Why Am I Uninterested?

The movie world is disparaging at times of lulls in creativity. Most movies nowadays seem to be based on comic books or derived from another similar movie. In other words, I've seen it all before.
Take Kick Ass for example. Critics seem to think it's "overly violent" and lacking on the plot side. What can I say since I haven't seen it? I can assume they're right, because the truth is no one wants plot anymore. I may sound too pessimistic but the general audience will always reaffirm this. If Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time then what does this say about what movies we choose to see (and then see again)?
Then there's Date Night, probably a very funny movie. But is there anything rewarding to it? Do you get anything out of viewing the film? Probably not. You may say "but Luke, it's a comedy, why do I need to get anything out of it?" This may be so, but think about some great comedies such as Knocked Up, Back to School, and Ghostbusters. All of these films showed real depth of wit and writing, sometimes giving us a life lesson or two. And I say why not? Why not work in something real and meaningful, if only for a fleeting frame?
Still, none of these reasons explain why I am so sadly uninterested in the current choice of movies. The main reason is that what I really want is a truly great movie experience. A great story, engaging characters who are acted masterfully by veteran actors or promising newcomers. I want a story to follow and characters to build a relationship with, not blue people who have sex by locking ponytails and fly around on horses. I hate it.
Not to be so cynical, because there is a lot of promise out there. Pixar will soon grace us with a masterpiece (I'm actually not being sarcastic) and I'm sure Iron Man 2 will impress. Still, I'm waiting for that next great thing. Something like Synecdoche, New York to come along and truly blow me away. Not that it has to be that artistic, but still just as imaginative.
If movies aren't the stories we tell then they are not part of our culture. What kind of stories do we want to tell? How do we want to be viewed 500 years from now by future Americans? (A better question may be what will they be watching). More to be said on this, but for now I'll end with this. If we keep sliding into careless film making, driven mostly by profit potential, what will that do to us as human beings? Will our lives still be meaningful, and if not what will give them meaning? Movies are still art, and I think we need to reexamine what art is and what purpose it has in society.