TV or movie pet peeves

[Merkuri]

Do TV shows or movies ever do anything repeatedly that just gets your goat?

I can't stand it when they use empty disposable coffee cups. They move like they're empty, they sit in holders like they're empty, they even sound empty when they're put on a table.

Just put water in the darn things! Is it that hard? It breaks my immersion every time Castle walks into the police precinct with two empty coffee cups (as an example). Gah!

 

[Pbartender]

Eyeglasses...

...when they either leave the lenses out, or they use flat lenses. I understand that the actors need to see straight, but it never looks right.

 

[frankthedm]

I really hate Infant Immortality. It makes putting a baby in "jeopardy" a forgone conclusion since whether or not the baby lives will be determined by genre.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Just once, I'd like to see someone with a limited amount of time to save something do it with hours to spare.

 

[Diamond Cross]

I'd love to see an end to product placement.

And censorship.

 

[MarkB]

Just once, I'd like to see someone with a limited amount of time to save something do it with hours to spare.

Sherlock Holmes does it in the recent BBC miniseries "Sherlock", having been given a time limit by the villain with a hostage at stake. He then pretends not to have, in order to use the remaining time to try and trace the villain.

But it is a very well-worn trope. I think the most egregious example is in the Flash Gordon movie, when Flash defeats Ming four seconds before the Moon is due to crash into the Earth - and, seemingly, there's still an Earth to go back to.

And the best lampshade-hanging is in Galaxy Quest, when the good guys hit the abort button on the self destruct with several seconds in hand - but it keeps counting down to zero, because it's designed from the TV show and in the show, the counter always aborts just on zero.

 

[MarkB]

Forgot to add: My pet peeve is actors shaking their heads in moments of great emotional sincerity, as in "I love you (shakes head) sooo much." Maybe it's just me, but it always looks like they can't make up their mind if they're being honest or not.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Sherlock Holmes does it in the recent BBC miniseries "Sherlock"...

Not a miniseries. Series two next year.

 

[jonesy]

Easily exploding cars used to be my pet peeve, but that seems to be getting more realistic (or maybe I'm just watching shows that do it better).

Nowadays it's keys and locks. Somebody leaves his car on the driveway unlocked, comes back later and unlocks it? Someone else leaves her home and doesn't lock the door at all. Another locks the door and then immediately comes back and the door isn't locked anymore, and he just walks in. Or locks his car with a remote, but when he comes back he just walks in and starts it. It's as if keys and locks didn't even have anything to do with each other. And when they do they don't matter.

 

[megamania]

Where to begin.....

Horror movies.......
seperate and then remain within the building.

Chase scenes.....
The car leaps into the air and lands (look closely and see parts break and fly) but the car continues doing 80+ mph as if on the ground the whole time.

Invasion movies
Alien Invasions that are stopped by either a cold or a quickly made computer virus

Fight Scenes.....
How many times does the hero get decked in the face and NEVER so much as loses a tooth..... and how he takes lots of hits but he strikes a foe once and they go down (wonderfully shown in Ironman II)


But it is escapeism so...... pass the popcorn.