It’s time for another installment in Throwback Session- Remember These Movies?. My apologies for this posting being later than usual, but it’s finally finished to talk about what was released to theaters around the world in August 2010. It was the end of the summer movie season, which means better movies were about to come out. By the looks of August, there were only two movies that were worth going to see, while the others had the right call to come out at the end of the month. Surprisingly enough, I only saw four of these in theaters that month since I didn’t feel the need to pay to see those that didn’t look interesting.
Back a decade ago, this was when I was starting eighth grade, and it was my least favorite time in middle school when I didn’t like most of the people I was attending classes with, yet I usually tried to mind my own business. Who here also believe eighth grade was the worst year of our middle school days? Let’s see what came out at the last stretch of summer.
August 6: ‘The Other Guys’
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Michael Keaton, Dwayne Johnson, and Samuel L. Jackson
Directed By: Adam McKay
Synopsis: Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Alan Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) garner no headlines as they work day to day. Gamble relishes his job as a paper pusher, but Hoitz is itching to get back on the street and make a name for himself. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.
Domestic Box Office: $119,219,978
RT Score: 78%
My Thoughts: With The Other Guys, I consider this the last great Will Ferrell comedy released in theaters, in my opinion. I’ve always liked this movie, and it’s kind of stupid nobody else thinks it is. For one, it’s a WAY better buddy cop comedy than what Kevin Smith’s Cop Out tried to be in a desperate way, which is thanks to Adam McKay’s direction and the performances of Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Both of them worked wonders together as two detectives trying to prove themselves when solving this case. This was one of the more memorable comedies to come out ten years that could make you laugh, especially since I was familiar with the kind of humor that’s to be expected from McKay and Ferrell. There have been so many bad buddy cop movies in the past, but this isn’t one of them. Check out my review—> RIGHT HERE.
‘Step Up 3’
Cast: Sharni Vinson, Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, and Alyson Stoner
Directed By: Jon M. Chu
Synopsis: New York’s street-dancing underground forms the background for the tale of two tight-knit dancers, Luke (Rick Malambri) and Natalie (Sharni Vinson). The talented duo join forces with a New York University freshman named Moose (Adam G. Sevani) for a high-stakes showdown against the world’s best hip-hop dancers. Win or lose, the contest will change their lives forever.
Domestic Box Office: $42,400,223
RT Score: 47%
My Thoughts: I saw Step Up 3 on opening day (in 2D) alongside The Other Guys, making this the last movie I saw before school started. In talking about anything from this franchise, you pay a ticket for only one thing: The dancing. But even though there hasn’t been a good one in this series, I consider the third entry the best out of all of them. Yes, this beats out the first movie slightly. There are some killer dance sequences all around that makes me jealous of how I can’t move like this. And with every Step Up movie or every movie revolving around dancing, you don’t care about the wooden performances or basic and predictable plot attached to them. Those are two elements that leave your brain while watching.
Would I like to see this in 3D? Probably because I heard it wasn’t bad. This has a decent soundtrack, including Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me” with David Guetta and Chromeo’s “Fancy Footwork.”
August 13: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Mark Webber, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and Jason Schwartzman
Directed By: Edgar Wright
Synopsis: As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.
Domestic Box Office: $31,524,275
RT Score: 82%
My Thoughts: I love Scott Pilgrim vs. the World! There was no better movie to bring a smile to my face than Edgar Wright’s translation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels to life. What happens when you have an action-comedy featuring stylized fights, video game references, and hardest laughs? A pretty freakin’ great time. The possibility this can be relatable seems slim if you have seven evil ex’s, but you go along with this journey that’s never become dull at any moment. Michael Cera as the title character was charming. Is he just playing the same person he usually plays? Indeed, but there are no complaints here. And this happens is another movie where it’s impossible to not fall in love for Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
After all this time, I still haven’t forgiven everyone for not seeing this in theaters, as it was considered a box office bomb. It has since gained a respectable cult following, but I will always consider this the most underrated movie of all-time. Please watch this if you haven’t yet because you’re really missing out on something epic. Check out my review—> RIGHT HERE
‘The Expendables’
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Directed By: Sylvester Stallone
Synopsis: A group of mercenaries is double-crossed during a mission and are approached by Church to overthrow the ruthless dictator of a South American country. It isn’t long before the men realize things aren’t quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of betrayal. Although their mission is compromised and an innocent is in danger, soldier of fortune Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his comrades decide to get the job done.
Domestic Box Office: $103,068,524
RT Score: 42%
My Thoughts: The Expendables is every man’s dream. It was going to an action movie featuring some of the most iconic stars today past and present, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, etc. My dad and I saw it a month after it came out, and we were the only ones in the theater. That said, I liked it the first time I saw it, and then my thoughts have downgrades as the years followed.
