Opening in theaters on February 3rd is the new horror film from director Ti West (The House of the Devil) called The Innkeepers. Set in a haunted inn on its final weekend before going out of business, the movie stars Sara Paxton (Shark NIght 3D), Pat Healy (Dirty Girl), Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), and Kelly McGillis (Top Gun). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had an opportunity to sit down and speak with director Ti West, as well as actress Sara Paxton about The Inkeepers. The duo spoke openly about the new movie, West's goal to make a "charming ghost story," casting Paxton in her role, what it was like for the actress to play a nerdy character for a change, "going Costanza," and what it was like for both of them to shoot a haunted house movie in an actual real-life haunted house. 

Next year, we'll see theatrical 3D re-releases of Titanic, Top Gun, and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which will kick off yearly three-dimensional reissues of all six films in the evergreen Star Wars franchise.  The numbers from this summer suggest that audiences may very well be experiencing 3D fatigue after a few years of rushed post-conversions and often-shoddy or unnecessary 3D.  This weekend's box office suggests that this wariness of the format doesn't extend to already-beloved re-releases, as Disney's The Lion King rather unexpectedly made its 3D debut in first place.

Year after year, the first weekend following Labor Day is consistently far from what someone somewhere almost certainly calls "boffo box office."  That is to say, it's not generally a busy weekend at the movies.  This year, Sunday was the tenth anniversary of a truly horrific national trauma, as well as, less importantly, the first Sunday of the NFL season.  To provide escapism at their local multiplexes, Americans by and large chose to go see a methodical and disturbingly plausible movie about an unstoppable viral pandemic.  With its all-star cast and effective marketing, Contagion debuted in the number one spot, grossing more than expected, while Warrior opened in third and two other new releases failed rather spectacularly.

Labor Day weekend is generally acknowledged as the symbolic close to summer, a three-day weekend during which American collectively lights the fires on its barbecues and gasses up its station wagons for one last romp in the season of fate's perfection.  Historically, Labor Day began as the result of the Pullman Strike, an 1894 workers' strike that resulted in violence and civilian deaths when President Grover Cleveland dispatched federal troops to dismantle the striking workers of the Pullman Palace Car Co.  Obviously, old Grover needed to subsequently make peace with the unions, and voila (more or less): Labor Day was born.  The holiday weekend here in 2011 saw The Help once again dominating the American box office, with The Debt following in second place.  Like Cleveland dealing with the aftermath of the Pullman Strike, both films thematically grapple with the moral compromises and atrocities of the past.  On a less historical note, both also coincidentally feature actress Jessica Chastain.

When watching a trailer for the first time, most people keep a running commentary in the heads, classifying the advertised film by its genre, identifying familiar elements, recognizing actors, and generally having a one-sided dialogue with what's being presented onscreen.  Often, this internal dialogue slips out into the real world, as you lean over to share some notion with whomever is next to you.  The magic of the internet allows some clever and industrious folks to take it even further, though.

The familiar Shark Night 3D trailer presents the film's story, as a group of college kids enjoy a crazy-fun weekend at posh lakeside house, only to be rudely interrupted by the sudden presence of predatory sharks in their midst.  Toby Turner has created musical accompaniment for the trailer with purely literal reactions to everything that's happening, providing an amusing and well-executed version of that commentary that we all experience while watching a preview.  So give the Literal Shark Night 3D trailer a watch before you see the movie this weekend.

Ladies and gentlemen, the day for which you've been waiting has finally arrived.  Starting with midnight screenings last night, Shark Night 3D is now playing in theaters nationwide.  Rest assured, the thriller delivers exactly the aquatic terrors that the title promises, with multiple species of very hungry sharks let loose in three dimensions.  The mayhem is choreographed by director David R. Ellis, whose career spans 35 years as an actor, stuntman, second-unit director, stunt coordinator and helmer of films such as The Final Destination, Snakes on a Plane, and Cellular.

