Swimming with Sharks [Special Edition]

Director: George Huang George Huang

Overview

Swimming With Sharks graduates to special edition status with this stellar DVD from Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Packed with bonus features that delve straight into the heart of this loved indie pic, the disc goes a long way to give the film its own legacy, which given its sparse theatrical distribution and eventual success on home video and cable, was long overdue. The film is presented with an anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen picture, while the sound has been upgraded to both Dolby and DTS 5.1 tracks, along with a single 2.0 stereo track as well. In addition, the disc comes with three separate audio commentaries -- the first with Kevin Spacey, the second with writer/director George Huang and the third featuring Huang and co-star Frank Whaley. Par usual, Spacey's commentary is dry and excruciatingly bland, contrary to the director's, which is light, fun, and goes a long way in discussing the trials of working in Hollywood and headlining a first feature in the indie world. The director's track with Whaley is also a spirited track that's packed with quips about the star's hairdo and further stories of the production. The special features continue with a well-made 24-minute making-of, which finds the cast and crew looking back on the film ten years later. Combined with the candid ten-minute "Life as a Hollywood Assistant" and the "Let's Do Lunch: A Conversation With Colleagues" clips, the disc hilariously presents the hell that is working in Hollywood and what making a movie like this does to the town that you're blatantly exposing. Further bonus features include a bevy of deleted scenes (with optional director's commentary), the original theatrical trailer, and a Lion's Gate trailer gallery that includes peeks at Haute Tension, Beyond the Sea, and The Devil's Rejects, among others.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/07/2005
UPC:	0031398174981
Original Release:	1994
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	51,550

Special Features

Commentary with actor Kevin Spacey; Commentary with director George Huang; Commentary with director George Huang and actor Frank Whaley; "Back to the Tank: Swimming 10 Years Later"; "Shark Tales: Life as a Hollywood Assistant"; "Let's Do Lunch: A Conversation With Colleagues"; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kevin Spacey	Buddy Ackerman
Frank Whaley	Guy
Michelle Forbes	Dawn Lockard
Benicio Del Toro	Rex
Jerry Levine	Jack
T.E. Russell	Foster Kane
Roy Dotrice	Cyrus Miles
Matthew Flynt	Manny
Patrick Fischler	Moe
Patrick Fisher	Moe
Tom Hiel	Composer
Tom Heil	Composer

Technical Credits

George Huang

George Huang	Director,Screenwriter
Steve Alexander	Producer,Producer
Joanne Moore	Producer
Jay Cohen	Executive Producer,Producer
Stephen Israel	Executive Producer,Producer
Dennis Dion	Special Effects
Martin Mercer	Special Effects
Andrea Stone Guttfreund	Casting
Laurel Smith	Casting
Mike Kirton	Stunts
Louis Nader	Producer
Buzz Hays	Producer
Kevin Spacey	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [7:03]
2. A Little Crazy [2:52]
3. Day One [4:48]
4. Meeting Mitzi [2:39]
5. Detail Oriented [2:32]
6. Business of Show [1:48]
7. Unreachable [4:27]
8. On the Same Side [4:01]
9. You Don't Matter [3:35]
10. Character Assassination [3:33]
11. Destroy Every Copy [4:14]
12. Prove Yourself [1:11]
13. Payback [4:17]
14. Just an Assistant [3:29]
15. Valuable Lessons [2:52]
16. Seven Years Bad Luck [3:41]
17. Water Torture [6:59]
18. I Know What's Fair [3:38]
19. I Paid My Dues [7:36]
20. Talk to Me [3:00]
21. Fed Up [1:19]
22. Social Climber [5:45]
23. This Town is a Jungle [4:11]
24. End Credits [3:32]
1. "Buddy Owes Me a Call" [2:08]
2. "Decaf - What's the Point?" [2:02]
3. "We Wait, You Suffer" [1:34]
4. Guy's 1st Cigarette [1:50]
5. "You Really Can Work a Room" [1:47]
6. "Rot in Hell" [1:16]
7. Chairman's Advice [:01]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play Movie
   Scene Selection
   Set Up
      Audio: English 5.1 DTS
      Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital)
      Audio: English 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
      Subtitles: Spanish
      Subtitles: Off
   Special Features
      Theatrical Trailer
      Audio Commentaries
         Audio Commentary With Actor Kevin Spacey: On/Off
         Audio Commentary With Director George Huang: On/Off
         Audio Commentary With Director George Huang and Actor Frank Whaley: On/Off
      Back to the Tank: Swimming 10 Years Later
      Shark Tales: Life as a Hollywood Assistant
      Let's Do Lunch: A Conversation With Colleagues
      Deleted Scenes
         Play All
         Play With Commentary by Director George Huang: On/Off
      Trailer Gallery

Editorial Reviews

Writer/director George Huang's vitriolic 1994 debut is perhaps most notable for the blistering, caustic turn by Kevin Spacey as remorseless studio executive Buddy Ackerman. Spacey's Buddy is a different kind of Hollywood monster: physically compact and unusually soft-spoken, he's like a seething volcano that erupts only sporadically, when people least expect it. Spacey has the good sense to underplay the role, rendering Buddy's actions and demands all the more horrific. The conclusion -- in which Buddy's meek underling Guy (Frank Whaley) exacts revenge -- is a bit of a letdown, since Guy can't dream up anything more sinister than blatant physical abuse. For Spacey, the role would be one of a handful of standout performances in independent features, including his Oscar-winning role in The Usual Suspects the next year.

All Movie Guide - Michael Hastings