Answers to the Better Than It Sounds Meme, With Scores!
Well, you guys impressed me, I'll admit. Not that I was exactly going for obscure - or, more to the point, the things I wanted to pick that were obscure didn't have entries on the Tropes page. Let's look at our List, shall we?
1. Thanks to a discontinued sports car, a boy nearly commits incest with his mother after teaching his father how to use violence. All their lives improve as a result.
Back To The Future; zortified, colorwhirl, awbryan, cifarelli (distaff), iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, calliopes_pen, northwall, yermie, bibulb. Clearly this was an easy one.
2. Nerd gets superpowers while losing sanity. Eventually, insanity dilutes into everyone else, including the audience.
Freakazoid; tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005. Some of the wrong guesses were rather amusing. Two different people guessed The Mask, which sort of makes sense except that the audience doesn't appear in the film (it does, repeatedly, in Freakazoid).
3. A cute little girl navigates a world of very confusing and complex love relationships, while collecting cards in her spare time.
CardCaptor Sakura; zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, dbzmerciter2005, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb.
4. A bunch of Americans living abroad in the 1950s talk and act like it's the 1970s, and crack a lot of jokes about death.
M*A*S*H; zortified, awbryan, peoriapeoria, tygerr, scarfman, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb. With a couple of exceptions, this one swung to the older crowd.
5. Secret world-saving club gets pushed around by the anime club next door.
Maho Tsukai Tai/Magic User's Club; tenshihitomi, follybard, bibulb. Possibly the most obscure thing in the list. One person guessed Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which suddenly brought into focus for me one of the reasons I have trouble getting into that show - this was a similar idea, but done so much better.
6. Man retires from his stressful job to an exclusive and seemingly idyllic resort, but spends all his time bitching about it and refuses to join in the fun and games like everyone else.
The Prisoner; peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, scarfman, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb. Sorry about the numbering hint, there. Also skewed a bit old. Everyone who guessed and got it wrong guessed The Shining, which I haven't actually ever seen.
7. Two former celebrities and their children fight a wannabe ex-fan.
The Incredibles; bkwrrm_tx, awbryan, tenshihitomi, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, wren_chan, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, yermie, bibulb.
8. European thieves are defeated by man without shoes.
Die Hard; bassfingers, iamjw, follybard, ghostdogmeta, yermie, bibulb. Didn't think this one was that hard. A scattering of wrong guesses, none funny enough to mention.
9. A Pac-Man ripoff, various music stars, a pair of police detectives, and assorted other people teach children mathematics.
Square One; ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, northwall, yermie, bibulb. Several people remembered MathNet, its spinoff show, but that didn't include the Pac-Man ripoff or Weird Al. A couple of other CTW shows were also offered as guesses.
10. Superweapons are given to mentally unstable children while the adults plot to destroy the world.
Neon Genesis Evangelion; tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005, redneckgaijin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, bibulb. Two people guessed Power Rangers; no, really, we mean the adults are out to destroy the world; not conquer, destroy. (Also, we mean really unstable, not just teenage angst.)
11. Some minority kids study for a math test.
Stand And Deliver; colorwhirl, tfbretz, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, follybard, ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, bibulb; yermie gave me two guesses, so I guess I'll give him half credit.
12. Giant robots trapped on a primitive world wage war on each other while hiding from the planet's populace.
Transformers; zortified, aaaaaah, tfbretz, awbryan, tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, ghostdogmeta, morgi, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Kind of a gimme.
13. Evil painting comes to life and summons pink goo within disused subway tunnels to stalk an infant. He is eventually defeated by four guys piloting a mobile national monument.
Ghostbusters 2; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, awbryan, tenshihitomi, fiona_conn, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Another gimme, given whose LJ this is. ;-)
14. A man dreams about his ex-girlfriend before meeting her on Valentine's Day. They end up going on a date to a lake they used to visit, but they both become upset when she finds a tape of him complaining about her. The moral of the story? Mind Rape will bring you closer together.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; tenshihitomi, bassfingers, follybard, wren_chan, quantumduck, bibulb. I thought this was another gimme, but apparently I was wrong.
15. Prisoners concoct elaborate escape plan with help from American circus acrobat after learning that their captors intend to turn them into pies.
Chicken Run; tfbretz, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, morgi, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, bibulb. Not as mainstream as some of the other ones.
16. Smartass kid neglects his education, shamelessly manipulates the sympathy of his parents and those around him and, for his own self-gratification, triggers a series of events that results in the destruction of his best friend's father's priceless car. Without remorse. Despite this, everyone loves him.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, aaaaaah, colorwhirl, tfbretz, cifarelli (distaff), bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Overdescribed, I think. Another gimme.
