Movie cliché submitted by Tom Phelps (NV):
Police Station Roundup:
In most recent movies, when a scene takes place in a police station it almost always opens with a garishly dressed hooker or transvestite being booked.
Movie cliché submitted by Melissa (MI):
The Nearby Cop:
Whenever someone in a film breaks a store window and reaches inside to steal something, a policeman is always near enough to hear the crash of the glass and/or the store's alarm, and arrives in time to chase the robber.
Movie cliché submitted by Gary (IL):
The Best Friend's Fate:
In every cop, detective or spy movie, the hero's best (male) friend will either: a) be killed or, b) turn out to be the villain or be working in collusion with the villain, regardless of how many years the hero has known him.
Movie cliché submitted by Josh (OH):
The Facetious Admiration of the Villain:
During a martial arts or spy movie, after the hero has dispatched a group of villains (usually single–handedly), the main villain will appear on a balcony or a spiral staircase and slowly clap his hands in mock tribute. Then, after a smile crosses the villain's lips, an even larger group of thugs will suddenly emerge from hiding to surround and attack the hero.
Movie cliché submitted by Libby (Sydney, Australia):
The "Bursting into Song" Syndrome:
In any movie musical from Hollywood's "Golden Age", whenever one character asks another character a question (anything from "What will our next show be about?" to "Do you love me?"), the character responding to the question will smile thoughtfully and then suddenly burst into a song and dance routine, usually accompanied by a full orchestra.
Movie cliché submitted by Tigh (IL):
The Sudden Appearance of the Screeching Cat:
Whenever a movie character is investigating a dark house, room, alley, etc., the soundtrack will grow very quiet. When the audience least expects it, a cat will suddenly jump out of hiding, hissing and screeching as it runs away.
Movie cliché submitted by Steven Stratton (FL):
Bubbling Chemicals Emitting Vapor:
Any nefarious serum or chemical compound created in a movie by either a villain or a misguided protagonist, will always bubble furiously and emit a thick vapor. If it is a color movie, the liquid will usually be fluorescent yellow–green.
Movie cliché submitted by Christopher White (WI):
Sour Milk is a Guy Thing:
Whenever a movie has an extended scene in a bachelor pad, the guy living there will eventually go to the refrigerator and pull out a carton of milk. After shaking the carton to see how much milk it contains, he will hold the carton up to his nose and suddenly jerk his head back when he smells how sour the milk has become. Despite the fact that the milk has obviously gone bad, he will still either add it to his coffee, drink it straight from the carton, or put it back in the refrigerator.
Movie cliché submitted by Ian Price (Wales):
The "Let's split up!" Syndrome:
When a group of people are in a haunted house, they will defy logic and either decide to split up so that each can investigate on their own, or huddle together while one of the group goes off to search the house alone. Lone investigators inevitably get lost and encounter some mysterious phenomenon or frightening apparition before rejoining the group.
Movie cliché submitted by Ian Price (Wales):
Losing the "lost" treasure:
Whenever there is a treasure at the end of a movie'a quest, the treasure will always be given up or lost because of a main character's greed, love, or sense of duty.
Movie cliché submitted by David Meyers (IN):
The "I Must Explain My Plan Before I Kill You" Syndrome:
Once a villain has the movie's hero cornered, trapped, or caught, the villain will almost always take the time to explain his evil plan to the hero. The hero will, of course, escape and use his knowledge to foil the plan.
Movie cliché submitted by Maria Madden (USA):
The "I know who did it but I won't tell" Syndrome:
In most murder mysteries, before the story's investigator can solve the crime somebody will reveal that he/she knows the identity of the murderer but will not immediately reveal who it is. This, of course, gives the murderer ample time to kill the witness before he or she can be named.
Movie cliché submitted by Ken Martin (CA):
The Amazing "Disappearing Apparition":
When a movie character is left alone in a room during a suspenseful scene, and an apparition (a monster/ghost/killer/etc.) suddenly appears looking in through the window, the character will yell or scream and run off to tell their companion(s). When their companion(s) returns and searches outside the window, the apparition will have disappeared leaving no trace. Despite the fact that the apparition probably just walked away, the companion(s) will wonder if the first character really saw anything and suggest (sometimes insist) that it was only their imagination. The first character will then begin to doubt that he/she saw anything.
Movie cliché submitted by Minnie (England):
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand":
When placed in a dangerous situation, female characters who are otherwise portrayed as being quite intelligent, physically fit, and feisty, will be unable to run to safety unless a man seizes their hand and drags them along. While running, the women will usually fall (often because a heel breaks off their shoe) and will need to be rescued from imminent harm by the man.
Movie cliché submitted by Minnie (England):
The "Clothing Durability" Paradox:
In any disaster a woman's clothing will sustain much more loss and damage than a man's.
Movie cliché submitted by Addie (New York City):
The "Hey, what happened to the body?" scene:
In most horror/mystery/suspense movies, once a dead body is discovered it will usually disappear if left alone.
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