Trends and Entertainment

Reels Getting Real in 2009

For now, at least, the recession hasn’t hurt your local Cineplex.

Compared to 2008, attendance is up 15 percent and the overall box office jumped 17 percent to nearly $2 billion.

But if the economy continues to worsen, will these numbers sustain themselves if movies are simply seen an excuse for checking out in air-conditioned bliss and don’t offer a reflection of our current woes?

Maybe “escape” is enough, but flicks steeped in economic realities can be a draw, too . Will any of this year’s movies confront or address the economic concerns of the day?

Yes, but not necessarily head-on. Here are a few of the upcoming releases that touch on the Recession—or at least the collective feelings of anxiety—through fantasy, comedy, singing, dancing and good old-fashioned demon fires from hell.

A Movie for Those Who Remember When Their Hometown Had a Daily Newspaper
The Soloist
In The Soloist, Robert Downey Jr. is Steve Lopez, the real life L.A. Times columnist who befriended Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a mentally unstable Julliard-trained cellist living on Skid Row. It’s a safe bet that Disney Hall concerts will be played, hearts will be lifted, life lessons will be learned and tears will be shed. But journalists should take particular inspiration from The Soloist. As more and more newspapers stop their presses, it’s important for the overeducated, underemployed creative class types to pick up as many valuable tips about surviving on the streets as possible. And Robert Downey Jr. shall lead us… April 24

A Movie for Nervous Homeowners Dreaming of Ways to Avoid Foreclosure
Up
Pixar is so recession-proof that there’s a rumor going around they will be buying up all of Citibank’s toxic assets and converting them into Buzz Lightyear Bucks (Redeemable at a Buy n Large near you!) Still, Pixar didn’t become a CGI juggernaut by being out of step with the national mood, which is why the big summer blockbuster is Up. It’s the story of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, a man who wants to visit the “wilds of South America,” so he affixes a kajillion balloons to his home and floats away with an eight-year-old-stowaway named Russell. It’ll be played out in family friendly terms, but the underlying message here is clear: Suck it, foreclosure! May 29

A Movie for Those Having Revenge Fantasies about Their Evil Loan Officers
Drag Me to Hell
Ironically, on the same day Pixar releases its “you too can escape eviction with the healing power of helium” opus, Sam Raimi returns to his Evil Dead low-budget roots with Drag Me to Hell. It’s the story of a hot young loan officer (Alison Lohman) impressing her boss by refusing to give a creepy old woman (Lorna Ravner) an extension on her home loan. Thus dispossessed, the woman puts a curse on the young woman. May 29

A Movie For New Yorkers Who Fear a Rising-Crime Throwback to the 1970s
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Massive lay-offs, the collapse of Wall Street, a 57 percent spike in bank robberies and billion-dollar deficits have New Yorkers recalling the not-so-glorious days of the 1970s. So what better time to update the awesome 1974 subway heist flick The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3? In 2009, John Travolta plays the criminal mastermind Ryder and Denzel Washington the transit nerd who saves the day (seemingly way too strong and smooth to capture the hangdog brilliance of Walter Matthau). Pelham is peppered with go-to unpretty-boy outer-borough actors like Gandolfini, Turturro and Guzman, so it seems legit. No question the time is ripe for a remake, although with a looming 29 percent increase in subway fares, straphangers will no doubt be cheering for Ryder to stick it to the MTA. June 12

A Movie for Kids in Generation OMG in Need of Work
The Post Grad Survival Guide
This film stars Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls fame as a college graduate, with no job prospects, who is forced to move back in with her family. Bledel’s jailbird father is played Michael Keaton, and her surly acid-tongued grandmother by none other than Carol Burnett. This makes the utter lack of employment possibilities and crippling student loan debt sound downright fun! August 14

A Movie with Curious Timing
Fame
The last time that those never-say-die Fame kids lit up the screen like a flame was 1980: The nation was at a low point, stuck in stagflation and looking for something to believe in, someone to make us believe we could all fly. High! Out of the morass came Ronald Reagan. Thirty years later, things are a lot worse. As the 21st-century class gets underway at the NYC High School for Performing Arts, the country’s frightened citizens are once again afraid people will see them and cry.  September 25

Tags: movies