Question: Why would Ethel do a silly thing as pinching chocolates to see what kind they were? Surely she'd realise this wasn't a good idea.
raywest
18th Dec 2020
I Love Lucy (1951)
17th Dec 2020
Panic Room (2002)
Question: How did the robbers know of the money? There was no mention of inheritance from the main crook.
Answer: Junior (Jared Leto) was a grandson of the deceased former occupant. He told his cohorts that he was the only one in the family who knew that his grandfather had hidden the bearer bonds (worth about $22 million) inside the panic room. He wanted it all for himself, so that is why he enlisted the other two to help him break into the safe.
16th Dec 2020
Frasier (1993)
Question: When Roz pretends to be surprised about Niles and Maris separating, why does Frasier call her "Talulah"?
Answer: It's just one of Frasier's little arcane witticisms. Roz is acting over-the-top surprised (hands on her heart, wide-mouthed gasp, etc.), the way theatre actors and actresses would back in the early 20th century. Tallulah Bankhead was a successful American stage actress of that era, so Frasier is comparing Roz to her after seeing her "performance." He (or, more accurately, whoever wrote the episode) probably chose to reference Bankhead out of all possible actresses because it's an unusual name, unlikely to be confused with some other, non-theatre Tallulah.
Answer: When Roz comes into the scene, she's complaining about Christmas shopping because she says that she never knows what to give the men in her life. Frasier replies, "Since when?", making a sly comment on Roz's sex life. Roz was often teased about having many men in her life (it was a different time back then). When Roz overacts in response to Niles' statement about getting back together with Maris, Frasier says, "That's enough, Tallulah." The reference is to Tallulah Bankhead, a stage and screen actress from the '30s and '40s who was also known for her sexual appetite.
15th Dec 2020
General questions
Only saw the trailer for this twice but never the actual movie. The trailer is about a mom and daughter who become bounty hunters. They are in a fast food place, and they tell a male employee that they've come to arrest him, but he laughs thinking they're joking.
Answer: In 1980, there was a movie titled, "The Hunter," based on real life bounty hunter, Ralph "Papa" Thorson. "The Huntress," which started as a TV-Movie sequel, was about him being killed chasing a bounty, which left his widow and daughter to run the business. FYI, "The Hunter" was Steve McQueen's last film before he died.
22nd Jan 2015
Home Alone (1990)
Question: If Old Man Marley is actually a nice man (and not a "shovel slayer" as Buzz claims) then why does he always give Kevin that cold, creepy stare? After Kevin ran away the first time wouldn't he want to talk to Kevin the next time, to assure him that everything is okay?
Answer: Because he's understandably angry that Kevin's so unreasonably scared of him and assumes the worst in him without even getting a chance to know him. He never gets a chance to talk to him, because he always runs away too quickly. The first time he gives him that stare was when Kevin was watching him shovel from the window. Nobody would like to be stared at like that while doing a simple task.
Answer: Marley appears that way mostly because the audience sees him from Kevin's point of view. Marley is miserable and sad because he is estranged from his family, but we see him as a crotchety, unpleasant person because that is what Kevin believes. Buzz had tainted Kevin's opinion of him by spreading the false stories that a gullible Kevin believed were true.
3rd Feb 2010
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Question: When Ron, Hermione and Harry are in the Three Broomsticks, and Ron mentions to Hermione about how she has a bit of foam from her butterbeer above her lip, why does she seem so upset and embarrassed?
Chosen answer: Because she doesn't want to look silly in front of Ron, who she's in love with. Teenage romance, it's a minefield...
Answer: Because at the start of the film, she gets all flustered when she has a bit of toothpaste on her mouth, and Ron leans over to wipe it from her face. She obviously thinks about this moment a lot because when she smells the love potion during Slughorn's class, she mentions spearmint toothpaste. In the Three Broomsticks she's upset because she has foam on her mouth and instead of maybe wiping it away like he had done at the Burrow, he just gestures to her that she has something on her mouth.
13th Dec 2020
The 10th Kingdom (2000)
Question: Tony's boss says that he wants Tony and Virginia out of the apartment "today." Are landlords not required to give a tenant notice - often between ten and thirty days?
Answer: He is being dramatic. He wants them out of the apartment quickly. Most landlords are required to give a certain number of days, depending on the local laws. And most tenants can't pack all of their belongings and leave before the next day.
