Bishop73

6th Sep 2020

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Question: Is this movie in the same universe as Reservoir Dogs? If it is, it would mean Mr Orange has a twin brother, who talks with a British accent for some reason. If it isn't, it would mean Vic and Vincent Vega aren't related.

MikeH

Answer: Short answer, yes, they're in the same universe. Tarantino has stated his films exist in two different universes. Basically a "real universe" and a "movie universe." Most (if not all) of his films are all set in this same "real universe" (like RD and PF) while some films, like "Kill Bill" and "Dusk to Dawn", appear in a special movie universe within the "real" universe (meaning they're actual movies that exist in the "real" universe). Some speculate that Mr. Orange was Pumpkin after he turned his life around and that PF is a prequel to RD. Although Pumpkin was called Ringo and not Freddy.

Bishop73

Only Jules calls him Ringo. It was not his real name. His name could still be Freddy.

lionhead

6th Sep 2020

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Answer: That's one of his superpowers, "Comic Awareness" (sometimes called 4th Wall or Medium Awareness). This is something that Deadpool has in the comics and was incorporated into the films. Other than being a framing tool and to be funny, I don't know if the creator, Fabian Nicieza, or any writers have said why they gave Deadpool that power.

Bishop73

Deadpool's trait of breaking the 4th wall appears to have been the idea of writer Joe Kelly, as Deadpool didn't break the 4th wall for the first time until Deadpool #28 in May 1999, more than 8 years after his debut.

Phaneron

23rd Jan 2008

General questions

In American movies, I sometimes notice little flag shaped things on people's letterboxes, that can be moved up and down. In Australia, where I live, I've never noticed these, nor have I noticed them in countries I've visited (I haven't visited America). What is the purpose of these flag shaped things, and are they solely American?

Blibbetyblip

Chosen answer: It's actually a very practical device, and they are mostly used in rural areas that have roadside letterboxes. The homeowner raises it when there is outgoing mail to be picked up. The postal carrier can put the flag in the "up" position when there's a delivery.

raywest

I've never heard of any mailman doing that. The signal flag is only for outgoing mail.

Bishop73

I think the question is about the "little flag" (usually yellow), not the standard red flag that the owner raises when s/he puts outgoing mail in the box and doesn't want the postal carrier to bypass the mailbox if there is no mail to be delivered to that address that day. Regarding the small yellow flag that is near the bottom of the door (whereas the red flag extends above the box to be more visible), the yellow flag pops up when the mail box's door is opened. The carrier doesn't have to "put the flag up" to indicate a delivery - it is automatic - again, the flag goes up when the door goes down (is opened). The yellow part usually faces toward the house so that the homeowner (or renter) can see from the window if any mail has been delivered. With mailboxes that do not have the little flag, people have to walk to the mailbox to see if there is any mail. The mailboxes with the little flags can be bought on-line but are becoming obsolete with "informed delivery" emails.

KeyZOid

Answer: Outgoing mail to be picked up? The US doesn't have post boxes? How strange.

The US does have post boxes, but if someone decides to install a full service mailbox, it's more convenient. Generally using the post box can be a bit faster since the mail carrier who picks up the mail might not return in time for the mail to be processed that day.

Bishop73

2nd Sep 2020

General questions

I remember a film I saw many years ago. A reporter (Kathleen Turner, perhaps?) was doing several interviews with an older man, who I think was on Death Row. He was also a magician, and at the end, as he is being executed, he is covered over with a sheet. When they remove the sheet, he has disappeared.

Answer: "Switching Channels" (1988). Although the inmate, who is strapped into the electric chair, escapes when the power goes off.

Bishop73

2nd Sep 2020

Ever After (1998)

Question: Throughout the entire movie after her father dies, she's referred to as a peasant. Even says she's 'but a peasant', a servant. Her father was a Baron, how her stepmother became a Baroness. Her mother was a Countess. A parent dying doesn't strip the child of noble status. The daughter of even a dead baron is not a peasant. How is this not a serious plot error that completely derails the whole movie?

