In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.

Q: the following review encompasses two versions of dune :
dune : the theatrical version ( 1984 ) runtime : 137 minutes capsule review : cut down to just over two hours by nervous studio executives , the theatrical version of dune is a spectacular mess and may be incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the book .
the film 's visual splendour , mystical beauty and impressive action scenes only partly compensate for gaping holes in the narrative .
dune : the extended version ( 1988 ) runtime :
189 minutes capsule review : a bit of a throw - together assembled by mca tv special projects for cable television .
it was disowned by director david lynch
but it 's considerably closer to his original vision by virtue of its improved characterisation and clearer storyline .
quality dubs of this version from the out - of - print japanese laserdisc release are available from various dealers on the world wide web .
*
*
* the review
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* * released in 1984 and made on a then mammoth budget of $ 40 million , the film of frank herbert 's cult novel dune was eagerly awaited by sci - fi fans .
director david lynch ( blue velvet , eraserhead , twin peaks ) was working on his biggest production to date , a mammoth undertaking filmed under trying conditions on location in mexico .
the screenplay was lynch 's own , chosen after the script submitted by original author herbert was rejected .
dune is set in a universe ruled by powerful families overseen by a successive line of emperors .
the key to cosmic power is the planet arrakis ( dune ) , a windswept desert planet that 's home to giant sandworms and the precious spice melange .
the spice is the most valuable commodity in the universe .
it extends the life and expands the consciousness of those who consume it .
most importantly , it allows the navigators of the spacing guild ( once human but now hideously mutated ) to " fold space " and navigate their spacecraft across mammoth distances instantaneously , enabling interstellar commerce and trade to flourish .
lynch 's film by necessity excises parts of the book while retaining the story 's two main strands .
one is the long - standing rivalry between two families , houses atreides and house harkonnen , and their battle for lucrative mining rights on arrakis .
the second strand is the emergence of young paul atreides as the reluctant messiah long - awaited by the natives of arrakis , the fremen .
the deeply religious fremen want control over their homeworld , and young paul may be the fulfilment of their prophecy that a man would come from the outer worlds and lead them to freedom .
unfortunately , this epic story unfolds in a confusing and haphazard manner in the theatrical cut of the film , which runs 30 to 60 minutes shorter than what lynch originally intended .
the thinking among universal 's oh - so - wise money men was that films over two hours in duration were not popular with audiences at the time and would not do well at the box office .
with lynch 's initial cut running at closer to three or more hours , the studio demanded that further cuts be made .
what a great idea !
why not trim down an already complex film so as to make it almost incomprehensible ?
the most glaring consequence of this one - eyed stupidity is a hopelessly jumpy narrative , leaving us with badly underdeveloped characters .
thus their personalities are vague , their motivations unclear and , in the case of paul 's father duke leto , their demise rather meaningless .
the end result is a distinct chill : we ca n't warm to most of the cast and we do n't care much for them .
and it hardly helps that the voice - over narration is sparse and that the dune - esque language and terminology sounds like so much gobbledegook to those unfamiliar with the book .
dune is also a very serous film .
the constant " self - talk " by various characters makes it so serious and self - absorbed at times that you may find it hard not to wince with embarrassment .
the overall impression is a world full of people so intense that no one is allowed a joke lest the universe come crashing down around them .
humour - or at least a gentle kind of humour as distinct from the harkonnen 's mad , sadistic kind - is hard to find .
you may balk at the comparison , but as a writer lynch could well have done with some lessons from george lucus ' star wars trilogy .
the theatrical version is still some way from being a complete disaster , however .
it still possesses enough of lynch 's stylistic quirks and enough visual invention to sustain the interest of viewers with a taste for imaginative sci - fi .
special effects whiz
carlo rambaldi 's giant sandworms are an awesome sight .
both the production design ( anthony masters ) and costume design ( bob ringwood ) are striking and original .
and the magnificent score by toto and brian eno is one of the most underrated soundtracks of the last twenty years .
with these elements in place and the benefit of freddie francis ' lush cinematography , the film is at least a feast for the senses .
see it in the widescreen format if you can .
and despite all the cuts , several cast members still make a strong impression , most notably kenneth mcmillan as the supremely nasty baron vladimir harkonnen .
sian phillips also registers strongly as the reverend mother gaius helen mohiam , leader of the bene gesserit religious order who 's secret aim is to manipulate paul 's destiny for its own shadowy ends .
as paul atreides , the young kyle maclachlan starts off somewhat shakily , but as his character grows in strength so does his performance
and he emerges as a credible leader of the fremen crusade .
the conclusion ?
any assessment of this film must take into account that frank herbert 's original novel is a complex piece of work and presents a tough challenge for any filmmaker .
david lynch took a brave stab at it and , partly due to forces beyond his control , ended up with an officially released version that fails in several key respects .
dune certainly confused and frustrated a lot of people on its release .
