Buzz Multiplex: A Frightening Mix of Musicals, Mayhem, and Angelina Jolie
by Vera H-C ChanOct 24, 2008
Forget red and blue states. This week at the Buzz Multiplex, the cheery Disney crowd will be commingling in the ticket lines with horror fans. Following a safe distance behind is Clint Eastwood's next Oscar hopeful, but that's not counting the Jolie factor.
1. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (G). Without tallying up all the HSM hysteria, the cable-behemoth-turned-big-screen-spectacle would still rock the top movie spot. Add up all those lookups for the soundtrack, lyrics, premiere and tickets, though, and the Disney juggernaut boasts a two-fold lead and numbers (top 500 searches this week) that are in superhero blockbuster territory. For those who have successfully dodged the phenom and now are resigned to learning Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez's backstory, you can catch up on one and two here, and in Time's review. The (mostly under-17 female) fans already hankering for a fourth outing should go read, of all things, the Wall Street Journal's assessment.
2. "Saw V" (R). One thing this crowd has in common with the "HSM" kids—they're already ready for another go. This merry return to psychopathic fantasies lists Tobin Bell in the cast, although he died in "Saw IV" ... or did he? Oddly, movies in this genre don't usually get lookups for reviews, but maybe economic times dictate where money is best spent. According to opinions like the one from the New York Daily News critic, this version's not worth the admission price. Still, expect a healthy if twisted crowd given the huge Search interest (top 500) and the affection for actress Meagan Good.
3. "Changeling" (R, limited release). Director Clint Eastwood's latest thriller has been getting Oscar vibes since its Cannes Film Festival screening. The story's partly based on the so-called Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, focusing upon a missing boy's mother who accused the police of deliberately returning the wrong boy. Despite the Oscar glow, AP finds nuance missing in the "heavyweight drama," but Rolling Stone can't get enough of the "creative mojo" and the "force of nature" that is star Angelina Jolie. As for Jolie, she reaps more searches then every single movie opening this week, including her own. Now that's a force of nature.
Others sought out on the Buzz Marquee... "Pride and Glory" (R) pairs Edward Norton and Colin Farrell as diametrically opposed cops and brothers-in-law ... A bullied boy finds a friend in his neighbor, who happens to be a vampire, in "Let the Right One In" (limited) .... Bollywood animation teams up with Disney in "Roadside Romeo" (limited) who's a pampered dog that gets dumped in the mean streets.