All Questions
22,733
questions
247
votes
1
answer
28k
views
How did they make cars fall apart in old movies?
A staple of old Buster Keaton/Laurel and Hardy films is the car that falls completely apart, either when closing one of the doors or even when driving, like so:
How exactly did they pull these ...
- 2,041
225
votes
6
answers
129k
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 ...
- 20.3k
201
votes
7
answers
56k
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 ...
- 3,706
186
votes
8
answers
122k
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 ...
- 1,963
170
votes
3
answers
74k
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 ...
- 12.3k
158
votes
2
answers
22k
views
What's the difference between "and" and "&" in movie credits?
I recall hearing once that there was a difference (due to guild rules) between the use of "and" and "&" when discussing collaborations. For example, a film that has
Screenplay by Bob Loblaw and ...
- 3,394
158
votes
4
answers
18k
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 ...
- 4,905
146
votes
7
answers
62k
views
Why do people wear sunglasses in The Matrix?
Main characters in The Matrix wear sunglasses very often. Is there any explanation why?
I have read a few theories on the Internet about it:
actors constantly blink due to the gunfire
they have ...
- 1,529
141
votes
7
answers
31k
views
Why cast an A-lister for Groot?
I'm currently watching Guardians of the Galaxy on Netflix and as we know, Vin Diesel played Groot.
The question. What's the point?
I mean. Groot has a distorted voice, only says "I'm Groot" and ...
- 1,703
141
votes
6
answers
24k
views
Is the title "The Last Jedi" singular or plural?
As we all know, the plural of Jedi is Jedi.
In my country (Poland) the local title ("Ostatni Jedi") also uses words that have the same singular and plural form, so it's not conclusive. How is it in ...
- 2,938
140
votes
10
answers
44k
views
Why are films where the bad guy "wins" at the end so rare?
It seems that there is a rarity in films where the bad guy wins at the film's conclusion ("bad guys" being defined by the culture of the movie makers). By "win" I mean the good guy(s) have been ...
- 2,817
131
votes
7
answers
35k
views
Of all the movies and TV shows ever made, which of them is set furthest in the future?
Lately I've been comparing how futuristic-set TV shows & movies have evolved over time, and while doing so, I became curious of the following...
What's the furthest-forward-in-time time period ...
- 14.3k
131
votes
1
answer
61k
views
How was "Hodor" adapted in other languages?
Spoilers for episode 5 of season 6 "The Door".
At the end of the episode we got to see how Wylis became Hodor and why all he can say is "Hodor".
If you've watched the episode you ...
- 3,434
129
votes
4
answers
25k
views
Why does the talk show host always sit on the right?
With some possible exceptions, why do most talk show hosts always seem to be seated on the right with the guest on the left? Is there a particular reason for this or is it just how it is?
- 1,779
128
votes
3
answers
29k
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 ...
- 2,209
125
votes
7
answers
18k
views
Why didn't silent movies have subtitles?
Why were there no subtitles in the beginning of cinematography in silent movies?
I know about intertitles but why were subtitles not common then? Were people not able to read that fast or did ...
- 1,201
124
votes
2
answers
19k
views
Which version of Blade Runner is Blade Runner 2049 a sequel of?
I realise that this is a somewhat pedantic question, but: is it known precisely which version of Blade Runner (US theatrical release, international theatrical release, Director's Cut, Final Cut...) is ...
- 2,482
122
votes
6
answers
64k
views
How do actors stop breathing when playing "dead"?
I saw many movies when the actor/actress (in the movie) dies.
In some movies you can tell that the picture is paused when it is on the dead character.
But in other movies the actor is laying still ...
- 1,888
119
votes
4
answers
62k
views
Why does Doctor Strange not bind Thanos in a time loop?
Why does Doctor Strange not bind Thanos in a time loop in the same way as he did with Dormammu in the Doctor Strange movie?
- 3,352
119
votes
1
answer
19k
views
Why did filmmakers need permission to film in black and white?
According to IMDb, Producer Mel Brooks needed to obtain permission to film The Elephant Man in black and white.
This film was executive produced by Mel Brooks, who was responsible
for hiring ...
- 27.7k
118
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Origin of movie trope where impaled character pulls/pushes blade/spear further into body?
Over the years there have been a number of films where the villain (e.g., Artemisia in 300: Rise of an Empire) or the hero (e.g., Arthur in Excalibur) have been impaled with a spear, blade, etc. ...
- 2,817
116
votes
7
answers
30k
views
Has a major film ever intentionally used live ammunition to film a scene?
I was imagining the other day that most war films and scenes are filmed with people faking shooting. Sometimes wars scenes are not even using blank rounds, like in Star Wars. This leads me to wonder ...
- 1,583
115
votes
6
answers
307k
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 ...
- 1,757
114
votes
10
answers
19k
views
At which dream level did Inception end?
In the ending of Inception (2010), there is some doubt that Cobb is in the real world. But if he is not in the real world then at which level of the dream he is in?
Starting at the presumed 'real ...
- 118k
111
votes
2
answers
23k
views
Was Kirk and Uhura's kiss in Star Trek really the first interracial kiss on TV?
