15) Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
What we said then:
BOP doesn't expect Full Throttle to be in any way memorable, but with Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore kicking ass for 100 minutes or so, and with the added incentive of the unbelievably funny Bernie Mac taking over as Bosley, we're there opening night.
What we say now:
Apparently, BOP staff members were pretty much the only ones who showed up opening night, as the shockingly poor performance of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle stood out in a summer filled to the brim with disappointments. Not only did the movie tank at the box office, it was also universally panned by critics. Perhaps everyone’s biggest problem was that the sequel didn’t really tread any new ground; it was essentially the same movie as the first, but bigger, faster, louder, and more scantily clad.
14) The Italian Job
What we said then:
[To be successful], this No Honor Among Thieves drama will need to achieve the perfect blend of action, suspense and humor.
What we say now:
The Italian Job did indeed have a crowd-pleasing mix of stunts and laughs, as it turned out to be one of the few major pictures to actually perform better than expected. Pretty much everyone came out of this film happy: Paramount made a boatload of cash, Edward Norton finally got out of his contract with the studio, and…oh yeah, audiences seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. The grumpy old codgers that we are, though, we still think the original is better.
13) The Eye
What we said then:
What we said then: This is one of the must-see films of the year for those film aficionados who like their celluloid a little fantastic and terrifying, and it'll also be nice to catch a glimpse of the true original before there's a big budget Hollywood remake down the line.
What we say now:
The Eye certainly didn’t disappoint, but we were a bit surprised how much more of a cerebral think piece it wound up being instead of a pure horror flick. The instances of true fear factor may be counted on one hand. And what is up with the juxtaposed action film ending?
12) Down With Love
What we said then:
Down with Love seems likely to provide us with some light romantic fun, a perfect summer treat.
What we say now:
Okay, so maybe it was a little too light. Although Down with Love succeeded admirably in its quest to channel the nostalgia of ‘60s sex comedies (much to the delight of our staff), the large majority of moviegoers didn’t seem to buy the film’s turn-back-the-clock theme. In short, I think it’s safe to say that while we were Down with Love, most of America wasn’t.
11) Seabiscuit
What we said then:
Though a film about a thoroughbred by no means screams summer blockbuster, the sport is on the rise in the U.S and the book Seabiscuit itself was enormously popular. If the film is done right, it could be an awards contender later in the year.”
What we say now:
While the free advertising with Funny Cide's near Triple-Crown run back in May could have contributed to the film's success, it's more likely that a solid picture with great word-of-mouth led to the summer's second-leggiest film. A $21.5 opening was fantastic for this type of movie, but it remained to be seen if it could avoid the summer's trend of one and done films. It did, with a second weekend decline of just 16%, and the little horse that could successfully legged it out through the month of August. Labor Day saw it cross over the $100 million mark, a rarity for sports films. Still, the odds that this movie will score in the Oscar race seem much poorer than they did a few months ago.
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