Question: I understand the concept of spelling mistakes and an editor accidentally missing them, especially for an unknown actor's name. But how did "Callahan" end up getting misspelled when it was spelled correctly in the first film? Has any reason been given? Or if there someone with general knowledge of how end credits are produced, is there no editor?
Bishop73
12th Jul 2016
Magnum Force (1973)
13th May 2016
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)
Question: This film is directed by Mike Bigelow, but I can't find anything else he directed or was a part of. Is this a fake name used by Mike Mitchell, the director of the first Deuce Bigalow movie? It seems too coincidental for this director to have the same last name as the title character (albeit an "e" and not an "a"), have the first name of the first director, and not have any other working credits. Plus, Mike Mitchell has worked on several kids films and may want to avoid association with this film?
11th May 2016
Kickboxer (1989)
Question: Was there any reason why Tong Po is listed as being played by himself when he was played by Michel Qissi? This is in the film's credit, I know IMDB listed Qissi as the actor. And if this was just a mistake, was there an explanation given as to how it was made or got past editing?
Answer: He didn't want to use his real name.
Answer: This is a mistake that has never been explained.
27th Feb 2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Question: Was there a specific reason Mark Hamill got 2nd billing (other than he's Luke Skywalker)? Was the billing order based on how much they each got paid? I don't recall seeing his picture on any The Force Awakens posters and it didn't seem like they needed to add hype to the movie by billing "big name" celebrities. Of course that leads to asking why Hamill reportedly got paid 7 figures for his "role" when the actual stars got less than half or a third of that. I know they're all in unions, so is it a union thing? Or just a better agent thing?
Chosen answer: The actors playing Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren were mostly unknown, while Mark Hamill is famous worldwide as both a screen actor and voice actor. The billing order was likely based on their fame and then on their new roles. It's not a union thing, minimum wage in the Screen Actor's Guild is far lower than what they were paid. It's a combination of bigger star, better agent, and the future of the series.
23rd Feb 2016
Pacific Rim (2013)
Question: Was there anything in the film stating why the Jaegers couldn't be remotely controlled? I get the premise of 2 pilots and drifting, but it seems like the robots weren't controlled by cables and wires and the interface could have been off-site, just like piloting drones.
Chosen answer: It is stated that due to the sheer size of the jaegers it is incredibly complex to actually pilot one. So complex that advanced mind-linking technology was developed for the sole purpose of controlling the jaegers in combat. Presumably that complexity necessitates having to actually be inside the jaeger to operate it efficiently. There is also the possibility that drifting technology has a short range or must be hardwired into the technology you wish to control.
Also, you have to consider transmission latency, the amount of data that has to be transferred, and the power of the transmitters that would be required to maintain that bandwidth. Considering that it requires two pilots to take the strain, I'm guessing that the bandwidth would be a lot more than you get from a wireless gigabit connection. And, of course, the aliens could probably figure out how to jam wireless transmissions if they wanted to. A direct connection is more reliable.
2nd Jan 2016
Skyfall (2012)
16th Dec 2015
Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow (1994)
Question: Neal Israel is the writer for the film (and the series) and Richard Israel is in the film (as Adam Sharp). Are they related at all? Or is this just a coincidence of last names?
Answer: They are not related. It is a coincidence.
21st Nov 2015
The Simpsons (1989)
Question: Does every episode have a chalkboard and couch gag (or variation on it)? When I watch reruns sometimes it goes into the show after the words "The Simpsons" come through the cloud and I can't tell if they cut out the intro or if there just wasn't one.
Chosen answer: The original opening of every episode of "The Simpsons" does include a chalkboard gag and a couch gag. Your Fox-TV affiliate may air the episode with portions of the opening and/or other segments of the show edited in order to make room for additional advertising, local station identifications or promotions for upcoming programming on that station. This is often done to television program episodes in syndication.
Answer: So, The Simpsons intro has 3 gags: the chalkboard gag, couch gag, and billboard gag. The show itself has variations of its opening, with different lengths to fit the length of the rest of the episode. The Couch Gag is the most common gag, and the Billboard gag is the least common because of these variations. And to answer your question, yes, sometimes the episodes don't even have an intro.
9th Nov 2015
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
Question: When Larry David goes to the Playboy mansion, everyone screams and runs away from him. Was there something I missed, like an inside joke or comment from an earlier show, to explain why? Or was something revealed later? Or is it just another case of strangers reacting oddly around Larry?
3rd Nov 2015
General questions
This is about a TV commercial and I can't figure out who the actor is. I feel like he's a comedian I've seen before, so he may not be in any films. It's a Brookside chocolates commercial. He's by a field, dressed in a blue shirt, next to a table with the chocolates. He's holding a phone reading online comments. Then someone brings a 100-pound bag and breaks the table.
Chosen answer: His name is Jon Dore. He has several stand up specials on TV.
