Worn out scenes

[Branduil]

The good guy turns a corner, gun at ready, only to find that the bad guy has an innocent/loved one hostage. Bad guy demands the good guy put his gun down... and the good guy does it. Then, a miracle occurs, and the bad guy is defeated anyway.

Just for once (outside of an episode of Cowboy Bebop), I want to see the hero shoot the bad guy in the face. Because the bad guy always makes sure the hero has a clean shot at his head while gloating about how "weak" the hero is.

That was the most awesome scene ever.

 

[mojo1701]

Heh, in one of the newer bond flicks... Tommorow never dies I believe, in a training exercise, Bond shoots his boss who was being held hostage by a bad guy, then shoots the bad guy in the head. The boss survived, because it was only a flesh wound. Too bad it was only a VR exercise.

Reminds me of the "Enterprise" episode "North Star," when

Spoiler

Reed rescues T'Pol, being held at gunpoint by one of the cowboys by shooting her, then shooting him (both shots, of course, on STUN, but the cowboy didn't know that).

 

[Starman]

Heh, in one of the newer bond flicks... Tommorow never dies I believe, in a training exercise, Bond shoots his boss who was being held hostage by a bad guy, then shoots the bad guy in the head. The boss survived, because it was only a flesh wound. Too bad it was only a VR exercise.

Harry Temple: All right, pop quiz. Airport. Gunman with one hostage. He's using her for cover; he's almost to a plane. You're a hundred feet away. Jack?
Jack: Shoot the hostage.

Starman

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

Earlier I noted that Hollywood isn't trying to protect us; Hollywood is trying to sell tickets.

There's another point though: a Hollywood movie isn't meant to be a complete depiction of life or even a random (statistically valid) slice of life; it depicts a particular conflict playing out through its resolution. A Hollywood movie often shows many terrible, negative things. The inciting incident that kicks off the action is something bad. The rising conflict is, naturally, a sequence of bad things. Then, when the conflict is resolved, we end the movie.

If we were to make a Hollywood movie of your life, we wouldn't start at the beginning of your life, include everything in the middle, and end today; we'd find an interesting conflict, set it up, watch it play out, then witness the resolution. And that's all we'd put into the narrative. That's what a Hollywood film is: a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.

I temporarily forgot that the main drive to the industries is not to amaze or share with us, but to make money. Sure- the writors and actors may want to do just that, but I doubt they are the ones who decide which scripts get the funding.
Safe films, please the majority... it does all make sense.
I guess... no that's not rue, I KNOW I was in a whingy "why can't things be just the way I want them" mood with my first post. Thanks for dose of reality

But a point I'd like to discuss- the rating system. In no way am I saying we can do without it- it's very useful for parents to have an idea of what they're children will be getting exposed to ( and as so much of the escapist, turn-brain-off-and-watch-the-explosions type movies revolve around violence and sex you would want to ration out the amount they see)- but if you look into our history, original forms of entertainment like storytelling (verbally, song-form or written form) all contained lots of warnings about nagative outcomes of bad decisions, or the pain of losing loved ones- I think one of the most obvious places you can see the translation is the original form of "Fairy Tale stories" which were often very grim- Grimm even- and the current, Disney-fied versions, which sugar coat everything.

Finally, is this the madsen of Little Gamers fame?

 

[mmadsen]

Finally, is this the madsen of Little Gamers fame?

Nope.

 

[drnuncheon]

Just for once (outside of an episode of Cowboy Bebop), I want to see the hero shoot the bad guy in the face. Because the bad guy always makes sure the hero has a clean shot at his head while gloating about how "weak" the hero is.

I can think of two other instances - The Fifth Element ("Anyone else want to negotiate?") and Firefly. Enjoy!

J

 

[mmadsen]

... but if you look into our history, original forms of entertainment like storytelling (verbally, song-form or written form) all contained lots of warnings about nagative outcomes of bad decisions, or the pain of losing loved ones- I think one of the most obvious places you can see the translation is the original form of "Fairy Tale stories" which were often very grim- Grimm even- and the current, Disney-fied versions, which sugar coat everything.

My (second) point was that Hollywood films, even Disney films, do contain plenty of bad stuff -- all through the film until the end. In a Hollywood film, we start the story with the introduction of the conflict, then we watch the conflict escalate, then we witness its resolution. Once the conflict's resolved, we end the movie.

Snow White, for instance, is hiding from the jealous witch/queen -- who poisons her. Bambi opens with hunters killing Bambi's mother. In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent curses Princess Aurora to die from a poisoned spinning wheel. Even in a Disney film, bad things happen -- but we see the characters through. The story ends in a happy place, but only after many unhappy things have happened.

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

My (second) point was that Hollywood films, even Disney films, do contain plenty of bad stuff -- all through the film until the end. In a Hollywood film, we start the story with the introduction of the conflict, then we watch the conflict escalate, then we witness its resolution. Once the conflict's resolved, we end the movie.

Snow White, for instance, is hiding from the jealous witch/queen -- who poisons her. Bambi opens with hunters killing Bambi's mother. In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent curses Princess Aurora to die from a poisoned spinning wheel. Even in a Disney film, bad things happen -- but we see the characters through. The story ends in a happy place, but only after many unhappy things have happened.

I think I see what you mean. The only counterpoint I can make to that is a bit trite- that all the characters who die or have bad things happen are usually set-point characters who exist only to die or have bad things happen- it may be different for the age group such movies are aimed at, but I can't develop emotional attachment or see any real significance if a character dying who existed ONLY to die as part of the main characters story.

Someone mentioned the Butterfly Effect, I thought that movie was a mind-blowing counterpoint to my whinge about everything always working out so sugar-coated

 

[Vocenoctum]

But yeah, generally it's a miracle when armor does protect anyone -- look at Frodo and the mithril shirt in Lord of the Rings. As audiences, we expect anyone stabbed with a weapon or shot with an arrow will be instantly slain, unless they happen to be the hero.

Right, the mithril shirt stops a poke... but it's a cave troll poke!
You'd have a super neat shirt with a red pasty pulp in between, not a slo-mo hobbit moment!

 

[Darrell]

The good guy turns a corner, gun at ready, only to find that the bad guy has an innocent/loved one hostage. Bad guy demands the good guy put his gun down... and the good guy does it. Then, a miracle occurs, and the bad guy is defeated anyway.

Just for once (outside of an episode of Cowboy Bebop), I want to see the hero shoot the bad guy in the face. Because the bad guy always makes sure the hero has a clean shot at his head while gloating about how "weak" the hero is.

Mel Gibson in The Patriot. When Benjamin Martin (Gibson) is rescuing his son, who is held prisoner by the British, one of the foot-soldiers holds said offspring hostage, with a knife at his throat. THWACK! Thrown tomahawk to the head. Love it.

Regards,
Darrell