All this Psychic Warrior/Psi-Ops stuff in this cutting-edge Satire is a fact. It has been documented that the Military spent 20 years and over 20 Million Dollars funding and exploring the reported abilities of self identified Remote Viewers. Controversial and often ridiculed by those who have not done their homework or are close minded, this program had many successes.

This Movie is based on a book about such participants and is a wacky, satirical take on these mind-bending facts. It is done with a sort of reverence that at the same time pokes fun at the subject. It is, in reality, unconventional, mysterious, and on the fringe. That can lead to some bizarre and remarkable situations.

It is a light-hearted and quirky romp, full of interesting situations and dark, deadpan humor, mixed with some slapstick and over the top titillation. Not for everyone's taste and it does help to have some background on the topic exploited here to enjoy completely. Casual viewers will probably find it mildly entertaining but the enlightened may enter Nirvana.

While doing his boring job as a reporter-journalist, one man stumbles upon the existence of an old military secret: a branch of soldiers trained in harnessing their mental superpowers. Coincidentally, after heading off to Iraq for an inside scoop on the 2003 war, he meets another member of this secret group and his misadventures begin.

There's some weird obsession with "Star Wars" in this film. Besides the obvious talk of Jedi Warriors, there's a scene early on where the main character makes a reference to blonde farm boy, which is clearly meant to be Luke Skywalker. (What's interesting is that later the guy claims to have not seen the movies, so it's odd that he would make cryptic references.)

I cannot say enough about the amazing cast. Ewan MacGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and George Clooney, among others. The most disappointing thing about this film is that with such an amazing cast that you would think this would be the year's blockbuster, but actually will more than likely be no more than a blip on the cinematic radar.

I don't know what's up with Roger Ebert and his Lebowski obsession. In his review, he repeatedly says that Lebowski fans will like this one and that Jeff Bridges plays his role as Lebowski playing a military man. Well, I could see some Lebowski in there, and like that other film, they both involve Iraq. But, really, I see Lebowski when I see Jeff Bridges, so that's not really a stretch. Ebert really took it beyond the necessarily bounds.

Ultimately, the film comes up short. With this cast, as I said, I expect something more. There is humor, but it's here and there. And even the plot, which is interesting, doesn't really seem to be as strong as it should be. A good film, and one I recommend to George Clooney fans, but not a hidden treasure.

After seeing "The Men Who Stare at Goats", I am really not sure whether or not this movie has a point to it. And, I can't say whether it's a good or bad movie. But, I appreciated how the film was different and it made me smile...a bit.

The film is about the US military's creation of a psychic spying unit. While in real life, they REALLY did do some crazy experiments kind of like this (after all, it's only tax money),the story itself is mostly fiction. I would try explaining the plot to you, but it would only confuse you--you need to see it for yourself. The film turns out to be a combination of a buddy film (like "Ishtar") combined with "Star Wars"--with a bit of comedy tossed in to boot. My problem, however, is that it never really sustained any of these--making a film where you just wish there was MORE--especially more comedy. Plus, a few characters (especially Kevin Spacey) seemed a bit undeveloped. In fact, undeveloped is probably the best way to describe all the film--like it's still missing something. But, it is different and the final scene is pretty cool. Worth a try if you need something different but I am sure it's a film that will have viewers widely divergent in their appreciation for the movie.

Oh, and the film had a lot of nice 80s tunes--at least most of them. Boston, Billy Squier and a few others were the sort of stuff I could enjoy (because, as my daughters tell me, I am old!).