raywest

4th Jun 2020

Annie (1982)

Answer: Mrs Hannagan said to Mrs Farrel that Annie has it coming to her for trying to run away all the time. She is supposed to be punished etc., not spend a week in the lap of luxury. So she's trying to keep Annie there. But later in the movie, after Hannigan saves Annie's life, it is implied that she actually does care for Annie more than she lets on. So maybe Annie was actually her favorite orphan and she really just wanted her to not leave. After all Annie spends time comforting Molly and the others, when it's supposed to be Mrs Hannigan's job, but she's too busy drinking. She probably actually liked having Annie around but would never admit it or show kindness outright. Until the end, when finally she did.

Answer: Hannigan was plotting with her con-artist brother for him and his girlfriend to pose as Annie's long-lost mother and father. The couple would claim Annie to collect the $50,000 reward that Warbucks was offering to find Annie's real parents.

raywest

30th May 2020

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Question: Why would Aunt May realise she was wrong about Spider-Man just because he saved her? She always knew he saved people.

MikeH

Answer: I'd say this is typical of many people who disbelieve or discount something that does not personally affect them, but have a radical change of thinking when they personally experience it.

raywest

Answer: Because she was like this in the comic books for years until he said he wanted to help her in Amazing Spider Man issue 200 when she'd been held hostage by Mysterio then The Burglar. They merely did this as a nod to the likes of stories like that one.

Rob245

Question: When Rambo put his hands up, why did Teasle give him orders like he was going to arrest him, only to then try to shoot him? Wouldn't it make sense to just do one or the other?

MikeH

Answer: Possibly to lull him into a false sense of security and then shoot him when his guard was down.

raywest

Season 1 generally

Question: In Season 1, Episode 23 "Skin of Evil", Tasha Yar was killed. But in the three following episodes, in the opening credits, Denise Crosby (Lt. Tasha Yar) is still listed. Am I correct in thinking that the producers decided to use the original opening credits for the remaining three episodes of the season, and changed them after Gates McFadden left the series for Season Two?

Movie Nut

Answer: The producers would not change the credits so near the end of the season, nor was there any reason to. She was a cast member for Season One, even if she did not appear in all episodes, and therefore is credited. It would also be expensive to redo the opening cast credits.

raywest

Question: After Buckbeak's execution and Scabbers bites Ron and escapes, why is Ron more shocked and upset about Scabbers biting him instead of running away?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: He is his pet rat, he probably runs away all the time but always comes back.

lionhead

Answer: Ron is shocked that his beloved pet would bite him, something Scabbers (Pettigrew) had never done before and was out of character.

raywest

27th May 2020

Twilight (2008)

Answer: The same as anyone else. The Cullens live like normal humans. They have fake birth certificates, social security numbers, passports, and all other necessary I.D. All of the younger Cullens attend high school (again and again) like any other teenager. Carlisle Cullen is a doctor, and therefore would have fake medical credentials. Carlisle is immensely wealthy, having accumulated a fortune over the centuries. He has the means to provide whatever they need to maintain their human identities. That would allow Edward, and any of the others, to apply for a driver's license.

raywest

Answer: Several reasons. Dobby was once owned by the Malfoy family until Harry freed him, which Bellatrix would consider a betrayal. She knows Harry is close to Dobby and killing the elf will hurt Harry. Dobby, as an elf, is magically powerful and a strong ally to Harry's cause. Having once been owned by the Malfoy family, Dobby has much inner knowledge about them and Voldemort. She was also making one last strike before Harry and the others escaped.

raywest

Thank you.

Rob245

Question: What are the names of the three sisters?

Answer: According to Riordan Wiki on Fandom, they are the Grey sisters, Anger (Deino), Tempest (Persis or Perso), and Wasp (Pemphredo). They are the daughters of minor sea gods.

raywest

15th May 2020

Charlie Bartlett (2007)

Question: What exactly is wrong with cameras? It's a public area. They have no privacy either way.

