I was looking at a "D" movie (makes a "B" movie look like Citizen Kane, on the SyFy channel the other night. You know, almost no plot. Incredibly stupid human beings with absolutely no survival instinct. Really, really bad CGI. And as they piled the cliches one on top of the other, i began to wonder if anyone else has a particularly dumb cliche that drives them up a wall. Like how a character is about to escape and an article of clothing gets caught - and they waste valuable time trying to free themselves - as opposed to tearing themselves loose and running like hell. Or forgetting that humans are primates - but no one considers escaping the killer fish by climbing a tree. Or someone runs up and tells you something with lots of teeth and appetite is headed your way - and the character they just told, stops to argue about that being a physical impossibility. Or how about Hollyweird allowing their politics to seep over into everything. For example, because Hollyweird is anti gun, no one is armed - when any sane human being would be (how about stepping onto either of the Jurassic park Islands - and not be armed to the teeth - say what!). They do these things over and over again. Is there some reason they keep using the same old tired plot devices? Is it part of the bylaws of the Screenwriters guild. Or just simple laziness. I mean we all loved it when Indiana simply shot the swordsman, so why not more surprising scenes?
Hmmmmm... Most Dem's are 18 to 35, so it helps the as the can not think on there own. ;D But that's just my way of thinking. :))
Now you know WHY some of us do not look at TV. ;D
Quote from: walkstall on April 29, 2011, 05:20:43 PM
Hmmmmm... Most Dem's are 18 to 35, so it helps the as the can not think on there own. ;D But that's just my way of thinking. :))
Now you know WHY some of us do not look at TV. ;D
You may be on to something here, they play to a certain demographic, "young and stupid!"
One of my points of contention is when these leftists try and portray the Military in the poorest of light.
Last night we got a new DVD from Netflix called "Surface", I love scifi! 8)
This one really sucked, the Gov called a quarantine on a tiny town on the coast, they had the Army abusing the citizenry as if everyone were criminals.
I guess these idiots never read the Constitution, the Military can't be used in this manner.
But hey, its Hollyweird. ::)
I have always loved it in movies when the "weak" female runs from her crazed attacker and always manages to fall down, twist an ankle and gets caught.... :o :o
Quote from: Solars Toy on April 29, 2011, 08:00:39 PM
I have always loved it in movies when the "weak" female runs from her crazed attacker and always manages to fall down, twist an ankle and gets caught.... :o :o
Or when she manages to slap him.
Yeah, that works well.
(https://conservativepoliticalforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gunaxin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F09%2Fslapping-barbara_eden1.jpg&hash=32b0aba8e2e7428c86a97d9e78c68dbfcd7dd4a3)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage)
Have fun.
After some hugely expensive theatrical flops, the major studios decided to focus on known audience types, and cater to genre productions which meet all the required action and plot points suited to that genre.
It does not have to be good. U.S. television actors (until about 2000) rarely were much good, anyway. (You do know the guy in House is English, yes? Hugh Laurie has more talent in his little toe than most of the simpletons.)
If you want stereotypes, look at how Hollywood tends to like Brits and foreigners for the villain's job. Gary Oldman disproves it's the accent that makes the bad guy (though Hans Gruber and later his brother BOTH had strong English accents). Ian Richardson and Ian MacShane --- or O'Toole or Burton or legions more --- all were brilliantly evil on-screen.
Hollywood hires foreigners to try and make up for poor decisions made during their writing-by-committee process. (John Hurt gets a fair chunk of that trade, saving Hellboy and epitomizing the new Big Brother, in V for Vendetta. Among a whole bunch of others.)
Quote from: Danny Borden on April 29, 2011, 09:21:53 PM
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage)
Have fun.
Interesting Danny. :)
Quote from: Solars Toy on April 29, 2011, 08:00:39 PM
I have always loved it in movies when the "weak" female runs from her crazed attacker and always manages to fall down, twist an ankle and gets caught.... :o :o
How about she's in the attic with the killer, and she screams while backing up - past the fireplace poker, the baseball bat, great-grandpa's old calvary sword - you know - the stuff she might actually use to defend herself! ::)
Quote from: mdgiles on May 01, 2011, 04:52:35 PM
How about she's in the attic with the killer, and she screams while backing up - past the fireplace poker, the baseball bat, great-grandpa's old calvary sword - you know - the stuff she might actually use to defend herself! ::)
:D :D :D :D
One of my issues with bad horror films is, they will wander all throughout the house in pitch dark, when all they had to do was turn on a freakin light.
