The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
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openmarried into Film
openBetter Self Film
Hi, I am looking for a trope in which the hero encounters a better version of him-/herself. The antagonist is everything the hero hopes to be or believes to be. Of course, in reality the hero is everything but the opposit. Think: Hero is the worst cop ever. Meets the perfect cop etc. Particularly looking for comedies using this trope. I would call it "better self" but I am sure it exists here under a different name. Can anyone help?
openKnocked Out Film
So the hero and an antagonist fight, the hero wins, and (sometimes after a conversation) renders the antagonist unconscious with a blow to the head. Example: The Princess Bride, when The Man in Black konks Inigo on the head after their sword fight. SURELY this is already a trope, but I cannot find it!
openTrope for punching meat? Film
Is there a trope such as this? Does it have a name? I've read the entry for Rocky and noticed it doesn't mention the meat punching scene, despite it being pretty iconic and being a parody staple in cartoons and comedy films later years.
openHollywood Forest Film
Forests in live-action media conspicuously having flat and clear ground, and neatly spaced trees, due to being shot at a tree farm.
openLast Scene Action Pose Film
Is there a trope for the last scene in a movie (or show, comic, game, whatever) with the character(s) making a badass pose, often carrying a gun, or doing a martial arts stance? Found in many a Sequel Hook.
The most glaring examples that come to mind are the Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros movies.
openTrope for slow monsters who never fall behind? Film
Is there a trope for monsters/killers who never move faster than a leisurely walk yet somehow always manage to keep pace with victims who flee at top speed? It seems like this is a common thing, but I couldn't find it.
openRhymes with Schmecret Film
Is there a trope for a character claiming he won't say something, but saying it rhymes with another word, usually non-existant, that makes the true meaning obvious?
e.g.:
- Alice: I won't tell you what problems Bob had in the bedroom, but let's just say it rhymes with Schmerectile Dysfunction...
openunzipping dresses Film
I'm looking for shots in films where a woman unzips her dress or her top (like in American Beauty or Jennifer's Body...)
openMiracle Season Film
Drunken washed-up former sports star coerced or forced out of retirement to coach 'the worst team in the league'.
openPerson living in the walls Film
Do we have something for the trope often used in horror, where it turns out that there's been a person living in secret in the protagonist's home? Usually it's a previous occupant of the house who didn't want to leave, or the protagonist's stalker, etc. Examples include Housebound, Brahms: The Boy, and more recently Parasite.
openHuman drivers with cartoon passengers Film
Applying the Roger Rabbit Effect, a live action human character drives a vehicle, humans, where human characters are sitting as passengers and interact with the human. Examples here https://twitter.com/DolphinGarage/status/1232335318923214849
openComic-book movie trope? Film
Is there such a trope for this:
In a movie from Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters, one character (not a protagonist), suddenly makes a reference to an event from Avengers: Endgame (which probably hasn't happened in this continuity), and no-one In-Universe has any idea who the hell Thanos is, let alone "The Snap". Out-of-universe, it gets the reaction of "What the hell?".
Is there a trope for something like this?
openMust be here but dont know what it'd be called Film
Gist is: acknowledged happiness or contentment is a guarantee of it being taken away. (Exclusion being if it's right at the close of the story)
Eg. Go T where jaime rescues his daughter, she admits knowing of her true parentage and they share a heartfelt moment. This of course being Go T (before plot armor) her death was a certainty. Eg 2. Clash of the titans (remake) Perseus on the boat with adoptive family says he is happy/has all he could want, signing their death sentence.
It's a fairly common plot device to convey the loss the character is about to face, though telegraphs it quite heavily since it's used a LOT.
Much obliged for any help finding this one. Mostly interested in others thoughts on the device and other stories it exists in.
openTilted Camera Film
So is there a trope for when the scene appears to be tilted (for example, a listing ship) but it is obvious that the only tilt involved is with the camera?
openCultural Osmosis Failure? Film
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood takes place in late 60s Hollywood and features Charles Manson's cult (no movie spoilers).
As I understand it, the Manson murders are notorious in the US, so everyone has a big Oh, Crap! moment when one of the heroes visits Spahn ranch. However, the events (and Manson's cult) aren't so well-known (or well-remembered, I'm not sure which) overseas, resulting in confusion (who are these people, why are we following one of the main characters' neighbors during her daily routine, who's the creepy shaggy-haired dude, etc).
Is there a trope for when part of the audience is perplexed because they don't know the RL events the movie is based on?
openSame characters, different films? Film
This might be a bit too rare to have a trope, but;
Characters from the movie If, show up in O Lucky Man and Britannia Hospital, with the same name, played by the same actors, and behaving similarly. The movies, however, are not sequels since there are irreconciliable differences between each one - characters' lives change way too much between the movies for them to be sequels.
What do we call them, then? Is there a trope for it?
openIndividual battles Film
The heroes are spread out in a battle. At first they make it look easy. Then they struggle a little. The camera shows them one by one getting knocked down, pinned, about to get crushed or fall. Then the lead or a surprise characters gains strength and frees their friends.