Tropes that movies, etc. use that you hate.

[galleywest]

I have many least favorite movie/tv tropes tied for most annoying. One of them is how groups that survive the apocalypse always seem to be comprised of only useful members, with no crossover skills. Always someone good at shooting long distance, someone good at hand to hand combat, an electrician, an amazing driver, a medical doctor, someone who works for intelligence (knows the right people, knows where to go, knows a safe house, etc.), and an all purpose scientist who knows everything from botany to nuclear physics. It's never like a window washer, a hand model, a bank teller, and a hairdresser.

 

[dupersuper]

I have many least favorite movie/tv tropes tied for most annoying. One of them is how groups that survive the apocalypse always seem to be comprised of only useful members, with no crossover skills. Always someone good at shooting long distance, someone good at hand to hand combat, an electrician, an amazing driver, a medical doctor, someone who works for intelligence (knows the right people, knows where to go, knows a safe house, etc.), and an all purpose scientist who knows everything from botany to nuclear physics. It's never like a window washer, a hand model, a bank teller, and a hairdresser.

Might I suggest the series Last Man on Earth?

 

[Owain Taggart]

What's the idea behind it anyway? To add some kind of intimate, low budget feel, as though the audience doesn't know they're watching a movie that cost a kajillion dollars to make that used 17 cameras at different angles for each shot and then edited them 47 times?

I think it started with the Blair Witch Project, with the idea behind lost footage of a bunch of friends doing a home video. For the most part, I think it has its uses, such as in travel-logs, but I agree that it's overused now. One of the best uses I've seen is in Master & Commander with the sword fight. It was chaotic and it was hard to figure out what was happening, but that's precisely why they used it, because it was happening so fast.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

I think it started with the Blair Witch Project, with the idea behind lost footage of a bunch of friends doing a home video. For the most part, I think it has its uses, such as in travel-logs, but I agree that it's overused now. One of the best uses I've seen is in Master & Commander with the sword fight. It was chaotic and it was hard to figure out what was happening, but that's precisely why they used it, because it was happening so fast.

Found footage material was definitely popularized by The Blair Witch Project, but shaky cam stuff was already around in high profile properties. NYPD Blue began 6 years before Blair Witch, in 1993, and its signature style was the hand held shaky cam, setting it apart from the other police shows on the air and their style of the previously standard use of steadicam rigs.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Found footage material was definitely popularized by The Blair Witch Project, but shaky cam stuff was already around in high profile properties. NYPD Blue began 6 years before Blair Witch, in 1993, and its signature style was the hand held shaky cam, setting it apart from the other police shows on the air and their style of the previously standard use of steadicam rigs.

Ok, fair enough. I never watched that show, so I'm quite ignorant of it. Didn't realized it used shaky cam! That's actually quite interesting. That would mean Blair Witch is when it really took off.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

Ok, fair enough. I never watched that show, so I'm quite ignorant of it. Didn't realized it used shaky cam! That's actually quite interesting. That would mean Blair Witch is when it really took off.

Blair Witch is without a doubt what made found footage popular, but it wasn’t the first breakout shaky can film. The term goes as far back as the early ‘80s, when directors like Sam Raimi and the Coen Brothers were noted for using the style in movies like Evil Dead, Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. And they were emulating ‘60s directors like John Cassavetes, who used the style as far back as ‘62, when it was called the "shaky camera" style by the avant-garde master Jonas Mekas.

And NYPD Blue had a ton of immitators on television, with other hit shows like ER that followed using hand held cameras instead of steadicams.

Even in terms of blockbuster movies, Saving Private Ryan was a huge film who’s action sequences used shaky cam, and was released a year before Blair Witch.

Again, ‪‪I agree completely that TBWP changed things, and had a big influence, but hand held camera work predates it in both influential and popular works by many years.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Ok, well you sure schooled me Had no idea it was in use as early as the 60's. That's kind of crazy to think about.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

‪‪It’s bonkers how long some aspects of filmmaking have been around, and everything seems to have phases where popularity rises and wanes. Like lens flares weren’t anything new when JJ Abrams came around, but just like Blair Witch helping bring shaky cam shooting back to the forefront, he helped make those flares more popular for sure.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, the phases in 3D are one of the most obvious, because of the changing technology of course. It's fun to think of how older movies were done. Was watching the Alistair Sims version of A Christmas Carol recently and it made me wonder how they had the ghosts appear, because surely they didn't have chroma-keying back then?