This wasn’t something I was expecting to be Oscar gold, obviously, but this should’ve at least tried harder when it comes to Stallone’s directing (who got nominated for Worst Director at the Razzies) and better dialogue. Some of the action was pretty cool, but what bothered me was the stupid CGI blood used throughout all of them. Even the story wasn’t interesting to care about after a while since all you want to see is these guys to have a high body count and see things explode. But the scene everything thought would be cool as seeing Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger (in his first role since being the Governor) and it was such a massive disappointment to only see them in only one scene. One scene! C’mon. There was no reason for two of my favorite action stars (Stallone and Arnie) to only be in one scene. The Expendables is more in line with being a guilty pleasure and for those who grew up watching some of the best action movies of the ’80s, but I thought the sequel was a bit of an improvement.
‘Eat Pray Love’
Cast: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, and James Franco
Directed By: Ryan Murphy
Synopsis: Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) thought she had everything she wanted in life: a home, a husband and a successful career. Now newly divorced and facing a turning point, she finds that she is confused about what is important to her. Daring to step out of her comfort zone, Liz embarks on a quest of self-discovery that takes her to Italy, India and Bali.
Domestic Box Office: $80,574,010
RT Score: 36%
My Thoughts: Look, I like Julia Roberts as much as the next guy, but I wasn’t going to bite the bullet with watching Eat Pray Love even though I like all those things. Talk about a drama that’s completely different from the other two movies that opened the same weekend. I know the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert was very popular, and it’s made for the female demographic who’ve read it. There was nothing about the trailers that made me want to waste $6 on a drama I was going to be bored with, and seeing how its 133 minutes didn’t help either. The one thing the trailer featured was Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” exploding into popularity. It was also Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee and American Horror Story,’s second effort behind-the-camera after Running with Scissors, which is always something I keep forgetting. From what I’ve heard, Roberts gives a good performance, and it was beautiful to look at.
August 18: ‘Vampires Suck’
Cast: Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Diedrich Bader, Chris Riggi, Anneliese van der Pol, and Ken Jeong.
Directed By: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Synopsis: Becca (Jenn Proske), an angst-ridden teenager, is torn between two supernatural suitors: vampire Edward (Matt Lanter) and werewolf Jacob (Chris Riggi). But she must find a way to evade her controlling father, who treats her like a helpless child. Meanwhile, her friends contend with their own romantic issues, leading to a confrontation at the prom.
Domestic Box Office: $36,661,504
RT Score: 4%
My Thoughts: The team of Friedberg and Seltzer have ruined spoof comedies forever and are terrible human beings for tanking it ever since. Vampires Suck is a parody of The Twilight Saga and the over-hyped phenomenon it came to be, and it somehow failed to be just that. A movie that was meant to be for those who hate Twilight will also hate their lives while watching through with crap for under an hour and a half. Honestly, when you fail at making fun of Twilight, you lose all credibility. Every joke sucks, every performance sucks, and everything else about Vampires Suck sucks. These are the two idiots who made Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie, both movies from 2008 that were universally panned by critics, and this was the same. Nothing about this was remotely funny. I remember only chuckling twice, but that was it. The worst part about this was how the full movie leaked online two months before it came out. No kidding.
Rightfully so, it was nominated for four Razzies, including Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. If you want to watch a funny parody of this stupid franchise, watch some older Smosh videos because you’ll get so much out of it.
August 20: ‘Pirhana 3D’
Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, Adam Scott, Steven R. McQueen, Jessica Szohr, and Christopher Lloyd
Directed By: Alexandre Aja
Synopsis: Spring break turns gory when an underground tremor releases hundreds of prehistoric, carnivorous fish into Lake Victoria, a popular waterside resort. Local cop Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) must join forces with a band of unlikely strangers — though they are badly outnumbered — to destroy the ravenous creatures before everyone becomes fish food.
Domestic Box Office: $25,003,155
RT Score: 74%
My Thoughts: Considering how I never saw the 1978 original or the sequel James Cameron directed (Piranha 2: The Spawning), I didn’t have any expectations for Piranha 3D. One of my friends from middle school talked about it during lunch one day and thought it was crazy, from what I can remember. After renting it from Blockbuster months later, it was a stupid fun time. Do I think it’s terrible now? Kind of. Piranha 3D is a creature feature that will love people either like it or hate it for the B-Movie it attempted to be, and I know some reviews who had it on their worst list of the year. How cool does it sound for killer, prehistoric piranhas eating teenagers on Spring Break? The one thing I will always remember is the part where Jerry O’Connell’s privates got bitten off.
All this movie has to go for it are blood, boobs, death, and the water in converted 3D. But what I did remember was Elisabeth Shue still looking good. Thank God I didn’t waste my precious time watching the sequel Piranha 3DD because everything single thing I’ve heard about it was that it was incredibly horrible.
‘The Switch’
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, and Thomas Robinson
Directed By: Josh Gordon and Will Speck
Synopsis: Neurotic Wally Mars (Jason Bateman) has one bright spot in his life: his friendship with Kassie (Jennifer Aniston). When Kassie announces her intention to become pregnant using a sperm donor, Wally thinks he will be the lucky guy, but Kassie has someone else in mind. While drunk at Kassie’s insemination party, Wally substitutes his sperm for the donor’s, then passes out, remembering nothing. Seven years later, Wally meets Kassie’s son, who seems oddly familiar to him.
