Tropescilloscope: Ripped from the Headlines
A recent or ongoing news story is the basis for the plot. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Fatal Family Photo
Took a Level in Jerkass
Dual Wielding
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Vitriolic Best Buds
Australian Movies
Amusing Injuries
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Rule of Funny
Insult Backfire
Retired Badass
Have a Gay Old Time
Spiritual Successor
I'm a Humanitarian
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Irony
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Mugging the Monster
Retirony
Plucky Comic Relief
Man on Fire
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Faking the Dead
Rule of Cool
Developing Doomed Characters
Pyrrhic Victory
Historical-Domain Character
Bland-Name Product
Evil Is Petty
Not So Above It All
Ambiguous Disorder
The Great Depression
Body Horror
Horror Comedy
Protagonist Title
Wicked Cultured
Cat Scare
Artistic License Biology
All Men Are Perverts
Only Sane Man
Age Lift
Captain Obvious
Dying Moment of Awesome
Kill 'em All
The Place
Make It Look Like an Accident
Fan Disservice
Horror Films
Dirty Cop
Ascended Extra
Fat Bastard
Does Not Like Shoes
Sacrificial Lion
Amoral Attorney
Alliterative Name
Red Herring
The Oner
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
N-Word Privileges
Dirty Coward
Toplessness from the Back
It's Personal
Laughing Mad
Bring My Brown Pants
The Alcoholic
The Smurfette Principle
Corpsing
Malevolent Masked Men
Fiery Redhead
Comically Missing the Point
Death by Adaptation
Extreme Doormat
Handicapped Badass
Alas, Poor Villain
Jerkass
Take That!
Karma Houdini
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Dark Action Girl
He Knows Too Much
Camp Gay
Big "NO!"
Enemy Mine
Action Prologue
Immune to Bullets
Cowboy Cop
Genre Throwback
For Want of a Nail
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Jerk Jock
Chewing the Scenery
Curb-Stomp Battle
Never Trust a Trailer
Artistic License Physics
B-Movie
Slashed Throat
The Hero Dies
Disappeared Dad
Brainless Beauty
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Rewatch Bonus
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Silent Movie
Hypocrite
Bilingual Bonus
Your Head A-Splode
Woman Scorned
Pragmatic Adaptation
timeperiod
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
The Bully
Fanservice
Final Girl
Cruel and Unusual Death
Slasher Smile
Domestic Abuse
Hero of Another Story
Arch-Enemy
Intrepid Reporter
Bloodier and Gorier
Fanservice Extra
French Films
Leitmotif
Sole Survivor
Left the Background Music On
Big Bad
Intergenerational Friendship
Agony of the Feet
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
This Is Gonna Suck
Arc Words
Unreliable Narrator
No-Sell
Film Noir Index
Closed Circle
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Captain Ersatz
Genre Savvy
Cat Fight
Slasher Movie
Big Fancy House
The Ditz
Evil Is Hammy
Crapsack World
Ripped from the Headlines
Evil Sounds Deep
The Vamp
Chekhov's Gun
Real Life Writes the Plot
Hero Antagonist
Would Hit a Girl
Redshirt Army
Serial Killer
Due to the Dead
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Shut Up, Hannibal!
You Killed My Father
Police are Useless
Self-Deprecation
Genre Shift
As Himself
And Starring
La Résistance
Black Dude Dies First
Damsel in Distress
Bloodless Carnage
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
Stock Footage
Bittersweet Ending
Mama Bear
Mighty Whitey
Darkest Hour
Bound and Gagged
Sports Stories
After the End
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Guns Akimbo
Cassandra Truth
Only a Flesh Wound
Parental Abandonment
Kids Are Cruel
Meet Cute
The Brute
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Foregone Conclusion
Card-Carrying Villain
Accidental Misnaming
Heroic BSoD
Ax-Crazy
Leave the Camera Running
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
The Musical
Flipping the Bird
Broken Pedestal
Cloudcuckoolander
Cluster F-Bomb
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Adorkable
Hair-Trigger Temper
Defrosting Ice Queen
Mooks
Batman Gambit
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Sequel Escalation
Armor-Piercing Question
Deus ex Machina
Bi the Way
Rousing Speech
Super Strength
Happily Married
The Bad Guy Wins
Would Hurt a Child
Punny Name
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Sadistic Choice
For the Evulz
Humiliation Conga
Butt-Monkey
Ship Tease
Break the Haughty
Extremely Short Timespan
Taking You with Me
Actor Allusion
BrotherSister Incest
Offscreen Teleportation
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Humans Are Bastards
Beware the Nice Ones
Random Events Plot
Country Matters
An Aesop
Actually Pretty Funny
Only One Name
One Steve Limit
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Big Applesauce
Naïve Newcomer
The Load
In Name Only
Award-Bait Song
Call-Back
Bare Your Midriff
Artistic License Law
Small Name, Big Ego
The Ace
And the Adventure Continues
Dutch Angle
Black Comedy
Psychopathic Manchild
Ms. Fanservice
Beard of Evil
Cain and Abel
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Playing Gertrude
Gone Horribly Right
Silence Is Golden
Death Seeker
Animal Title Index
What the Hell, Hero?