MikeH

Answer: It is debatable if there is anything wrong with using cameras, but I can think of some possible answers to "what exactly is wrong with using cameras" at a school yard. Cameras symbolize authority over and oppression of students by the principal (and other authority figures). Cameras are indicative of a lack of trust of ALL students, but usually there is only a small percentage of trouble-makers. The use of cameras unjustly undermines the maturity of most students and makes the students resent the school authority figures. Cameras make the assumption that all the students are engaging (or might engage) in unacceptable behavior, which is offensive to the majority of students who follow the rules. Cameras are contrary to our value of "freedom" and that Uncle Sam does not have a right to constantly monitor citizens. People should not be videotaped in a free society if they have done nothing wrong. Many people simply do not like being videotaped. Cameras can record embarrassing acts.

Answer: Perhaps because many public cameras are recording peoples' actions.

raywest

That doesn't answer the question.

Brian Katcher

Meaning the recorded camera footage can act as a permanent film record of peoples' actions that can't be disputed easily.

raywest

15th May 2020

The Monuments Men (2014)

Answer: Preston was loosely based on the real-life Lincoln Kirstein. Prior to WWII, he was a noted writer and an influential person in the cultural arts in America. When the war broke out, he enlisted in the army with the rank of private. He eventually joined the Army's Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives unit, later known as the Monuments Men. He was selected for his abilities, regardless of his military rank. The movie reflected that.

raywest

15th May 2020

Muriel's Wedding (1994)

Answer: Yes, she stole the dress.

raywest

Question: Is it possible to tell what Hermione was doing to Ron in the background when Harry and Sirius are talking after they get out of the whomping willow? I thought she was untying his shoelaces but his laces are still tied so what was she doing?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: She was tending to the bite wound on Ron's leg.

Casual Person

How? She didn't make any difference?

How do you know she didn't make any difference. Hermione was inspecting Ron's leg to see how badly injured it was and then could have performed a spell that would temporarily treat the wound until they got him to the infirmary for more extensive care. In HP and the Half-Blood Prince, Luna Lovegood repaired Harry's broken nose by casting a spell.

raywest

Because we just see her looking at it and if she treated it while Sirius and Harry are talking and I missed it, All the blood is still there on the leg.

As you mentioned, you don't see everything she's doing. She could have cast a spell to numb the pain or slow the bleeding, etc. The blood would still be there. She may merely be looking at the wound to see "if" she can do anything before getting him to the infirmary. There's just no way of knowing exactly what she did, but she certainly would not have just ignored it. Anyone in that position would check the wound to see how severe it was and whether they could do anything at the time. Mostly, she's just sitting next to Ron to comfort him, as he's rather excitable.

raywest

Question: This is actually a question to all of the books and movies, Why did Voldemort wait for the end of the school year to attack Harry Potter? Except, of course, in this movie, where Harry drops out of Hogwarts.

DFirst1

Answer: I agree with the other answer, but it is also a matter of plotting. Rowling has carefully structured each book to cover one school year at Hogwarts, usually starting with the summer break ending and the students preparing to return to school. The ensuing events cover the next nine months, with the story building up to the end-of-the-year climax, just before students part ways to return home for another summer. This formula allows for a continual timeline with only short breaks in-between major events. Otherwise, the story's momentum would slow down and much exposition would be needed to fill in gaps.

raywest

So basically, it's plot armor. Besides the main antagonist of the story is Voldemort so therefore he should be in the climax where it deals around him except in the third film/book. This answer makes me think that Voldemort really cares for Harry's education. ;-)

DFirst1

Answer: He didn't plan all these attacks except for the Goblet of Fire one. It took so long for Quirrel to get the stone, it took Voldemort's soul in the diary that long to influence Ginny and take control of her, it required the triwizard tournament finals to attack Harry. All these things just took till the end of the school year to happen.

lionhead

What about in Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince?

