Dumb Movie Cliches (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Scott]

in the last couple of weeks, i must have seen 3 or 4 movies that had a car going over the edge of something and exploding into a fireball- and everytime i see that, i flash on, i think it was saturday night live which had a skit with a shopping cart going over the edge of a cliff and exploding into a fireball.
i can never take a scene like that seriously anymore, and no matter how much i was into the movie before that happens, i always crack up thinking back on it, and it takes some effort to get back in.

 

[DougFND]

The Spontaneous Group Sing-along. You know what I'm talking about. All of the characters onscreen suddenly start singing an upbeat song.

An no, I'm not talking about musicals.

 

[WillG]

The Simpsons have gags all the time where something completely random combusts. In one episode, the kids of Springfield Elementary are rioting, a couple of the overturn the teacher's desk and it bursts into flames for no reason. In another, Homer is unsuccesfully trying to make breakfast for Mr. Burns. He settles on cereal, pours the milk in and the bowl bursts into flames.

 

[EricW]

whenever a bullet is extracted from a gunshot wound, the doctor extracts the bullet with tweezers from the wound and drops it onto a metal dish so you can hear the loud "clank"

 

[WillG]

And of course, very seldom is surgery required

 

[Danny Tse]

How about that light underneath the dashboard that shines up at the driver and the passenger as they have their dialog while driving?

 

[David Brown Eyes]

The use of nukes to save the world.

Armageadom,
Deap Impact,
10.5

etc...

 

[WillG]

Plot points being spoken about in over elaborate riddles. ie. Matrix Reloaded. Oracle, JUST TELL ME WHAT THE HELL I"M SUPPOSED TO DO.

 

[DaveGTP]

I always hate the "guy meets girl under false pretenses, girl finds out, girl breaks up, girl/guy get back together". Please, how many movies can they make with this same exact sequence of events?

And I am always amused by the explosions. That comment about the exploding shopping cart on SNL made me laugh - maybe it helps I worked at a grocery store as my first job.


And of course, the classic bad guys can't shoot.

 

[George_W_K]

I don't know, I kind of like it when cars explode when they go off the cliff. Makes me happy to have a sub.

 

[GARY C]

One I hate is the much overused bad foreshadowing

It's the one where they give you a view of the obvious 'trick' at the beginning of the movie (like showing someone afraid of something that they conquer at the end, or the secret device that no one has ever used this way only to be used that way to save the day).

They are so cheesy and obvious that it makes me wretch while watching some movies.

Also sequels that "redo" a shot/quote from the first movie in just a slightly different way.

 

[Terry Flink]

In "war" movies all explosions are huge balls of fire. Most military ordinance look like a dust cloud when exploding...too boring I guess.

Bullets that spark on everything they hit.

Head shots through a cars windshield that kill the driver and spatter blood on the windshield.

In major battle scenes everyone not "essential" to the story dies instantly no matter where they are shot.

Tires getting shot out.

 

[Anthony Neilson]

If the main character is a thief, he's always on his last job.

The Mayor's always just been on the phone "chewing" the police Captain's "ass off".

If a character is Oriental you get a little phrase of Chinese music every time he appears.

Similarly, anyone Celtic always gets Irish pipes on the soundtrack, even if they're Scottish.

 

[GARY C]

Ah, yes you reminded me of another.

Everyone dies! Why is it in most movies that start off with team of people only the main character and maybe 1 other (90% of the time someone they find that falls for the lead by the end) make it through to the end of the movie?

We don't always need someone to die to get "involved" with the flick.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Every bag of groceries has a loaf of french bread sticking out the top.

Any stormtrooper or orc who is killed screams like a cowboy named Wilhelm.

 

[Joey Skinner]

The angry police chief pulls the detective off the case then the detective solves the crime anyway. Saw this just the other day in "The Bone Collector".

 

[Terry Flink]

Oh yeah...the gun/bottle/vase/stick/etc. to the head knock out.

 

[Malcolm R]

How the protagonist being chased by a killer/monster finally shoots/hits the killer/monster, knocking them down (usually with a single shot), then either:

1. Every so slowly creeps up to the still form of the person/thing to see if it's really dead (which it never is, it just waits until they're hovering right over it to come back to consciousness).

or

2. Runs away, only to have to repeat the same chase again minutes or seconds later when the person/thing regains consciousness.

If I had a gun, I'd never approach the body or turn my back on it until I pumped every bullet I had into its head from a safe distance. If not a gun, I'd use some other tool, board, rock to smash its head in before I left the body.

These movies where people fire a single shot, knock down the killer, then break down crying, "it's over, it's over" only to have the guy get up and start chasing them again are ridiculous.

 

[RobertR]

The CEO of a corporation is always either a clueless old dodderer or an amoral thug utterly without compunction about murdering (even millions), stealing, kidnaping, etc.

 

[EricW]

assassins too.
(unless the theif/assassin is retired, and a bad guy is pulling him/her back in)


the main character cop NEVER calls for backup

does a throwing knife really INSTANTLY kill someone?

here's a more recent one:
if the bad guy is only seen by one person, he/she is imaginary.