I've been watching a LOT of movies lately, and one thing I always seem to keep running into is the fact that a lot of scripts sell (and consequently a lot of movies are made) despite a number of widely accepted, well-known cliches that might hurt the film. I'm talking about anything that is used copiously as a plot device. A lot of these are just priceless if you've seen enough movies to know, and are at least good for a laugh at their expense. Some examples:
In a number of thrillers and horror films, people are driving out in the middle of the desert, going to a party/event/wild orgy, when all of a sudden THE CAR BREAKS DOWN! (Used by Breakdown and Manos The Hands of Fate)
In every comedy, there is a moment where the main character does something or says something inappropriate, and ends up losing all the buddies he has acquired over the course of the movie. To be regained later, of course, but not before a serious and heartfelt montage (Used by Team America: World Police and Anchorman)
During a sword fight in a film, there's ALWAYS a moment where the villain has the clear upper hand (either he has disarmed the hero or is severely bearing down on him), but gives it up to pause and make a smart-ass one-liner or sneer obnoxiously, thereby giving ample opportunity for the hero to think his way out of the jam. (Used by In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and almost EVERY SWORD FIGHTING SCENE EVER MADE!!!)
Those are some of my favorites and just a couple examples of what I'm talking about. Anybody got any others they'd like to add?
Guy loses girl, meets other girl, but is too oblivious to her true/inner beauty to realize how awesome/amazing/beautiful/sexy/hot-to-trot she really is as he opines about his lost love and contrives, usually with the help of the newly met girl, to get his old gf back only to *gasp* realize that the new girl is his true soul mate. And the new girl always meekly accepts the douche bag because she has like no real self esteem and/or probably assumes she can "fix" him or wtfever. :gag:
How overused is this? Let's see: Cherry 2000 (1987), Addicted to Love (1997), and probably way more movies than I care to remember/look up in IMDB.
Similar to the above is the: guy who's a player/rich womanizer meets girl (usually an activist of some sort) and instantly the two hate each other but the entire movie is really just showing they have this sexual tension between them that, inevitably, invariably, unerringly, ends with the man and woman getting together in the end after a myraid of trials and tribulations (which may or may not include the guy having taken sexual advantage of the girl, usually around the mid-point of the movie). How long has this plot contrivance been in use? At least since Metropolis.
Something seems amiss, one person in a group warns everyone else, people take to laughing at them and in doing so, let their guard down enough to get annihilated. Happens in about half the slasher flicks ever made.
Totally hot woman has dorky looking husband that is only interested in either his business or a hobby. Woman is left on her own when the postman/pizza delivery person/pool cleaner shows up. Hot woman goes over and bluntly starts unzipping his pants. Happens in many many 80's pornos.
The "woman's slow breakdown" scene is always a hard one for me to watch. In nearly every dramatic film with a woman in a leading role, there has to be a scene where she shuts herself in her room, begins to undress, and as she does, she starts to weep uncontrollably. It makes the assumption that women can't stop crying for more than five minutes to have another cry session, and it really wears on me as a male feminist.
Oh, and the "Diablo Cody" scenario, which is gaining way too much steam in today's indie film market. You know what I'm talking about; the meet-cute between two awkward characters where the potential love interests bond over obscure cultural references or unrealistic quirks that they both HAPPEN to have in a slightly insulting bid to connect with the audience. See either Juno or Eagle Vs. Shark to know what I mean.
Quote from: Rat-Bat-Spider on July 21, 2009, 07:43:43 PM
The "woman's slow breakdown" scene is always a hard one for me to watch. In nearly every dramatic film with a woman in a leading role, there has to be a scene where she shuts herself in her room, begins to undress, and as she does, she starts to weep uncontrollably. It makes the assumption that women can't stop crying for more than five minutes to have another cry session, and it really wears on me as a male feminist.
I agree with you there. A similar one is how female rape victim's are treated in many films - as if they are forever tainted and destroyed by the experience. I'm not trying to suggest this couldn't happen, or that the pain and trauma of it easily fades, but too frequently complete destruction of the victim is portrayed as the only possible outcome. Basically, it's another way of tearing women down, by demonstrating how they are overly weak and dependent.
Not one of my favorite films, but I like the way The Accused handled this. A bit of an exception.
Yeah, that's a pretty disturbing trend, Jim H. Why is Edward Norton able to continue living after his ordeal in American History X, but a woman is obliged to lay down and die in so many other films? It's degrading. I don't get it, and I probably never will.
