raywest

Question: What happened to Cinna? It looked some men came into the room and started beating him up. But what happened to him after?

Answer: They don't show what happens to him in this film, but Katniss is told in "Mockingjay" that they think Cinna was killed during interrogations. Even in the books his death is unclear. In "Catching Fire" she sees him dragged away, bloody and unconscious. And then in "Mockingjay", Katniss tells the readers "Plutarch's sources believe he was killed during interrogation."

Bishop73

There is also a line where she asks President Coin at the end of this film (been a while since I watched these) where she bluntly says, "They killed him. Cinna. Didn't they?" And the response is a simple yes.

Ssiscool

There's also a scene in Mockingjay Part 1 where Effie is showing Cinna's costume drawings to Katniss. Katniss asks if Cinna is dead, and Effie says that he is, though she does not elaborate on how.

raywest

Question: Where were the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students during lessons? I never saw them in any and surely they weren't excused from their final year of education?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: It's not explained where they go during lessons but it is a safe bet that they don't sit in on lessons. Each school has their own way of teaching and subjects. So it's possible they may have had lessons with Karkaroff and Madame Maxine in their own area.

Ssiscool

Answer: The Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students slept inside their respective vehicles while at Hogwarts. The Durmstrangs arrived by ship and the Beauxbatons on the flying carriage, which in the book was the size of a house. In the movie, they probably would have enlarged the interior with an extendable charm (like the Weasley's tent at the Quidditch World Cup. As most of the visiting students likely didn't speak English well, classes would be probably be taught separately, inside their living quarters or a designated space within the Hogwarts castle.

raywest

I thought there was one line in the books about the Beauxbatons students rooming with the Ravenclaws and the Durmstrang students with the Slytherins-or were those just their table assignments for meals?

I'd say it was only for meals and maybe the common rooms. The Hogwarts house dorms had a limited number of beds. There may have been some unassigned ones but not enough for all the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.

raywest

Of course with Hogwarts being host to one of the greatest sorcerers of all time along with plenty of other strongly magical wizards and witches there is the possibility of them putting a charm on the rooms to accommodate them.

Ssiscool

Question: Towards the beginning of the film, when Hamilton is talking to her husband via video chat from the space station, he is in the middle of saying something when the signal cuts out quite abruptly. She just stares at the screen for a moment as does he on his end without either side trying to reestablish contact. Was there a reason why they didn't try to bring the call back? it gave no indication as to why the signal even cut out. Though my guess is maybe the Earth rotation put them out of range or blocked the signal. But that's just a guess of the top of my head. It just felt strange that the reason for this was never addressed neither side even attempted to re-establish contact. So why exactly did they not?

Quantom X

Answer: There was no explanation about this but it appears to be more of a plot device to foreshadow future story line events and create suspense. Movies are less concerned about technical accuracy than moving the story forward in an engaging manner.

raywest

Question: Why was Hermione being chased by Ginny in the tent? Hermione isn't the kind of person who'd do a harmless thing and make someone chase them for a joke.

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Hermione is a 14 year old girl, having fun with a close friend. Of course they will horse around and tease and play. Hermione might be serious as a student and quite mature for her age, but she also knows how to have fun.

lionhead

She is almost a year older than Harry, so that explains the maturity.

Answer: If you're referring to the tent scene at the Quidditch World Cup, I don't remember Ginny chasing Hermione, but the twins, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry are in high spirits after their favored team has won. All are jumping around, laughing and singing in celebration. If that's not the scene you're referring to, can you be more specific?

raywest

Ginny was chasing Hermione when Fred and George said "feet off the table"

I watched the clip on YouTube. Ginny and Hermione are excited after the group arrive inside their rented tent. The girls rush into where they will be sharing a room and drop off their gear. They then rush over to the other side of the tent, probably to where the kitchen is. Hermione is just running ahead of Ginny and is not being chased.

raywest

Question: When Gandalf said to Aragorn "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you have become." Why does he say that? Why is Sauron afraid of Aragorn considering he's a Maia?

