It's no secret that Hollywood all but recycles itself. Whether it's reboots or superhero flicks, the movie industry seems to operate on the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy.

However, I'm starting to think Hollywood's definition of "broke" is a lot different from the general public's.

While there are numerous examples of over-played movie tropes, here are five that should go into retirement, ASAP.

1. "You're not like other girls."

We all like to feel special. And as much as we enjoy being told that we're different from the herd, the "you're not like other girls" compliment (if you can even call it that) is a back-handed one. While it may flatter your ego, it concurrently manages to insult an entire gender in one fell, girl-hating swoop. This trope is a staple of romantic-comedies/dramas. Some instances are explicit; take this exchange in the 1933 "King Kong", in which the titillating Anne Darrow (AKA, the apple of Kong's eye) and protagonist Jack speak of love:

Jack: I guess I love you.

Anne: But you hate women!

Jack: Yeah, I know. But you aren't women.

Ah, yes. Woo me with your misogyny. While contextually (it was the 30's, after all) Kong may get a pass, this cinematic relic goes to show how long-lasting the trope truly is. Fast forward to 2010, and you have the release of "The Last Song", yet another Nicholas Sparks episodic of 'white people in love.' The movie features a scene in which hunky Will Blakelee (the not-Thor Hemsworth) and Ronnie Miller (pre-Bangerz Miley Cyrus) argue about...being together? While also including notable Sparks-ian elements of boy kisses angry girl to shut her up and dramatic 360 camera spin to capture said kiss, the first thing Will utters once they part...

Naturally. This is where things begin to get dicey. Unlike the above-quoted conversation from Kong, today's use of the "Not Like Other Girls" trope isn't usually as, well, overtly misogynistic. While I do believe Hemsworth's Blakelee was well-intentioned, he is still furthering the simplistic (but entirely harmful) idea that women, in general, are bad, and not being like them is some sort of accomplishment. It's a tired, useless narrative.

What's wrong with being like other girls, anyway? Girls are amazing.

2. The glasses gotta go.

Do your nerd glasses make you un-sexy? Undesirable? Well, never fear. There's a simple remedy: just take them off. That's right. Totally disregard your vision impairment and throw 'em to the side.

This timeless movie advice is usually phase one in the "you were beautiful all along" transformation, in which an ugly duckling ditches their glasses, let's down their hair (and inhibitions) and is finally seen as the beautiful swan they were always meant to be. How sweet.

There are many notable examples: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Strictly Ballroom, The Seven Year Itch, The Pink Panther and The Princess Diaries. The latter includes a scene in which Paolo (the guy in charge of giving Anne Hathaway's Mia an ultimate makeover) snaps her glasses in half.

Wow, thanks. It's not like she needed those to see, or anything.

The fact that this trope isconsistently perpetuated is pretty mind-reeling. Surely mainstream Hollywood realizes that glasses don't equate to dorky/homeliness? That there's not really a correlation between one's ability to see and their likeliness to be a 'nerd'? Alas, it's far easier to rely on an age-old stereotype than it is to try something new.

3. Save her life, win her love.

This trope is what's occasionally referred to as the Rescue Romance. The surest way to jump start a romance is for our agile hero to save the damsel from any number of perilous situations. Burning building, angry mob, attempted suicide, being hit on by precarious older men -- you name it.

Opposed to communication, these couples come to fruition in a manner that I've deemed the Little Green Men (LGM) effect. This is in reference to the squeeze toy aliens in Toy Story 2, where Mr. Potato Head pulls a gaggle of them back in a car during a high-speed chase. They respond with what has become their catchphrase, said in unison: "You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful."

My theory is that Rescue Romances function in identical, LGM fashion. The girl is rescued by a (typically) manly hero and is brimming with gratitude. Girl expresses said gratitude in a myriad of ways: everlasting romance, a rewarding kiss. Love ensues. The girl is, in a way, the hero's reward for being a valiant protector.

Listen, I'm a Titanic fan. This is a disheartening conclusion. I mean, I get it. Jack talked Rose off the ledge, but that doesn't mean their love wasn't genuine! ...Right?

You see this trope in Back to the Future, Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the original Star Wars trilogy, The Terminator, and Beauty and the Beast.

4. The virgin survives.

This is a horror movie trope as old as time.

She's the 'final girl.' Cute, but not hot. Usually abstaining from sex, drugs and alcohol. Sure, she's a straight-laced, prude, but at least she doesn't get hacked up via machete during the film. Unlike her 'slutty' friend Sally who got decapitated ten minutes in. How dare she have sex!

This is paradigmatic of the Slasher Film genre, particularly Friday the Thirteenth (Alice), Halloween (Laure Strode) and Scream (Sidney Prescott). Other films featuring this trope include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Intruder, Alien and Venom.

The interpretation (and thus relevance) of the virgin surviver is an intriguing one. Some have argued that the persistence of this trope forces a male audience to identify with the female protagonist. On the other hand, some think the 'final girl' encompasses the conservative ideals of 'what a woman should be,' and is rewarded for her appropriate behavior by not, well, dying.

Either way, the virgin surviver sticks out like a (typically brunette) sore thumb. You can usually tell which character is going to come out alive by the movie's conclusion, and boy, am I bored of it.

However, the growing number of parodies and subversions of this trope suggest that it may be dying out. This begets a fascinating question: what direction will the horror genre take?

5. Walking calmly from an explosion.

The unflinching walk of perpetual bad-assery. Because blowing stuff up isn't good enough, the hero must walk mere feet from the bomb-site, with a smug, hardened expression. How else can we make our main character look super cool?

American comedy trio The Lonely Island poked fun at the trope, in their suitably titled song 'Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions':

"Cool guys don't look at explosions
They blow things up and then walk away
Who's got time to watch an explosion?
There's cool guy errands that they have to walk to"

You seem to see this scene in every action film worth their salt: Jurassic World, Hot Fuzz, Iron Man, the Dark Night, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, just to name a few

The 'explosion walk' may make the protagonist look cool, (and remind the audience that they are directly responsible for the destruction) but it's totally impractical. For starters, the blast would've radiated out, likely knocking the protagonist to the ground. Not to mention the potential hearing loss one would face from being in close proximity to such a big explosion. Deafness and tripping -- not so suave.

And yet, realistically, I don't see the demise of this trope. Unless someone can engineer a fresh way to make a hero look cool (or put a stop to Michael Bay entirely), there will likely be more 'cool guys not looking at explosions' in the future.