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I'm watching 'Frogs' on MeTV and at the end of the movie Sam Elliott flags down a passing car. The driver rolls down the window and says 'Car trouble?' And Sam Elliott replies, 'It's a long story'. I hate when characters have important information but brush it off by saying, 'It's a long story.'

 

[Farscape One]

The reason that never happens? Something WILL be held against you. Everybody knows that. That's the reason why we never see anybody opting out of a situation like that. They know that despite what the commander just said, there WILL be consequences. You can't ignore that.

In BABYLON 5's "SEVERED DREAMS", right before the battle with the Earth fleet, Sheridan said to everyone in C&C that if anyone had an issue with what was about to happen can leave. A couple people actually left.

I thought that was not only refreshing because it occurs so damned few times, but also believable.

 

[cultcross]

The trope that bugs me the most is the delayed important information in order to create a better reveal scene.

The semi acceptable version:
"Captain, I think you'd better take a look at this"
"On my way." Not "at what?"



The really irritating version:
Two characters are in one location, there's a dramatic line reading giving away that one has an idea or information to reveal.
We're then in a different scene, at a clearly different location, some time later, and they've traveled there together, but seemingly no further conversation has yet taken place.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In BABYLON 5's "SEVERED DREAMS", right before the battle with the Earth fleet, Sheridan said to everyone in C&C that if anyone had an issue with what was about to happen can leave. A couple people actually left.

Probably because 1) they never expected to serve with Sheridan ever again, and 2) would probably be fighting against him in short order.

So the consequences of their decision to leave wouldn't be too important in the end.

 

[Farscape One]

Very possible motivations, and probably true. It might even be as simple as they didn't feel like being part of firing on their own fleet.

Regardless of the reasons, it was still refreshing to see because we never see it.

 

[the G-man]

A frequent Star Trek trope is when some specialized information is needed and one of the characters already has it because, "20th Cenutury goat milking is a hobby of mine."

No it's not. Shut up, Tom Paris.

Semi-related, but the number of classic rock songs that were still being played in the future is pretty weird, from Capt Kirk stealing a car to the Beastie Boys to the Robinson family cranking "Black Betty."

 

[Westie1701]

Semi-related, but the number of classic rock songs that were still being played in the future is pretty weird, from Capt Kirk stealing a car to the Beastie Boys to the Robinson family cranking "Black Betty."

I don't mind that one !

If I was in outer space in the 25th century I hope I'd still be listening to Rush's Tom Sawyer...

 

[galleywest]

After watching so many murder mysteries, the brilliant detective who's hard to work with and has a troubled relationship with his/her ex-spouse/children and a tormented past is an all-too-common trope. It's like you can't get promoted unless you're channeling a lot of angst.

 

[Richard Baker]

I particularly like COLUMBO because every week's murderer is generally a top-notch actor, but even better, Columbo's never in any jeopardy. Okay, 98 percent never.

What I really loved about "Columbo' was it was about the only "who dun it" where you knew who the murderer was at the very beginning and the rest of the show was a cat and mouse game of uncovering the truth. Also, not a single car chase in tbe entire series, which would have been hilarious with his Peugeot 403 Cabriolet

 

[J.T.B.]

People who are doing crimes, who are on the lam, who are having illicit affairs, who have hitmen after them, who like to walk around undressed and so on, don't close their blinds or curtains.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I particularly like COLUMBO because every week's murderer is generally a top-notch actor, but even better, Columbo's never in any jeopardy. Okay, 98 percent never.

I noticed Netflix has a new murder-mystery show coming out soon. The twist is that it's improv, and they'll have celebrity guests in on the action. Sounds quite fresh. Could be really good! Here's the description:

Welcome to Murderville, a new series starring Will Arnett as a detective who, in every episode, has to solve a murder with a new celebrity guest star as his partner. The catch is: the guest star is never given a script so they have to improvise their way through the case!