Let's Retire These Movie/TV Plots!

[SamMarlowPI]

Doran - Indiana Jones is educated and tough...

freebird - they did...it's a tv movie with a new mustang cobra(i think) as KIT...bleh...

 

[Lady Day]

The villan in a movie throughly killing some random person, yet the 'hero' hits the killer in the head with a sock, killer falls down, and 'hero' runs away thinking they are done.

But wait *gasp* the killer returns, and heavens be, the 'hero' is completly shocked by the reprise!


LD

 

[Feraud]

remakes. I hear they are pulling KIT the talking car oout of mothballs, I couldn't stand that show the first time around. shakeshead

Remakes have been around as long as movies. I have little objection to a good remake.
Knight Rider was recently redone as a tv episode and it was horrible, horrible!!

 

[jake_fink]

Remakes have been around as long as movies. I have little objection to a good remake.
Knight Rider was recently redone as a tv episode and it was horrible, horrible!!

I agree about remakes, although there are some things that just don't need to be remade, either because the original is so good it would too thoroughly haunt the remake, or because the original was so unspeakably awful that a remake would be an affront to all that is wholesome and fine in humanity. I place Knight Rider in the latter category.

But don't pay any attention to me, I'm an elitist (apparently), and I really am looking forward to the ALF movie. CGI can only make Gordon Shumway more hilarious than before.

 

[Lady Day]

I think remaking classics that have (good or bad) been set as the standard for that story. Or remaking the movie like the movie instead of a closer look at the story of that movie.

Case in point, Psycho.

LD

 

[jake_fink]

I think remaking classics that have (good or bad) been set as the standard for that story. Or remaking the movie like the movie instead of a closer look at the story of that movie.

Case in point, Psycho.

LD

Absolutely. It's impossible to forget the real Psycho when you're watching the ersatz one. There was a pretty good sequel back in the 80s, though. Much better than you might expect.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Originally posted by Doran:
As for Sherlock Holmes, this is a venerable old character; they can get away with making him likeable (although he is still a freak with his opium).

I thought it was cocaine...unless they changed it for that particular series.

Sherlock Holmes qualifies as an intelligent hero, but he's rather a loner and above it all; a superhuman detective, if you will. Which is why we love him, but he is abnormal. Even if he can actually fight, which he does in the books.

Benjamin Gates in National Treasure is an action hero who's interested in history - even if its veracity in the movie was questionable . But that follows the Indiana Jones playbook.

One of my pet plot peeves is the hero(ine) knocking out/strangling a bad guy guard/lookout from behind, but failing to retrieve their weapon even though they themselves are unarmed. Brownie points for actually leaving the weapon with the bad guy, who presumably will remain unconscious for the duration of the battle instead of waking up and sneaking behind our intrepid hero. (Don't even get me started on MacGyver. When watching that show, I feel compelled to point out the various instances where it would have behooved that man to actually save his friend/coworker/super secret information packet instead of standing by looking distraught.)

And for the master list of illogical plot points, refer to the Evil Overlord List.

 

[Dr Doran]

One of my pet plot peeves is the hero(ine) knocking out/strangling a bad guy guard/lookout from behind, but failing to retrieve their weapon even though they themselves are unarmed. Brownie points for actually leaving the weapon with the bad guy, who presumably will remain unconscious for the duration of the battle instead of waking up and sneaking behind our intrepid hero. (Don't even get me started on MacGyver. When watching that show, I feel compelled to point out the various instances where it would have behooved that man to actually save his friend/coworker/super secret information packet instead of standing by looking distraught.)[/URL]

How about a hero or heroine NOT KILLING OR DECISIVELY DISABLING the bad guy when they get the bad guy down? Pretty much the same thing as your point, I guess. If some creep came at my kid, I wouldn't just knock him down -- I'd stomp one of his knees while he was down, frisk him, and kick him in the stomach and probably in the head.

 

[Dr Doran]

Why do all the Star Trek series have a character who has no emotions (or very few) and tries to learn human ways? First Spock, then Data, then that utter hottie from the Borg, then there was the female Vulcan, then the "ferengi" dork. Isn't this old yet?

 

[Diamondback]

Let's see:

KITT, IMO, only works as an '80s Firebird ('82-1/2 Trans Am preferably) voiced by William Daniels. FTR, the new POS was the Knight Three Thousand, as opposed to the old-but-far-superior Two Thousand.