Oh, and HOW MANY TIMES have you seen a romantic comedy where the leads are about to kiss, but the comic relief busts in at the last second to ruin their moment?!?! Eric to Hollywood: ENOUGH!
The plot of "Body of Evidence" (yeah, I think it's safe to call it a plot) seems like a grocery list of every crime drama cliche in history. It's like being stuck on a bus next to a little kid with a passion for "knock-knock" jokes.
Perverted rich old fart
Perverted rich old fart dies
Cops on the scene, surprised & disgusted at all his s&m toys
The secretary who won't stop crying
My favorite cliche in this one is the "Secretary accuses Mistress of doing cocaine, Lawyer bursts into Mistress' house screaming "You lying b***h!", only to be embarrassed when she reveals it's an herb for her cramps" scenario.
It's like this really bad episode of Saturday Night Live, where you can see every puncline before they even start trying to tell the joke.
Ex-husband and ex-wife, or maybe just ex-lovers, are forced to work together for whatever reason and end up rekindling their romance.
If there's ever a dangerous event about to happen, you can bet the town's annual festival - the one that keeps their whole economy afloat for the year - will be in full swing. And yes, the mayor will be greedy.
Shouldn't that be Rat-Bat-Spider-Crab?
To Rat-Bat-Spider and Jim H :thumbup: :thumbup: Turning women into weak victims all the time gets really old.
Another thing that bothers me is that they cant seem to write a strong women without turning her into a total bit**. Give them a little bit of power like an executive in an all male firm or something and they are power hungry and cruel. while the girl at the coffee shop is just the sweetest most innocent girl on the planet.. please!
There is a series of books I read that has one of the strongest female characters I have seen so what do they do when they make it into a tv series? They make her weak. I was so mad I couldn't continue watching it. :hatred:
Quote from: 3mnkids on July 22, 2009, 11:55:34 AM
Another thing that bothers me is that they cant seem to write a strong women without turning her into a total bit**.
I know, it's like they just can't settle on a normal balance! I think one of the few films to give a real good balance between strength and temperament was Wes Craven's CURSED, though really the characters were some of the
only things that made that movie OK in my opinion.
pregnant woman in peril to add tension
Quote from: Trekgeezer on July 22, 2009, 11:01:45 AM
Shouldn't that be Rat-Bat-Spider-Crab?
Perhaps; I didn't see as much Crab in
The Angry Red Planet as I did Rat-Bat-Spider, so I just kept it off.
I see a lot of good ones. What about the situation in EVERY slasher finale, where the Final Girl disarms the killer, he is cold and unconscious on the ground, but instead of finishing him off, she runs away! Urrgh! Finish the job! Stop padding the movie so you can get ONE more scare out of the audience!
* How about the loser / nerd / social outcast character who performs an astonishing act of bravery at the end of the movie and saves the day!
* The hot girl who breaks up with her arrogant jock boyfriend and falls in love with the geek main character.
* The innocent looking every day item that is shown briefly near the beginning of the movie - - then the audience forgets about it - - but it shows up again at the end as the weapon used to kill the villain.
Women hears someone nearby, decides it must be here boyfriend. So proceeds to flash breasts at the camera and go for a swim naked. Only to come to terms its not her boy friend and dies soon after. (Just shows how many crap horror films that I watch)
Quote from: Frogger on July 22, 2009, 04:33:49 PM
Women hears someone nearby, decides it must be here boyfriend. So proceeds to flash breasts at the camera and go for a swim naked. Only to come to terms its not her boy friend and dies soon after. (Just shows how many crap horror films that I watch)
This wasn't a complaint...was it?
Quote from: Jaer on July 23, 2009, 01:49:18 PM
Quote from: Frogger on July 22, 2009, 04:33:49 PM
Women hears someone nearby, decides it must be here boyfriend. So proceeds to flash breasts at the camera and go for a swim naked. Only to come to terms its not her boy friend and dies soon after. (Just shows how many crap horror films that I watch)
This wasn't a complaint...was it?
Yeah, only as I find it far too irrating due to the deaths lacking imagination. Often only included as an excuse to show breasts.
"We should go do this sensible obvious thing"
" we don't have TIME we have to do it this more exciting way that will add tension"
Incredible differences in technology exisitng in the same place.
One of the best examples I can give is He-Man. Their society is very medieval with knights, swords, magicians, war beasts, and barbarian style warriors, yet they have hovercrafts, star ships, even inter-demensional travel.
If I think about it hard enough, I'm sure I can think of more examples.
Quote from: WingedSerpent on July 23, 2009, 03:04:43 PM
Incredible differences in technology exisitng in the same place.
One of the best examples I can give is He-Man. Their society is very medieval with knights, swords, magicians, war beasts, and barbarian style warriors, yet they have hovercrafts, star ships, even inter-demensional travel.
If I think about it hard enough, I'm sure I can think of more examples.
Beowulf had this technical schizophrenia too. The Christopher Lambert one.
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
Quote from: Cthulhu on July 23, 2009, 03:14:52 PM
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
Haha, yeah very true. It is just a very poor excuse to show breasts. It would not be so bad if at least the deaths were interesting but they tend to fall back to screaming, then running in a stupid direction while screaming. Such as too the roof or into a forest. Then they normally end up getting killed with a blade of some type. Normally by the death part I am just glad they wont be screaming any more.
Quote from: ghouck on July 21, 2009, 07:00:09 PM
Totally hot woman has dorky looking husband that is only interested in either his business or a hobby. Woman is left on her own when the postman/pizza delivery person/pool cleaner shows up. Hot woman goes over and bluntly starts unzipping his pants. Happens in many many 80's pornos.
Wait! That doesn't happen in real life?
Oh, man, I am soooo done with this B.S. pool cleaning gig.
Hard edged characters that learn to get all warm and fuzzy when with children.
Obviously they hate the kids at first...but they learn to love.
Quote from: Cthulhu on July 23, 2009, 03:14:52 PM
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
What are they gonna do, grab a rifle over something that could be a raccoon? :wink:
Quote from: Mr. Briggs Inc. on July 24, 2009, 11:04:51 AM
Quote from: Cthulhu on July 23, 2009, 03:14:52 PM
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
What are they gonna do, grab a rifle over something that could be a raccoon? :wink:
Well, if you're in a position where, for any reason, you think there might be someone (or, bum bum bum, someTHING) out to get you, you probably shouldn't be checking out any noises whatsoever, whether they be racoons or mutant killer racoons from mars.
"Oh no! We just found Marty's horribly mutilated corpse in the closet! And now the lights just went out! Hey, did you hear that noise coming from the basement! I should go down there, unarmed, and check it out! Or, if I had any brain in my head... I could book... so that I may go on breathing. 'Cause, y'know, I enjoy breathing. It's a good thing."
Quote from: WingedSerpent on July 23, 2009, 03:04:43 PM
Incredible differences in technology exisitng in the same place.
One of the best examples I can give is He-Man. Their society is very medieval with knights, swords, magicians, war beasts, and barbarian style warriors, yet they have hovercrafts, star ships, even inter-demensional travel.
If I think about it hard enough, I'm sure I can think of more examples.
That's even more annoying when it's in video games. I played one game where they had created an inter dimensional rift and aliens had come through, BUT, you couldn't wield a gun and a flashlight at the same time. Apparently they could travel through space, but hadn't invented duct tape.
Quote from: WilliamWeird1313 on August 13, 2009, 09:14:22 AM
Quote from: Mr. Briggs Inc. on July 24, 2009, 11:04:51 AM
Quote from: Cthulhu on July 23, 2009, 03:14:52 PM
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
What are they gonna do, grab a rifle over something that could be a raccoon? :wink:
Well, if you're in a position where, for any reason, you think there might be someone (or, bum bum bum, someTHING) out to get you, you probably shouldn't be checking out any noises whatsoever, whether they be racoons or mutant killer racoons from mars.
"Oh no! We just found Marty's horribly mutilated corpse in the closet! And now the lights just went out! Hey, did you hear that noise coming from the basement! I should go down there, unarmed, and check it out! Or, if I had any brain in my head... I could book... so that I may go on breathing. 'Cause, y'know, I enjoy breathing. It's a good thing."
Exactly. :wink:
Quote from: Mr. Briggs Inc. on July 24, 2009, 11:04:51 AM
Quote from: Cthulhu on July 23, 2009, 03:14:52 PM
Also let us not forget the:"Oh gosh, I wonder what that noise could be in the middle of the night? I better check it out naked and without any weapon."
Similar to the one that Frogger said, but not the same.
