Pathetic film & TV clichés

Mr Ploppy · #1 30th January 2011, 19:26

I'll start, ANYTHING that Michael Bay has ever and will ever do.

Sadie · #2 30th January 2011, 19:44

Season of the Witch....Nicholas Cage dies a very painful death all the time smiling at the girl he's just saved from the demon.

Caribou · #3 30th January 2011, 21:07

No one in TV or film ever says goodbye when they finish a telephone conversation.

Detox · #4 30th January 2011, 21:15

Never having to reload a gun, and people always cocking a single action before they shoot someone while speaking to them... so they never had it ready to fire before they caught up to the person?

moneysaver · #5 30th January 2011, 21:28

Why do producers of trashy movies seem to think that an ending isn't a happy ending without a wedding

Caribou · #6 30th January 2011, 21:35

When a driver's vehicle is running out of fuel they always frantically tap the fuel gauge.

Yeah, that's going to make it go a few more miles!

diplodocus · #7 30th January 2011, 21:37

Well just concentrating on action films:

Cars and vehicles exploding into flames when bullets hit them.

Secret agents that can break assailants necks like wringing a chickens neck.

Treasure rooms laced with laser alarm systems that are visible to night vision goggles.

Silently crawling through ventilation ducts.

Big fireball explosions.

Pin point shooting with pistols on the run at a moving target.

Detox · #8 30th January 2011, 21:49

Walking away from an explosion all cool and not even flinching.

Mr Ploppy · #9 31st January 2011, 01:57

It's not really a cliché, but remakes and reboots make me puke

AnathemA · #10 31st January 2011, 10:21

^ Particularly Americanised remakes of foreign films. But yeah, remakes as a whole just seem lazy and a cheap way of cashing in on a good original film. I can't think of a single one that's better than the original, off the top of my head.

pixie 1990 · #11 31st January 2011, 10:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by KidWithTheChemicals

That's bad ass, though! Love shit like that.

Wasn't that on the MTV Movie awards or something a couple of years ago, Andy Samberg was a good presenter that year

Mr. Nobody · #12 31st January 2011, 12:27

people angrily saying to someone else
" your asking questions way beyond your pay grade"

Effervescing Elephant · #13 31st January 2011, 13:48

Despite being a lifelong fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy I will acknowledge that the genres have been thrown up more than their fair share of godawful cliches, including:

Spending most of the movie/book/episode setting up an apparently overwhelming threat only for the hero to discover that it can be completely defeated by blowing up one small power supply/computer/shield generator which the hero then proceeds to blow up.

Having a hero who is completely clueless at the start but who works out things he couldn't possibly know (usually that he has to blow up the small power supply/computer/shield generator mentioned above).

When you think a character is dead at the end but they're not. Worst of all is when they bring a character back from the dead - that's just cheating.

"Transcendental" endings, which I think just amount to the writer not knowing how to end the story properly and just throw a load of random crap in, hoping to wrong foot the audience. Generally these involve the hero walking into a glowing beam or touching a glowing object or something somewhere glowing.

Mr Ploppy · #14 31st January 2011, 13:54

^ Yes, and time travel, too much time travel reset buttons.

Most US tv series are one long cliché. They choose from about 8 plot standard ideas, and constantly rework them with varying degrees of success

Kevin Hodge · #15 31st January 2011, 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Effervescing Elephant

"Transcendental" endings, which I think just amount to the writer not knowing how to end the story properly and just throw a load of random crap in, hoping to wrong foot the audience. Generally these involve the hero walking into a glowing beam or touching a glowing object or something somewhere glowing.

2001 a space oddysey springs to mind...

Superfred · #16 31st January 2011, 16:34

Films where someone dies to save other people where they could have quite easily have survived.

I am Legend - why did he not hide in the hidey hole and throw the grenade out? Am I missing something.

People stupidly being bitten by Zombies and much more annoyingly, the ones who get bitten and don't bother to tell anyone.

Like the third Resident Evil when the black guy gets bitten and clearly knows that he will turn and kill his mates but doesn't say a word. God damn you!

