Concluding our look back on the last decade, Screenhead examines the major movie events of the year 2009, and ponders on what the future holds for cinema. For previous years, click to visit the article: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.

The Cinema of Recession

The global crisis that is concluding this decade may have been predicted by experts in 2006, but it was beginning to be noticed by the public in 2008, and by the turn of this decade’s last year, worldwide recession, debt, and cutbacks were in every home, on every media in every country. We were officially in comedown, with banks and banking institutes collapsing like houses of cards.

Hollywood braced itself. It started to make redundancies based on fears that abundant pay cuts would mean less disposable income to spend on things like cinema tickets and DVDs. But oh how wrong they were. By the end of the year, 2009 will have earned far more box office moolah than any other year, despite all the gloom and doom, beating the record set in 2007. Why? Because people still need entertainment. They may even need it more now than ever. And film offers a 2-3 hour break from the anxiety of reality, an escape into another world. And despite what many say about the death of cinema in an age of LCD screens and HD formats, going to the movie theatre is a social aspect, a way of getting out of the confines of the home (which may indeed represent financial anxiety) and connecting with other people. It’s this shared experience that home video can never replace.

The type of movies watched was very much affected by the recession. Broadly speaking, gritty films, especially dramas, were largely ignored. Instead, audiences opted for children’s movies, ridiculous action flicks, and comedies. Blockbusters fared well, but there were some interesting anomalies. Paul Blart: Mall Cop looks like a throwaway farce, but it made $140 million in the US, several times what similar films (especially January releases) made in previous years. And the surprise success of the year so far has to be the over-rated and over-hyped The Hangover, which has made over $450 million worldwide. So it seems audiences want to watch movies to take a break from their daily lives, to immerse themselves in something light and bright, something the opposite of what their futures appear to be.

No one Watched the Watchmen

Sin City and 300 proved that adult-oriented comic-book adaptations could rake in cash. And The Dark Knight proved that you could make a long and…well… dark blockbuster that pleased the public and critics. So the most hyped film of the year was the long-awaited adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen.

The production of the comic was fraught with curses. Terry Gilliam made an attempt. Darren Aronofsky considered it. Paul Greengrass went into production only to have it stalled and then scrapped. Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead) signed on and used extensive green-screen to recreate the comic-book effect. But the real challenge was pleasing the fans. For the original comic is a deeply complex portrayal of an alternative 1985 in which WWIII seems imminent. In this alternative universe, masked heroes exist, but are now illegal, and the fate of the world seems to rely on the only true person with super-powers: Dr Manhattan. But the death of an aged hero leads his associates to investigate into a plot that has global consequences. Watchmen also happens to be difficult due to its large amount of characters, perspectives, and methods of storytelling (we read comics within the comics telling parallel plots, history novels, flashbacks, encounters with innocent bystanders commenting on the state of the world, etc).

Despite the huge level of anticipation (and marketing) for the film, it was ultimately a failure. Many believed it was the length of the film, the timing of the release, and of course the relative obscurity of the source text. It didn’t help that the film wasn’t particularly good, with some awful performances, unambitious directing (taken directly from the source, not to mention the excessive use of slow-motion), and a plot that many found confusing. The film made $185 million worldwide, not nearly enough to cover the production budget of $130 million excluding marketing. And what’s most disappointing, is that this failure will only ensure that Hollywood execs take even less risks with their projects, sticking to more mainstream sources rather than taking a chance with cult material.

