Best movie questions of 1999

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The Green Mile picture

Question: When the guards are talking to Percy in the restraint room, Paul says he knows he sabotaged Del's execution. Why did he let him get away with it?

MikeH

Chosen answer: Percy's aunt is married to the state Governor, giving Percy powerful connections. All it would take is one phone call from Percy and Paul and the other guards could lose their jobs and if Percy wanted to, never find jobs again. Something Paul or his friends didn't want to happen.

The characters talk about this several different times in the movies, how political connections can ruin careers.

MovieFan612

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The Thomas Crown Affair picture

Question: How does he fold the Monet in half to fit into the briefcase? Originally I thought he'd separated it from the wooden frame (ie. just a canvas), but when he takes it out back at his house he holds it up, and the wooden frame's still in one piece. Also, surely folding it in half would crack the paint, but despite the painting being twice the width of the briefcase (it fits snugly when the case is open), he then shuts the case down to a "normal" size. Any ideas?

Answer: I believe that the Monet that Crown hides in his study is not the one that was stolen, it is a copy that he already had prepared. He can enjoy the copy knowing that the original (with the broken spreader bars) is also in his possession. The stolen original then goes to the forger who repairs the broken spreader bars, and then paints another painting (using water soluble paint) over the Monet, so he can "return" it to the museum 3 days later. It gets more complicated when he discovers that Russo is on to him so he has a second forgery made (even the edges forged to match) over the top of "Dogs Playing Poker." He doesn't know if it will be necessary, but given his research into his new adversary, he concocts this contingency. It is likely that he has many contingencies in place, but the "Monet with a ghost underneath" is the only one we get to see. Of course for my theory to hold water, there must be (or have been) that earlier forgery - unless it has been destroyed.

It's not the forgery that he takes out of the briefcase. Even if it were, he still put the Monet in the briefcase at the museum and would have had to break the frame to close the briefcase, thus also breaking the paint and tearing the canvas. The real answer is that it is just something that couldn't really happen, and the movie people don't want the viewer to notice.

Answer: The only explanation I can come up with is that the inner part of the frame is precut. With the frame cut that way it would allow the picture to fold, but when unfolded it would be fairly rigid with the exception of bending it forward at that point. When he pulls the painting out, it still holds the square shape of the frame. Best I can come up with.

Answer: He doesn't fold it. The frame is solid. It's just movie editing to make the viewer think he put it in her briefcase. You can't fold a Monet.

He absolutely folds it. We see him put it in the case and him then shut the case, folding it in half.

Jon Sandys

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The Mummy picture

Question: Anyone know what Beni said to Rick? I'm referring to what he said (I'm assuming Hebrew) before Rick said "What did you say?!" followed by "I'm not gonna tell you" by Beni.

Answer: Beni: As long as I serve him, I am immune. Rick: Immune from what? Beni: Piszkos állat [this is Hungarian for "filthy animal," an insult directed at Rick]. Rick: What did you say? Beni: I don't want to tell you. You'll just hurt me some more.

Charles Austin Miller

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Fight Club picture

Question: If Meatloaf is shot in the head, how would they get him back to the house and why would they bother? Did the security guard just leave after he shot him?

Answer: Most likely they either went back afterwards or chased the security guard off somehow. It's also possible with all their inside connections that they stole the body from police custody.

Greg Dwyer

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Dogma picture

Question: Why is it that The Metatron, Bartleby, and Loki all refer to God as "He" when God actually turns out to be a woman? The Metatron even says "her" and "she" to Bethany, in reference to God, in a very patronizing manner, as if she's holding on to an incorrect belief.

Answer: Metatron explains at the very end that God has no gender, and can appear on Earth as a man or a woman. Metatron's patronizing tone is indicating that there are far more important matters afoot than which gender noun to use to describe God.

Moose

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Blast from the Past picture

Question: Can anyone translate what Adam and his dad are saying when Adam is a teenager and they are in the classroom?

Answer: Adam: Tempus fugit (Latin) = Time flies. Dad: Que les bons temps roulent! (French) = How good times roll! Adam: Geradeaus, dann links (German) = Straightforward, then left. Dad: Sorgen Sie bitte dafür, dass die [das] Gepäck sorgfältig behandelt werden [wird] (German) = Please make sure that this luggage will be treated carefully. Adam: Haben Sie etwas Nettes in Leder? (German) = Do you have something nice in leather?

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Answer: A 1964 Dodge Dart.

FordGuy

Answer: Don't know if it's confirmed but that's believed to be Heath Ledger's Dodge Dart that he had at the time.

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Never Been Kissed picture

Question: Was Guy in on the cruel revenge prank to put dog food on Aldys, or did he just want to dance with her, and didn't know anything about it?

Answer: Over the course of the evening, Guy learns that being popular isn't the most important thing in the world and wanted to make peace with Aldys. I think he was genuinely being a nice guy and wasn't in on the prank.

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The Matrix picture

Question: How did Neo know about the existence of the Matrix if he was stuck in the Matrix for most of his life?

Answer: He doesn't know that he's plugged into a giant computer and that most of humanity is a power source for robots. He's merely aware that there is something wrong with life in general, something odd that he can't quite explain.

