THE HOAX - Miramax Films
People who remember the early 70s (not everyone who was there does) will recall how author Clifford Irving, with a generous helping of bravura and more than an immense imagination, hoodwinked both his publisher and the public into believing that he had negotiated and written the most sought-after biography of his generation that of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes, who, at the time, was a recluse extraordinaire. It was a hoax of epic proportions, one the perpetrators were sure would never come out, as Hughes loathed the spotlight and was reportedly very ill. Eventually Hughes had a telephone conference with seven news reporters (televised two days later) where he said he'd never met Irving nor approved or cooperated in producing any such biography. Even then, the willful Irving claimed the voice was fake.
Swedish director Lasse Holstrom's career reveals his love for quirky and personal stories, demonstrated by his choice of such efforts as MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985), WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993), THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999), the luminescent CHOCOLAT (2000) (his last big hit), and AN UNFINISHED LIFE (2005).
In THE HOAX, Hallstrom skillfully guides the multi-faceted Richard Gere (remember his award-winning portrayal of Billy Flynn in the film CHICAGO?) through the convoluted life of the charismatic Irving. Many reviewers are already touting this as Gere's breakthrough Oscar role.
The film also features the fascinating Alfred Molina, a Brit born to a Spanish father and Italian mother, who has a tremendous facility for characterization and dialects. Here he plays co-conspirator Richard Suskind, who helped Irving create fake memos and research Hughes's life story which they pretended was taken from interviews with the recluse.
Also in the film is Marcia Gay Harden, playing Irving's wife, artist Edith Irving, who also helped in the conspiracy and served time along with Irving and Suskind, in spite of the fact that her husband had cheated on her while he wrote his book.
As an interesting sidebar, the real Irving himself, whose autobiographical book was the basis of the film, has said that the film is not an accurate portrayal of his life. Makes you wonder if he finds that ironic.
Told by a director with affection for such an eccentric character and acted by a stellar cast with a smart script by William Wheeler at their disposal, THE HOAX should be an intriguing look at a scandal that shook the publishing world to its core.

ARE WE DONE YET? - Revolution Studios
Reportedly this film was conceived as a a remake of MR. BLANDING BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE, a film about a house that defies the repair efforts of its put-upon owner. But when Ice Cube became attached to the project, it was reworked to be a sequel to his previous film ARE WE THERE YET?, with the cast from that film brought forward into this film. Nia Long plays Ice Cube's wife in this one, and the house he chooses for them and her children to live in is a disaster.
Another family film from Ice Cube, this effort has some people loving it and some hating it. Maybe the film is geared too much towards kids or people talking smack about it don't like family films. In any case, the word on the web is that Steve Carr, director of other films such as DR. DOOLITTLE 2 (2001) and DADDY DAY CARE (2003) (both with Eddie Murphy), never achieves directorial perfection and lets the film reel all over the place, much of it without raising a smile, much less a laugh. His aforementioned films found an audience, as did ARE WE THERE YET?, but only time will tell whether audiences will give this film good enough word of mouth to shut down the critics and make the film a success.

GRINDHOUSE - Genius Products
Has there ever been a more hyped film? There have been interviews with everyone on the many chat shows and specials and behind-the-scenes programs galore. Remember what happened to a similarly marketed film, the fascinating but unprofitable BLACK SNAKE MOAN? True to its predecessors, these films are in your face with a retro ad campaign that may turn some people off.
Packaged as a double-feature and packed with fake trailers (one directed by Eli Roth) for supposedly upcoming films, the two main films replicate films typical of the day. One is PLANET TERROR, written and directed by Rodriguez, a retro flick about humans being turned into flesh-eating zombies, with only Rose McGowan (playing the widely- advertised machine-gun-legged former dancer) and her boyfriend trying to save humanity. The other film, written and directed by Tarantino, is DEATH PROOF, starring Kurt Russell as a sadistic stuntman driving his death-proof car while he 'stalks" three Texas gals. Both directors have expressed their undying love for strong women characters, so they people both films with them (McGowan is the only actor in both films).
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino wanted to recapture the style of grindhouse films they remembered from their youth, a memory somehow missing from my childhood. Those early films were exploitative, wild and carefree in their violence. To save money, the producers only printed a few copies and sent them from theatre to theatre around the country, where the films got scratched, lost reels and all but dissolved at the end of their journey.
Both director's careers are filled with modern-day grindhouse films, such as Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS (1992), PULP FICTION (1994), KILL BILL VOLUMES 1 and 2 (2003, 2004) (Rodriguez worked crew on V1), and Rodriguez's ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003), SIN CITY (2005) (for which two sequels are planned) and DESPERADO (1995), not to forget their previous joint venture, FROM DUSK TIL DAWN (1996) which starred George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, and Tarantino himself (who also wrote the screenplay) as Gecko, with Rodriguez as director and camera operator.
Though Rodriguez also directed THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL 3-D (2005) and both SPY KIDS (2001, 2002) films, which are certainly not the beaten path, he remains devoted to grindhouse films. Tarantino often screened these films at his house, and this is what inspired his pitch to Tarantino to make this flick. These two mavericks can't wait to introduce this genre to a new generation.

THE REAPING Warner Brothers/Dark Castle Entertainment division
By many reports, when Hurricane Katrina halted initial production of this film, the producers should have taken the ever-so-subtle hint and let the matter drop. But director Stephen Hopkins ignored the omens and completed it. Starring Hilary Swank, David Morrisey and TABATHIA's AnnaSophia Robb, this filmic revisiting of the biblical plagues as they appear to be occurring in modern times is grimly shepherded through by Hopkins, with Swank as the skeptic who lives to debunk modern-day miracles.
Though Hopkins successfully directed LOST IN SPACE (1998) for the big screen and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS for television in 2004 (which won an Emmy in 2005), he apparently has lost his way in what is being called a "ponderous" epic. Trailers are theoretically the best moments in a movie, and it's unfortunate that there's nothing compelling in the ads to make one rush to the theatre. Also, there's no good buzz, giving us no hope as to the rest of the film.
While I am loath to pass judgment on films I haven't seen, one quick scan of the web reveals doomsayers prophesying that this thriller will miraculously close before it opens.

THE FIREHOUSE DOG 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
In a behind-the-scenes look at this film on a recent television show, the producers and director discussed how vital it was to cast the right pooch for the part. They were incredibly excited to discover a rare breed, the Irish Terrier, a breed loaded with personality and athletic ability. So four of the dogs, each with a different skill based upon their strengths, played the role of Rexxx, a movie-star dog who gets lost and ends up at a run-down firehouse. Josh Hutcherson, the kid in this "boy and his dog" movie, works with Rexxx to help restore the firehouse, and its firemen, to their former glory.
The special effects in some of the scenes being shown on television seem pretty lame, but if the storytelling carries it through, it sounds like a cute story for the kids.
The film's director, Todd Holland, has addressed life's irreverence before, directing episodes in television shows such as WONDERFALLS and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, along with all fifty-two episodes of THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW which starred Gary Shandling. With such a pedigree, this low-budget feature might just surprise everyone with a "Best of Show" win.