many chose to stay away altogether , as the film 's disastrous box office showing attests .
the extended version , however , is a rather different beast .
in 1984 lynch stated his intention to release his own special edition " director 's cut " of the film on home video , a clear indication of his dissatisfaction with the version that ended up in the theatres .
but , alas , he failed to do so , choosing to move on to other projects .
in a way , then , it is partly lynch 's own fault that what appeared instead was an unauthorised extended version , put together in 1988 by mca tv special projects for airing on cable networks in the usa .
stung into action , lynch successfully petitioned the director 's guild to take his name off the credits and replace it with " allen smithee " , the standard pseudonym for directors who wish to disown their own work .
he also had the screenwriting credit changed to the anonymous " judas booth " .
certainly , looking at the results of mca 's handiwork there 's at least half a dozen instances that , for sheer technical sloppiness , are good enough reasons for the director to object .
but these gripes must be considered in light of the improvements that the extended cut of dune offers in several crucial areas .
most of the changes involve the restoration or extension of cut scenes and the addition of extra narration , both of which fill many holes in the original version 's storyline .
paul 's relationship with his father and associates is more intimate , with moments of humour and warmth lacking previously .
the political skulduggery involving the emperor , the spacing guild , the bene gesserits and the two warring houses is far better explained .
paul 's initiation into the fremen way of life on arrakis is also fleshed out considerably .
and as further background , a new prologue has been added featuring narration and painted stills to give us a brief history of the dune universe .
as a piece of storytelling , then , mca tv 's version of dune is clearly superior .
as a piece of editing , however , it is at times surprisingly inept .
the use of painted stills in the new prologue works well enough , but their occasional appearance once the action begins is inappropriate .
there 's some sloppy cutting , too , and in a few instances shots even appear out of order .
and the use of repeated footage to fabricate certain scenes ( eg .
ships coming and going , soldiers coming and going ) is at times clearly out - of - context
.
this is the kind of thing to which lynch objected , and
rightly so .
it should also be noted that several questionable scenes and shots from the theatrical version were deleted to satisfy the censorship demands of u . s . television .
but the most notable omission is a gratuitous piece of nonsense from lynch that was n't even in herbert 's book .
the scene features baron harkonnen killing a beautiful young man in front of his slobbering henchmen by pulling out his " heart plug " .
its a surreal and disturbing episode that 's very lynch - esque but adds nothing to what we already know
: the baron is a nasty piece of work .
despite its own peculiar flaws , then , the extended version of dune is a generally superior film .
all up , it contains 35 minutes of restored footage and approximately another 15 minutes of either altered , fabricated or newly created sequences . unless the idiosyncratic lynch has a sudden change of heart , the " alan smithee " version remains the closest we 'll get to what the movie should have been .
on repeated viewings , one suspects it is closer than what lynch would be prepared to admit .
still , as one of this century 's great science - fiction novels , some fans and perhaps the late herbert himself would argue that dune deserved a better fate in its transfer to the screen .
with rumours circulating of a new six hour mini - series planned by production company new amsterdam entertainment in 1998 , it is unlikely that we have heard the last of the dune saga .

A: N
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Q: warning : may contain slight mild spoilers .
rated :
r for intense violence / gore , some strong sexuality and language .
starring : arnold schwarzeneggar , robin tunney , rod stieger , gabriel byrne .
running time :
132 minutes we go into a movie theater , boom !
the lights go down , our hearts race , we go through ten minutes of preview and finally the movie we 've been waiting to see for a long time comes on .
we sit there , watch in disbelief that this movie is as bad as it is .
why should n't i have know what i was getting myself into .
again like this past summers hit " stigmata " , " end of days " may be worse .
it 's not like this is any kind of original idea , it just throws in some " rosemary 's baby " , along with " the devil 's advocate " a little " exorcist " and some " stigmata " here and there .
whala you have " end of days " a movie that is extremely disappointing
and by the previews made it look terrific .
sadly but truly again like most recent films , all the good parts are in the trailers .
the plot which is very confusing at times is also very ludicrous and the movie is destined to be a hit in the first weekend , and flop in the next .
jericho cane ( arnold schwarzneggar in hit typical macho role ) is a cop who finds out that he is chosen to track down satan ( living in gabriel byrnes body ) and stop him from impregnating christine york ( robin tunney ) because if he does , and she gives birth all existence as we know it will cease to exist .
he has to do this before it turns into the year 2000 , and strangely he 's trying to fight him 5 minutes before 2000 comes .
he seeks help from the catholic church and help from rod stieger ( in a terrific role ) and tries to save this girl leading to an ending that 's satisfying , but turns into a typical action movie
.
that 's pretty much it on plot .
it does have the razzle and dazzle of a great action movie , and with the 100 m dollar budget parts seem to show it , parts you have to wonder where all the money went .
as for arnie ?
good role ,
ok performance .
i think since he is getting a little older he is held back a lot of his stunts .