What are they gonna do, grab a rifle over something that could be a raccoon? :wink:
It could be a burglar. :lookingup:
And the clothes are still absent. :teddyr:
Quote from: ghouck on August 13, 2009, 09:52:01 AMyou couldn't wield a gun and a flashlight at the same time. Apparently they could travel through space, but hadn't invented duct tape.
Or accesorry rails.
Quote from: WilliamWeird1313 on July 24, 2009, 09:00:57 AM
Quote from: ghouck on July 21, 2009, 07:00:09 PM
Totally hot woman has dorky looking husband that is only interested in either his business or a hobby. Woman is left on her own when the postman/pizza delivery person/pool cleaner shows up. Hot woman goes over and bluntly starts unzipping his pants. Happens in many many 80's pornos.
Wait! That doesn't happen in real life?
Oh, man, I am soooo done with this B.S. pool cleaning gigs.
Actually... I've known a couple delivery men. It's exaggerated in porn, but it really does happen. Even to some pretty dumpy looking guys.
Guy has a crush on girl, but doesn't think she'd be interested. Meanwhile, either she feels the same way about him, or she's lonely and would welcome anyone's attention.
Then we have nice guy who fantasizes about hot girl who is in a serious relationship with big jerk. Through some series of events, hot girl thinks nice guy is kind of sweet. This angers big jerk, causing him to reveal his true nature to hot girl and lose her to nice guy.
Bumbling protagonist runs afoul of rich jerk, and decides the only solution is to win a big annual competition that rich jerk wins every year. Basically, Caddyshack, Summer Rental, One Crazy Summer and Revenge of the Nerds all use this plot in one form or another.
Every film that remotely has to do with high school has the Party Scene. You know the one I mean, it might come in various disguises, but its really the same party every time. And why is it that the party seems to always happen in the same house? Is there one house that Hollywood has set aside for the Party Scene? Does no one in a school district live in a ranch-style house anymore?
Plot contrivances abound when this scene happens. Nerdy shy main character gets an invite from the girl he likes whose parents are out of town/ the girl's former boyfriend/gang causes trouble/ shy kid does/says something incredibly stupid that makes him think the girl is not interested/ party usually ends when the cops (in Weird Science's case mutant marauders) arrive. See 10 Things I Hate About You, Can't Hardly Wait (The whole film is the HS Party Scene), Super Bad (2 parties in this one, but one is college/adults), and nearly every film ever made that has teenagers in them.
Another plot contrivance that bothers me is in alien films. Why is it that writers are so lazy that whenever we encounter another advanced race they are A) entirely naked or B) dressed completely the same in long robes or space suits. The space suits I can understand, but are we the only species in the universe with different tastes???
In movies about college or high school boys coming of age, somebody concocts a plan to peep at the hot chicks while they're naked. Bluto on the ladder in Animal House, the CCTV cameras in Revenge of the Nerds, the shower scene in Porky's, the webcam in American Pie.
In any sort of a disaster movie where the whole earth is threatened with destruction, you'll have the main characters who develop some plan, and then - invariably - there'll be some government bureaucrat who opposes them. "No, we must nuke it!" He usually says. He's normally a negative stereotype of the military, or maybe he's greedy or some other clichéd crap. And then it's a "race against time" as our protagonists try to implement their plan before the antagonist is able to carry out their evil scheme. :lookingup:
In the old slasher films, if you had sex or smoked pot you would be dismembered in a matter of minutes.
The girl twists her ankle or breaks a shoe while running from the killer.
Quote from: Jack on August 16, 2009, 04:40:37 PM
In any sort of a disaster movie where the whole earth is threatened with destruction, you'll have the main characters who develop some plan, and then - invariably - there'll be some government bureaucrat who opposes them. "No, we must nuke it!" He usually says. He's normally a negative stereotype of the military, or maybe he's greedy or some other clichéd crap. And then it's a "race against time" as our protagonists try to implement their plan before the antagonist is able to carry out their evil scheme. :lookingup:
And no matter what, Earth's last hope always turns out to be some combination of screwups, mavericks or people who have suffered some tragedy or disgrace. For one reason or another, the cream of the crop are either out of commission or completely oblivious.
And when it comes to fighting monsters and bad guys, who is better equipped than nerdy kids? The Monster Squad, The Goonies, Tommy Jarvis, the Losers Club, etc. Adults are just too unimaginative, and usually too busy doing grownup things to notice the vampire moving in next door, or that clown who's been hanging out in the catchbasins.