'Takers' and 'The Last Exorcism' take on 'Avatar' re-release

By Sarah Sluis

Kids are starting to go back to school, the first cold chill has swept through New York City, and summer is drawing to a close. This week will be a light one at the box office, with a couple of fun, genre-y diversions sharing space with the re-release of Avatar.

A "Michael Mann-lite," stylish drama about a bank heist, Takers (2,206 theatres) features a cast including hip-hop stars Chris Brown and T.I., "The Wire"'s Idris Elba, and well-known actors Matt Dillon and Star Wars-cursed Hayden Christensen. Younger audiences may get the most out of the movie, which "is actually kind of cool, if you've never watched this kind of thing before," according to critic Frank Lovece, who himself was plagued by an ability to predict the plot twists well in advance.

The Last Exorcism (2,874 theatres) pairs up a charlatan priest with a real-life exorcism case, shot in a mockumentary style that "works

beautifully," according to critic Maitland McDonagh. Teen girls are expected to shriek through the PG-13 contortions of their peer, but "hardcore gore-hounds will be disappointed by the lack of flashy special effects," predicts McDonagh, since the movie "is more concerned with psychological chills."

Avatar will be re-released in 810 3D venues, including 125 IMAX theatres. The reboot is expected to provide a boon to exhibitors, with an expected gross in the high single millions. The second round in theatres will also help promote the movie's deluxe DVD and Blu-ray release in November. An extra 8 1/2 minutes of footage has been added to provide incentive for fans to see the movie yet again. Especially the kind of fans that tattoo Avatar characters on their back.

For specialty audiences, part one of the ominously titled Mesrine: Death Instinct will open in 28 theatres. The French gangster film is "snazzily shot" but "disappointingly superficial," according to critic Jon

Frosch. Forced incest takes center stage in the Mexican film Daniel & Ana (NYC), and lovers of B-movies will get a kick out of Gladiator-esque Centurion (9 theatres) from director Neil Marshall. Critic Ethan Alter dubbed him "one of the most reliable contemporary creators of kick-ass genre flicks," and I'll praise him for authoring the truly creepy cave horror movie The Descent.

On Monday, we'll see if there were any takers for Takers, if The Last Exorcism enticed spook-seeking audiences, and if Avatar's second coming resulted in crowded theatres filled with people anxious for a second glimpse.