Question: Why does Director Jacobs authorize Secret Service protection for Speaker Trumbull when he becomes Acting President when the Speaker of the House already has a protection detail? Or, does the Speaker of the House normally not have any? Was that just for a dramatic moment in the film to show that, even in a crisis, things still happen by arrangement?
Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more
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Question: Do Presidents make last-minute trips to other locations in the world? Or would that not be possible due to a safety concern? In reality, would somebody else attend the funeral in the President's place?
Answer: I worked security in the 1990s, in Houston, Tx, when Clinton was in office. I was working the George R. Brown convention center. One day I went to get my paycheck, when I spotted several men surrounding the building. I asked if there was an event inside the building, they said they were Secret Service agents and there was a possibility that the President may make a visit. I asked, really. They said it was a possibility, he might stop by but could change his mind at the drop of a hat. Those men waited for nearly ten hours all day and in the end, Clinton didn't come.
Question: Why did Paul insist on taking the van rather than getting in the Humvees with everyone else? When Harry stops by the motel later to pick up ELF, we see that most if not all the equipment got left behind. We also see behind Paul a number of times whilst he's driving, and the van looks empty so it's not like it had all their gear in it.
Answer: Maybe he liked his van very much. Maybe he purchased it for his own money and it was expensive.
Question: Why did Nigel Hawthorne dislike both Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes?
Answer: Several reasons. Hawthorne was reluctant to accept the role, but thought the story had some merits and hoped the movie would help him professionally. The script was constantly being revised during filming, and he found the overall production unpleasant. Hawthorne didn't directly clash with Stallone or Snipes but their enormous egos and being constantly late, often keeping cast and crew waiting, was irritating. Stallone and Snipes were self-involved and showed little interest in Hawthorne, offending him. He also found Stallone's acting style annoying. Hawthorne also thought director Joel Silver was quirky.
Question: Did they ever say what Cotton did for a living?
Answer: He installed asbestos in schools. It's not said what he did after that, but he complained about all his work being undone.
Question: Who was the werewolf that chased and killed the guy in the beginning?
Answer: It was Serafine and the guy she attacked was her stepdad Thierry. Thierry believed that he had found a cure for Serafine's lycanthropy and injected her with it. However, instead of curing her, it caused her to transform into a werewolf and attack him. Serafine, however, didn't kill Thierry. Claude did.
Question: Whenever Freddy emerges from Jesse in the real world, why doesn't he have his glove on? Why are his blades coming out of his fingers?
Answer: He's a dream demon and uses his powers to torment Jesse in any way he could, including having claws or even Freddy himself burst out of Jesse.
Question: Ron's wand gets broken, and for the rest of the year, he has to use it even though it doesn't cast spells properly. Why doesn't the school just get Ron a new wand? His parents can't afford one because of how expensive they must be, but surely one of the teachers could take him to Ollivander's and help him get another one.
Answer: I agree with what RayWest said. Another possible factor is that Ron damaged his wand when the flying car crashed into the Whomping Willow, which upsets the Hogwarts staff and Ron's parents. I can imagine Mrs. Weasley wanting him to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of the school year.
Good point, and Ron, in addition to being in trouble with the school, also got his father into hot water with the Ministry of Magic over the flying car. I can't imagine, after all that, Ron asking for a new wand. I doubt he even told his parents that he broke it, which would further anger them.
Answer: It's not the school's responsibility to provide equipment for students. It can be humiliating for a student and the family to receive charity. It also sets a precedent for Hogwarts having to supply any number of things for students, and creates a situation where they could be taken advantage of. Realistically, this is a book plot point. It may not be logical, but the story would not play out and end as it does if Ron had a proper wand.
Question: Before contacting the Emperor, Vader tells Admiral Piett to move the ship out of the asteroid field for the transmission. But if the Emperor was able to contact Piett, why not just contact Vader directly? Despite the asteroid field.
Answer: We don't know that the Emperor spoke to Piett directly. He might be relaying a message that the Emperor gave to another ship/location.
Question: Rimmer says he's been hiking through the diesel decks. Given they've been flying for 3 million years, wouldn't they have run out of diesel absolutely ages ago?
Answer: It depends what the diesel is needed for. Holly would likely have switched off anything unnecessary during that time.
Answer: According to Rob Grant, Red Dwarf gets propulsion power from the giant rock in her underside and power for the lights comes from the solar panels (which are referenced in the episode 'Confidence and Paranoia'). The diesel engines are likely there for backup purposes.
Question: On Cloud City, why did Vader surprise Han and the others in a dining room? Lando says that the Imperials arrived before Han's group. But they've had time for Leia to change clothes, change her hair style, and for her to ask people about C3PO when he is missing.