The Changing Face of Horror Part 2

Back in 2004 it seemed the way forward for horror was torture porn, with the Saw franchise seeing a yearly sequel and countless clones filling the market. Thankfully, it seems that torture porn is officially dead, with Saw 6 flopping this year (making less than half of what the previous films made), as well as the clones not receiving much attention. Instead, the horror-fan market was dominated by a surprise hit: Paranormal Activity. Distributors Paramount only intended on releasing the “reality horror” movie on a very limited basis, but demand prompted a wide release and the film made over $100 mil in the US alone. Not bad for a film that cost $15,000 to make. Oren Peli’s fake documentary about a couple terrorised by an unseen presence was essentially a gimmick, much like The Blair Witch Project. But it was realistic enough to send shivers down the spines of audiences too used to the predictable jolts and gore of traditional horror. Apparently Steven Spielberg watched the original version of the movie and returned it in a bin-bag because he felt it was possessed (he was also responsible for changing the ending to make it more scary, and also open to a sequel). It’s strange how cinema didn’t see many Blair Witch clones after that film’s success, but in the last few years (Cloverfield, REC and its US remake Quarantine) “reality horror” has been gaining popularity and interest, and there’s no doubt that subsequent years will see much more of these unnerving films in our cinemas at Halloween.

Also in 2004 Shaun of the Dead had resurrected the horror comedy. While that sub-genre didn’t explode initially, 2009 saw one of the widest releases for a horror comedy with Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. No one expected it to be such a hit, earning $75 million domestically, making it one of the most successful horror comedies in the US (disregarding the Scary Movie films, which were neither scary nor funny). Zombieland 2 is unsurprisingly in the works.

Polanski: Wanted and Arrested

The lauded director of classics such as Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby had hoped that a crime he committed over 30 years ago would be forgotten, as long as he stayed away from the USA. In 1977 Polanski drugged and had non-consenting sex with an underage girl that Polanski wanted to use as a model. Fearing that he would end up in jail, Polanski fled the US, never to return. He remained in Europe, still making films, and even earning an Oscar for the 2002 film The Pianist.

Earlier this year Polanski travelled to Switzerland to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and was detained by police. Even though Polanski had been to Switzerland several times, he failed to realise that the Swiss and the US had an extradition agreement. It was a set-up made by US authorities when they learned of Polanski’s award. It also didn’t help that a documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, aired on HBO during the summer, questioning the decisions made by the prosecution team and police, but ultimately drawing attention to the case more that successfully criticising it.

Polanski remained in Swiss prison for several weeks, even remotely editing his upcoming film The Ghost. As the extradition (and its appeal) is put in place, Polanski will remain under house arrest. Many fellow film-makers jumped to defend him and protest against the covert operation. Yet despite Polanski’s troubled past (being in a WWII concentration camp, his wife Sharon Tate murdered), and despite the victims desire for the ordeal to be out of the public eye, Polanski deserves to be extradited, not only to be punished for a crime he most certainly did commit, but also to prove that wealthy film-makers and celebs should not be above the law.

We Said Goodbye To: John Hughes

No one understood teenagers more that John Hughes. His films redefined the world of the teen (a relatively new concept to the latter half of the 20th century) and inspired film-makers throughout the 90’s and this decade.

Hughes started off as a writer, selling jokes to established comedians and writing for the National Lampoon magazine, who was trying to establish a film career after the success of Animal House. While Hughes’s script Class Reunion failed to get audiences, only a year later National Lampoon’s Vacation was released, introducing the world to the dysfunctional and hilarious Griswold family. It was a massive hit, as were the two sequels that Hughes penned: European and Christmas Vacation.

But Hughes really made his mark as a director, his debut being teen drama Sixteen Candles. It was a fresh perspective on teen life, being mildly amusing and brimming with emotion, the antitheses to the raunchy teen comedies that permeated early 80’s cinemas. The subject of teen life was continued throughout Hughes’s career, culminating in classics like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which were both critical and box-office hits. It was during these years that the director’s style came to the fore. More than any other director at the time, Hughes was clued into the world of MTV, and often emphasised the use of music (which always incorporated popular rock and new-wave of the time, such as Billy Idol, Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, AC/DC, the Psychedelic Furs, and so on) to convey often overblown teen emotions. This technique is now over-used in US teen drama shows such as The OC, 90210, etc.

