Movie Cliches

[pepper67]

They try the crazy plan and fail hideously.

And then get bawled out by their boss for being total idiots.

I'd like to see that one.

[Deleted]

I realize that we've almost isolated this to Lifetime now, but if I ever see another man or woman pretend to be married to keep their job and then accidentally fall in love with that person they're only pretending to love while wacky hijinks ensue because of this development, I swear I will burst into tears. ABC Family was showing a movie like this starring Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, and Kevin Bacon. Granted, none of them are huge stars but we could at least do better than this old recycled plot if it doesn't involve Tori Spelling, right?

[MrsOldManBalls]

Is there a job out there that's worth marrying Tori Spelling?

[underjoyed]

I was recently reminded of one of my favourite movie cliches by The Interpreter: The Omniscient Detective. Apologies for the long post, but I thought this example needed a bit of illustration.

A common onscreen manifestation of The Omniscient Detective tends to involve a group of expendable cops going into the house of the mad bomber, serial killer or some other sadistic weirdo with a penchant for elaborate booby traps. Just as the expendable cops are about to open a door/pick up the phone/flush the toilet/dust for prints or perform some other traditional act of investigation, Omniscient Detective steps in and orders them to stop. He (it's usually a "he") then walks over to the implement of near-destruction and having inexplicably, yet thoroughly, sussed out the mode of the trap (no matter how complicated it is) disarms it or otherwise prevents catastrophe. The key to this scenario is that there never appears to be any possible way in which the Omniscient Detective could have known that the door/phone/toilet/what-have-you was rigged and thus credibly anticipated the fiendishly clever trap without being, well, omniscient.

Sample Scene:

[Interior: House of Maniac. Radio playing ironically-optimistic-music-of-impending-doom in the background. (Possibly Perfect Day by Lou Reed.) Hamster running in wheel in cage by window]

Expendable Cop 1 [upon seeing the entrance of the Ominiscient Detective]: Well, we're nearly done here, sir. We've dusted for prints, and we believe the baseball bat covered in blood and hair may just be the murder weapon.

[Omniscient Detective nods and looks pensive. Something isn't right, but what?]

Expendable Cop 2 [moving over to the radio]: God, I hate this song.

[Camera focuses in on his hand reaching for the off-button. It clicks off. Audience sighs with relief.]

Expendable Cop 2 [moving over to the window]: Awww, lookit the cute little hamster. Boy, my Susie's always wanted one of these. Maybe I'll just take this little fella home. [Reaches out to cage door].

[Omniscient Detective springs into action]: Wait! Don't move! That hamster cage is rigged. There are trip wires leading to the hamster's cage door. And the hamster food bowl isn't filled with dried corn niblets at all. That's highly explosive semtex!

[Camera close up reveals this to be the case. Expendable cops gaze admiringly at Omniscient Detective. In the cinema audience, a small, plaintive voice can be heard whispering: "But how did he know? How did he KNOW?!?]
#nosmileys

[Deleted]

I think this has been mentioned before (perhaps at the ooooold place) but it's worth mentioning again... In movies where a group of guys have to extensively train to get in shape for a vital mission there always seems to be a scene where you see the whole gang together striding confidently forward towards the camera, with stirring music in the background. They're ready to go!

Oh, and in movies like this? Doesn't it seem like often there are two guys who can't stand one another but patch up their differences under duress? (The Perfect Storm Comes to mind, but I know I've seen it elsewhere, more than a few times.)

[jennipoo]

I think this has been mentioned before (perhaps at the ooooold place) but it's worth mentioning again... In movies where a group of guys have to extensively train to get in shape for a vital mission there always seems to be a scene where you see the whole gang together striding confidently forward towards the camera, with stirring music in the background. They're ready to go!

This was Space Cowboys.

[Deleted]

JenniPoo said:

This was Space Cowboys.

And Armaggedon.

[whistletops]

And Monsters, Inc. But surely that was a parody of the other two.

[emersende]

Also in Very Bad Things. In the all-night WalMart or whatever, when they're buying the shovels and a chainsaw and luggage. I think it (slo-mo walk towards camera) signifies purposefulness.

[tommytimp]

And Reservoir Dogs, and Con Air, and Mystery Men. Welles probably did it first in one of his films. The Magnificent Striding Ambersons.