Things you're tired of seeing in movies

As an American who spent a year in the Westmidlands - Dudley, to be precise, I couldn't understand a word anybody was saying. It was reassuring to know that many folks in the UK had trouble understanding some of these "Black Country" folk, too.
This is one for people who live in Birmingham, there are at least 4 accents between Birmingham and the Black Country and they always go for the Black Country one for anyone from the West Midlands.

Basing a movie on a book and then having little to do with said book except the title.
I do not get this why buy something that is brilliant then write your own story which sucks? I am looking at you Artemis Fowl!

A crap-tonne of arrows falling from the sky.
If you look for the Tod Archery videos on YouTube this is actually explained however it is rubbish.

Ok, some of mine are:

Tied Up - this applies to any time someone is tied up however the biggest issue is handcuffs. You most often see it when a petite actress is handcuffed and you can see the cuffs are down on her hands and not her wrists. These are often really dramatic scenes spoiled by the fact that they can get free easily. You also get the holding the handcuffs behind their back rather than being cuffed.

Martial Arts - Styles - The fact that we get the same moves regardless of what style they are supposed to be using. Iron Fist is the most obvious recent culprit off the top of my head. The Tai Chi scene is so, so, so bad. Watch Bloodsport which is the opposite of this.
Martial Arts - Swords - All swords are rapiers or Katanas or both at the same time.
Martial Arts - Physics - 2 equally skilled opponents then the bigger one wins. The woman/man fight in the elevator is the prime example of this. An opponent who outweighs you be over 50 pounds slamming you into a wall repeatedly is going to kill you in seconds.
Martial Arts - Techniques - seen this one a few times recently they have someone in an arm bar and they get out so the fight can go on. There are a few of these however it is almost like the people designing the fight scenes have forgotten what the techniques actually do. The leg strangle in Star Trek Discovery is another example of the technique being used wrong for no apparent reason.

Health and Safety - Common sense or practicality not used in SciFi mainly. For example, recent episode of Star Trek Discovery and there is only one oxygen mask or no first aid kit despite being in front of a cabinet clearly labelled Emergency...

Research - This applies to history and IP - Just basic lack of understanding shown on screen. Enola Holmes has this in spades. Complete lack of understanding of its place in history, the clothes, and the Sherlock Holmes IP.

Looking the part - Gal Gadot spent 5 hours and 6 days in the gym apparently for WW84 and still did not look like an Amazon Warrior so obviously did not do that. Emilia Clarke in a Terminator is playing Sarah Connor with 12 years to prepare vs Linda Hamilton playing her with 2 years in a mental asylum. This is also true any time someone is playing a Special Forces soldier especially Navy Seals. In fact this is so bad that when playing a real person who looks like the rock, the actor cast still looks like a fashion model. This also happens when ever you heard about how much time and effort the costume designer has spent researching and it does not show on screen at all or the hair and make up is wrong. This can actually be applied to costumes completely like the fact that they seem to have forgotten that knights wore tabards or how all armour works.

Ages - The famous version of this is the actresses cast opposite actors like Clint Eastwood or Kevin Costner however this actual exists all the way through. Saw Ben McKenzie taking about this on the OC when all of the male actors were five years older than their female counterparts.

Diversity - I have no problem with this however when it is the only reason for the character it is really annoying and distracting. Also when it is used to beat me over the head for storyline after storyline not so much. Batwoman is a show about Batwoman and 80% of the plot is about the fact that she is a lesbian. There are two or three really good storylines about this however they are swamped by the others. The Watch has changed characters for this except the point of the characters is that they are archetypes that get subverted so you lose that.

The Rules or the Knight Rider effect - Prime example of this is Supergirl were they forget from week to week what she can do or how her powers work. This is most often true of martial artists who win every fight except the one the plot needs them to lose. The Flash and the tachyon device or the CW DC and time travel are other examples.
 
