...where credit is due

Just saw "The Hoax" at Shrilington. Surprisingly good. I don't know how much re-shooting was done after the film was abruptly pulled from its Fall 2006 release, but whatever it was, it was effective: The movie works on several levels, and is a perfect vehicle for Gere's roguish charm.

Credits in movies are a strange thing. Unless you're a department head or a first hire, you never know if you're going to wind up with your name on the screen. Case in point was Syriana, where about a half dozen of us worked for several weeks as set dressers, but only three people were credited. In the case of "The Hoax," I worked a total of three days -- one to scout, two to shoot -- and wound up with a screen credit in the DC Unit section. Fact was, neither Gere nor Molina came to DC, and stand-ins were shot from behind as they drove the 220 Benz on Virginia 110, and walked up the steps of the library. But I did get to drive (briefly) the Benz, and jump-started it more than once. The DP didn't like the height of our camera truck, so we used my beat-up old Dodge Dakota. That was interesting: driving gingerly, the director in the cab with me, five guys crammed into the bed, while the Arlington police kept traffic back and out of the shot, as we rolled up and down 110. For this I get a screen credit. Go figure.

It does not appear that "The Hoax" is playing in many theaters, at least not in the DC area. But Molina's performance is exactly the sort of quirky-but-sympathetic role that Oscar loves for supporting actor.