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: Would the fact that Leonard was overweight have even allowed him to join or be drafted into the military?

Answer: Plenty of people who are overweight, or are otherwise out of shape, join the military...part of the point of boot camp is to get them into shape. Leonard is hardly obese, so he'd be able to join, especially when there was a war on and the military took who they could get.

Answer: That everything nowadays is plastic, to the point where a child of Bart's age would be unfamiliar with metal.

Mr. Monk, Private Eye - S5-E5

Question: When Jay is about to shoot Monk on the boat, the boat dips in the water (almost the way a car would dip when hitting a pothole). What would cause this? It almost looks like it was done deliberately by a stunt driver. And if it's from hitting a wave or wake, I would think the boat would bounce up first.

Bishop73

Answer: The dip was the bounce.

Question: Why does Sal take the dirty car out of the city parking lot and park it by the docks? If that's the drug car why would the French let him do that?

Answer: The parking laws in the 1970's were not as strict as they are today, leaving a car on the street is no different from parking on the curb in a suburban area. The car was supposed to be picked up by the mob.

Question: Is the lawyer who brought the will to the apartment in the beginning the same guy who died in the cube when they were capturing the 12th spirit?

Answer: No. The lawyer was played by actor JR Bourne. The victim in the box was played by actor Charles Andre.

LorgSkyegon

There is confusion about this movie, made in 1960, and the later 2001 version, "Thirteen Ghosts." In the 1960 version, Martin Milner played Benjamin Rush, the lawyer who was killed by the bed. JR Bourne was in the 2001 film. He played lawyer Ben Moss, who was killed by the sliding glass panels. Charles Andrew played a team member who was also killed.

raywest

Question: Why didn't Calvin give Kenard a chance to cut someone's hair?

Answer: Calvin did give him a chance to cut hair. That is why Kenard had the chair in the first place. It was the people of the neighborhood who didn't want him to cut their hair, as he is new, and they have no clue if he will be good or not (just as he proved with Alderman Brown). This is the same as Isaac in the first movie. Once he proved himself by giving Jimmy a good haircut, people began choosing him.

LorgSkyegon

In Marge We Trust - S8-E22

Question: What does Reverend Lovejoy mean when he says that he stopped caring, but nobody noticed because "it was the '80s"?

Answer: The 80s was known as the, "Me Generation," meaning people were so greedy, ambitious, and self-involved with only themselves, money, and material possession, that they were oblivious to or unconcerned about anyone else. A popular mantra of the time was "greed is good." Lovejoy is saying that no-one noticed how he felt because they were indifferent and uncaring.

raywest

Question: Why had Cheng snatched Mei Ying's practice sheet and thrown it on the ground, and why did he push Dre when he kept on trying to return the sheet to her?

Answer: Dre was interfering in the argument that has transformed between him and Meiying.

Answer: Looks like you answered your own question.

Question: In the very last scene, we see Michael Shannon in shackles (presumably in a federal prison) with electroencephalographic sensors attached to his forehead and scalp, oddly gazing at the sunrise as two prison guards flank him. In the very last shot of the film, a closeup of his face, we see his eyes faintly glow for a split-second as he smiles a very slight smile. Question: Is the film implying that Alton is in otherworldly contact with his father, or that his father absorbed some of Alton's otherworldly power; or is it implying that, being the boy's biological father, he was the source of Alton's power? In any event, this may never be revealed, because the film barely made back one-third of its $18 million production budget, making the probability of a sequel highly unlikely.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I got the impression that he was communicating with Alton like he had done when Alton ran from the truck. I also thought his smile was perhaps in reaction to what Alton told him and/or the two were making fun of (mocking) the use of electrodes because they knew the electrodes would not have any effect on him.

KeyZOid

P.S. Plenty of lousy movies have had sequels, so it is possible there could be a "Midnight Special 2".

KeyZOid

Not necessarily holding my breath.

Charles Austin Miller

A sequel doesn't seem likely. Hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for an answer to your question.

KeyZOid

Question: How did Rodney become magnetized after being kicked out of Bigweld industries?

Answer: Ferric metal can itself become magnetized after being exposed to a strong magnetic field (such as the one that stuck to him at Bigweld Industries. It will wear off after a short time.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: He was stuck to a huge magnet that wheeled him out of Bigweld Industries and being made out of metal attracted a lot of metallic shavings and later metallic objects that followed him everywhere.

Question: It was shown after 9 woke up, he lacked a voice box, which 2 had to make for him. But how did the other Stitchpunks (minus 3 and 4) get their own voices?

Answer: The inventor did, he died before he could finish.

Question: Through the movie we always see The Jackal interacting with his victims in a detached and efficient manner. But during his interaction with Valentina he's more impassioned and provocative. He even lifts off the mask he used during his assault, so she can see his face. Why did Valentina cause such a reaction in him?

