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Probably these have been mentioned before but here are some cliches I'd really like subverted for once:

- in the teen movie where the unpopular girl is given a make over and suddenly gets together with the popular boy and suddenly her life is worth something. Just once I want a movie where the girl goes 'well I can't be bothered with all this lark' and actually has a sense of self worth.
- Instead of rambling on, the villain of the piece actually puts a bullet in the hero's brain at the first opportunity.
- A superhero movie where the hero actually enjoys their powers and doesn't angst on and on and where the secret identity hinges on something more then the moronicness of the people around the hero

LOL. If it wasn't for the stupidity of the people around the hero, he wouldn't be able to maintain his 'secret identity', and would therefore become just like everybody else. Imagine a world where Superman and Batman meet together to go shopping at the Local Cash 'n Carry, and where Spiderman has to spend his weekends unplugging the sink and mowing the lawn. Now it's realistic, I'll grant you, but it's not exactly what Hollywood calls 'gripping drama' etc. (Then again, neither was the last action film I saw).

Anyway...

- In any action film, the hero has to confront a team of villains on his own. He might be offered a SWAT team or a set of snipers, but for some reason they always shoot the wrong person.

- Whenever a person who belongs to the 'good guys' is shot, someone stops by to ask him "Are you all right?" (see below)

- Any person who belongs to the 'good guys' and is shot always survives.

A particularly moronic example was something I saw last night in a late-night film called Passenger 57. A 'good guy' is accidentally shot in the arm, and the 'hero' asks him "Are you all right?" He grits his teeth and says something like "Yes, go on, get them". Err... what? I'm pretty sure that anyone who is shot in the arm would be screaming in agony, at best.

- Any 'hero' is allowed to drop his weapon, because he'll soon get another one.

- Any weapon is allowed to be used by anyone as long as it looks cool and fulfills the demands of the plot. (One spectacularly stupid example is from a made-for-TV film, in which Attila the Hun uses trebuchets. Errm...)

1. When men drink whiskey, it's always in a shot glass and they down it in one large gulp. If the guy is a wimp, he'll gasp for air and cough. If he's a tough guy, he'll briefly wince and grit his teeth.

2. In a sci-fi or fantasy world, dissimilar species can breed together. Humans and Vulcans in Star Trek or humans and elves in nearly any fantasy movie or game.

3. There are always available parking spots in downtown areas of large cities, such as NYC.

4. If someone has cut the brake lines, the driver won't think to switch gears or use the handbrake.

5. Vehicles can perform impossible maneuvers, such as the bus in Speed jumping over a missing section of freeway or a helicopter climbing at a 90 degree angle in Blue Thunder.

6. Whenever the hero knocks someone else out (usually a guard) and takes their clothes, it's always a perfect fit.

7. When two people speak to each other, one of them will probably be looking out the window and then turn around to face the other during a particularly dramatic moment.

8. If the hero (or someone "good") runs into an elevator, those following can't get to the doors before they close. Even worse, the enemies never think to stick an appendage out to stop the elevator doors from closing.

9. Unless a single-parent household is shown, the mother will usually have a large breakfast waiting on the table. The father will inevitably come to the table fully dressed for work, have a quick cup of coffee and then bolt out the door without eating anything.

10. Any locked door can be opened with a credit card or a paper clip. In some cases, a knife is used.

11. No one ever identifies themselves or says "good bye" when on the phone.

12. When speaking to someone else on the phone, it's commonplace to repeat every word that's said.

13. When the villain (in some cases the hero) thinks his call is being traced, he knows when to hang up before his location is found.

14. You can easily tell which group the United States considers "the enemy" by which decade the movie takes place (Germans in the 40s and 50s, Asians in the 60s and 70s, Soviets in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and finally, Middle Easterners in the 90s and 2000s).

15. SS officers always wear their dress uniforms and/or a black trench coat.

16. When people shoot their guns into the air, the bullets never drop back down at some point or another.

17. If someone has superpowers, they'll usually manifest when the hero is under extreme stress or in a potentially dangerous situation.

18. History is often changed or dramatized for the sake of entertainment (see Pearl Harbor and U-571).

19. If the hero jumps into water, he's immune to bullets and fire. The exception to this rule was shown in Saving Private Ryan, when the troops stormed Normandy Beach and were shot to pieces even if they ducked into the water.

20. Security guards are ultimately worthless and to get anything done properly, they need to call the police (or in some rare cases, the National Guard).

18. U-571

The movie that was discussed in the 'Prime Minister's Questions' in the UK.