the buzz log

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

You've just watched the most historic inauguration of your time. Do you then sneak into the screening about the rapper, the based-on-a-true tale of World War II resistors, a mall cop comedy, or the 3D-freakout?

Actually, the freeby inauguration theatrical screenings aren't until Tuesday, so if you want to avoid the politics, this weekend's the time to watch these eclectic offerings. (And no, we don't advocate sneaking in, even in these hard economic times.) Here are the three most-searched movie openings for this three-day weekend, as people look for ways to get out of the cold.

1. Notorious (PG-13, limited release). Biggie Smalls didn't even live a quarter-century before he was shot in 1997, and his case remains unresolved. Interest has also been focused on Lil Kim's displeasure over her depiction in the bio-pic. The screenwriter's asking the music artist to see the movie before she judges, but she may want to pass given the largely unimpressed reviews who prefer the soundtrack (up 358% in lookups this week, incidentally). Still, combined searches for the late rapper and his movie pushes "Notorious" as the most-searched film this week. Most interested in the big-screen story are folks in Washington D.C. — as though they don't have enough excitement coming up.

2. My Bloody Valentine 3D (R). Winter has become Hollywood's horror wastelands, but people (especially ages 13-44) love checking out things that may scare the pants off them. For those who actually care about the reviews, this heartwarming, albeit "absurd," throwback stirred Newsday's critical affections as a return "to those entertainingly scary days of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the golden age for modern horror films." The Daily Sentinel says its "style... proves that a bad movie can still make for a great time at the movies." Given the interest from men and women alike, "Valentine" slashes the mark as the gruesome, scream-inducing, mature date movie of the week.

3. Defiance (R). "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Hotel for Dogs" jockeyed for the third slot, but Daniel Craig's dramatic crossover from his James Bond day job just squeaked in. Critics admire the tale about four brothers saving more than 1,200 people from the Nazis, but they don't necessarily love the Hollywood-style execution. Then again, the storytelling's brought to you by Ed Zwick, master of swollen-valor films like "Blood Diamond" and "The Last Samurai." Once again, Zwick successfully tugs at male audience Search strings (63% male versus 37% female).

Filed under: Movies, Rap Music, Horror, Notorious B.I.G.