Tropes that movies, etc. use that you hate.

[Admiral2]

I've recently been reminded of another thing that drives me crazy.

I was watching an episode of Space:1999 recently and the opening scene was in the command center of Moonbase Alpha when a space object is detected approaching the moon. The dialogue after the initial report went something like this:

Technician: "It's going to be close."

Commander: "How close?"

Technician: "Close."

You can replace the "close" with "bad" or "angry" or something and this particular exchange never ceases to grind my gears. When somebody says "bad" and I say "How bad?" I want a measurement, not a repeat. It doesn't happen often in TV or movies, but it stymies me every time I hear it 'cause I'm waiting for that measurement.

 

[captainkirk]

A trope that I can't believe I didn't think of sooner is the one where a character in a sci-fi story is having some sort of emotional breakdown and so someone else has to go into their memories. Star Trek's done this a bunch of times in stories such as Flashback, Lethe, and a slight variation in Extreme Measures. Plus others I can't recall offhand.

It's not that it's a bad concept for a story, it's just that I'm so tired of seeing it in Star Trek and other sci-fi shows.

 

[wayoung]

A trope that I can't believe I didn't think of sooner is the one where a character in a sci-fi story is having some sort of emotional breakdown and so someone else has to go into their memories. Star Trek's done this a bunch of times in stories such as Flashback, Lethe, and a slight variation in Extreme Measures. Plus others I can't recall offhand.

It's not that it's a bad concept for a story, it's just that I'm so tired of seeing it in Star Trek and other sci-fi shows.

Sci fi, especially long form, is terribly inconsistent with trauma. Every week characters do or witness shit that should devastate their mental health and 99.9% of the time it's shrugged off (well, it's the future, they've healed trauma), except for the episodes where it's a major plot point and then they do the above, or some other quick fix therapy. Detmer's trauma, as an example, was done pretty well - until suddenly it didn't exist anymore.

 

[Random_Spock]

"I need to talk to you"
Pause
"Alone"

Yea that one has been way overused.

 

[Admiral2]

Hitmen who have a ''no-women-no-children'' rule. How is that supposed to help Ian Wolfe or Glen Scarpelli?

I almost spat up my beverage watching VANTAGE POINT when a terrorist bent on carnage swerves out of the way of Frozen Kid in Street #4528.

I hate Vantage Point with a fiery passion, but not because of the assassin.

What really frosts me is the idiot Forest Whitaker played, who left his adolescent daughter on the street to get further involved in a terrorist situation he had no business getting involved in. He told the authorities what he saw. He needed to leave it that and go the fuck home.

In fact, the real problem with the movie is that nobody in it did anything that made sense except the terrorists! In an objective world, the target president would have been fucked.

 

[Kor]

Yeah, that movie stretches credibility even for the stereotypical action genre. It's supposed to be an action thriller, but
stuff like that makes it less thrilling.

Kor

 

[JirinPanthosa]

How easily people get forgiven for even the worst of crimes. In the adventure genre, if Adolf Hitler had a single moment where he realized the error of his ways and saved one Jewish person’s life, he’d be completely redeemed.

Like in Lost how

Spoiler

Ben gets to go to Heaven but Michael has to roam the island forever when his two murders were committed with a gun to his son’s head.

No matter how evil you are, you’re one good deed away from absolute forgiveness.

 

[Richard Baker]

How easily people get forgiven for even the worst of crimes. In the adventure genre, if Adolf Hitler had a single moment where he realized the error of his ways and saved one Jewish person’s life, he’d be completely redeemed.

Like in Lost how

Spoiler

Ben gets to go to Heaven but Michael has to roam the island forever when his two murders were committed with a gun to his son’s head.

Worked for Vader.
Slaughtered chirdren, destroyed countless lives, then one single decision later he gets to be a happy ghost

No matter how evil you are, you’re one good deed away from absolute forgiveness.

 

[ToddKent]

I'm getting tired of seeing renditions of Hell where where the person is in a scenario where they have to repeatedly relive a bad memory or where they have to exist in a completely mundane situation for eternity. Like, "Hell is waiting in line at the post office forever."

