Most overused Clichés in movies/TV shows?

[A380]

True. But it could also be knowing or affectionate, cos everyone knows 'thank you' in foreign, non?

My favourite languages wtf is Hunt for the Red October, which starts out being all Russian on the Soviet sub, and then conveniently switches to an all English script, cos yeah that would definitely happen.

Actually I thought that series did foreign language quite well. Starting in the actual language. Russian in this one , Spanish in Clear and Present danger then after a few minutes to establish that fading the dialogue down then back up switching to un- accented* English.

* mostly- looking at you Sean…

 

[8ball]

True. But it could also be knowing or affectionate, cos everyone knows 'thank you' in foreign, non?

My favourite languages wtf is Hunt for the Red October, which starts out being all Russian on the Soviet sub, and then conveniently switches to an all English script, cos yeah that would definitely happen.

Main character is a Scottish Lithuanian Russian submarine captain.

Wtf do you expect?

 

[JimW]

Remember that Private Schulz handled language switching really well, the Germans speaking German to each other spoke fluent vernacular English then if speaking English put on an accent. There was one scene in a car i recall where this was happening and the actors who shouldn't have understood carried that off convincingly even though all dialogue was in English.

 

[krtek a houby]

The bit where the character is dissing somebody else, and then they halt and say "he/she/they are behind me, arent they?"

 

[A380]

Remember that Private Schulz handled language switching really well, the Germans speaking German to each other spoke fluent vernacular English then if speaking English put on an accent. There was one scene in a car i recall where this was happening and the actors who shouldn't have understood carried that off convincingly even though all dialogue was in English.

I remember that as brilliant telly. Worried to rewatch it in case it’s actually rubbish.

 

[JimW]

I remember that as brilliant telly. Worried to rewatch it in case it’s actually rubbish.

I should seek it out, not seen it since broadcast and like you recall it was excellent. Will see if it's floating about the Internet.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

True. But it could also be knowing or affectionate, cos everyone knows 'thank you' in foreign, non?

My favourite languages wtf is Hunt for the Red October, which starts out being all Russian on the Soviet sub, and then conveniently switches to an all English script, cos yeah that would definitely happen.

I'll have you know I'm fluent in Danish now, after watching Borgen, tak.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I’ve seen lots of iron grates bolted into concrete walls that come free with a brief yank recently, have we had that one yet?

Sort of. There's a variation on theme in Fall on Netflix. Don't watch if you're afraid of heights.

Watch Fall | Netflix

Two friends fight to survive against punishing odds after a daring climb up a radio tower in the desert leaves them trapped 2,000 feet in the air.

www.netflix.com

 

[T & P]

In films featuring kids being bullied at school, the bully will regularly assault the kid in the school’s corridors in full view of everyone, with no consequences whatsoever. Then the one time the kid finally stands up to the bully and gives them a well deserved and long overdue slap, a teacher will witness it and the kid will be sent to the headmaster and punished or suspended. Bonus point for the bully’s parents suing for damages.

 

[Storm Fox]

In films featuring kids being bullied at school, the bully will regularly assault the kid in the school’s corridors in full view of everyone, with no consequences whatsoever. Then the one time the kid finally stands up to the bully and gives them a well deserved and long overdue slap, a teacher will witness it and the kid will be sent to the headmaster and punished or suspended. Bonus point for the bully’s parents suing for damages.

Yes, this happened to me IRL, at least the one time fighting back bit.

 

[krtek a houby]

The characters in EastEnders never watch EastEnders

 

[AverageJoe]

"you're outnumbered, ten to one"....


So we're going to fight you one at a time until you win...

 

[T & P]

"you're outnumbered, ten to one"....


So we're going to fight you one at a time until you win...

And on that general theme, the baddies’ henchmen will never have a firearm between them during such close combat scenes if our protagonist happens to lack one himself. Even when a few moments earlier our hero had just been involved in a ferocious gunfight with a bunch of other henchmen of the same organisation who were similarly armed to the teeth.

If only a single henchman involved in the current hand combat scene you describe had been issued with a gun, like all his colleagues outside the room had, he could have ended the protagonist’s life with a single shot.

 

[JimW]

I remember that as brilliant telly. Worried to rewatch it in case it’s actually rubbish.

Found it on a torrent site and it is just as good if not better than i remembered. Had completely forgotten Ian Richardson playing several different characters then there's a couple of absolutely fantastic cameos, Ken Campbell as an underwear factory owner being one.

