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: Can anyone tell me why some of the subtitles change font, such as during one of Legolas' lines while the Rohirrim are being gathered?

Answer: It is in one font when they are just speaking (those are the ones you can turn on and off) and a different, fancier font when they are speaking Elvish.

Show generally

Question: BoB is virtually free from major script "errors" like in Saving Private Ryan. I am referring to strongly questionable military tactical behavior, which bother me a lot with SVP. (Miller making his own interpretation of military priorities, the strange assault on the machine gun nest etc.). To which extent did the BoB crew consider the script "errors" of SPR when they made BoB? Or is it a mere coincidence that the feeling of military amateurism one gets from watching SPR, is completely gone with BoB?

Airborne Ranger

Chosen answer: The makers of Band of Brothers were very particular about getting things right. It helped immeasurably that BoB was initially based on the book by the military historian Stephen Ambrose, who based it entirely on interviews with the real individuals. Scripts for the episodes were shown to some of the surviving members of Easy Company, and their suggestions were incorporated into the show, as, indeed, were they. It's not so much that they actively considered the 'errors' of SPR - it's more that the source material (the recollections of those who were really there) that was available to them was so accurate that none of these types of errors ever entered the equation.

Tailkinker

Question: In the Warg battle, Aragorn accidentally falls over a cliff and doesn't return to Helm's Deep until much later, when everyone believes he is dead. This doesn't occur in the book (in fact, neither does the Warg battle, but I can see why the battle was added, to spruce up an otherwise boring scene). Can anyone explain what benefit Aragorn's accident had to the storyline?

Answer: This was done to add to the tension; in part for the audience, but in larger part for the characters. As Peter Jackson said, when asked about this issue, those who have read the books know what happens to Aragorn throughout the story, and will not think for a second that he truly has perished in the river, but for some viewers coming new to the whole thing, this adds some tension for them... more importantly, though, we see the reactions of the characters; they grieve for Aragorn as if they will not see him again, and even though we know otherwise - perhaps, in part, beCAUSE we know otherwise - we are sympathetic to that. It also serves to highlight the friendship, the true fellowship, that existed amongst them. Finally, PJ also said that he didn't want the whole journey to seem too easy; the heroes just wading through every battle felling enemies and not getting a scratch themselves; he wanted to show that they were vulnerable.

STP

Question: What does "Here's Johnny" mean? Torrance says this as he chops down the bathroom door.

Answer: "Here's Johnny" is a classic line used on the Tonight Show when Johnny Carson hosted. Anytime Johnny would enter the stage at the beginning of the show, Ed McMahon would shout "Here's Johnny" as his introduction. Jack Nicholson ad-libbed the line.

T Poston

Question: When Will and Jack climb aboard the Dauntless, Jack says, "everyone remain calm we are taking over the ship". What does Will say after him and what does it mean?

Answer: Will said, "Aye! Avast!" Aye means yes. Avast means stop or cease. Jack turned and gave Will the eyeball because Will sounded silly, and Will looked at Jack and gave him a look back as if he wondered in his own mind, "What? What did I do/say that's so bad?"

Super Grover

Question: What happened to Kelly's genius friend Arby who, in the book, went with her to the island?

Answer: Like with most adaptations from book to film, some characters weren't needed and therefore not included in the movie script.

Question: About 3/4 of the way through the film, Vincennes finds the body of the actor he arrested early in the movie, with his throat slit. Who killed him and why?

Answer: Reynolds has been sent by Sid Hudgens to sleep with Loew, the District Attorney. Dudley Smith and Pearce Patchett, who are trying to take over everything, have been threatening Loew, who initially refused to play along. They set Loew up, probably in much the same way that Hudgens tried to, with the intention of blackmailing him with photos so that he couldn't prosecute them. According to Loew, who spills the details while Bud's dangling him out of the window, Reynolds overheard all this - presumably Smith and/or Patchett followed Loew to the motel room to do the blackmailing - so they killed him.

Tailkinker

Question: Is this the only Bond film that features any references to Tracy Bond (other than the given "On Her Majesty's...")?

