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: Who built the 'winding stair' and why would they build it?

Answer: Tolkien never addresses the question of who built it - one candidate would be the Gondorians, who were responsible for the construction of both the Tower of Cirith Ungol and Minas Morgul (then named Minas Ithil). The stair could have been used as a stealthy method of moving between the two, although the presence of Shelob, who was present before either was built, would complicate matters. Probably the most likely candidate would be Sauron's forces, at some point during the Second Age, as a method of moving between the two passes through the mountains.

Tailkinker

Question: When Gandalf is resurrected he says "I had been sent back, until my task is completed". What is this 'task'?

Answer: To advise and guide the races of Middle-Earth in their fight against the powers of evil.

Tailkinker

Answer: According to Amazon.com, $35 million.

Question: I must have missed something. When did Shrek spare Puss' life? All I saw was Puss attacking him, then coughing up a hairball. Puss makes such a huge deal of the spared-my-life debt but it didn't make much sense to me.

Answer: Puss means that when he is incapacitated by the hairball, Shrek could have killed him easily. Shrek does not only refrain from this, but does not do anything to harm Puss at all, even if Puss attacked him.

Twotall

Answer: Shrek did eventually get ahold of Puss after the hairball, Shrek then asking who sent him. This is the moment Puss says "and the King offered me much in gold." Shrek is too shocked by this news to care to hurt Puss. Since Shrek is an ogre, Puss believes his life has been spared.

Question: JCS is called a rock opera, and not a musical. What would be the difference?

Answer: There are very few (if any) speaking parts in an opera, i.e. all of the text is sung and/or accompanied by music. A musical is more like a play interrupted by songs.

Myridon

Question: Shouldn't cold air which was severe enough to kill a person upon exposure, have been cold enough to freeze the liquid in an LCD display?

Answer: It should. But perhaps Dr Hall carrys it close to himself, warming it with his own body heat, and only takes it out briefly to look at it.

Show generally

Question: In the Australian ads for the Mini-Series what are the names of the songs that are played, and who sings them?

Answer: Spaceman by Babylon Zoo.

Question: I know the story about how Andrew Lloyd Webber had planned to adapt his original musical to film with Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford in their original roles, but then Webber and Brightman divorced and things never panned out. But now after all these years, why didn't Joel Shumacher contact Sarah Brightman and/or Michael Crawford to do the film? It seems they were meant to play the leads. If I do recall, Michael Crawford had been contacted but declined. Can somebody shed some light?

Answer: Schumacher wanted young, up-and-coming actors to play the roles. Brightman and (especially) Crawford were too old for his taste. Besides, Christine is supposed to be a very young lady; a middle-aged Brightman would have been laughable at best seen up close.

Sereenie

Question: How, in the scene before the ballet (the one where Christine acted as a page) did Phantom manage to make Charlotte croak?

Answer: He switched her "throat mist" for his own concoction.

Sereenie

Answer: The coyote may be a metaphor for Vincent's life. A lone predator lost in a world that doesn't understand him.

Answer: In many Native American cultures, seeing a coyote cross the road ahead of you means bad luck. So I think he knows everything is going to go south.

Question: I understand why Jigsaw targeted Adam and Lawrence, it's stated in the film. But why Zep? He was shown earlier to actually care for his patient.

Answer: Jigsaw described Zep as having "issues of his own". Zep was guilty in Jigsaw's vision. Zep talked about all the doctors, behind their back and claiming they all had affairs and especially calling Dr Gordon a cold hearted bastard. Jigsaw noticed also that Zep wasted his life with hopeless dreams of becoming a doctor, a dream that would never become true because Zep himself never really attempted to fulfill his goals. And as you know, one of the most important principles that Jigsaw wants to teach people, is how they should appreciate their lives and not waste them. That's why he had "Zep" tested, because he felt Zep wasted his life on useless dreams.

And just because Zep was fond of Jigsaw didn't mean he was exempt from the game.

Question: Does anyone know the name of the song played in the very beginning of the movie (intro with the police cars)?

Answer: It's "What the Hell Have I?" by Alice in Chains. Megadeth's "Angry Again" is what is played for the opening credits of "Jack Slater IV."

Phaneron

Answer: It is Angry Again by Megadeth.

hannisen

Question: How does Jill find out about the T-virus and its effects? I don't think they ever explained it in the movie.

Answer: The newspaper clippings we see in her apartment at the start refer to a 'mansion incident' - this in fact relates to the events of the first Resident Evil game, when Jill and other STARS members were trapped in a mansion overrun with the T-Virus. By the end of the game Jill knows exaclty what the T-Virus is and what its effects are.

Even though it mentions it in the newspaper clippings in the movie she wasn't even at the Mansion so therefore she wouldn't have known about the t-virus in the movie.

She was at the mansion prior to the events of Apocalypse, and one of the first ones to know about the virus before it hit Raccoon City.

Answer: Just one that looks similar.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: Harry received nothing. Andy (Pierce Brosnan's character) was using him the entire time to embezzle the funds the government had given to the "silent opposition."

Question: It is mentioned that at the end of Scream and Scream 2 there is a flash of a ghost mask, implying a sequel. i have looked hard but can't see one in either film, where are they?

Answer: After the first section of the credits (in which the major stars are shown with a screenshot), the screen fades to black for a moment and then there's a music sting and a flash of the ghostface mask.

Shay

Question: Why didn't the elves let everyone go to the undying lands? That way no one would die from Mordor's armies. In fact everyone would be happy there.

Answer: The Elves had no say in the matter. The Undying Lands were created for the Elves by the gods, who decided who was allowed in; the only non-Elves allowed were Bilbo, Frodo and Sam (as Ringbearers) and Gimli (due to his participation in the Fellowship and friendship with Legolas).

Xofer

Question: I'm still not sure how Anna died, all I saw was the werewolf leaping on her. Then when we see her body I couldn't see any bite marks or wounds that would explain exactly how he killed her.

Answer: Could be one of a few things. The impact may have broken her neck. Or when the werewolf jumped and smashed her into a piece of furniture (or whatever it was) it's possible that she was crushed and was killed by it. Or even shock.

Oh yeah? What about one the bride throwing her on the walls with so much power that a car crush is nothing compared.

My thoughs exactly.

Question: What was the name of the song playing during the battle between Rabbit and Lotto?

Answer: The song is called "Last days" and is performed by Onyx.

Migster

Question: On the DVD audio commentary,when all the actors are introducing himself. Sean Astin introduces himself as 'a well fed Sean Penn.' Why?

Answer: He resembles Sean Penn only fatter.

Myridon

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