Movie/TV clichés

[Sits]

Ah, by bumping this thread you've reminded me: The Night Agent is a pretty formulaic action series but dialogue cliché is top notch.

[tee rex]

Yoga only happens for one reason: sex. The character (usually female) does yoga which then leads to sex, or wanting sex, or otherwise "amusingly" introducing the subject of sex. Nobody ever does yoga for yoga, they do the instructor.

[Patrick Thistle]

I thought the "Jaynestown" episode of Firefly messed with this trope to very funny effect.

But even that was very similar to a Farscape episode where there's a statue of a Hyneerian in a random village.

And there was a Marvel Comic between Empire and Jedi where Luke and Leia find a statue of Han Solo on a planet in an almost identical story to Jaynestown.

[Snake Plissken]

Any spaceship crew making contact with different alien civilisations every episode will be mistaken for gods on one planet. This might mean they are worshipped or blamed for everything that's wrong in the world. Or both.

I thought the "Jaynestown" episode of Firefly messed with this trope to very funny effect.

[Walter Knight]

Any spaceship crew making contact with different alien civilisations every episode will be mistaken for gods on one planet. This might mean they are worshipped or blamed for everything that's wrong in the world. Or both.

On a broadly similar theme, an alien planet will only have one supreme ruler (and possibly some sort of rebels in opposition in a Star Wars-type production).
There's never different areas/blocs with different political/military/economic goals that have to try to reach consensus on matters of planet-wide importance. I appreciate that would make for boring viewing, but it also seems highly unlikely that if there is life on other planets, it wouldn't be at least as diverse in views/opinions/power structures as our relatively small home.

[Lang Spoon]

All ITV sitcoms are fucking shit

Especially ones from LWT

Thanks for that, man who lives pre-1992.

[Patrick Thistle]

Any spaceship crew making contact with different alien civilisations every episode will be mistaken for gods on one planet. This might mean they are worshipped or blamed for everything that's wrong in the world. Or both.

[Guy Profumo]

All ITV sitcoms are fucking shit

Especially ones from LWT

[Hot Pepsi]

Part of that is to be taller. See the previous discussion of Gal Gadot’s odd wedge boots in Wonder Woman.

[San Bernardhinault]

I don’t know if I’ve complained about this yet, and it really is “TV tropes I’m not OK with”..,

Woman protagonists in action and spy films and TV are always wearing inappropriate footwear. Usually leather, with heels at least a couple of cm high. They run, keeping up with bad guys, wearing these things. Climb down balconies. Get into marshal arts style fights.

You’d think that as highly trained agents they’d choose more practical shoes for the job. If so they might catch the bad guys quicker and win fights faster. And certainly after the first time they did it they’d put on some running shoes instead.

[tee rex]

In a diner/cafe, how do you use the items on your table?

The napkin ... for writing on, obviously. A phone number, a clue, whatever.

The fried egg ... for putting out your cigarette (preferably in the yolk, it's sunny side up).

The knife ... for pretending to put in your heart to show your feelings have been hurt by the person opposite, or by the sassy waitress.

[elguapo4]

If you're getting married in sitcom land, there's a very good chance that the minister will go sick the day before the ceremony. Don't worry, one of your friends will pipe up and announce that they are ordained, as they did it on the internet. So no need for stress (although there may be a need to punch your friend in the face for the smug way they announce this, like it was a surprise).

Or else one of them will confess an indiscretion that any normal person would take to their grave.

[pebblethefish]

If you're getting married in sitcom land, there's a very good chance that the minister will go sick the day before the ceremony. Don't worry, one of your friends will pipe up and announce that they are ordained, as they did it on the internet. So no need for stress (although there may be a need to punch your friend in the face for the smug way they announce this, like it was a surprise).

[Slightly Brown]

Need an actor to portray a female character with feelings that she is unwilling to vocalise but is clearly feeling deeply? Hire Scarlett Johansen.

Now, while I get your point, let’s not get carried away. Johansen is a brilliant actress. Her disembodied performance in the brilliant Her was superb. Actually, I think we’re making the same point. Och. Ok. I have a high-school crush on her. Don’t tell anyone.

[Patrick Thistle]

Need an actor to portray a female character with feelings that she is unwilling to vocalise but is clearly feeling deeply? Hire Scarlett Johansen.

[Lang Spoon]

I love my family and have nothing but good words to say about them (and for Herself's family too) but yeah. Even beyond movie cliche, "family is the most important thing" is like an absolute unquestionable tenet of life in Ireland, even though the majority of miseries here (and elsewhere, but the whole Land thing seems to amplify it here) seem to originate in family disputes and darkness.

[Hot Pepsi]

A few movies end that way, sort of.

[San Bernardhinault]

Yeah. No movie ends with "Yeah, I was right, my family are a total shower of scum, I knew I was better off without them" or "Yeah, I just have nothing in common with my family and everything about interacting with them is deeply awkward so I'll move off and just enjoy my life with the friends I had the ability to choose"

[Patrick Thistle]

The brother and sister or parent and child (you pick) will realise that after all the hardships they've been through in the film, the most important thing is that they love each other. Can also work for bickering husband and wife.

Just once I'd like to watch a movie where at the end the siblings decide that actually they still think each other dickheads and decide to go their separate ways.

[Sean of the Shed]

Having stealthily lifted a passcard for a secure building from another person, the person taking it might take a look at it, maybe from a couple different angles, or maybe flip it over to look at the back, and then maybe tap it onto their other hand a couple of times.
What they will never do is PUT IT STRAIGHT INTO THEIR FUCKING POCKET TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE THE CHANCE OF GETTING FUCKING CAUGHT WITH IT.

[G-Man]

Is your character staying in a cheap motel/hotel?

Then their room window will be right next to the flashing neon sign, which will intermittently illuminate the room, possibly accompanied by a buzzing sound. Curtains are not used.

And the bad guys/police will find the character, whereupon he or she will run to the bathroom to attempt an escape/retrieve a weapon with which to force an armed altercation/if not yet seen by the bad guys or police, plot a surprise ambush, often involving strangling somebody with the legs.

[jwdd27]

Is your character staying in a cheap motel/hotel?

Then their room window will be right next to the flashing neon sign, which will intermittently illuminate the room, possibly accompanied by a buzzing sound. Curtains are not used.

[Patrick Thistle]

Well as Jill says, cavalry boots need heels. It's particularly the heighteners used for shorter actresses (including Gal Gadot apparently) that attract her ire.

[Hot Pepsi]

Yeah, wedge heels.

Here's one of Jill's videos all about them.

https://youtu.be/ZTmTnWHXWqs

Oh, I see.

I was thinking of real combat boots and/or logger boots that have a pronounced heel to add support and traction, especially if you’re climbing trees.

That might be a better choice for superheroines.

[Patrick Thistle]

And here's a longer more recent video by Jill called "These Shoes Will Kill You."

https://youtu.be/LmfqjgNlj7Y