The Ensemble Cluster F*ck is one of the most annoying Movie/TV trends I can think of. It is when a Movie or TV show has a large cast of actors that is f*cking huge but still not as big as the ego's of the actors. This translates to a Cluster F*ck of Choppy Story telling and arbitrary lines and gratuitously irrelevant close ups. In this situation, good story telling is sacrificed for the sake of screen time. The end result is a f*cking mess. In Television shows like the CSI's The LAw and Order's and Criminal Minds, every cast member has a different piece of information that they conveniently blurt out while everyone is collectively trying to figure out why the killer chose blondes instead of redheads. The end result looks like all 8 cops read the same report, however the report was shredded prior to them reading it and everyone picked up handful of paper spaghetti.
In those annoying "Sleek and Stylish" movies like Smokin Aces and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, the cast spends too much time trying to Out Cool Each other with horrible one liners, slow motion walks, etc. Ensemble movies need to be done in a way that stays true to the art of story telling yet do not fall victim of the ego curse while trying to keep up with the close ups and one liners from each actor. Examples: Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Boogie Nights. Each of those three movies feature ensemblse of A list actors, but stay true to the story telling in the sense that you are not aware that you are looking at an ensemble cast of A list actors but you are seeing a hell of a story.
Guilty Movies/TV Shows:
1. The Italian Job
2. Ocean's 11, 12, 13
3. Smokin' Aces
4. Once Upon a TIme in Mexico
5. CSI (All of Them)
6. Law & Order (All of Them)
7. All Doctor Shows or SHows that Take Place in A Hospital
8. Lucky Number Slevin
9. E60 on ESPN
10. Dexter
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