"Paranormal Activity" update

So back in October I made a post about this cool movie called "Paranormal Activity." I talked about how after an online 'election' the movie was going to have a nationwide release.

Well I'm sure that a month later, you have heard of the movie or even watched it for yourself. After all it has made over $60,000,000 at the box office, so someone has watched it!

Four weeks after it's wide release the movie sits at number five at the box office in front of newly released "The Box" with Cameron Diaz. This just blows my mind considering the movie's low, almost nonexistent budget.

I'm curious about why the movie is doing so well. It does not have a big budget, nor does it have big actors, or director. So if I want to make a movie as big as this one, what do I need?

Can the success of the movie be based on good word of mouth, or maybe the fact that you could vote to see it in your city? Some outside factor has to be involved here because lets face it, this movie doesn't exactly look like a $60,000,000 movie.

Please let me know what you think. Why is "Paranormal Activity" raking in the cash?

Religion in 2012 movie

In an interview with 2012 director Roland Emmerich, he discussed how he decided not to destroy an Islamic landmark out of fear of a negative backlash.

Emmerich is known for finding chilling ways to destroy the civilized world. He has shown us many possibilities ranging from alien invasions, to huge lizards, to global climate change.

Now in 2012, doomsday is caused by earth crust displacement, which sounds less menacing but judging from the trailers, it is serious business. Emmerich described some of the major landmarks he destroyed in the film, which included the White House, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.

However, Emmerich did not get to destroy all the landmarks he had originally hoped for. People on his writing team advised him against destroying the Kaaba, which is one of Islam's holiest landmarks, out of fear of a fatwa.

According to askoxford.com, a fatwa is "an authoritative ruling on a point of Islamic law." In the Western world however the word has become a synonym for a death sentence.

To avoid this possibility, he just left it out completely and didn't worry about it. I guess Emmerich didn't want to have to explain to some angry Islamic extremist that it's just a movie and no death sentences are required.

Interestingly, Emmerich didn't hesitate to demolish St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Not only is he tipping it over, he is tipping it over thousands of people who went to pray for salvation on the eve of the apocalypse.

So Emmerich, the man who likes to destroy the world, is scared of Islamic extremist, who isn't right? Did he do the right thing by leaving the Kaaba alone or should he have gone with his gut and taken the risk?