Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Ahsoka (2023)

Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord - S1-E8

Question: At one point after the zombie troopers are attacking them, the trio back down a hallway and are working on closing a door. Suddenly, some more zombie troopers attack Ezra from a hallway off to the side. These could not have been any of the previous troopers they just fought from the other direction that got turned to zombies. So where did these new zombie troopers come from? Is that a mistake? There's also the big tough zombies they fight up top a bit later, so was there already more? (00:22:04)

Quantom X ★

Mission to Mars (2000)

Question: How, in the year 2000, did this film manage to secure a PG rating? The graphic violence of the final death shown during the vortex scene near the beginning was verging on R-rated.

Phaneron ★

Answer: There was no actual blood or graphic display.

No graphic display? A man is shown on camera being violently torn to several pieces by high G-forces, and there was indeed blood visible. There's also a scene later in the movie where shrapnel completely pierces the palm of a man's hand, complete with a zero-gravity blood spurt.

Phaneron ★

I remember watching it for the first time thinking it was a pretty graphic death scene for a PG rated film, but I think it's a stretch to say it was verging on R rated. There isn't that much blood, the guy is in a space suit, and it happens very fast. Studios can lobby the MPAA for what rating they feel the film deserves, and it is likely Disney argued for a lower rating than PG-13, and the MPAA agreed.

BaconIsMyBFF

Well, by "verging on R-rated," I meant that even in a PG-13 film, that scene would have been pushing the envelope. I would imagine there were a lot of parents at the time who took their young children to see the new Disney film about going to Mars and were not pleased with that scene.

Phaneron ★

A PG rating does not mean family friendly. A "Parental Guidance" rating warns there may be strong language, sexual content, violence, or graphic images. No one should expect a G-rated Disney film. I watched the "twister" clip on YouTube and wouldn't say it's gruesome. It's not a close-up shot of the rapidly spinning body being pulled apart; it's rather blurred, and there wasn't much blood. I realise it's a matter of opinion regarding what is considered too violent.

raywest ★

Yes, but you're also an adult, and you watched the clip having an idea of what you were about to see. If you read the comments on that clip, you'll see a lot of people saying that scene traumatized them as children. Violence like that from earlier PG films is why the PG-13 rating was later invented, and it just struck me as odd that that was able to get a PG rating in the year 2000.

Phaneron ★

My point is that parents were (or should have been) aware of the PG rating before taking their children to see it and that it might be unsuitable for younger audiences. It falls upon them to make sure they do not take their children to a film that could contain disturbing scenes. By 2000, movie violence had become far more graphic and mainstream.

raywest ★

Fantastic Four (2005)

Question: After the cosmic storm hits the space station and affects the 5 people on board, the next scene is Ben suddenly waking up in a hospital. Ben, Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Victor are the only 5 people on the station, and they would all have been affected by the storm. Unless it's supposed to be that only Ben was knocked out. How exactly did the team get rescued and brought back to Earth? Were they all knocked out or just Ben?

Quantom X ★

Answer: When we see the rest of the team getting hit by the cosmic storm, you can see they are still awake; Sue even is shown pushing through the storm to get to Reed and Johnny. Plus, Victor was behind the shields and trying to protect himself from the sparks and rays, so we can assume he flew the ship back to Earth.

Interesting. I'm mostly asking because in the video game adaptation of this movie, for which I'm doing mistakes, after the opening mission, every one of these characters wakes up for the first time after the space station in the hospital, in bed with powers. I know the game has to play fast and loose with things, but in that version of events, it's implied that all of them were knocked out and then woke up down on Earth in the hospital. So it could be a plot hole for the game version.

Quantom X ★

Sounds like it, or at least the game designers took some liberties with it. But that does happen with games based on movies; the Spider-Man game for the 2002 movie was nothing like the film.

Can't the ship simply have an auto-return in case of emergencies? I mean, it's not your everyday space shuttle. In a lot of cases, it's controlled by AI too and, usually, Reed Richards built it.

lionhead

Good point, but this is based on the 2005 film, and AI wasn't anything like it is today. Also, it was Victor Von Doom's shuttle, not Reed Richards. Von Doom was all about money, so his tech may have had shortcuts.

Well, the whole tech in the movie isn't anything like it is today. Surely Von Doom, though not Richards but also a genius, would have some AI running his ship.

lionhead

Maybe so, but they were not on the shuttle. They were on the space station, so if the storm knocked them out, they still wouldn't have made it to the shuttle.

Quantom X ★

Only Ben was knocked unconscious because he was directly hit by the storm; everyone else had some level of protection from the station's shields. Sue was, in fact, alert, as we saw her eyes open when she was going to help Reed and Johnny after she was hit by the rays.

Answer: Johnny was not only awake but also the pilot; he flew the shuttle back and forth. Ben was co-pilot and did the heavy lifting only.

