When people are on another planet and they say "Remember, we're the aliens here." That bugs the hell out of me! Like you just got off a spaceship, I think the entire crew is well aware of that!
Things you're tired of seeing in movies
- Thread starter Joosh
- Start date
That is true but humans are also arrogant and full of themselves so will always think the other guys are the aliens.
Why do all bricks of plastic explosive in movies seem come with self-adhesive pads so you can stick them to door frames? Every time I see explosives used to blow doors off someone just walks up and plop! the block sticks, no matter whether it's being applied to wood, metal, painted surfaces or anything else. I want some of that adhesive! It doesn't stick to anything in your bag but magically activates when slammed up against a door!
Secondly, these blocks of plastic explosive all seem to have little electronic detonators on the surface and whenever one is set a small red LED lights up and it goes BEEP!. Wouldn't the noise and light give away the location of the explosive and the person using it?
Secondly, these blocks of plastic explosive all seem to have little electronic detonators on the surface and whenever one is set a small red LED lights up and it goes BEEP!. Wouldn't the noise and light give away the location of the explosive and the person using it?
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Yeah, the red LED thing also appears on any tracking device or bug planted on anything or anyone. To activate just push the button and the LED lights up like nobody would notice a bright red LED blinking under their coffee table or lamp!
This is more do to laziness. For the most part in real life they already have the explosive prepared for whatever kind of breach they are attempting so of course it sticks but movie makers are not going to waste screen time on them preparing the explosive ahead of time and are just going to show them sticking it to whatever surface they want.
I totally agree about the LED lights as from what I have seen in real life explosives don't have any of that on them for the reasons already stated.
After watching the Mythbusters for 13 years with all of the explosions they did I don't think I ever saw them with blinkies or timers on explosives except when they were making fun of some of the hollywood tropes. They also had bomb experts helping them and made sure what they did was correct and safe, for the most part.
Speaking of beeps and lights, there's always a final "I'm gonna blow up" beep before the explosion. Wouldn't the "blow up" electrical signal, well, blow it up before the speaker had a chance to go beep in response to the same signal? Likewise the LEDs going to zero.
HanSolo2187
Active Member
We are seeing this more and more in movies lately - its the "flashback to hammer home the plot twist". Most recently, Joker comes to mind - when it was revealed the truth about Arthur and Sophie's relationship. Why not just let the audience (if they are even somewhat paying attention) deduce that what we saw earlier was in Arthur's mind and not reality? Or better yet - leave it ambiguous and open to the viewer's interpretation?
I feel these scenes are added as the result of screening tests and the constant dumbing-down a movie to the casual viewer.
I feel these scenes are added as the result of screening tests and the constant dumbing-down a movie to the casual viewer.
Bigdaddy
Master Member
I agree that they really beat the audience over the head with it in Joker but as you pointed out, it's for the casual viewer. I personally enjoy reveals like that with more subtlety (perhaps the filmmaker does too) but commercial success depends on appealing to a wide audience that might not always be as attentive to details as they should.
I've been told I should use flashbacks more in my own projects, but being a committee of one (and not selling tickets) allows me considerable creative freedom.
If I remember correctly the U2 did have a self-destruct during the cold war but the one shot down over the Soviet Union came down mostly intact because the pilot, Gary Powers, was not able to activate it after the missile hit and barely got out alive.
RedheadKevin
Well-Known Member
- CPR that works /Defibrillators that restart a heart.
- People surviving/walking away uninjured from MAJOR car/plane crashes.
- Concussions or other injuries that are shaken off like messy hair.
- Visible Script: When movie dialogue is delivered because it's written that way, not like a person would actually speak. You can tell it's a learned, memorized speech. One instance I can think of is in Harry Potter 4, when Harry gets to the Burrow. Fred and George appear and tell him to "let it all out," and they could hear him from the other room. The only problem is, Daniel Radcliffe wasn't being all that loud. They said the line about him shouting because it was written that way. It seemed out of place.
