Monday, June 01, 2009 - Posts
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Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell is the kind of film that shouldn't be seen alone. Not only because you'll need a friendly forearm to dig your nails into during the scary parts but because it's a movie made to be talked about on the way out of the theater. Between the hairpin twists and turns of the plot and the absurdly high stakes of the outcome (unlike most slasher-movie heroines, Alison Lohman's Christine is trying to avoid not just death but eternal damnation), Drag Me puts the viewer through a lot, and after you've lived through it, you feel the need to talk about it with someone else who's done the same. Sadly, I had to see the movie alone at a press screening, and my plans to record a Spoiler Special podcast afterward with a colleague who'd seen it fell through. Now, like the Ancient Mariner, I must roam the world seeking strangers to listen to my tale. For I have a theory about Drag Me To Hell, one that can only be discussed with others who've seen it. If that includes you, click through for an alternate reading of the movie on a hidden second page. But those who haven't seen it and plan to, be warned: Spoilers lurk beyond.
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If we are what we Google, then Google Hot Trends—an hourly rundown of search terms "that experience sudden surges in popularity"—is the Web's best cultural barometer. Here's a sampling of today's top searches. (Rankings on Hot Trends list current as of 9 a.m.)
No. 1 "air france flight status": Six of this morning's top 10 Google searches are about Air France 447, which has disappeared on its way from Rio to Paris. The plane, which took off in heavy turbulence, last made radar contact near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha—today's fifth-trendiest search term—300 kilometers off Brazil's northeastern coast. Agence France-Presse quotes a Paris airport official: "We are very worried. ... It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
No. 2 "susan boyle hospitalized": The British tabs are reporting that the YouTube sensation, a surprise loser in this weekend's final episode of Britain's Got Talent, has checked into a private clinic on account of "exhaustion." According to the Sun, "the 48-year-old virgin" (also referred to as "SuBo") was taken to the hospital by paramedics after "acting strangely at her London hotel." Eleven spots down the Trends list: searches for Susan Boyle's performance on the BGT finale. Not seen in the top 100: Diversity, the dance troupe that beat out Boyle for the top prize.
No. 8 "eminem bruno": The highlight of last night's MTV Movie Awards, at least Google-wise, came when Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno—"the host of Austrian gay TV"—floated down from the rafters a la Howard Stern's Fartman. Baron Cohen, outfitted in a thong and angel wings, touched down with his crotch in Eminem's face; the rapper stormed off, leading to speculation about whether the stunt was real or fake. Considering that both performers are aggressively promoting new material—and considering that the guy who was "accidentally" teabagged was miked in the audience—evidence points to fake. (Other Google Trends inspired by the MTV awards: "kristen stewart drops award," "new moon trailer official," and "the hills season 6 preview.")
—Josh Levin
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Welcome to Brow Beat, a new blog where Slate's editors and critics will be writing about movies, music, television, books, advertising, fashion, and anything else you might call culture, whether highbrow or low. Our critics will be able to write more frequently about happenings on their beats—this week, for example, movie critic Dana Stevens will explain her alternate reading of the ending of Drag Me to Hell, our in-house 3-D guru Daniel Engber will consider Pixar's use of the technology in Up, and we'll have a mini-Ad Report Card from ad critic Seth Stevenson. Brow Beat will also give our writers a chance to explore other interests: Keep an eye peeled for music critic Jody Rosen's examination of British chef Jamie Oliver's bizarre new magazine, Jamie!, and expect Troy Patterson and Stephen Metcalf to bring their omnivorous critical appetites, already on display in Slate's Audio Book Club and Culture Gabfest podcasts, to the blog as well. We'll also have regular features tracking the day's Google trends, industry news, and more.
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