Answer: His remark could be interpreted in different ways. There is a legal process involved in giving an eviction, but he could mean that as of that day, they are being given notice. It is also a hyperbolic figure of speech and is something someone would say in anger, meaning to get out as soon as possible. Also, it being a TV series, it streamlines the plot, and the dialogue sounds more dramatic and immediate when the character states it in that way.
26th Nov 2020
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Question: That multi-coloured gloop that Bowman and Poole are eating looks quite disgusting. What were the actors really eating?
6th Dec 2020
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Question: Why did the credit card come back as being stolen? The police told Peter to notify the credit card company, so they could track Kevin if he used them - they wanted Kevin to use the credit card, so why would they have put a block on it by reporting it as stolen?
Answer: The credit card company was aware that an unauthorized person was using the card, which someone in the credit card system could misinterpreted as being "stolen." The police needed that information to track when, where, and how the card was being used to locate Kevin. It was assumed that Kevin had the card, but someone else could have gotten hold of it.
Answer: They did not know where Kevin got off the airplane (or how far away he may have ended up). There were numerous flights to various cities and they initially wanted to know if Kevin used the card and, if so, what city (maybe even country!). This would give police an idea of where to start looking; it was a technique to narrow down the possibilities. If one's credit card is "missing" or in the hands of an unauthorized person (such as Kevin being in possession of the card), it should be reported as stolen (or missing) so that the credit card company is on the alert for an unauthorized user. If this missing card is presented to a merchant (or ATM for cash withdrawals), the person will be unable to use it to make any purchase or continue charging items. The credit card company will know if/when someone tries to use the card and can then notify police of the exact location; the police can investigate from that point. Reporting the card "stolen" as soon as possible (as soon as one realises it is missing) helps protect the card's owner from being held monetarily responsible for whatever unauthorized charges are made over $50; the credit card company will consider the card's owner to be limited to a maximum of $50.
6th Dec 2020
Stand By Me (1986)
Question: In the train dodging scene, why didn't the loco crew brake at all? They definitely saw the boys in front. I know that trains have very long stopping distances compared to road vehicles, but still. And why didn't the boys try to signal the driver to stop? I get it that they panicked, but still wouldn't that be the first thing coming to one's mind in such a situation?
Answer: No, it wasn't that big of a train. He didn't even attempt to get off the throttle. That's all it would have taken for the boys to make it fairly easy. It was a straight-away track, no chance of it derailing by hitting the brakes. Like the man said above, if trains derailed that easily, we wouldn't be using them.
Answer: Throwing on brakes that heavily gives the train a chance of derailing and the train still wouldn't stop in time.
Answer: To add to the other fine answers, and as mentioned, any attempt to make a sudden stop could have resulted in derailment. The conductor knew the train was about to go over an elevated track, and if it derailed, it would have plunged into the deep ravine, killing the boys anyway, as well as those on aboard. The best he could do was blow the whistle, gradually slow the train, and hope the boys survived.
Can't agree with the arguments about derailment. If trains derailed so easily, they would derail all the time. The train had only 4 or 5 cars. It would not have needed miles to stop. Simply reducing the throttle would have resulted in significant slowing. Plus, they did not stop to determine if anyone was hurt. That is criminal behavior.
Answer: A train that size would have needed miles to stop, and rapid braking could have caused derailment. The engineer was blowing his whistle so he saw the boys; there was no need for them to signal. The engineer and the boys knew their only chance was to get off the bridge.
6th Dec 2020
Constantine (2005)
Question: Why was Constantine denied entry to heaven?
Answer: Because he committed suicide as a teenager. He didn't just attempt, he was dead for several minutes. Suicide is a cardinal sin in Catholicism. He also doesn't have true faith, just knowledge.
Answer: Constantine committed suicide when he was younger (although he was revived by paramedics). Suicide is considered a mortal sin.
6th Dec 2020
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Question: After Kim kisses Edward good-bye in their final moment together, Kim runs away but you can see Edward taking a step forward while looking at her run. Why did he suddenly stop himself?
Answer: Because wanted to go with her, but they both realised it could never work out, like the story of Beauty and the Beast, except Edward couldn't turn into a handsome prince.
My brief fantasy is that Kim and Edward could hide their relationship until the "hype" died down, then move far away and find a doctor to "help" Edward - give him prosthetic hands. Mostly for disguise; not to "fix" him. However, the ending of the movie suggests that he does not age, so there would still be a problem when Kim grew older and died.
6th Dec 2020
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Question: What happens to Reggie afterwards when Buddy Love throws him into the piano? Was he dead or was he unconscious? Because he is never seen or heard from again for the rest of the film after that.
6th Dec 2020
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Question: Why is the word "Happiness" in the title misspelled?