DFirst1

Answer: He means Sauron realises that Aragorn has become a powerful leader who puts his peoples' welfare above his own, and whose followers trust in, are loyal to, and will fight for him. Sauron rules through fear and intimidation and cares nothing about those he governs.

raywest

But why is Sauron afraid of Aragorn? That's the point of the question.

DFirst1

Answer: Sauron does not have the ring, and therefore is reliant on other (weaker) forces to fight for him. The forces he is fighting are scattered and weakened by various things, enough so that he is willing to proceed with his war without the ring. Aragorn becoming a leader of men would present a significant challenge to Sauron's plan to conquer Middle Earth. If Aragorn can unit the people of Middle Earth, they could stand against him as they had before (when he was defeated). In the end, his fears are justified, as Aragorn is largely responsible for there being anything left of Middle Earth to defend by the time Frodo finishes his journey.

oldbaldyone

25th Feb 2019

The Fugitive (1993)

Question: Wouldn't Dr. Kimball lose his medical license for changing the boy's orders in the hospital and signing the form, forging someone else's identity?

Answer: He's a convicted murderer, he's already lost his license. If you mean after he's been exonerated, the other doctor admitted he saved the boy's life. I doubt the AMA would prosecute him for doing that.

Brian Katcher

Also, as he was wrongly convicted of murder, he was wrongly deprived of his medical license.

raywest

Assuming he gets exonerated for the murder charge (I'm not a lawyer but I assume, in the messed up US legal system, this still takes evidence even though the actual murderer is in custody), he would still technically be guilty of breaking out of prison and fleeing police. It would be very interesting to hear the end of the story - everyone assumes they just let him go but in reality, it wouldn't be that simple and again, even if you are wrongly convicted, it's against the law to escape prison.

oldbaldyone

24th Feb 2019

The Grudge (2004)

Question: How does Kayako's body fall from the attic when Peter Kirk opens it, because in certain flashbacks it can bee seen that Takeo places Kayako's body in a corner of the attic?

Answer: This appears to be a film/plot inconsistency and could be submitted as a "movie mistake."

raywest

Answer: It never shows Takeo placing Kayako's body in the attic, so he could have placed it close to the opening. The bodies in the corner of the attic are the bodies of Matthew and Jennifer, who were killed by Kayako/Toshio.

Torie White

Question: Anyone know the story behind why the MPAA rated this movie PG instead of PG-13? From Sectumsepra to the Horcrux cave with the Inferi to Dumbledore's death, there seems to be just as much stuff a young child might find scary/traumatizing in this movie as in the others in the series that actually were rated PG-13.

Answer: Half-blood Prince was certainly darker and edgier than the previous HP films, but still within the PG guidelines. Also, audiences had grown use to the more sophisticated and mature content building over the entire series, so it was not completely unexpected. Filmmakers dislike having a PG-13 rating imposed on their movies as that can limit the audience and lower profits. No doubt the Warner Bros. Studio was careful not to exceed the PG rating guidelines in order to protect their bottom line.

raywest

24th Feb 2019

Madam Secretary (2014)

Show generally

Question: How is it possible that the foreign ministers of Russia and China who live and work in Moscow and Beijing are always in Washington to meet with Secretary McCord?

Answer: Most likely, in real life, this would not happen. However, for the purposes of the show, the ministers are shown as being frequently in D.C. This would be classified as a "suspension of disbelief." It is a plot device where the audience knows something is untrue or realistic, but are willing to accept the premise in order for the story to be told.

raywest

25th Feb 2019

Titanic (1997)

Question: Over the course of the film we learn all the middle portion of Rose's life, but how did she get through life without any paperwork such as a birth certificate? Getting married, driving/flying, all need documentation the "renamed" version of herself wouldn't have.

dizzyd

Answer: Record keeping at the turn of the 20th century was still incomplete and inaccurate. Many people were born without a birth certificate being issued. Tens of thousands of immigrants entering the country often lacked those types of papers, and many had their surnames changed when they arrived. It was also much easier to get alternate documentation to prove one's identity or, in certain situations, may not have required proof, as it does now.

raywest

24th Feb 2019

The Godfather (1972)

Question: Why was it necessary for Michael to kill Sollozzo and McClusky? Sonny knew where the meeting would take place. He could have sent in a team of assassins any time during the meal.