Russian Films
Bad Boss
Reasonable Authority Figure
Translation Convention
Crucified Hero Shot
Christmas Movies Index
Anti-Villain
Married to the Job
Stuff Blowing Up
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Back from the Dead
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Plot Hole
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Hoist by His Own Petard
I Have Your Wife
Casting Gag
Bald of Evil
Woman in White
Based on a True Story
Improvised Weapon
Show Within a Show
Half the Man He Used to Be
Stealth Pun
Serious Business
Defiant to the End
All for Nothing
FaceHeel Turn
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Ominous Latin Chanting
Daddy's Girl
Mind Screw
The '60s
Rule of Symbolism
Stepford Smiler
Villain Ball
A God Am I
Attempted Rape
Determinator
Canon Foreigner
Psychological Thriller
Killed Mid-Sentence
Romantic False Lead
Downer Ending
Death by Sex
Tempting Fate
Bavarian Fire Drill
Yandere
Soft Glass
Expy
Jitter Cam
Scare Chord
Off with His Head!
Bond One-Liner
Conspicuous CG
The Chessmaster
Thriller
Better to Die than Be Killed
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Monumental Damage
Twist Ending
Took a Level in Badass
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Nice Guy
Frame-Up
The Lancer
Token Minority
'80s Hair
Hollywood Darkness
Smoking Is Cool
Manly Tears
Eyepatch of Power
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Light Is Not Good
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Villainous Breakdown
Missing Mom
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Heel Realization
Blackmail
Groin Attack
Stealth Hi/Bye
The Dog Bites Back
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Up to Eleven
Same Language Dub
A Date with Rosie Palms
Disproportionate Retribution
Hope Spot
The Film of the Book
Crazy-Prepared
The Dragon
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Mexican Standoff
Those Two Guys
The Mole
Wrong Genre Savvy
Laser-Guided Karma
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Every Car Is a Pinto
The Stoner
Facial Horror
HeelFace Turn
Action Genre
In the Back
Canadian Movies
Historical Villain Upgrade
My Beloved Smother
An Arm and a Leg
Last-Name Basis
Tranquil Fury
Shown Their Work
Dark Is Not Evil
Daylight Horror
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
From Nobody to Nightmare
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Evil Brit
Sequel Hook
Adaptation Expansion
Match Cut
Wham Line
Meaningful Echo
Good Is Not Nice
Nice Hat
Death Glare
Historical Hero Upgrade
Paper-Thin Disguise
Mystery and Detective Films
Novelization
Manchild
Fourth Date Marriage
Friend to All Children
Scenery Porn
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Sexy Discretion Shot
Kick the Dog
Decoy Protagonist
Shipper on Deck
The '90s
A Father to His Men
Stylistic Suck
Soundtrack Dissonance
Real Life
Foreshadowing
Romantic Comedy
Hypocritical Humor
Important Haircut
The X of Y
Let's Get Dangerous!
Evil Counterpart
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
More Dakka
Boom, Headshot!
Artistic License Military
Celebrity Paradox
Mad Scientist
Interrupted Suicide
Knife Nut
Knight Templar
Gold Digger
Crazy Jealous Guy
Reality Ensues
The Reveal
Freudian Excuse
All Just a Dream
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Tap on the Head
Rule of Three
Darker and Edgier
Neck Lift
Training Montage
Gainax Ending
Epic Fail
The Sociopath
Public Domain Feature Films
Madness Mantra
Asshole Victim
The Alleged Car
Product Placement
Re-Cut
Retcon
The Voiceless
Dramedy
The Starscream
Guile Hero
An Axe to Grind
Cool Guns
Did Not Get the Girl
Failed a Spot Check
Greater-Scope Villain
Not Quite Dead
Bottomless Magazines
Psycho for Hire
Undying Loyalty
Drugs Are Bad
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Rasputinian Death
Pretty Little Headshots
Punch-Clock Villain
Hate Sink
Obfuscating Stupidity
Blood Knight
Only Known by Their Nickname
Animated Credits Opening
Hidden Depths
Vomit Discretion Shot
Action Girl
Authority Equals Asskicking
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Call-Forward
Easily Forgiven
Music Stories
Auto Erotica
Hell Is That Noise
Antagonist Title
The Big Guy
Time Skip
The Atoner
Imagine Spot
folderlabel
Pimped-Out Dress
Sinister Minister
Shout-Out
Destination Defenestration
Idiot Ball
The Stoic
Expository Hairstyle Change
Mood Whiplash
The Quiet One
Bullying a Dragon
Disguised in Drag
Cool Shades
Homage
You Have Failed Me
Evil Plan
Precision F-Strike
Rich Bitch
Five-Man Band
Black Best Friend
Pet the Dog
Death by Irony
Sealed Evil in a Can
Not So Stoic
Blood from the Mouth
As You Know
Exact Words
Alpha Bitch
Villain Opening Scene
The Power of Love
Spared by the Adaptation
Grievous Bottley Harm
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Cool Old Lady
Drowning My Sorrows
And I Must Scream
My Greatest Failure
Older Than They Look
Despair Event Horizon
The Dreaded
Dwindling Party
Lock and Load Montage
Outrun the Fireball
Broken Bird
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Refuge in Audacity
Villain Song
Diabolus ex Machina
Author Appeal
The Cameo
Disney Villain Death
Funny Foreigner
Faux Affably Evil
True Companions
Star-Crossed Lovers
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Mr. Exposition
As the Good Book Says...
