The Buzz Multiplex
August 30th, 2007
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Welcome to revenge week at the multiplex, served up in three different ways: bloody, screwball and pure vigilante. With summer fading, audiences don’t seem to be in the mood for vengeance—unless it’s tied to All Hallows Eve.
1. “Halloween.” Evil has a back story. Strictly speaking, Michael Myer’s faceless return isn’t “Halloween 9,” even though that’s what some searchers have been calling this remake under the direction of Rob Zombie. The former heavy metal singer pulls in more searches than any actor in a movie opening this week; among the cast, his wife Sheri Moon Zombie and Danielle Harris pique interest. “Halloween” should scare the box office pants off “Balls of Fury,” so to speak, given its three-fold popularity fueled by kids who can’t possibly remember the John Carpenter original (and are too young for this R-rated flick) and adults alike.
2. “Balls of Fury.” Let the lukewarm boycotts begin… or set up the boy cots, because this looks like a straight-to-DVD special for an all-male slumber party, given who’s checking out the kung fu ping pong parody. One bright light is the bright and buzzing Maggie Q, and the indubitable Christopher Walken as a dubious Fu Manchu type. Will “Balls” revive table tennis? Possibly—the tiniest pop registered in Buzz for “ping pong” and “ping pong table.” Serve it up.
3. “Death Sentence.” Kevin Bacon returns just so we can have more connections in the Six Degrees game. (That might also explain the buzz for “kevin bacon movies“) The actor hooked up with “Saw” director James Wan in this vigilante film about a dad avenging his son’s murder. The critics like Kevin, and searches give him more attention than his film—but not quite as much for co-stars Kelly Preston and Aisha Tyler (who pulls double-duty this week with her “Balls” stint).
4. “The Nines.” Any attention for a limited release is good, but maybe bargain hunters are interested in getting three stories in one movie. Of the cast, the up-and-coming Ryan Reynolds gets the most love and comes in as the most searched male actor in a movie opening this week.
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