Question: How old is Danny supposed to be? And why in the scene were Daniel is out to eat with his mom after seeing the karate place that Johnny is in, why do they come out point to him laugh and run away?
Bishop73
28th Oct 2014
The Karate Kid (1984)
Answer: There definitely seems to be confusion about his age. Initially he was born in 1968, making him 15 turning 16 just before the tournament. When Mr. Miyagi celebrates Daniel's birthday, you can see the cake has 16 candles. However, in Karate Kid 3, which is meant to be set the following school year, Daniel is in college, so they retconned his birthday to 1966 (December 18, 1966 is his). This of course means Daniel was over 18 when fighting in the All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship.
23rd Oct 2020
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Question: Professor Oberon (Bethany) is allergic to heat, sun, and sand. So why doesn't he die in the desert, like all the other characters do when they come in contact with their weaknesses?
Answer: He didn't die instantly because he didn't consume anything like Finbar did with the cake, his weakness to heat, sun, and sand is like the endurance he has and Finbar's strength and speed weakness it is simply a debuff on the character.
15th May 2020
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Question: What does "follow the flame to the desert fruit" mean?
29th Jul 2019
Another Life (2019)
Through the Valley of Shadows - S1-E2
Question: Spoiler alert! At the end of the first episode, Ian attacks Niko with a knife. In self defence, she round house kicks him into an electrical current that kills him. She was reacting out of self defence and he struck first. With that being the case, why in the second episode is she not explaining that to the rest of the crew? She simply says he was a threat to the crew and she killed him... Leaving out completely that it was self defense and he attacked first. Why? It started causing tension immediately with some of the crew ready to turn on her for murder. Why didn't she just tell them he attacked her first and she defended herself?
Answer: First, it should be pointed out that Ian didn't actually attack Niko. He had a knife, made a vague threat about not being as magnanimous as she was to him, and did raise the knife after approaching her, but she kicked him first. But the crew had already mutinied against her. The way I see if, she wanted to make sure the crew thinks she was willing to kill anyone who was a threat to the mission. Whereas if she claimed self defense she would either look weak or a look like a liar.
The crew members that followed Ian might not believe he would try to attack for no reason. She had no marks on her, so if she claimed he attacked her first, she would be lying. Most of the crew that was awake already mistrusted her, so claiming self defense at that moment wouldn't make them start trusting her.
Answer: This is a mistake and should be listed as such.
If it can be verified as such, sure. It seems there was a conscious decision by the show makers to do this though.
19th Feb 2021
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Question: Just before Doc shows his plan with the DeLorean and the train Marty checks the walkie-talkies and Doc confirms it that they work. How are they able to get the walkie-talkies to work in 1885? I'm thinking Doc invented something so Doc and Marty can communicate with each other with them.
Answer: Given Doc's scientific ability (and some suspension of disbelief) it would be easy enough to rig up a makeshift battery that would last long enough. Or indeed they've just got lucky and the walkie-talkies' batteries still have enough life in them. They're not mobile phones, they don't need masts or any infrastructure, they just connect directly to each other.
Like you said, walkie-talkies work independently of any infrastructure, which is what I think the question was more about. However, the battery was invented way before 1885 with the first lead acid rechargeable battery being invented in 1859 with pasted electrode batteries being invented in the 1880's. So it's less about Doc rigging up a battery and just using what's already available or charging the batteries it came with (if we are assuming the batteries ran out of power).
The best batteries they had in those days were crude, wet batteries made out of earthenware and filled with sulphuric acid. They were cumbersome, dangerous and didn't have a lot of voltage or low current. Hardly suitable for a walkie-talkie that needs at least 9 volts. But I suppose it's possible Doc had some charged self-made batteries sitting at home to keep them going.
Definitely not "crude", certainly not as advanced as today, but the lead acid battery is the same technology a lot of batteries use today. They even had electric vehicles prior to 1885. My point was Doc didn't have to invent technology that didn't exist (as opposed to what some say he would have to do to get an 80's camcorder to play on a 50's TV). They had rechargeable batteries back then so it wouldn't be a stretch that Doc could recharge the batteries he had.
Answer: 1955 Doc got him some new batteries ("Just in case, fresh batteries for your walkie talkie. Oh what about that floating device?") They only used them on the train so the batteries would still be charged. In regards to how they work, they don't rely on phone masts, satellites, WiFi etc as they send radio waves to each other and not to any sort of base station.
19th Feb 2021
Dead Man's Curve (1998)
Question: What game are the three guys playing at the table where Matthew Lillard slaps Randall Batinkoff for no apparent reason?
