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: The woman making the announcements in Grand Central Terminal in Superman: The Movie sounds a lot like the Mother computer. Could someone confirm this?

BocaDavie

Chosen answer: No, it isn't the same woman. Mother was voiced by actress Helen Horton, who is not credited for any role in Superman, although, coincidentally, she did appear in Superman III in the minor role of Miss Henderson.

Tailkinker

Chosen answer: Because Kathy's supposed to be disguising her own voice to sound like Lina would if she could sing. The studio is trying to fool the public into believing that this is Lina's voice, even though she can't sing and sounds terrible when she speaks. Actress Jean Hagen, who played Lina, was a singer in real life, and she actually dubbed her own voice.

raywest

Question: What did VOX mean when he said that to find the Morlocks' lair, that Alexander would have to follow the breathing?

Answer: He's referring to the sound that the Morlocks' machinery makes from underground.

raywest

Question: Why does Jack say 'nervous' to Rose while they're in the car about to have sex? It's like they've planned it?

Answer: Whether or not it was planned, the first time can be awkward. They are also in a less than ideal situation, knowing that Cal will seek retribution if he finds out.

raywest

Question: Why did the Jackal tell Koslova how she is going to die?

Answer: He's sadistic, and it's a way to torment her during her final moments.

raywest

Question: Is there any reason, other than to further the plot, that Jack and Will fight over possession of Davey Jones's heart? Their plans once they have control of the heart are not mutually exclusive as Will wants to free his father and Jack wants his debt with Jones settled. They have shown previously that they can work together, so why couldn't one of them take control of the heart and make the demands for both?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: Will having control of Jones' heart would not help Jack in the slightest. Will's intent is to KILL Jones, therefore freeing his father. If Jack had control of Jones' heart, he'd only use it to settle his debt, given Jack's history of treachery. Yes, they could work together, but that would solve nothing: Bootstrap agreed to serve Jones FOREVER. The only way that debt is settled is with Jones' death. That wouldn't help Jack, because, as he says: "With Jones dead, who's to call his terrible beasty off the hunt, eh?"

Brad

Davy Jones doesn't have to die in order for Will's father to be freed from service, though. As captain of the Dutchman, Jones has the power to relieve Bootstrap of his duty for any reason or no reason at all. The third film makes it clear that Jones is at the mercy of anyone that is in possession of his heart, when Beckett becomes his overlord and orders him to kill the Kraken and hunt other pirates. Will and Jack could have easily taken possession of the heart and ordered Jones to both release Jack from his debt and release Bootstrap from the Dutchman. Jack even proposes the idea in the next film to Will that Jack can be the one to stab Jones' heart and then release Bootstrap from his service, allowing Will to still be with Elizabeth.

Phaneron

Question: What are the guns the guards in the agnate facility are using? I've been trying to get a good shot, but I just can't find one. I've also checked IMCDB, which usually has an awnser to that question, but they don't have it either.

Friso94

Chosen answer: If you're referring to the guns that shoot mini grappling hooks, I'm fairly certain that those guns haven't been invented yet.

Brad

Question: At the beginning of the film, Simon gives Mal an injection in the sick bay. What is this for?

Brad

Chosen answer: Answering my own question: In the script, Mall specifies that it is an inoculation for the planet's atmosphere.

Brad

Question: I don't understand the scene where Katniss is watching an old Hunger Games for a few moments then clicks it off. Her hair is down and pretty. Next scene she is still on the train and her hair is still pulled back. When was she supposedly watching this film?

Answer: She is watching the old film in her bedroom compartment on the train later that night. She's taken down her hair and is in her night clothes. You see her again the next morning, wearing the same dress and she has braided her hair again. Peeta and Katniss were almost immediately taken from the reaping to the train, without being allowed to bring any personal belongings.

raywest

Question: When K is killed in the past, why is it that nobody remembers K (beyond '69 that is) but J remembers everything as it once was?

Carl Missouri

Chosen answer: This is answered in the movie by the character that gives J the time traveling device. The character tells J that he can still remember K because he was involved in the events. The young black child at Cape Canaveral was a young agent J. So he was there and at least passively involved.

