with the first thread being closed for some reason
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schwatime — 10 years ago(May 27, 2015 12:42 AM)
I get peeved when I see groceries being carried in and there is a baguette sticking out of the bag.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I get peeved, but yup, I know what you're talking about.
I also never eat Chinese food out of paper containers but everyone in TV and movies do.
I eat directly out of the container frequently, although usually it's when eating the leftovers.
The big Chinese food cliche is that when the containers are on the table, they have chopsticks jammed in there 90% of the time. (Yes, I'm nerdy enough to have counted.) I know people who will use chopsticks when eating out, but I can't ever remember anyone doing that at home. The only reason I can think of for including them onscreen is that whoever sets up that table is thinking, "It's really important that the audience knows that they're eating Chinese food. Just having the white, uniquely-shaped containers isn't enough. Jam chopsticks in there!"
Cars speeding down an alley always seem to crash into stacked boxes which seem to be empty.
And you
know
what's coming up when there's a huge, elaborate produce stand along the side.
People who don't say hello or goodbye when using the phone in action movies and TV shows.
I usually just start talking if I know the caller. And I usually don't explicitly say goodbye, either, and I don't think it comes across as rude, either. I'd bet there are more people like me than you think. -
alkmenesankles — 18 years ago(June 08, 2007 02:04 AM)
In the slacker's/stoner's apartment every surface is covered with bongs, clothes, dying houseplants and other, less-identifiable stuff yet when the pizza guy arrives, there is always plenty of room on the coffee table for an outsize pizza box.
I'm writing all this down in my memoirs so if I grow up twisted & warped, the world will know why. -
alkmenesankles — 18 years ago(June 08, 2007 02:16 AM)
In the slacker character's apartment, every surface is glutted with bongs, wrinkled clothes, coagulating food, dying houseplants, exotic pets yet when the pizza guy shows, there is always plenty of room on the coffee table for an outsize pizza box.
I'm writing all this down in my memoirs so if I grow up twisted & warped, the world will know why. -
RockStrongo — 19 years ago(March 19, 2007 03:34 PM)
OK, here are a couple of mine:
- When a movie hero answers the phone, he never says "Hello". He usually just grunts "Yeah?" or states his surname (whatever that may be). Also, when he's finished on the phone, he never says goodbye; he just slams it down, presumably leaving a very confused partner/girlfriend/boss on the other end.
- The hero's best buddy always talks about how much he loves his family / his wife's about have a baby / he's going to retire and sail round the world / his daughter is about to graduate from college. Then he is shot. Boy, didn't see that one coming!
Me like pie!
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jke903 — 19 years ago(March 21, 2007 04:39 PM)
- There is always a dial-tone on cell phones after the person on the other end hangs up.
- Taxi drivers seem to know where to go when yo say home.
- Every time a medicine cabinet is opened there is always a stick of deoderant, a tube of toothpaste, a tootbrush, and a razor.
- If you are a rapper in a horror movie, you will live.
http://groups.myspace.com/hottrakzmusic
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telegonus — 18 years ago(April 16, 2007 11:24 PM)
This has probably been discussed before: whenever a character in a war movie (I'm talking vintage WWII-Korea) starts talking just a little too much about life back homeapple pie, visiting Aunt Eula out in the country, walking his girl-friend home on a warm summer night,anything like thathe's a goner. He's usually picked off by a sniper before the movie's even half over.
Whenever a cop in a crime-detective-thriller sort of film comes off as a little too dumb, a little too rough, a little too clueless, you know there's something up with him. He'll rally in the end, he's a good, capable guy after all, not so dumb as most people think, and a pretty good shot, too.
Also older films: college professors, scientists and the like, anyone we'd now call nerdy or geeky, never seem to have set foot in a pool hall, don't know how to handle alcohol, are physically awkward, tend to wear glasses, keep their ties on even when not at work, don't play tennis or golf, don't know about the Dodgers and the Yankees, and think that "Jitterbugs" are some kind of insect.
More older movie stuff: characters with prejudices, usually in supporting parts, who aren't pathological about it, always do an about face, usually in the last ten minutes of the film, when they invariably say something likle, "Gee, you (fill in the blanks: country boys, city boys, Limeys, flyboys, truckers, southerners) aren't so bad after all", or something to that effect, as they realize the hero or some other major character is really a pretty good guy. If, however, a character doesn't overcome his prejudices he's an out and out rotter and usually proves unreliable, untrustworthy, cowardly or downright evil. -
Aurabora — 18 years ago(August 07, 2007 10:50 AM)
When there's a struggle with a knife, the villian ALWAYS ends up on top of the hero with the knife inches from hero's face. It stays like this for a minute or so until said hero decides he can hold off villian with one hand while he reaches for some object with his other hand to save him.
