Shared Plot-lines in Cinema
Films/Movies with Common Themes/Characters/Motifs
Productions with obvious commonality of plots &/or protagonists &/or premises.
Productions with obvious commonality of plots &/or protagonists &/or premises.
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- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsHelen HayesKen BerryStefanie PowersThe living Volkswagen Beetle helps an old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer.The sequel to an original film concept, which spawned a whole new genre of anthropomorphised motors/automobiles/cars - no doubt delighting petrol-heads (& derv-drivers) everywhere for generations to come.
- DirectorTravis KnightStarsHailee SteinfeldJorge Lendeborg Jr.John CenaOn the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. On the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, Charlie Watson discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.The (belated) spiritual successor in some sense to Herbie - where inspiration was undoubtedly drawn from - many parallels, juxtapositions and allusions made, either directly or not.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsElliott GouldJames BrolinBrenda VaccaroWhen the first manned flight to Mars is deemed unsafe and scrubbed on the launch pad, anxious authorities must scramble to save face and retain their funding - and so an unthinkable plot to fake the mission is hatched.Escape by rickety old plane chase scene.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.Escape attempted by rickety old plane.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsBen AffleckAnna KendrickJ.K. SimmonsAs a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.Never underestimate the power (or bottled rage) of an unassuming, mild-mannered gentleman.
- DirectorIlya NaishullerStarsBob OdenkirkAleksey SerebryakovConnie NielsenA docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.Ditto the above; seemingly still waters not only run deep but often conceal fatal riptides, undercurrents and back tows/eddies.
- CreatorEric KripkeStarsKarl UrbanJack QuaidAntony StarrA group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.High levels of good old-fashioned
gung-ho-ness (namely grit, guts and gravel) and
bad-assery, tempered with copious amounts
of comedy blended seamlessly into a smooth and consistently humourful whole for the viewer's delectation. What more is there to say, but just like Ronseal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkGaq9xiQZY
Urban's Butcher gives 'em hell. - DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsFrank GrilloMel GibsonNaomi WattsTrapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, a former special forces agent must unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise.Ditto the above assessment exactly, except this time Grillo's Roy (literally) "pulverises" the opposition.
- DirectorKevin HooksStarsDominic PurcellWentworth MillerWade WilliamsLinc and Michael have decided to take the keys and escape, figuring at least they'll go down fighting. FBI Special Agent Alexander Mahone chased them while staying in contact with Secret Service Special Agent Paul Kellerman who suddenly shot Mahone and gave the brothers a ride because he wants revenge on the White House; Linc wants his instead, but is offered the location of Terence Steadman. T-bag visits his ex-girlfriend, who tells him the children think he's their Uncle Teddy on an oil rig, but he moves in; when she goes for a gun, he attacks her and her son attacks Zach him, so he turns the home into a private prison. In prison, former boss Bellick, who naively had made a deal in order to do his time in Illinois, shivers in general population among the prisoners he abused and their mates, he has none as the new warden sees him as an example of his new, clean ship; he soon realizes there's no pleasing them, and tries hitting hard; a loyal guard warns him the night shift is on his enemies side as he treated them badly. Benjamin Miles 'C-Note' Franklin tries to save his Kacee who is in custody, advising her to put all the blame on him; after hearing how scared his girl is, he asks one of his friends for help to run while she's on bail but the judge refuses bail. Mahone awakes in hospital, and reports to Kim on Kellerman's betrayal and the brothers' escape, which is hitting the TV news, but refuses to play anymore, even if that means jail; when his wife Pam phones their son is hurt he rushes out for Colorado, but is stopped to hear it's a warning to force him back in line; however he is through doing Kim's bidding and shoots his man. Kim calls Steadman's bodyguards: he must be evacuated to a safe house as Kellerman knows his residence, but he is already there with the brothers- Kims orders to kill everyone, but only the FBI men are shot; Kellerman explains Steadman is made unrecognizable, including plastic surgery, so their only option is to get him to Washington, where FBI agents who know can still make the truth stick. Michael decides instead to turn himself in while informing the press, despite Kellermans gun aimed at him, but Steadman prefers to commit suicide, and his corpse is worthless for the brothers.PRISON BREAK: - - "T-Bag", likely (some say) short for "Shit-Bag" based on his heinous proclivities, attempts to play "Happy Families" in Prison Break's take on a well-worn trope. Bar a few classics, my knowledge of the prime or heyday era of Hollywood silver-screen is not enough to know where this trope first originated - the truth is, it probably pre-dates even cinema and is perhaps as old as civilisation itself. Anyway, Robert Knepper is an acting legend, who has the rare knack of playing the most utterly odious and despisable characters wholly convincingly, yet in such a way that they retain some humanity and are not dismissed entirely - he does this in maybe the only way it's possible, through razor sharp intelligence and biting humour.
