Such as the bad guy is always European (Die Hard, Hannibal Lecter etc), slghtly frumpy suburban mums always drive older Volvo estates (Medium, True Lies).
2007-03-11 11:59:56 · 21 answers · asked by Buckaroo Banzai 3 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Movies
People being blown 10 feet backwards by one gunshot. NOT POSSIBLE if you've heard of Sir Isaac Newton.
2007-03-11 12:03:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hannibal Lecter isn't European in the films. Although the actor, Anthony Hopkins, is Welsh, he does a good American accent. Still, I agree that the general "European (esp British) = bad guy" cliche is very annoying.
The thing that always annoys me about American TV shows is the use of "establishing shots" - you always have a quick shot of the outside of the building before going on to the scene inside. As if it matters what the outside of the Friends' apartment looks like, but you get it every single time.
And the other annoying thing is the way that American TV cops can always park exactly outside the building they're going to - they never have to park two streets away and walk.
2007-03-12 04:35:43 · answer #2 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The stereotyping of non Americans like a strange visual shorthand. Films that show a disater or good thing around the world always show at least two of these:
An Englishman in a suit with a bowler hat
A French man with a stripy top & some form of facial hair
Someone from Japan in glasses with either a neon sign or a PC
Someone Swedish,Russian or Swiss in the snow
A German person in Lederhosen
People from the Middle East in robes in the desert
I'm sure there is a scene in a film, possibly Independence Day, Deep Impact or Armageddon, where they show the goverments of these countries like this!
Of course World powers make their defence descisions in a tent or with onions round their neck!
Hilarious!
2007-03-12 01:54:24 · answer #3 · answered by kuro 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How the monster in movies nowadays always seem to follow the 'Aliens' plot. Prime annoyance..."It cut the power. How can it? It's an animal." I find myself counting the oblique references to James Cameron's film instead of watching the film.
How in movies someone asks a question and the woman or the black dude says "What?" ...as if they are not capable of understanding what is going on. Especially where a word is used to describe a person, place or thing....you get the 'Huh' response from the woman or the black guy or gal.
How when the woman falls down...the man always goes back to pick her up.
How too often a male white character tells a woman or black dude..."Don't touch me" or "Get your hands off me"...
and often in the same movie the white male character listens to the female or people of colour...without looking at them.
I sometimes go to movies with my friends....and whenever I see a black dude in an action movie, thriller, horror or sci fi movie...I will say out loud..."Ooops..there's a black guy...he's going to die". Just once I would like to hear a different quality to the laughter that always follows as the audience responds to my jibe. And there was a time I would rather have been wrong...as to just how many times I am right...about the brother dying...and often in the most grisly ways. As I said...there was a time...but times change.
How too often the black character puts it all on the line to save the white woman. her family and her child.(Man on Fire, Virtuosity, Pelican Brief, Alien 3, The Crow, Leviathan, Black Snake Moan, Freedomland)
...and how the white dude comes to the rescue of the black dude...(Amistad, Rules of Engagement, A Time to Kill...)
Just how often can one watch Sam Jackson die...again and again...
Anything by Spike Lee or Woody Allen...they and their movies are one giant cliche...especially watching them act in them...yuck!
watching anything with Judy Garland or Mickey Rooney after seeing the end finale in Babes on Broadway. Nothing quite like Mickey or Judy in blackface...nothing quite like it. Seeing is truly believing. And they were not the only celebs of that time engaging in such behaviour.....Not by a long shot.
Land of the free...home of the brave...
2007-03-11 13:16:34 · answer #4 · answered by Zholla 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The most common scripted line in all Hollywood productions (it was used at least once 84% of the time) from the late 30s to the mid 70s:
"Let's get outta here!"
2007-03-11 12:10:00 · answer #5 · answered by ShakaBuku 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1. Whenever a car crashes, it always explodes.
2. The good guys have perfect aim with a revolver, but the bad guys with machine guns can't manage to hit anyone!
3. The girlfriend walks in just as some pushy girl plants a kiss on the unsuspecting boyfriend (who is "powerless" to stop her) and then the girlfriend thinks he is cheating on her.
2007-03-11 12:44:00 · answer #6 · answered by Rissipop 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The fact that the american character in the movie always comes out shining with a halo and is always presented as the hero: just look at bruce willis,tom cruise etc, in any action movie...
also - those dumbass kids in lame horror movies whose line of thought is always "woaaah there was a big scary thing back there, let's drive back and see what it was!" (jeepers creepers is a perfect example )
2007-03-11 12:16:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
The "ugly American", the idea that when an American is abroad, he or she will display certain "typical" American traits, like loud boisterous superiority,in the case of men, or the ditzy rich materialist in the case of women
2007-03-11 12:15:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When the hero gets upset, 9 times out of 10, he will say "God-damn it!!!" in a really meaningful way at some point during the film.
2007-03-11 13:25:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fact that everytime there's a car chase there is always men moving a large piece of glass across a road!
2007-03-11 12:03:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