Or the phone rings and the caller says hes watching you, and the person sits there and cowers on the couch.
I know if I had gotten one of those calls as a kid, the first thing I would have done is grab my M1 Carbine, then dial "O" get the cops and call the neighbor to tell them I just called the cops on your sorry ass, and the cops are on the way, but who will get there first, my 30 caliber round, or the cops.
They'd never pull that shit again. :D
Quote from: mdgiles on May 01, 2011, 04:52:35 PM
How about she's in the attic with the killer, and she screams while backing up - past the fireplace poker, the baseball bat, great-grandpa's old calvary sword - you know - the stuff she might actually use to defend herself! ::)
I know - everything at their disposal and all they do is stand and scream. Usually in the middle of nowhere so there is no one to hear them.
Or better yet the car that ran fine 15 minutes ago now will not start.... isn't that the kind of emergency the gun in the glove box is for? :) :)
How this looking at Ironman (A movie I love incidentally) the other day. Two things.
First, there is the scene where Tony Stark is coming back from the weapons demonstration - in a simple convoy of Humvees. Uh, Stark is a major defense contractor, not to mention a certified genius. Think they might provide a little more security? You know couple of strikers. Some Apaches flying top cover. Predators to keep an eye on what's going on.
Second Stane takes Stark's "Arc Generator" - which he replaces with the prototype he made in a cave in Afghanistan. I don't know about you, but if I had Stark's money and his facilities: and if my life depended on it, I would have a wall safe full of "Arc Generators".
Oh, and will someone explain to "Gen. Thuderbolt Ross" that the 13th Amendment means "Bruce Banner" can't be "government property"?
Once again it required that the hero act like an idiot, to advance the plot.
Quote from: mdgiles on May 08, 2011, 03:03:52 PM
How this looking at Ironman (A movie I love incidentally) the other day. Two things.
First, there is the scene where Tony Stark is coming back from the weapons demonstration - in a simple convoy of Humvees. Uh, Stark is a major defense contractor, not to mention a certified genius. Think they might provide a little more security? You know couple of strikers. Some Apaches flying top cover. Predators to keep an eye on what's going on.
Second Stane takes Stark's "Arc Generator" - which he replaces with the prototype he made in a cave in Afghanistan. I don't know about you, but if I had Stark's money and his facilities: and if my life depended on it, I would have a wall safe full of "Arc Generators".
Oh, and will someone explain to "Gen. Thuderbolt Ross" that the 13th Amendment means "Bruce Banner" can't be "government property"?
Once again it required that the hero act like an idiot, to advance the plot.
:D :D :D :D
Normally I would say they thought you would never notice, but in this case, Hollywood is clueless about our Bill of rights.
They are simply ignorant, and think that the Gov owns everything, and merely doles out what they think we need or should have.
Quote from: Solar on May 08, 2011, 04:37:30 PM
:D :D :D :D
Normally I would say they thought you would never notice, but in this case, Hollywood is clueless about our Bill of rights.
They are simply ignorant, and think that the Gov owns everything, and merely doles out what they think we need or should have.
It's something you see time after time in movies. It's the operating assumption that the government can do just about anything. Think about the "Incredible Hulk". There's one scene where they are the army is simply coming on to a University's campus to apprehend him. Like some left wing university is going to be understanding about it? This place have a School of Law? And last I checked, the FBI would be the ones apprehending Banner inside the US. Little thing called Posse Comitatus? I realize that these movies are based on comic books, but that's simply basic knowledge. I don't recall anything about the Governor of the state that university was in declaring Martial Law?
Oh yeah, and a General, sitting in a civilian bar, in uniform, getting drunk (and disgracing the uniform he's worn for about forty years) - only in Hollywood's dreams.
Quote from: mdgiles on May 08, 2011, 05:23:51 PM
It's something you see time after time in movies. It's the operating assumption that the government can do just about anything. Think about the "Incredible Hulk". There's one scene where they are the army is simply coming on to a University's campus to apprehend him. Like some left wing university is going to be understanding about it? This place have a School of Law? And last I checked, the FBI would be the ones apprehending Banner inside the US. Little thing called Posse Comitatus? I realize that these movies are based on comic books, but that's simply basic knowledge. I don't recall anything about the Governor of the state that university was in declaring Martial Law?
