Question: Does anybody know why Zaphod has two faces and not two heads? In the book there are two separate heads and he never gets one cut off. Was this a deliberate choice by the filmmakers for a reason? Thanks.
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: What does the Phantom eat and what does he spend his salary on? Presumably he can't just go to the shops etc with his mask on. If he doesn't leave the opera house where does he learn his skills like driving a carriage, who does he practice sword fighting with? Wouldn't his health suffer if he spends decades living in this damp cold rat infested place wading through lakes all the time? He even complains about it being cold himself at one point. Surely if it snowing outside his lair can't be warm but he's not wearing much.
Answer: First, it is established in the movie that he is dependant on Madame Giry and it is presumed she does his shopping for him. As for learning skills, it is established he is a genius and one can assume he is very well read. Additionally, for single handed skills, like driving a carriage, he can possibly go out at night to learn them. As for his living conditions, the human body adapts well to continuous conditions, it is how the people in Siberia can tolerate lower temperatures better than those who live close to the equator. Lastly, one can easily assume he has other (warmer) clothes that he wears off camera.
There is a character simply known as 'the Persian' He has known the Phantom his whole life and would have taught him horse driving. In the book, the Phantom has a life before the opera house where he would have learned fencing and torture. Also, the phantom knows all the secret passages. When it's cold he leaves his lair and lives someplace warmer.
You're totally right but also, in addition to your mention of The Persian, in the book it is he that is the Phantom's only "friend" or whatever but in the movie there is no Persian exactly but the two Characters Madam Giry and The Persian from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston L. Are both combined as one, to be know as Madame Giry in the 2004 flim.
Question: In the film they are referring to the Somalians as "skinnies". Can anyone confirm if this was the actual name used by Americans to call the locals in Somalia in the 1993 conflict?
Chosen answer: My source is one of the real life members of the Black Hawk crew and he tells me that the Somalians were indeed regularly called "Skinnies", as well as "Smallies" and, unfortunately, the "N" word, too. He is not proud of this, but said in the spirit of truth and honesty felt this was the best answer to this question and hopes sincerely no-one finds this offensive. Additionally, the term "Skinnies" itself comes from Starship Troopers, a 1959 book that has become required reading for the modern US Military (and which was also made as a movie in 1997). The word references the alien antagonists in the book.
Question: What is the origin of the magic cupboard?
Answer: The cupboard isn't magical. It was found by Omri's brothers in the alley behind their house and given to him for his birthday. The magic comes from the key, which Omri's mom gave to him after seeing the cupboard. It originally belonged to either her grandmother or aunt, I forget which. In the books, Omri is able to use the key in other objects (like a trunk) proving the key has the magic, not the old cupboard.
Question: I know that on most flights, the animals are stored in the bottom section with the luggage. If the plane crashed, how did Vincent the dog survive?
Answer: We know that the tail section of the plane was torn off in mid-air, which would have exposed the luggage section - luggage seems to have been scattered over a reasonably wide area, so it was presumably falling out from that point onwards. The most likely scenario is that Vincent's carrier was ejected before the actual impact and Vincent survived the fall to the ground (it seems that his carrier was damaged enough that he could get out).
Question: I was just wondering what those things are that Charlie wears on his fingers. He wears them in the first few episodes, and writes stuff on them, and stops wearing them at about episode 6. They look kind of like plasters. I was just wondering if anyone knew what they were?
Answer: I think they are exactly that - plasters...a bit like someone who would wear a wristband saying hope/fate or something like that.
Question: What's the song that plays at the very end, during the wedding dance?
Answer: "Now That We've Found Love" by Heavy D and the Boyz.
Question: Was the spirit of Peter Kirk aware that Karen was in the same house as him? I noticed twice that when the little boy looked at her so did Peter. Karen and Peter also bumped arms when he dropped something.
Answer: No, Peter was not aware of Karen. Toshio is the only one who sees her because he is dead. Peter looks when Toshio does because he's trying to see what Toshio is looking at, but sees nothing. When Karen and Peter bump arms, he still doesn't see her even though he feels a weird feeling.
Question: Paul Ruebens does the voice of Max but why in the credits does it say that the voice of Max was done by Paul Mall?
Answer: According to IMDB, Paul Mall is just another one of his names people know him by.
Answer: It was Paul Reubens' idea to use a pseudonym, so as to keep the voice of Max a mystery and to surprise any fans of his.
Question: When Lister, Rimmer, and the Cat are waiting for the pregnancy test to change color, and Rimmer wants it to turn red, he cheers it on saying, "Come on you reds." Is this a cultural reference?
Answer: Sort of. A common colour for football teams in the U.K is Red (or blue). "Come on you reds!" is a chant sometimes shouted at football games in support of whatever team is wearing red at the time, although nowadays it's more of a "generic football chant" rather than something used heartily by fans of a certain team. Rimmer is just indicating he's hoping for a positive on the test, but pretending he's cheering for a football team (to break the joke down).
Question: Does anyone know of a website or other source that tells you how to mimic Hugh Grant's dance scene? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Answer: Watching the film would seem to be the best source. The moves don't appear to be terribly difficult and shouldn't be hard to work out.
Question: What's the name of the "theme" song, the one played at the beginning of every episode?
Answer: It is a version of "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley.
Question: How did Balian, a peasant, get to be literate at the beginning of the film, before he leaves with his father? He reads what's carved into the wooden beam over his workplace.
Chosen answer: Who says he was reading it, someone could have told him what it said, so he knew what the beam says rather than read it.
Question: Why exactly is this film (and the book it was based upon) called "The Shining"?
Answer: It refers to the "gift" that Danny and Mr. Halloran shared as in this quote from Mr. Halloran: "I can remember when I was a little boy, my grandmother and I could hold conversations entirely without ever opening our mouths. She called it shining."
Question: I know the film is set in the 1920s, but did anyone see a specific year (i.e., 1925) mentioned anywhere in the film (in a newspaper, maybe)?
Answer: According to Wikipedia.com the story takes place in 1924. Link provided to confirm and more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_(musical).
Question: Why in the Special Edition DVD does Sean Astin leave the audio commentary booth early? Was he annoyed at something?
Chosen answer: One of them says "He had to go and do..." and Richard Donner sort of looks at him with understanding and nods his head. So I guess he had some other engagement. Something Lord of the Rings related perhaps?
Answer: Sean Astin had to leave halfway through recording DVD commentary for "The Goonies" because the recording session started late, and Sean had an earlier commitment to introduce friend Joe Pantoliano at a local theatre.
Question: I have two questions. 1) What exactly does Mr. Smith do with the DVDs? 2) I don't understand the final scene, is Mr. Smith helping Jeff Talley or is he helping the masked men?
Answer: The purpose of the DVD is that the information the criminals are after is hidden in the code of the DVD. The illegal bank accounts and funds and such are all encrypted on the disk. He is also helping Jeff after he realizes that he put his life on the line for his family and saved his children.
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.
Answer: It was a choice by Douglas Adams prior to his demise, largely to avoid the large amount of effects required to continuously portray a character with two heads. It was also probably prompted, at least in part, by his dissatisfaction with the second head used in the 1980's TV version, causing him to think of other ways that Zaphod could be portrayed.
Tailkinker ★