instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
here i sit at my computer about to write my review of the recent action comedy " bait " starring jamie foxx and david morse .
this is a review i do n't even want to write because i 'd just be laying the same criticisms on it that i would with any other so - generic - and - predictable - it's - beyond - ridiculous piece of hollywood fluff
.
if they 're not going to give us , the audience , just a little credit and put something together with half a brain , why should i waste my time and mental energy criticising it ?
last summer i took this same approach with my review of " the mummy , " in that review i just quoted phrases my reviews of other sub - par movies .
i think i shall do the same thing here but with a few less quotes ( not all are applicable ) .
i hope this goes to show you what i think of " bait " and why you can find out all you need to know about it without having to take a wild guess .
it 's genuinely unfunny
( i , and the other audience members only laughed once during the entire two hours ) , unoriginal and unthrilling .
it 's not so bad to the point where it 's fun to watch because of its badness
and it 's no so bad you absolute
loathe it and are pained by watching it
, it 's just such a cliche in and of itself , that , uhh . . .
lost my train of thought .
anyways , here 's those quotes , enjoy !
" getting an audience 's attention right from the beginning plays a major role in how today 's films work .
we want to have something exciting to watch , not a slow build - up of a story ( god forbid ! ) , and this film plays right into the mainstream 's hands . . .
" - review of " armageddon .
"
" it 's clear the film does n't want to waste time on reality and thus the attempt to establish plausability ( the most minimal amount necessary ) comes across as a half - assed effort
.
supporting characters and shady sup - plots are introduced , but as is the case with films made up of a large cast of characters , only a handful have any real significance . . .
there 's a fine line separating homage from plagiarism . . . , " - review of " godzilla " ( 1998 )
" unfortunately , as is the case with most modern thrillers , once the film showed potential for authenticity and intelligence , the cliches and action sequences take over , " - review of " the jackal .
" chad'z movie page is back after heavy renovation .
reviews of nearly all mainstream movies playing today !
get my reviews of everything playing at your local cineplex so you can better make an informed decision on what to see .
do n't forget to vote on my poll and sign the guestbook !
answer:
N


question:
romeo is bleeding wants to carry the unusual flavor of reservoir dogs or bad lieutenant .
with director peter medak , whose previous credits include the good films let him have it and the krays , and top - notch character actors gary oldman and lena olin , they seemed likely to be a successful combination .
those mentioned films , however , brought something to the screen that romeo is bleeding
did not : a solid , well - written screenplay .
call me cynical , but the jobs of writer and producer do n't seem to mix well .
gary oldman plays jack grimaldi , a good cop turned bad , selling information to the mob and cheating on his wife .
his cheating is obvious enough to obtain his nickname , although the name does n't provide any insight or analogy to the shakespearean character .
jack has become addicted to " feeding the hole " , a hole in the ground where he stores his payoff money .
when he realizes his colleagues are being shot , he feebly attempts to get out .
gary oldman 's performance is disappointingly weak ; he seems nearly bored .
in the process , he also gets tangled - up with mona demarkov , a russian mobsterette who wants to take over the territory from top boss falcone , played adequately by roy scheider .
demarkov , played by lena olin , is a tough but tremendously sexy woman with seemingly no problems maneuvering within the mob world .
this character is combination of both linda hamilton and arnold schwarznegger from terminator 2 .
i ca n't remember seeing a character quite like her .
after being shot , handcuffed , and thrown in the back seat of a car , she still manages to cause an accident , kick out the windshield with her legs , grab a suitcase full of money ( plus some important documentation ) , climb through the rubble , land on her shot leg , and still succeed at running for safety .
what a woman ! lena olin 's performance is the only glimmer in this dismal film .
anabella sciorra is wasted in her role as romeo 's wife .
there is little insight into her character .
she 's depressed , she makes obvious references , she mopes around the house .
juliette lewis , as romeo 's girlfriend , is treated with the same cliche attitudes , although ms .
lewis ' portrayal certainly did n't improve it .
both women were anything but sexy or attractive .
poorly developed characters aside , the screenplay also suffers from several logistical problems .
it is so discouraging to watch a film and want to shout at the main character ( not ) to do something .
for example , jack and his friends attend a funeral to hang in the background to scope - out the mob scene .
fine .
jack spots the big boss with his goons by the gravesite .
fine .
what does jack proceed to do ?
he brushes his friends off by telling them he is n't feeling well , then strolls over to the boss .
why ?
the boss had all ready threatened him ; falcone simply takes the opportunity to issue more threats by ordering his goons to take off some of jack 's toes by the gravesite .
i guess they were n't worried about any federal agents lingering around after the funeral . . .
.
or here 's another : demarkov set - up her own death by cutting off her arm with a circular saw .
she proceeded to set the place on fire .
would n't the flames burn off the fingerprints ?
are n't dental records more important ?
as bright and resourceful as she was supposed to be , could n't she come up with a better plot ?
( and it took her no time at all to get a good - fitting , functional prosthesis . ) lack of attention to detail
certainly adds up in a film .
this film does n't even add up the large details .
there is little or no consistency in the story - line .
not much makes sense .
the direction lacks cohesion , surprising from a director whose previous credits are impeccable .
the moods shift , the styles shift , and no one can seem to decide if it is a serious film or satire of one .
so while it certainly is n't reservoir dogs , it certainly is n't diva .
there 's plenty more to tear apart in this film .
my advice to someone who has n't seen it to to wait until it comes on video .
there are some quotable lines that would provide a campy evening if not taken seriously .
it 's not a boring film ,
just not a good one . or an intelligent one .
answer:
N