Yeah, that would suck but it would definitely be worse if your face was on fire and some creature was feasting on your intestines as you waited in line at the post office.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

"Hell is waiting in line at the post office forever."

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[ToddKent]

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Looks like a guy who talks like John Constantine and a guy who dresses like John Constantine.

 

[Farscape One]

Crowley and Castiel!

I love Crowley. He was awesome. So was Castiel.

 

[USS Firefly]

Crowley and Castiel!

I love Crowley. He was awesome. So was Castiel.

I love the humor with Castiel, but he is not a great God, I hope the Winchesters can save him

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Here's another one I just thought of while watching the latest ep of Blue Bloods:

When a place like a hospital, or university, is featured in a scene, but is given an obviously fake and generic name that has absolutely no meaning. Such as "New York Uptown Hospital", or "Central Chicago University". I really have no idea why shows keep doing this. Is there some reason they can't use real sounding names?

At least the L&O shows make half-hearted attempts to sound believable, they invented the fictional 'Hudson University' which pops up every so often. That may be a fake name, but it's still a name. So many other shows use obviously generic filler, for reasons I have yet to understand. Anybody know what those reasons could be?

It reminds me of the 'generic' products that used to pop up on store shelves when I was in junior high. No brand names or packaging of any kind, just bland filler. Six-packs labelled "BEER", cans of "CREAMED CORN" and "PEAS" and all that, even paperback books called "SCIENCE FICTION" or "ROMANCE" or whatever. That's what this looks like. I feel like there's an obvious reason I'm missing out on here...

 

[ThreeEdgedSword]

Does anyone know if this trope has a name:
It's sort of a group hero sequence, where the group all walk side-by-side, in slow-mo, looking very heroic and determined? Anyone know what I mean and where it was first used?

 

[J.T.B.]

Trope: If you're doing something nefarious and cross a wooded or fenced area, apparently there's a very good chance that a twig or wire will tear off a piece of your clothing for someone else to find.

It's sort of a group hero sequence, where the group all walk side-by-side, in slow-mo, looking very heroic and determined? Anyone know what I mean and where it was first used?

I think everyone knows what you mean. No slo-mo, but this is from 1969 (starts about 02:00):

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[Farscape One]

Here's another one I just thought of while watching the latest ep of Blue Bloods:

When a place like a hospital, or university, is featured in a scene, but is given an obviously fake and generic name that has absolutely no meaning. Such as "New York Uptown Hospital", or "Central Chicago University". I really have no idea why shows keep doing this. Is there some reason they can't use real sounding names?

At least the L&O shows make half-hearted attempts to sound believable, they invented the fictional 'Hudson University' which pops up every so often. That may be a fake name, but it's still a name. So many other shows use obviously generic filler, for reasons I have yet to understand. Anybody know what those reasons could be?

It reminds me of the 'generic' products that used to pop up on store shelves when I was in junior high. No brand names or packaging of any kind, just bland filler. Six-packs labelled "BEER", cans of "CREAMED CORN" and "PEAS" and all that, even paperback books called "SCIENCE FICTION" or "ROMANCE" or whatever. That's what this looks like. I feel like there's an obvious reason I'm missing out on here...

I'm almost certain it's due to legal reasons.

Sodas and beers, for example, would require permission from the company. Or unless they had a deal in place where they got money for their use.

Hospitals... I guess the logic there is if something bad happens in a show, and a real hospital name used, the actual hospital would think potential patients would look unfavorably at the real one.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Yeah, I figured as much.

Fucking lawyers.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

A character walks into a bar. 'Whadda want?' asks the bartender. 'Gimme a beer.' Bartender fills the mug and hands it to the character. There's never any follow up question about what kind of beer the guy wants, Coors, Bud, IPA, etc. The bartender must be psychic.

 

[USS Firefly]

A character walks into a bar. 'Whadda want?' asks the bartender. 'Gimme a beer.' Bartender fills the mug and hands it to the character. There's never any follow up question about what kind of beer the guy wants, Coors, Bud, IPA, etc. The bartender must be psychic.

I always assumed that Americans only have one kind of beer