h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nobody -ever- realizes they've dropped something terribly important until -after- either the bad guy or some innocent bystander (usually some homeless wraith) has already picked it up and wandered off with it... even if it's the 400-pound statue that falls off the back of the pickup truck.

'Nonnie

In a horror film someone is walking down a corridor and suddenly a hand violently slaps the person on the shoulder. Is it the killer? No, it's just the person's friends who wanted to say "hi".

When someone turns on the TV to catch the news or whatever he/she watches it and is ALWAYS just in time to watch it. I mean, sometimes when you do that in real life the program/news report is only a couple of minutes away or you're slightly late and missed some of it.

When a man sees this nerdy secretary, she'll take of her glasses, undo her hair, wave her head about (usually in slow-motion) to let all the hair come down. And what a surprise, she's actually hot! But how come she never needs to use the glasses again...?

When a big action hero has a fight with a bear or something he gets scrathed, bleeds etc. but he doesn't seem to get hurt. Afterwards the heroine tries to heal his wounds the hero will go "Argh!" I think the fight he had before should of been a bit more painful, eh?

You forgot the very important foreplay to "When someone turns on the TV to catch the news..."
The person doing so, does it because he/she has been phoned by somebody else and told about the newsflash, which the other person is "just watching" as they speak. None the less, the very same show is starting when the phone-call receiver turns on his/her telly.

Oh, and have you noticed that no matter how many channels they have, nobody ever has to tell on which channel, the news are...

I think the days of having but one news-station dates back at the very least 25 years.

talk about the dead coming back to life...

OK, so this is hardly a cliche, yet, but it seems to be in vogue at the moment to have Films from the point of view of Ghosts, with Humes invading their space, instead of the other way round (those of you who have seen these films will know of what I talk, those who haven't shouldn't ask as it could spoil the films...)

Spooky...

I stillt hink one of the greatest abuses of film-clichés is the making of a good move - say, The Matrix or Highlander, which ENDS just before the scroll-text.
And then, as Hollywood realises the success, they make ANOTHER!!! Both the aforementioned movies END. The ending is NOT open, there are no options for a sequal, but that doesn't scare the box-office vultures in USA. Yuck!

A wee bit like the making of Titanic II, Lord of the Rings IV or - as is sadly being done - Rocky VI...

Rocky VI? Nah, you serious??? ....

Well that'll be full of Cliche's then!

'Tis the grim truth...

Some American companies just wont leave a dead horse without proper flogging.
But speaking of horses, did you ever see a bunch of horses run 20+ kilometres within ten minutes? I did on film once. The distance from Versailles castle to the Bastille-prison (both near/in Paris, France) in aforementioned time. Now THAT'S a FAST 'orse!

Blimey..... 120 Km/h....

I guess thes Film Makers just don't have any idea of geography... Well they are *mostly* American...

Hmmmm...

Isn't that assumption a kliché in itself?

Or is it just the ugly truth?

If it wasn't so true it would be a CLiche....

Hmmm... Not that I think the majority of people in Europe would know where in America London was....

London? In America? Hmmm...

I know where to find Denmark, USA, but that doesn't solve it. *Ponders*

Hmm, intriguing.... THought I'd posted a reply to this already!!!!

...

Well there is also a Paris, Texas, and it escapes me for the moment which states in the US also have Londons....

AS to a Cliche... How about the way people in films type at computer Keyboards... You'd think they were all touch typists...

Oh, and the way a voiceover always takes over from the written word on the screen....

I've heard of those. I'd like one, but they don't seem to be a part of my Microsoft license...

I must say the voiceover would be halpful I could rest my tired eyes from time to time.....

Although with all this time spent on H2G2 I get the feeling the Boss might notice something...

Bosses... Now THERE'S a cliché!

99 in 100 bosses in movies are so stereotypical that it hurts. Make that 9999 in 10000 if it's a detective/cop-movie!

This is more a TV situation than film, although it certainly happens there, too. One of the lead female characters is going through a tough time emotionally, but can't show her true feelings. She's just had a conversation with a friend or acquaintance, who's just left. As the Female Character closes the door, she leans back on it and slides down into a crouching position, head in hands, and frequently starts crying.

I have yet to see anyone do this in real life, perhaps because I'm a male who doesn't spy on emotionally troubled females, but I'd be interested to know the first recorded example of this characteristic moment - some actress (or scriptwriter) has a lot to answer for!

Good one!
That'd also be a great situation for a send-up film - herione collapses behind door, then person who has just left barges back in to get his [forgotten] coat/briefcase/whatever, sending heroine flying across room.

Hmm, yeah... But wouldn't that quickly turn into another cliché?

I am still a great fan of people, who can have a long, detailed phone-conversation with the one end (our end) doing 99% of the talking and the other none the less supplying endless information...
Like when the hero answers the phone, does a few 'yes' and 'no' and hangs up, then spends the next four minutes telling the others what the caller said. (The abridged version of what the caller said...)

I guess it's a matter of time before we also see one-line e-mails and hear the hero read half a novel from it.

-KC

Oh, yeah, continuity errors...

Like in Manhunt, (other day watched it), when the baddie gets it at the end, has a pool of blood all around him, yet when the police are standing over him, its all mysteriously vanished!!!

Or when people get shot, not having holes in their bodies or blood seeping out, but are still apparently dead...