# Best use of clichéd movie elements **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330 "2009-11-20T20:44:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/1 "2009-11-20T20:44:29Z")
It’s an SDMB staple. Og knows how many times it’s been done, but it seldom fails to draw a crowd: discussions of overused situations, effects, and any number of devices in movies. So let’s turn this around and sing out in praise of the moments when filmmakers employ these same tricks, but make them work especially well. Before the fireworks start, I would mandate two simple rules. First. Parodies of overused x are excluded. _Loaded Weapon 1_ has a great sendup of the homely schoolmarm who whips off her glasses and lets down her hair to reveal that she’s actually super hot. But because it’s a parody of the meme instead of a mere retread, it’s disqualified. Second. Origin of the overused x is also excluded. Robert Newton’s performance as Long John Silver in Disney’s _Treasure Island_ was so memorable that (IIUC) it gave rise to the entire “aaaaaarrr” pirate patois. So, being the origin of the cinematic sea dog, it’s out of contention for best use of hackneyed stereotypical accent. Now to my own nominations: **Best Use of the Slow-Motion "Nooooooooooo"** Gandalf vs. the Balrog. Hands down. Extra points for using the same scene twice in the trilogy and making it just as effective the second time around. **Best Cameo Appearance of an Original Cast Member in a Remake** Gregory Peck in _Cape Fear_. Because Peck is a god. **Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film** While I know that Pippin’s song in _The Return of the King_ will be the most popular choice, I nominate the _Non Nobis Domine_ from _Henry V_. **Best Surprise Ending** _The Usual Suspects_. Admit it. You didn’t see it coming either. Other categories I might suggest, but don’t have the encyclopedic film knowledge to select a definitive example: [ul] [li]Best use of a car exploding in a giant fireball after a minor traffic collision[/li][li]Best use of amnesia[/li][li]Best use of gratuitous nudity[/li][li]Best “Aha! You only THOUGHT I was dead!” moment[/li][/ul] Let the games begin. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/2 "2009-11-20T21:14:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Best “Aha! You only THOUGHT I was dead!” moment **Body Heat** , and I refuse to comment further. Rent the film. I’ll dispute **Best Surprise Ending**. My favorite always has been **The Last of Sheila**. You may have seen something coming, but I’ll bet you didn’t see what it really was. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/3 "2009-11-20T22:05:38Z")
**Best use of amnesia** is _Memento_. It’s also the **best surprise ending** , er, **beginning** , er, what was I saying? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/4 "2009-11-20T22:13:47Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > **Best Cameo Appearance of an Original Cast Member in a Remake** > Gregory Peck in _Cape Fear_. Because Peck is a god. I might be stretching the bounds of the category with this one, but I’m going with Hunter S. Thompson’s flashback cameo in the Terry Gilliam version of _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_. Particularly because Johnny Depp, playing Thompson, recognizes his older self in the flashback and is weirded out by it. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/5 "2009-11-21T00:16:14Z")
Best one liner before the hero kills the villain: Yun-Fat Chow in **The Replacement Killers**. Wei: The boy will die. John Lee: Not in your lifetime. [shoots Mr. Wei] ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/6 "2009-11-21T07:30:43Z")
Best Surprise Endings That Everyone’s Seen: \*\*Usual Suspects The Sixth Sense\*\* ========== Personal Fave Best Surprise Ending: **Lone Star**. Because it’s a double whammy. Who actually shot Wade is a good surprise, but not earth-shaking. But minutes later we’re expecting a routine epilogue, and instead get hit with the BIG shocker. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving: when you think about it afterwards, you realize that most of the people in the movie must have known the “secret”, except for the two people it concerned. Best Surprise Ending, Honrable Mention: **No Way Out**. Apparently I’m the only person in the world who didn’t see the big revelation coming from a mile away. Tough. I watched it in a hotel room and nearly fell off the bed. Costner’s best performance, BTW and IMO. . ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/7 "2009-11-21T11:35:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ll dispute **Best Surprise Ending**. My favorite always has been **The Last of Sheila**. You may have seen something coming, but I’ll bet you didn’t see what it really was. OTOH, since the movie itself was a fair-play whodunnit, can it really be considered a _surprise_ if the thing was structured to enable the audience to deduce said ending? ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/8 "2009-11-21T11:48:39Z")
Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film I nominate the scene in Zulu where the British respond to the Zulu’s war song with a rendition of “Men of Harlech.” ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/9 "2009-11-21T13:26:50Z")
**TreacherousCretin** : I’ve added the spoiler tags as your requested. It’s easy to do. See [Forum Rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343601), Post #4). For you, and anyone else reading who doesn’t know how: type right before the text you want to conceal, and then type immediately after the text you want to conceal. The and are called “spoiler tags” and will conceal the text between them. To read the text, click on the SHOW TEXT button. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/10 "2009-11-21T13:34:42Z")
**Best Appearance of the Real Life Subject in a Bio-Film** Larry Flynt as the judge in _The People vs Larry Flynt_ Seconding The Usual Suspects for **Best Surprise Ending** ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/11 "2009-11-21T16:37:13Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > **Best Cameo Appearance of an Original Cast Member in a Remake** > Gregory Peck in _Cape Fear_. Because Peck is a god. Faye Dunaway was delightful as Pierce Brosnan’s psychiatrist in the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair.” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/12 "2009-11-21T18:12:26Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > **TreacherousCretin** : I’ve added the spoiler tags as your requested. It’s easy to do. See… Oui, Bwana. Will do. And thanks for fixing it! . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/13 "2009-11-21T18:14:09Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film > > I nominate the scene in Zulu where the British respond to the Zulu’s war song with a rendition of “Men of Harlech.” Excellent choice. . ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/14 "2009-11-21T19:05:10Z")
I think the best “Aha! You only THOUGHT I was dead!” moment has to be what I always think of as the original - Wait Until Dark. Although I have to admit I don’t remember the Body Heat reference, even though I thought that was a terrific film. I only saw it once, though. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/15 "2009-11-21T19:21:26Z")
Best use of gratuitous nudity is a tie between _Species_ and _Return of the Living Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/16 "2009-11-21T19:31:52Z")
I thought _Narc_ had a really fantastic “two cops talking in the car on a rainy stakeout night” scene. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/17 "2009-11-21T19:41:10Z")
I question that a “surprise ending” is really a cliche, but what ever. Best rally the troops pre-battle speech: Branaugh does the St. Crispans Day speech in **Henry V** ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/18 "2009-11-21T19:53:56Z")
Best “slo-mo run from an explosion” was in **Independence Day**. Fiery alien blast roaring through the tunnel and we get an intense dramatic slow motion run to safety by _the dog_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/19 "2009-11-22T19:02:47Z")
I liked Olivier’s St. Crispin’s Day speech better than Branagh’s, but to each his own. However, Branagh was much better at wooing the princess. For best use of gratuitous nudity, I nominate _The Whole Nine Yards_. While everyone, both onscreen and in the audience, is gaping at Amanda Peet’s body, someone (I think it was Ms. Peet herself) produces a gun and kills the bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/20 "2009-11-22T19:26:52Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > [ul] > [li]Best “Aha! You only THOUGHT I was dead!” moment[/li][/ul] It’s not a movie, but there’s a moment like this in the second season of **Slings and Arrows**. You would never expect it in a million years, with very good reason. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330.md?page=2)