17. Two musicians go on a Mission From God and antagonise everyone they come across.
The Blues Brothers; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, awbryan, fiona_conn, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Might have gotten away with it if they hadn't capped "Mission From God."
18. A Presbyterian minister shows children how various things are made, sings to them, and then tells serial stories set in a kingdom in his wall.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Another easy one.
19. A psychic high school track star helps in the fight against Isaac Newton's evil mecha army on a highly improbable moon made by Atlanteans.
Vision of Escaflowne; tenshihitomi (with that username, you'd better, right?), wren_chan, northwall, bibulb. No wrong guesses, but two comments worth sharing: " I have NO IDEA, but anything invoking the phrase "Isaac Newton's evil mecha army" is something I MUST learn more about!" and "I honestly don't know, but I know it HAS to be an anime, because no Westerner would come up with anything THAT fucked up."
20. Three ex-military criminals and their insane friend help small businesses by harassing their competitors.
The A-Team; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, northwall, yermie, bibulb. One person got it and then complained that the description is incorrect, that Murdock is also ex-military; while I agree the wording could have been clearer, I think the implication is that he's not wanted by the law, being mentally incompetent, while the other three are.
Final Scores:
bibulb: 19
quantumduck: 14
redneckgaijin: 14
follybard: 13
ghostdogmeta: 13
northwall: 13
bassfingers: 12
tygerr: 12
yermie: 10.5
zortified: 9
peoriapeoria: 9
tenshihitomi: 8
morgi: 8
tfbretz: 7
scarfman: 7
wren_chan: 7
brezhnev: 7
iamjw: 6.5 (half a point for guessing GB for GB2)
bkwrrm_tx: 6
colorwhirl: 6
awbryan: 6
cifarelli (spear): 6
cifarelli (distaff): 5
dbzmerciter2005: 4
princejvstin: 4
calliopes_pen: 4
aaaaaah: 2
fiona_conn: 2
Hardest word to spell: Bueller
Variants received: Buehler, Beuller, Beauller, Buler, Buller.
Thanks for playing, everyone!
1. Thanks to a discontinued sports car, a boy nearly commits incest with his mother after teaching his father how to use violence. All their lives improve as a result.
Back To The Future; zortified, colorwhirl, awbryan, cifarelli (distaff), iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, calliopes_pen, northwall, yermie, bibulb. Clearly this was an easy one.
2. Nerd gets superpowers while losing sanity. Eventually, insanity dilutes into everyone else, including the audience.
Freakazoid; tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005. Some of the wrong guesses were rather amusing. Two different people guessed The Mask, which sort of makes sense except that the audience doesn't appear in the film (it does, repeatedly, in Freakazoid).
3. A cute little girl navigates a world of very confusing and complex love relationships, while collecting cards in her spare time.
CardCaptor Sakura; zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, dbzmerciter2005, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb.
4. A bunch of Americans living abroad in the 1950s talk and act like it's the 1970s, and crack a lot of jokes about death.
M*A*S*H; zortified, awbryan, peoriapeoria, tygerr, scarfman, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb. With a couple of exceptions, this one swung to the older crowd.
5. Secret world-saving club gets pushed around by the anime club next door.
Maho Tsukai Tai/Magic User's Club; tenshihitomi, follybard, bibulb. Possibly the most obscure thing in the list. One person guessed Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which suddenly brought into focus for me one of the reasons I have trouble getting into that show - this was a similar idea, but done so much better.
6. Man retires from his stressful job to an exclusive and seemingly idyllic resort, but spends all his time bitching about it and refuses to join in the fun and games like everyone else.
The Prisoner; peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, scarfman, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, northwall, bibulb. Sorry about the numbering hint, there. Also skewed a bit old. Everyone who guessed and got it wrong guessed The Shining, which I haven't actually ever seen.
7. Two former celebrities and their children fight a wannabe ex-fan.
The Incredibles; bkwrrm_tx, awbryan, tenshihitomi, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, wren_chan, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, yermie, bibulb.
8. European thieves are defeated by man without shoes.
Die Hard; bassfingers, iamjw, follybard, ghostdogmeta, yermie, bibulb. Didn't think this one was that hard. A scattering of wrong guesses, none funny enough to mention.
9. A Pac-Man ripoff, various music stars, a pair of police detectives, and assorted other people teach children mathematics.
Square One; ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, northwall, yermie, bibulb. Several people remembered MathNet, its spinoff show, but that didn't include the Pac-Man ripoff or Weird Al. A couple of other CTW shows were also offered as guesses.
