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: When Bourne meets Dr. Albert Hirsh, he gets a keycard to enter. Where did he get it from?

Question: What exactly did Ryback mean when he told Private Nash that they "brainwashed him at Boot Camp"? I never understood that line all these years.

Answer: Adding to the other answer, boot camp/basic training is designed to break down recruits' personalities, individuality, resistance, and other behaviors to reprogram their thinking to align with the military and train them into a unified fighting force.

raywest

Answer: Boot camp teaches you to obey. As long as the person talking to you has a higher rank, you're supposed to say "yes, sir or yes, ma'am." You do what you're told when you're told. You don't question it. That's why he goes along with putting Ryback in the freezer instead of the brig. That's why he believes it when he's told that the gunfire is party poppers. That's why Ryback says he's been brainwashed. Because he can't or won't think for himself.

af4dable

Answer: He means turning him into a Navy man, "it's not just a job, it's an adventure." The Marines are known for being "Gung Ho." Air Force are known for being wild and adventurous. Look at "Top Gun."

Top Gun is about Navy pilots, not the Air Force.

Question: The scientists decided to launch their ship into the Marianas Trench. What is the advantage of launching there?

Answer: The Marianas Trench is the deepest point on the Earth, so there would be less solid rock and molten material to bore through, making it a shorter, faster route to the core.

raywest

Question: What happened to the McDonald brothers at the end of the film? How much money did each of the McDonald brothers receive?

Answer: They only received the $2.7 million buyout. Ray Kroc never gave them any of the 1% annual royalties he promised them in their handshake agreement.

Phaneron

Question: After Nick and Carver's confrontation in the restaurant, as Cassie and Nick arrive back at the new hotel, we see Hook Waters, along with Pinky, standing in the waiting room. Why was he there and how did he know where they were? (01:05:00)

mrsashleyshea

Question: Why does Dan tell Anna that Alice is "un-leaveable"? What stops him from leaving her if he wants to?

Answer: He apparently feels that Alice "needs" him too much, so maybe he can't bring himself to leave yet. Later, when he does end their relationship, he points out how Anna "doesn't need" him. I find this interesting because he actually shows "needy" behavior toward Anna. He does what he complained about Alice doing.

Question: When the ghost of Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees, appears in his dream, why is Pamela so much older than when she died? (Actress Betsy Palmer was 54 when she played the character in the first film.)

Answer: Supposedly, they actually tried to get Betsy Palmer to appear in the film as a cameo, but she didn't for one reason or another. While I can't know for sure, I'm assuming that they cast Paula Shaw because she loosely resembled Betsy Palmer around the time the movie was being made. (I actually remember a lot of people wrongly thinking it was Palmer in the film.)

TedStixon

Answer: Caitlin was a free-spirited artist with an unconventional personality and lifestyle. Some conservative people, like Martin, tend to consider artistic people to be quirky, eccentric, and annoying, which can also be referred to as "flakey."

raywest

Question: Except for "Come on, Eileen", what other songs were Tommy and Richard singing to while driving?

Answer: In that scene, that song is followed first by "It's the End of the World as we Know It (And I Feel Fine) " (R.E.M.) and then by "Eres tĂș" (Mocedades). Earlier, they sing "Superstar" (The Carpenters) just before the hood flies off.

The Good Father - S1-E1

Question: Spoiler alert: Why did Freddy try to hide Eve's baby from Frasier? I know he didn't want to tell Frasier that he needed to save money by living there, but how does it help to hide his roommate's baby?

Answer: He wanted his father to believe that his life was more "stable": his own apartment, a serious/committed girlfriend.

Question: Unless the Robin signal was still turned on, how did Barbara know where to find the guys?

Rob245

Answer: When Barbara told Holligran Alfred, she wanted to help, he said, "I prepared for this." He gave her a suit, which meant he equipped it with the latest tech. After years of serving Batman, it's logical to assume he put a GPS tracker into his batsuit.

