the buzz log

Against the Halloween holiday juggernaut, the specter of a porn comedy isn't titillating as many people as one would think. Meanwhile, a teen-friendly horror slips past critics, and Guy Ritchie's newest entry barely gets the sympathy vote. Exception: Clint Eastwood's "Changeling," which led last week's searches despite its limited-release status, should trounce the competition when it opens in wide release. Here are how the three other premieres fare within the Buzz Multiplex.

1. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (R). Does the cult of director Kevin Smith, the '90s indie version of Judd Apatow, still run strong? Somewhat, if nostalgic queries for "kevin smith movies" are any indication. Interest over the past 7 days seem surprisingly low (top 20,000 terms on Yahoo!), despite lots of fuss over the movie's title. Overall, males (73% of lookups) overwhelmingly prefer this guy-style romantic comedy, but the could've-been-an-NC-17-rating-but-R-it-is rating aces out the teen boys. Turns out, though, that all the love is going to star Elizabeth Banks, who plays the titular Miri, with more than triple the queries as the movie title. Rumpled Seth Rogen (as Zach), Justin Long (as a gay porn star) and Smith regular Jason Mewes (as Lester) get some affection too.

2. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" (PG-13). Is this movie so scary, the "filmmakers, the producers, the distributor" decided it'd scare the polka-dotted panties off the critics? At least the director's not afraid to grant interviews about this poignant coming-of-age film, up 167% in searches: The tale's about a teen who finds out her parents made a deal with the devil, and he's come to collect her soul. Bummer. Potential fans run 71% female, although part of that could be due to the casting of one Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" TV fame. Star Haley Bennett only scores a fourth of his online popularity. Double bummer.

3. "RocknRolla" (PG-13). For the last of our rhetorical questions: Does director Guy Ritchie need your sympathy? Separated from his high-powered wife and on a cinematic losing track, Ritchie could use a break. As per usual, he gets a mixed reception: AP says the latest screwball heist comedy shows the director's "back in form," and the Boston Globe calls him a "rehabbed Guy Ritchie" displaying the virtue of "restraint." The McClatchy Newspapers critic begs to differ and deems it "devoid of anything like real feeling." Either case, the anticipation's tepid, although the crew of Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Ludacris, Thandie Newton and Jeremy Piven seems pleasing enough to searchers.