That's not to say these movies aren't entertaining. But they're entertaining in the same way the magician at a child's birthday party is. You paid to be entertained so you let yourself be entertained, all the while you know that the tricks are predictable and probably easily deciphered, the jokes are tired, and amusing only in rote, and the schtick embarrassing except that you have nothing better to do.
The "dark, gritty look" of movies like Gladiator and Blackhawk Down is becoming cliche. The vapid scat humor of Dumb and Dumber or anything by Adam Sandler is an appeal to the dullest couch spud. All the moviemaker has to do is keep him from drowning in his own drool before the final credits and he can consider his product successful.
It's Jerry Springer on the Big Screen, the Dark Age of Cinema. But what can you expect from audiences that actually tune into crap like "American Idol" and "Survivor?"
Boy I hated to post and run but I agree, most of the movies produced each year fit into the 'we're not going to present acutal character development, we're just going to provide the cues that go along with it, and you'll react like we actually did it anyway.'