the buzz log

Allyson Hannigan

There's something to be said for skipping the scenic route. Nonstop flights are the best. Being direct with friends helps to avoid misunderstandings. And for studios seeking to circumvent the cinema, direct-to-video is a perfect (and straightforward) solution. Everyone knows studios will run film franchises into the ground if there's money to be made. Well, nothing spells profits like a familiar title starring no-name actors working for the SAG minimum. Direct-to-video, we salute you!

One such masterpiece making some lowbrow buzz is Band Camp, the fourth of the American Pie flicks. At least they can no longer refer to the pastry-molesting movies as a trilogy. Searches on Band Camp, which stars Eugene Levy as "Jim's dad," rose 521% in the week preceding its release. It's been quite a year for Levy -- The Man, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, and now this. What's next? Bringing Down the House Again?

While Band Camp may be the biggest direct-to-video hit in Search, there are plenty of others. Carlito's Way: Rise to Power is up 143%. Disney always has some shameless sequel in the works (Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, anyone?). "Erotic thrillers" like Cruel Intentions, American Psycho, The Skulls, and Wild Things have spawned straight-to-video sequels against the collective will of the world. In a way, those films make some sense (sex sells). However, we're still flummoxed as to how Hollow Man 2 got the green light. The first one left us feeling, well, strangely empty.