10. Superweapons are given to mentally unstable children while the adults plot to destroy the world.
Neon Genesis Evangelion; tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005, redneckgaijin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, bibulb. Two people guessed Power Rangers; no, really, we mean the adults are out to destroy the world; not conquer, destroy. (Also, we mean really unstable, not just teenage angst.)
11. Some minority kids study for a math test.
Stand And Deliver; colorwhirl, tfbretz, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, follybard, ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, bibulb; yermie gave me two guesses, so I guess I'll give him half credit.
12. Giant robots trapped on a primitive world wage war on each other while hiding from the planet's populace.
Transformers; zortified, aaaaaah, tfbretz, awbryan, tenshihitomi, dbzmerciter2005, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, ghostdogmeta, morgi, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Kind of a gimme.
13. Evil painting comes to life and summons pink goo within disused subway tunnels to stalk an infant. He is eventually defeated by four guys piloting a mobile national monument.
Ghostbusters 2; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, awbryan, tenshihitomi, fiona_conn, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Another gimme, given whose LJ this is. ;-)
14. A man dreams about his ex-girlfriend before meeting her on Valentine's Day. They end up going on a date to a lake they used to visit, but they both become upset when she finds a tape of him complaining about her. The moral of the story? Mind Rape will bring you closer together.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; tenshihitomi, bassfingers, follybard, wren_chan, quantumduck, bibulb. I thought this was another gimme, but apparently I was wrong.
15. Prisoners concoct elaborate escape plan with help from American circus acrobat after learning that their captors intend to turn them into pies.
Chicken Run; tfbretz, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, morgi, quantumduck, redneckgaijin, bibulb. Not as mainstream as some of the other ones.
16. Smartass kid neglects his education, shamelessly manipulates the sympathy of his parents and those around him and, for his own self-gratification, triggers a series of events that results in the destruction of his best friend's father's priceless car. Without remorse. Despite this, everyone loves him.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, aaaaaah, colorwhirl, tfbretz, cifarelli (distaff), bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Overdescribed, I think. Another gimme.
17. Two musicians go on a Mission From God and antagonise everyone they come across.
The Blues Brothers; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, awbryan, fiona_conn, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, iamjw, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, calliopes_pen, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Might have gotten away with it if they hadn't capped "Mission From God."
18. A Presbyterian minister shows children how various things are made, sings to them, and then tells serial stories set in a kingdom in his wall.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, colorwhirl, tfbretz, cifarelli (distaff), peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, morgi, scarfman, wren_chan, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, cifarelli (spear), northwall, yermie, bibulb. Another easy one.
19. A psychic high school track star helps in the fight against Isaac Newton's evil mecha army on a highly improbable moon made by Atlanteans.
Vision of Escaflowne; tenshihitomi (with that username, you'd better, right?), wren_chan, northwall, bibulb. No wrong guesses, but two comments worth sharing: " I have NO IDEA, but anything invoking the phrase "Isaac Newton's evil mecha army" is something I MUST learn more about!" and "I honestly don't know, but I know it HAS to be an anime, because no Westerner would come up with anything THAT fucked up."
20. Three ex-military criminals and their insane friend help small businesses by harassing their competitors.
The A-Team; bkwrrm_tx, zortified, peoriapeoria, bassfingers, tygerr, follybard, ghostdogmeta, quantumduck, brezhnev, redneckgaijin, princejvstin, northwall, yermie, bibulb. One person got it and then complained that the description is incorrect, that Murdock is also ex-military; while I agree the wording could have been clearer, I think the implication is that he's not wanted by the law, being mentally incompetent, while the other three are.
Final Scores:
bibulb: 19
quantumduck: 14
redneckgaijin: 14
follybard: 13
ghostdogmeta: 13
northwall: 13
bassfingers: 12
tygerr: 12
yermie: 10.5
zortified: 9
peoriapeoria: 9
tenshihitomi: 8
morgi: 8
tfbretz: 7
scarfman: 7
wren_chan: 7
brezhnev: 7
iamjw: 6.5 (half a point for guessing GB for GB2)
bkwrrm_tx: 6
colorwhirl: 6
awbryan: 6
cifarelli (spear): 6
cifarelli (distaff): 5
dbzmerciter2005: 4
princejvstin: 4
calliopes_pen: 4
aaaaaah: 2
fiona_conn: 2
Hardest word to spell: Bueller
Variants received: Buehler, Beuller, Beauller, Buler, Buller.
Thanks for playing, everyone!