Answer: Danielle's father was not a baron, he was just a wealthy landowner. Her stepmother was a baroness from her previous marriage. When Danielle calls herself "Comtesse Nicole de Lancret" (her mother's name), she was lying and only pretending to be a noblewoman. Her mother was never a countess.

Bishop73

Answer: So the Baroness married down, then, by marrying Danielle's father.

Shipper

Yes. She married down because Auguste had money and she was broke.

LorgSkyegon

Yes. In this time period, a woman like the Baroness would not have many options. She apparently had no wealth from her first marriage, and she had two children. Many wealthy, available men could easily arrange marriages with younger women, from wealthier families, who had no children.

Question: Did Gulch say "damn"? It sounds like she says "If you don't hand over that dog, I'll bring a damn suit that will take your whole farm." But if she did, why is Gone With The Wind known for being the first movie to use the word?

MikeH

Answer: She said she'll "bring a damage suit."

Bishop73

1st Sep 2020

The Lost Boys (1987)

Question: What song is Sam singing along to while bathing?

Answer: "Ain't Got No Home" by Clarence "Frogman" Henry.

Bishop73

31st Aug 2020

Halloween 4 (1988)

Question: Why transfer him at night in bad weather? That and given his past why not have him cuffed to the gurney and have armed guards there regardless of his comatose state?

Rob245

Answer: The best in-universe answer I could give you to your first question is that Michael just happened to be scheduled to be transferred at night and the weather ended up being crummy. I've been transferred between hospitals at night before. (Albeit, I'm not a homicidal maniac.) But honestly, the real answer is simply... "because movie." It's a horror movie - it's just more dramatic for the scene to be set at night during lousy weather. It wouldn't be nearly as effective a scene if it was during the day in nice weather. A dark, stormy night is sort-of a convention of the genre. As for the second question, he was severely burned in a fire and has been in a comatose state for years and years. Realistically, it was safe to assume he wouldn't wake up, and even if he did, a normal person's muscles would have likely softened into jelly in the meantime. They assumed they'd be safe... but they were wrong.

TedStixon

The question would be why did the characters transfer him at night in bad weather, not why did the film makers set it up like that. The viewer may thought he or she missed the in-film explanation or was looking for someone with expertise in transferring patients to provide an answer. And again, was there any in-film explanation given or persons with experience in transporting patients like Michael (albeit without supernatural powers). Pointing out the caveat of character's actions isn't realistic because it was scripted that way is fine, but pointing out that a movie is a movie isn't a valid answer (or correction).

Bishop73

I did amend my answer slightly before I saw your response. I really don't think my initial answer was that invalid though. That's honestly the truth - it was done that way for dramatic purposes, and any other answer would be pure speculation.

TedStixon

If no in-film explanation is given, speculation is OK as long as it aligns with something that would happen in real life (although I would suggest saying it's speculation). Sometimes people do ask question about why film makers would do something, and an answer like "to make it more dramatic" would be acceptable.

Bishop73

31st Aug 2020

Project Power (2020)

Question: What animal power did Newt have, bursting into flames, and what animal power did the girl that turned into ice have?

Answer: Their power is thermoregulation. I don't think it's stated which animal it came from, but any animal that thermal regulates (i.e. warm blooded animal).

Bishop73

31st Aug 2020

Jurassic World (2015)

Question: There's a theory that the kid who calls the raptor a "six foot turkey" is Owen. Is there any possibility that Blue (the raptor) is the same raptor that Hammond, Ian, Allan etc witnessed hatching in the Visitor Center? They were all stroking it and such which it seemed to enjoy, so it's had human interaction.

Answer: Blue was a 3 year old Raptor. The events of Jurassic World are meant to take 20+ years after Jurassic Park, so Blue wouldn't have been the one seen hatching.

Bishop73

Answer: No. As Bishop73 has said, Blue is a 3 year old raptor and thus not old enough to have been from the original park. The T-Rex on the other hand, is the same from the original. Note the scars on the side of her neck from the Raptor attack in the main hall at the end of the first film.

