Film cliches you want to fuck off

[Small Man Big Horse]

If someone is outside a house (be they a robber, madman, monster, etc) they will always knock over a milk bottle, smashing it, so the person inside can hear.

That happened to me once, was in the second year of university when in the middle of the night I head a bottle smash, so I groggily went to the window and shouted "Fuck off out of it" and saw a bloke sprint across the garden and jump over a fence.

[greencalx]

More of a tv cliche I think but heavy rain at funerals. The fact that everyone's standing around a deep hole wearing black should be enough to tip the wink what's going on. You don't need to turn the hoses on as well.

[zomgmouse]

Any examples of that last one?

That last one courtesy of In Darkness which was a middling spy thriller with Natalie Dormer playing a blind pianist who walks past a violinist and proclaims "ah yes Wagner opus blah blah" or whatever it was. It just brought to mind similar scenes where characters would hear some music and say "oh yes this is Chopin's fiftieth nocturne in B minor most famously played by Bilbo Baggins in 1905" and then light a cigar and shoot a man in the face. Surely I'm not imagining this?

[lipsink]

Someone's daydreaming and hears a voice in the background calling their name. The voice is all muffled but gets clearer as the person snaps out of their daydream and comes back to reality.

[olliebean]

Cars rolling, shot from inside the car.

This is the new thing they've worked out how to film in the last few years without seriously injuring the actors, and not got bored with doing yet. Previously it was cars being hit from the side, shot from inside the car.

[Phil_A]

Man chasing someone else in a car chase scene, gets obstructed by something - fallen logs, lorry, train etc. - angrily slams fist into steering wheel and exclaims "DAMMIT!"

First remember seeing this in the X-Files in 1994, most recently in Bumblebee in 2018.

[St_Eddie]

Cars rolling, shot from inside the car.

This is the new thing they've worked out how to film in the last few years without seriously injuring the actors, and not got bored with doing yet. Previously it was cars being hit from the side, shot from inside the car.

If a temporary overabundance of this technique means that they'll be less silly looking shots of the camera spinning to simulate a rolling car, then I'll take it.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Man chasing someone else in a car chase scene, gets obstructed by something - fallen logs, lorry, train etc. - angrily slams fist into steering wheel and exclaims "DAMMIT!"

First remember seeing this in the X-Files in 1994, most recently in Bumblebee in 2018.

That's because the on foot equivalent is miles better.

[Rizla]

Any examples of that last one?

Ron Livingstone's character did it in the episode of Band of Brothers about the concentration camps.

[Bazooka]

Watched a film called Painless the other day on the plane, its dire, the main chap can't feel pain, so this bird with a cup of boiling coffee in her hands bumps into the bloke on the new York metro and burns him, the cliche? You might ask, well she gives him her name, which later leads to her giving him her number.

If this did happen it would certainly never happen on any major cities transportation system.

[Maurice Yeatman]

Cars rolling, shot from inside the car.

This is the new thing they've worked out how to film in the last few years without seriously injuring the actors, and not got bored with doing yet. Previously it was cars being hit from the side, shot from inside the car.

Literally just saw that effect tonight in Bird Box on Netflix, and it was actually during the best part of the film. (All downhill from there, and a very silly ending.)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Lit Bridge/walkway in a spaceship or something during an automated start up/shutdown switching the lights on in a linear sequence. Especially if the protagonist is racing to get back before the airlock shuts or something.

[lipsink]

When a character has been given food or drink that is poisoned they'll always put it to lips a few times as if they're about to eat/drink it and stop to say something first.

[Bazooka]

When a character has been given food or drink that is poisoned they'll always put it to lips a few times as if they're about to eat/drink it and stop to say something first.

Ha that's a good one, if I was the poisoner, I would say cheers, slam the vessels together and get it sorted.

[olliebean]

Lit Bridge/walkway in a spaceship or something during an automated start up/shutdown switching the lights on in a linear sequence. Especially if the protagonist is racing to get back before the airlock shuts or something.

Oh, also, lights making noise. From the "whump" that those sort of lights often make as they turn on, to the "whoosh" of a torch beam as it sweeps through the air. Ridiculous.

