Topic: Film cliches you want to fuck off

[magval]

Aye what good does the repeating do? Nothing - but you've seen it in something else, so why not write it into your OWN script?

[notjosh]

Treble score if they go back too far and not far enough (or vice versa). i.e., "What did you just say?" - "No, before that." - "No, after that!"

See also: an investigator hearing something on a tape recording and repeatedly rewinding it back in increasingly small increments until it's just one phrase repeated about 12 times. It's not until the 12th time that something clicks and the investigator goes "ohhhh, he's saying 'I did it', that must mean he did it".

Think this might have started with The Conversation but can also be spotted in The Sixth Sense, I, Robot, and loads of CSI episodes, probably.

[AsparagusTrevor]

Probably in the thread already but the wide-eyed "wait a second - say that again" when a boffin needs a solution to a problem and someone says something seemingly unrelated that gives them an idea. Double score if they go back too far/not far enough and repeat some boring part of what they said. Just saw it in Dr Phibes Rises Again but it was in Independence Day as well.

And then the person will then just fuck off without telling anyone the epiphany/plan they've just had. Apparently the best way to work on a problem in a group is to have as few people know as little information as possible.

[Blumf]

Think this might have started with The Conversation

But there, the repetition has a real purpose; to clean up the recording, and because Harry misunderstands what turns out to be ambiguous phrases.

[kalowski]

But there, the repetition has a real purpose; to clean up the recording, and because Harry misunderstands what turns out to be ambiguous phrases.

I've often wondered if they rerecorded the phrase, because I got the same sense as Harry and had the same revelation when it was heard later on.

[greencalx]

The use of home cine camera footage in contemporary films to depict happy memories from the recent past.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Have any film cliches actually fucked off for good? Not as a result of this thread, we can only dream of wielding such power, but because their ubiquity has rendered them obsolete, apart from when used in a deliberately parodic context?

I can't imagine our old favourite, the hobo tossing his bottle of grog away after witnessing something crazy, being used these days even as a gag at the cliche's expense. It's too played out. Same goes for the POV shot of a murderer startling their intended victim. "Oh, it's you! Phew, you scared me! Wait, wait, what are you doing?! Aaaargh!"

You're not going to see that in a film made now, are you? Maybe I'm giving hack filmmakers too much credit, I dunno.

[beanheadmcginty]

Fight scene bursting in on a topless woman seems unlikely to happen in these PG-13 regimented times.

[Blumf]

Do they still pan away to the fireplace in love scenes?

[Gulftastic]

Fight scene bursting in on a topless woman seems unlikely to happen in these PG-13 regimented times.

Commando is my favourite for that. How hard were that couple fucking that they couldn't hear Arnie and the Green Beret fighting and shooting at each other through the adjoining door?

[Sebastian Cobb]

The use of home cine camera footage in contemporary films to depict happy memories from the recent past.

Now replaced with low-quality video camcorder footage. The latest Shane Meadows thing with Stephen Graham being a prime example.

[Blumf]

Commando is my favourite for that. How hard were that couple fucking that they couldn't hear Arnie and the Green Beret fighting and shooting at each other through the adjoining door?

Plus, what exactly were they up to? The lady appears to be behind the man, who's on all fours.

[olliebean]

The use of home cine camera footage in contemporary films to depict happy memories from the recent past.

It's the only way to get footage without timecodes and flashing "REC" indicators burned into the corners of the frame.

[beanheadmcginty]

Plus, what exactly were they up to? The lady appears to be behind the man, who's on all fours.

He's letting off some steam with a spot of light pegging.

[greencalx]

Now replaced with low-quality video camcorder footage. The latest Shane Meadows thing with Stephen Graham being a prime example.

But it hasn’t entirely replaced it - that’s the point. It’s a bit incongruous to have a movie where twenty somethings are talking to each other on smartphones and you then see some cinefilm footage of them as kids, when these two technologies are over 50 years apart.

Admittedly the example that brought this to mind (a fantasy sequence in La La Land) doesn’t quite fit the cliche, because it was imagined events rather than a way to signify a flashback. And perhaps it’s the case that it was done knowingly, due to the movie industry featuring in the film - but I’m not sure it was quite clever enough for that.

[idunnosomename]

Bring back exposition via spinning newspapers I say. Except they can now be tweets or something

[icehaven]

Do they still pan away to the fireplace in love scenes?

Or waves crashing on a beach with increasing speed?

[ProvanFan]

The Weekenders has a great spinning newspaper bit

[Andy147]

Have any film cliches actually fucked off for good? Not as a result of this thread, we can only dream of wielding such power, but because their ubiquity has rendered them obsolete, apart from when used in a deliberately parodic context?

I can't imagine our old favourite, the hobo tossing his bottle of grog away after witnessing something crazy, being used these days even as a gag at the cliche's expense. It's too played out. Same goes for the POV shot of a murderer startling their intended victim. "Oh, it's you! Phew, you scared me! Wait, wait, what are you doing?! Aaaargh!"