Gary O'Reilly

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Deep Blue Sea picture

Question: I know that Susan was originally supposed to survive and kill the last shark but the test audience greatly disapproved of this. Why did the test audience hate the original ending? And why is this ending unavailable to watch?

Answer: They viewed her as a villain because it was her research that backfired and caused all of the chaos, even though none of it was intentional and it was a mistake. But audiences can be ruthless and unforgiving at times. However, the ending did feel like a cheap cop-out that created more plot holes. And many do feel she should have survived and completed her character arc. I don't know why they never offered the ending as a bonus feature on the DVD, but fans started a petition on the Change site calling for Warner to release the original ending. Thomas Jane is on board as well, as he's promoting it on his Instagram account. So that's probably the best way to get Warner's attention if you want to see the original ending.

Answer: Audiences viewed Susan as a villain of sorts, because all the mayhem and deaths in the film are a direct result of her breaching protocol, so they decided to rewrite the ending to have her die. As for why it's unavailable to view, perhaps the filmmakers didn't think people would be interested in seeing it.

Phaneron

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The Talented Mr. Ripley picture

Question: Maybe I missed a major plot point, but why exactly does Tom kill his lover at the very end?

Krista

Chosen answer: Tom & his lover are travelling on a boat. The rich girl, who knows Tom as Dickie is also on the boat. If they were to meet, Tom's false identity would have been revealed, and the lover would have been able to figure out that Tom actually murdered Dickie.

marfbody

Answer: He had to kill him. Tom couldn't kill Meredith because she wasn't alone and Peter was.

ChristmasJonesfan

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Eyes Wide Shut picture

Question: Isn't it common knowledge that Nicole found Tom's mask and put it on his pillow? I always wondered why Tom freaked out so much when he finds it. Is he afraid that Nicole knows where the mask is used? Or that someone else placed it there? And unless I missed something, how come this was never discussed between the two? You'd think Nicole would be asking why he left this in his safe?

Ral0618

Chosen answer: I think someone from the freaky orgy broke in and put the mask on the pillow to warn Cruise's character to keep his mouth shut. That's why Cruise's character is so upset-they got into his home and his safe.

I always assumed that she was a member of the orgy party. She was letting him know that she was there.

No, she wasn't.

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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace picture

Question: I'm confused. Palpatine wanted to use Queen Amidala to get himself voted as chancellor so he could have control over the republic. Why did he send Darth Maul after the Queen's ship when it escaped if he needed the Queen alive?

Answer: The entire time Palpatine is bitching to Viceroy Gunray that he needs the Queen to sign the treaty to make the blockade and invasion legal. He didn't send Darth Maul to kill Amidala, he sent him to capture her and to deal with her Jedi escort.

Quantom X

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The Sixth Sense picture

Question: Through most of the film Malcolm is dead. All the other ghosts still have scars from how they died but why doesn't Malcolm have his mark which should be a bullet wound?

Answer: Because as Cole tells us in the middle of the movie, "They only see what they want to see." The movie shows us Malcolm as he perceives himself. He can't actually put on an overcoat, or change clothes. He sees what he expects to see. He goes outside in the cold to visit Cole, so he sees himself wearing an overcoat. He doesn't know he is dead - he doesn't see his wound. To preserve this misdirection throughout the movie, we are shown Malcolm as he sees himself.

Actually, we do see Malcolm and Cole sees him. The entry wound in his abdomen is tiny, and the large, obvious exit wound is on Malcolm's back, which we never see.

C Classic

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Girl, Interrupted picture

Question: When the girls were walking to the ice cream parlor, why did Susanna say "Look at Janet"?

Answer: She was walking on top of a snow drift without sinking, due to being so light from starvation.

MoonFaery

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Toy Story 2 picture

Question: When Woody is trying to explain to Jesse, Stinky Pete and Bullseye why he was at the yard sale before Al finds him, Stinky Pete interrupts him. Why?

adamtrainman@aol.com

Answer: As we learn later, Stinky Pete has his own agenda. He's seizing on the fact that Woody was being sold as a way to convince Woody to go to the museum.

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Sleepy Hollow picture

Question: When going to kill the Killians, how did the Horseman know that Thomas was hiding under the floor? Thomas stayed completely still and didn't make a sound.

Answer: It would seem the Horseman possesses a supernatural instinct.

Phaneron

Answer: The horseman saw that the mother was close to where he was hiding.

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The Bone Collector picture

Question: There is a LOT of changes if you compare the film to the book, and most of them I understand, since you always have to make some changes. But why did they change such things as characters names and genders?

Answer: The film makers changed the name of Amelia Sachs because it sounded too much like 'sex'. I have not been able to discover for certain why they made Thom into a woman, but possibly this had to do with Thom's homosexuality. It could be viewed as controversial that Rhyme's nurse is a gay man, and could possibly also bring Rhyme's own sexuality into question. To make the nurse female would avoid all such issues.

Twotall

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Big Daddy picture

Question: Which twin is playing the part of Julian when he is getting taken away from Sonny?

Answer: Cole.

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The Ninth Gate picture

Question: Does "the girl" - as she's been called - have a name? And is she a (or the) devil?

Answer: She was not given a name, neither in the film nor credits. She is simply known as "The Girl". As to precisely who she is, it is deliberately left ambiguous. But the last engraving found by Corso does seem to indicate that she is the Whore of Babylon mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Twotall

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