News / Entertainment
“The Hoax,” “Grindhouse” Look to Knock “Blades of Glory” from Box-Office Top Spot
Of the mixed bag of films hitting the big screen this weekend there are two that will battle the current box-office champ, “Blades of Glory,” for supremacy. Sure Ice Cube is back with “Are We Done Yet” and Hilary Swank brings Oscar power to “The Reaping” but neither will draw the type of numbers needed to skate past Will Ferrell and Jon Heder at the ticket counter.
The true challengers to the incumbent box-office king will be from “The Hoax” and “Grindhouse.” Not so much because they are great films but more because of their appeal to particular audiences.
Richard Gere stars in “The Hoax,” a movie based on the true events surrounding writer Clifford Irving. Irving is best remembered for writing an “autobiography” of Howard Hughes, as it turned out the entire project was a sham and Hughes never knew about the book. At the time Hughes had cut himself off from the outside world and the belief that he had agreed to have somebody write his authorized biography fascinated not only the public but publishing house McGraw-Hill and Life magazine as well. As it turned out Hughes had never met Irving and knew nothing about the book.
With Richard Gere staring and America’s continued fascination surrounding Hughes, “The Hoax” could open well. Gere has a strong supporting cast in Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Alfred Molina.
“Grindhouse” is a double feature that offers fans of B-flicks an opportunity to see a pair of 60-minute horror flicks directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Rodriguez introduces “Planet Terror,” in which he re-introduces the zombie genre to movie-goers and Tarantino completes the twin billing with “Death Proof,” a return to the slasher style of gore. Both films use generous amounts of blood, guts and violence that are sure to attract plenty of viewers.
Tarantino has established himself as a must see director with an impressive lineup of films that include “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction” and the “Kill Bill” series while Rodriguez has directed “El Mariachi,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” and “Sin City.”