And more often than not, the crazy person is a teenage girl or Hugh Jackman.
Sorry to necro a post from a month ago, but this touches on one of my big pet peeves: In movies and TV, being a nerd apparently means being more knowledgable about ALL things computer related than a whole team of specialists. They can build websites, master photoshop, program code, hack into basically anything from cell phones to NSA databases to street cameras, and know all branches of physics, chemistry, math, and biology at the post doctorate level.

Most of my friends are nerds in real life and all it means is we like to wear Star Wars costumes at conventions and drink mead at the red faire. I must have been sick the day they handed out the complete master level knowledge of all physical sciences.
 
Sorry to necro a post from a month ago, but this touches on one of my big pet peeves: In movies and TV, being a nerd apparently means being more knowledgable about ALL things computer related than a whole team of specialists. They can build websites, master photoshop, program code, hack into basically anything from cell phones to NSA databases to street cameras, and know all branches of physics, chemistry, math, and biology at the post doctorate level.

Most of my friends are nerds in real life and all it means is we like to wear Star Wars costumes at conventions and drink mead at the red faire. I must have been sick the day they handed out the complete master level knowledge of all physical sciences.
It's that old Hollywood trope, if you're one thing, then you're an expert in all related fields. All pilots automatically know how to fly anything with wing, including helos and no matter the size and/or number of engines. Engineers are experts in all engineering fields. Doctors are all surgeons, pathologist, virologists, and every other medical field/specializes in one. The list goes on, whatever serves the plot a given character will know how to do it even though they shouldn't. It's partially lazy writing and partially to not have to introduce another character which means casting and paying for another actor.
 
It’s kind of a niche complaint, but I hate seeing current technology being the cornerstone of a movie plot. Like I hate seeing people using smartphones and whatever XYZ app of the moment (or made up movie equivalent). In my mind I feel like most narratives benefit from the lack of those conveniences or utilizing slightly outdated ones. An answering machine or a landline are 10x more interesting to me than cell phones. Idk maybe I’m weird.
 
It’s kind of a niche complaint, but I hate seeing current technology being the cornerstone of a movie plot. Like I hate seeing people using smartphones and whatever XYZ app of the moment (or made up movie equivalent). In my mind I feel like most narratives benefit from the lack of those conveniences or utilizing slightly outdated ones. An answering machine or a landline are 10x more interesting to me than cell phones. Idk maybe I’m weird.
Agree. Part of the reason I’m tired of the MCU now is that it seems like every character just has nano-tech.
 
Modern technology just solves too many film problems, so I’d rather just have something set before that or situational to not having it available in the story. I mean, there was talk about Disney remaking Home Alone? What would happen? Nothing. The parents would just check on their child using like Google Home or Alexa or something. Get groceries delivered through Door Dash or Uber Eats or something. Boring.
 
Modern technology just solves too many film problems, so I’d rather just have something set before that or situational to not having it available in the story. I mean, there was talk about Disney remaking Home Alone? What would happen? Nothing. The parents would just check on their child using like Google Home or Alexa or something. Get groceries delivered through Door Dash or Uber Eats or something. Boring.
To be fair, I don't even remember them trying to place a call to the actual police in their home town; there was plenty of tech at the time that could have sorted it. :p
 
It's that old Hollywood trope, if you're one thing, then you're an expert in all related fields. All pilots automatically know how to fly anything with wing, including helos and no matter the size and/or number of engines. Engineers are experts in all engineering fields. Doctors are all surgeons, pathologist, virologists, and every other medical field/specializes in one. The list goes on, whatever serves the plot a given character will know how to do it even though they shouldn't. It's partially lazy writing and partially to not have to introduce another character which means casting and paying for another actor.
This is actually a known literary thing called the talking head. It basically the number one no no when they talk about showing and not telling.
Jim Butcher has a funny story about this in that he was told by his writing professor to not make the mistake of having a talking head to explain his magic system in the Dresden Files so instead he had Bob the skull.
 
