the buzz log

Put some mutton chops and metal claws on the Sexiest Man Alive, and you have yourself one of the most anticipated movies of 2009.

The newly released trailer for Hugh Jackman's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is causing a stir on the Web. The pulses racing the most over the Wolverine backstory belong to guys 13-54: They make up 8 out of 10 searches for "wolverine trailer." Whence do most fervent fanboys hail? Utah. That's right, the Beehive State bristles with anticipation for an advance peek of the muscular mutant.

In a culture that can discuss books after reading the jacket, some critics have already judged the movie as a "crushing disappointment," with a "sleep walking" Jackman who's "buried in an avalance of iffy green screen work and animalistic sneering." Ouch, watch those claws. The blockbuster's "pedigree" (cast, scriptwriter, and director) does get an admiring glance, but given the mixed reviews (especially about a flying Jackman), the director might as well have used the actor's musical talents and gone for "Wolverine: The Musical."

While "Origins" has wrapped up most of the attention this week, other trailers have been whetting movie fan appetites for 2009—as listed below with the theatrical release dates. (Incidentally. "Spider-Man 4" isn't due out until 2011, but its lookups would've put the film at No. 9.)

Top 2009 Trailer Searches, Past 7 Days

1. Wolverine Trailer (Release date: May 1)
2. New Moon Trailer ("Twilight" sequel, Nov. 20)
3. Harry Potter Trailer ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," July 17)
4. Transformers 2 Trailer (June 26)
5. Dragonball Movie Trailer ("Dragonball Evolution," April 8)
6. Terminator Salvation Trailer (May 22)
7. 2012 Trailer (July 10)
8. Star Trek Trailer (May 8)
9. G.I. Joe Trailer (Aug. 7)
10. Watchmen Trailer (Mar. 6)

Filed under: Movies, Movie Trailers, Comic Books, X-Men

Take your age of reason, your proofs, your inductive methods to life. Give us doomsday scenarios and Mayan prophecies anyday. Science fiction fans have been abuzz over either "2012: Doomsday," released in video on February 12, or Roland Emmerich's big-screen version coming to theaters in 2009.

The video's tagline describes "a modern Christian epic in the tradition of 'Omega Code' and 'Left Behind.'" Any mix of religious overtones, ancient civilizations, and end-of-world scenarios pretty much guarantees the perfect online storm: Variations for searches on "2012 doomsday movie" have risen more than 1,200%, pushing the term into the top 3,000 terms in the past 7 days.

The mostly male fans aged 13-54 aren't merely tracking the movie poster and trailer. Investigations into the "2012 doomsday prophecy" and "prophecy cycle" are plentiful as searches for the film, and they in turn have led to online archaelogical forays into Mayan culture: "mayan calendar," "mayan culture," "mayan sacrifice," and the pre-Columbian site "chichen itza." Turns out there is an entire Wiki page dedicated to what could happen four years from now, replete with "how to survive" tips. (Includes plastic sheeting, a whistle to call for help, peanut butter, and fallout shelter.)

"2012: Doomsday" may turn out to be a creative franchise. The director and writers behind the romantic comedy "Failure to Launch" plan to do a version for Paramount Pictures' Nickelodeon Movies. If the end of the world isn't fodder for a feel-good family movie, we don't know what is.

Filed under: Movies, Movie Trailers, Movies and DVDs, Prophecy, Cult Movies

Now that prestige movie season is over, we can turn our attention back to the popcorn flicks that populate buzz. We looked at the top trailer searches for upcoming movies and found Batman swooping away with the most searches.

Many of the movies on our list made it based on the wishful thinking of fanboys. We don't want to dash your dreams, but your popcorn will be stale by the time the Transformers return to the silver screen. Here are the top 20 trailers from the past week...

Filed under: Movies, Movie Trailers