Answer: Russian Beer Roulette. The scene is meant to be a recreation/tribute of "The Deer Hunter", where they slapped a lot. Instead of a revolver with one round in the chamber, one beer can is shaken up and put in with unshaken up ones so that the "loser" gets sprayed when opening the wrong one.
29th Dec 2020
Stargate SG-1 (1997)
Question: On every planet SG-1 travels to, plants are the same color as those on earth. Shouldn't plants have different colors on different planets?
Answer: The Aliens choose planets that were similar to Earth. They possessed human beings, so they needed worlds with vegetation and atmosphere. In the original movie, their race was dying and humans were the only ones who could give them eternal life - they took many inhabitants as slave labor.
Answer: There have been times where plants are different color, but generally speaking, green is evolutionarily better at capturing the best amount of sunlight energy for photosynthesis. Thus, plants evolved to have green chlorophyll on other planets as well.
Answer: Planets with Stargates were chosen because of the similarities to Earth.
That's ridiculous. Stargate command would never choose a planet based on similarities to earth unless it would to make sure it was safe to travel to.
Stargate command had nothing to do with where the Stargates were. The answer is saying those that placed the Stargates throughout the galaxy chose Earth-like planets. More accurately though, inhabitable planets, which tend to be similar to Earth.
The Ancients put the Stargates on planets, and since their physiology was very similar to modern Earth humans, it stands to reason that they only chose to put planets which could support a similar lifeform. Hence, why most planets or moons resembled Earth at some point in their history.
Huh? First of all, you're trying to surmise what a fictional agency would do. Second, SG-1 and other SG teams frequently visited both Earth-like planets and planets with toxic conditions.
Stargates were placed at worlds that were similar to Earth, this mostly due to the ancients establishing themselves on Earth over 50 million years ago and finding planets to colonize from there. Some worlds may have become inhospitable over the millions of years after the stargate was built though. It is quite possible all these planets were seeded with life from Earth and planets close to Earth's appearance, hence the same vegetation and animal life.
22nd Jan 2021
Blue Bloods (2010)
Question: What is the lapel pin Commissioner Frank Reagan wears on his suit lapel?
Answer: If I'm not mistaken, I believe you're referring to his NYC Police Commissioner pin.
29th Jan 2021
General questions
I saw a movie years and years ago. I think it was a kids or family movie from the early/mid-90's. I just remember either the opening scene or the second scene introducing the hero (who was like a teen or pre-teen boy) playing Nintendo... and he was using his index fingers on the controller instead of his thumbs. I could swear the main character was played by Tobey Maguire, but I can't seem to find the scene anywhere, so it was probably someone else. (Maybe he was in the movie but didn't play the main character?) Does this ring anyone's bell?
Answer: As has happened a few times now, I stumbled onto the answer between submitting the question and it actually being posted, haha. It was evidently "Revenge of the Red Baron" that I was remembering. I was going through Maguire's filmography trying to find the answer and found that someone had gone ahead and posted the whole movie on YouTube. Watched a few minutes and the scene I remember was there. (I thought it might have been "The Wizard" too at first).
Answer: It sounds like "The Wizard" (1989) starring Fred Savage and Luke Edwards. It's about kids playing Nintendo. Tobey Maguire has an uncredited role in the film as a "goon."
25th Jan 2021
Final Destination (2000)
Question: After Alex trades seats with Christa and Blake, Tod complains: "Because of you I have to sit here and watch fucking Stuart Little." What does he mean by this exactly? I know about the movie Stuart Little but I don't see what it has to do with anything.
Answer: Tod was sitting next to Blake and hoping to make some sort of move on her, or at least chat/flirt with her. Since Alex agreed to switch seats, Tod has to sit next to Alex and is saying now he has to watch the in-flight movie, instead of trying to score with Blake.
20th Feb 2008
Father Ted (1995)
Think Fast, Father Ted - S2-E2
Question: What's the song that the dancing priest Father Finnigan is dancing to when Ted asks to borrow his car?
Answer: It's from 1960 and called Beatnik Fly and is played by Johnny & The Hurricanes.
It's not Beatnik Fly.
What makes you think it's not?
Because Beatnik Fly is a different instrumental, it's similar but not Beatnik Fly.
It's definitely Beatnik Fly. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI8OMrO1Y_Q.
22nd Jan 2021
The Karate Kid (1984)
Question: Tommy mentions something about ace degenerate - what was he talking about?
Answer: Tommy was saying Johnny was the number one, or best in the group, degenerate. Meaning if there was something bad or wrong to do or get into, Johnny would have been the first to do it or lead the way. Tommy offered Johnny a beer and Johnny refused. At this point, they're not even seniors in high school, so they're engaging in illegal underaged drinking (degenerate behavior). Tommy says it in an affectionate/positive way though, like he his proud to be degenerate.
