Things you're tired of seeing in movies

Our first VCR when I was a kid was one of those big chunky toploaders with the fat clunky buttons like on a tape recorder. If you half pressed the RW/FF button and held it while it was playing it would make that sound. Thats the only time Ive ever heard it though.

Professional analog tape players/recorders did that. But usually in TV/movies, when you hear it it's ostensibly a consumer machine doing it.
 
1. No recoil when firing guns.

2. CGI

3. Inappropriate soundtrack music that pulls me out of the film or show.

4. Not understanding how things work, like cars, computers, and technology in general.

5. Not demonstrating characters motivations.

6. Writers that don't know how people talk and don't seem to have access to google.
 
"Omniscient High-tech Government Observation Rooms"....

I'm REALLY tired of the "Bourne Identity" type of antagonist scenes of "let's get the good guy using our satellite thingies and high-tech thingamajigs" in a room with rows of nameless computer operators and a GIANT real-time "cameras in the air and cameras on the ground" screen in front covering an entire wall.

We have all seen these scenes WAY too much since around the year 2000 with the "bad high government official" clapping their hands together and shouting "let's get [insert protagonist here]!! Come on move it people!!!" All the while the nameless computer operators hunker down like Quasi Modo and pound furiously on their keyboards while jump cuts furiously flash satellite data, passport photos of the protagonist, driver's license photos, DNA analysis, street-views, etc.

They then proceed to watch the protagonist outmatch them--in real-time--over and over on their giant screen writh their mouths gaping open...

Never is there an "I.T. issue" (and ladies and gentlemen, with that much tech running simultaneously, there are always I.T. issues) and--I hate to tell you this--but our tech in "the real world" is really not nearly that fast or slick.

There is at least 10 movies in the last 15 years that play out these scenes in the "Omniscient High-tech Government Observation Room" almost identically every time.

It has gotten so old....
 
Last edited:
Florida mistakes. I'm watching "2 Lava 2 Lantula" (I know). I'm enjoying the cheese when they show cars with front license tags which Florida does not use. And in "Identity Thief" they had Winter Park with a beach, but the town is basically part of Orlando and the nearest beach is maybe 40 minutes away.

Sent from my Motorola StarTAC
 
Last edited:
I'm REALLY tired of the "Bourne Identity" type of antagonist scenes of "let's get the good guy using our satellite thingies and high-tech thingamajigs" in a room with rows of nameless computer operators and a GIANT real-time "cameras on the air and on the ground" screen in front covering an entire wall.

We have all seen these scenes WAY too much since around the year 2000 with the "bad high government official" clapping their hands together and shouting "let's get [insert protagonist here]!! Come on move it people!!!" All the while the nameless computer operators hunker down like Quasi Modo and pound furiously on their keyboards while jump cuts furiously flash satellite data, passport photos of the protagonist, driver's license photos, DNA analysis, street-views, etc.

They the proceed to watch the protagonist outmatch them--in real-time--over and over on their giant screen writh their mouths gaping open...

Never is there an "I.T. issue" (and ladies and gentlemen, with that much tech running simultaneously, there are always IT issues) and our tech in the real world really not nearly that fast or slick.

There is at least 10 movies in the last 15 years that play out these scenes almost identically every time.

It has gotten so old....

....or we never see on their screens:

tumblr_inline_o3fqp5grAA1qhxx5s_1280.png


J
 
All great points. How about when a hero or villain is in hiding and is found shortly after with no explanation. Happens in action movies a lot. Just did in Londen Has Fallen I believe.
 
Florida mistakes. I'm watching "2 Lava 2 Lantula" (I know). I'm enjoying the cheese when they show cars with front license tags which Florida does not use. And in "Identity Thief" they had Winter Park with a beach, but the town is basically part of Orlando and the nearest beach is maybe 40 minutes away.

A couple of years ago one of those CIS-type shows (although I don't think it was one of the CIS shows....they're all the same to me) was set in Jacksonville. They depicted the city as being on the ocean (city is inland), and the Jax police dept. building being on the beach, single story, with palm trees outside. Not to mention the orangey-glowey color correction.

Oh, and big ass rocky Planet-of-the-Apes outcroppings off in the distance on the beach. I get it, though---if you're shooting in LA, what, you don't use the beach five minutes away? Of course you do.
 
3. Inappropriate soundtrack music that pulls me out of the film or show.
You're familiar with how George Lucas fought 20th century Fox tooth and nail over using disco music for the soundtrack to Episode 4? Clearly, George called it right as even the reviewers at the time noted that the soundtrack was 'timeless'. I always wondered if there was ever a "I told you so" discussion in that regard.
6. Writers that don't know how people talk and don't seem to have access to google.
Man, you're so right about that. How many times do hear someone being asked how someone is doing and they always say, "as good as can be expected." Who the [bleep] talks like that? But screen writers love writing stuff like that because it sounds cool. You can write in ways people don't talk and it'll be entertaining and people won't mind, (early Tarantino or Aaron Sorkin writing comes to mind) but you have to write some really compelling stuff to be able to get away with it.
 
Speaking of characters not talking like real people: Kevin Smith films. And I don't mean "snootchie boochies", I mean pretty much the words of all the characters. The dialogue is literary. As in, it makes splendid reading. But coming out of people's mouths....especially out of the weak or non-actors he often uses....no.

(and I like his movies, FWIW)
 
Speaking of characters not talking like real people: Kevin Smith films. And I don't mean "snootchie boochies", I mean pretty much the words of all the characters. The dialogue is literary. As in, it makes splendid reading. But coming out of people's mouths....especially out of the weak or non-actors he often uses....no.

(and I like his movies, FWIW)
I agree but I don't necessarily see it as a weakness. I'll buy into the conceit that it's not meant to be realistic and can still enjoy the dialogue.You can say the same thing about David Mamet.
 
Speaking of characters not talking like real people: Kevin Smith films. And I don't mean "snootchie boochies", I mean pretty much the words of all the characters. The dialogue is literary. As in, it makes splendid reading. But coming out of people's mouths....especially out of the weak or non-actors he often uses....no.

(and I like his movies, FWIW)
Yeah, I can't disagree. But watch a "West Wing" episode sometime. You'll never meet people that clever in real life.
I'm okay with people who don't talk like real life if it's entertaining or compelling. But bad writing is painful to listen acted out. For example, any dialogue that George Lucas wrote...
 
I guess my problem is more that the actors don't make it sound natural. As I assume they do on West Wing (never seen it).
 
I guess my problem is more that the actors don't make it sound natural. As I assume they do on West Wing (never seen it).
Yeah, you're probably right.
Lots of West Wing scenes on Youtube, check them out. If you get some good ones, you'll likely be thinking, "This is really good writing, and it's well acted, but nobody really talks like this."
Try these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwm6WJRPIQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf8Vl0ORBaE
And one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D93295KpIZw
the show is incredibly left-leaning and I don't agree with a lot of the political messages, but it's impossible to ignore that it's probably the best writing ever put on a long-time TV series.
 
Last edited:
Florida mistakes. I'm watching "2 Lava 2 Lantula" (I know). I'm enjoying the cheese when they show cars with front license tags which Florida does not use. And in "Identity Thief" they had Winter Park with a beach, but the town is basically part of Orlando and the nearest beach is maybe 40 minutes away.

Sent from my Motorola StarTAC

Dexter and CSI: Miami are both severely guilty of that, substituting some Los Angeles exteriors as Miami (instead of just shooting all exteriors in Miami).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top