Question: Is this a true story? The ending with text "John W. Creasy" and lifetime dates makes it seem like a true story.
Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
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Answer: No, the movie was based on a fiction book. The book takes place in Italy, and the kidnapping ring is run by the mafia.
Answer: The movie was completely lifted from a much better 1987 version of the same story.
Question: I only just saw the episode where Sydney finally kills Allison (Francie's clone), and wakes up two years later in Hong Kong. I really can't wait two more weeks until the following episodes explain everything, so could someone please post an explanation of what happened in those two years? Or link me to a website with one?
Answer: Go to abc.com, and then click on the Alias page. There is a summary of every episode.
Crossroads - S1-E5
Question: How exactly do the M1 Garands work? I noticed that after the clip is emptied a metal type plate comes out the top of the rifle, what is that?
Answer: That actually is the clip. It is loaded into the top of the rifle, and is ejected with the last round. See http://www.wwiitech.net/main/usa/weapons/m1/.
Question: When Jack is beating himself up in front his boss, what's going on? I get that he is reminded of his fight with Tyler because he's beating himself up, like when he 'fought' Tyler, but I don't understand why? Is Tyler controlling him in order to get the Flight coupons etc. so Fight Club can grow, or is Jack trying to frame his boss?
Answer: Your second guess is correct - the Narrator (his name is never stated in the film itself - although promotional material refers to him as "Jack", the closed captioning calls him "Rupert") is framing his boss so that he can leave work and still get paid, get the flight coupons and so on.
Question: There is a scene in the movie where Mort destroys his bathroom, once he destroys his shower door he sees a mouse, he picks it up and lets it go, what does this have to do with the movie?
Answer: He hears the mouse and sees his reflection in the mirror, leading him to believe Shooter was in there. He releases the mouse out of compassion.
That is to show the contrasting personalities of Mort. Original personality of Mort is kind, on the other hand Shooter is his other extreme who doesn't hesitate to even committing a murder. This difference is also shown when Mort cleans up the mess created by Shooter at the murder scene of the old man and the detective.
Question: All of the vials that Yzma has are labeled, but how? They can't be inside the vale because they would be wet and Yzma couldn't have flipped the label up like she did in a scene, yet...there is nothing attaching the label to the vial. how is it attached?
Answer: It is probably attached with the equivalent of a piece of Scotch tape rolled over itself; I'm sure you've done that before. It wouldn't be visible to the naked eye, and Yzma would be able to flip the label up.
Question: At the beginning, Brad Pitt takes two tablets then somehow survives a massive electric shock. Are the tablets some form of stimulant to help his system recover (or some other form of genuine treatment), or is it just a fictional cinematic device?
Chosen answer: He might have taken a medical equivalent to a regulated dose of Curare, which can suspend the body temporarily in a coma-like state, while keeping the mind active and perceptive. It could also have been tetrodotoxin, which has remarkably similar effects, but lasts longer. In either case, they were specifically engineered for his physiology, indicating a pharmacologist's aid in their endeavor.
Question: When Anderton is viewing the images of the Leo Crow murder, he describes the building as "federal housing." But when he and Agatha get there, the guy at the desk says, "Rooms are $95 a night" (or whatever the price was). Is it federal housing, or is it a hotel? It can't be both, can it?
Chosen answer: It could be both. "Federal Housing" could be a description of the style - it might originally have been built as federal housing, but converted into a hotel at a later date.
Question: Does anyone know why Dracula calls Van Helsing "Gabriel" throughout the film?
Answer: Gabriel is the true name of the character described elsewhere as the Left Hand of God, responsible for Dracula's original death. Dracula uses this to try to remind Van Helsing of their history together. The implication is that Van Helsing is actually the archangel Gabriel, credited with (among other things) announcing the pending birth of Christ to Mary his mother, Joseph his father, and Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist.
Question: During the song El Tango de Roxanne, towards the end someone starts speaking in French or Spanish. Who is speaking and what is the English translation?
Answer: The words are Spanish, but it's no one from the movie. "And I who love you so much; what am I going to do? You left me...you left me like a dove. My soul has left me; my heart has left me. I no longer wish to live because I cannot convince you not to sell yourself, Roxanne."
