Question: Near the end Frazier marches into a restaurant and delivers to the mayor a phone number related to war crimes. Presumably he is ensuring that Case gets his just desserts and is exposed/prosecuted. But why the mayor? And what has the Jodie Foster's character got to do with it? She looks so happy but also took Case's tainted money.
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Question: Why did Bruno place the medallion on the branch before leaving?
Answer: He was showing compassion. Just because he's a bad guy doesn't mean he is heartless.
Question: Keanu Reeves appeared in heavy makeup for this film in the uncredited (yet prominent) supporting role of "Ortiz the Dog Boy," and most viewers were oblivious to Reeves' involvement in the movie for many years after its release. Inasmuch as Reeves had starred twice before in comedies with Alex Winter, I'm only guessing that this film's producers didn't want a "Bill and Ted" association to complicate or misdirect the film's marketing; but why exactly did Reeves go uncredited in "Freaked"?
Answer: Honestly, I think it was just a bit of fun for Reeves. It's really not uncommon for prominent actors to do uncredited roles and cameos in films. I've seen it happen before many times. And given that the director/co-writer/co-producer is his "Bill and Ted" co-star Alex Winter, I have serious doubts they were worried about any "Bill and Ted" association. (If anything that would have helped them at the box office.) It was probably a case of Reeves doing it as a favor for a friend, and they decided to have fun with it and keep him uncredited to see if anyone would figure it out.
Question: Does anyone know if during filming the cargo hold scenes, did they use a real Renault car or was it just a prop made to look like one?
Answer: Online sources indicate that the 1912 Renault Type CB Coupe de Ville seen in the film was an exact replica vehicle that James Cameron had specially built. It is a copy of the one that was known to be in the Titanic's cargo hold.
Question: When the camera pans out of Rachel's house, what was the point of the skies flickering with static and the ring symbol being shown at the ending? Did Rachel and Aidan truly survive and succeed at sealing Samara out of their lives?
Answer: Yes, they succeeded. The implication seems to just be that Samara is still "out there" somewhere. It's just a way to try and end of the movie on a creepy note.
Question: Did Rachel really escaped back to the real world? If so, then why does the sky flicker to static and why does the ring symbol flash when the camera pans out of their house at the end? Is Rachel trapped in another realm of Samara, was Aidan still possessed or did something worse happen to the both of them through that ending? (01:45:40)
Answer: Yes, she escaped, and there's no indication whatsoever that Rachel is trapped or that Aidan is still possessed. I believe the little static/ring flash was simply to imply that Samara was still "out there" somewhere. Similar to how a lot of ghost movies end with a jump-scare of the ghost popping out, even if the heroes survived and escaped.
Question: At the end of the movie, after Steven tackles Jason in order to save Jessica, Jason starts brutalizing Steven. Why didn't Jason simply kill him right away? He could have quickly killed Steven in various ways, like crushing his head, punching through his body, snapping his neck etc. Why was he brutalizing him instead of trying to kill him as soon as possible?
Answer: The honest answer is "because it's better for the movie/narrative that he doesn't try to kill him right away." But I suppose you could also argue that Jason is just toying with him and prolonging his death out of fury.
Question: Why didn't Harry Manfredini compose a soundtrack for this movie?
Answer: From what I understand, he basically did little-to-no work on "Part VII: The New Blood" due to scheduling conflicts. A majority of the score for that film was composed by someone else, although Manfredini was credited since some of his compositions and themes were used. When "Jason Takes Manhattan" rolled around, he simply wasn't asked to return, presumably because they assumed he would be too busy like he was with "Part VII." (Which makes sense, as he had four other credited projects he worked on the same year that "Jason Takes Manhattan" came out).
Question: Was Warren's story about general Smithers' son real, or he was merely making it up in order to provoke him?
Answer: It's honestly been up for debate ever since the film came out, and people still don't have any real consensus. So I don't necessarily think there's a "right" answer. I personally think there may be a kernel of truth to it, but that he also embellished the story greatly to provoke Smithers. (Ex. I wouldn't be surprised if the sexual assault was completely fabricated).
