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MOVIE CLICHES
by Michele Frey

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MOVIE CLICHES
by Michele Frey

Sitting in a theater...either laughing or covering your eyes...there is always that one (sometimes more than one) climatic scene. A phone ringing, a random scream, a tree branch scratching the window - each time, the audience jumps out of their seats. Whichever way a director squeezes these things in, we always seem to be caught off guard - at just the right time. These are often typical cliches of most films...from past to present...and they are proven to work!

I’m telling you this, because today I watched numerous movies...as I do every day. It made me look deeper into the films - paying extra close attention to what isn’t always obvious. An audience sometimes takes for granted the little tedious things, without realizing how much of an impact a simple sound can have. Take for instance, a melody playing in the background...sounds like a rapidly progressing heartbeat. Does it make your own heart race...do you even notice the sound...or are you too engrossed in the dialogue alone.

What made me start paying attention to this aspect of films is quite simple...I watched Apocalypto. To everyone who hasn’t seen it - you should! Now, I’ve never been an advocate of films that I have to read...but I made an exception this time. My 15 year old son told me it’s one of the best movies ever - which means, I was obligated to watch it. The sound effects that were used in the making of this film...the music...everything fit together perfectly. Spears whistled while flying through the air... the brush crackled under their feet...the sound of the water flowing across the land was magnificent. Mel Gibson surely went above and beyond everything I expected. Apocalypto gets a 5-star rating from me...

Back to the topic at hand...explaining what can’t be seen is a rather difficult thing to do. Thinking over my films of the day, there are so many climatic cliches to choose from. To make it a little less stressful on my end, we’re going to cover the most common ways they’re used in suspense/horror films. As I’ve already mentioned, there’s the sound of a phone ringing...I just heard it now! (Currently watching ‘When a Stranger Calls’) This film possesses almost EVERY cliche known to man - and then some! What I’ve decided to do is make a list for you...for your friends. The next time you sit down to enjoy a movie, pay attention to all the extra things they offer...you’ll be happy you did.

Phone Rings - The most common of them all...and in a horror movie, the audience can be heard yelling at the movie screen. For some reason - they still always answer the phone!

Rapidly Progressing Music - This is certainly added to let us all know that something big is about to happen. Anger brews when it ends up leading to NOTHING!

Car Won’t Start - Of course it won’t...what kind of film would you have if it did. It’s usually some helpless girl trying to get it running - unsuccessfully!

Random Screaming - That must be thrown in there just to keep us alert. It’s the most over-used cliche ever...and it’s annoying. Did you ever watch a flick that had TOO much screaming in it - I did!

Door/Window is Open - Most definitely the first clue that maybe - just maybe - we’re going to see something exciting. Maybe a killer is lurking in the shadows...

This may seem like a short list to you...considering there are so many cliches to choose from. I assure you that although it’s short...it’s powerful. In my opinion, these are the most widely (and successfully) used cliches out there...especially when being related to suspense/horror films. There must be truth behind the saying - Don’t fix what isn’t broken. This is a strategy that has proven successful time and time again...and the filming industry is sticking with it. There’s no need to change something that already works...

The next time you’re in front of the movie screen - or even sitting on your couch - make sure you have that list with you. Pay attention to the details that weren’t obvious beforehand...and appreciate everything the film has to offer. As for me - the time has come to watch the ending of ‘When a Stranger Calls’...and I know what to expect. Good triumphs evil...as it usually does...

Jumping to modern day...comics on film are exploding...in full force. Since the beginning of the new century, we’ve witnessed Spiderman, Catwoman, Daredevil, Elektra, The Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Ironman, The Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy, Transformers and quite a few others. Their success in the box office should be apparent to the high demand of that genre. It’s time to add to the mix a new release...one of high expectations...it’s a title that I’ve already mentioned.

Watchman has exploded...the reviews are in...the profits are through the roof. Even though it doesn’t jump out at me - there’s no way to downplay the super nature of this film. When it comes out on DVD, I may be first in line to bring it home. Until then, I’ll just wonder...while listening to many different opinions...both bad and good. When it comes to the benefit of humanity, the big blue man may just surprise me.

The magic is apparent when it comes to worshiping any superhero. People revel is seeing good defeat evil...to seeing justice prevail...by any means necessary. As for me...I’m waiting for my time to be the damsel in distress...waiting for a hero to save the day! Isn’t that the objective these film companies desire - wanting us to feel like we’re actually part of the movie itself. Whatever it is they’ve attempted to achieve...it was done with absolute perfection!