Things you're tired of seeing in movies

[Too Much Garlic]

When the characters are told not to do something/ allow something to happen, and they do/allow that very thing anyways!

Example 1- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The knight warns them to not take the Grail across the great seal.

So what does Little Miss Elsa do? Stumbles across the seal while yattering about how it's "yours and mine, Indy!!"
Evidence:

Example 2- The Mummy (1999): Rick warned Evelyn not to "play around" with the Book of the Dead.

We saw where that got us, right?
Evidence:

Example 3- Jaws (1975): Let's face it: most of the cast!!! Seriously though: Hooper and Brody warn the Mayor (and the town at large) to close the beaches. Needless to say, they all don't listen and several people end up as fish chow:
Evidence:

and:

and

(I'm really surprised the shark didn't just swim back out to sea after witnessing too much stupid overload.)


Example 4- Gremlins (1984): Billy manages to break every single rule concerning the Mogwai, and unleashes utter hell upon his hometown.
Evidence:

*No wonder he moved to the city in the second film!!*

You'd be surprised that that is actually one of the more realistic things. People constantly do the wrong things. And in some of your examples the character in question didn't know the thing before doing it, but was only warned about while or after it happened.

Though... many of these dumb things are clearly to get the story progression going.

Jaws is the most realistic depiction of people ignoring danger - either out of stupidity or for financial reasons - which get other people killed.

 

[jts1031]

I forgot what I was watching the other day, something from the 90s, and they said the girl was a "total Betty". I haven't heard that phrase used since I was in high school and even then only on tv/movies. I don't think it ever caught on.

I thought it was a throwback phrase to the days of the Archie comics when you had Betty and Veronica.

 

[The Terminator]

Hanging off any cliff/building/anything perilous then easily pulling themselves up, especially if they are already injured or tired, even worse if they are hanging one handed.
At my gym even beefy guys struggle with just a single pull up.
View attachment 1867768View attachment 1867769

To be fair, being beefy is not the key.

But for movies, yeah, it is never realistic.

 

[Astyanax]

You'd be surprised that that is actually one of the more realistic things. People constantly do the wrong things. And in some of your examples the character in question didn't know the thing before doing it, but was only warned about while or after it happened.

Though... many of these dumb things are clearly to get the story progression going.

Jaws is the most realistic depiction of people ignoring danger - either out of stupidity or for financial reasons - which get other people killed.

 

[pengbuzz]

...

 

[p51]

I once read something about how you could usually tell what decade a movie was made in based on clothing styles, hair styles and dialogue.

Too true. Look at all the WW2 movies made in the 1960s. They didn't even try to make female characters look like they were actually in the 40s, as many of those movies had them in hairstyles and fashions from when the movies were made.

 

[batguy]

One thing I like about the original Terminator movie is that while people did do some dumb stuff, it was understandable. The cops fighting the T-800: how could they have known simply shooting it wasn't going to work? And Sarah's reactions to Kyle Reese and the T-800 are very relatable (I'm sure there's more examples).

Cameron's first Terminator flick was so good in that regard. There was a ton of discipline in the scripting. The T-800 almost never says or does anything that isn't strictly in line with his character & mission. The premise & action are so wild but you almost never have to hand-wave anything with "it's only a movie."

His 2nd Terminator movie was still better than most, but he was starting to indulge more. Like at the beginning when Arnie takes the bartender's sunglasses and struts away with 'Bad to the Bone' playing. Cameron has said he had mixed feelings about that part. He knew it was a bit of a 4th-wall-break.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I thought it was a throwback phrase to the days of the Archie comics when you had Betty and Veronica.

Yeah I think that's what it refers to.


I always think it's funny, for movies set in the U.S., that someone hears a noise, or there's a danger, and the dude goes and grabs a baseball bat. I started watching that Teacup show, and a guy does that and an neighbor with an AR-15 calls him on his stupidity. About time.

 

[drusselmeyer]

Bats do 400 points of damage and automatic rifles do 110 in Cyberpunk 2077. I always take a bat to a gunfight.

