Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

I'm annoyed by stuff like seeing the hero outracing a fireball
or seeing a group of characters, from right to left, walking in slow motion bad ass style towards the camera
or watching two characters part ways, with things left unsaid, and the camera follows the one character until they stop and slowly turn around to see the other character, waiting for them to turn around, so they can run back into their arms.

Every time I've stopped and turned around, the other person has already split like they couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

The main one I can think of is the slasher genre stereotype. Not all of them had nude chicks running around a camp. I'm not saying that it didn't happen, it just wasn't in every slasher movie either.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

As a high school teacher, I am really annoyed by the stereotypical high school teacher in any John Hughes movie -- or any movie about teaching for that matter.

TV shows don't get it right, either.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

I guess because it is easily recognizable, preachers or priests always are wearing the white collar. That is primarily a Catholic symbol. There are probably more churches that the preacher dressed in a suite or like the rest of us.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

How about the classic "hero leaping into the air and being propelled forward by an explosion and miraculously survives when in real life the protagonist would be turned into jelly from the inside".
Or the hero outracing machine gun bullets which seem aimed at his feet instead of his torso. Don't even get me started on the two hands firing two guns simultaneously nonsense.
Also I love the supermodel/nuclear physicist characters.

Or best of all: Happy endings. I love to see endings like in Dr. Strangelove where the world explodes.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

My pet peeve are those characters in any give movie that are the most intelligent always have to be the most annoying. That's done countless times. Watched Commando the other day and keeping in line with Mendoza's comment about out running machine gun bullets, what about when everyone is shooting machine guns and the hero or star doesn't get a scratch and every time the hero shoots he hit's some one.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Actually, they're quite common in protestant churches. However, if the writer doesn't have a specific church in mind, it's easier to fall on stereotypes than to hire a consultant.

Here's an idea, though. When location scouting, take pictures of what the resident clergy are wearing-- church architecture is often specific to a particular denomination. On the other, hand, so is pastoral style--which would probably be reflected in the script.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Next time you watch Aliens, don't watch it as a SF film. Watch it as "every war movie ever made, this time in space."

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

I don't think John was looking for movie cliches, so much as example of stereotypes of entire subsets/genres of films e.g., "all horror movies are gory".

Still a strange question anyway you look at it. The only misrepresentation of genres that come to mind is the expectation that a summer blockbuster should require checking one's brain at the door, i.e. a paragon of loud obnoxious mind-numbing stupidity. Animation == children is annoying as well.

--
H

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Me too, I'm really looking forward to this film if it ever get made.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Stereotypes run rampant through horror movies. The slut/party girl dies and the good girl lives. I wish someone would have the guts to change things up to where you don't watch a horror movie and realize who will live and die within the first five minutes.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

you're right.
I realized after I posted those were cliches not stereotypes.

the examples you posted are probably the most fundemental that come to mind.
Maybe another would be that romatic comedies have to be contemporary (in many ways I consider something like A Room With A View to be a romantic comedy, yet I wouldn't expect it to show up on a hi-light reel for that genre)
Or that French films are mostly dialouge driven and cerebral.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Does Jean-Pierre Melville count as cerebral?

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

When someone gets mentioned as being cast in a movie (or directing, etc.) and the immediate reaction is that he or she is only capable of repeating his or her most (in)famous performance.

It's especially annoying with, say, Brendan Fraser. Nobody ever remembers the great performances in The Quiet American or Gods and Monsters.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Oh, I don't know. The parallels between Joaquin Phoenix's performances in Gladiator and To Die For are interesting...

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

Yeah, foreign films = boring talkies drives me nuts.

It's not like other cultures just sit around watching high brow stuff...though of course apparently all Asian cinema is either kung-fu or 100 machine gun firefights.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is popcorn to the point of almost finishing up a bit schlocky, but if you say "hey want to catch this French film" you are going to get dismissed by anyone that would normally consider that film the best of the year if it was an American made July release. Oh the irony, the only people who don't give it a chance are the ones that would love it the most.


I agree with Jason on casting stereotypes..."oh that will suck/rock if X is in it". It continues to bug me when people are shocked and surprised by this "amazing" effort to do something different.

Sorry, but shouldn't we expect well-paid professional actors to have just a bit of range? Wow, Jordan could shoot AND play defense, unbelievable.


The popcorn/check your brain is one of my main axe grinders, I've ranted at HTF on many occassions about that, right before I bring up Raiders which is my version of "now STFU already".

It's not like my brain just wants to do math and ponder the meaning of life with a man dying of aids. My brain also likes to solve mysteries and see exciting escapes and experience adventure in far off lands with amazing creatures. Heck, it even likes to be scared for its life from time to time.

Problem is that if I have to check it at the door just to tolerate the film then my brain misses out on the fun...well usually if I had to check it at the door then my brain probably isn't missing a damn thing.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

It always annoys me when comedies (or romantic comedies) are funny in the first half of the movie only. At a certain point they decide to drop everything that made the movie enjoyable to further and/or finish a ho-hum plot. I've never understood this. Too many studios, directors, producers, or whoever seem to think we always need a real plot. Sometimes it can be fun just to go for a ride, you know?

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Most Hollywood movies are not made from an intellectual point of view (obviously), but an emotional one. If you want to convey to the audience the emotional impact of being in the presence of an explosion, say, then you've got to show them interacting with it. Otherwise it'll look like they weren't in danger at all.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

I'm sick to death of the "evil businessman" stereotype. But considering some of the things Hollywood studio execs do I can see why it gets rehashed again and again.

Re: Film stereotypes that annoy you...

I am tired of the damned "nerd" stereotype. Enough already with the guys with the glasses held together by a piece of tape. It seem like every teen comedy is required to have one. I swear the other day at the movies there were trailers where almost every one featured some variation on this. This is one stereotype that needs to be permanently retired.