28th Jul 2015
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
Question: With many of the actors playing central characters reprising their roles, does anyone know why the princesses were re-cast?
Chosen answer: Kimberley Kates (who played Elizabeth in the first film) said in an interview on a B&T fan podcast that she and Diane Franklin were scheduled to reprise the roles, but then heard that they had been recast. She believed it was because the English director Peter Hewitt did not like English characters being played by American actresses.
30th Apr 2015
TURN: Washington's Spies (2014)
Question: How does Abraham know to go to the Connecticut Coast to sell his cabbage? I get that he was looking to sell it on the black market and was surprised to find his friend. But it seems his trip was unplanned and due to Anna's husband being arrested. And it seems he had no signal or password to find the buyer/black market dealer.
5th Mar 2015
Canadian Bacon (1995)
Question: Why does Michael Moore give special thanks to Ken Starr in the credits? Did they have a good relationship in the 90's? From what I know of Moore, it would seem that Starr would be a guy he blames and hates. Yet the special thanks doesn't seem to be sarcastic since everyone else listed seemed to deserve the thanks.
Chosen answer: Michael Moore's disdain for Ken Starr is clear, and continues. As recently as May of 2013, Mr. Moore referred to Ken Starr on Twitter in a negative light ("'Bring Back Ken Starr' And you said Bill Keller couldn't write anything stupider than his column backing the Iraq war"). As such, I suspect his acknowledgement of Mr. Starr is both sarcastic and genuine. He isn't showing respect for or gratitude to the man as much as he is acknowledging the fodder Ken Starr, his politics and his tactics provide to the concept of a film like "Canadian Bacon."
5th Mar 2015
Jurassic Park (1993)
Question: How long would it take for some of the bigger dinosaurs to reach their size? Was there any indication (movie or book) how long the Jurassic Park project was going on before everyone came to the island? It seems many of the larger ones were adults and that it would take decades to get that size, yet the park wasn't fully ready (Hammond mentions rides coming on 6-12 months) after all that time?
Chosen answer: The breeding and growing of the animals, as explained in the second movie, took place on a different island. It's never mentioned how long it takes for the larger specimens to full grow, but it could indeed take a decade but I'm sure they used all kinds of genetic manipulation to accelerate the growth, or else Hammond would not witness it all in his lifetime. The Island with the park was only later utilised for that purpose, long after most of their animals had already fully grown. Also told in the second movie Hammond experimented with different ideas for a park before, like building an amphitheater in San Diego. So the park was fairly new.
Answer: The park project was initiated about 4-5 years before Grant and the others visited the island. All the dinosaurs were genetically modified with increased growth and development hormones. It took most species 3-4 years to mature. Roughly 0.1% of specimens survived. There were roughly 280 dinosaurs on the island. 238 were accounted for by the system. Source: Novel.
24th Jan 2015
The Fly (1986)
21st Jan 2015
Secret Window (2004)
Question: At the end of the credits, we hear Johnny Depp sing "mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread." Is there any reason for this, or a tie-in to the movie I missed?
Chosen answer: An additional reference to the full dominant personality takeover of Shooter, everything gravitates South Mississippi.
5th Dec 2014
Total Recall (2012)
Question: At the bank I see Obama on the 50 bank note. Who is on the 1,000? I saw other denominations, but no clear shot of those people, but does anyone know who else is on various denominations?
5th Dec 2014
Robocop 2 (1990)
24th Jun 2014
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Question: My understanding is Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard, and even Amy and Kripke work for a university; but none of them seem to be teachers. And if they are, they never have office hours, or are seen grading homework, and Sheldon seems inept at teaching. Do universities really hire that many people who simply do research with no actual work requirements? Or what's going on? (I understand not filming boring office hours or grading, etc. But they never even allude to it, their work never interferes with random daily events, and I imagine college teachers/professors would stay extremely more busy.
Chosen answer: The boys work for Caltech, a research university mainly dedicated to science and technology. It's never been stated where Amy works, except that she has her own lab. But remember, her lab is fully funded by the Saudi prince that she is pseudo-engaged to. Any business or university would hire her for that reason.
Answer: In season 7 though Amy came to work at the university til the end.
20th Jun 2014
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
The Herb Garden Germination - S4-E20
Question: In the beginning, Sheldon and Amy are attending a reading (or lecture) of Brian Greene. It seems Sheldon is truly mocking, although at the end he says he's kidding. Do theoretical physicists consider Greene to be a hack, or is he respected in the field of physics? Are Sheldon and Amy truly laughing at him?
Chosen answer: He's respected. Sheldon just thinks he knows more than anyone else and mocks anyone whose theories don't agree with his completely. Amy is probably just going along because it makes Sheldon happy.
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Chosen answer: The error didn't necessarily start with the makers of the credits. It could have crept into the process at any point. Whoever typed up the names to give them to the technicians who made the credits could have misspelled the name.