Remember, movies are a multi-billion dollar business. They exist for the purpose of getting asses in seats. Whatever will gets people through the door will get made. This is why we have so much derivative pablum. Originality counts as an unknown. Traditionally, the unknown is what we fear (especially studios which fear it because they don't know how to, or if they can make a buck off of it).

Taking a small tangent, all December the Trio channel (check local listings for availability) is running with the theme "Brilliant, but Cancelled." It is a cavalcade of wonderful television shows that were ahead of their time, or just too original. Networks, in the business of keeping asses on the couch, did not know how to market these shows to appeal to a broader audience, or would just not give enough time to find an audience. They had a documentary on last night about this that was amazing. All month they are going to spotlight shows that had abbreviated runs from Freaks and Geeks, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Gun. . . Check it out at www.triotv.com

The last original movie I saw was _Spirited Away_ , this weekend. It is an anime about a little girl whose family wanders into the spirit world and is turned into pigs. The little girl indentures herself to a demon and winds up working in the spa at a spirit bathouse, until she can rescue her parents, mend broken souls, and save everyone in the spirit realm. This one is a charmer. 4 stars.

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"Forget your stereotypes, your fears. Straight people are not what you
have been led to believe. They're a wonderfully diverse bunch, though the flamboyant ones hog all the media attention."