Buzz Multiplex: All Thunder and Mirrors
by Vera H-C ChanAug 15, 2008
With summer on the home stretch, the releases increase in frenzy with more midweek premieres and a full, eclectic slate for the weekend. Here's how the buzziest new releases stack up...
1. " Tropic Thunder" (R). The Ben Stiller riff on war movies opened relatively small ($6.5 mil), but E! points out that some audiences didn't learn of the midweek premiere until (ironically) the boycotts. Hope that the comic trio of Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. will upend "Dark Knight" gets Search back up: The laffer has rumbled up 333% to hit the top 1,000 terms. They should give thanks in part to talk of Tom Cruise's bald-pated cameo (1,380%).
2. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (G). Long a part of "Star Wars" lore, the epic battle between a clone army and battle droids gets big-screen animated play. Pre-teens are the biggest Search boosters, making this the family outing for the week.
3. "Mirrors" (R). A French director takes a Japanese horror film and stuffs it with American actors, including Kiefer "I'm not Jack Bauer" Sutherland. Upon reflection, critics are deciding they'd rather look away, with IGN calling it "another lackluster Asian horror movie remake." For searchers, the only thing worth looking at is Paula Patton as Sutherland's estranged wife.
4. "Vicky Christina Barcelona" (PG-13). With mild interest hailing from ages 13 through 54, it's either the sophisticated family movie of the week or a date movie for all ages. Woody Allen returns to get fans fussing over whether he's back in form or too much into Scarlett Johansson. As far as online fans are considered, it's all about Penelope Cruz, who not only has double the online appeal as Johannson, but more searches than Scarlett and the rest of the cast (Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall) combined.
5. "Henry Poole is Here" (PG). A distant fifth, nevertheless the Luke Wilson vehicle has seen a 632% volley in searches. The premise of miracles and faith dishes up a promising plot, but the comedy about a guy trying to die in peace from his fatal disease earns a nice-try-but-no-go from critics.