Kevin l Habershaw ★

Criminal Minds (2005)

One Battle After Another (2025)

Chucky (2021)

Chucky Actually - S2-E8

Question: In the beginning of episode 8, Lexy said there is a secret only 3 people in her life know about. Who's the 3rd person?

Answer: Presumably she's referring to Jake, Devon, and her sister Caroline, since they're the ones who are most "in the know" about the problems Lexi is facing and maintaining her secrets.

TedStixon

SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)

Waterworld (1995)

Question: Why didn't the Mariners' boat sink? At the start of the film, he tells the drifter that the hull is busted and the hole's so big there's room to breathe. Later on, after the atoll, he states to Helen that his boat is tore up and it's taking on water. Not once do we see him pumping water out of the boat, nor do we see any water inside the boat until after the smokers burn it.

Answer: 1. He's lying to the drifter so he doesn't have to explain how he was down there so long. 2. He certainly had time to fix it between the escape from the atoll and the Smoker attack.

LorgSkyegon

To fix his boat after escaping from the Atoll attack, Mariner said he needed resin.

Fun & Fancy Free (1947)

Question: At the end, Willie searches for Mickey. Did he want to make amends with Mickey, or get revenge?

Wabbit Twouble (1941)

Question: Elmer Fudd is arrested for destroying government property. But why were Bugs Bunny and the grizzly bear arrested and put in the same cell as him?

Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991)

Question: Who is the guy with the glowing eyes? What does he have to do with the plot of the film?

Answer: This is from a flashback Toulon has to events seen in "Puppet Master II." He's the person who taught Toulon the secret to bringing life to his puppets. This scene is being used to give the audience a little reminder of what happened. (And pad the runtime a few minutes.)

TedStixon

Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

Question: If Derek values his career to Susan, then why did he ask her to marry him in the first place?

Answer: Image. A good-looking man. A beautiful woman at his side. It would look good in the news.

Scream (1996)

Question: When Sidney's mother was murdered, Sidney testified about seeing Cotton leave the house in a bloody coat. Gale believed that someone else wore the coat and put it in Cotton's car, framing him. Billy and Stu were the real killers, so what did Cotton actually do that night? Drive away without noticing a blood-covered coat in the car?

Answer: I've always thought that Billy and/or Stu planted the bloody coat after Cotton had exited his car. So that is why he never noticed his bloody coat before it was found by the police.

ChristmasJonesfan

I agree, except I think the coat never actually belonged to Cotton in the first place. It was Billy's or Stu's. Sidney saw one of them leaving the house in it (mistaking them for Cotton) and they planted it in his car later. When the police found it, he probably couldn't prove that it was not his.

Lake Placid (1999)

Answer: None. She's just bluffing and being hyperbolic to assert her point.

raywest ★

Answer: When I saw this, I thought that it was just a subtle Ally McBeal reference. The guy, David E. Kelley, was the one responsible for giving us the aforementioned telly show.

ChristmasJonesfan

Animaniacs (1993)

Answer: According to the Animaniacs Wikia: "Baloney is one of the few people capable of truly terrifying Yakko, Wakko and Dot, largely due to being impervious to their violently physical brand of humour and his inability to understand how much they despise him."

lionhead

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Question: Before Maitland shot Axel in the arm, he didn't even know that he was there. Why didn't Maitland take a few more seconds to line up a head shot and kill Axel?

Answer: This could be a character mistake, but it's really about movie plotting. Otherwise, what would happen if Axel was killed? That would be the end of the movie.

raywest ★

Phenomenon (1996)

Question: If it was just a tumour that made him think more, how did he get telekinesis?

Answer: Yes, that's a form of ESP. When your brain cells are heightened, so is your intuition.

Answer: Certain parts of the brain, emotions, personality traits and learning abilities can be amplified with specific stimulation. It's believed that this can happen with psychic abilities: premonition, telekinesis and pyrokinesis. Ever get a "feeling" you're being followed or "know" that someone is lying to you?

You're describing intuition, not psychic abilities.

Nightmares (1983)

Question: Why is William Sanderson, who plays the gas station attendant in the first story, uncredited?

Gavin Jackson

Answer: While I didn't find a specific reason why Sanderson was uncredited, it's not unusual for actors to do this. It can be as a favour to the director, who may be a friend. The actor may just want to be part of the project and volunteers. It can be to help keep budget costs down, as an uncredited role is paid less and avoids SAG contract issues. If it's a non-speaking role, the actor typically does not get credited. Occasionally, an actor may request to have their name removed from the credits because they think the film is bad and will hurt their reputation.

raywest ★

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Question: When Arthur tells Merlin that he's been made a squire, why does Merlin get mad at him for this achievement?

Answer: Because Merlin believed becoming a squire would provide Arthur an opportunity to ignore his studies while also placing him under Sir Kay's influence.

raywest ★

Wild Things (1998)

Question: What was the song playing in the scene where Kelly and her friend were washing Lombardo's Jeep?

Answer: It's "I Want What I Want" by Lauren Christy.

LorgSkyegon