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 webslinky: movie cliches
This week, it’s the same old story. It’s been said for a long time that Hollywood’s run out of new ideas, but I’m starting to think they’ve run out of old ideas too.Proof can be found in the shape of Movie Clichés. It’s filled with such gems as “women don't need to go to the [toilet] when they get up but will shower frequently” and “stripping to the waist makes the hero invulnerable.” I was also amused by the rule: “It is very simple to cure a lifelong alcoholic. Just shove him in front of a mirror and say ‘Look! Look what you've become!’” Why Does Disney Always Kill the Parents? spots a sinister trend in kids’ films, this time blaming the house of Mickey Mouse. Parents pushing up daisies has been a common theme in the work of Disney, even pre-dating Bambi’s mum feeling the wrong end of a shotgun in 1942. To be fair, loved ones have been popping their clogs in fairy tales long before cinema came about, but that doesn’t mean modern storytelling has to follow suit. Think of the children, for goodness sake! (The link points to the version of Why Does Disney…? on the Internet Archive because the original site recently disappeared from its original location. By looking at the timescale, it was probably due to the author not renewing his hosting contract, rather than bullying from Disney). Greatest Film Misquotations lists some of the most commonly ill-repeated film lines, and if you don't believe them there's even audio from each film as proof. My favourite movie misquotation (doesn’t everyone have one?) is from the 1948 Humphrey Bogart flick, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. The line, “Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges”, has been spoofed on TV and film for decades, as detailed on the Stinking Badges website, with video and audio clips. Old habits die hard. But that’s another clichéd story.
Jody Smith
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related info
 useful linksdisney kills parents www.archive.org film misquotations stinking badges
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 webslinky #075wacky adventures  webslinky #074music mischief  webslinky #073 film sequels webslinky #072digital storytelling  webslinky #071f. o. i.  webslinkyarchive books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. art  art archive Watch artist interviews and see images from British exhibitions. |
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