raywest

28th Oct 2019

Star Wars (1977)

Question: How did Owen Lars and Beru physically age by 40 years between the time of this movie and the biologically previous movie when they should've only physically aged 19, and how did Obi-Wan physically age by 30 years when he should've only aged 19 as well?

Answer: There's no "official" answer, as far as I know, but the most common explanation is simply that life on Tatooine takes a greater toll on humans than on more hospitable worlds, especially in the case of those who simply eke out an existence as did Owen, Beru, and Obi-Wan. Tatooine also has two suns, which could also account for the apparent (as opposed to actual) age of its human inhabitants; much as it is on Earth, excessive sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin.

zendaddy621

Answer: There is no explanation other than this is about casting. When George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie in the 1970s, he never expected the phenomena it is today. Alec Guiness was cast as Obi Wan because he was a famous, well-respected actor who was perfect for the part. When Lucas made the prequel trilogy some thirty years later, there were inevitable changes, revisions, and inconsistencies about plot, characters, and so on. Obi Wan was re-imagined as a younger character when he first met Anakin. The younger actors who played Beru and Lars were probably cast because they had a similar appearance to the original actors playing the parts. Actors often play roles where they are older or younger than their actual age. This is quite noticeable in the Harry Potter films, where the actors who played Snape, Sirius, Lupin, James and Lily Potter, etc. were at least 15-20 years older than the characters they played. Audiences are expected to employ a suspension of disbelief.

raywest

22nd Oct 2019

Dante's Peak (1997)

Question: At the end of the movie when they are driving away from the dust cloud and he says don't look back, there is an image of a man in the smoke. Who was the image of?

Answer: I watched the clip on YouTube. If you're referring to when Brosnan looks in car's side mirror, there is an amorphous shape in the ash cloud that has only a vague humanoid form, but it's just a shape. If it looks like anything, it would be a sasquatch, but it's just the ash cloud. A human body would be far too small to be seen from the car's vantage point. It's like people seeing real forms in cumulus clouds on a sunny day.

raywest

Answer: No specific reason is given and any answer is speculation. My take is that it is only about plot timing and pacing to serve the story line. After Harrry and Sirius exit the tunnel, they have a short conversation in which they solidify their godfather/godson bond. Sirius also offers Harry a home, if he wants. If Lupin and Pettigrew had come out sooner, this narrative would have been interrupted. After their conversation, Lupin and Pettigrew then emerge, and the story continues, building up to Pettigrew's escape.

raywest

22nd Oct 2019

Three's Company (1977)

Answer: She was worried that Jack would come to regret his decision. She thought at some point in the future he would marry and want to have children.

LK

Answer: There could be any number of reasons. Some people believe any form of birth control (even for men) is wrong. Janet might (erroneously) think Jack is being selfish and immature by avoiding fatherhood, and so on.

raywest

22nd Oct 2019

Carrie (1976)

Question: Why do Chris and her friends bully Carrie? She's never done anything to them and I've read the book which also provides no answers.

Rob245

Answer: Bullying doesn't have anything to do with whether or not someone did anything to someone else. Bullies zero in on people they know are emotionally weaker and less able to defend themselves. Carrie was extremely shy, awkward, naive, etc. These are traits that bullies tend to exploit for their own amusement and to make themselves feel superior.

raywest

Question: Luke lost his lightsaber in Cloud City, how has it been retrieved?

Rob245

Answer: It has not yet been answered in a canon source. The novel series that continued the stories after Return of the Jedi had Luke's lightsaber being found along with his severed hand which was then used to make a clone. The new movie series has made those stories no longer canon. It is possible Rise of Skywalker will answer this question.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: In "Return Of The Jedi", after Luke turns himself over to Darth Vader, he is handed Luke's lightsaber to which Vader says, "I see you've constructed a new light saber." This would mean that after Luke lost his first lightsaber at Cloud City, he made himself another one.

Luke did make a new lightsaber after losing the first one, but he was the sole owner of it. In The Force Awakens, when Rey finds the lightsaber in the dungeon, Maz Kanata tells her that it once belonged to Luke Skywalker, and before him, it was his father's (Darth Vader). This would mean it is the same one that Luke lost when Vader sliced off his hand that was holding the lightsaber during their duel in Cloud City (The Empire Strikes Back). Somehow, that lightsaber was found on the planet's surface and made its way into Maz's possession. It now belongs to Rey.

raywest

Answer: When asked about how she came into possession of Luke's old lightsaber, which once belonged to Anakin Skywalker, Maz Kanata says that it's a tale for another time. Presumably it will be explained in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

raywest

It is not.

