Rating: 
Summary: SPACEY IS DELIGHTFUL
Review: I first watched this as a rental, wound up renting it several times and now I own it and am buying it for friends as gifts - this movie has got to be one of the best kept secrets around!Delightfully diabolical! Two thumbs up! Kevin Spacey at his wicked best! Don't miss out on this one! Great black comedy!
Rating:
Summary: Swimming with Sharks DVD
Review: This is another awesome Kevin Spacey movie, which must also document that Spacey knows how to pick the right vehicles for his talent (unlike Travolta's pre-Pulp Fiction string of bombs).Here he plays Hollywood studio executive Buddy Ackerman, who at his cutthroat prime is trying to break in his new assistant, Guy (Frank Whaley), to the "realities" of working in show business. Benicio Del Toro, in too short a role, is Buddy's outbound assistant, moving on to bigger and better things, who tries to give Whaley's character a few telling pointers. The beauty of this movie is that Guy thinks he's being mistreated, when in fact, Buddy is merely trying to instill in Guy qualities (such as punctuality, attention to detail, and planning ahead), which will actually help him succeed in the real world. We see this mentor-trainee relationship from Guy's point of view, and thus observe how unhinged Guy is getting from the abuse (obviously Guy is generation-x and never went through a military boot camp). Along the way, Guy has a passionate fling with producer Dawn Lockard (Michelle Forbes), and waxes unrealistically about moving to Wyoming to escape the rat race, not realizing how not-in-tune with that concept Dawn is. The movie climaxes (and is interspersed with flashforwards and flashbacks) that detail an increasingly gruesome get-together between Guy and Buddy, during which we climatically learn that Buddy has definitely paid his dues and had his share of tragedy in life. Buddy just wants Guy to pay his own share of dues, rather than have things handed to him on a platter. The ending will surprise you, because there is an implied off-screen deal struck between Guy and Buddy which cements both their futures in a good way. From the look on Guy's face at the end, one can tell that a new gratitude and appreciation for Buddy is imprinted there. The movie is brilliant. The dialog crisp. There are no wasted moments, no loss of momentum. Buy it. The transfer to DVD was well done. My only gripe is that there is no director's commentary on this DVD. Such a fine film should have its full story told -- I guess we'll have to wait for the "Special Commemorative Edition" for that!
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant savage comedy
Review: This has to be one of the best American black comedies made. It's the story of a nice Los Angeles guy, played by Frank Whaley, being hired at a fictional movie studio and working for a monster of a boss--Kevin Spacey. The humiliation that the boss puts his underling through, treating him one minute like a peasant and the next, with smarmy words, like an equal, are riveting and will resonate with hundreds--if not thousands--of folks not only in LaLa Land, but across the country. Whaley's love interest, played by Michelle Forbes, is just as conniving as his boss, but in a decidedly more subtle fashion. Whaley gets his revenge on his boss, but at a terrible price, which involves the Forbes character and absolutely cannot be revealed here. The ending is a big surprise and is a fittingly savage denouement to the preceding story. I salute Trimark for making this available on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: makes me wanna rush out to hollyweird!
Review: whatelse needs to be said about Sir Spacey.the man is excellent in every role he takes.be it thriller/suspense/drama/comedy,he nails it.and it helps that the movies he chooses are excellent also.with ''swimming'' he tackles a black comedy,and again does it exceptionally well.the movie is well writen,directed,paced,and has great support in other actors as well.so much praise can be heaped onto this gem but ill just say this much...buy this and youll thank me later.
Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Hollywood
Review: This is a documentary, right? I actually worked for someone very similar to Buddy. Childish temper tantrums, phones being thrown across the office because lunch was only lukewarm, etc. so this sends chills up my spine every time I see it. Some folks are bitching about the fact that Buddy's assistant stays with him; it's really simple Hollywood law, folks - you leave the job, you start at the bottom rung of the ladder again. This movie achieves success on many levels. It's very, very well done and hilarious. I mean, who wouldn't want revenge on a boss like that? The Equal vs. Sweet & Low scene is worth the price of admission alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Very unpleasant
Review: Watching this film, I could only wonder what sane person would work for Buddy (Spacey). I could not imagine anyone working with him for more than one day unless their life depended on it. I hate to think that real life is this way in the film industry. Granted the movie is competently made. I would not see it again. It made me a little sick.