Answer: He meant that adult J already time traveled. In the 1960 's, K met J for the first time, when K met Detective James Edwards that was the second time, which is why he had him apply for MIB.

Answer: It is actually Latin, and according to "nameberry.com" it can be translated as "one who has achieved a high place of honor."

raywest

Question: SPOILER: What exactly were Talia and Bane waiting for when they stalled the detonation of the bomb? Why would they need to plunge the city into chaos before destroying it, and then wait to the very last minute to actually blow it?

Friso94

Chosen answer: Same reason she wanted Batman alive when the bomb went off: to adequately and thoroughly punish the people of Gotham.

Phixius

Question: After arguing with Merida about her behavior at the archery tournament, Elinor throws her bow into the fire place, and then Merida flees. Eventually, Merida returns to the castle, and then leaves while protecting her mother, who has turned into a bear. Merida also brings a bow with her that time. Is that the same bow her mother tried to burn or is that a different bow? (01:33:00)

Answer: Different bow. Merida's bow had decorative carvings on it, but this bow is plain.

Phixius

Question: After being turned into a bear, Elinor finds her sons in Fergus' trophy room messing up his trophies. She forces them to put everything back to where it was and they obey. How did the boys know it was their mother before Merida told them? (01:33:00)

Answer: They're intuitive. A regular bear would not order them about. This bear's behavior reminded them of their mother, so they made the logical assumption that it must be her.

Phixius

Question: When Jack goes to the first class to have dinner, and Ruth and Cal are asking him questions about being in third class and being poor in general, what are they hoping to achieve from embarrassing him in front of all the people at their table? Even Molly doesn't seem too pleased with their line of questioning.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: Molly is only recently wealthy, that's why she's not amused. Ruth and Cal are bad people, basically. They take pleasure from from humiliating Jack.

Phixius

As you say, Molly was "new money" - a person who had recently become wealthy. Those who were born into wealthy families - "old money" - sometimes acted superior to "new money" people. Molly seems to have more sympathy for Jack because of her background. Her life was not always comfortable.

Question: What will happen once Fergus catches his sons stowing away on the lords' ships?

Answer: He'll gather them onto his own rowboat, probably chastise them all the way back to shore, then they'll likely run off completely unfazed as soon as they reach land. And that'll be an end of it.

Phixius

Question: While the triplets distract Fergus and the lords with the dead frog they use to form a bear shadow, one of them also roars into a pot to imitate a bear. It that a reference to "A Bug's Life" (1998) when Dot screeches like a bird into a horn while she, Flick, and the girl scout ants fly the fake bird?

Answer: No, it's just a common method for increasing the volume of your voice.

Phixius

Question: How did the witch know Merida is a princess? Somehow, I don't remember if Merida told the witch that she is a princess. If Merida did tell her, where did I miss it?

Answer: Her necklace has the clan crest on it. Plus the witch is a subject of the kingdom, not to mention she can do magic, it stands to reason she'd know who the royal family was.

Phixius

Question: Maybe I wasn't paying attention but Hammond (the man on the phone) and Hauser himself tell him about a key, which he finds in the piano. When did he use this, and why did they make such a big deal about it, mentioning it twice, he would "know how to use it"? How did he know the safety deposit box (number 10549) Hauser and Hammond never said this.

Answer: First off, they made such a big deal about it because it was the key to a more involved message from Hauser and they wanted to make sure that he knew it was important. But regarding the safety deposit box, after the phone message from Hammond, Quaid got a text message that told him a bank name and a box number.

Garlonuss

Answer: Early in the movie, Quaid says he wants to learn how to play the piano.

Question: It's now clear why Angus is found in the circle of stones, even though he was afraid to enter it in the first place. There's one part of that matter I don't quite understand, though. Why is he afraid to enter that circle in the first place? Is there something in that circle frightening him? Is there a special effect?

Answer: The stone circle is like a gateway to the spirit world, something slightly supernatural. Angus senses this, and it makes him freak out.

Ioreth

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