 

[A380]

The characters in EastEnders never watch EastEnders

They are too busy watching Corry

 

[A380]

"you're outnumbered, ten to one"....


So we're going to fight you one at a time until you win...

‘And rather than shoot you from a distance with one of our many Gucci firearms, maintained to a military standard, we will not only queue up to fight you one at a time but will each use an esoteric weapon….’

 

[two sheds]

And when the hero/ine has overpowered the baddie and got the gun away from them, they always run off leaving the gun for the baddie to pick up and come after them with.

 

[iona]

Whenever someone needs a few drops of their own blood for something, they slice open the palm of their hand because of course that's not at all likely to damage some vital nerve or tendon, or have the wound keep reopening or get infected, or just be really fucking annoying not being able to use one hand while it heals. You'd think the people who apparently do this kind of blood magic all the time would've learnt at least.

 

[T & P]

Whenever someone needs a few drops of their own blood for something, they slice open the palm of their hand because of course that's not at all likely to damage some vital nerve or tendon, or have the wound keep reopening or get infected, or just be really fucking annoying not being able to use one hand while it heals. You'd think the people who apparently do this kind of blood magic all the time would've learnt at least.

Absolutely spot on example, and arguably one of the most ludicrous cliches ever as well, for the very reasons you state.

 

[iona]

Absolutely spot on example, and arguably one of the most ludicrous cliches ever as well, for the very reasons you state.

Your post on the vexed thread just reminded me of another.

Whenever anyone sends a text/whatsapp/etc it's always the first message in the conversation and there's just blank space on the phone screen above it, even if the other person is someone they definitely would've been in contact with before like a parent or child or partner.

 

[nick]

Shocked to see that we don't seem to have done the microwave thing yet.

Flammable / explosive item placed in a microwave will only ever go off once the microwave goes "ping"

 

[T & P]

Skyscrapers under construction are the location of choice for New York-based supervillains to have their final showdown fight with the superhero. Almost invariably it will involve the superhero’s love interest having been kidnapped and taken to the site as bait, precariously tied up hanging from a steel beam.

 

[T & P]

In kiddies animation comedies (and sometimes even live action grownup ones), when the characters enter a lift in the middle of a heated argument or a fight, all hostilities are paused for a moment as they ride the lift, smiling peacefully among the other lift passengers, whilst cheesy elevator ambient music is broadcast through the lift’s speakers (the music part being the really important, really hilarious bit). Hostilities are duly resumed the moment they exit the lift.

It wasn’t fucking funny the first time in cinematic history such trope appeared, and it is certainly still not funny in the subsequent 157 instances it’s been used. Even in kids’ films.

 

[T & P]

Villains in crime or horror films are surprisingly good at effortlessly finding out the telephone numbers of their intended victims or even the detective or FBI agent trying to hunt them down.

 

[iona]

A single blow to the head with a blunt object will pretty much always knock someone unconscious for howevermuch time you need to move the story on, after which they'll wake up miraculously concussion-free if you get to see them again

 

[T & P]

A single blow to the head with a blunt object will pretty much always knock someone unconscious for howevermuch time you need to move the story on, after which they'll wake up miraculously concussion-free if you get to see them again

And at the same time one blow is more than sufficient to kill someone in gentle Christie-style whodunnit films. The killer will not even bother to check for a pulse or bash the victim’s head a couple more times just to be sure.

 

[T & P]

In run down low-rent apartment blocks in America, the super hassling residents for the overdue rent will be a slimy, soulless, ugly middle aged twat with terrible personal hygiene, and wearing a white vest. If the struggling resident is an attractive woman, he will often propose other ways in which she can pay the rent.

 

[DaveCinzano]

In run down low-rent apartment blocks in America, the super hassling residents for the overdue rent will be a slimy, soulless, ugly middle aged twat with terrible personal hygiene, and wearing a white vest. If the struggling resident is an attractive woman, he will often propose other ways in which she can pay the rent.

Often with a chewed-down cigar poking out of the side of his mouth, and gripping a plunger in his hand

 

[DotCommunist]

In run down low-rent apartment blocks in America, the super hassling residents for the overdue rent will be a slimy, soulless, ugly middle aged twat with terrible personal hygiene, and wearing a white vest. If the struggling resident is an attractive woman, he will often propose other ways in which she can pay the rent.

verisimilitude

 

[Mumbles274]

I watched a film called Troll the other day. It was so spectacularly full of clichés and nonsense it was brilliant and hilarious. I'd recommend it for the Norwegonsense it is