DFirst1

In Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince he was gathering strength, both personally and his army. In Order of the Phoenix the story is more about trying to convince the wizarding world that Voldemort is back and Voldemort trying for as long as possible to not draw attention to himself so it's easier to recruit, get stronger, etc. He is also busy with the prophecy, trying to get to it without exposing himself (thus using Harry to do it), knowing it is the key to his survival. In Half-Blood Prince Voldemort wants Dumbledore dead before he goes further with any other planning. Initially Draco is ordered to do it but he takes almost the entire schoolyear to do it, until he eventually manages to get deatheaters enter the school. It's not planned by the villain, but makes sense to have an entire year at Hogwarts continue each and every time. Until eventually Voldemort starts his coup.

lionhead

In Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort didn't want to reveal himself as most of the Wizarding world didn't believe he was back. As such he used his Death Eaters to try and take the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries. He only arrived at the Ministry late on as it was an optimal chance to kill Harry, Fudge seeing him wasn't intended. In the Half Blood Prince, Voldemort was afraid of fighting Dumbledore and the only way he could duel him personally would be to attack Hogwarts which would be unwise. Again, he used his Death Eaters or in this case Draco Malfoy to try and assassinate Dumbledore.

Voldemort wasn't afraid to fight Dumbldore in Half-Blood Prince, he was trying to kill Dumbledore whilst Dumbledore was protected by Hogwarts, he couldn't get to him. So he had Draco do it.

lionhead

He assigned Draco to do it as a consequence of what his father failed to retrieve, which is the prophecy.

DFirst1

7th May 2020

Twilight (2008)

Answer: He said "I'll make it go away, Bella" Meaning he will make the venom and pain go away.

Answer: From what I can make out, he says, "I'll make you go away, Bella. I'll make you go away." He wants her to leave him so she can live her life as a human and be safe from other vampires.

raywest

Question: Can someone share some light on the prison scene at the start of the 2nd movie. Where is this prison? How does Jack know about it and who runs it? It is a scary looking place that is well designed but has next to no explanation or further role in the movie past this scene.

Answer: There is no explanation given about where the prison is, who runs it, or how Jack knows about it. Its only significance is that it is a plot device that sets the movie's story into motion. Jack needed the drawing of the key that will eventually lead to the Dead Man's Chest. He finagled his way into the prison solely to steal the drawing, then he escaped. There is no need for the audience to know more details about the prison or how Jack learned about the drawing's existence and its meaning.

raywest

Question: The scene where everyone's getting burned and exploding, why didn't the ark burn Marion and Indy too? Is it because they didn't do anything wrong to it?

Answer: They were protected because they did not directly look at the Ark. Indy told Marion to look away. That is what saved them.

raywest

Anyone who looks upon what is inside the ark perishes. The ark is used as the wrath of god against anyone who doesn't show respect to it, by not looking at what is inside. Even if what is inside goes outside.

lionhead

6th May 2020

Modern Family (2009)

Answer: There are videos on YouTube on how to uncork a wine bottle using a shoe.

raywest

Question: Did Phillips really lie to the pirates by telling them the ship was broken?

Answer: I researched this on the "History vs Hollywood" web site, and that is a true fact.

raywest

6th May 2020

I Love Lucy (1951)

First Stop - S4-E14

Question: Why did they go by car to California? I assume it was to get several episodes out of it though wouldn't it have been easier to go by train?

Rob245

Answer: Well, within the storyline of the show, the answer to your question is given in the prior episode, "Getting Ready," where we see Lucy reading various brochures while Ricky is on the phone trying to book their tickets. The decision went from going by plane, to train, to bus, and finally to the idea of going by car so they could stop where they want for as long as they want, etc. Of course, production wise, this decision allowed for the following episode scripts to have more creative shenanigans.

Super Grover

Answer: There is no explanation, but as you mentioned, it was likely to add some new adventures to the show's overall story line.

raywest

6th May 2020

Oliver (1968)

Question: When Oliver takes the handkerchief from Fagin's pocket, did he really not notice that Oliver took it or did he realise that he did and pretended not to know? If it was the latter, why?

Answer: If you mean the scene where he is teaching Oliver how to be a pickpocket, then yes, Fagin knew. He is role-playing the part of a "victim," showing Oliver what it is like to steal an item from someone's pocket without it being noticed. He is employing some criminal "positive reinforcement."

raywest

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