“The Hunting Party”

Start with a war-torn countryside, add a dash of satire, a little action and a pinch of sermonizing and you’ll have “The Hunting Party.” This not quite fully-baked mixture stars Richard Gere as Simon Hunt, a burnt-out war correspondent banished to Bosnia after suffering an on-air meltdown. Five years later, Hunt’s ex-cameraman “Duck” (Terrance Howard), who’s traded in the war zone for a network job, is back in Bosnia to do a puff piece on the war’s end with Benjamin Strauss (Jesse Eisenberg), a young reporter (and son of the network’s V.P.). Hunt entices Duck by claiming he’s after an interview with a notorious war criminal known as the Fox (Ljubomir Kerekes). It’s not until the three of them are in the thick of it that Hunt reveals his true intention. My tweet pretty much sums it up: The Hunting Party-Reporter Richard Gere realizes it’ll take more than a story to restart his career & goes after a war criminal instead. 6.5 (out of 10) The producers of “The Hunting Party” make a point of telling you this is a true story. Which may be because they had a hard time conjuring up believable characters. Hunt is the beaten-down, yet eternal, idealist, Duck is the corporate sellout trying to convince himself he isn’t and Strauss is the nervous newbie who surprises everyone by having a backbone. The movie has its moments, like this exchange when Hunt meets Strauss for the first time: “Benjamin, you look young enough to be someone important’s son.” But there aren't enough of those moments to lift this movie. Bottom line: it’s an okay flick but you can do better.  

Another Richard Gere movie you might like: “The Hoax”

“The Hunting Party”

Released: 2007

Rating: R

Length: 104 minutes

Cast: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg

Director: Richard Shepard

Genre(s): Adaptation, Comedy, Action

“Stranger than Fiction”

Let me first say that I like Will Ferrell. You might even consider me a fan. “Blades of Glory,” great. “Talladega Nights,” terrific. “Elf,” a delight. But “Stranger than Fiction,” just okay. The difference? As Howard Crick, the main character in “Stranger than Fiction,” Ferrell’s essentially playing himself. And sorry, but he’s not that interesting an actor. It makes me wonder if he can carry a movie when not in character or doing broad comedy. If you don’t agree, rent “Melinda, Melinda.” It’s painful to watch Ferrell do his Woody Allen impersonation. Or look at the dismal box office for “Land of the Lost.” The other thing about “Stranger than Fiction” is that I liked the idea more than the movie itself. It's a pretty standard story about "living like you were dying" but with a high concept twist. I can just imagine the pitch: “The main character realizes he’s the character in the book, a la ‘The Truman Show.’” And “Stranger” tries to get all metaphysical like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Being John Malkovich” but lacks their wit, charm and inventiveness. So while watching "Stranger" I couldn’t keep from thinking about those other movies and wondering how much better this one could have been. Which earned it this tweet: Stranger than Fiction-This Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman-esque movie suffers from not being attached to Spike Jonze or Charlie Kaufman. 6.5 (out of 10)

“Stranger than Fiction”

Released: 2006

Rating: PG-13

Length: 113 minutes

Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Director: Marc Forster

Genre(s): Comedy, Fantasy

“Office Space”

Talk to anyone who works in a cubicle farm about “Office Space” and chances are they'll be able to quote it chapter and verse. Mike Judge’s workplace comedy pokes fun at almost everything that sucks the soul out of office staff -- clueless bosses, pointless procedures and ineffective “improvement” initiatives. Ron Livingston is the worker bee who, with the aid of a hypnosis session gone wrong, decides that the corporate life isn’t for him. And it’s precisely his “I couldn’t care less” attitude that starts to get him noticed by management. Which can be either good or bad, depending on your point of view. My 140-character review on Twitter: Office Space-A celebration of corporate America’s embrace of the human spirit and refusal to let go until it’s been crushed. 8.5 (out of 10)

Another Mike Judge movie you might enjoy: “Idiocracy”

“Office Space”