The director went on to make more “mature” (in subject, but certainly not in tone) comedies later in the decade, such as Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, both of which stand up against contemporary mainstream comedies. Hughes also wrote and produced the huge success Home Alone. He stopped directing films in the early 90’s, for unknown reasons. Some postulate that he was tired of slapstick comedies and wasn’t given the opportunity to branch out. Others say he was just too difficult to work with. And others suppose that his identification with the lower-middle-class felt disingenuous. Hughes continued to write and produce, but never made the impact that he did in the 80’s. Nevertheless, his influence on teenage-oriented films and shows remain obvious to anyone familiar with his films.

The Future of Film

It’s difficult to tell what we’ll see happen in the film industry over the next ten years, but here’s a few contentious thoughts.

In terms of genres, trends often rely on the success of one particular film. Iron Man’s box-office triumph will ensure plenty of Marvel superheroes to enter the fray (Iron Man 2 and Thor are already greenlit, with Captain America and an Avengers film in development). The records broken by The Dark Knight may lead to some more “dark” reboots of established franchises, whether comic book characters or not. The ease of making HD films on miniscule budgets will ensure that “Reality horror” films will be rampant over the next few years, although I suspect that once people grow accustomed to the genre, its unnerving effect will eventually bore audiences. And rest assured we’ll see plenty of broad comedies that will sell well as long as the recession rages on.

With world economics changing who has the power, the next decade will be extremely interesting to see whether Hollywood can still dominate (although even now it seems that China has a better film industry). Already we’re seeing financing reaching further afield, often to wealthy middle-eastern and Asian businessmen. Brad Pitt’s production company is working with an Indian company for its next big project, and many other high-profile production companies are attempting something similar. Will Hollywood crumble by this time next decade?

One thing that will most likely happen is the death of consumables. People expect Blu Ray to dominate the next decade, but that will almost certainly not be so. The ongoing oil crisis, not to mention a general panic regarding all essential resources, will make the price of items as simple as plastic discs a lot more expensive. It makes more sense that all home video products will simply become digital, with everyone downloading their films. Broadband is growing every year, and now with entertainment units such as Playstation 3 and the Wii having a large online elements, it’s only a matter of time before all TV sets follow suit. Of course, there will still be purists who will still need their beautiful Criterion artwork, but like the digital music collections of anyone under 17, expect tangible collections to be a thing of the past.

Indeed, convergence may be the theme of the next decade. Already you see this happening with iPhone and similar devices, which aim to be your phone, mp3 player, and internet browser all at the same time. Perhaps TVs will do something similar, acting as TV, HDD, movie-on-demand device, digital movie collection, internet browser, and hell, even the main controller of all your modern house’s functions, making us a step closer to living with HAL. Convergence may have an effect on the gap between cinema and DVD releases. With pirating going strong, maybe the best option for movie studios is to give in and offer simultaneous film and home video releases.

But nevertheless, Hollywood will still want you to go to the cinema. The success of 3D has proved that an extra gimmick is enough to boost box-office intake. “Real D” is going strong, and we can expect developments in that technology to appear in the next few years, making the effect even stronger. 3D TVs, which require no glasses, are already in production. What else will movie-makers do to strengthen the cinema experience? Vibrating chairs could be employed to produce physical effects to the clashes and bangs of blockbusters, and already some US theatres have D-BOX motion seats. And another old technique, Smell-o-vision, is being revived. Instead of the old scratch-n-sniff method, video game developers are working on small boxes to emit the right mix of basic scents to immerse the player even more (eg gun powder, burnt oil for war games). You could see this entering the cinema, although let’s hope it’s limited to certain films, and we don’t need to smell the outhouse scene of Slumdog Millionaire.

Films of the Year

Up
Moon
In the Loop
Star Trek
Fantastic Mr Fox

By Eoin O’Faolain

Anything you think we’ve missed? Anything you disagree with? Let us know on the comments below!