Rating: 
Summary: Best dark comedy on the market
Review: Just watch it. You'll understand! END
Rating:
Summary: Swimming With Sharks is a brilliant dark comedy.
Review: Although this film is listed generally as a comedy, the biting satire, wit and situation will make the viewer wonder. Very well made and featuring an incredible cast led by co-producer Kevin Spacey. The film is about a less than polite, respectful and honorable Hollywood producer (Spacey) who abuses his assistant (Frank Whaley) for the last time. Everyone, especially people interested in the 'Hollywood world' should see it. END
Rating: 
Summary: A must for Kevin Spacey fans and Hollywood Insider Wannabes
Review: Kevin Spacey has emerged as one of America's leading actors in the past few years: "Swimming With Sharks" is a delightful exhibition of his unique blend of sarcasm, viciousness, and versatility. Few characters could be as much fun for an actor to play as Barry Ackerman, the immoral, hedonistic, abuse-spewing film executive idealistic young Guy toils away for. Spacey takes obvious relish in lines such as "Her phone bills are more than your rent," "He's not dead; he's just . . . unavailable," and particularly, "If you were in my toilet, I wouldn't bother to flush you." Guy, an idealistic young film graduate, has somehow landed one of the cream jobs in Hollywood as assistant to Ackerman. How he got the job is a mystery, as Guy seems to have no idea of what goes on in the movie business and has not met Ackerman before. Guy can speak movingly about the movies he watched in his youth -- maybe that's enough to become a mini-mogul in Hollywood these days. Michelle Forbes' Dawn, a producer, inexplicably falls for Guy, although we are supposed to believe that this beautiful, rich, powerful woman is attracted to Guy's honesty and naivete. Funny how those traits work on beautiful, rich, powerful women in the movies. The movie bounces back and forth between Guy getting his revenge on Barry for the hell he's gone through as Barry's lackey and the flashback shots of Guy's humiliating experiences. Throughout the movie we are treated to little Hollywood inside jokes (for example, the "hot young director" in the movie is Foster Kane, the name of Orson Welles' infamous protagonist in "Citizen Kane"). An enjoyable trip through the dark side of the movie business, "Sharks" contains just enough reality to keep the more outlandish plot developments grounded. Not as savage as "In the Company of Men," and not as complex as "The Player," "Swimming With Shars" is nevertheless a solid ninety minutes that will sustain Kevin Spacey fans who have watched "The Usual Suspects," "Se7en," "American Beauty," or "Glengarry Glen Ross" too many times. Be warned: the videotape is of poor quality and may wear out more quickly than other high-budget releases.
Rating:
Summary: "YOU CAN'T SLEEP YOUR WAY TO THE TOP."
Review: People see parallels with "The Player", which is valid, but I see "Sweet Smell of Success" in the biting dialogue and ammoral behavior. This is a Hollywood sleeper, the inside story of a studio. It is said to be based on a big producer who is still in the biz. Spacey just destroys Frank Whaley, turning him from a film school idealist to a killer. The best line is when Spacey informs Whaley of the facts of Hollywood life. "You can't sleep your way to the top, like Dawn. We're guys. We gotta fight, and scratch, and claw our way up the ladder." Don't wanna give away the ending, because like "The Player" it is genius, but it is absolutely damning. Check this out. STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STRAVERSCA@AOL.COM
Rating:
Summary: Kevin Spacey is ferosiously red hot and excellent
Review: Frank Whaley (Swing Kids, Pulp Fiction) plays Guy, an abused assistant to Buddy Ackerman, played by Kevin Spacey (The United States Of Leland, The Life Of David Gale). Guy comes to Buddy's pad and takes him hostage and starts torturing the hell out of him. Why, because Whaley has had enough of Buddy's abusive treatment. The movie flashed back to Guy's first day on the job where he yelled by Buddy because Buddy likes Sweet & Low in his coffee. Threw the movie we see Spacey's character as some what of a dick and Whaley's character as the innocent bystander. This dark comedy takes us into the world of an abusive boss and the buizeness of producing movies. Whaley is on the mark and Spacey is ferociously red hot and excellent. If you like dark humor then this is the ticket. Others might not like it. Violent at times but it goes into the depth of characters. Also starring Michelle Forbes (Tv's Homicide, Escape From LA), Roy Dotrice (Tvs Angel) and Benicio Del Toro (21 Grams, The Way Of The Gun).
Rating:
Summary: A very interesting movie about corporate abuse
Review: Want to see where Kevin Spacey's mastery of a villian started? Look no further than 1994's "Swimming with Sharks" by George Huang. This is the sacrificial corporate abuse movie to end them all.
It's very dark, gritty, vile, degrading, and pervasive. Buddy Ackerman (Spacey) is the film equivalent of someone like Roger Smith from General Motors. He is a tyrant, who doesnt care about anyone but himself. Enter Guy (Frank Whaley) who starts to dibble in his affairs while trying to scratch and crawl to the top and well you have a war brewing.
This film is about one jerk with too much power who uses that power to abuse and blackmail people (including Whaley's girlfriend played by the beautiful Michelle Forbes).
The best part I can say is that the characters are real, Spacey plays the worst boss in the world (in the real world he'd be fired) who works at a Film company. Like any dictator boss, he has people who run errands for him and well act like puppets for him. Whaley is Guy who pitches a great idea for a movie and Spacey steals it for his advantage along with trying to use Whaley's girlfriend.
The rest of the film deals with Whaley abusing Buddy (God I loved those parts) by any means possible The ending though leaves you unsatisfied.
If you havent seen the ending here I wont give it away. The movie endings leaves it open for interpretation. Has Guy really succeeded or is he just another new member of abusive corporate bosses in the making?
The ending also makes you think though maybe there was some sort of homophobic element the writers were thinking.
Still this movie is a classic its no surprise, Spacey went on to do "Seven", "The Usual Suspects" and many more hits.
Rating: 
Summary: Difficult to Watch
Review: This film should be categorized as horror. The acting was first rate but OMG the subject matter just hit too close to home.
I have worked with these people before. Worse, my sister was one of those steamroller screaming bullies. They make your life hell if you let them. So, after watching the first 30 minutes, I finished watching in fastforward until the last 10 or so minutes.
My story turned out with the bully getting a super-sized dose of karma but I know that that doesn't always happen--in this life.
Rating:
Summary: "YOU CAN'T SLEEP YOUR WAY TO THE TOP."
Review: People see parallels with "The Player", which is valid, but I see "Sweet Smell of Success" in the biting dialogue and ammoral behavior. This is a Hollywood sleeper, the inside story of a studio. It is said to be based on a big producer who is still in the biz. Spacey just destroys Frank Whaley, turning him from a film school idealist to a killer. The best line is when Spacey informs Whaley of the facts of Hollywood life. "You can't sleep your way to the top, like Dawn. We're guys. We gotta fight, and scratch, and claw our way up the ladder." Don't wanna give away the ending, because like "The Player" it is genius, but it is absolutely damning. Check this out. STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STRAVERSCA@AOL.COM
Rating: 
Summary: Worth renting for Kevin Spacey fans
Review: I was expecting a comedy and was therefore a bit appalled by the intensity and violence. Be warned, this is not a comedy. Kevin Spacey is wonderful, the surrounding cast horrid. The female producer character is far too old for the male lead and the ending is lame and contrived. That said, if you like Kevin, it's really worth screening. What a talent.
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