Following on from our examples of things people only do in the movies , we’ve put together a selection of your suggestions

'No goodbye at the end of phone calls': readers on things only done in movies

‘People don’t say goodbye at the end of phone calls’

They don’t say goodbye at the end of phone calls in films or even wrap them up in any kind of way which I actually like. They just hang up after the main part of the conversation is done. I started doing this but people just called me back to ask if my signal had cut out. GhostWiper

‘One person stands to clap and then everyone joins in’

One person stands to clap slowly but confidently, and then the rest of the audience/onlookers slowly join in, and gradually a huge cheer emerges and everyone acts like they were clapping like that the whole time. That has never, ever happened anywhere but on screen. ranelagh75

‘The lonely woman holding a steamy cup of hot something’

The sad or lonely or depressed, skinny young woman, sitting hunched over holding a steamy cup of hot coffee or tea, warming her thin hands, designer sweater sleeves pulled way down, revealing only her fingertips. Tom Whittaker

‘Chasing a highly dangerous criminal, alone, with no phone signal’

In Scandi-noir, it is police procedure to enter an abandoned warehouse chasing a highly dangerous criminal, alone, drop your gun along the way, no phone signal, and have no spare batteries for your Maglite. dylan37

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7En. Photograph: New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

‘Pacing to and fro in front of an investigation board, tearing it down then solving the case’

Lone maverick investigators covering the entire wall with photos and documents relating to a case, often linked with coloured thread. Photos are crossed out rather than removed when the subject is dead. They look at it for a bit, perhaps pacing to and fro. As it’s pretty useless as a tactic, they often tear it all down in a frustrated rage, after which a vital development always occurs. alexito

‘A guy is shaving, wipes off the shaving cream and shows no signs of dermatitis’

A guy is doing a wet shave, while, of course, looking in a mirror. He either finishes scraping his face with the razor or he’s interrupted, and then instead of rinsing the remaining shaving cream off his face (which may be considerable in quantity), he wipes it off with a towel. Later his face incomprehensibly shows no sign of dermatitis. He’s that tough he has magic skin. I’ve always assumed there’s a financial arrangement somewhere with ointment manufacturers. NSNS

‘Taking pills by clapping them violently into your mouth’

There’s a strange way of taking pills that I suppose is taught at stage school. Tip an uncounted number of pills onto an open palm, clap it violently to the mouth and tip the head back suddenly. I remember trying it when I was a fairly small child and nearly choking. PickmansModel

‘Answering a ringing phone to silence, hearing a noise then going to investigate alone’

Walking into a house, shutting the door and walking across the room in pitch darkness to switch on a lamp. Answering a ringing phone to find silence on the other end and then saying: “Hello? Hello? Who’s there?” Followed by rattling the earpiece holder. Hearing a noise in the night and then going to investigate alone. Mila Gorka

‘To show you like booze you have to guzzle it straight from the bottle like a parched man in the desert’

To show you like booze, you have to guzzle it straight from the bottle like a parched man in the desert. Or if you’re at a bar/pub, you have to sit right at the bar tipping back glass after glass of spirits. Nobody ever sits at a table and drinks beer or wine. Rhialto

‘Running through corridors to stop a bad decision’

Often in a war or space race movie the powers that be are making an important decision, but in another part of the building a virtual nobody realises that they are all wrong. Cue a timeless run through corridors up and down stairs etc. trying to get the message through. They make it in the nick of time. goodcaptain

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