17th Jan 2021
The Fugitive (1993)
Question: So the original plan was to kill Kimble and not his wife (or her too, but he was meant to be the main target). However, if I'm not mistaken, Sykes didn't break into the apartment but was granted access instead, probably by Nichols. If the plan wouldn't have gone wrong and Kimble had been killed, would Sykes had forged a breaking in?
Answer: It's unlikely he would have made it look like a break in. He would make it look like an accident, or even something like a heart attack. Sykes killed Lentz by making it look like an accident.
Answer: It's unknown what Sykes' exact plan was. Any answer is mere speculation though his plan would have to somehow include both Kimble and his wife as Sykes would apparently expect both to be at home late at night. Leaving the wife alive would be a liability. It would be difficult to make two deaths look accidental or a result of natural causes.
11th Jan 2021
Justice League (2017)
Question: Why did the filmmakers pick Cyborg instead of Green Lantern?
Answer: To start, oftentimes it's hard to establish a Green Lantern character without establishing a vast "universe." You have the Green Lantern Corp filled with thousands of aliens from across the galaxy, the Guardians, a power ring that creates virtually anything, etc. It's easier to do this in animation over live-action. Ryan Reynolds' "Green Lantern" film underperformed and future projects were scrapped, failing to set-up a Green Lantern universe. So when Warner Bros. Set up the DCEU, they went with Superman (from the "Man of Steel" film). After DC's "New 52", Cyborg became a founding member of the Justice League (along with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern). So it's not that film makers replaced Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) with Cyborg, they simply left Green Lantern out.
11th Jan 2021
General questions
I remember a cartoon we used to have on VHS back when I was a kid. So the cartoon would have been from sometime in the 80's or at very latest the early 90's. I think it might have been Japanese, but I'm not sure. I just remember there was either a light pink or baby-blue creature that I wanna say was a dragon (I can't remember what color it was)... but it would float on the water. The only comparison I can make is that it kind of looked like a "Lapras" from "Pokemon." I wanna say it was a movie, but it honestly could have just been a few back-to-back episodes of a series on the tape we had. Does this ring anyone's bell? I've been curious about it for years, because I have memories of watching it, but can't remember what it's called.
Answer: Just a suggestion for you to review. "Serendipity the Pink Dragon." It's a Japanese anime show from 1983 and only lasted 1 season. An English dubbed version was released on VHS in 1989. Here's the intro scene. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSIsDRiuTw.
Yeah, I stumbled onto a rip of the movie on YouTube not long after I submitted the question. I also looked at the cover art online, and it seemed a little familiar. I'm a solid 75% sure that's it.
Answer: Just an update: While visiting my mother, I was able to confirm 100% that it was "Serendipity: The Pink Dragon." Showed her a picture of the cover and she said she definitely remembered us having it based on the cover image.
Answer: I'm about 75% sure it was "Serendipity: The Pink Dragon." But there's a small chance it could be something else, so if there's any other answers that fit the bill, please let me know.
19th Jan 2014
Jumanji (1995)
Question: At the end, how is it that Alan and Sarah remember Judy and Peter, if they grew up as if nothing had happened?
Chosen answer: Alan and Sarah remember everything that had happened during the course of the game's length, as would Judy and Peter if they'd been alive yet when the game started. All players retain their memory of the game after it ends, except in this sort of unusual circumstance where two of them didn't exist at the time the game began.
With the logic of Jumanji 2, Judy and Peter will also remember Jumanji in 1995. They still do not remember it because the final scene of the first film is at Christmas 1994.
Too bad Jumanji 2 has no logic and has nothing to do with this one except the name.
The logic of Jumanji 2 (which this is) doesn't apply because the idea is in the original Jumanji film, Alan and Sarah changed Judy and Peter's history and they ended up never playing the game. In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Alex does nothing to change the history of the 4 main characters, therefore, they go on to play the game after Alex returns to his own time.
Answer: Actually I believe the kids did remember there was a silent look shared between all them at the end when they meet up that many people say is confusion but I think its more along the lines of "hey don't blow this shared secret none of us can explain"
Nah there is no indication that Peter an Judy remembered as well. Think about it, they would have remembers from since they were born. Also, they would then also know their parents will die in an accident. Thats crazy. They had that look because Alan and Sarah reacted that way and were wondering why they did that. They didn't say anything and even wondered why Alan and Sarah so emphatically said "no" to their parents going skiing (where they would have their accident).