You're not going to see that in a film made now, are you? Maybe I'm giving hack filmmakers too much credit, I dunno.

TV Tropes has:
"Discredited Trope" - cliches and outdated tropes
"Dead Horse Trope" - tropes which are beyond discredited and only used as a joke
"Forgotten Trope" - beyond the above; not even used as a joke any more

It notes that Forgotten Tropes tend to be ones that have become outdated.

[Hand Solo]

I've just seen the trailer for Four Kids and It.

-Awful crass `hip' update of an old children's property
-Wish for things like `to be a famous singer' so they can include a load of Glee type dramatics and dancing
-Entirely CGI Psammead with awful character design who is bizarrely voiced by Michael Caine
-Lots of Russell Brand
-Angry Birds jokes and product placement

[Clownbaby]

I've just seen the trailer for Four Kids and It.

-Awful crass `hip' update of an old children's property
-Wish for things like `to be a famous singer' so they can include a load of Glee type dramatics and dancing
-Entirely CGI Psammead with awful character design who is bizarrely voiced by Michael Caine
-Lots of Russell Brand
-Angry Birds jokes and product placement

Did the other 5 Children And It movie even do well? I've never thought of it as a story that anyone seemed that bothered about. Not kids back in 2004 and certainly not kids now. Maybe I'm missing something

[Sebastian Cobb]

The studious protagonist visits an old mage to play Go or Chess with them.

Bonus points if the mage dies and they visit the property to find the game board completed at a winning move.

[Hand Solo]

Did the other 5 Children And It movie even do well? I've never thought of it as a story that anyone seemed that bothered about. Not kids back in 2004 and certainly not kids now. Maybe I'm missing something

They've made it more accessible though by calling it FOUR KIDS AND IT, four isn't as tough to count to as five and children is too long a word! Michael Caine also just seems an odd choice for the voice, sounds like he's phoning it in during a mogadon haze. Russell Brand is just Russell Brand, annoying and superfluous but they've made him anachronistic so he doesn't even know what a Smartphones is. Hilarious.

The studious protagonist visits an old mage to play Go or Chess with them.

Bonus points if the mage dies and they visit the property to find the game board completed at a winning move

Literally never seen this done.

[dissolute ocelot]

Did the other 5 Children And It movie even do well? I've never thought of it as a story that anyone seemed that bothered about. Not kids back in 2004 and certainly not kids now. Maybe I'm missing something

The BBC TV adaptation was well received, but it doesn't seem like a story that would have much currency outside the UK. Reportedly the 2004 movie made a total of $5m worldwide (mostly UK and France), without a US theatrical release; I can't imagine that was a good return with all those special effects and big supporting actors.

Back to the theme, having a monster/creature called "it" or "thing" or something similarly unimaginative is a bit lame, even if there are some good films that do it.

[Hand Solo]

The BBC TV adaptation was well received, but it doesn't seem like a story that would have much currency outside the UK. Reportedly the 2004 movie made a total of $5m worldwide (mostly UK and France), without a US theatrical release; I can't imagine that was a good return with all those special effects and big supporting actors.

Back to the theme, having a monster/creature called "it" or "thing" or something similarly unimaginative is a bit lame, even if there are some good films that do it.

Apparently this new one is based on a 2012 novel called Four Children and It and one of the characters actually has a copy of Five Children and It in the story, how hack is that? The CGI character design is shite as well, the description in the original 1902 novel is more interesting:

In Five Children and It, the Psammead is described as having "eyes [that] were on long horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider's and covered with thick soft fur; its legs and arms were furry too, and it had hands and feet like a monkey's" and whiskers like a rat's. When it grants wishes it stretches out its eyes, holds its breath and swells alarmingly.

The new one looks like a shit furry ET, and Russell Brand playing the antagonist goes from playing a backward doesn't know what a Smartphones is loon to operating a modern JCB to dig the Psammead out of its sandpit so he can use it to conquer the world or some shit?

[popcorn]

SOUNDS LIKE MY MOTHER-IN-LAW!!!!!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Literally never seen this done.

Darren Aronofski's Pi would be a starting point, there are others.

[lipsink]

The slow clap that builds to a huge applause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTiJEYqqY8

The 'Cool Runnings' version of this got me as a kid. I saw it last night in the Eurovision movie (which was kinda shit)

EDIT: Is 'Cool Runnings' considered a good film? It's funny, right?

[Gulftastic]

The slow clap that builds to a huge applause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTiJEYqqY8

The 'Cool Runnings' version of this got me as a kid. I saw it last night in the Eurovision movie (which was kinda shit)

EDIT: Is 'Cool Runnings' considered a good film? It's funny, right?

It's OK aside from the 'white saviour' trope being front and centre.

[olliebean]

In any horde of unusual flying creatures, one of them must fly right up to give the camera a decent close-up for a second or two before zooming off to rejoin the rest.