Seeking to understand a movie-plot better or to clear confusion about certain aspects.
51
votes
6answers
4k views
What caused and ended the time loop in Groundhog Day?
I've always wondered what caused the Time Loop experienced by Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, as well as what ended it, but I don't recall it being discussed in the movie.
What was the cause for the ...
42
votes
2answers
924 views
How did “Jack” (the narrator) manage to attract people to join Fight Club by beating himself up?
In Fight Club "Jack" (the narrator) and Tyler Durden pick a fight behind the bar and through that fight they manage to attract people to first join the fight and then after founding Fight Club, to ...
41
votes
8answers
3k views
What is going on in Mulholland Drive?
I know that David Lynch's movies are all very deep and hard to grasp and that probably there is no simple answer to this question, as there are different ways to interpret the movie.
Still I would ...
29
votes
3answers
1k views
Why did the girl try to kill herself in the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film?
In the beginning of Sherlock Holmes (2009), Lord Blackwood attempts to kill a young woman during some sort of dark ritual and is thwarted just in time by Holmes and Watson. Blackwood himself was not ...
28
votes
6answers
29k views
Banner's control of Hulk in Avengers
During the climatic battle, Banner says 'That's my secret. I'm always angry', and transforms into the Hulk. Does this imply that Banner learned how to control Hulk?
If this is the case, why did he ...
27
votes
3answers
4k views
Pulp Fiction: Explanation of Jule's ending monologue?
I partially understand Jules' ending monologue, although the full meaning doesn't click for me. What is he trying to say in simple terms?
Jules: Well there's this passage I got memorized. Ezekiel ...
23
votes
7answers
35k views
What did David say to the engineer in Prometheus?
In Prometheus, when the android David is talking with the Engineer, first he stumbles a bit and stays crouched, then they are all asking him questions and David seems to translate it. Then they all ...
23
votes
3answers
590 views
Why couldn't Bond have backup at the battle of Skyfall?
I think I am missing a key plot point here.
Bond had to fake-kidnap M and bring her to Skyfall in order to lure Silva there for one last stand. Why did this have to be a secret from his colleagues ...
23
votes
1answer
665 views
Language of the Moria password in The Fellowship of the Ring
At the gates of Moria there is a riddle on the door. "Speak Friend and Enter".
Frodo then asks Gandalf "What is the elven word for 'Friend'?" who replies and the door opens.
Given Moria is a ...
22
votes
5answers
6k views
What was David's motivation in Prometheus?
For me, perhaps the most interesting person aboard the Prometheus was the android, David. I'm still confused by his seeming fascination with the movie, Lawrence of Arabia. Although I couldn't make ...
22
votes
3answers
814 views
What happened to the last of the sins in Se7en?
I have watched Se7en and followed Gluttony, Greed, Sloth and Lust. But I couldn't place the events of the other sins: Envy, Wrath and Pride.
Please provide some light on these. I am really ...
21
votes
9answers
14k views
What was the motivation behind the Engineers actions in Prometheus?
After watching Prometheus I don't have a clear idea of why the Engineers created the human beings. Because, if they created humans so that they can test their bio-weapons on us, then it makes sense, ...
21
votes
3answers
4k views
Can someone explain the sequence of events in 'Primer'?
Primer is one crazy movie, as far as the complicated plot goes. Has anyone figured out the ACTUAL sequence of events?
21
votes
6answers
7k views
K-Pax ending explanation
In K-Pax, there are two possible explanations:
Prot is crazy.
He is truly an alien.
There are facts that indicate 1, but also 2.
Examples:
He seems to respond to hypnosis, has a sort of phobia ...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
2001 A Space Odyssey — Explanation of the ending lacking, yet popular?
It's a movie geek's film to watch and to enjoy. But when I reached the end, I had no idea what to take from it.
Some of the ideas are amazing, the visuals, and the lines (I'm sorry, Dave. I'm ...
20
votes
7answers
8k views
How did Sherlock survive the fall?
In Sherlock, BBC Series, Season 2 Episode 3 - The Reichenbach Fall, how did Sherlock survive the fall? I've read some theories online regarding this, but in this interview, Steven Moffat says "There ...
19
votes
4answers
8k views
Why Obi-Wan says: “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”?