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DashTheGreat — 18 years ago(August 07, 2007 10:53 AM)
Yet, he wasn't able to stop the villain from further pushing the knife down with two hands, but he can keep the knife in one place with one. The object he grabs is always some form of debris from the scuffle / an explosion.
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davywap — 19 years ago(March 22, 2007 06:13 AM)
- In every rough neighbourhood, there's always at least one person who wants to "go somewhere" and wants to "be somebody".
- Whenever two characters sleep together at one of their homes, when they wake up the next morning and kiss they never seem phased at all about each other's inevitably reeking morning breath.
I love lamp.
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pjmcgill142 — 11 years ago(August 08, 2014 12:47 AM)
Haven't been able to read all the pages, but has anyone mentioned the ever observant cop who notices that 'it's June, and isn't it a little warm to be wearing a jacket?' that is concealing a bad guy's firearm grenade thermonuclear device.
For years, I used to think every single Hollywood movie was made in June. -
awdlnd — 11 years ago(August 24, 2014 07:45 PM)
Most annoying cliche is the computer sound effects. It is really distracting for me.
Crime Drama: Police address suspect as "Police!" 100 yards away from perp without taking measures to surround perp first, initiating a pointless chase.
The "one phone call" thing when arrested.
The timed phone call trace that never provides enough time to triangulate.
Any "too cool" characters. Horatio is the master of this and it's so comically done that he gets by with it. Another current example would be the Graceland cast. They always use the appropriate lingo and have to explain all the tricks they know to their fellow cops so the audience knows what they are talking about. Another would be Harmon on NCIS or LL not-so-cool J on NCIS:L.A. I would throw Hawaii Five-O in this category but that entire show is a cliche.
Crime shows where only one investigative team is needed. Sometimes it's the detective in charge, other times it's the CSI team. Also, situations where these people have free reign to go to some other country on some half military mission. -
Ceer — 11 years ago(September 01, 2014 12:30 AM)
When faced with an alien or supernatural there will always be the quick fix, the silver bullet, the answer, the rules. Shot to the head brings down a zombie, aliens fall prey to germs, vampires stake to the heart, werewolvesthe silver bullet.
I'm like a wild animal, girl I'm more scared of you than you are of me. -
Cuish — 11 years ago(September 05, 2014 02:15 PM)
- Whenever two characters are about to kiss, something always interrupts them so they don't do it. Like if a phone goes off or someone walks in on them or something.
- In superhero films, other characters that the hero is familar with don't recognise their voice if they happen to meet them in costume.
My blog:
http://cuish-common-room.blogspot.co.uk/
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Ceer — 11 years ago(September 27, 2014 04:51 PM)
When the hero is tied up/tied down the villain will roll out a small table filled with knives. There are small knives, big knives, pointy knives, hooked knives, serrated knives, etc. The camera shows this all to us and the villain laughs evilly. The villain then ignores his collection of knives and punches the hero unconscious.
Of course the knives are to shock the audience and fill them with dread. I'm actually glad we don't get to see the knives being used. I'm not into torture porn. But it would be nice if they just skipped show of knives.
I'm like a wild animal, girl I'm more scared of you than you are of me. -
Aswena — 11 years ago(October 13, 2014 02:22 AM)
The most absurd cliché: police cars using their loud sirens when they go to the place the character they want to arrest is supposed to be even if the roads are completely empty or during the night, so that the character hears them coming and has enough time to hide or to escape
Some other clichés, certainly already mentioned:- when the hero has a family, there is a sequence in which he or she is looking at his or her sleeping children
- when the hero visits the victim or suspect's apartment, there are a lot of photos on walls or furniture and very often by chance one of these photos gives him a clue or the whole explanation to a mystery or investigation
- on standard quality photos it is possible to zoom in indefinitely with high resolution
- when the hero has to download a file it often takes a lot of time while somebody or the police are coming
- bombs are often stopped at the last second by the hero
- some characters seem not being aware they were shot by a bullet until they notice blood on their body
- villains always take their time to kill the hero so finally he can escape or is providentially helped by someone at the very last moment (the villain is killed at the same moment he was supposed to shoot the hero)
- key witnesses are rarely under sufficient protection by the police even if it is obvious the villain will kill them (it also works with the next likely victim in a series of murders)