- 2019– 58mTV-MA9.0 (16K)TV EpisodeDirectorSteve BoyumStarsKarl UrbanJack QuaidAntony StarrThe Boys take to the high seas to safeguard their prisoner. Homelander plays house, then pushes Ryan over the edge. Starlight is forced to make an impossible choice. Stormfront reveals her true character.THE BOYS: - - While it's true that almost no-one is properly capable of replicating Knepper's "happy families" shared meal, "isn't-this-lovely?" scene from Prison Break, Starr gives it a decent try as Homelander, when having a "isn't-this-nice?" breakfast with his decent son, who he attempts to corrupt. It's probably not possible to surpass or even rival Knepper in this regard - as in so many others as well, though "Homelander" gives a credible and commendable performance nonetheless. Direct parallels also with Jack the Archangel from Supernatural, and Lucifer's malign attempts to poison his soul. Should also at least mention everything Ricky Gervais has ever produced, created or acted in; most memorably the (English) Office of course, for he is the true master of "the awkward situation"; and elevated it to incredible heights of subtlety and nuance, more often than not through employing puerile schoolboy humour - however his is a deep assessment of and reflection of the human condition, so (for me at least) will always be the gold standard of the genre. The Golden Globes compering stuff alone is pure gold, if you'll pardon the pun.
- 1964–196852mTV-G7.1 (119)TV EpisodeDirectorSobey MartinStarsRichard BasehartDavid HedisonGia ScalaAdmiral Nelson and a Soviet scientist are in a diving bell when the vessel is swallowed by a giant whale. With only 90 minutes of oxygen, Captain Crane, Kowalski, and Riley swim into the whale's mouth to attempt a harrowing rescue.Direct parallel with a brief-ish scene in "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men"; in that episode it was literally a case of death by by one big cut. Reminds me of the (mostly English) joke, when a promiscuous woman has injured herself with a visible wound, and the first-aider responds by saying, "That's a nasty gash you've got there. Also, that cut looks pretty deep as well".
- DirectorTina WakerellStarsRodney BewesShirley SteedmanMartin CochraneSame parallel with The Boys Season 2 Episode 3 as above.
- DirectorNorman FergusonT. HeeWilfred JacksonStarsDickie JonesChristian RubMel BlancA living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.Another, third parallel with the just aforementioned Boys episode. It blows my mind to think how good this cartoon Pinocchio is/was; given the completely startling and almost bonkers fact that it was released in 1940, makes me wonder if any of us actually understand reality at all, or can even begin to comprehend the vast wellspring and huge depth of talent of those cartoonists and animators that produced this phenomenal picture, in all likelihood sometime in the late 1930's. To think that none of them could possibly be alive today bar perhaps some (who were then) 16 to 20 year old apprentices and would now be pushing the ton or just over it, is even more mind-boggling. It just goes to show, that Classic anything, whether it's literature, art, music - or cartoons and animations - is the pinnacle of expression of the human mind/spirit and the creative spark within.