Answer: He wanted her to see the expression on his face, smiling and gloating that he won. Using all her vast resources and knowledge, but she became the hunted.

Answer: I agree with the other answers but would add that the Jackal interacts with Valentina the same way he was shown to treat other women differently from men, acting softer, gentler, and even sexual. He also wants to keep her calm so she understands the message he wants her to convey to Mulqueen.

raywest

I agree, and Valentina seems unable to resist him. She appears equally terrified and smitten by him.

Answer: I think he thought of her as a kindred spirit. Tough, ruthless and fearless. She didn't get those scars sitting behind a desk.

Answer: It's most likely because of Rappo's connection with the deaths, plus how vocal he was about hating the army and blaming it for his disability. No official charge could be made against his name, but between what was witnessed, and Rappo's own claims, it's likely the military authority simply found it inappropriate to rest his body there.

Purple_Girl

Question: When Aiden is possessed by Samara he calls Rachel "mommy" but he always called her Rachel otherwise, so why did he call her mommy at the end of the movie right after she jumped off the cliff and Samara went away?

Answer: It suggests that after everything they've been through together, and how far she was willing to go to keep him safe, Rachel's son would finally feel close enough to her to call her mom. They have little connection in the beginning of the movie, and that changes by the end.

Purple_Girl

Question: When Phoebe is on the phone with Ray, he mentions that the Ghostbusters fire house is now a Starbucks. In the post-credits scene, we see that Winston has purchased the fire house so the Ghostbusters can get back to business, but the fire house looks like it has been abandoned for several years and no other company ever took it over. Did I miss something here?

Phaneron

Answer: Ray was probably being sarcastic, and was simply making a general comment about gentrification in the area.

Answer: Perhaps nobody wanted to take over the place for a few reasons. Historical purpose, high cost... hauntings.?

Answer: It's been 40 years since the Ghostbusters disbanded, Ray mostly likely passed by the old place and saw a Starbucks there. It has since shut down.

But they left the ghost trap active? Not likely.

Brian Katcher

Question: Is there an actual drug that could cause someone's heart rate to slow down and muscles to relax for several hours, to the point where they can remain completely still?

Phaneron

Answer: The drugs that anaesthesiologists use for people undergoing surgery (such as IV drugs and inhaled gases) relax muscles to the point that the patient can't move and becomes unconscious. But with monitored sedation (as opposed to general anaesthesia), there can be varying° of drowsiness perhaps with the ability to talk. If you've heard of "anesthesia awareness", this may be a condition close to what you are asking about. Not enough general anesthesia is administered (the amount needed was misjudged or deliberately lowered because of a dangerous situation but hoped to be enough) and the patient becomes aware during surgery but cannot move. General anesthesia typically uses nitrous oxide and variations of ether. Barbiturates/ sedatives/ tranquilizers - even enough alcohol - in varying amounts over time can keep a person largely immobile. (I'm not mentioning any specific drugs).

KeyZOid

Question: If the ringed planet is only in a position to block off the suns once every 22 years, how come it rises over the horizon and into the sky in what appears to be only a few minutes?

Answer: If the points you make in your question are true, my best GUESS is that the "ringed planet" is not on the same orbit. I'm basing this on what (little) I know about Mars (and astronomy) - its orbit around the sun is not within the Earth's orbit, but approximately every two years, the orbits of Mars and Earth become very close.

KeyZOid

Question: What was in the red backpack that John Ritter was going to give Michael Richards as ransom for Jr, since he didn't have the 100 grand that he promised him?

Rollie55

Chosen answer: Ben took (stole) his neighbor Roy's station wagon, which was packed for going hunting. Ben apparently improvised by taking the red backpack; the contents of the backpack would be whatever a pre-adolescent boy or girl would put in a backpack to go hunting with his/her father.

KeyZOid

Question: When Scott and Charlie are at the North Pole the first time, why did the elf with the pole ignore Scott's talking? Is he deaf?

Trainman

Answer: The elf on top probably ignored him as he was in no position to answer him. The elves seem to have a stratified society [i.e. some make toys, Judy provides food/beverage, some do security etc.] so it was most likely his job just to punch in the code so the sleigh would descend. With Bernard being the head elf, and probably the most knowledgeable on all things Santa related, he would be in the best position to talk to Scott and answer all of his questions.

Invader_Gir

Question: How long were Ben and Audrey dating before the VKs came to Auradon?

Answer: The first Descendants is unclear with this information. SPOILER WARNING. In the beginning of the song "Queen of Mean" from Descendants 3 we see pictures on Audrey's mantle with her and Ben as little kids. So we can assume that they have always had some sort of close relationship, but it still unclear as to when it was official.

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.