Bulk Email

Lock your tools in the tool shed. Jigsaw of the “Saw” franchise takes the Buzz multiplex hostage this weekend. Only Steve Carell dares to take on bloody mayhem in wide release, but his last Biblical flop may have led searchers to forsake him.

1. “Saw IV” (R). Jigsaw returns, at least in grisly spirit, and slashes his way into the top 1,000 searches this week. Version 4.0 ensnares law enforcement who investigate the remains of the twisted master and his apprentice, Amanda. Nearly 40 states are drawn to the gruesome follow-up, with guys 13 on up succumbing to the dark impulses.

2. “Bella” (PG-13, limited). This must be a year of unwed mothers, what with “Knocked Up” and “Waitress.” The limited release focuses on a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. Tammy Blanchard is the impregnated protagonist, but co-star Eduardo Verástegui gets ladies cooing over his searches. Overall, attention is small but sincere for the chick flick of the week.

3. “Dan in Real Life” (PG-13). Steve Carell rose to fame as a “Virgin,” but fell on his face as Noah. Will he find his niche as a family movie guy? He plays the title’s namesake, a single parent and advice columnist who has trouble guiding his own life. Ages 12-44 are taking a glance at “Dan,” but so far the comedy doesn’t seem to be pulling a closer look.

Also registering on the Buzz marquee… Director Jonathan Demme, perhaps better known for “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia,” turns his camera on the former president in “Jimmy Carter Man from Plains” … Noir goes into overdrive with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers whose plan to rob their parents’ jewelry store goes awry in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (R).