While there's no shortage of shark-infested action in the movie, it's anchored by a surprisingly well-utilized roster of human characters who don't simply exist as fish-food.  The story follows a group of college students who head to a palatial island beach-house on a lake for a perfect weekend of partying and general joyousness, only to find that they're suddenly surrounded by ferocious sharks who want nothing more than to feast on co-ed flesh.

At the press day for the movie, the primary cast sat down with various media outlets including IAR to discuss their roles in the ensemble film.  Up-and-comers Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Alyssa Diaz, Joel David Moore, Sinqua Walls, Chris Carmack, and Chris Zylka were all on hand to talk about shooting in 3D, their director's expertise, animatronic sharks, the hazards of filming on water, and the chemistry of their shared camaraderie, onscreen and off.

Opening in theaters on September 2nd is the new underwater horror film Shark Night 3D from Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis. The movie stars a cast of attractive young actors including Sara Paxton (Aquamarine), Dustin Milligan (The Messengers), Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny), Alyssa Diaz (Red Dawn), Sinqua Walls (TV's Friday Night Lights), Joel David Moore (Avatar), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Chris Carmack (The O.C.).

IAR's Shark Night 3D countdown week continues with our exclusive interview with actress Alyssa Diaz. IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with actress Alyssa Diaz to discuss the new movie, her role, acting underwater, shooting in 3D, collaborating with director David R. Ellis, and training with the Navy SEALs.

And be sure to check back with IAR tomorrow for the conclusion of Shark Night 3D countdown week featuring coverage from the film's recent press conference.

Opening in theaters on September 2nd is the new underwater horror film Shark Night 3D from Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis. The movie stars a cast of attractive young actors including Sara Paxton (Aquamarine), Dustin Milligan (The Messengers), Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny), Alyssa Diaz (Red Dawn), Sinqua Walls (TV's Friday Night Lights), Joel David Moore (Avatar), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Chris Carmack (TV's The O.C).

IAR's Shark Night 3D countdown week continues with our exclusive interview with actor Sinqua Walls. IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with actor Sinqua Walls to discuss the new movie, his character, shooting in 3D, collaborating with director David R. Ellis, and training with the Navy SEALs. 

And be sure to check back with IAR the rest of this week for more exclusive interviews with members of the Shark Night 3D cast, as well as our coverage from the film's press conference. 

Opening in theaters on September 2nd is the new underwater horror film Shark Night 3D from Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis. The movie stars a cast of attractive young actors including Sara Paxton (Aquamarine), Dustin Milligan (The Messengers), Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny), Alyssa Davis (Red Dawn), Sinqua Walls (TV's Friday Night Lights), Joel David Moore (Avatar), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Chris Carmack (TV's The O.C.).

IAR's Shark Night 3D countdown week continues with our exclusive interview with actor Chris Zylka. IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with actor Chris Zylka to discuss the new movie, his character, acting in 3D, director David R. Ellis' vision for the film, and audience's fascination with sharks.

And be sure to check back with IAR the rest of this week for more exclusive interviews with members of the Shark Night 3D cast, as well as our coverage from the film's press conference.

Opening in theaters on September 2nd is the new underwater horror film Shark Night 3D from Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis. The film stars a cast of attractive young actors including Sara Paxton (Aquamarine), Dustin Milligan (The Messengers), Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny), Alyssa Diaz (Red Dawn), Sinqua Walls (TV's Friday Night Lights), Joel David Moore (Avatar), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Chris Carmack (TV's The O. C.). 

IAR's Shark Night 3D countdown week kicks off today with our exclusive interview with actress Sara Paxton. IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with actress Sara Paxton to discuss the new film, her role, working with David R. Ellis, acting underwater, and what it's like fighting bloodthirsty killer sharks.

And be sure to check back with IAR each day this week for a new exclusive video interview with members of the Shark Night 3D cast, as well as our coverage from the film's press conference.