Rant away, my friend....I always enjoy your takes on the entertainment industry.
I totally agree about the original Matrix film. I have pretty much convinced myself that it was the only one made anyway, cause it was THAT good. I remember watching it in the theater for the first time, feeling a bit uncertain as to what was going on in the first twenty mins, and having that give way to wanting to give this movie major props once I figured it out. It's one of my favorite films of all time, and it's a shame that the second and third films were nothing more than a money grab designed solely to capitalize on the success of the original. The idea of turning Neo into a superhero was asinine. If they would have allowed that concept to remain within the confines of the Matrix, then maybe the sequels could have had something. But they dropped the ball big time, IMO.
The first time I heard someone use the expression, "George Lucas raped my childhood", I damn near sharted myself. I was (and am) among the biggest Star Wars marks that existed...but those people who actually state this with a straight face are ridiculous. I love movies as much as anyone, but sometimes people need to remember that when all is said and done, they're meant for entertainment above all else....those who take it too seriously need to heed the words of the great William Shatner and "get a life".