$54 million weekend premier for 'Paranormal Activity 3'

Is it just me or is their a scary-movie shortage at the theaters this year. With only a week till Halloween, I was expecting a plethora of squeals to movies like 'Saw' and 'Halloween'.  It seems the studios were aiming for quality not quantity this year.

'Paranormal Activity 3' over-performed at the box office on opening weekend, bringing in $54 million. The film is actually a prequel to the original, taking place in the 80's.

The studio reported this was the highest movie premier ever for a horror film.  Not bad for a franchise that started with a $15 thousand budget.

'Paranormal Activity' gained national attention in 2009 when audiences across the nation voted for a national release of the film. Refresh your memory by reading this blog post.

For those brave souls who watched it this weekend, what did you think? How does the prequel measure up to the first two films?

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?

Clooney stares at goats and goes up in the air

I am really excited to see George Clooney in "Men Who Stare at Goats." To be perfectly honest, he is the reason I want to watch this movie.

In case you have not seen the trailer, I can tell you the movie looks pretty funny. Psychic powers are always a big hit with people, especially in a comedy like this one.

Clooney was one of the producers of the film and I look forward to seeing how he did. However, it is disappointing that he will not be directing like I had hoped.

I am a fan of "Good Night, and Good Luck," which Clooney directed and starred in. I have been looking forward to him dishing out another movie like this one.

If for whatever reason "Men Who Stare at Goats" does not measure up, Clooney has a back-up on the way. "Up in the Air" staring Clooney is set to come out in December 2009.

This is one of those movie trailers about life that make you want to laugh and cry even before you even watch the actual movie. I'm sold, so consider me already there watching this movie.

Clooney has always been one of my favorite actors and love it when he tries new things such as directing or producing. It shows his love for film and his commitment to his projects.

So let me know which movie you are likely to see.

Paranormal Activity gets nationwide release thanks to voters

After a million online votes, Paramount Pictures is releasing Paranormal Activity nationwide. Just goes to show that Americans love their scary, freaky movies.

This is the first time the public got a chance to vote on the films released by movie studios. I think this was a really smart promotional move on behalf of Paramount Pictures.

Voting has always been used to engage and interact with the public, so why not try it with movies? Genius.

Most of the hype over this movie has come from the option to vote on a nationwide release. That is definitely what attracted my interest in the film.

Of course the good reviews and scary trailers had something to do with it too. E! Online said the movie was "one of the decade's scariest films."

This movie has made some serious money considering its budget and limited release. Right now it is at number four at the box office with $8,280,000.

So for those who voted to see the film, congratulations, democracy has served you well. Celebrate your victory by attending the nationwide opening of the film this Friday, Oct. 16.

To get more info on the movie and see trailers visit http://www.paranormalactivity-movie.com/. I also recommend Facebook.com/ParanormalActivity to read reactions/reviews from fans.