Imitation is the highest form of flattery. If we are to believe that that is truly the case, then we must currently live in the most flattered time period in all of history. Don't believe me? I'm hurt. Do you think that just because of the title of this piece that I'm being sarcastic?

Good. I'm really hoping you can taste this snark like a piece of Snark Bark (TM) that is candy coated and tastes like the answers you give your family at Christmas. This leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and that's how I feel about the topic of originality. Bitter.

And what's even worse is this type of article isn't even original! People have been complaining for years about this and only now am I getting in on the published bitching because I have a platform to do it. We as a society have lost our edge to be original, and just about everything we do is a retread of what someone else has done. Think I'm being unfair? Our country is unoriginal! America itself is a retread of ideals from another country. The only original thing our country has learned how to do is royally screw with our citizens and still call it democracy, but that is an argument for another article. I'll get to it, I just don't need two political commentary articles in a row.

For sake of really just beating the dead horse that is a talk about originality, lets look at the cinema. I am a cinephile, and as much as I adore the medium of film, the stories are all the same now. Risks will be taken in casting, camera work, editing styles, and how graphic a scene can be, but all the stories are just rip offs of each other or sequels or reboots. Melissa McCarthy had an amazing turn when she was in Bridesmaids. It was out there, truly funny, and one of the more memorable parts of the movie. And then Hollywood saw this and decided that that is all she could ever do and she then made a string of movies where she is playing the exact same character! I'm sorry, that character is funny as a supporting role (even got her an Oscar nod) but now we have Tammy, Spy, Identity Theif where the main "comedy" is supposed to be that character. She can act! Let her!

Liam Neeson was a wonderful dramatic actor in the 80's and 90's with such movies as Schindler's list (in which he was nominated for an Oscar), Kinsey, and Michael Collins. But ever since he muttered the words "I will find you, and I will kill you." into a phone, he has only been the American, with the thickest Irish accent you can find, trying to get back to his family. And Taken was a good movie, but now we have Taken 2, Taken with wolves, Taken on a plane, and Taken 3. He can act! Let him!

We unfortunately live in a time where in the movies, our favorite movies when we really start to dissect them, turn out to be the same plot. And I know we have the capability to come up with new and original concepts to film, we just wont fund them.

And what is scarier, is that with schools cutting back on funding for arts classes, we are breeding a population of, you guessed it, unoriginal thinkers. We are getting rid of free thinking forms and ideas and we are fine with that I guess? I don't know I'm new at this; is this where I type out "Wake up sheeple!" and then say we have a conspiracy where the government has been taken over by bush did nine eleven corrupt aliens that want to wipe out any and all forms of thought that could possibly rise up so that we are mindless drones for their bidding?

Something like that. I don't know. Just don't be afraid to be different.