Answer: It's mentioned he was married in The Spy Who Loved Me and Licence to Kill.

Grumpy Scot

Answer: It is also vaguely alluded to in The World is Not Enough. When Electra asks Bond, "tell me, Mr. Bond, ha- have you ever lost a loved one." And it's written all over his face, so to speak.

Alan Keddie

Question: When the Fat Lady is gone out of the portrait, Harry is carrying something in his hand. Someone told me it was a gift that Ron gave to Harry when he was in Hogsmeade. Does anyone know what it is?

Answer: It's supposed to be the Sneakoscope that in the book is given to him by Ron at the very beginning of the book.

wolfchild

Question: What's the name of the song , and who is/are the artist[s] who performed it, when we first see Peter leading a normal life after he quits as Spider-man?

Answer: Pretty sure the song you are talking about is "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" performed by B.J. Thomas.

T Poston

Question: As with the other two films, did Viggo Mortensen have to grow in his facial hair? To me, it looked just full enough to be natural.

Answer: It is Viggo's own facial hair that appears in all three films.

Super Grover

Answer: Real hair.

Answer: In all his movies he's always been blonde.

Question: I heard the Strokes were on the soundtrack with a song called When It Started. Does anyone know which scene this is in?

Answer: Some of the songs on the soundtrack were not in the movie. The soundtrack is made up of songs "from and INSPIRED by".

Answer: According to the SBS website, Brendan's disappearance was never really explained. He just kind of faded out. He was hired as the cute "little" one and as he got older he wasn't as cute. When the Lamberts had the little girl, they got their cuteness factor back and didn't need as many kids around.

Question: What does it mean, that German speech of Nazi soldier who met Indy at U-Boot base? I know he is asking Indy about why is he sleeping and thinks Indy looks like pig, but I don't understand the rest.

Answer: He's asking "Why are you so lazy?" He starts complaining that his jacket is undone and his hair is all in a mess. He is also saying "the general will be here", although he doesn't finish his sentance as Indy kicks him and steals his hat.

alex greenwood

Question: During the 'Bring It On' tryout scene parody, after Sandy-Sue has said "It's just swell to meet all of you", Priscilla says "P A G (or P E G) - I assume you brought a routine?". What does P A G (or P E G) stand for?.?

Answer: She says "Peachy".

Myridon

Question: Is this the only Bond film where the title song is being sung by a character during the film?

Answer: As far as I can tell, yes. Unless you count "Die Another Day," where the singer of the title song (Madonna) appears in a scene, as well as the song being remixed for the party scene in the ice castle.

Answer: It was, yes. The filmmakers deliberately didn't bother with anything resembling film continuity, intending to make this a completely new character.

Tailkinker

Question: Can someone please tell me the point of the conversation between Harry and his dead dad, as well as him stumbling onto the Green Goblins gear.

Answer: From the story point of view, Harry's been becoming increasingly unstable, and the realisation that his friend Peter is also the man he's vowed vengeance on is likely to increase that instability to dangerous levels. The 'appearance' of (and argument with) his deceased father, the man who Harry felt was always disappointed in him and who, of course, died at Peter's hands, seems like a pretty reasonable psychological thing to happen under the circumstances. The discovery of the Goblin's technology simply means that the already unstable vengeance-seeking Harry now has the means within his grasp to take on Spiderman at his own power level.

Tailkinker

Question: In the House of Pain, just prior to the attack of the Reapers, they start playing a techno track (you can see Reinhardt nodding his head to the rhythm). What's the name of the track and where can I get it?

Answer: I never saw Reinhardt nodding his head, but the song that is playing exactly when the Reapers attack is Child of the Wild West - Cypress Hill & Roni Size which is availible on the Blade II soundtrack. If this is not it, I am pretty sure any techno featured in the movie is on the soundtrack, which is a decent buy.

T Poston

Voodoo and Serano - Blood is Pumping.

Answer: I believe that is a track by Voodoo and Serano...not sure of the track name itself, but I'm sure if you search that group you'll find it. Please note, many of their songs sound similar so don't confuse the songs you find with the exact one in the movie. It might be "Blood is Pumpin", but a remix of it.

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