Question: I don't remember a choir in the book. Was it added or is it actually in the book somewhere? If it was in the book, where was it?
Answer: No choir in the book. It was added for the film.
Question: Did General Motors sponsor this movie, seeing as how every prominent vehicle in the movie (except for the Ferrari) is from GM?
Answer: It's not uncommon for one company to supply all the cars for a film - it's simpler for the film company to make one single deal, and it's product placement for the car company in question.
Question: When the men are on deck singing the "Spanish ladies" song, they suddenly stop, leaving Hollom singing alone, and then he trails off at the end. Why do the men stop singing? If it's because Hollom was singing, too, I didn't think they hated him so much at this point.
Chosen answer: They stop singing because they hear Hollom joining in. There are very strict ranks in the Navy, and Hollom singing with the lower crew dissipates these ranks, which is undesirable. That Hollom sings with the crew is frowned upon by the captain, as can be seen by his serious/agitated reaction after Stephen mentions that Hollom has such a clear voice.
Question: Metatron tells Bethany that Bartleby and Loki have been clued into a loophole in catholic dogma that would allow them back into heaven. What does he mean by "catholic dogma"?
Answer: Roman Catholic is the oldest of the Christian Churches, and the one from which all others (Eastern Orthodox and Protestant) have separated. Dogma is the core tenets of a given religion, the ideas that make up that religion and which can never be changed, because to do so would destroy the entire belief system (contrasted with doctrine, common beliefs and interpretations held by a church that can change over time). So Catholic dogma is the specific, basic beliefs of the Catholic Church, in this case, "God is infallible."
Yes, the Orthodox Church did separate, but you're false in that the Roman Catholic Church is the oldest of the Christian churches. Historically, the Greek Orthodox Church is the oldest.
The first Pentecost was Shavuot. The first Church was Assembled in the Wilderness. #HolyBartender.
Answer: There is a difference between Catholic with a capital c and catholic with a small c. With a capital c it is in reference to the catholic church. With a small c it is in reference to the christian faith. For example in the protestant apostles creed it says I believe in the holy catholic church meaning the christian faith.
Question: I heard someone say that Jar Jar was going to be burned alive in this film, but he obviously wasn't. Will this happen in the 3rd film, or my my friend misinformed?
Answer: Unless your friend has a direct pipeline to Lucasfilm somehow, he's misinformed - Lucas rarely reveals information ahead of time. While there are obviously to be a number of deaths in Episode 3, due to the extermination of the Jedi, there's nothing to indicate that Jar Jar is to be one of them - it's more likely fanboy wishful thinking. There are distinct indications from the Episode 3 production that a character will fall into lava during the film, which might be what is being thought of. In the interest of not spoiling it, I won't tell you which character, but it's not Jar Jar.
Question: I am just wondering where we can find a list of added scenes for the extended version that isn't just gossip. Has anyone actually seen a shotlist/etc.?
Answer: Most of the lists doing the rounds are rather more than gossip - most are based on statements by Peter Jackson and others involved closely with the production, so they should be taken as correct. No definitive list of changes has been issued, however, nor, I suspect, is there likely to be - lists that appeared for the previous Extended Editions all proved to be incomplete when that version was released.
The One With Chandler's Dad - S7-E22
Question: Chandler tells Monica about how his father has tried to get in touch with him over the years but Chandler's always had an excuse not to see him. He says "it's all very 'Cats in the Cradle'". What does that mean?
Answer: It's a reference to Harry Chapin's 1974 song of that name, about an inconsiderate father too busy too spend time with his son. The son then treats his father the same way later in life. Ugly Kid Joe also had a hit with a cover version in 1993. See http://www.birdsnest.com/catcrad.htm.
Bacon & Eggs - S5-E2
Question: When Kevin Bacon says "that was a small one" I know that he is refering to 6 Degrees Of Bacon, but what I want to know is where did that start?
Answer: A history of the game can be found at http://www.fast-rewind.com/bacon.htm.
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Answer: Daniel "La Voz" Sanchez was based off the kidnapper Daniel Arizmendi López and Aurelio Sanchez was based off his bother Aurelio Arizmendi López, so some of it maybe true but not a lot.