It's been widely stated that the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren", airing on 22 November 1968, had "the very first televised interracial kiss", which was between Kirk (William Shatner) and ...
- 15.8k
110
votes
15
answers
27k
views
Who was the oldest actor to play a teenager?
There's a common trope in Hollywood where teenagers are played by adult actors. But which TV show or movie set the absolute record in terms of the age difference between the role and the actor? To ...
- 5,830
107
votes
3
answers
15k
views
How did "Jack" (the narrator) manage to attract people to join Fight Club?
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 ...
- 2,021
106
votes
7
answers
9k
views
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 ...
- 3,198
106
votes
2
answers
46k
views
Why are the Simpsons yellow?
I understand that all cartoons are generally a stylised drawing however many western style cartoons follow similar patterns.
Why then are the Simpsons dawn in yellow? Why not pink like most other ...
- 19.9k
104
votes
5
answers
30k
views
Why do movies still have credits?
I asked my friends and none of them remembers having ever watched the credits after a movie to the end, except where the movie still continues after credits start rolling (short comic pieces or "what ...
- 3,204
104
votes
5
answers
124k
views
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 ...
- 4,905
103
votes
8
answers
66k
views
What significance does Mike Yanagita have in Fargo?
In the Coen brothers' movie Fargo (1996), 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.
...
- 15.4k
102
votes
6
answers
31k
views
Why the greenish tint in the Matrix trilogy?
All the movies of the Matrix trilogy have this distinct greenish tint during most of the scenes. Though it can inferred that the greenish tint denotes the matrix, but I want to know why "greenish"? ...
- 22.3k
101
votes
9
answers
22k
views
How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
In a scene from City Lights (1931), a man tries to commit suicide before Charlie Chaplin comes and saves him.
But the man accidentally ties a rope to Chaplin's neck and throws the rock into the water ...
user36823
98
votes
9
answers
32k
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 ...
- 15.4k
98
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Why are the railings in Rivendell so low?
Rivendell is an Elven city. Frodo is a Hobbit, and much shorter than the Elves. The railing should appear much higher than it is. Was this simply a production gaffe, or is there an in-universe reason ...
- 23.6k
97
votes
3
answers
25k
views
Why are the books in the Game of Thrones citadel library shelved spine inwards?
How do they know the title of each book in the citadel library in Game of Thrones if the book's back faces the wall?
- 865
97
votes
2
answers
54k
views
Does this room exist in the Simpsons' house?
I found this cutaway of the ground floor of the Simpsons' house:
But, I don't remember the top right room in any episode. Does it really exist, or is it made for the cutaway?
- 5,235
94
votes
3
answers
20k
views
How accurate is this computer hardware in the movie Wall Street?
In the movie Wall Street, there are two monitors that look like some kind of computers with funny looking keypads. What are they? Did they really use this kind of equipment back then?
- 16.2k
93
votes
2
answers
36k
views
How far did Forrest Gump run?
One day, Forrest just started running. He ran for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours. He slept, when he needed to, he ate when he was hungry and he went to, you know, when he needed to.
How far ...
- 853
92
votes
5
answers
763k
views
What really happened in Memento?
So I watched Memento, 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:
Leonard, the main character, did in fact see his wife ...
- 1,023
91
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Why does Firefly include a scene with a missing yoke?
In the first episode of Firefly (Serenity), there's a scene where Serenity escapes from a pursuing Reaver ship. After they get away, there's a brief shot of Wash and Zoey while the other crew members ...
- 6,395
91
votes
4
answers
65k
views
Do Sheldon's equations reflect real math/physics research?
In the first season of the Big Bang Theory, 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 ...
- 6,301
90
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Alice growing effect in 1972 "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" - how was it done? It's not green screen
How was this scaling effect done?
My first assumption would have been green screen, but it's clearly not - she's taking on all the light and shadow from the scene ...
- 701
90
votes
1
answer
12k
views
Is it true that none of the cast knew what to expect in the famous "chestburster scene" in Alien?
According to legend John Hurt's fellow cast members did not know what to expect in the famous "chestburster scene" in Alien.
That seems hard to believe, considering this scene must have been in the ...
- 48.7k
89
votes
1
answer
27k
views
Why are the American flags backwards on the warden's uniform in Orange is the New Black?
Sadly, it needed me to get to the 4th season, till I recognized, that the American flags on the warden's uniform are wrong. They have the stars in the upper right corner, instead upleft.
Is there a ...
- 945
88
votes
3
answers
12k
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 ...
- 939
87
votes
7
answers
114k
views
How do actors memorize extremely long scripts?
I have always wondered, how do actors memorize very long scripts? Do they somehow read them or is it an absolute must to have an incredible memory to become an actor?
- 16k
85
votes
12
answers
17k
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 people,...
- 4,905
85
votes
7
answers
8k
views
What has the greatest chance of being in Marcellus Wallace's briefcase?
In Pulp Fiction, there is a briefcase which has contents that are kept very secret. What item is most likely to be in the briefcase?
- 1,443