question:
imagine this scenario : you and any of your family members are scudding through one of those long , excruciating cross - country car trips , far from the city and into the deserted rural routes .
so far , the trip is idyllic when , abruptly , your car malfunctions and you are stranded in the middle of nowhere .
it is not an easy situation , but a perfectly plausible one , the panorama in which breakdown musters it 's throbbing suspense and skillfully executed tautness .
it is not easy to cobble a distinct and gripping thriller nowadays , but breakdown does n't bungle into rudimentary plot holes or cliches and
it derives a masterful , titillating climax that by it 's finale , engrosses a viewer with total absorption .
the plot is somewhat reminiscent of 1988 's the vanishing .
kurt russell and kathleen quinlan respectively play jeff and amy taylor , a massachusetts couple en route to california for a brand new job .
when they stop for gas somewhere in the arid southwest , jeff is confronted by a pugnacious driver , who later , will be an important player in the plot department .
minutes later after that , their brand new , strikingly red , jeep grand cherokee unexpectedly stops .
jeff can not detect the car 's problem , so he allows amy to take a ride with red
( j . t walsh ) , a heedful truck driver who will convey her to the nearest town , where jeff will meet her at a local diner .
it is facile for the film to turn into a pseudo - suspenser , but instead it opts for maximum fervor .
jeff manages to re - start the car himself , but when he arrives at the diner , she is nowhere in sight .
disconcerted , the coffee shop 's bartender informs jeff where to search for his wife , a town about twenty miles from here .
there , trouble arises .
and i shall not reveal anything else , since that would be spoiling the fun of what 's head .
there are many involving , tight scenes in breakdown but the final climactic period which includes a magnificent chase with three cars and a huge truck ,
will have you feeling as if your legs are made out of pure foam .
it is a pleasure to be part of a classic confrontation of good vs evil , and rooting for the good guys , in this case jeff .
kurt russell is one of the few top - notch hollywood actors which does n't overblow his acting , and gradually gains reliance on his role as it progresses .
so you can assume his alteration in breakdown is letter - perfect .
suffice it is to say he undergoes a transformation , from a jolly man , to a guy frantically pursuing a loved one . not many well - paid actors can deliver these type of performances , but russell is one of them .
as an everyday man , he pulls it off extremely convincingly
, what also surprised me more was his rigorous physicality , which he effectively practices almost all throughout the films 93 minutes .
although the film is blotted with a couple of portentous action sequences ( very well done ) yet the tightness is generated by the subtle circumstances this man is presented with .
faced with an enigma about his wife 's whereabouts , the movie succeeds by conveying us in realistic territory with veritable characters , including the cryptic villains , who in essence , make the movie what it is .
what 's most impressive
however , is the feature debut by writer / director jonathan mostow .
mostow , hitherto directed the showtime thriller flight of a black angle , alleviates the contrivances and generics of the script by gingerly pursuing the trajectory of the plot , efficiently letting the tone and the mood of the story generate that nail - biting suspense sought for in a well- made affair .
contrary to most american thrillers , he does n't rely on visual flair , but on aesthetics and substance .
after breakdown , he should gain vast notoriety .
the villains in the movie are n't your routine out - of - this - world idiosyncratic psychos that are harming for no particular objective .
the baddies in breakdown , all well acted , are normal , seemingly inoffensive townspeople who beneath their trustworthy layer , conduct an amoral business of corruption and murder .
the movie smartly portrays these men as loathsome rednecks , and , of all things in the world , it is becoming rather easy to root for villains ( jon voight in anaconda ) in today 's movies .
worth a special mentioning is j .
t walsh ( who previously worked with kurt russell in executive decision ) as the leader of the gang ,
he renders a deliciously wicked performance , temporarily stepping out of the minor roles he is known for .
alfred hitchcock used suspense -- and action-- not only to stimulate , but as a way of aiding his audience 's fascination in his stories , which were slowly realizing man 's biggest fears .
breakdown yields exactly that .
it magnificently taps into the psyche of an ordinary man , acting like an ordinary man , looking like an ordinary and some sort of superhero .
despite one or two iffy moments even hitchcock , i think , would approve of breakdown .
( 1 : 33 )
answer:

P