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Those Two Bad Guys
What You Are in the Dark
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Deal with the Devil
War Is Hell
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Non-Indicative Name
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Big-Bad Ensemble
Fish out of Water
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Logo Joke
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Dramatic Gun Cock
Say My Name
Ass Shove
The Casanova
Everyone Has Standards
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Recycled IN SPACE!
Properly Paranoid
Bowdlerise
Those Wacky Nazis
Obviously Evil
Badass Grandpa
Badass Bookworm
NO INDOOR VOICE
I Did What I Had to Do
Word of God
Martial Arts Movie
Sassy Black Woman
Adult Fear
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Cool Car
Animal Motifs
Naked People Are Funny
How We Got Here
Japanese Films
Brick Joke
Tagline
No OSHA Compliance
Biopic
Adapted Out
Early Installment Weirdness
Meaningful Name
Sci-Fi Horror
Military and Warfare Films
Superhero
Spiteful Spit
Demoted to Extra
Aside Glance
Redemption Equals Death
The Smart Guy
Air-Vent Passageway
Papa Wolf
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Shower Scene
Film Series
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Pretty in Mink
Coming-of-Age Story
Grey and Gray Morality
Big Brother Instinct
Death of a Child
Poor Communication Kills
Evil-Detecting Dog
Artistic License Gun Safety
Made of Iron
Only in It for the Money
Whole Plot Reference
Big Eater
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Unusual Euphemism
Red Right Hand
Gender Flip
Badass Normal
The Ghost
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Face Death with Dignity
Oh, Crap!
Calling the Old Man Out
Affably Evil
Kill It with Fire
Action Survivor
Badass Boast
Establishing Character Moment
Anachronic Order
Parental Substitute
Spanner in the Works
Fire-Forged Friends
Fantasy Films
Police Brutality
Dull Surprise
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
The '80s
Badass in a Nice Suit
Creator Cameo
Rape as Drama
Adaptation Dye-Job
Bar Brawl
Dressing as the Enemy
Posthumous Character
She's Got Legs
Loads and Loads of Characters
Mundane Made Awesome
Slap-Slap-Kiss
The Lost Lenore
Running Gag
Disney Death
Eagleland
A Minor Kidroduction
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Catch-Phrase
Awesome, but Impractical
Black and Gray Morality
Fantastic Racism
BFG
Pay Evil unto Evil
Composite Character
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Reality Has No Subtitles
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Fate Worse than Death
Taking the Bullet
Overly Long Gag
Major Injury Underreaction
Drives Like Crazy
Lampshade Hanging
Fun with Acronyms
The Mafia
Depraved Bisexual
Storming the Castle
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Arranged Marriage
Get Out!
Department of Redundancy Department
Eureka Moment
Here We Go Again!
The Faceless
Didn't Think This Through
One-Word Title
Too Dumb to Live
Motor Mouth
Insistent Terminology
German Films
The Un-Reveal
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Our Zombies Are Different
Betty and Veronica
Room Full of Crazy
Gorn
Continuity Nod
Gratuitous English
Femme Fatale
Index of Film Westerns
Dirty Old Man
Setting Update
My God, What Have I Done?