Ssiscool

Answer: In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, there is video footage of when Owen was working with his three raptors when they were quite small. He had also mentioned that they had imprinted on him at birth.

raywest

24th Aug 2020

Outbreak (1995)

Question: When they are viewing the virus through the microscope, we see its shape is like a long strand, sort of coiled up at one end and uncoiled at the other end (think cobra rearing up). That structure seems too complex to be a virus. Are any viruses really shaped like that?

Answer: Yes, the fictional virus would be a filovirus similar to Ebola. These are filament shaped virus that can coil up.

Bishop73

24th Aug 2020

The Book of Eli (2010)

Question: At the end when the Bible is placed in the book shelf, you can read Holy Bible, New King James Version, Alcatraz. But next to Alcatraz there is something written that I can't pick up. Any ideas?

Answer: Press. Alcatraz Press would be the fictional publishing company of the Bible.

Bishop73

16th Sep 2011

Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Question: When the Ghostbusters went on trial, did they CHOOSE to waive their right to trial by jury and be tried by the judge? Given the obvious bias of this judge against them, if I were them, I would certainly not have waived my right to a jury trial.

Answer: Violating a restraining order is regarded as Contempt of Court, and thus is not subject to trial by jury.

Captain Defenestrator

But what about the other charges, willful destruction of public property, fraud, and malicious mischief? (Also, it should be noted that no-one goes to trial a day or two after they're arrested, so it seemed it was written as a bench trial just so the judge could later reverse his decision).

Bishop73

Louis is a tax attorney and since he got his degree in night school, it's implied that he has very little experience even being a tax attorney, let alone a criminal defense lawyer. I took it as the underlying humor in this scene being that everything went wrong, yet they still managed to save the day.

The charge that the prosecution really wants to stick them on is Ghostbusting and therefore, violating a restraining order. So that's what they're pushing for.

Captain Defenestrator

11th Nov 2015

Little Women (1994)

Question: When Amy is told that she cannot go to the opera with Meg and Jo, Beth tells Amy, "Evangeline and I will make you some ginger tea." The cook/maid's name is listed as Hannah in the cast credits, and she is referred to by the name of Hannah a few times in the movie. Who is Evangeline?

Sandyjeanie

Chosen answer: Evangeline is their cat.

Answer: The cat is named Evangeline. She's holding her while she says that line.

So the cat named Evangeline is going to make tea for Amy?

Sandyjeanie

Not literally. She was just humanizing her cat. It's something people do, just like how you can buy greeting cards "from the cat" or "from the dog."

Bishop73

Beth was trying to be funny by saying the cat would help make the tea.

20th Aug 2020

Law & Order (1990)

Answer: A courtroom trial that has been terminated prior to its normal conclusion. A mistrial has no legal effect and is considered an invalid or nugatory trial. This often happens when there is a lack of Jurisdiction, an incorrect jury selection or, as seen in many of the episodes, a hung jury, i.e. some jury members finding the defendant guilty while the other members of the jury will find the defendant not guilty and all jury members won't change their decision.

Answer: I was once a juror on a trial where the defendant started crying and talking about how his son would suffer if he went to jail. The judge became furious, decided that he had prejudiced the state's case (we were now thinking of his family, rather than if he were actually guilty), and declared a mistrial.

Brian Katcher

Answer: In short, any time a trial ends and is declared void before the jury delivers a verdict or a judge issues a decision. Generally a mistrial is caused by a jury not being able to come to unanimous decision or the prosecution does something that would make the trial unfair to the defendant.

Bishop73

20th Aug 2020

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Question: How is Rogers alive at the end? Shouldn't he have died of old age?

MikeH

Answer: It's safe to assume that due to the treatments he received that gave him his super-powers, he also ages a bit more slowly compared to other people. At least that's the way I took it.