Rating:
Summary: I own this movie!
Review: I first watched this movie 3 years ago. It drives me as nutsy today as it did 3 years ago. Besides the amusing plot of pairing up a snotty, overly indulged jerk like Buddy Ackerman (K Spacey) and the assitant Guy (a crappy actor named Frank Whaley)...this movie has some of the most slicing, smack-down dialogue I've ever seen. You know, the kinds of things you'd want to say if you had an assistant, no conscience, and a guarantee that they would never come to your home, tie you up, paper-cut you, or put tabasco in your wounds. Heh. Lines like "You look happy -- I hate that!" and "What Equal contains is not my concern...when I ask for Sweet 'n' Low, that's what I want"...or "If you were in my toilet, I wouldn't bother to flush you" or "Protect my interests, and serve my needs" and best of all..."say it with me, 'do you want that in a loafer or a pump'...now good, because the only job you'll get in this town is selling shoes!". A bit of misogyny tarnishes the film for me...but all in all...a lot of hilarious word play.
Rating: 
Summary: The Dark Side of Office Space...
Review: Before Office Space there was Swimming With Sharks. True,bothfilms deal with entirely different types of work industries (one ofcomputer software sales, the other the movie making machine ofHollywood). Even the background soundtrack music for Sharks serves asa dark and mencaing counterpoint to the humor. Listen carefully to thepiano keynotes played over and over;they stick in your head as anotation that this film will soon reveal a dark climax dealing morewith dramatics than humor. Yet, the premise is the same;the underdogwho works for a conniving cutthroat boss.The major difference is whereOffice Space goes strictly for the comedic jugular, Sharks just goesfor the comedic and thought provoking jugular. How much crap wouldanyone be willing to put up with at the expense of one's own dignityand self preservation just to meet the degrading and outrageousdemands set to satisfy the office superior's selfish,petty, andmeaningless needs ? One soon finds out when Guy, a film grad fromupstate New York, takes an intern job at Keystone Pictures to fulfilla childhood dream about movies based on a memory since seeing IndianaJones and The Last Crusade one summer...The other question remains,can Guy get out from underneath Buddy's thumb before he too becomes aclone of Buddy's and takes on the same detestable personality traitsand malignant/malicious work ethics ?... Whaley plays the part ofGuy to a perfect t as the puppy-eyed, naive go-for (gopher ?)for BuddyAckerman played convincingly,and with zest,by Kevin Spacey. Co-writtenor directed by Spacey you can see his natural flair and finesse forbeing quite comedic and sarcastic when his characters' antics areanything but for poor Guy.Spacey's facial expressions are pricelessand genuine (we know we've all seen that sarcastic look from someonein our personal and professional lives)...Dawn Lockhart, played byMichele Forbes, is another interesting subject for characterstudy.What does she really want other than to see her project go tofruition without strings attached from Buddy ? Is she really into theyoung,naive,sometimes dim-witted intern ?.Look for a great performanceby a young Benicio DelToro (Traffic,Snatch) as Rex, the"seasoned" intern/copy/coffee boy who shows Guy the ropes inthe office and how to put up with Buddy (..."next time,anticipate and bring Buddy a Sweet & Low and an Equal."Also,"Serve his needs and protect his interests.").The onlynon-screen mystery character was Stella,another Keystone keyplayerexec often mentioned but never heard of or seen (even over thephone).Curious as to what actress would have played her and to whateffect... For the compressing or visual artifacts seen on this dvd Igive it only 3 stars. The transfer is muddled by a lot of obviousdigital "blocking" or incoherent shading and"stiff" digitized unnatural action movement by thecharacters/actors and objects when in motion.This is all quite evidentwhen seen on a 27" t.v. or huge direct view wide screent.v. (I've compared the two and saw enough flaws on the dvd transferthat should put the distributor or company to shame). Example; thereis a scene of a close-up of Buddy Ackerman's office orange wall motifwhere the bright orange color and shading values look mosaic ortiled. As for the sound quality, well, you gotta remember it's adialogue movie mostly. Don't expect the glorious Dolby Digital 5-7surround channels to envelope you with thunderous, ear shatteringresults... Still, for the film's dark and sadistic comic streak andominous twist ending it's still a great feat to take in...