It’s kind of a niche complaint, but I hate seeing current technology being the cornerstone of a movie plot. Like I hate seeing people using smartphones and whatever XYZ app of the moment (or made up movie equivalent). In my mind I feel like most narratives benefit from the lack of those conveniences or utilizing slightly outdated ones. An answering machine or a landline are 10x more interesting to me than cell phones. Idk maybe I’m weird.
I sort of agree and have one the other way in that were is the stuff the other way.
Sci Fi just seems to have forgotten it is surposed to be science fiction.
 
Modern technology just solves too many film problems, so I’d rather just have something set before that or situational to not having it available in the story. I mean, there was talk about Disney remaking Home Alone? What would happen? Nothing. The parents would just check on their child using like Google Home or Alexa or something. Get groceries delivered through Door Dash or Uber Eats or something. Boring.
I'd actually like them to re do Home Alone with adult Macualay Culkin and see where they take that. His girlfriend leaves him home by accident. What hijinx would he get into:eek:
 
All pilots automatically know how to fly anything with wing, including helos and no matter the size and/or number of engines.
I like that "Airplane" of all movies got this right
"It's an entirely different kind of flying... altogether"

To be fair, I don't even remember them trying to place a call to the actual police in their home town; there was plenty of tech at the time that could have sorted it. :p

They covered their bases in the movie. The phone lines are down at the house. The parents call the cops who send out an officer, but Kevin is too afraid to answer the door, so the officer reports that there is no one there.
 
The handheld shaky cam. The constant exaggerated twitchy movement gives me a headache. I wasn't able to watch the new Battlestar Galactica because after 20-30 minutes of the pilot, I couldn't take it any more.
 
This is actually a known literary thing called the talking head. It basically the number one no no when they talk about showing and not telling.
Jim Butcher has a funny story about this in that he was told by his writing professor to not make the mistake of having a talking head to explain his magic system in the Dresden Files so instead he had Bob the skull.
Is this the same thing? I'm talking about where characters are experts at everything remotely related to their field. Like I said, all pilots can operate anything that flies, all doctors are experts or at least very knowledgeable in all medical fields, engineers know all the various engineering disciplines, scientists are jacks of all sciences, and so on.
 
Is this the same thing? I'm talking about where characters are experts at everything remotely related to their field. Like I said, all pilots can operate anything that flies, all doctors are experts or at least very knowledgeable in all medical fields, engineers know all the various engineering disciplines, scientists are jacks of all sciences, and so on.
Yeah it is the same thing, it is basically a lazy writing plot device. In that it is a way to tell information or accomplish something without really trying. It is the definition of telling and not showing.
 
Some movies, but a LOT of TV episodes:

A character is not interested in having babies or being involved with someone else's.

By the end of the movie/episode, they "come around". Every single time. NEVER is the person's choice/preference respected. They are simply wrong and need to be shown the light. And worse, THEY ARE CONVERTED. Never is the result the person sticking to their guns and the others accepting that with a "well, I guess this just isn't for you, and that's okay."

Such stories are written by people who ARE into kids, of course. By all means write what you know. But don't write straw man characters of another ilk because you know so much better what's good for them.
 
Some movies, but a LOT of TV episodes:

A character is not interested in having babies or being involved with someone else's.

By the end of the movie/episode, they "come around". Every single time. NEVER is the person's choice/preference respected. They are simply wrong and need to be shown the light. And worse, THEY ARE CONVERTED. Never is the result the person sticking to their guns and the others accepting that with a "well, I guess this just isn't for you, and that's okay."

Such stories are written by people who ARE into kids, of course. By all means write what you know. But don't write straw man characters of another ilk because you know so much better what's good for them.
On a somewhat similar note, shows where two characters do a “will they/won’t they” dance for several seasons, and the writing is good. Then they finally get together, and the writing goes sour. They then break up or a character dies because the writers don’t know how to make a healthy relationship between two characters interesting anymore. It all comes back around to untalented writers not being able to write outside of their direct experiences.
 

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