The name, itself, isn't universal and perhaps I'm trying to defend a whole different beast. I'm not trying to cast a positive light on what the standard definition always terms as hackneyed. Instead, I'm supporting what www.imdb.com more accurately refers to as movie connections. These shortcuts involve learned responses and are not universally or even 'generationally' understood. Rather, they involve exposure to the original subject matter. Rather than being banal, they show specialized knowledge.
In certain situations, the writers, actors, or directors may purposely choose to access a shortcut to previous themes. First, a musical score can certainly fit under this category. A specific sequence can elicit an entire psychological reaction in a
few, short notes. Or secondly, a filmmaker might simply pay tribute to a former master. Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. Lastly, even camera angles and cuts can purposefully mimic an understood genre.The reason I'm writing this is because I noticed a clichéd shot in the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean. Toward the end of At World's End, there was a swap among the six main characters. Three meet and swaggered down a deserted spit of sand for the confrontation. The facial closeups were right out of an old spaghetti western.
Long live movie clichés!