Hollywood often produces movies that are a couple steps behind the times, meaning that with the recession now a year old we're almost certain to see a batch of back-to-basics storylines in 2009 — like the just released New In Town starring Renee Zellweger, which is the story of a business woman who moves to a rural area and discovers a simple life. But where Hollywood storylines tend to lag the economy, movie goers as a group tend to lead the economy. So it was that the number of tickets sold dropped 4% last year, when film buffs collectively concluded that with money so tight they might as well make better use of their high-def home theater system. Watch for that trend to reverse. If movie ticket sales increase on a sustained basis (they were up a bit in January), it could mean nothing more than that there have been some blockbuster films released — or just maybe that the economy is getting better. You can check for year-to-date movie ticket sales comparisons at ercboxoffice.com.