Part II: 10 Clichés That Must Die

If you read part one of this essay, you know I hate clichés and stereotypes. They’re the products of hack writers, lazy minds, and innate bigotry.  Part one was about how Hollywood looks at “conservative America.” That is, anything to the right of them is “conservative.” Part 2 is mostly (except for #1) about how they look at themselves and society.

You see, art is a statement, even commercial art. It’s a kind of message, even when the message is stupid. Because all stories are an argument about something. Any story that doesn’t have a point is just a waste of time.

When people talk to you, they’re telling you a lot about themselves, without even realizing it. In the subtext of what they say, they tell you how they see the world. It’s rare that people say exactly what’s on their mind, they usually say it in a roundabout way.  (more…)

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Tags: cliches, Culture, hollywood, sterotypes, writing
Posted Jan 26th 2009 at 12:04 pm in Media Criticism | 28257113 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhudnall/2009/01/26/10-more-cliches-that-must-die/Part+II%3A+10+Clich%C3%A9s+That+Must+Die2009-01-26+20%3A04%3A52James+Hudnall

10 Cinematic Clichés That Must Die!

As a writer and consumer of entertainment, I really hate clichés and stereotypes. They’re only useful for misdirection, making readers believe the story is going a certain way so you can fool them. But Hollywood keeps trotting out the following lame tropes over and over again. It’s about time they were called on the carpet for this stupidity. These stereotypes are not only offensive; they’re overused to the point where they must be retired for good. If you really care about not offending people, Hollywood, stop offending me and the legions of people who are sick of this drivel.

1. The Crazed Vet/Soldier: According to Hollywood, if you’re a veteran who fought in a war or a soldier returning from one, you are insane, dangerous and probably a murderous sociopath. Either that or you’re a pathetic loser with mental problems. An emotional basket case. And of course, only poor people join the military, only uneducated stooges easily fooled by government propaganda. No one joins the military because they believe in something. If they do they will find out how foolish they were and become disgusted with America. (more…)

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Tags: cliches, hollywood, stereotypes, writing
Posted Jan 20th 2009 at 8:48 am in Media Criticism | 23445195 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhudnall/2009/01/20/10-cliches-that-must-die/10+Cinematic+Clich%C3%A9s+That+Must+Die%212009-01-20+16%3A48%3A05James+Hudnall