Answer: In an interview, the real-life Chris Gardiner, (played by Will Smith) explained that the deliberately misspelled word was written that way on the child daycare center's wall (representing how children can sometimes misspell words). Gardiner later interpreted it to personally mean that true happiness is not defined in just one way, there are many ways to be happy, and that was reflected in the alternate spelling.
6th Dec 2020
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Question: Yukon has a gun - why he didn't just shoot the snow creature at the cave?
Answer: It's a kid's show, not Game of Thrones.
6th Dec 2020
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Question: How do they get all the restraints on Lecter?
Answer: It's never shown, though multiple people were involved. His regular handler, Barney, usually oversaw this, as he was the only one Lecter could not outwit when it came to adding or removing his restraints. When Lecter was moved to a different location and had inexperienced guards watching over him, he was able to fool them and escape.
Answer: They would take as many precautions as possible and not let down their guard. There was a scene where the guard made Lecter sit on the floor with his back against the cell bars and then put both hands behind him through the cell bars - then the handcuffs were put on Lecter (only Lecter's hands and the handcuffs were outside of the cell). Something similar to this would enable the guards to go inside the cell and/or bring the restraints into the cell and have Lecter help the guards "dress" him while at least one other guard is aiming a gun at Lecter in case he makes a "wrong move."
Answer: Presumably they would have several staff members doing it to get it done quickly and efficiently. Given his past attack on the nurse, they would also likely have several guards present to intervene in case he did something, which would likely dissuade him from trying.
6th Dec 2020
Gladiator (2000)
Question: Is it true that there was a feud between Russell Crowe and Oliver Reed on set? And, if it is true, then what caused them to dislike each other?
Answer: It's basically true. Russell Crowe has a reputation for having an enormous ego and being difficult to work with. Oliver Reed was alcoholic and had an erratic and somewhat irascible nature, though he remained sober while filming. Crowe clashed with most of the Gladiator cast, including Reed.
28th Nov 2020
The Godfather (1972)
Question: When Michael was visiting the church to "repent" he started to experience an anxiety attack and asked for juice and candy. How on earth did the person standing in the shadows get the juice and candy in under 5 seconds in that scene...pitcher full, a glass and candy on a platter?
Answer: I believe this happened in The Godfather: Part III (1990). Michael was diabetic (it was not an anxiety attack), and he may have requested in advance (without explaining why) that water, juice, candy, etc. be nearby in the event it was needed or else there may have been the usual refreshments set out. The one priest's actions was overly quick, though this was probably a movie choice to accommodate the scene's pacing. Michael's assistants would likely always bring a supply of candy and juice with them whenever Michael went somewhere. That is what diabetics are supposed to consume if they have a sudden attack.
Yes, I remember now he was diabetic and your answer makes sense. I re-watched the clip where he asks for it and he says it's his diabetes, when he's under stress sometimes it happens. However, I still think that once the Priest said, "what is it, what's the matter or whats wrong" that they didn't know in advance otherwise he would not have needed to ask but that his "assistants" (lol) would have had it with them instead. Either way, it doesn't take away from the film but I've watched this movie no less than 100 times and there is ALWAYS something that I didn't see or understand. This scene just stood out. Thanks for your reply.
26th Nov 2020
Body Heat (1981)
Question: Maddy pulls up to the house in her dead husband's Cadillac right around the time Ned was supposed to be at the boat house. Why would she be driving his car when at that point in time, she is supposed to be Mary Ann Simpson, her real identity? Ned was supposed to be dead at that point. The boat house could have blown up as she arrived and the fire dept. called by a neighbor would be on its way?
Answer: Maddie (who was the real Mary Ann Simpson) was deliberately being careless, dropping clues, and creating inconsistencies, like leaving Edmund's eyeglasses behind at the house when they moved his body. It was the same with Edmund's car. She was framing Ned as being the sole murderer who killed both (the real) Maddie and Edmund. She had specifically targeted Ned as her accomplice, knowing he was an incompetent lawyer who was careless about details.
Answer: It was all part of the plan to frame Ned, she purposely left clues behind as Ned would become suspicious of her. In the end, the dead body of the real Mary Ann Simpson was already in the houseboat. Thus everyone would think she's was dead when in fact she in sunning on a tropical beach.
26th Nov 2020
Star Trek (1966)
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Answer: It's a comedy show from the 1950s. Slapstick, over the top humor, and silly situations were typical of the era. Characters were written to behave in unrealistic or illogical ways purely for comic effect.
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