 

[drusselmeyer]

Incompetent security guards:

Many security guards are former military, trained in automatic weapons and explosives or retired police or retired military police, but the young cops of the film are always smarter and more capable.

 

[Riceball]

Incompetent security guards:

Many security guards are former military, trained in automatic weapons and explosives or retired police or retired military police, but the young cops of the film are always smarter and more capable.

The thing is, simply being ex-military doesn't mean that you're some kind of badass, know 20 ways to kill a person unarmed, and can hit a bullseye with a pistol, single-handed at 500 yards. The bulk of military personnel, both currently serving and who've gotten out, are lucky if they touch their rifles once a year, and even then it was just for their annual rifle qual, no fancy tactical shooting involved This is because the bulk of the military isn't made up of trigger pullers or even combat arms, the vast majority of the military is made up of various types of support personnel like cooks, mechanics, admin, IT, and so on.

 

[batguy]

I always think it's funny, for movies set in the U.S., that someone hears a noise, or there's a danger, and the dude goes and grabs a baseball bat. I started watching that Teacup show, and a guy does that and an neighbor with an AR-15 calls him on his stupidity. About time.

IMO a guy confronting a home intruder with a baseball bat is realistic enough.

I know some guys from rough backgrounds. They sometimes keep a handgun at home. But if not that, they ALWAYS have something else to strike with (a bat, a metal pipe, a big knife, etc).

As young guys, they usually kept a shorter-length tool under the seat of their vehicle too. A kid-size baseball bat was common (like the ones kids use to play tee-ball with, not the mini souvenir ones).

It's the male equivalent of women carrying pepper spray. They are more likely to keep their weapon low-key than show it off. It's really about feeling secure, not looking cool.

 

[AJK001]

IMO a guy confronting a home intruder with a baseball bat is realistic enough.

I know some guys from rough backgrounds. They sometimes keep a handgun at home. But if not that, they ALWAYS have something else to strike with (a bat, a metal pipe, a big knife, etc).

As young guys, they usually kept a shorter-length tool under the seat of their vehicle too. A kid-size baseball bat was common (like the ones kids use to play tee-ball with, not the mini souvenir ones).

It's the male equivalent of women carrying pepper spray. They are more likely to keep their weapon low-key than show it off. It's really about feeling secure, not looking cool.

My dad used to keep a slot machine handle in the car. More than once he bashed his own ankle when coming to a quick stop. For me I always have my metal cane next to the seat, I keep it there because I need it but it can also serves as a bit of protection.

 

[drusselmeyer]

The thing is, simply being ex-military doesn't mean that you're some kind of badass, know 20 ways to kill a person unarmed, and can hit a bullseye with a pistol, single-handed at 500 yards. The bulk of military personnel, both currently serving and who've gotten out, are lucky if they touch their rifles once a year, and even then it was just for their annual rifle qual, no fancy tactical shooting involved This is because the bulk of the military isn't made up of trigger pullers or even combat arms, the vast majority of the military is made up of various types of support personnel like cooks, mechanics, admin, IT, and so on.

That may be true much of the time, but they are also not capped at a 115 IQ either.

 

[Laspector]

I thought it was a throwback phrase to the days of the Archie comics when you had Betty and Veronica.

I think it goes back further than that. I think it refers to either Betty Boop or Betty Grable.

 

[drusselmeyer]

It could be Bette Davis.

 

[Cephus]

Yeah, I guess I'm tired of people doing stupid stuff, to be honest. Real life, I've seen way too much of it, and actually saw someone die from it.

I'm tired of dumb people. I see enough of it in real life, I don't want to see it in my entertainment. The problem is, it's easy to do and doesn't require any skill and most writers in Hollywood are talentless hacks. That's why it happens so often. You actually have to have a brain to write decent stories.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Bats do 400 points of damage and automatic rifles do 110 in Cyberpunk 2077. I always take a bat to a gunfight.

Only if you upgrade your character wisely.

 

[batguy]

Only if you upgrade your character wisely.

Some bats are bigger threats than others.

 

[drusselmeyer]

True, but some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.