Keeping it real with Escapism

Editorial

1. Friends With Benefits
2. Red Dog
3. Cowboys & Aliens
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5. Green Lantern
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
7. Conan the Barbarian
8. Jane Eyre
9. Glee Live! 3D
10. Captain America: The First Avenger

Can you see a pattern here? Except for Jane Eyre and Red Dog, they're all comedy, science fiction or fantasy films, and the Glee concert film, which you could argue fits into all three of those genres. Even Jane Eyre, being an adaptation of a Charlotte Bronte isn't exactly steeped in realism. And the Australian film Red Dog, while based on a true story, is fairly removed from the reality most of us deal with.

No surprise there. Movie trends have always been a barometer of popular culture. Back in the Great Depression of the 1930s, the 'Golden Age of Hollywood' movies were about the only way people could escape the dire misery of their daily lives. That's something that Woody Allen used as the premise for his 1985 film, The Purple Rose of Cairo.

At the moment, we're in the middle of the US summer blockbuster season, which is why we're getting the big films designed to reach wide audiences, and it's interesting to note that this summer, it's all been about superheroes and gross-out comedies. But why are we flocking to them? It's not like we're in the middle of a Depression, is it?

Well, in case you have been too busy immersed in Cinema 3D-Land, the US is having national debt problems, Australian retail is struggling, there have been revolutions and riots in the UK and the Middle East, we've had our fair share of natural disasters this year. Oh, and Reality TV is exhausting us all. The Real World is a pretty grim place right now. It's only natural to want to get out of the house and escape, even for two hours or so, into a world where reality is far, far away.

That's not to say that films about real life aren't out there. If you are looking for something a little more real, there's the doco Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times, or Beginnings, based on the director's own life, but they're few and far between. And there's plenty more escapism in its way too. Coming soon to a cinema near you: Final Destination 5, Spy Kids: All the Time in the Word in 4D, Zookeeper, and most disturbingly, The Smurfs in 3D.

Oh well. It's not a bad thing; it's how we deal with life. Or don't deal with life. And it's cheaper than counselling. So, who wants to go and see Priest 3D?

Tim Hunter, Citysearch

Read more from the Reel Movie Hunter here.