Answer: The plan was to make the murders look as if the Corleones were not involved and that Michael was falsely accused and forced to disappear to protect himself. If Sonny's men went in and just started blazing away, deliberately killing a police captain, the Corleones would have lost Mafia allies and political power. Michael was also the only person who could get close enough to kill Solozzo because he was not considered a threat. It was a tactical element of surprise. Sonny and Hagen also wanted to avoid a bloody gunfight that would have killed innocent bystanders, something all the Mafia families disdained. After enough time had passed, the Corleones bribed a condemned prisoner to "confess" to murdering Sollozzo and McClusky, offering him a large sum of money ensuring his family would be taken care of. Michael was then exonerated and returned to the USA.

raywest

Answer: Michael was used as bait to set up a meeting with Sollozzo and McClusky so that they could be set up for assassination. Michael was picked up in a neutral spot and driven to the cafe; if Michael wasn't there Sollozzo would have remained in hiding under protection.

michael g

24th Feb 2019

Collateral (2004)

Question: Annie's business card is attached to the visor of Max's cab - then somehow, it appears in his pocket when Max needs to warn her about being a target. How/when did it get there?

Answer: At some point, he took the card from the visor and put it in his pocket. Just because it's not shown on camera does not mean he didn't have the time or opportunity to do that.

raywest

Question: Why does this film reuse almost none of the musical themes from the first two movies, given that John Williams is credited with writing all three scores?

Answer: A variety of reasons. The core melody written by John Williams is always there, but the score has evolved over the course of the different films to reflect the changes in the plot and mood as it became darker, more complex, and more tragc. It also avoids boring repetition. Also, different composers have written their own original music.

raywest

Question: P.L. Travers hated Disney's film adaptation of Mary Poppins so much that she refused to have Disney make any more adaptations of Mary Poppins. How could a sequel be made without the consent of Travers, especially since she died in 1996?

Answer: Travers was never entirely opposed to having a sequel made. She initially refused Disney's sequel ideas, and attempted to impose her own demands and concept on what any additional film would be. In the 1980s, Travers and a friend wrote their own screenplay. The Disney company, now with different management, considered it but eventually dropped the project amid casting problems and other issues and conflicts that emerged. After Travers' death, Disney could then negotiate directly with Travers' estate.

raywest

Answer: The short answer is *because* she died. Control then passed to her beneficiaries/estate. She didn't forbid Disney from making a sequel, and she couldn't legally prevent it either. The deal she had with Disney just meant that they had to agree on it as she had creative control, and despite their (and apparently her) best efforts, they could never find a sequel idea everyone was happy with, especially given her dislike of the original film. Her will stated: "Any payments received by my Trustees in respect of or any future commercial production or exploitation in any form whatsoever of any books I have written (including any sequel to the film "Mary Poppins") shall be held by my Trustees upon trust to distribute..." On her death creative control passed to her trustees, in terms of sequels and the stage show, and they managed to agree on a sequel idea.

Jon Sandys

Answer: Plot-wise, there was no reason given for her exit. She was a minor character, not a regular, and writers often write them out of a series without an explanation. The actress, Margo Harshman, did go on to work in a web series the next season and, following that, had a more substantial role on NCIS.

raywest

Answer: Harry, while on the bed, dangled his shoe over the edge, luring the book out from underneath. The book, attracted by the movement, lunged for the shoe, and that's when Harry jumped on top of it. It's similar to a cat chasing a small object tied to a string.

raywest

Answer: If you mean how he got it back under control, he lured it out from under his bed and then stepped on it. He was then able to put the binding back on. The book stops moving if the binding is around it.

lionhead

No I meant how did he lure it out. I don't get how that works.

The book isn't a very smart creature. No reason for attacking is given so it probably attacks anything that is in front of it, too close maybe, or anything that moves. Like a shoe.

lionhead

Like many animals that feels threatened, it emerged from its hiding place to attack its foe. In doing so, Harry was able to pounce and subdue the book.

