raywest

24th Nov 2020

Sesame Street (1969)

Answer: It is absolutely true. This is from Wikipedia: "The children's television show Sesame Street...was the first show of its kind that utilized a detailed and comprehensive educational curriculum, with specific educational goals, in its content. Its goals were garnered from in-house formative research and independent summative evaluations, and its first curriculum was created in a series of five seminars in 1968."

raywest

That is how they created the show. By talking to researchers on child development.

Question: What was wrong with Martin? We see him in a place, and he appears to be frozen in a special chamber but why? Was he sick?

Answer: Martin had some type of a rare (non-specified) disease, which would have been fatal. He was placed into suspended animation until a cure could be found, which it later was.

raywest

22nd Nov 2020

Beethoven's 2nd (1993)

Question: What does Regina mean when she tells her boyfriend to swallow food before he talks, because they are in California? Talking while eating is rude almost everywhere, so what does California have to do with it?

Answer: She's just being deliberately snarky, implying he is acting like someone from a place where they have crude manners and lack proper social graces.

raywest

22nd Nov 2020

Die Hard (1988)

Question: Why would an exploding helicopter take so long to slide down the side of the building? Enough time for McClane to get down to the party area?

Answer: This is a movie, not reality. The doomed helicopter's descent was deliberately slowed down on film for a visually dramatic effect. It is also timed so it coordinates with McClane's movement and better serves the plot's pacing. It is also not necessarily linear, timewise, cutting back and forth at different points to show what is happening.

raywest

Sorry not adequate explanation. Hundreds of action movies are made regularly the world over they don't make these sorts of errors. Insufficient explanation.

There was no error. It was a deliberate artistic choice by the filmmakers to achieve a desired visual and dramatic effect, regardless of real-life physics.

raywest

Question: When Michael and Claire are discussing whether to hire Peyton, Claire says, "I don't think she'll be a nanny forever, but I think we can get her to commit for a year." Why does she not think that Peyton can be nanny long-term?

Answer: Peyton is young and attractive, and Claire, unaware of her real identity, is assuming Peyton probably will meet someone and want to marry and have a family. Presumably, most nannies do not stay in one position for long and it tends to be a high-turnover profession.

raywest

18th Nov 2020

Glee (2009)

Answer: Coach Sylvester is generally bullying to most staff and students but she particularly dislikes the glee club because they compete with her cheerleading squad for limited school funds.

raywest

15th Nov 2020

Cinderella Man (2005)

Question: When the Braddocks are interviewed by reporters prior to Jim's biggest fight, one reporter asks Mae how she feels that he will be facing a boxer who has killed two people in the ring. Why do you think the reporter asks her that question rather than Jim Braddock.

Answer: It's typical for reporters to ask someone who is married to a notable person how they feel about their spouse. It gives a different slant and perspective to their story. Other reporters have probably asked Jim for his reaction, or he had publicly made statements to that affect, so asking again provides nothing new.

raywest

15th Nov 2020

The Twilight Zone (2002)

Answer: Laurel had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and had been in and out rehab. She was mentally unstable and would likely have lapses in her memory, particularly anything traumatic.

raywest

15th Nov 2020

The Village (2004)

Question: Did they know that they were living in the modern world? I was so confused when I first saw this movie and watching it again now I still don't get it.

Answer: The elders always knew about the modern world because they once lived in it. Years before, they created the village to shut themselves off from modern-day violence. They had met at a grief support group after each suffered a tragic loss. Edward Walker, who was wealthy, owned the land and funded the entire operation, including the security around the fake "nature preserve." Everyone born after the elders knew nothing about the modern world and were raised and educated as if it was the 19th century. The elders lied to their children and invented the monster story to frighten them from straying beyond the village. It was claimed the monsters would not attack and kill anyone if the inhabitants stayed within the village perimeter. Edward Walker did tell his daughter, Ivy, that the monsters were fake so he could send her to retrieve the medicine to save Lucius Hunt. Because she was blind, she never saw the outside world.

raywest

15th Nov 2020

Star Trek (1966)

Assignment: Earth - S2-E26

Question: When Gary Seven received the three ID cards from the computer, one ID is for the police homicide department. However, this ID card is not used. What was the reason for issuing it?

Answer: It's not explained. However, Gary Seven was originally supposed to be a character in a separate TV show. A pilot was filmed, but the show never materialized. Footage from the pilot was later incorporated into the Star Trek episode, "Assignment Earth." Presumably, some of the footage that was used didn't fully relate to or explain the revised plot, creating inconsistencies. Also, at the end, Spock tells Seven that he and his new team have, "many interesting experiences ahead of them." That could indicate the unused I.D. was intended for a future purpose.

raywest

9th Nov 2020

Breaking Bad (2008)

Show generally

Question: I've noticed that every episode has scenes where the camera is swaying a little, suggesting the camera was handheld or resting on the cameraman's shoulder. Is there a reason for filming this way, instead of just using a steadicam? It doesn't really add any sense of style to the show.

