Question: Are the people present at the digging site when they're discussing new approaches to analyzing skeletons supposed to be paleontologists in dr. Grant's group? If so, why would they laugh at his musings of "how dinos learned how to fly"? And why would he have to explain it to them? Seemed to me like he is explaining very basic stuff to the people that would already know this (and of course, to the movie audience).
Question: What is the name of the theatrical song in the Faust play, and who is the original composer and symphony?
Answer: Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Question: When Abbot is walking down the aisle at the wedding, everyone says "Good morrow Abbot", but one guys says "Hey Abbot!" and Abbot says "I hate that guy!" Is this a reference to something? I never got the joke.
Carl MissouriChosen answer: The scene is an homage to the late, great comedy team, Abbott and Costello. Bud Abbott was the straight man and Lou Costello was the goofy laugh-getter. Part of their act was Costello getting frustrated trying to understand Abbott and yelling "hey Abbott" at him.
Guy
Question: At the very end, what was in the plastic bag that Tommy Lee Jones' character gives to Harrison Ford?
Answer: It's a cold compress. You squeeze it, and the inner bag breaks mixing chemicals and it gets very cold. It helps to minimize swelling. He gave it to Kimball for all the bruises he had.
Grumpy Scot
Question: Why does Mrs Conehead begin screaming when she sees the eggplant in the grocery store?
Answer: Because they resemble infant coneheads. To her, it would appear that they were selling babies.
Bruce Minnick
Question: At the end of the movie, it shows Benny managing to steal home, being called safe, the catcher arguing that Benny was out and the umpire saying Benny was safe. In slow motion, it shows the catcher catching the ball and tagging Benny as he slides into home so why wasn't Benny called out?
Answer: The umpire got the call wrong in that case. It happens all the time in real life. It wasn't allowed back then, but now Major League Baseball and other sports leagues will use instant replay to make sure they get close calls right.
Phaneron
Answer: The catcher tags Benny on the chest after he touches home plate with his left hand. Safe.
LorgSkyegonAnswer: The film shows Benny beating the tag. Although the ball gets there before Benny, the catcher tags Benny a split second after his hand touches home plate.
BaconIsMyBFF
Question: Does anyone know the name of the song which is playing on the radio in the beginning of the movie, when Schindler is getting dressed for the party?
Answer: "Gloomy Sunday".
Kimberly Klaus
Question: Sally tries to prevent Jack from taking over Christmas using Fog Juice. How will fog stop him?
Answer: As seen in the movie, the Fog Juice made it difficult to see anything. Sally had hoped that with no way of seeing where he was going, she would be able to stop him from leaving Halloween Town and save his life.
Question: I remember seeing this movie multiple times years back, and i distinctly remember the restaurant being Taco Bell, why the sudden badly dubbed pizza hut in the new television version?
Answer: A number of the European releases of the film replaced Taco Bell with Pizza Hut, as Pizza Hut has a significant international presence, whereas Taco Bell is relatively unknown outside the US, with very few restaurants. While most versions around these days keep the US original dialogue, the altered versions do occasionally crop up, particularly on television.
Tailkinker
Question: Is there an alternate ending? Did Ving Rhames ever wear a sweater in the last scene?
Answer: I have repeatedly told people he wore a sweater. There has to be one, more original, that has him in a sweater. I remember almost like a Easter yellow.
Answer: I saw Ving Rhames in a navy crewneck sweater at the end of movie shot.
Question: What is the name of the actor who plays Notre Dame player 75, last name Mateus? I can't find him in the credits. He's the guy who starts chanting "Rudy" during the Georgia Tech game. I know Al Snow aka Allen Sarven plays an uncredited Notre Dame player in the movie, but it is not him - I have seen pics of Al Snow, and he is NOT the guy. There is more than one uncredited Notre Dame player in the film. (I have posted this question before, and the reply was Al Snow, so please don't answer this unless you actually know who the actor is. Thank you.)
Answer: According to the Trivia section (as well as some web searching) it seems to be Peter Rausch, an ex-Notre Dame football player.
Question: If the witches were being hung outside the house when Winifred's book showed her how to cast the life spell, where did the black flame candle and its instructions come from?
Answer: They were set up, beforehand, just in case. Winnifred knew about the spell, but she didn't memorize the incantation. So she needed the book to see how to cast it.
PhixiusQuestion: What does Harriet say to the Russian sailors as they walk past?
Answer: They are saying she is too tall and too skinny, but one says she's still pretty good looking. She sarcastically says "Thanks a lot," or something to that effect. One of the guys says "Oh, she understands Russian." And Harriet replies, "Yes, I do. You fellas have a nice evening."
Answer: Real Russian, here. Sailor #1 says "she's a little thin." Sailor #2 says* "she looks really good to me." Harriet says "Yes. Very good." Sailor #1 says "Damn, she understands Russian." Harriet says "See you later, boys." (*Очень даже ничего is an idiom.) Мальчики or "malchiki" is "boys."