- Wilhelm Scream. I'm not really sick of it, but there should be some rules to how it's used: It should be used for comic effect. It shouldn't be used when an actual named character dies, only background characters. It shouldn't be used as a serious scream, etc.
- People surviving/walking away uninjured from MAJOR car/plane crashes.
- Concussions or other injuries that are shaken off like messy hair.
- Visible Script: When movie dialogue is delivered because it's written that way, not like a person would actually speak. You can tell it's a learned, memorized speech. One instance I can think of is in Harry Potter 4, when Harry gets to the Burrow. Fred and George appear and tell him to "let it all out," and they could hear him from the other room. The only problem is, Daniel Radcliffe wasn't being all that loud. They said the line about him shouting because it was written that way. It seemed out of place.
- Wilhelm Scream. I'm not really sick of it, but there should be some rules to how it's used: It should be used for comic effect. It shouldn't be used when an actual named character dies, only background characters. It shouldn't be used as a serious scream, etc.
Cephus
Master Member
I really am. It was one thing when it showed up as a sly wink at the audience, but it's just everywhere. Enough already. It's been in more than 400 movies and TV shows. It isn't funny anymore. It's just obnoxious.
I was watching a Mythbusters episode the other day and Tori shoots Grant, Raiders of the Lost Arc style, and they used it there for the comedy value but they don't slap you in the face with it. I also believe they have used it in a few other episodes for comedic effect.
Cephus
Master Member
As a comedic nod, that's fine, but we're talking serious movies where it just pops up out of the blue and completely takes you out of the action. There are some places where I don't mind it so much. They used it throughout the Indiana Jones trilogy and it sort of works because it's just prior to the general era that the scream was originally used (1951, by Sheb Wooley). But geez, give it up already! For as much as these movies cost to make, at least use new effects!
obrienizer
New Member
It's never a KILLER... it's always a SERIAL KILLER.
obrienizer
New Member
Yes, that's real world. You often find the words 'serial killer' in the tag line description of the movie when scrolling Netflix, etc. TV police shows also have an excess of serial killers as the bad guy. One person killing a lot of people, like in a Steven Segal movie, is indeed part of action, while a serial killer is a different beast, movie or real world. That isn't as over-used as 'terrorists', but still over-used.
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Richard Baker
Sr Member
OK, been watching an assortment of films and two have really worn their welcome.
Glowing eyes. Be it robots, demons or powered people, all their eyes glow. How can they precieve light if they are emitting it?
Nocturnal creatures have eyes which can reflect light which you see they look in certain directions, but having bright red glowing eyes is so overused.
We are evacuating a city so the outbound lanes are jammed bumper to bumper, but the inbound lanes our heroes are using is completely empty (Independence Day).
Not sure where most of you live, but here in Alabama when a massive storm threatens the southern coast, the Governor orders the southbound lanes of the interstate system switch to northbound traffic to maximize the ability for people to get out of harms way.
Glowing eyes. Be it robots, demons or powered people, all their eyes glow. How can they precieve light if they are emitting it?
Nocturnal creatures have eyes which can reflect light which you see they look in certain directions, but having bright red glowing eyes is so overused.
We are evacuating a city so the outbound lanes are jammed bumper to bumper, but the inbound lanes our heroes are using is completely empty (Independence Day).
Not sure where most of you live, but here in Alabama when a massive storm threatens the southern coast, the Governor orders the southbound lanes of the interstate system switch to northbound traffic to maximize the ability for people to get out of harms way.
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People sleeping in brightly lit rooms that are supposed to look like it is night time.
I underrtand you have to light your actor but it often looks like it is 5am in the summer when it's meant to look like a dark winter's night.
Also when the curtains are paper thin.
It's a wonder any film or TV character can get to sleep in these brightly lit rooms!
I underrtand you have to light your actor but it often looks like it is 5am in the summer when it's meant to look like a dark winter's night.
Also when the curtains are paper thin.
It's a wonder any film or TV character can get to sleep in these brightly lit rooms!
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