Sherlock? Well, I know some folks tied to the autism community who think that Doyle may have unknowingly written a character on what insiders call "the spectrum", generally they think an HFA or Asperger's case.

Doran, good point. This whole thing where after the bad guy runs out of bullets, the good guy throws his gun aside is BS.
Always cheat, always win--the only unfair fight is one you lose."--Master Smith

As for Spock, Data et al., that's just a riff on the classic "outsider trying to fit in with the gang", although that too is an overdone cliche...

 

[Dr Doran]

How about those cheesy lines advertising "serious" movies, lines spoken by a particular deep male voice during the previews and occasionally written on the bus stop advertisements?

"A woman's hope. A man's legacy. A boy's dream. One day, they would conquer the unconquerable. A film about laughter. About family. About hope. About love. And about a secret that could drive them apart."

I HATE THOSE.

 

[Edward]

How about pretty girl and the best friend. best friend is in love with pretty girl, but she dates some guy that (we know) is a total jerk...and then she ends up with the best friend.

Yip, if they were playing by reality rules, it'd be morel ike: pretty girl realises he's a jerk, crys on shoulder of best friend, tells him that she can't understand why he's single when he's such a good guy, then procedds to either a] return to jerk, or b] find new jerk - rinse and repeat.

The beautiful gal falls for the nerdy guy because of his personality and doesn't have to change a thing.[huh]

Or the equally common variant: girl makes nerdy guy cool, nerdy guy immediately turns into jackass and cheats on her. Nerdy guy eventually realises error of his ways and returns to nerdy appearance and beautiful girl.

Similarly, let us retire dvd covers with the words UNRATED VERSION splashed across them. We are not being fooled into thinking there is anything significant in these sad adolescent teen comedies.

What you are describing is the old "let's stick in some more breasts to sell the DVD" ploy.

 

[Dr Doran]

Yip, if they were playing by reality rules, it'd be morel ike: pretty girl realises he's a jerk, crys on shoulder of best friend, tells him that she can't understand why he's single when he's such a good guy, then procedds to either a] return to jerk, or b] find new jerk - rinse and repeat.

Bitter much?

 

[Diamondback]

Bitter much?

Probably--I know I've BTDT and certainly am...

 

[The Wolf]

This one is for you Doran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXbFuNQwTbs

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[jamespowers]

You gotta love Don La Fontaine in this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw&feature=related
Doran, Don, pretty close.

 

[dahliaoleander]

Dahlia: Yes! That episode of HoP revived that plot...

WE GOTTA STOP MEETING LIKE THIS!

LOL.

I'm getting to like you more and more everyday.
First Billie and then Duel In the Sun, and Now this...

Anymore of these and I could develop a crush. LOL.

Don't be a heartbreaker, Sam. lol

 

[John in Covina]

Playboy jerk son of billionare industrialist learns to become serious guy taking care of business after family tradgety.

or reverse

Super serious industrialist is taught how to lighten up by Jennifer Lopez maid or hooker type.

 

[carebear]

Don't even get me started on MacGyver.

 

[59Lark]

nothing new in 30 years. really.

Why is that you know what is going happen before it happens, suspensefull music, no that dopey plot, he is going to get it. The girl is going to be dragged under the mattress and murdered etc. I wish i had more time to watch pbs, there was a english horror movie that watched a long time ago, it was about a young accountant, sent to the moors, to settle an estate, there was a ghost haunting the hall, a little boy spirit and a wicked woman spirit trapped there, there was scene where he gets out of the house and back to the local inn, and he hears a little boy and he tries to talk to him , and this black dressed figure of the evil woman comes at him, suddenly well i was sitting on my lazy boy and i flipped the lazy boy over and wacked myself silly and yes there was no guts or organs or blood just good old english suspense, cant remember the name of that english movie, paisley mentioned jeremy brett and the sherlock holmes mysteries, that actor has not too long ago passed , gone to be with his beloved wife, but what an actor and what a acurate period piece.

Sad there is not more decent tv on the air, remember THE NAKED CITY, there are ten thousands stories this is one of them. something like that, hey i was little when that was on the air. I fear that this wave of reality tv and garbage on tv is just the beginning, you fear these writers who writes a tv game show where you must tell the truth to win, and they ask questions like have you ever slept with your customers, have you been unfaithfull to your husband , we cant get much lower folks. are we outsourcing these jobs too and what country is that dumb. 59Lark.:rage: