54
votes
2answers
1k views
Why isn't Bruce Willis's character in the Sixth Sense self-aware?
Why doesn't Bruce Willis's character realize he is dead?
If I remember correctly, the plot takes place several months after he is killed. Shouldn't there have been some clues during that time? They ...
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 ...
51
votes
5answers
3k views
To what extent are child actors exposed to the violent aspects of the movie they perform in?
Some movies feature child characters put in violent situations. This can range from crude language to extreme horror (e.g. torture, gore, etc.). As an example, Child's Play and its sequel has plenty ...
47
votes
7answers
1k views
In Back to the Future, why don't Marty's parents ever mention how similar he looks to the Marty of 1955
Although Marty is only in 1955 for one week, he plays a pivotal role in getting his parents together. He even briefly dates his mother. So, considering he plays such a pivotal role, does it make sense ...
47
votes
1answer
1k views
How did Marty McFly and “Doc” Brown first meet?
They’re not related, they’re not neighbors, and they’re separated in age by at least five decades: So how did Marty McFly and “Doc” Brown first meet?
This question has been bugging me from the moment ...
45
votes
3answers
3k views
First movie with product placement?
We were watching The Goonies (1985) tonight and I noticed that in the initial scenes one of the characters is rather prominently holding a Pepsi in his hand.
I know product placement has been a ...
45
votes
5answers
3k views
In Shutter Island, is there any definitive evidence that Teddy was or was not crazy?
The ending of the film Shutter Island is purposely ambiguous, with two different interpretations:
Teddy was crazy, and the whole movie was part of a role-play therapy
There is a conspiracy to ...
43
votes
6answers
926 views
What has the greatest chance of being in Marcellus Wallace's briefcase in Pulp Fiction
In Pulp Fiction, there is a briefcase who's content is kept very secret. What item gathers the most evidence for being in the briefcase?
42
votes
2answers
930 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 ...
40
votes
4answers
684 views
Why aren't the characters floating two levels down?
If level 0 is reality, the characters in the van are at level 1. The van drops off the edge of the bridge, and goes into freefall. At level 2, in the hotel, they experience the freefall as well. ...
37
votes
6answers
9k views
Why is the bride's name bleeped in Kill Bill Vol 1
In the movie Kill Bill Vol.1, whenever someone mentions the bride by her name
Beatrix Kiddo
Her name is censored with a beep. Is this explained somewhere in the movie? Or is it just a signature ...
37
votes
5answers
1k views
Why does Harry only make use of time travel in The Prisoner of Azkaban?
At the end of The Prisoner of Azkaban,
Harry and Hermione travel back in time to save Sirius (and as it turns out, Buckbeak) and escape the Dementors.
If this is a legitimate option for saving ...
37
votes
6answers
3k views
What kind of company is Initech?
What kind of company is Initech in the movie Office Space?
There are a few important things we know about Initech that the movie plot hinged on. Are there any real-life companies that actually fit ...
36
votes
7answers
22k views
Why is there no Robin in the Nolan-directed Batman movies?
Although Robin seems to have an pivotal role in ruining earlier Batman movies, he's still an integral part of the Batman series. Is there a reason why Robin does not appear in Batman Begins/The Dark ...
36
votes
2answers
4k views
How do they film the mirror scenes in movies?
It always makes me wonder how do they place the cameras and crew members while filming a scene which is opposite to a reflecting object, such as mirror. Because, when filming the reflected objects we ...
35
votes
3answers
4k views
What significance does Mike Yanagita have in Fargo?
In the Coen brothers' movie "Fargo" the detective Marge Gunderson gets called by and meets an old schoolmate, Mike Yanagita. He tells her that he is widowed and tries to make a move on her.
Later ...
35
votes
5answers
1k views
Did Tyler Durden forget his name?
Ed Norton plays the Narrator or Jack ( due to reading a book that described someone called Jack's body parts from a 1st person perspective). Meanwhile Brad Pitt is introduced as Tyler Durden. Later ...
34
votes
6answers
949 views
Why does George Mcfly employ Biff to wax his car after he had previously tried to rape his wife?
In Back to the Future, Marty goes back to 1955 and devises a plan for his father George McFly to win over Lorraine in order to ensure Marty's survival.
The plan involved Marty pretending to sexually ...
34
votes
5answers
5k views
Do Sheldon's equations reflect real math/physics research?
In the first season the equations on Sheldon's whiteboard change over time and in each episode there's a different equation; so they put someone in charge to show that there's actually a progress in ...
32
votes
3answers
1k views
What is the main theme of The Dark Knight?
According to Wikipedia, the main theme of The Dark Knight is escalation, such that each event lead to an escalation that results from the choices Batman and James Gordon make. A separate source said ...
32
votes
4answers
523 views
Was the original “Pink Panther” movie intended to be a comedy?
I'm a big fan of the Pink Panther movies (the ones with Peter Sellers, not new ones with Steve Martin). But after watching The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, I'm left with the impression that the ...