Released: 1999

Rating: R

Length: 89 minutes

Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidud

Director: Mike Judge

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance

Swimming with Sharks: A different kind of buddy movie

For fans of Kevin Spacey, of which I count myself, “Swimming with Sharks” is a must see. Heck, even if you’re not a fan, it’s worth it. Spacey’s performance in this black comedy is a real treat. He plays Buddy Ackerman, a Hollywood studio executive who's expert at chewing up and spitting out assistants. (He makes Ari Gold of "Entourage" look like Mother Teresa.) And when an innocent new assistant, Guy (Frank Whaley) arrives, Buddy quickly sets his expectations for life in hell and keeps piling on the abuse until Guy can’t take it anymore. But rather than quit, Guy has other plans. This led me to tweet: Kevin Spacey plays an abusive studio executive who learns that the love you take is equal to the love you make. 8 (out ot 10) It can get a little brutal at times. But if you ever think you’ve got a bad boss, or have a revenge fantasy of your own, pop “Swimming with Sharks” into your DVD player. You’ll feel better.

"Swimming with Sharks"

Released: 1994

Rating: R

Length: 101 minutes

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro

Director: George Huang

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Thriller

“Being There”

As the old saying goes, "When you assume you make an ass out of you and me." If you'd like a demonstration, I suggest you watch "Being There." In this satire, Peter Sellers is Chance, a simple-minded gardener put out on the street when attorneys come to settle his dead employer’s estate. Up until that point, Chance has only experienced life through the television set. (And mind you, this is before 500 channels of cable, so it’s not much of a life.) Chance's fortunes change when he’s struck by a limousine carrying wealthy socialite Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine). A mumbled introduction later and Chance the gardener is rechristened Chauncey Gardiner. His well-groomed appearance, expensive clothing and reserved speaking manners compound that error by leading Eve and her politically-connected husband Benjamin (Melvyn Douglas) to assume Chance is a man of importance. So when introduced to members of the Rand’s inner circle, Chance’s simple gardening tip responses to complex questions take on the air of sage advice. From there it's only a matter of time before Chance is being courted by Washington power brokers and being groomed for greatness. All of which led me to tweet: Peter Sellers is simpleton who ends up wielding tremendous influence in the nation’s capital. This is fiction, right? 8.5 (out of 10)

"Being There"

Released: 1979

Rating: PG

Length: 130 minutes

Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden

Director: Hal Ashby

Genre(s): Comedy

Jim Jarmusch & Me: Night on Earth

Continued from “Mystery Train”

Being the mascochist that I am, I took a chance with “Night on Earth.” Roberto Benigni’s vignette is the funniest for its manic energy and outrageousness. But that’s a bit like being the coolest Osmond. This vignette, like all the others, goes on too long and has no conclusion. From Twitter: If I were a cabbie, I’d work a different shift.

Some people might say that’s the point of these Jarmusch films: to capture real life. And that’s all fine and good. But it has to be a life that’s more interesting than mine. Otherwise, I might as well just turn off the DVD player.

“Night On Earth”

Released: 1991

Rating: R

Length: 128 minutes

Cast: Gena Rowlands, Winona Ryder, Lisanne Falk, Alan Randolph Scott

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Genre(s): Comedy

The Hoax: So would that be fiction or non-fiction?

“The Hoax” is the fascinating tale of Clifford Irving’s “authorized” autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. As the title indicates, it turns out to be a completely and masterfully fabricated sham. Along the way, Irving (Richard Gere) manages to fool the experts sent to verify his claims and it’s not until Hughes himself gets involved that Irving and his scheme start to unravel. My review from Twitter: Clifford Irving's fictitious autobiography of Howard Hughes fools everyone with the unfortunate exception of Mr. Hughes himself. 8 (out of 10)

"The Hoax"

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 115 minutes

Cast: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy

Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation, Period

"Employee of the Month" (And it's not Dane Cook)

My Twitter review of "Employee of the Month," Matt Dillon gets fired from his bank job, so he pulls one. More unexpected plot twists than the Wall Street bailout. 8 (out of 10) If you like movies that keep you guessing, 2004’s “Employee of the Month” is a thoroughly enjoyable black comedy/heist film. Matt Dillion’s life looks as if it’s on a perfect trajectory until he’s fired from his job at a bank. That sets a series of events in motion. Or were they planned all along? Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don’t.

“Employee of the Month”

Released: 2004

Rating: R

Length: 97 minutes

Cast: Matt Dillon, Steve Zahn, Christina Applegate, Peter Jason, Andrea Bendewald

Director: Mitch Rouse

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy