Questions tagged [plot-explanation]
Seeking to understand a story plot better, or to clear up confusion about certain aspects or plot points. Please also use the specific tag for the movie or TV series, if it exists.
8,306
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Why don't John Nash's delusional persons age?
In the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind John Nash has schizophrenia and he sees unreal persons (his roommate, his roommate's niece, and a dangerous spy).
He realizes he has the disease in 1953 and starts ...
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Why did they laugh in this scene?
In The Departed (2006), Frank completes his phone call with Sullivan about the existence of an
undercover cop in his crew while standing under a bridge. As he walks away,
Captain Queenan and Dignam ...
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Is Luc Deveraux still a protagonist in the last Universal Soldier film?
In the Universal Soldier franchise Luc Deveraux (mostly played by Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a Universal Soldier created by the government to go on several missions to save the country and its people.
...
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Where did the tape come from?
In the movie The Outfit, we're told that in that era, the FBI are the only ones with access to tapes and players. If Leonard took one tape and put it in that communication box, wouldn't the FBI have ...
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Why didn’t Bud White attack Exley for being sarcastic in this situation?
While Exley was standing at a distance in L.A Confidential (1997), Bud White found the body of his close
friend and colleague Dick Stensland under a white sheet at the mortuary:
EXLEY: Hell of a way ...
2
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1
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Why didn't they hold the high ground?
In Lone Survivor, why didn't they just hold the high ground up the mountain and call for an extraction? It seems like a critical mistake to move down the ridge and have all the Taliban above their ...
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Why did the hijacker tell the air attendant to use the "sing song accent you all do"?
In Hijack episode 4, there's this scene where the hijacker yells at one of the air attendants to go on the intercom to warn all the passengers to behave.
But then he tells the attendant to use ".....
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Why did Bud White evade Pierce's question here?
In L.A Confidential (1997), Bud White discovered that one of the victims of the Night Owl murders was Lefferts,
whom he had seen with Pierce on Christmas night. As a result, he traced Pierce’s
address ...
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1
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Why didn't Dudley answer Bud White's question here?
At the restaurant scene in L.A Confidential (1997), Dudley speaks to the suspended cop Bud White and reveals a
police badge and gun in front of him:
Dudley: They're yours. Go ahead, take them.
...
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In the movie retribution, why is the criminal mastermind the victim at the same time
There is a movie released this year called Retribution. The plot involves the CEO of a certain company being blackmailed by some unknown psycho who plants a bomb underneath the seats of the car. If ...
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How old are these four characters supposed to be?
In Sneaky Pete, Tex (played by M. Emmet Walsh, born 22 March 1935) is father of
Audrey Bernhardt (played by Margo Martindale, born 18 July 1951) who is mother of
Maggie Murphy (played by Jane Adams, ...
user101687
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How did the demon know Jesus Christ in The Exorcist?
In the 1973 film The Exorcist a little girl is possessed by an Ancient Mesopotamian deity called Pazuzu.
Priests gather around the girl and start to read the Bible and pour holy water on the girl.
But ...
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1
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Why did cannons self-explode TWICE on a ship of the line, in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar?
What's happening in the Battle of Trafalgar scene from the 1973 British historical drama film, Bequest to the Nation?
I am no naval historian, but something looks awry. Why are cannons exploding right ...
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0
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What is "same sort of thing" referring to?
In L.A Confidential (1997), the officer and Jack, working under the direction of Lieutenant Exley, teamed up to investigate the Night Owl murder. They used a list of vehicles provided by the DMV to ...
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Why doesn't Spike know Jerry in Puttin' On the Dog?
These two Tom and Jerry episodes were consecutive: The Bodyguard was released on July 22, 1944. Puttin' On the Dog was released about 3 months later on October 28, 1944. The plots are also related.
...
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David marooned in Alien: Covenant
In Alien: Covenant, David tells the crew that he is marooned on the planet. We later see he arrived on the planet with an engineer spaceship. The crew finds the spaceship crashed in Covenant when they ...
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How do Frank, The Mother, and others in the basement get food and water?
In Barbarian, Frank seems to be bedridden. And while The Mother is able to get out, she doesn't seem to have sufficient intelligence to get food and water.
(The Mother is depicted as more animal than ...
user101687
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2
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The wrong year in Dial of Destiny?
Jürgen Voller uses the Antikythera in the Heinkel 111, but before going through the time fissure Indiana Jones spouts off that Archimedes did not take into account continental drift.
If the continents ...
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How does Suzume enter the ever after using the door near the ruins of her house, and return back?
In the movie Suzume, we are told in the beginning of the movie that living people can't enter the "ever-after" which is shown when certain doors are opened. However, Suzume is able to jump ...
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In Deadloch season 1, how did this character get this thing?
Note: this question is about the TV Series Deadloch, for which I haven't found a specific tag.
At the end of season 1 of Deadloch, we learn that the killer is
Earlier in the season, during an outdoor ...
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Why does Joel insist on looking for Rose and even breaking down the door?
In Smile, Joel knows how the curse works. But at the end of the movie, he still goes looking for Rose and despite Rose screaming No! repeatedly, he still breaks the door down (and so allows the curse ...
user101687
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Why did the scene cut away without Costigan Jr. answering Dignam's question?
In The Departed (2006), Queenan and Costigan Jr. were seated facing each other while
Dignam stood beside the former, facing the latter:
Dignam: You got quite the family tree. That maggot Uncle of ...
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Why did Dick Stensland laugh in this segment?
One Christmas night in L.A Confidential (1997), Officer Bud White departs from a bar and notices a
woman with a bandaged nose in the vicinity of a car. Approaching the vehicle,
Bud confronts Buzz, a ...
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1
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Why does Rusty want to spare Mike but kill James in "The Contractor"?
In the 2022 movie "The Contractor", after a botched job in Germany, Rusty (played by Kiefer Sutherland), the leader of a U.S.-based private military company, allows Mike (played by Ben ...
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Why was Old Major's death scene changed in the 1954 animated adaption
In the original literary version of George Orwell's Animal Farm Major the pig died in his sleep three days after giving his speech on revolution.
Three nights later old Major died peacefully in his ...
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Why do characters in The Departed put the ‘F’ word in the middle of their words?
These are words spoken by characters in The Departed with the ‘F’ word inserted in the middle of them:
Whoop-de-fu_king-do
LA-di-fu_king-da
abra-fu_king-cadabra
Sigmund fu_king Freud
Mr. Fu_king-...
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What punishment would Jack face if he did not cooperate with the Police Chief?
In L.A Confidential (1997), Detective Sergeant Jack is accused of hitting Ezekiel Garcia, but the Police Chief offers him a deal.
In exchange for testifying against three officers, he will be ...
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If Dignam is not of Irish descent, then who is Frank referring to with the Irish derogatory term?
While on the phone with Frank in The Departed (2006), Sullivan shares his disapproval about Costello's
crew pushing Queenan to his death. Frank defends the action stating that one
person had to die ...
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0
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Why didn't Brice suggest this?
In the 1987 film No Way Out, Secretary of Defense David Brice is out to quash a proposed "phantom submarine", a naval craft that in theory wouldn't be detected by sonar. His main problem ...
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What's happening in Mexico in Robocop?
In the 1987 Robocop, people mention the US army is helping the Mexican government fight rebel forces in what a news anchorman euphemistically refers to as 'the Mexican Crisis'.
What cause are these ...
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How did the president start reading the new director's name with mistake?
In the 2002 movie, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams there's a scene where the president of the USA is about to announce the new director of the OSS:
Now, it's my great pleasure to announce the ...
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How can Costigan Jr.'s department arrange a memorial service if he was erased from the police directory?
In the event of Costigan Jr.'s death from The Departed (2006), his department typically arranges for a
memorial service to honor his life and sacrifice:
Earlier in the movie, Costigan Jr was erased ...
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1
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What's a security clearance and why does it matter so much?
In the movie Oppenheimer, we repeatedly hear the term security clearance. I have never heard of that concept before. Even Google search doesn't satisfy me because I can't find why it's so important.
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What is the complete question that Smith is asking here?