12th Oct 2019

Saw (2004)

Question: Let's say Adam did get the key and unlocked his shackle. What would he have been able to do? He could have gotten the tape recorder out of Jigsaw's hand and been able to retrieve some other stuff, but he did all of that when he was locked, so what was the point of him walking around? And the door was locked too, Dr. Gordon checked it.

Answer: He would have been able to get the tape recorder and the gun much easier and would've had free roam of the room. Adam was never meant to be locked up in his chains, else Jigsaw would've never gave him that type of power.

Answer: Any person confined in that way is going to do whatever they can to free himself. The first step would be getting the ankle shackle removed, then attempt other methods to escape. Even if he never got out of the room, it's still more comfortable and less cumbersome to not be chained to a pipe. Adam doesn't initially know the outcome, so he's not going to just lie there and wait for inevitable. Also, as he's being electrically shocked through the chain, removing it would prevent that.

raywest

17th Oct 2019

The Hunger Games (2012)

Question: How do they know when someone in the arena is dead?

Answer: The tracking chip that is inserted into their arm tracks their vital signs. From this, the control centre is able to monitor all the tributes heart rates. As such, they can see when their heart has stopped and declare them dead and fire the cannon. Plus they have got the ability to bring a camera up at any location to help visually confirm the death of a tribute.

Ssiscool

Answer: They are tracking and watching everyone. They have a whole control room to run the games.

Answer: As mentioned, the tracking devices would indicate if a person was dead. However, even if a fallen tribute was still alive when removed from the arena, the evil and inhumane capital would execute them. Up until Katniss and Peta were declared dual victors, there was always only one survivor/winner of the Hunger Games.

raywest

Would the Capitol just simply not remove the tribute if they're still alive? At least in film 1 the bodies aren't removed straight away. Take Rue for example - she was killed and Katniss had plenty of time to arrange her body.

Ssiscool

It really depended on the circumstances. If a tribute was barely alive with no hope of recovery, then the game keeper could decide when to remove them, dead or not. Other bodies may have been removed at a time that was simply convenient to do so. It did take time to remove Rue, but basically, because of Katniss arranging the flowers around Rue's body the way she did, singing, mourning her, saluting Rue's district, etc. Seneca Crane, the gamekeeper, knew it made a good show for the television viewers. He was wringing out all the drama and emotion that he could because the viewers loved seeing that. That was the way the games were operated.

raywest

16th Oct 2019

Quadrophenia (1979)

Question: Was Steph, played by Leslie Ash, supposed to be a mod girl or just a girl who hung around with with mods?because her clothes which was mainly dresses and skirts and a leather coat wasn't really mod girl clothes, her hair was long and in no particular style and wore very little eye make up.A classic mod girl would would have worn ski pants, have a short hairstyle like a bob and would wear dark eye make up like other girls in the film.

Answer: Your description of "Mod" is too limited. It included a wider range of fashion styles beyond what you've described and included mini-skirts, geometric-patterned dresses, casual hip-hugger pants, leather coats and jackets, and so on. The same with hairstyles which varied from short, angular bobs, to beehives, and long tresses with feathered bangs. The "natural" look was also in style then, along with the more extreme make-up type. Steph certainly fit into the overall Mod style and culture.

raywest

Question: One thing I've never got is why Snape is so rude to Harry when he first meets him in Potions class in this movie. I get that he hates Harry because he looks like James, and James and his friends made fun of him when they were younger, and Lily chose James over him, but if his love for Lily is so strong that he's willing to protect Harry (along with the other teachers and other people throughout the movies and books) for her, then why is he so horrid to him?

Answer: I always figured it boils down to doing the right thing in terms of the big picture, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, or be nice about it.

Jon Sandys

Answer: Snape was a complicated and conflicted man. His hatred for James Potter was so irreparably deep, it made him uncivil to Harry. Harry's strong resemblance and similar personality and temperament to his father didn't help. When Snape looked at Harry, he saw James. It wasn't fair or right, but it was a personality flaw Snape never overcame. Snape's undying love for Lily and his commitment to defeating Voldemort propelled him to protect Harry. Also, Snape's hatred toward Harry may seem extreme, but it is used as a literary device to create conflict and tension within the story. If Snape had acted kindly to Harry, it could have revealed his true intent and allegiance. Readers are deliberately kept in the dark about his motives and anti-hero character until the end.

raywest

15th Oct 2019

Baby Mama (2008)

Question: Why does Kate even go through the surrogate mother routine with Angie? Why not just adopt a baby?