Oh yeah, and a General, sitting in a civilian bar, in uniform, getting drunk (and disgracing the uniform he's worn for about forty years) - only in Hollywood's dreams.
Now you know where most libs get their education, Hollywood.
Another Hollyweird cliche...
He who dies in a gunfight is NEVER carted away by the guy that shot him. That's what villagers or undertakers are for.
Westerns are so cliche-ridden, it's a wonder we watch 'em. (I LOVE 'em!!! :P :P :P)
EVERY western hero has a congenital idiot for a sidekick. Roy Rogers had Pat Brady. Gene Autry had Smiley Burnette. John Wayne had legions of 'em, including Chill Wills, Slim Pickens, and most especially Hank Worden, who appeared in 17 of Wayne's movies.
Anyone remember Brisco County? That was written using every possible cliche available, they may have even invented some.
But in any case, those cliches were also moral messages, heroes were always cool, so everyone wanted to be cool.
If you all remember, pretending to be the hero came with responsibility, you always had to be fair and do the right thing.
Nowadays, the hero is usually a nice guy wronged and seeking revenge. (think Dexter)
And we wonder what is wrong with todays generation.
Do all Hollywood writers sleep through science classes? Channel hopping came across Avatar, part where they were talking about the super, duper new power source. Uh guys, a little basic astrophysics. The sun and all the planets in any given star system coalesce out of the same cloud of dust and gas; which means if you find something on one planet in a star system, there is an excellent chance you'll find it on other planets in that star system. Not to mention that you're scientifically advanced enough to clone an alien species and travel all the way through space to get to this planet, but you can't figure out an answer to energy problems? Reminds me of a couple of other SciFi movies/series I saw. One was named Kronos - where a giant robot comes from outer space to steal Earth's energy. It converts energy into mass. So is there some reason those advanced aliens missed that big glowing ball of energy in the sky? Another was the series "V" - where they're here to steal the water. So let me see, these "advanced" aliens are going to lug Earth's water out of the planet's gravity well - as opposed to going to the Oort Cloud or the Kuiper Belt where there are literally planetoids of ice floating around in zero gravity.
Oh yeah. And why is it in these disaster movies plans are always set in motion to save important people - like politicians (Deep Impact) or giraffes (2012), but the rest of the population is always on it's own. They build some survival ships - IN SECRET - for a select few, instead of announcing the coming disaster and commencing a crash program to save as many as possible. And why do they always show problems getting out of cities. MILLIONS of people travel in and out of major cities EVERY DAY and more on holidays. Cities are evacuated when ever a hurricane is in the offing. With all the roadways, bridges and tunnels going in one direction why do they believe it would be impossible to move these populations - especially when the plot has given them weeks of warning?
Next cliche. There's been a shootout. Somehow the hero - with a pistol - has managed to defeat numerous bad guys - with automatic weapons. Here's an idea, how about you pick up one of those automatic weapons and all that ammo lying around. Oh hell no - I'll just limp forward with this - damn near empty - pistol. Anybody who has ever played a video game knows to pick up the better weapons - but not Hollywood writers for some reason. Oh, and if the villain's vehicle is outside; maybe you should check before you go rushing into the building.
Why don't we have more ugly heros? We teach our children to equate being physically attractive with being a good person. Heros are never ugly and usually very handsome. Villans are often ugly or disfigured and generally worse dressers too. So if you want to be a good guy then you better be a good dresser and be handsome.
Also the good guys get the women. Totally unlike real life where women tend to prefer leather wearing alchoholics until their looks begin to fade and they become insecure and settle for the good guy.
I'd like to see that sort of male-female dynamic played out in a movie. I'd like to see a hero who was second choice with his romantic partner for totally superficial reasons. :P
Quote from: Dan on August 30, 2011, 07:42:14 AM
Why don't we have more ugly heros? We teach our children to equate being physically attractive with being a good person. Heros are never ugly and usually very handsome. Villans are often ugly or disfigured and generally worse dressers too. So if you want to be a good guy then you better be a good dresser and be handsome.
Also the good guys get the women. Totally unlike real life where women tend to prefer leather wearing alchoholics until their looks begin to fade and they become insecure and settle for the good guy.
I'd like to see that sort of male-female dynamic played out in a movie. I'd like to see a hero who was second choice with his romantic partner for totally superficial reasons. :P
Actually one of the greatest of Hollywood's old time stars - Bogie - wasn't what you would consider conventionally handsome.