When Obi-Wan fights Darth Vader in the New Hope, he says:
You can't win, Vader. If you strike me down, I shall become more
powerful than you can possibly imagine.
What does he mean by that? Is ...
19
votes
1answer
587 views
How did Indy know not to look into the Ark?
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, at the Ark opening ceremony the nazi troops brings the Ark of the Convenant to the top of the mountain as Belloq said something before opening the Ark. Then they took the ...
19
votes
3answers
2k views
Did James Bond fail his mission in “Skyfall”?
If I understand Skyfall correctly, James Bond's primary mission is to protect M from being killed by Silva -- despite this, near the end of the movie, M dies from a wound inflicted by Silva's men.
...
19
votes
4answers
4k views
What's the purpose of the cube?
I've just watched a sci-fi horror movie called Cube. It was pretty awesome, as well as it left a lot of questions unanswered. However, the one that frustrated me a lot was, the Cube's purpose. I mean, ...
19
votes
3answers
587 views
Who framed Roger Rabbit?
I've watched the film some time ago and don't recall this eponymous question being explicitly answered. They uncover some conspiracies and plots within others but who did frame Roger Rabbit?
Was it ...
18
votes
5answers
11k views
in Skyfall opening scene on train, does Bond fake getting shot?
Skyfall opens with a chase scene that culminates in Bond's partner accidentally shooting Bond instead of shooting the bad guy. The bullet hits Bond hard enough to blow him off a train into the river ...
18
votes
1answer
28k views
Explain the plane scene in The Dark Knight Rises?
In The Dark Knight Rises, at the beginning of the film Bane kidnapped a guy from the plane, then he drew blood from the guy he kidnapped. And then throughout the movie I didn't see any news regarding ...
18
votes
2answers
2k views
Why didn't Sherlock Holmes investigate the events surrounding Irene Adler?
In the 2011 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows:
Moriarty and Irene Adler have an brief conversation in a restaurant. After the exchange, she passes out before exiting. Later in the film, Moriarty ...
18
votes
6answers
8k views
How did Angier know not to appear in The Prestige?
In The Prestige, the secret to Angier's 'disappearing man' trick is that he is effectively cloned while teleporting, and the original Angier is drowned when disappearing under the stage.
When Alfred ...
18
votes
2answers
464 views
Why did Neo have powers in the real world?
In the Matrix, why did Neo have magic powers in the real world? For example,
(1) Those scenes where he blows up those robots purportedly with his mind.
(2) That one where he has no eyes but can ...
17
votes
3answers
7k views
Explanation of the ending of A Clockwork Orange
The ending of the film perplexed me a bit. The main hero says, quote, "I was cured alright".
While that could be interpreted as honest and truthful, the final scene (the fantasized orgy) makes me ...
17
votes
2answers
9k views
Fight Club: How did they get to the end?
At the end of Fight Club, the narrator disables a bomb that Tyler had set up in a van in the basement, and then he and Tyler get into a fight. The fight ends with the narrator being thrown down some ...
17
votes
1answer
3k views
What’s with the “dead” characters at the end?
Near the end of V for Vendetta, while the building is exploding, you see people pulling off their masks to watch it explode. During this scene you see some characters that have been previously said ...
17
votes
1answer
1k views
Infection timelines of John Carpenter's The Thing
The paranoia and uncertainty in John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) is so well constructed that there is still no consensus on who gets infected, or even when some people do. The thing I really like ...
16
votes
4answers
721 views
Why does Neo's cubicle not look like the workplace of a programmer?
The Matrix is not a movie with an overdose of realism.
But parts of it take place in the normal "real" world. We see Neo at work in his software company in his cubicle before the Agents come to his ...
16
votes
4answers
6k views
Why did the ring affect Frodo so much and not Bilbo?
Every time Frodo put on the ring the Eye of Sauron could see where he was and almost see into his soul as well. Frodo appeared to suffer hugely when he put the ring on.
Bilbo was able to turn ...
16
votes
4answers
34k views
What really happened in Memento?
So I watched Memento for the second time, and I felt like I understood the story pretty well, however, some things don't make so much sense to me. As far as I know:
Lenard, the main character, did ...
16
votes
4answers
41k views
What does the missing symbol on Quaid's arm in Total Recall (2012) symbolize?