the thing that disappointed me was the fact that there was nothing to the film
.
in the trailers it looks like a good scary , action film and ends up being a boring , long and preposterous drama that leads into something else that leaves us with questions .
gabriel byrnes ( who ironically played a priest in " stigmata " ) here plays satan and gives a good performance but again seems held back and not into his character .
two years back al pacino gave a terrific performance in the fun " the devil 's advocate " and here it seems like the idea of him is in the character also .
robin tunney ( great performance as always ) plays satan 's main person whom he wants to impregnate to carry his child .
of course rod stieger gives another great performance which really is n't nothing new .
the direction by peter hyams is at times a bit overblown , though not nearly as the visual style was in " stigmata " .
here we are given great camera work , and some great scenes that are terrifically directed but sadly just do n't work in this movie .
the script written by andrew marlowe has a few witty lines , but again the movie is all style and no substance and by the ending finale climax i was ready to go home .
only a few things work here and those are a few of the performances , the writing and visual style , but the storyline and the finished product do n't work as well .
the sad thing is that " end of days " had so many things going for it .
the plot could have been more organized , the action scenes could have been more brainy and less mind - numbing
.
at times it seems like " armageddon " and started to get old and tiresome .
hollywood is running out of ideas bad , and like i 've always said before needs new ones .
even with its 100 m budget " end of days " is less than pleasing .
in fact the 100 m dollar budget is at least 30 m over , and easily could have had a 70 m budget .
maybe i sound crazy , but i am really looking forward to the new exorcist film , and hope that they make it as good as the original .
we need to get new ideas and stop recycling old ones just to make money at the box - office .
we need to get more films like " the blair witch project " that could scare people to death , while people thinking well what exactly is scaring them and how do i know that it is in fact the blair witch .
overblown effects , stupid and thin plot - line , good performances , disappointing . . . .
umm
yup those pretty much describe " end of days " .

A: N
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Q: it was a crazy time in france , what with the french revolution right around the corner .
king louis xv would soon die , and his son would become king louis xvi .
such is the setting for beaumarchais : the scoundrel about the controversial playwright , spy and playboy pierre - augustin caron de beaumarchais .
beaumarchais was the author of the plays , " the barber of seville " and " the marriage of figaro .
"
today people think of them as quaint and harmless operas , but , back in 1773 when the movie takes place , they were so scandalous that beaumarchais was thrown into prison more than once .
the movie beaumarchais : the scoundrel takes a light - hearted approach to its subject , resulting in an inviting motion picture .
one of france 's most expensive productions ever , the movie was a huge hit when it opened there last year .
now in theatrical release in the united states , it eschews the seriousness of most art house films with a romping good story .
the secret of the film 's success , other than the lavishness of sylvie de segonzac 's costumes , has to be the performance by fabrice luchini as beaumarchais .
with his glistening eyes and his infectious smile , he mesmerizes the camera and the audience .
his wry little lips seem always to hint at some unspoken deviousness he is planning .
in a land where court intrigue determines one 's destiny , constant scheming was a way of life for the aristocracy .
as our story starts , we learn that beaumarchais has bought himself a judgeship .
into his court comes a member of the nobility demanding an immediate sword fight .
beaumarchais , who has been having an affair with the man 's wife , makes him wait until the current case on the docket is decided .
that over with , the fight is on .
with luchini 's charisma , it is hard to root for anyone other than him .
audiences may remember him from the marvelous colonel chabert , in which he played the attorney .
although he does not have half of the good looks of his assistant gudin , played by manuel blanc , he dazzles the women and the viewers with his grace and style .
michael epp 's
warm and intimate cinematography provides a nice accompaniment to jean - marc kerdelhue 's lush but realistic looking sets .
jean - claude petit 's music , especially the hauntingly lovely flute solos , make for an enchanting time at the movies .
director jean - claude brisville , who wrote the script along with edouard molinaro , fleshed out a play by sacha guitry which , according to the press notes , was just a series of historic vignettes .
the disorganization of the play still comes through at some points in the movie , but the actors smooth it over with their good - hearted style .
typical of the scenes that come out of nowhere is the one in which a rotund benjamin franklin appears in a large pot of hot water , taking his bath .
one episode has beaumarchais working with a renegade spy who may or may not be a man .
another has beaumarchais using his personal fortune to aid the american revolution .
all of this may sound like a dull historical drama , but it is anything
but .
the story plays more like theater of the absurd than a movie based on historical facts .
the radiantly lovely sandrine kiberlain plays marie - therese , the real love of beaumarchais 's life .
but he is so likable that members of the audience may want to compete with her for him .
still , with his beguiling smile , one can never quite be sure if you should trust him .
the movie , on the other hand , can be trusted to deliver a high old time .
beaumarchais : the scoundrel runs 1 : 41 .
it is in french with english subtitles .
the film is not rated but would be an r for some nudity and sex , and should be fine for most teenagers .

A:
P
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