Summer finally closes out on an unexciting note. There’s a low-budget-style horror film in “The Last Exorcism,” a heist-centered action film in “Takers” and the release of that little film from last winter called “Avatar.”

I don’t know about you, but bring on the fall already. Next week alone is a massive improvement.

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The Last Exorcism

Directed by Daniel Stamm
Written by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland
Starring: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Caleb Landry Jones

The Word: This film’s big endorsement comes from “Hostel” creator Eli Roth (also known as “Bear Jew”). It’s a found footage/faux documentary horror movie about a minister’s “one last job,” only it’s not a heist, it’s an exorcism.

Rotten Tomatoes: 63% (good)

My Thoughts: Horror films in August tend to surprise some times, at least at the box office. At least this is different than your typical exorcism film, if that makes any sense. The faux-documentary style should suit it well.

Recommendation: If you need your fix in a horror-deprived summer, this is your shot, otherwise you have to wait until mid-September/October.

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Takers

Directed by John Luessenhop
Written by Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, John Luessenhop, Avery Duff
Starring: Chris Brown, Hayden Christiansen, Matt Dillon, Idris Elba

The Word: More interesting than this typical large-cast heist premise featuring a multi-cultural cast is that “Takers” will be the first film that allows for futures and commodities trading based on box-office returns, which might finally get me interested in investing.

Rotten Tomatoes: 35% (bad)

My Thoughts: Heist films are always worth noting, but when one gets dumped at the end of August, that’s not exactly what you’d call a vote of confidence. On the other hand, the rap/R&B stars present could give “Takers” a box-office push.

Recommendation: If you like an occasional fun heist with a soundtrack provided by its stars, rent this.

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Avatar: Special Edition

Written and directed by James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang

The Word: Most films get a special edition DVD, but when you’re the most successful film in movie history, that warrants a re-release. If you missed “Avatar” in theaters, this is your chance, only you have to sit a little while longer, but only a whopping eight minutes.

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (great)

My Thoughts: I haven’t seen “Avatar” since theaters and I don’t even own it yet as I’m waiting to be rich and have a giant HD television and Blu-ray player. That’s because this movie needs to be seen on a big screen. I don’t think eight minutes is worth it for fans who’ve seen it before, but otherwise, it deserves a re-release.

Recommendation: If a film was meant to be seen on a big screen, this is it. If you’ve just seen it on a 2-D television, you probably don’t know what all the fuss is about and it’s definitely worth going.

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Box Office Predictions

The box office is primed to be taken over. It would be embarrassing if a film could eclipse the $9-10 million I predict for the winner of the last two weeks, so with that in mind, I pick The Last Exorcism, seeing as there’s always that one late August horror film that comes out and wins the box office for a week or two. I’m thinking $12-15 million, but given the lull this week, closer to $20 M is not out of the realm of possible given the reviews are mostly positive.

I also think that the name recognition for younger audiences in Takers should earn it second with $10-12 million. No reason it should fall to The Expendables, which will easily be the highest-finishing film already released. Last week’s second-place finisher “Vampires Suck” should have a huge drop-off, so Eat Pray Love should jump it for fourth considering the two films were neck-and-neck (no pun intended) last weekend anyway. I also suspect The Other Guys will leapfrog over “Lottery Ticket,” two films that were also very close in the box-office race last weekend. It’ll be close between those guys and “Vampires Suck,” but I will put my money on quality.

1. The Last Exorcism
2. Takers
3. The Expendables
4. Eat Pray Love
5. The Other Guys