I feel Judy and Peter remember Alan and Sarah because when Alan and Sarah shouted that Judy and Peters parents cannot go for the skiing vacation Judy and Peter did not have a shocked look on their face instead they had a smile on their face.
21st Jun 2004
Dawson's Creek (1998)
Question: Jack and Andie are brother and sister in the same grade...but does the show ever explain how that came to be? Are they twins or was Andie moved up because she is so smart?
Answer: It's only explained once in the series. Jack says to Andie "I tried to start kindergarten without you", meaning Andie was smart enough to start school early.
Answer: They are not twins (Jack is older than Andie). It is possible due to when birthdays fall in the school calender for non-twin siblings to end up in the same grade. Say that you have to be 5 on Sept 1 to start Kindergarten, you are born on Sept 2, 2000 and your little sister on Aug 30, 2001. Sept 1, 2005, you are 4 years and 364 days and can't start. So Sept 1, 2006, you are 5 years and 364 days and your sister is 5 years and 1 day, and, voila!, you're both in the same grade.
Answer: The writers have said they are not twins and Jack is older. Although they were both born in 1983. In some states, like Massachusetts, it's a district decision when a child under 6-8 can start kindergarten, so there's no age deadline. In January 1988, Jack and Andie would both be 4, turning 5, and the district then allowed Andie to start kindergarten with her brother. It has nothing to do with Andie being smarter or moved up a grade, a point she alludes to in response to Jack saying he tried to start kindergarten without her (s04e04). As a side note, there was talk among the writers about whether to make Jack older or younger and they ultimately decided to make him older. The writers put in an inside joke about that when Andie says she is "definitely the older sibling in this relationship" (s04e04). It's also an inside joke to the fact that Meredith Monroe (Andie) was almost 2.5 years older than Kerr Smith (Jack). Monroe was 18, turning 19, in 1988.
13th Oct 2020
3rd Rock from the Sun (1996)
Question: I'm watching this show on an app called "Tubi TV" and none of the 1st season episodes have the opening narration from James Earl Jones. I remember watching this on TV, but it would have been reruns and I can't remember hearing the narration then either (granted, I may have forgotten hearing it, but it's so distinct and unique that I don't think I would have forgotten it). When the show was in rerun syndication, was the narration removed? Why? Just to ad 30-seconds of ad time? Why would the narration be removed on streaming services where ad time isn't an issue? Do they not have access to the originals? Has anyone seen the narration removed anywhere else?
Answer: I have the entire series on DVD, and season 1 doesn't have the narration on it either. Perhaps the studio cut it to avoid having to pay residuals to James Earl Jones. Some episodes on my DVDs also seem to be missing scenes or parts of scenes that appeared in original airings, but were removed in syndication, so it seems just as likely that all episodes that were supplied for DVD replication or for streaming services received versions that were the edited for syndication.
Thank you for this insight. Interesting the DVDs don't have it.
8th Jan 2021
Back to School (1986)
Question: I have always been curious about one thing in this movie - when Thornton was taking the oral examination, if he answered all of Dr. Barbay's questions right, why did he only get a D? How did Dean Martin not question that?
Answer: We don't know that he answered all the questions right, just that he answered the last one right. Based on Barbay's upset response to that correct answer, it is likely Thornton was at the edge between a wrong answer giving him an F and a correct answer giving him the D he got.
Answer: It should also be noted he got all D's and just 1 A. So it wasn't just Barbay that gave him a D.
8th Jan 2021
Superman (1978)
Question: How did Lex Luthor find out that kryptonite makes Superman weak?
Answer: When Krypton exploded, fragments of the planet went into space. Luthor said it's reasonable to assume some of those particles drifted to Earth. He also thinks the fragments would have a very high specific radioactivity that would be lethal to anyone from Krypton. However, to me everything he says about the effect of kryptonite is a guess and there doesn't seem to be anything in film to suggest the fragments from Krypton would be radioactive or the radioactivity would affect Superman.
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Chosen answer: Daniel is 15. He turns 16 just before the tournament. Remember that the cobra kais hate Daniel. So the fact that he had the audacity to show up at their dojo and is then spotted eating with his "mommy" amuses them. They run away because they wanted to be ready on their bikes to get him when he left the restaurant.
Gavin Jackson
No, he was 17, turning 18 in the film (note his line "kid's legal now, huh?") Remember, Karate Kid II is the summer after part 1, where Daniel is going off to college in the Fall (or would have been).
This answer can't be accurate. When Daniel says "Kid's legal now", he meant he can now drive meaning he was 16. Just the same, he was able to fight a year later in the tournament in part 3, in which case he'd be 17. So he couldn't be 17 in part 1 or he would not qualify to enter in part 3 (being 18).