In L.A Confidential (1997), Smith saw Edmund's top-ranking test results among 23 candidates. Wondering about
Edmund's next move, Smith suggested options. Edmund chose the Detective Bureau,
despite ...
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1
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Why did Ransom meet Fran?
In Knives Out, what was Ransom's motivation for wanting to nullify Harlan's will in the last act? Why did he bother to meet Fran and to kill her to frame Marta?
Marta had already agreed1 to give ...
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Why wasn't Libby's spirit aware?
In the 2011 movie, Dream House, Will Atenton lives with his family in a house. Her wife calls him Will.
They find out about a crime that was committed 5 years earlier in the same house. Both get ...
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How did Darren Cross switch sides so easily?
In the 2023 movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, this conversation takes place between Cassie (Scott's daughter) and Darren who is in M.O.D.O.K. suit, after a brief fight near the end of the ...
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If Sullivan is a staff sergeant, why does he believe that the robbery was not wrong?
In The Departed (2006), after hearing from Dignam that Myles Kennefick, who stole 20 microprocessors
worth 100 grand each from the Mass Processor Company, was dead, Sullivan visited
Mrs. Kennefick to ...
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1
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Why was Ethan Hunt in a Russian prison at the start of Ghost Protocol?
As the title says I’m wondering if I missed something. Why was Ethan Hunt in a Russian prison at the start of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol?
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Were the Terminators in the later movie faster and more powerful. or merely shown this way due to improvements in SFX?
As the Terminator movies go on, the Terminators appear to be stronger and to move faster. This includes the models played by Schwarzenegger, two of which were supposed to be the exact same character ...
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Why is Edmund being a young watch commander a good story lead?
In L.A Confidential (1997), before discussing the title for the story with Smith, a reporter had a
conversation with Sgt Edmund and a photographer at the doorway of the
party hall:
Reporter: Aren't ...
5
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1
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Why did Dick Stensland laugh in this scene?
During the night scene in L.A Confidential (1997), Officer Bud White and Dick Stensland are stationed in a
car outside a residence, observing as a man inside physically assaults
his spouse. In ...
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1
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160
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Who Killed Barry Allen's mom
The movie The Flash rotates around his mom's death with consequences by past changes. So who is the actual killer? Is Barry's dad the killer or someone else?
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Significance of the Light Effect in the film Aparichit during his transitions
I recently revisited the Indian movie Anniyan aka Aparichitudu, and 'Aparichit' to Telugu and Hindi viewers respectively. The film presents a compelling protagonist, Ramanujam, who grapples with ...
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What actions did Costigan Jr. take that made Madolyn perceive him as vulnerable?
In The Departed (2006), during a visit to Madolyn's residence, Costigan Jr asks about her moving plans and
Madolyn informs him that she has three weeks left on her lease. Costigan Jr questions
her ...
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Why isn't it a crime to wear a ghostface mask in public?
In the 2023 movie, Scream VI, near the end of the movie the protagonists decide to meet Kirby and trap ghostface(s) in order to kill them for good.
They go by train to reach their destination. Inside ...
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What does "Q" mean?
During the night scene in L.A Confidential (1997), Officer Bud White and Dick Stensland are stationed in a
car outside a residence, observing as a man inside physically assaults
his spouse:
Dick ...
0
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0
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146
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How did Malcolm Crowe enter Sears' house without knowing his status?
In the 1999 film, The Sixth Sense, Malcolm Crowe is…
My question is about just minutes before the scene when Cole steps to the room of their house after speaking with his mother. He suddenly sees ...
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Was the identity of Wickham's Horsemen of the Zombie apocalypse ever revealed
In the 2016 movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies we see several appearances of men in masks whom are identified in universe as being the "Horsemen of the Zombie apocalypse".
Were their true ...
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Why are scenes featuring Robert Downey Jr. depicted in black and white, while Cillian Murphy's scenes are shown in vibrant colors?
In the movie "Oppenheimer," initially the Robert Downey Jr. appears in scenes that are presented in the traditional black and white format, while Cillian Murphy appears in scenes that are ...
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