30
votes
2answers
3k views
Kill Bill colour changes to Black and White
In the movie Kill Bill, why does the colour keep shifting from standard colour to black and white? Is it to keep the gross-levels down?
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
3answers
838 views
Why does James Bond keep demanding a vodka martini that is shaken but not stirred?
Is there a difference between a shaken and stirred vodka martini? Maybe some scientific explanation? (while not overtly sci-fi, there are a lot of sci-fi elements in Bond movies)
It would also make ...
28
votes
2answers
2k views
Is the Unix operating system featured in Jurassic Park real?
When the film Jurassic Park came out, and I saw that scene where Ariana Richards is sitting in front of the computer and says;
This is a Unix system. I know this. It's the files for the whole ...
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 ...
28
votes
6answers
4k views
Why does Bane protect the girl?
In the final twist of the movie, it is revealed that Talia is actually the one to have climbed out due to Bane helping her get up the hole.
However, Bane's pure motivation during the events of the ...
28
votes
1answer
1k views
Why was Being John Malkovich based around John Malkovich?
The film Being John Malkovich is replete with unique plot ideas, the most captivating being the portal discovered by Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) taking him into actor John Malkovich's head.
Why did ...
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 ...
27
votes
2answers
1k views
What was the first movie to introduce “blue wire or red wire” bomb disposal?
I have seen Juggernaut (1974) recently. There is a scene in the end of the movie when the bomb disposal expert, Fallon has to choose one of the two wires (red or blue) to cut in order to disarm the ...
26
votes
5answers
999 views
Why do British sitcoms have so many fewer episodes than American ones?
Through Netflix & Amazon streaming, I have recently "discovered" a bunch of really good British sitcoms that I never knew existed.
Although I think some of these comedies are as good or better ...
26
votes
2answers
607 views
What is the significance of the narrator's fight and Tyler Durden's subsequent actions?
In the movie Fight Club (1999), the narrator (often referred to as "Jack") struggles to keep up with and understand his alter-ego's actions and motives.
In one scene, he loses his head and pounds ...
26
votes
1answer
2k views
Is Batman Begins based on any Batman comic or was it entirely written from scratch?
Were Batman Begins or The Dark Knight based on any particular comic(s) or was were they completely created from scratch?
24
votes
6answers
806 views
Why is James Bond less tech savvy in the Daniel Craig movies?
The most recent installments of James Bond (ones featuring Daniel Craig) have fewer gadgets but more raw action (like the chase sequences in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace). Is it because of plot ...
24
votes
3answers
722 views
Why all the fancy technology in most movies?
In most of the movies and TV-series I have watched, whenever there is some kind of "technology" involved (say, like a tracking device or hacking something important), there is a lot of unnecessary, ...
24
votes
1answer
382 views
Evidence of “Big Twist” movies having poor post-cinema sales
I have watched many movies such as Sixth Sense, where there is a major twist that if known prior to watching the movie can potentially spoil the enjoyment of viewing. I tend not to watch this type of ...
24
votes
2answers
2k views
Origin of the Mustache Twirling Villain
Whenever someone thinks about silent cinema the image of the laughing villain, twirling his mustache, and tying the hapless blonde beauty to the railroad, pops up in our collective memory. But in ...
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
470 views
Why the stoic acting style in 2001 Space Odyssey?
One of the things that I have always found striking about 2001 is the almost mechanical acting of the human characters, especially the radio operator. I'm pretty sure it's a conscious choice on part ...
23
votes
3answers
591 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
3answers
2k views
Why was Prowse chosen to play Darth Vader?
Everybody knows that David Prowse played Darth Vader in the old Star Wars episodes. He was a weightlifting champion and a bodybuilder.
Does anybody know who and why actually chose him to play this ...
23
votes
1answer
667 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 ...
23
votes
3answers
2k views
What rules govern how TV show opening credits are structured?
I've always been curious what decides if a credit is in the opening or closing credits. It seems loosely that cast (in order of today's "big name" significance), directors and financiers get the ...
22
votes
5answers
3k views
Can someone explain mirror scene with Ariadne in Inception?
The scene where Ariadne closes two mirror planes opposite each other and breaks one.
Can someone explain what that meant?
22
votes
1answer
1k views
How were R2D2 and C3PO made in the original trilogy?
I know they used a lot of mechanics back then, but were R2D2 and C3PO mechanical, a costume, or something else?
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
2answers
3k views
Why didn't Loki's mind control work on Tony Stark?
Right before the final fight, we see Loki and Stark discussing the terms of the upcoming battle, bantering back and forth between who will win.
It is then that Loki gets the idea of turning Stark ...
22
votes
3answers
818 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 ...
22
votes
5answers
2k views
In Back to the Future Part II, how could old Biff have made it back to 2015?
So in Back to the Future Part II, Doc picks up Marty in 1985 and takes him to 2015. Then old Biff realizes the Delorean is a time machine. Old Biff steals the Delorean and travels from 2015 to 1955 to ...
