Movies & TV Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [trope]

Something recurring across a genre or type of literature, such as the ‘mad scientist’ of horror movies or ‘once upon a time’ as an introduction to fairy tales. Similar to archetype and cliché but not necessarily pejorative.

Something recurring across a genre or type of literature, such as the ‘mad scientist’ of horror movies or ‘once upon a time’ as an introduction to fairy tales. Similar to archetype and cliché but not necessarily pejorative.

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Why are films where the bad guy "wins" at the end so rare?

It seems that there is a rarity in films where the bad guy wins at the film's conclusion ("bad guys" being defined by the culture of the movie makers). By "win" I mean the good guy(s) have been defeated. I'm not talking about bad guys with whom we…
RobertF
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Origin of movie trope where impaled character pulls/pushes blade/spear further into body?

Over the years there have been a number of films where the villain (e.g., Artemisia in 300: Rise of an Empire) or the hero (e.g., Arthur in Excalibur) have been impaled with a spear, blade, etc. following combat, then deliberately force/pull the…
RobertF
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Who was the oldest actor to play a teenager?

There's a common trope in Hollywood where teenagers are played by adult actors. But which TV show or movie set the absolute record in terms of the age difference between the role and the actor? To clarify: The character played must be a teenager,…
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Has there been a movie or a TV show where an abortion was portrayed without negative connotations?

There is a common trope about abortion in movies, where the main characters either completely disregard abortion as a possibility, mention it and never go through with it (e.g. Juno) or do it and then regret it. But has this trope ever been…
JonathanReez
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What is the point of the Red Thread/Tape around evidence or newspaper clippings?

I have seen in a lot-lot of movies that the person who searches for a crime or another person creates a web of red tape or wire around the newspapers and evidence he acquires. I never guessed its usefulness and am therefore asking why do they do…
Aditya ultra
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What exactly is an Anti-Hero?

In the trailer of "The Foreigner", is Jackie Chan considered to be an anti-hero? My friend said that an anti-hero does not care about anything and would kill innocent people. Anti-heroes are only in as comic book heroes. However, in "Law Abiding…
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Who came up with the "death trap" concept?

The Big Bad has caught the dashing hero. But he's not going to simply shoot him, oh no, he'll place him in some sort of convoluted death-trap (generally unattended) which the hero will no doubt find some even more convoluted way of escaping…
Haedrian
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Is there a specific name for a character that is a sacrificial "example"?

I was wondering if there is a title/role in movies, specifically horror or Sci-fi movies, for characters that are cast specifically to die as a way of being an example. This could be as a way to show the cast/party that things have turned horribly…
Austin
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A "groundhog day" world of animated series. Does this trope have a name?

There are quite a lot of series (usually animations, because doing it for something live-action would be rather hard, I presume) with one common trope: the timeline never progresses forward. "The Simpsons" has aired for 28 seasons (almost 30…
Mr Scapegrace
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Why do assistant type characters tend to have British accents in movies?

Assistant-type characters like: Alfred in the Batman movies Zazu in The Lion King series C-3PO in the Star Wars series Curator in Ready Player One Jarvis in Iron Man etc. often have British accents. Why is that?
user79628
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What is the source of the trope of characters in The Simpsons or Futurama walking in the dark with neon signs floating by?

In many episodes of The Simpsons or Futurama, a character (usually drunk or sad) walks in the dark with neon signs moving in the background. Where does this come from? A few examples: The Simpsons: My Fair Laddy (S17E12): Homer cannot find a shop…
mattiav27
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What trope would Indiana never leaving his hat behind fall under?

In the Indiana Jones movies whenever his hat is lost he'll always at least try to get it back. He's risked limbs amongst other things in order to make sure he always has it with him. This isn't limited to just the Indiana Jones movies either,…
user56652
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What's the purpose of people shouting "Hello" into the phone several times after they've clearly been disconnected?

This is usually done with a landline phone. The character calls someone or someone is calling him, they talk for a while and then for any reason the other person hangs up earlier than the character thinks they should do so. At this moment the…
sharptooth
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Has there ever been a drama film with an unreliable death scene confession?

This question was prompted by watching The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In Venice, the crewman gasps, "It was Grey, not Skinner", and dies. Various aspects of the screenplay and score suggested this was intended to show a genuine deathbed…
Stilez
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Why is Skinner so awkward in Hot Fuzz?

In Hot Fuzz, Simon Skinner is one of the core members of Neighborhood Watch Alliance, which have successfully managed to hide numerous murders for years. Why does he talk so awkwardly though? He comments on 'beheading' fickle customers. He speaks…
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