Answer: The group, including Carlene, were invited to attend Bill Clinton's inauguration in D.C. Julia was apparently bothered that Carlene is attending a Democratic victory event after she had voted against Clinton and for Perot, an Independent candidate. Julia probably considers it hypocritical and something of a betrayal.

raywest

Answer: It's a joke that relies on the stereotype that British people drink warm beer (i.e., the pub is so authentically British, they don't have any means to cool a drink). In reality, this isn't the case; lagers and most beers are refrigerated, while cask ales (a.k.a. "real ales") are served at "cellar temperature", which is usually colder than room temperature but not as cold as being in the fridge. For Americans used to "chilled" or "ice cold" beers, this comes across as warm and gave rise to the idea that Britons drink warm/tepid/room temperature beer...whence the joke.

Question: What is the meaning of the symbols on Little Jack's blue T-shirt when he first appears in Jack's learning lab?

BennaKNeilsenTX

Answer: They are the mathematical symbols of pi, infinity, and square root. I'm not a math person, and this is only what I read regarding calculating the square root of pi: "Pi is the constant equal to the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The number (3.14) has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. Calculations can continue infinitely without repetition or pattern, because Pi is an irrational number." I'm sure the more scientifically-minded members here can provide a better explanation. I interpreted the symbols on Little Jack's T-shirt as meaning his future has infinite possibilities.

raywest

Question: The police were called after killing his family; his mom returning shortly before they arrive. Did Michael call them?

Answer: Most likely his mom called them. She could sense something was wrong, and then the scene transitions, and the police are already there, so some time has passed. She probably went inside, found all the bodies, and called the police.

TedStixon

Question: Can anyone tell me the names of all the different films that clips from are shown during the opening credits?

Question: Sharon Stone is mentioned a couple of times. Is it simply coincidence, or is there a joke behind it?

Answer: Apparently not coincidence. Sharon Stone starred in an early Wes Craven film called "Deadly Blessing". She is also a close friend of Craven's former wife, Mimi.

raywest

Answer: Probably a coincidence, Sharon Stone was a major star at the time. Years later, at a Q&A after a special screening of the film, writer Kevin Williamson remarked that he hadn't realized just how many Sharon Stone references were in the film, and they all stuck out to him while watching.

TonyPH

Show generally

Question: Why does Maris keep Niles' last name after they divorce? She has more wealth and social connections than him, so she doesn't seem to have anything to gain.

Answer: One could say force of habit and all the years, but also because she is clingy and incapable, and may be hanging on to her whipping-boy/servant if only psychologically (furthermore, she gets into legal trouble and may wish to spread the stain and disgrace onto the Cranes out of vengeance).

dizzyd

I think she always wanted Niles to "come crawling back."

Question: How would killing Emily have helped Steven right away? He needed money quickly, and her hundreds of millions were in a trust fund. Could he even receive all the money right after she died?

Answer: He wouldn't be able to access it immediately, but if his creditors knew he was inheriting a large fortune, they'd likely be willing to work out a deal. Also, as Steven said, he would just go onto to something else to make more money.

raywest

Another thing, there was probably a life insurance policy on Emily.

Question: Isn't it weird that during the duelling match between Snape and Lockhart, Snape executes a perfect "Expelliarmus" spell on Lockhart, knocking him off his feet but doesn't disarm him? He is still holding his wand as he falls to the ground. Isn't the Expelliarmus spell a disarming spell?

lionhead

Chosen answer: Yes, it's a disarming charm. Rewatch this scene. Snape intently casts Expelliarmus at the blustering fool, and at first Lockhart has the wand in hand. Then, it cuts to a wide shot just as Lockhart lands, and note the wand is twirling in midair at the top center of the screen, so he has been disarmed. It then cuts to a shot from behind Lockhart's head, and the wand is back in his hand. But as he gets up, the wand is not in his hand. This is listed as a continuity mistake on this website.

Super Grover

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