the buzz log

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.

Filed under: Movies, Horror, Musicals, Angelina Jolie, Disney

Swedish pop counterprogramming sounds like a good idea, but it's safe to say that "Mamma Mia!" (PG-13)—and the "DVD-destined "Space Chimps" (G) combined—won't have the throngs that a long-awaited, much-searched comic-book thriller will amass. In any other week, making the top 2,000 searches would be respectable, but a singing Meryl Streep probably won't attract the disappointed dregs who couldn't score Batman tickets. Then again, there could be spontaneous singing in the ticket lines, if the rising interest in "abba lyrics" (+239%) is any warning.

A darkness, however, has shrouded the Buzz Multiplex, to the hysterical delight of audiences. The question isn't whether "The Dark Knight" (PG-13) will sweep past "Iron Man" (pre-premiere searches for the Batman movie searches just edged past what the Robert Downey Jr. vehicle commanded before its May 2 opening). It's whether Nolan's vision will blow Spidey records, a feat perhaps limited only by running time (152 minutes) and number of theaters (4366).

From the mind of "Memento" director (well, also his brother and the guy who wrote the "Blade" series) comes a comic-book noir thriller that, among other things, delves into America's war on terror and a what-if ethical dilemma called the Trolley Problem. Nolan and titular actor Christian Bale may have resuscitated Batman but it is the late Heath Ledger who breathes life into this big-screen outing. His online appeal surpasses that of the entire stellar cast combined, including Bale, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, and Gary Oldman. Although Ledger reaps most of the rapturous accolades, his villainy is not the only one: People have also been looking up "dark knight two face" and "batman scarecrow."

All this frothing adoration has yielded a not-unexpected dark side: The few film critics who dare to sound any low notes, most notably New York Magazine critic David Edelstein, have suffered fanboy attacks. Others who may need a protector include those from the Washington Post ("Ledger the only bright spot in a dull tale"), the Sacramento Bee (the movie "never reaches Ledger's level" or that of "Batman Begins..."), and the Wall Street Journal ("muddled plot"). If it's any consolation to these professionals, people have been seeking "reviews," perhaps likely to confirm that this is indeed the most lauded movie of 2008, if not of any big-screen comic-book adventure.

"The Dark Knight" is sure to be among the select few films to linger in theaters. Still, given the fervor, latecomers might want to get advanced tickets for the next few weekends... and learn a few lines of "dancing queen" (+25%), just in case.

Filed under: Movies, Batman, Comic Books, Space, Cartoons, Musicals, Monkeys