Rob245

Answer: She did apply for adoption, but because she's a single woman, "it can take about 5 years to get an adoption" and would cost $100K. She didn't want to wait that long for a child.

Bishop73

Answer: She had attempted to adopt, but was denied. Unmarried people often have more difficulty in adopting children. It can also take years before a child becomes available and the cost is high.

raywest

13th Oct 2019

Predator (1987)

Question: There is a scene in the movie where Billy chops a vine with a machete and sucks on it. What kind of vine was that?

Answer: I can't tell you the specific type of vine it was, but some vines contain water safe enough for drinking. This is a commonly known survival tactic.

raywest

14th Oct 2019

2012 (2009)

Question: As Jackson manages to get hold of the map that leads to the arks in China, he tells Gordon, his ex-wife and kids that they'll need a bigger plane. Why do they need a bigger plane? (01:05:00)

Rassdyt

Answer: The small plane they were flying on would likely not have the range to get across the Pacific to Tibet, even assuming there were still intact islands where it was possible to refuel.

Answer: Probably because there are now more passengers being carried, more supplies are needed to be brought along, and a bigger plane can carry more fuel and travel farther.

raywest

7th Oct 2019

Knight Rider (1982)

Knight Rider [Pilot; a.k.a. Knight of the Phoenix] (1) - S1-E1

Question: At one point, after promising help, Michael parks, and goes to a pay phone to call Devon. As he gets to the booth, over his left shoulder, there is a badly altered Pepsi sign. Black tape has been put over the word 'PEPSI' in the familiar logo, and also over the "si" in the phrase 'say Pepsi please'. What type of mistake would this be?

Movie Nut

Chosen answer: Before "product placement" became common, name-brand products were rarely, if ever seen in TV shows, mostly due to avoid advertising conflicts with program sponsors. The Pepsi logo may have been taped out to prevent any commercial infringements.

raywest

Are you kidding? Product placement was so rampant in the 50s that sometimes you'd wonder if you were watching a TV show or a paid ad.

Brian Katcher

Knight Rider wasn't produced in the 1950s. TV shows of that era had advertising more similar to the old radio shows from the 30s and 40s. The early 50s series often had a sole sponsor, so their product (and related items) was likely seen in a program. An announcer also informed the audience at the beginning that, "This program is brought to you by (insert brand name). " From the 60s on, brand-name products weren't generally seen in TV programs. Networks sold air time to multiple advertisers, and their ads were shown during the long commercial breaks. So no, I'm not kidding.

raywest

Answer: It wouldn't be a mistake. Anyone could have taped the sign for a number of reasons.

Brian Katcher

10th Oct 2019

Matilda (1996)

Answer: The answer is: "Power." Miss Trunchbull is a sadistic bully, as a school headteacher she can terrorise, frighten and dominate children and teachers. Also the job pays a good salary. She has probably arranged things so the other teachers do all the real work and the difficult jobs. She lives in a house attached to the school, so she gets free accommodation. She can run scams: for example the pupils must be fed, so she gives the catering contract to a company who pay her a "backhander." Thus she has a lucrative job where she does very little work. Plus, you cannot have a story without a villain to be defeated, so Miss Trunchbull is a brilliant opponent for Matilda.

Rob Halliday

Answer: It's a common enough trope to the point where it has become cliche. Stories set in a school will almost always have a teacher or principal (or both) openly dislike their students. Stories aimed at a younger audience will often exaggerate this to an extreme, where the teacher/administrator has a hatred of children in general that borders on insanity.

BaconIsMyBFF

That's exactly why I dislike movies about teachers - always very cliched characters and plots.

raywest

10th Oct 2019

Random Harvest (1942)

Question: I have several questions. In Random Harvest Ronald Colman is a First World War veteran. A war accident left him with amnesia and no memory of his previous life. He meets Greer Garson, they fall in love and marry. Several years later Ronald Colman crosses the road without looking, is hit by a car and knocked unconscious. Regaining consciousness he recalls that he is Charles Rainier, a wealthy landowner and industrialist, but he now has no memory of his life when he was an amnesiac and married to Greer Garson. Is such "double amnesia" possible? Ronald Colman meets Greer Garson again and employs her as his secretary, so he sees her and converses with her daily for several years, but his amnesia is such that he never recognises her as his wife. She could tell him about his missing years and their marriage, but she must never do this because the shock would be too great for him. Does this make any sense? Surely, if any woman met her long-lost husband, who said "I have amnesia and I can't remember who I am", wouldn't she instinctively reply "You're my husband"?