[Icehaven]

Someone just wanting their Dad (and sometimes their Mum) to be proud of them. Dad (or Mum) awkwardly spluttering "But I've always been proud of you!!" Cue tearful hug.

[Blumf]

Someone just wanting their Dad (and sometimes their Mum) to be proud of them. Dad (or Mum) awkwardly spluttering "But I've always been proud of you!!" Cue tearful hug.

Proud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOf6HXPPeQ4

[The Lion King]

A wild/kooky story or conspiracy theory follwed by a short pause and then 'I read it on the internet'. Everyone rolls their eyes.

Saw a variation of this in 2018 film 'Birdbox' earlier

[EOLAN]

Ha that's a good one, if I was the poisoner, I would say cheers, slam the vessels together and get it sorted.

Could see a fun version of this; where the splash caused by the slamming of the vessels leads to some of the poisoned liquid transferring to the poisoner's drink.

[Replies From View]

Watched a film called Painless the other day on the plane, its dire, the main chap can't feel pain, so this bird with a cup of boiling coffee in her hands bumps into the bloke on the new York metro and burns him, the cliche? You might ask, well she gives him her name, which later leads to her giving him her number.

Was his name "Painless"?

[Replies From View]

Cars rolling, shot from inside the car.

This is the new thing they've worked out how to film in the last few years without seriously injuring the actors, and not got bored with doing yet. Previously it was cars being hit from the side, shot from inside the car.

What does "cars rolling" mean?

Edit:  oh, tumbling around and around on its roof and that.  I was just picturing it rolling on its wheels at first.

[Replies From View]

Could see a fun version of this; where the splash caused by the slamming of the vessels leads to some of the poisoned liquid transferring to the poisoner's drink.

That's the origin of 'chinking glasses', isn't it?  The contents of the glasses would be mixed back and forth to show no poisoning had happened?

Or is that a myth?

[Cuellar]

I remember Karl Pilkington suggesting that on an xfm show/podcast and being (surprise surprise) derided by Gervais and Merchant.

Time has proved Gervais wrong on just about everything so it's probably true.

[Ornlu]

Probably been mentioned here already - probably numerous times - but christ, Character #1 joining in with the last few words of Character #2's dense, info-heavy sentence in a moment of confused, yet bonding synchronicity.

So poorly unrealistic and yet so prevalent, even crassly popping up in the (itself cliche-ridden) The Force Awakens the other night.

[olliebean]

I remember Karl Pilkington suggesting that on an xfm show/podcast and being (surprise surprise) derided by Gervais and Merchant.

Time has proved Gervais wrong on just about everything so it's probably true.

Snopes says no: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/of-drinks-and-clinks/

[Gulftastic]

Ron Livingstone's character did it in the episode of Band of Brothers about the concentration camps.

As a variation, Omar filling in tricky answers on someone else's crossword puzzle in 'The Wire'.

[lipsink]

How about:

Someone walks into a reception and thinks the person is a secretary.

"Hello, I'm here to speak to VERY IMPORTANT PERSON."

"Oh, hello I'm VERY IMPORTANT PERSON."

SHOCK! The VERY IMPORTANT PERSON is a WOMAN/YOUNG PERSON etc Mind blown!!!??!!!!


Also, in films just before a person storms into an office to have a row with someone a secretary will say:

"Sir, you can't go in there! HE'S IN A MEETING!!!"

[PlanktonSideburns]

Sir you can go in there!

HE'S HAVING A SHIT

[Blumf]

"Sir! You can't go in there"
"And why not? Try and stop me!"
"Because it's a closet"

Yeah... getting a bit bored of that joke.

[magval]

How about:

Someone walks into a reception and thinks the person is a secretary.

"Hello, I'm here to speak to VERY IMPORTANT PERSON."

"Oh, hello I'm VERY IMPORTANT PERSON."

SHOCK! The VERY IMPORTANT PERSON is a WOMAN/YOUNG PERSON etc Mind blown!!!??!!!!

Two GREAT examples of this, though.

1) Yoda

2) the cub in In The Loop that Tucker refuses to deal with.