Parental Incest
Line-of-Sight Name
Covers Always Lie
Hollywood Law
Anyone Can Die
Worthy Opponent
All There in the Script
Ungrateful Bastard
Double-Meaning Title
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Dumb Blonde
Creative Closing Credits
Riddle for the Ages
Abhorrent Admirer
Dissonant Serenity
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
The Remake
Reality Is Unrealistic
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Vampire Fiction
Instant Death Bullet
Mr. Fanservice
Cool Old Guy
Bloody Hilarious
Adaptational Villainy
Adults Are Useless
Beta Couple
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Gilligan Cut
The Stinger
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Artistic License Geography
Adaptational Badass
Put on a Bus
Camera Abuse
Black Comedy Rape
Male Gaze
Insane Troll Logic
Jump Scare
Meaningful Background Event
British Films
Fatal Flaw
Blatant Lies
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Break the Cutie
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
What Happened to the Mouse?
Really Gets Around
Works Set in World War II
Babies Ever After
Zombie Stories
Badass Longcoat
Almost Kiss
Anti-Hero
Creepy Child
Accidental Murder
Annoying Younger Sibling
Gory Discretion Shot
Villain with Good Publicity
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Dark and Troubled Past
Totally Radical
Smug Snake
Red Eyes, Take Warning
I Need a Freaking Drink
Adaptation Distillation
Green-Eyed Monster
Skewed Priorities
Revenge
The Hero
Evil Laugh
Empathic Environment
Never Found the Body
Even Evil Has Standards
One-Man Army
Chekhov's Gunman
The '50s
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Famous Last Words
Foil
Fake Shemp
Market-Based Title
Advertised Extra
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Scary Black Man
Heroic Sacrifice
It's All About Me
Italian Films
Morality Pet
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Politically Incorrect Villain
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Take a Third Option
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
It Can Think
Fingore
Contrived Coincidence
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Loophole Abuse
Heroes Want Redheads
Sanity Slippage
Television Movie Index
Central Theme
Honor Before Reason
Rated M for Manly
No Name Given
Trailers Always Spoil
Double Entendre
Broken Aesop
Artistic License History
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Character Development
Science Fiction Films
Maybe Ever After
Our Vampires Are Different
Never My Fault
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Race Lift
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Historical In-Joke
Improbable Weapon User
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Once More, with Clarity!
Stalker with a Crush
She Cleans Up Nicely
Earn Your Happy Ending
Distracted by the Sexy
The Chick
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Ambiguous Ending
Framing Device
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Karmic Death
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Bolivian Army Ending
Scenery Gorn
Mercy Kill
Dies Wide Open
Your Cheating Heart
Dark Reprise
Spell My Name with an "S"
Kubrick Stare
Not So Different
Be Careful What You Wish For
Reckless Gun Usage
Film Noir
Big Bad Duumvirate
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Implacable Man
Video Credits
Fainting
Deadpan Snarker
Made of Explodium
Shirtless Scene
Visual Pun
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
MayDecember Romance
Ambiguously Gay
Eldritch Abomination
Book-Ends
Bury Your Gays
Documentary
Villain Protagonist
Bait-and-Switch
MacGuffin
Needs Wiki Magic Love
No Ending
Bad "Bad Acting"
Becoming the Mask
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Flashback
Pragmatic Villainy
Deliberately Monochrome
Catapult Nightmare
Love Triangle
Bond Villain Stupidity
Parental Neglect
Large Ham
He Who Fights Monsters
It Will Never Catch On
Anachronism Stew
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
The Cavalry
Wretched Hive
Credits Gag
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Curse Cut Short
Truth in Television
Evil vs. Evil
20 Minutes into the Future
Ironic Echo
No Antagonist
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Informed Ability
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Title Drop
Mythology Gag
Deconstruction
All There in the Manual
Lighter and Softer
Cold-Blooded Torture
Children Are Innocent
Moment Killer
Funny Background Event
Car Fu
In Medias Res
Adaptational Heroism
Early-Bird Cameo
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Affectionate Parody
Not What It Looks Like
Male Frontal Nudity
Brutal Honesty
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Berserk Button
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Together in Death
Neck Snap
Driven to Suicide
Nothing Is Scarier
From Bad to Worse
The End... Or Is It?
Epic Movie
Dramatic Irony
Anguished Declaration of Love
Red Shirt
The '70s
Mistaken for Gay
Not Using the "Z" Word
Improbable Aiming Skills
Adaptation Name Change
Race Against the Clock
Chekhov's Skill
Adaptational Attractiveness
Demonic Possession
Dogged Nice Guy
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Noodle Incident
Chase Scene
Wham Shot
Straight Gay
Abusive Parents
Chiaroscuro
Combat Pragmatist
Big Damn Heroes
Vacation Films
Eiffel Tower Effect
"Awesome McCool" Name
Love at First Sight
Narrator
Author Avatar
Jerkass Has a Point
Henpecked Husband
Manipulative Bastard
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Hong Kong Films
World of Ham
Apocalypse How
Costume Porn
Ghost Fiction
Overprotective Dad
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Eye Scream