Rating:
Summary: Funny, comical, negative, and fairly well written
Review: George Huang's "Swimming With Sharks" is a scathing satire on the Hollywood industry about one guy who wants to get in, and the person he has to work with. That person who is essentially his only ticket in happens to be an incarnation of the devil himself. Frank Whaley is Guy, a recent film school grad who is more than eager to get into showbiz, his new boss is Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey, in a role that's better than Lester Burnham), an evil, manipulative, cold, and bitter two faced Hollywood player who is 98% evil and 2% good. "Swimming With Sharks" follows a year in the life of Guy as his spirit is destroyed by a man he fantasizes about murdering. It works on a 50/50 level with the comedic flashbacks to a dramatic story. Kevin Spacey chews every scene that he's in and Frank Whaley is the perfect foil as the naive lead character. Huang's script focuses on the complex relationship between these two men as the one above continually crushes his spirit...but with good reason. An underrated film that didn't even get a run in theaters, "Swimming With Sharks" is a truly original film that is actually based on director Huang's experience on the Hollywood ladder. One of Kevin Spacey's best films that goes in the ranks of "Seven", "The Usual Suspects", and "American Beauty".
Rating:
Summary: Am I the only one who thinks... (*spoilers included*)
Review: ...that the names signified something? Come on--'Buddy', 'Guy'--talk about impersonal personal names. And 'Rex', who, as Buddy rightly comments, has a dog's name... I would hesitate to attribute 'everyman' status to these characters, but they are clearly archetypal. Even 'Dawn'--the promise of a rising sun, or just dish-washing liquid? (I won't bother to point out Foster Kane--I'm sure everyone thought 'Rosebud!' at the same time I did--and I doubt this has any significance other than as a little joke...) I just want to follow a couple of threads here--one being Dawn and her motivations. What does *she* really want? Buddy--she's been there, been done by that--she wants her script produced, of course, but she also wouldn't mind getting a bit of her own back on Buddy--is she using Guy in part to get back at Buddy, pumping her script at the same time? What is she expecting when she turns up at Buddy's at midnight? And what is Guy expecting when she turns up at midnight? Remember, he knew all along she would be coming...he had a clearly marked window of time to work on Buddy before her arrival. He tells himself he wants an apology, he wants to make Buddy feel powerless the way he's accepted feeling powerless in Buddy's presence (and displaced in Buddy's absence to treating others the same way), and to some extent he succeeds: Buddy admits that 'whatever it is you're planning to do, I don't want you to do it', experiences surprise, pain, fear, and the revelation of a history of emotional loss. But in a larger sense, on some level Buddy is working Guy the whole time. He goads, prods, eggs him on, and after Dawn's arrival, he blatantly pushes towards a catharsis which could (and seemingly should) result in his own death--for what? I found the ending to be ambiguous but not unbelievable, as some others seem to have found it. What does Guy want? He feels betrayed by Dawn, and an odd kinship with Buddy after the tumultuous evening they've been through together. I don't see Buddy's complicity as unlikely at all--what better way to hold Guy? The power which Guy has placed in his hands is almost irresistible! At the end, as Guy takes over the new office, clearly about to find someone to treat as Buddy treated him, he is lord of all he surveys...until Buddy lifts an eyebrow and he falls into line. What sort of Christmas presents will they be wrapping? I'd love to know!
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