Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: Where were the other Wizards during the fight for Middle-Earth?

Answer: There are only five wizards. Saruman and Gandalf are heavily involved, as we see. Radagast, while not mentioned in the film, has a particular affinity with the birds and animals - it is he who sends the Eagles to the last battle, and to rescue Gandalf from Isengard. The final two, Alatar and Pallando, known as the Blue Wizards, went into the far eastern regions of Middle-Earth and never returned. Tolkien felt that they would ultimately have fallen from grace, much as Saruman did.

Tailkinker

Question: What is the song thats being played when Charlize Theron is driving to work, and who's singing it? It starts with something like "I came, I saw, I kicked some...".

Answer: 'The Wreckoning' by Boomkat.

MoonFaery

Question: In the song "Jesus Christ Superstar" Judas sings "Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication". Why is he singing about that specific year? Even with the miscalculation in the Gregorian calendar, Christ still died around 30 A.D. So why that year in the song?

Answer: First, the lyricist is taking a little artistic license to make the line fit the cadence of the song. Second, there has for some time been a debate over the exact year Jesus Christ was born. Traditionally, it is accounted as the year 1 AD. However, the Bible says that Jesus was born in the time of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC, so he must have been born in that year or before it, assuming that date is correct. Furthermore, the Magi supposedly noted an astronomical event that drove them to visit the newborn Christ; there was an alignment of planets in 6 BC that would qualify nicely. In any case, the line in the song is meant to refer to whenever Jesus arrived in Israel: his birth.

Phoenix

Question: What is the song playing when Carter pulls up at the cafe before Terry gets splattered? Where can I download an mp3?

Answer: It's called 'Into the Void' by Nine Inch Nails.

Question: When firing a missile, why do the pilots always precede it with the word Fox (e.g 'Fox 1.')? Also, what significance does the phrase 'pile the road' mean?

Answer: "Fox One" represents the launch of a semi-active, radar-guided air-to-air missile, "Fox Two" stands for the launch of an heat-seeking air-to-air missile, "Fox Three" is the launch of an active, radar-guided air-to-air missile and "Fox Four" is the firing of air-to-air guns. Source http://www.jimclonts.com/gloss.htm. The President says "Plough the road", meaning he wants a path cleared for Randy Quaid's plane.

Phil Watts

Show generally

Question: What happened to Dr. Jackson? I know that he "ascended," but what does that mean/do? Do the actor plan to permanently return to the show, or is he no longer a part of the regular ensemble?

Answer: Daniel "ascended" meaning he became a being of pure energy on a higher plane of existence. This happened because Michael Shanks was unhappy with his parts and wanted to leave the show. After one season with Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec) as his replacement, Mr. Shanks returned for (presumably) the rest of the series. In the series this was shown as Daniel violating some major rules of the "ascended" and getting "kicked out" and made human again as punishment.

Grumpy Scot

Question: Is Gandalf really as powerful as everyone claims? He's supposed to be a great wizard yet he barely uses any power and is always doubting everything, even himself.

Answer: Gandalf is extremely powerful, as are all the five Wizards. They were sent to Middle-Earth to aid the inhabitants in the fight against Sauron, but they were only sent to help - they were placed under a specific instruction that they were only to assist, not to lead - the battle ultimately had to be fought by the races of Middle-Earth. As such, they were forbidden from using the full extents of their magics, lest they become tempted to rule rather than advise. Saruman ultimately fell to this very temptation, and Tolkien felt that two of the other wizards (neither mentioned in the films) did likewise in lands far to the east, with only Gandalf and Radagast staying true to their mission.

Tailkinker

Question: For those who have the soundtrack, can you tell me the name of the theme when Harry sacrifices himself with the flashbacks of Grace?

Answer: It's called "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" By Aerosmith.

Question: In the scene where Amanda Peet loses her shoe, what's the name of the song playing and the band who performs it?

Answer: Foo Fighters - 'All my life'.

Hamster

Question: Does anyone know what Rusty is referencing with his "A Boskie, a Jim Brown..." speech when he and Danny are getting the blue prints for the vault?

Answer: The implication, from the context of the full conversation, is that these are all names for specific types of cons. The Boesky, for example, may refer to Ivan Boesky, a Wall Street trader who served a prison sentence for an insider dealing scam. A Boesky is therefore an inside man claiming to be a wealthy bankroller. A Jim Brown is the confrontation between Linus and Frank, Miss Daisy is the getaway vehicle, two Jethros are the Malloy twins, a Leon Spinks is the disrupted boxing match, and an Ella Fitzgerald refers to the looped tape.

Tailkinker

Show generally

Question: When I was watching an episode the other day, Rachel said Richard, Monica's former boyfriend, gave her a little get-well kiss when she was young. This implies that she already knew Monica, as Richard was friends with Monica's dad. With this in mind, and with all relevant characters aside from the main group as well as the six 'Friends' I was wondering if anyone could provide a clear and concise explanation of the backstory to them all meeting, where they lived, school, etc.

Answer: Monica and Rachel went to school together and grew up in the same area of Long Island. Chandler met Ross at college and was introduced to both Monica and Rachel over thanksgiving. After college, Monica and Rachel lost touch, Rachel went off to get engaged to Barry the evil orthadontist, Phoebe moved in with Monica (we've never been told how Phoebe and Monica met, although coincidentally Phoebe mugged Ross when they were teenagers and she lived on the street), and after Kip (Chandler's roommate) left (either to get married or after a bad breakup with Monica, depending on which episode you watch), Joey moved in with Chandler (he was actually a second choice roommate, but Mr. Heckles scared off the first choice). Ross got married to Carol but got divorced due to her lesbianism, and Rachel ended up running out on Barry on her wedding day - she lived with Monica up until Chandler moved in.