Rob Halliday

Answer: Amnesia the way it is often portrayed in movies, including this one, is impossible. People who do suffer from it, usually from some traumatic event, regain their memory relatively quickly. Double amnesia as portrayed in this movie could never, ever happen. This movie is total fiction, though people did, and still do, believe amnesia happens this way.

raywest

Answer: I have seen other films and read stories about people with amnesia. In 1965 and 1966 there was a "western" television series "A Man Called Shenandoah", wholly based on this premise. In the aftermath of the American Civil War Robert Horton is discovered unconscious on the prairie. When he revives he has no memory of who he is. He roams the west, unsuccessfully trying to discover his identity. I think he had some atrocious bad luck. Just as somebody was about to tell him who he really was they would get run over by a train, or shot in the back. The television company dropped the series after 34 episodes, so we never did find out who he really was.

Rob Halliday

8th Oct 2019

Barbarella (1968)

Question: Serious spoiler alert, but this has always puzzled me. At the end of Barbarella the Black Queen unleashes "Matmos", an evil energy which destroys nearly everybody and everything in the film. Pygar (the blind angel) escapes, only rescuing two people from the cataclysm: Barbarella and the Black Queen. Barbarella asks Pygar why he saved the Black Queen after all the evil things she did (she even blinded Pygar). Pygar replies "an angel has no memory." I never got the point of that. What did Pygar mean? (In his previous conversation he recalled things that happened before he was blinded, so obviously he did have a memory.) And I could not see the point of or meaning to this ending at all. Did any of this make sense to anybody else?

Rob Halliday

Answer: I don't think his comment is meant to be taken literally. To him, a person's past behavior has no relevance to that particular moment in time (in that the memory of it has been selectively voided in the angel's mind), and therefore it does not affect who he saves.

raywest

Answer: You say that Barbarella was beyond lame-it was totally atrociously bad and ludicrous. It was released in autumn 1968, when I was 12, and too young to see it at the cinema. I finally got to see Barbarella when I was 18 and it was shown late one night on television. I wholly concur: I thought it was totally, atrociously bad and ludicrous, and my opinion has not changed since.

Rob Halliday

Answer: I concede your point. Perhaps I was being a bit too literal. When Pygar says he has no memory, he may not mean that all past events clear from his mind (in the way that, for example, you could delete a computer file from your laptop). Instead, he might mean he does not dwell on the past, or he does not retain bitterness or anger for past wrongs, or he does not return evil on those who were bad to him. I think the film was based on a comic that ended in pretty much the same way. All the same, I always thought the ending was rather lame. It was as if somebody told Roger Vadim (the director) "hey, this film is supposed to be 90 minutes long, but we've done 89 minutes filming, and we still haven't got an ending." So Roger Vadim got the Black Queen to unleash Matmos and destroy everything. (To be pedantic, Barbarella is 98 minutes long, but I hope you understand what I mean.) Personally I thought the ending of "Monty Python And The Holy Grail", where a police force stops the film, was a similar disappointment.

Rob Halliday

I would have to say that, overall, the movie was beyond lame-it was totally atrociously bad and ludicrous.

raywest

Question: Ben surrenders the Declaration of Independence, and the treasure's location, in exchange for not going prison. In real life, would surrendering the Declaration and the treasure's location be enough to convince the FBI to let him off the hook, or would he still go to prison?

Answer: It's doubtful anyone would be completely "off the hook" for stealing the Declaration of Independence and also receive a percentage of the treasure's worth, even if they revealed the location.

raywest

What do you mean by completely off the hook for stealing the declaration?

It means Ben would face no punishment for his crime.

Phaneron

9th Oct 2019

The Village (2004)

Answer: But I would also like to add that at the end when Ivy returns with the medicines and leans besides Lucius' bed, you can see Ivy smile, as if just maybe she can see his aura returning.

Answer: It's not revealed what happened to him.

raywest

8th Oct 2019

Stand By Me (1986)

Question: Was Ray Brower from the same town as the boys? If so, how did he end up so far away to where he got killed? It takes the boys a long time to get to him and its only mentioned that he was berry picking. Finally, how would he have got hit by the train? I doubt he didn't hear or see it coming.

Jen Hen

Answer: I think he was from a neighboring town because when Vern tells the group about what he heard Geordie says "could he have gotten all the way from Chamberlain to Harlow, that's really far" and we know the boys are from a town called Castle Rock, so I think Ray Browers was from a neighboring town called Chamberlain.

Answer: In Stephen King's novella, Ray was a boy from a neighboring town. It's unclear in the movie whether Ray is from the same town as the boys, but as it takes them a long time to get to where the body is, it seems that Ray is probably from somewhere else. It's also never explained exactly how Ray was hit by the train.

raywest

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