Near the end of the film Total Recall (2012), does the missing symbol on Quaid's arm symbolize that it is all a dream/fake memory? And if so, why does he just accept it?
16
votes
2answers
2k views
Why didn't Bane reveal to the public that Bruce Wayne is Batman?
In The Dark Knight Rises, Bane publicly reveals the cover-up of Dent's death and disclosed all the crimes were made by Harvey Dent. Further, he reveals the role of Commissioner Gordon to cover-up ...
16
votes
2answers
493 views
How could Eisenheim achieve those reflections on the scene in that era?
In The Illusionist (2006), how could Eisenheim achieve those reflections (visions) on the scene? Even in one of the scenes, there was a (ghost) boy walking through the audience. Given that the film ...
15
votes
4answers
4k views
How did the T-Rex kill everyone on the boat?
In Jurassic Park: The Lost World, a T-Rex is captured from the island, sedated, and put on a boat for the mainland. During the trip to the mainland, the T-Rex got free and killed everyone. When the ...
15
votes
1answer
687 views
Does Anton Chigurh kill Carla Jean Moss?
Towards the end of No Country for Old Men, Anton Chigurh tracks down Carla Jean Moss. They are sitting in a room together and he gives her the option of heads or tails to decide her fate. Is there any ...
15
votes
1answer
348 views
Why did the Senate stick around?
From the beginning of the "I find your lack of faith disturbing" scene in "A New Hope":
"The rebellion will continue to get support in the Imperial Senate.."
"The Imperial Senate will no longer be ...
15
votes
2answers
8k views
What does Sherlock say just before opening Irene Adler's safe?
In Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia, the americans force Sherlock to open Irene Adler's safe by threatening Holmes and Adler at gunpoint. The safe turns out to be booby trapped. But just before he ...
15
votes
3answers
3k views
L. A. Confidential: (how) does Ed Exley hear what's said outside the interview room?
At the end of L.A. Confidential, Ed Exley is in a (supposedly) sound-proof interview room, giving a statement to two detectives. He is observed by a group of others, including the chief of police and ...
15
votes
6answers
7k views
How can Batman run and climb in the pits without his knee brace?
Okay so after watching The Dark Knight Rises, I spent a bit of time thinking about the film, at first I didn't get it. I understood the storyline but this major plot flaw/continuity error really ...
15
votes
2answers
33k views
What kind of apparatus is Bane's mask?
During the course of the film, it is explained that Bane has to wear his mask in order to keep his pain level down to a bare minimum.
During the final fight, we see Batman start to disable this ...
15
votes
4answers
721 views
In Inception, why do the kicks have to occur simultaneously?
In Inception, why do the kicks on different levels have to all occur simultaneously, rather than one after another?
14
votes
4answers
5k views
Why doesn't Andy have a dad in Toy Story?
Despite the diversity of characters filling out the cast in Toy Story, Andy's dad wasn't created. It can't be especially difficult for the filmmakers to create a dad character because they've created ...
14
votes
8answers
1k views
Why are computer hackers shown to either be geniuses, or show them doing it in fantastic ways?
I was watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Lisbeth Salander was really good at hacking computers as well as other security breaking skills, to the point where it was way too easy to do from a ...
14
votes
5answers
2k views
How does Clarice know “Jack Gordon” was actually the real Buffalo Bill?
In The Silence of the Lambs, Mr. Crawford told Agent Starling the subject's name is Jamie Gumb, also known as John Grant and traced out the place of the subject. But she went to Jack Gordon's house. ...
14
votes
3answers
675 views
What detail should I be looking for in Leonard in Memento to determine the plot?
I have watched Christopher Nolan's Memento more than once and I still can't get the real thing that happened. Yes I get that the movie is shown backwards, but it really confuses me.
I understand that ...
14
votes
2answers
942 views
In Fight Club is Marla Singer a second figment of Jack's imagination?
After reading this article on the existence of Marla Singer, I am fairly convinced she represents his guilt and remorse. It seems entirely plausible Marla Singer materializes to remind Jack he is ...
14
votes
2answers
4k views
What did the Dent Act do?
After the passing of Harvey Dent, Gotham City passed the Dent Act, which allowed Gotham to clean up the streets quite a bit. It was stated that the act gave the police department the teeth it needed ...