The twist. Sigh. Why do some films have twist after twist after twist, it just completely milks the idea. Can't think of an example of my head.

Oh and finally. The funny character in the film..the one that's funny because they are a complete loser with no friends, no social skills, no sex life but some obscure talent.

Pink*Lady · #17 31st January 2011, 17:47

Four Weddings and a Funeral where Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell are standing outside in the pouring rain and AM says something like "is it raining? Oh I hadn't noticed". *cringe*

Mr Ploppy · #18 31st January 2011, 17:54

I'll give tv & film this, even the corniest film can't beat the cliché ridden advert world.

mattty · #19 31st January 2011, 19:37

The last minute airport dash to stop that special someone from leaving?

LittleMissMouse · #20 31st January 2011, 20:02

The speed at which computer geeks can type and they never make a mistake.
No one ever has to go to the loo in films (especially Jack Bauer in 24, 8 days and he's not been for a piss, not once).
Bad science "OMG the bacterial virus is mutating" and all that nonsense, and tidy labs with loads of coloured liquids in and shiny glass surfaces (if only).
Skydiving scenes where the altitude changes up and down, and people reach for the cutaway handle or the reserve and not the actual rip cord.
Folks doing impromptu bomb disposal.

Sea · #21 31st January 2011, 20:09

The way women in movies can be ship-wrecked, survive nuclear blasts, be stranded in the desert, fight anacondas, hike through the jungle, and yet somehow still have perfect hair and perfect make-up and perfect nails and perfectly shaved legs

.

citizen_erased · #22 31st January 2011, 23:01

How if a character is running through the woods being chased by an enemy, they inevitably will fall down.

Phizz · #23 31st January 2011, 23:35

How the geek always ends up getting the drop dead gorgeous girl. If only that one were true in real life I'd be a happy man.

How futuristic Science fiction films and TV don't make use of technology we already use today. Like why don't they have CCTV on the Enterprise? Oh the borg have taken over an entire deck without you realising? No bloody wonder!

How Hackers can take down the security on any computer system ever designed inside a minute and how everything from power stations to toasters are connected to the internet for some reason (I'm looking at you Die Hard 4!).

How when people are shot with a gun they go flying through windows. Physics doesn't work that way! You shot them with a pistol not a howitzer!

* ahem * /rant

Peasie · #24 31st January 2011, 23:39

The cliche I hate is from old war films. One person will start softly singing a song. One more person joins in. Then a few more. Till eventually it is a full blown choir belting out a song they all know every single word to despite it being an obscure song. Ok, it might not have been obscure back then - but you know what I mean.

EDIT : I've just found an example by accident. I was looking for the "Cheers - we will rock you" clip and found this. Skip to 8 mins 19 secs.

Mr Ploppy · #25 1st February 2011, 00:15

Followed by his best friend (and the film's hero) shouting "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

elvira34 · #26 1st February 2011, 00:19

Or they manage to outrun a hail of bullets by a few bad guys and dont get hit by one single bullet...wtf??

AxelFendersson · #27 1st February 2011, 10:17

These.

Munkeh · #28 1st February 2011, 10:23

How the outcast who gets bullied at her school and laughed at in public is always a new haircut and a pair of shiny shoes away from being the prom queen.

Kevin Hodge · #29 1st February 2011, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvira34

Or they manage to outrun a hail of bullets by a few bad guys and dont get hit by one single bullet...wtf??

this reminds me - laser beams which you can see moving across the screen. you cant even see that with bullets - and light travels slightly faster thab bullets.

sadly, when the future arrives, it wont look as cool as we have been led to believe.

AnathemA · #30 1st February 2011, 10:25

Depictions of computers in films and TV programmes are almost always ridiculous...

Apparently the 3D novelty file browser in that scene does actually exist, but it's not like anyone would use it for anything serious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phizz

How Hackers can take down the security on any computer system ever designed inside a minute

That's because people in films always use passwords that are really easy to crack!