I think that this story is at least partially true because Warren knew the full name of Smithers' son.
Question: Why didn't Nica use the video cam footage to prove innocence?
Question: The MPAA rating for this movie lists among its reasons "partial nudity." Am I missing something, or was this reason categorically false? The only thing approaching brief nudity I could spot in this film are the crime scene photos and flashback of Hoffman's slain sister, in which she is wearing a spaghetti strap top, and even then, there's hardly any cleavage.
Answer: Honestly, the only other scene I can think of is the opening scene, where the victim is a man wearing nothing but underwear. I guess that would be the other instance of "partial nudity" in the film. In truth, the MPAA seems to really have it out for horror movies in general (just look at all the terrible stories about the "Friday the 13th" movies being butchered by the MPAA), so they were probably just purposely being over-harsh and considering people in undergarments to be "partial nudity."
Question: When she calls for her dad, and he comes to the door he has issues opening it. Is it me or are the handles on the wrong side of the door? The switch to the deadbolt is on the outside of the house. And if the locks are on the outside, why are they like that, and why does the dad not notice this to get himself in easier? (01:24:00)
Answer: Earlier in the movie Nancy's mother barricades the house to keep Nancy in. I believe the extra lock on the outside was part of her trying to barricade her daughter in.
Question: How did Michael get his boiler suit?
Answer: When Aaron and Dana are killed at the truck stop, at one point Aaron spots a dead body - a man wearing nothing but an undershirt and underwear. The fact he's only wearing undergarments implies that he was wearing the boiler suit and that Michael killed him and took it.
Question: After the failed robbery scheme at Jim's house, Edward reveals to Kim that he already knew it was Jim's house. Before, however, he seemed genuinely concerned when Jim pretended that someone had stolen things from him. He even suggested that Jim talk to the person's parents about it. Why did he act that way if he knew all along that they were at Jim's house?
Answer: It's been a while since I've seen it, but if memory services, Edward is helplessly in love with Kim, and is playing along with Jim's scheme because Kim is there with them and is a part of it. Edward wants to do "nice things" for her and her friends, so he basically plays dumb. When he later tells her that he knew it was Jim's house, he also explains that the reason he did it was because she "asked him to."
Question: Did Bruce Willis and Renny Harlin get along when working on this movie?
Answer: From what I've gathered, they had some creative differences and butted heads a few times over how McClane was portrayed (Ex. Harlin wanted more humor out of McClane while Willis wanted less), but mostly got along well behind-the-scenes.
Question: I know that Mufasa was originally supposed to sing one song. Why was this song removed from the final version of the movie?
Answer: According to one website I read, it was cut because it was felt the song didn't fit James Earle Jones' singing voice. I'll also add that the song itself (which is available online) feels really redundant... it doesn't have much purpose beyond showing Simba that being a king isn't just fun and games, which is a lesson he learns anyway during the film. So I feel like it also may have been cut due to it feeling redundant in the narrative. (Although that's just my personal theory).
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Answer: My thought: The mayor is the highest-ranking person in the city and Frazier, being a NYC cop, is openly letting him and everyone know that he (Frazier) is taking credit for uncovering Case's war crimes, leveraging it for a promotion, a commendation, and full exoneration for the missing money he was suspected of taking. He was also not going to allow the bank heist and Case's crimes to be covered up, as his superiors wanted. Frazier had earlier taped the mayor's and White's conversation when they threatened to ruin him and used that as added insurance. White is someone who, for a price, cleans up difficult situations, regardless of most circumstances, for wealthy and powerful clients, including those connected to the mayor and city politics. She is cool, dispassionate, and unflappable. Her bemused expression is mostly a "mask" to appear unaffected by Frazier confronting them. She probably enjoys seeing the mayor put in this situation, as they do not particularly like one another. She took Case's money because she considers it payment for services rendered.
raywest ★