Answer: No answer is given. Maybe Vader needed more time to negotiate with Lando and wanted to ensure the group would feel "safe" and then be caught off guard. It's more about plotting, though. The scene is constructed to build suspense and doubt. Han thinks the friendly and charming Lando is trustworthy, but Leia is wary, especially after C3PO disappears. The group, and the audience, are lulled into believing Lando is an ally, then are taken by surprise when Vader is revealed and Lando's true character and motive is exposed.
Question: Han wants to leave the Rebels because Jabba the Hutt still has a bounty on him. Why not stay and be protected by a large group of friends? Safety in numbers, basically.
Answer: There may be safety in numbers, but Han is not going to put his comrades' lives in danger to protect himself. He also doesn't want the bounty hanging over his head, or be constantly on guard for an ambush. The longer he waits to pay it off, the greater the consequences, which is what eventually happened. He wanted to pay it and be done. This also shows Han choosing to come back and help his friends win the battle.
Question: Could it be considered attempted murder on both Peter and Harry's parts when they both took a turn throwing the pumpkin bomb at each other until it exploded near Harry's face after their fight? Those pumpkin bombs are designed to kill, and Peter knew that when he threw it back at him, although I'm not sure how the explosion didn't kill Harry.
Answer: Well, Harry was obviously trying to kill Peter, so yes, that was attempted murder. Peter, at that point, is heavily influenced by the symbiote, causing him to not feel remorse or empathy towards Harry. It angered him that Harry would throw the bomb at him while his back was turned to him and therefore did commit attempted murder by throwing it back at him. Harry survived because he was spiked up on his father's muscle enhancers. Although he should be deaf and blind after.
Question: In real life, would it have been possible for a fully-grown great white shark to smash through the metal cage that Hooper was in like it does in the movie, or is that just Hollywood nonsense?
Answer: Most shark cages are reliably safe and strong enough to withstand sharks chomping the bars or butting into them. Of course, individual cage quality is an issue and there have been instances of sharks getting jammed into the cage and destroying it as they attempted to free themselves. In the movie, the fictional premise is that "Jaws" is an exceptionally large and powerful shark that can demolish a cage other sharks could not damage.
Question: When Dooku invited Obi-Wan to join him and destroy the Sith, what did he really want? Surely he didn't think that Obi-Wan would believe him?
Answer: I don't think that Dooku, nor Palpatine, really cared much about being actual Sith Lords. They wanted to be rulers in their own rights. Hence why Palpatine becomes Emperor Palpatine and abandons the "Darth Sidious" title. Dooku might have "destroyed the Sith" in the sense that he would kill Darth Sidious/Palpatine with Obi-wan's help.
Question: Before the Clone Wars, what situations did Jedi handle most of the time? I only ask because at Padme's apartment, Obi-wan says it's not their job to investigate the assassination attempt. Anakin says that local security could guard the apartment; it's not a matter for Jedi. So apparently, Jedi don't watch over people nor investigate crimes. What do they do?
Answer: Their job is to protect the integrity of the republic with diplomacy and advice to politicians. They do not enforce laws or rules. They can also be security for senators or be taken to places in crisis to help resolve difficult matters (like the blockade of Naboo). They protect and secure. That was their job during the time of the 'old' republic.
So, in a way, are the Jedi similar to involving the FBI in a situation, instead of contacting your town/city/county police?
Maybe more like UN Peacekeepers.
Question: Is there any truth that an anaconda will regurgitate its prey so it can keep feeding, or was it made up for the film?
Answer: A snake can regurgitate its food, but they do this mostly if they are in danger or stressed, not to go after another prey or swallow it again so it's easier to digest. The food is usually quite a weight on their body and takes long to digest, so the snake could regurgitate it to become mobile again if threatened.
Question: Ivy says some people have a colour. Do you think Noah had a colour and she knew it was him in the woods? If so, did she intentionally let him die knowing he may have killed the man she loves?
Answer: Don't disagree with the other answer, but Ivy could have sensed it was Noah. While Ivy claimed to "see" someone's color, more likely she recognized people by their individual sounds, smells, movements, etc. which she interpreted as their "color." She knew Noah attacked Lucius and, in his unstable state, might kill her. She knew the "monsters" were fake and no-one else had a motive to harm her. I don't think she intended to let Noah die. She was protecting herself and could do little to save him once he fell into the pit.
Answer: From what I recall, there's nothing in the movie to indicate that this is the case.
Question: How much time has passed between the events of the first film and this film? Since pretty much half of the White House was destroyed in the first film, wouldn't it have taken some time to rebuild that section of the White House?
Answer: About a year has passed.
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Answer: Tip O'Neill didn't have a security detail.