the buzz log

The culture wars are on in the Buzz Multiplex. Will the box office fall to torturous horror or vampire interns? Or will the fearless flying female uplift ticket sales? Turns out this may be a weekend when each generation gets its own outing. Who doesn't make the top 3: The boy superhero with the cowlick.

Top Three Movies of the Week, as ranked by Yahoo! searches

1.  "Amelia" (PG). Director Mira Nair, known for smaller films, landed the mega-biopic assignment of aviatrix Amelia Earheart...but some critics don't think the story ever quite took off. The allure of Amelia is strong, but mostly among people ages 35 on up, which might not bode well for big box-office receipts. Star Hilary Swank might make the difference.

2. "Saw VI" (R). A sickening indulgence, or a covert way to teach Roman numerals? Unlike "Amelia," the under-30 set is all over inventive ways to off victims in modern-day villainous occupations. Expect a "Saw" DVD marathon weekend, given the online nostalgia. This ranks as the teen-boys-sneaking-in-or-get-cool-older-brother-as-"guardian" movie of the week.

3.  "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" (PG-13). Comedy + bloodsuckers + circus freaks = child-friendly, if not teen-frenzy inducing. And we didn't even mention the Salma Hayek as Bearded Lady factor. Adapted from the book series, the tale of a teenager who joins the freakiest circus on earth gets the love from the under-18 crowd.

Filed under: Movies, Books, Horror, Women

Horrific violence leads the way this Friday the 13th, but the surprise twist is who's interested. Here are this weekend's offerings, in order of Search interest:

1. The Last House on the Left (R). The raw exploitation of Wes Craven's 1972 revenge-horror gets a 21st-century makeover. Although fright flicks generally attract more male interest, 58% of the searches come from females. NPR has called the remake "an exceptional, truly horrific movie" with a "narrative clenched and swift." However, Philly.com finds it "objectionable and nihilistic" and notes the missing lesson that had been in the Vietnam-era original.

2. Race to Witch Mountain (PG). The UFO thriller took 34 years for a re-do. A sour Newsday review believes the effort is "weaker and creakier," but the Hollywood Reporter finds "a crafty mixture of action, humor, and drama." The reimagined Disney flick puts Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson into the driver's seat as a Vegas cabby helping alien twins, but co-star Carla Gugino has launched out-of-this-world Search frenzy thanks in large to her "Watchmen" gig.

3. Miss March (R). Not a remake of a movie, but the premise jumps right out of an '80s song ("My blood runs cold/My angel is a centerfold"). Cable stars of "The Whitest Kids U Know" aim for the big screen in this tale about a man who wakes from a coma and finds his old galpal a Playmate. The "dull" effort only wins one grouchy star out of five from the Orlando Sentinel. Judging from anemic searches, this is the bad-choice-we're-going-to-so-regret-later-dude male bickering movie of the week.

Filed under: Movies, Horror

Valentine haters, you are not alone.

For some, the day of Saint Valentine is the scourge of February, a marketing-fueled hedonistic indulgence in which the lovelorn are tossed aside (again), and the love-locked feel badgered into celebrating an occasion of false sentimentality. Or, as succinctly expressed in a hapless minority's searches, "i hate valentine's day."

The grousing doesn't end there. A handful seek ways to express "reasons why i hate valentine's day." Others zero in on "i hate valentine's day poems," and a guilty few wonder, "is it wrong to hate valentine's day."

It's not wrong for those who celebrate their contempt, as testified in "anti valentine's day" look-ups on Yahoo!. They seek party ideas (and some for singles), quotes, posters, cards, songs, shirts, bar events and movies.

And yes, all of the above exist. The Ledger-Enquirer reports that greeting cards of a negative ilk are available at Target, as is a book, "I Hate Valentine's Day." The Washington Post perused a crafting site's member forums with how-tos on homemade anti-V-Day items. NBC Chicago lists area events that involve alcohol, burlesque, and voodoo dolls, while bitter couch potatos can check out Seattle Post-Intelligencer's viewers' guide. One enterprising fitness gym returns with its annual act of cathartic vengeance, in which people hit mitts "to which photos of exes have been taped."

One thing that might please those who dread the 14th: It follows Friday the 13th, which brings the remake of the horror film classic. Coupled with "My Bloody Valentine," that oughta make for a satisfyingly loveless double feature. 

Filed under: Holidays, Valentine's Day, Horror