Kara

Answer: According to the author, Anthony Burgess, the term "a clockwork orange" refers to a person who is full of life and juice, like an orange, but who is wound-up like a mechanical device with programmed responses. As the term pertains to the story's narrator and lead character, Alex, he is a prime example of humanity, brimming with life, lust, cruelty and violence. The system then reconditions Alex with predictable mechanical responses and behavior. Hence, Alex becomes a clockwork orange.

Charles Austin Miller

Question: As I watched the end scene I wondered: how do James and Domino intend to return to terra firma? They were whisked out of the boat by the plane and are hanging on the end of a long cord so the plane can't land without them being dragged at high speed along the concrete.

Answer: Look up Skyhook online and you'll find out how it was done. The person hanging from the cable wold be pulled aboard by the plane's crew.

Answer: A helicopter could lower a line to them to attach themselves to. They could then cut the rope and be lowered to safety. A bit outlandish, but this is Bond we are talking about after all.

Grumpy Scot

Question: Why didn't the Dwarves help in the fight for Middle-Earth?

Answer: Due to the overwhelming size of his forces, Sauron was able to fight the War of the Ring on several fronts. In addition to the main attack on Gondor, there were numerous other assaults - Galadriel's realm of Lorien was attacked, for example, as was the kingdom of the Wood-Elves, Legolas' people. The dwarf-kingdom of Erebor also came under attack, so the dwarves ended up fighting to defend their homeland. None of these battles were shown in the film, as it would have taken even more time, and would have taken the focus from the major characters.

Tailkinker

Question: When Elvis trades places with Sebastian Haff, his limo plate is AZN-700. Later when he is driving Haff's car, the plate is the same. Obviously two cars with different owners can't have the same plates, so it's probably a reference of some sort. Anyone know if that's the case, and if so, what?

Grumpy Scot

Chosen answer: There's no significance I can find anywhere for the number "AZN-700" - it's just a fake plate they used twice due to the limited budget, and its repeated use is a mistake.

Question: Why was only the Northern Hemisphere covered in ice? We see in the first scene of the film that Antarctica was affected too, so why didn't the Southern Hemisphere enter a new ice age too?

Answer: Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered by ocean. Large water masses have a moderating influence on temperature, and are less prone to freezing.

Question: Is the Statue of Liberty strong enough to survive that amount of water pressure, or should it have buckled/bent/been destroyed completely?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: The Statue of Liberty *should* have been knocked over by the tidal wave, but the director wanted to create a symbol of American values of "standing up" and persevering.

Xofer

Question: I was chatting with my friends when I saw this film, and I think I missed an important bit. The Americans open something that brings a curse on them, yet O'Connell and company are the ones to open the actual sarcophagus. What are the Americans opening; and why does that bring on a curse, but not the revealing of the actual mummy?

Answer: According to ancient Egyptian tradition, four major organs (liver, intestines, stomach, lungs) were removed from the body during the mummification process and preserved in canopic jars that were buried with the deceased. The Americans found Anck Su Namun's jars whilst O'Connell and company found the sarcophagus in which Imhotep was buried alive. After Evie recites the curse that brings Imhotep to life, he needs these organs to bring Anck Su Namun back, leading him to hunt down those who are in possession of them. The opening of the sarcophagus doesn't actually invoke any curse and neither does the Americans opening the chest, contrary to what Beni says. The "curse" is only a warning that they shall become part of Imhotep's curse by taking the jars he needs.

Answer: When the Mahji catch up with Imhotep everything is all right there. They curse him with the Hum Dai, then in an effort to keep things from going bad they place the Book of the Dead and the jars containing the organs of Anak-sun-Amun into a cursed chest hoping it will stop anyone from doing what those stupid yanks did.

Answer: It's just silly screenwriting. The greedy Americans have to die but the heroes can't die, so how about a cursed chest that only the Americans open? Really though there is no logical reason the Egyptians would have put a curse on this particular chest. There's also no reason that Ankhsuamun's organs would be buried with the book of the dead again it's just silly screenwriting. Saves the trouble of having to write another scene or sequence where the organs are discovered separately. Also, lazily explains why Imhotep only targets the Americans for bodily juicy goodness and not the rest of them.

Question: Why do they place a curse on Imhotep which makes his mummy evil? What would the Egyptians benefit from this?

Answer: It's ultimately a bit stupid, but a side-effect of the horrible punishment they've inflicted on him, making him suffer for so long, is that if ever he's resurrected he'll have powers and be immortal, which is why people are set to make sure he's never awakened. Just killing him would make more sense, but since when does anyone major die easily in films?

Jon Sandys

Answer: Imhotep was already evil. As for the curse, like Judas it was a living death, even though his body died, his spirit wouldn't enter Heaven or Hell, but remain in limbo. Like a vampire, he was resurrected with supernatural powers.Unbound and all powerful.

Question: What is the black strap Mike's wearing around his neck with his uniform for? It looks kinda cool, but I don't see the purpose.

Answer: I'm not entirely sure when you mean, but at the start of the film he wears a black band round his neck that is actually his radio system. It is pressed against the skin and allows subvocal radio communication.

Ben W Bell

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