Phaneron

Answer: As the other answer indicated, it is a common filming technique used to achieve various visual effects. Handheld cameras can create a deliberate sense of movement that follows a movie's action. A cameraperson can physically move in much closer to an actor, creating a more intimate connection between the character and the audience. It can also reflect a character's movement from their vantage point, and can be used to create a greater sense of realism with an edgier, less-rehearsed, or a documentary-style feel.

raywest

Answer: It is a style of filming a scene, a style of camerawork. In your opinion it doesn't add anything, but they do it for that purpose.

lionhead

9th Nov 2020

Psycho (1960)

Answer: Marion lived in Phoenix Arizona. Her boyfriend, Sam, lived in Fairvale, California, which is where she was headed when she stopped at the Bates Motel.

raywest

Answer: The Genie says his powers were diminished after Aladdin freed him.

raywest

Wouldn't the same thing happen to Jafar if Jafar was freed?

Yes. The same thing would happen to Jafar if Abis Mal did free him but, as seen, Abis Mal never wished for Jafar to be free. Jafar was still a genie because he still had the bands attached to his wrist.

9th Nov 2020

Working Girl (1988)

Question: If Jack and Katherine were a couple, how is it that Jack doesn't recognize Katherine's office when he goes there to confirm him and Tess to start working on the Trask deal?

Answer: It is also stated in the movie that Katherine just transferred down from Boston, and she is staying at her parents house. She also mentions in another scene that her and Jack are now in the same city. Plus Tess helps plan her welcome party to get to know others in her department indicating that she is new there. Maybe Jack had not got a chance to visit her office yet, which would explain why he would not have known.

Answer: Unless Katherine had recently moved to a new office, which it does not appear that she did, then Jack should know this was her office. However, it is also possible that he had just never been there before and they only saw each other outside of work. When Jack went to see Tess, he had a specific business reason for going there.

raywest

7th Nov 2020

Wonder Woman (1976)

Answer: Probably, with her other powers, she didn't need to. This was a family show, and the producers may have been concerned about how violence was portrayed on TV and toned it down for young viewers. They may have also felt that audiences of that time period would object to seeing a woman use physical force, lessening her femininity and sex appeal. Sounds silly, but that was how women were once portrayed.

raywest

Show generally

Question: Is it true that this show was originally supposed to have only two seasons but its popularity was so big that they created a third season?

Answer: That is true.

raywest

Question: Was there ever anything wrong with Colin? He seems to be in bed all the time and doesn't really do anything. Was he disabled or just kept in bed all the time for no reason?

Answer: Mary is told by Dickon that Colin was born early, and Martha even says that he was born very small and weak and no-one thought that he would survive. I think his premature birth made them believe that he was going to be a sickly child.

Answer: In the book, Colin suffered from an unidentified spinal condition that prevented him from walking. The 1993 film seems to imply there was nothing physically wrong, it being a psychosomatic condition nurtured by others and which he was able to overcome.

raywest

Question: When the girlfriend is at Dale Massey's grave at end of movie, it seems like it showed her angry face and then cut away to the credits. Were they possibly thinking of doing maybe a revenge sequel?

Answer: That may have been the intention if the film had been successful, but as it lost money, any chance of a sequel became moot.

raywest

Question: Why are Connie and the other woman wearing black and teary-eyed when Kay visits the children before her encounter with Michael? I believe the woman by the fish tank may be Kay's mother but Connie also seems tearful and upset and dressed as if in mourning. (03:05:30)

Answer: As I recall, this scene was shortly after Mama Corleone died. Connie would still be mourning and wearing black. The other woman is not Kay's mother, but probably a random Corleone relative. Connie is grieving her mother, but also is saddened by Michael's cruelty toward Kay and at seeing Kay's emotional secret visit with her children. Michael had prevented Kay from seeing them.

raywest

26th Oct 2020

Downsizing (2017)

Question: #1 I have always wondered about this movie. The sea captain Konrad obviously had his boat either shrunk or completely rebuilt small, so why are most people in leisure land stuck with using the shared community vehicles? I wouldn't want to have to share a vehicle with all of my neighbors. #2 Why are the people from the original colony in Norway going underground long before they have to. The movie made it sound like people still had many years before the end of humanity, why not just wait till last minute?

Rayne

Answer: Regarding Question #2: The Norway experiment wasn't about saving humanity at the last moment. It was taking proactive steps early on to save the planet before it reached the tipping point and minimizing humans' negative impact by reducing pollution and waste, conserving resources, etc.

raywest

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