Ssiscool

15th Feb 2019

Aliens (1986)

Question: Why did Ripley attack the hive near the end of the film? Firstly, she had Newt with her, she knew that the planet was going to explode, she had little time to get out, and if she hadn't attacked the hive, the Alien queen wouldn't have gone after her. Ripley utterly hated the Aliens, but she is intelligent and Corporal Hicks had earlier praised her tactical thinking - attacking the hive was foolish.

Answer: In her haste to escape, Ripley accidentally entered the egg chamber and found her only exit routes blocked by xenomorphs. Correctly suspecting that the queen was intelligent, Ripley assumed a threatening posture, and the queen cautioned the other xenomorphs to back off, clearing a path for Ripley to leave. However, Ripley also suspected it was a trap and that she would be quickly ambushed by the xenomorphs when she tried to flee. Ripley thought this was her last living act; so, she defiantly blasted and burned the egg chamber, taking out as many eggs as possible before her death. As it happened, the ensuing chaos allowed Ripley to escape the egg chamber.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: One of the eggs had started opening and presumably more would also begin hatching and the newly-born facehuggers would pursue and infect Ripley and Newt. That was when Ripley torched the nest. Even if Ripley had not burned the eggs, the alien queen would have chased them, wanting bodies to incubate more creatures.

raywest

Answer: Like the Queen would let her just leave. Ripley knew they would come after them, more host bodies.

No I don't think so, the queen was in the process of laying eggs through a large tube and was being protected by her warriors, so in order to chase Ripley she had to tear herself away from the tube. She did this because she was furious about what Ripley had just done and wanted to get revenge.

Answer: Ripley wasn't there by accident; she had to rescue Newt. Newt was stuck in some sort of sticky goo, so Ripley had to make her way through the nest of eggs to get Newt. Newt was being held prisoner by the queen who saw her as prey for her offspring, so Ripley got on her bad side when she destroys the nest.

Answer: I would imagine Ripley did do a bit of tactical thinking, she probably made a logical guess that if she destroyed the nest, the Queen would likely want to get revenge personally rather than getting her "minions" to do it. Fighting off one Queen would be a lot easier than fitting off a few dozen Xenomorphs.

12th Feb 2019

Doctor Strange (2016)

Question: Why didn't Strange heal his hands and continue being a surgeon?

MikeH

Answer: Medically, he could not heal his hands. He spent his entire fortune trying to return to being a surgeon through experimental procedures. Once he completed his training to become a sorcerer, he realised there was more to the world than he realised. The Ancient One correctly stated that he was a surgeon for his own ego; he wanted to prove he was the best and helped people for that reason only. By joining the sorcerers he was given a greater purpose and chose this over returning to his former life.

His hands were healing, just not quickly enough for his needs. This was showing his egotistical attitudes.

Answer: For now, he is still in the midst of studying the mystical arts that he has not yet mastered and may not be able or interested in returning to his former profession at this time. He has also assumed the role as caretaker of the New York Sanctum, and is dedicated to helping protect Earth (along with the London and Hong Kong Sanctums) from threats by the other dimensions.

raywest

8th Feb 2019

Disclosure (1994)

Question: So who turned out to be A. Friend? I just got lost on that issue. (04:53:00)

Answer: It's a little confusing. Stephanie Kaplan, who was promoted to replace Meredith at the end of the film, had a son named Spencer. Spencer worked as a research assistant to a Professor Arthur Friend (A. Friend) at the University of Washington. Stephanie was feeding clues to Tom via her son, who had access to Prof. Friend's computer and email account. Prof. Friend was supposedly on a leave of absence and unaware his email was being used.

raywest

7th Feb 2019

End of Days (1999)

Answer: It is never explained and is considered by many to be a major flaw in the film. Presumably Satan wanted to torture Jericho, he definitely seemed to enjoy tormenting him throughout the film.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: It's not explained why he didn't kill him then. Any answer is speculative, but the obvious one is that Jericho is the main protagonist in the story and the plot needs to be allowed to play out in a contrived way to provide a satisfying conclusion. Abruptly killing off the character would end the story.

raywest

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