As for the villains being better dressed, did anyone ever look better than the Nazi's? Let's face it, those black SS uniforms or the leather Gesapo trench coats, with matching fedora, were the "bomb"!
Here's a few:
In horror movies, hearing the sounds of screaming and murder upstairs, and going upstairs to see what's going on ???.
In disaster movies, the bomb that was supposed to blow up the asteroid fails to detonate and the heroes have to activate it by hand (Deep impact, Armageddon).
In any movie that's set in any European country (France, Germany, etc.), the main characters always have British accents ???.
Also, this is just one that personally annoys me: when they remake a Shakespeare play and set it in modern times, but keep the original dialogue (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet).
Quote from: CubaLibre on October 05, 2011, 05:20:54 AM
Here's a few:
In horror movies, hearing the sounds of screaming and murder upstairs, and going upstairs to see what's going on ??? .
In disaster movies, the bomb that was supposed to blow up the asteroid fails to detonate and the heroes have to activate it by hand (Deep impact, Armageddon).
In any movie that's set in any European country (France, Germany, etc.), the main characters always have British accents ??? .
Also, this is just one that personally annoys me: when they remake a Shakespeare play and set it in modern times, but keep the original dialogue (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet).
And the latest in a long line of hollyweird bastardizing movies like the Three Musketeers and one of the Musketeers is now a woman?
PC run a muck!
Quote from: Solar on October 05, 2011, 07:08:19 AM
And the latest in a long line of hollyweird bastardizing movies like the Three Musketeers and one of the Musketeers is now a woman?
PC run a muck!
Just like how they're turning old fairy tales and children's stories into "twighight-esque" supernatural romances.
[insert gag smiley]
Quote from: CubaLibre on October 05, 2011, 07:17:03 AM
Just like how they're turning old fairy tales and children's stories into "twighight-esque" supernatural romances.
[insert gag smiley]
I hadn't noticed that, though I don't have kids.
I have an idea:
Throw two dissimilar cops together--I don't know, make one old, one young, or one black, one white, heck, even make one a dog! They don't get along. The one is a "procedure guy" and the other is a loose cannon. They're on a case and one of them saves the life of the other, earning his grudging respect. Towards the end, the second saves the life of the first and they solve the case.
I bet you could make a sequel...!
Quote from: Dan on August 30, 2011, 07:42:14 AM
Why don't we have more ugly heros? We teach our children to equate being physically attractive with being a good person. Heros are never ugly and usually very handsome. Villans are often ugly or disfigured and generally worse dressers too. So if you want to be a good guy then you better be a good dresser and be handsome.
Also the good guys get the women. Totally unlike real life where women tend to prefer leather wearing alchoholics until their looks begin to fade and they become insecure and settle for the good guy.
I'd like to see that sort of male-female dynamic played out in a movie. I'd like to see a hero who was second choice with his romantic partner for totally superficial reasons. :P
Columbo??? But you are right today's hero's are either good looking or extremely buff (or both) and the women are all tall, size 0, with boobs. Hair color is optional.... On some of these cop shows the women cops are wearing skin tight pants and cleavage showing tops which I am sure you would find at any local police agency. :)
Exactly! And you can tell if the target market for a show is men or women based on the relative attractiveness of the men and women. When the woman is more attractive then it's a dude show. If the man is more attractive then it's a chick flick.
Quote from: Dan on October 09, 2011, 05:51:32 PM
Exactly! And you can tell if the target market for a show is men or women based on the relative attractiveness of the men and women. When the woman is more attractive then it's a dude show. If the man is more attractive then it's a chick flick.
Now that I think about it, almost all the people on the great cable shows look like normal human beings. Was there anyone on
The Sopranos or
The Wire you would have given a second glance on the streets? BTW, has it occurred to all those Leftists out in Hollyweird, that they almost always show any large organization, with power, abusing it. Normally it's an individual hero that stops them. This from people who always want to suppress the individual, in favor of - drum roll please - the largest organization of all - government.
megiles, it really depends on the network. HBO does exactly what you are saying. Same for FX with the shield and sons of anarchy. No Amercrombie and Fitch models on those shows. lol But AMC does a lot of great shows too like mad men and the walking dead with their fair share of pretty faces. Sometimes it makes sense. If everyone was "normal" looking on mad men then it would take away from the charm of the show so sometimes it works.