Answer: I don't know the entire conversation, but it definitely wasn't just "have a good night fellas" she said "malchik gei", which means gay boy in Russian so she was probably insulting them right back.
Question: At the end of the film just before Tom hanks dies, he lowers his oxygen mask and says to partner Banderas "I'm ready". Ready for what exactly? Ready to die? Ready for a bit of final smooching? Or ready (and this is just my assumption) for Banderas to pull the plug?
Gavin JacksonChosen answer: Ready to die.
Question: When Daniel is calling home to apply for the job of housekeeper, why did he use different accents instead of just using the British accent instantly?
Answer: Daniel was pretending to be different people that were just all very horrible, so he used different accents. This way, when the "British nanny" calls, he was hoping Miranda would instantly consider him. If he called pretending to be Ms. Doubtfire right away, she might not have basically given him the job right away. And if he used the charming British accent for all his characters, it would have lost its charm when he decided to be Ms. Doubtfire.
Bishop73
Question: Toward the beginning of the movie, on Phil's first day at the bed and breakfast, he turns on the shower and it is very cold. He asks the lady in the hallway why there is no hot water. The lady answers "Oh no, there wouldn't be any today." Why not?
Answer: Likely because there are a lot of people staying there and using up the hot water.
Captain DefenestratorAnswer: Old fashioned hotels have a single boiler for all the hotel rooms. Once the hot water reservoir is used up there won't be any more to use until the reservoir is refilled. This only happens once every few days.
lionhead
Question: Did John Gustafson's ex wife die or did they just get divorced?
Answer: John Gustafson and his wife, May, were divorced after 20 years of marriage.
Charles Austin Miller
Question: I would very much like to have all the people featured in the montage during the Elton John song at the very end identified.
Answer: Interspersed with scenes of vigils, marches, AIDS quilt panels, and ordinary adults and infants with AIDS, the following famous figures appear: The three men in the newspaper photo shown are Michael Callen of NY, Anthony Ferrera of Washington, DC, and Roger Lyon of San Francisco (who is quoted in the headline, "I came here today in the hope that my epitaph would not read that I died of red tape"). Bobbi Campbell was a San Francisco AIDS activist, most remembered for initially opposing the closing of bathhouses during the crisis. Next is a picture of Ryan White, the young hemophiliac notable for acquiring HIV via blood transfusion, and fighting to remain in school when he had developed AIDS. Next is Michael Jackson walking up to greet Ryan White's mother - Jackson had become friends with Ryan White's family during his struggle. Next is Rock Hudson, actor and one of the first (but less than eager to be so) public faces of AIDS. Anthony Perkins, actor most famous for his role in "Psycho." Tina Chow - fashion icon and jewelry designer. Ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev. Tennis player Arthur Ashe. The cast of "A Chorus Line" followed by its creator, Michael Bennett. Performance artist Liberace. Freddie Mercury of the band "Queen." Princess Diana of Wales, notable for her charitable works for people with AIDS. Elizabeth Taylor, actress and co-founder of the American Federation for AIDS research. Elizabeth Glaser, wife of actor and director Paul Michael Glaser, who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion while giving birth and then unknowingly passed the virus on to their daughter. Basketball player Magic Johnson. Larry Kramer, co-founder of ACT-UP and the Gay Men's Health Crisis. Arthur Ashe again. AIDS activist Allison Gertz. News reporter Max Robinson of Chicago. Fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, known simply as "Halston." Fashion designer WIlli Smith (AIDS quilt panel). Fashion Designer Perry Ellis. Singer-songwriter Peter Allen. Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell. Artist Keith Haring. Congressman Stewart McKinney. Actor Denholm Elliott ("Raiders of the Lost Ark"). Actor Brad Davis ("Midnight Express"). Actress Amanda Blake ("Gunsmoke"). Actor Robert Reed ("The Brady Bunch"). Philosopher and author Michael Foucault (AIDS quilt panel only). Tom Waddell, athlete and founder of the "Gay Olympics" (later named "Gay Games" due to copyright issues).
Michael Albert
Question: After they search Leary's hotel room, they find a piece of paper that says "SW SKELLUM LA." We learn that the SW stands for Southwest (a bank he was using) and SKELLUM is a phone number. What does the LA mean?
Paul PepitonChosen answer: LA is short for Los Angeles, which refers to the city Leary attempts to assassinate the president in.
Jason Riley
Answer: They are not paleontologists, just people interested in dinosaurs. It is common for museums and other scientific organizations to offer the general public an opportunity to participate in a real paleontology dig. For a fee, they become an exhibition team member for a period of time, learn about dinosaurs, help excavate fossils, and so on. This is likely how Dr. Grant (or his institution) supplements his research funding.
raywest