Once again, it's a weekend battle of head-to-head stars. I thought it was March that was supposed to be "in like a lion and out like a lamb." But this month we started strong and end with a weekend with one wide and one limited release of note. In this corner, we have Terrence Howard, who is not only appearing in August Rush, but also in this week's new release Awake. And in this corner we have Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman in the indie release of The Savages. Let's drop the cage. You know the rules. Two men enter! One man leaves!
In the box office this weekend: Winner = Howard Come on. I don't care how quiet this ad campaign is. Wide vs. limited? Awake takes this one in a walk.
In the critical arena: Winner = Hoffman Look, Terrence Howard is quickly proving himself to be a serious contender for an Oscar in the next five years and is probably one of the hardest working supporting actors out there. But he's in a film being dumped on a weekend that is always dominated by the previous week's Thanksgiving leftovers. The Savages, on the other hand, is a film tailor-made for critical praise. It's the touching story of a dysfunctional family forced to retrieve the ailing father that abandoned them and watch him die for two hours. If that doesn't scream Village Voice favorite, I don't know what does.
In their careers: Winner = Howard This one is as close as a tie as you can get without actually being one. Hoffman has his statue, but Howard will no doubt get one in short order. He's just waiting for that one perfect role, like Hoffman did. But Howard has been making a lot of smart mainstream choices as well. Hoffman spent way too much time in indie world and never became a "star." Howard seems to be skating that line between indie cred and celebrity, which is why I think he's gonna come out on top.
In a fight: Winner = Howard Hoffman is aging and has never known for being in shape; Howard is cut from a 180lb piece of marble. You make the call. Oh wait, I think I just did.
Winner = Howard This week I'm giving it to Howard. He really seems to be on the rise. His next three or four movies will really make all the difference. One way leads toward immortality. The other to the land of an eventual best supporting nomination. Like seven times.
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