TedStixon

Answer: While he may not really look like it in the film, based on information dates given in the film, Rogers would be 106 at then end. While not a common age to live to, it's certainly obtainable as non-super enhanced people have lived past that age (122 years old being the verified record). Also, it should be noted, people don't "die of old age." Being old doesn't kill you, disease, illness or injuries do.

Bishop73

Question: Was Robinson Crusoe On Mars scientifically plausible when it was made in 1964? Aged eight, I watched this movie on release. Even then I knew it was a movie, not a scientific documentary. Nevertheless, I understand that it was once seriously believed there were canals on the surface of Mars. (I even had a children's pictorial encyclopaedia which showed Mars criss-crossed by canals.) After crash-landing on Mars astronaut Kit Draper (Paul Mantee) discovers that the Martian canals were made by intelligent, technologically advanced beings millennia ago. Could anybody in the scientific community have believed this in 1964? Kit Draper discovers ways of creating oxygen, so he does not suffocate; he then finds water sources, vegetation he can eat and a coal like rock that burns to make fires. He witnesses extra-terrestrial aliens visiting Mars in space ships. Was this, by any stretch of the imagination, regarded as even remotely credible in 1964? Or was it pure Hollywood hokum?

Rob Halliday

Answer: This is pure Hollywood fiction, never meant to be science-based fact, and was typical of sci-fi films of that era such as: War of the Worlds, Invaders From Mars, The Martian Chronicles, and others. Many were based on early-to-mid-20th century science-fiction novels when little was scientifically known about any of the planets. Authors imagined what Mars was like purely to entertain readers. After the 1960s, as more was scientifically known about Mars, films became more realistic, although the 2012 Disney film, "John Carter," was a deliberate throwback to that earlier genre. Also, scientists never believed that there were canals on Mars. In the 1870s, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli was mapping Mars through a telescope. He described the long, trench-like geographical features as "canali," (Italian for channels). American astronomer Percival Lowell misinterpreted this as "canals" and believed they were of intelligent origin, though other scientists debunked that. Sci-fi writers of the time (H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Boroughs, et al) incorporated Lowell's published theories into their stories.

raywest

It should be noted "John Carter" is based on the 1912 novel "A Princess of Mars."

Bishop73

11th Mar 2020

The Family Stone (2005)

Question: At the end of the movie, the family is around the Christmas tree. At the left side of the dad there is a guy standing as part of the movie scene, who is he?

Answer: I think you're talking about John Trousdale, Susannah Stone's husband, played by Jamie Kaler.

Bishop73

Question: Is the Canyon of the Crescent Moon a real place, or was the shot of the canyon as seen from Donovan's binoculars just a place created for the film?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The Canyon of the Crescent Moon is fictional, but based on the real entrance to the Treasury (Al Khazna). The Bab as-Sīq is the wide valley leading to the Sīq, the narrow gorge entry.

Bishop73

9th Aug 2020

Double Jeopardy (1999)

Question: Why did the ex husband kill his former mistress turned wife?

Rob245

Answer: Nick used Angie to help fake his death, frame Libby, and collect the insurance money which would have gone to their son, Matty. It's unclear if Nick married Angie, who became Matty's legal guardian, but he needed her to gain access to the money. He certainly didn't love her, and once he fully controlled the money, he eliminated her, as she was a liability who could have exposed him. I agree with the other answer that it also simplifies the plot by killing off a secondary character. It also shows how devious, ruthless, and sociopathic Nick is.

raywest

Answer: I don't think they explained it, but most likely for her insurance money which is the same reason Nick faked his death in the first place. But it's also possible her death was faked as well. Looking at it from the prospective of the writer, it seemed it was easier to kill her off or get rid of her somehow instead of her showing up at the end with Nick and there wouldn't be a way for Libby to kill her without facing jail time for it and it wouldn't make sense for Libby to just forgive her and let her go.

Bishop73

Angie's death wasn't faked. It was established and verified by the next-door-neighbor lady that she was killed in the house explosion while Nick and Maddy were conveniently away. Libby also researched old newspaper articles about the accident and the ensuing investigation. The articles also showed photos of the now-dead Angie.

raywest

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