Domestic Box Office: $27,779,426
RT Score: 51%
My Thoughts: The Switch was a romantic comedy I didn’t know what to make of it from watching the trailer. While I love Jason Bateman and the premise sounds funny enough, I didn’t know if a premise like this could work. But from what I heard, despite the mixed reviews, it wasn’t all that bad. Still haven’t watched it after all these years, yet the positives that came with it was that Bateman gave a great performance, and the chemistry he had with Aniston and Thomas Robinson as her son. And Jeff Goldblum was good as Bateman’s friend.
‘Lottery Ticket’
Cast: Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, Naturi Naughton, Loretta Devine, Keith David, Charlie Murphy, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Terry Crews, Mike Epps, T-Pain, and Ice Cube
Directed By: Erik White
Synopsis: Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), an ordinary guy living in the projects, wins a $370 million lottery. Unfortunately, the claim office is closed for a long holiday weekend, and he must keep his good fortune a secret. But the news spreads like wildfire, and Kevin must figure out how to survive three days among the friends, family and neighbors who want a piece of the pie.
Domestic Box Office: $24,719,879
RT Score: 35%
My Thoughts: I thought Lottery Ticket was a decent comedy when I first watched it, but not a single living soul on Earth remembers this coming out. Especially when it airs on BET. How can this have a good ensemble cast and waste them on a formulaic, lackluster comedy that fails at being hilarious at any time, relying on bad jokes and stereotypes? A movie like Lottery Ticket is more suited to an episode of a television series rather than something from a major studio, or better yet, a sequel to Friday people might like.
‘Nanny McPhee Returns’
Cast: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Oscar Steer, Rhys Ifans, Ewan McGregor, Asa Butterfield, and Maggie Smith
Directed By: Susanna White
Synopsis: Enigmatic Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) arrives on the doorstep of a harried mother, Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to raise her kids and tend to the family farm while her husband is away at war. Isabel has her hands full with not only her own three, but also with her sister’s spoiled pair. With no time to lose, McPhee uses magic to instill in the children five important lessons.
Domestic Box Office: $29,011,215
RT Score: 76%
My Thoughts: Never saw the first Nanny McPhee movie when I was young, and I didn’t care one bit about watching the sequel. Nanny McPhee Returns (or Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang in the U.K.) saw the return of Emma Thompson as the titular nanny to make unruly kids the opposite. This was a family sequel that didn’t get much attention after it came out since nobody saw it. There were plans for a third movie, but it didn’t happen since this under-performed at the box office.
August 27: ‘Takers’
Cast: Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, T.I., Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen, Jay Hernandez, and Matt Dillon
Directed By: John Luessenhop
Synopsis: Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba) and his friends enjoy a luxurious lifestyle funded by bank robberies, and they avoid capture by sticking to a strict set of rules. As they celebrate the latest job, a former associate arrives with a daring plan to rob an armored car. The lure of so much cash is too tempting to resist but, unbeknown to Gordon’s men, this heist puts them on a collision course with Russian mobsters and a detective (Matt Dillon) who will do anything to capture them.
Domestic Box Office: $57,744,720
RT Score: 28%
My Thoughts: For some reason, I was excited about Takers after it got pushed back. This isn’t a heist movie that’s going to be compared favorably to anything like The Italian Job, Heat, and another forgettable Screen Gems movie Armored, and it barely gets passed being a movie to remember. Now, it’s more of a generic cops and robbers action thriller with nothing big about it. It has performances that were good (Idris Elba and Paul Walker), some performances that were terrible from the start (Hayden Christensen with his stupid hat and Chris Brown), and a solid shootout in a hotel room. Everything else about Takers isn’t good when talking about the characters and a basic story that adds nothing new. I already hated Chris Brown when this came out, and this proved he’s a terrible actor and should do nothing else with his career. Still, there was Kasabian’s “Underdog” playing the end credits.
‘The Last Exorcism’
Cast: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, and Louis Herthum
Directed By: Daniel Stamm
Synopsis: After years of gulling the faithful, cleric Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) feels remorse and decides to expose his chicanery through filming a documentary. With a crew in tow, Marcus arrives at the Louisiana farm of devout Louis Sweetzer, who believes that his daughter, Nell, is possessed. When the usual stunts fail, he realizes that he is face-to-face with real evil and must summon true faith to protect Nell, the others and himself from demonic power.
Domestic Box Office: $41,034,350
RT Score: 72%
My Thoughts: I had little interest in The Last Exorcism since I didn’t have a feeling a found-footage exorcism sounded the most interesting to watch. That’s probably because I find exorcisms too disturbing for my taste. The performances of Patrick Fabian and Ashley were good and had some scares from the reviews I caught. What’s more negatively associated with the movie was how I heard the ending didn’t work and ruined the entire movie for everyone. Do I feel like I’m missing out on watching The Last Exorcism? Nah, I don’t feel like it would’ve crept me out by this. The sequel a few years later didn’t get much of a response. But do you know who co-wrote it? Future Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle.
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: JANUARY 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: FEBRUARY 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: MARCH 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: APRIL 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: MAY 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: JUNE 2010
- THROWBACK SESSION- REMEMBER THESE MOVIES?: JULY 2010
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