TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: tomb raider .
fun ?
exciting ?
challenging ?
given the unprecedented popularity ( especially among teenage boys ) of the video game that sports an uber - buff , pistol packin ' babe who raids , well .
. .
tombs , you have to believe it 's these three things and more !
"
lara croft : tomb raider , " the big screen variant of said video game , which features a pumped - up angelina jolie ( the oscar ? winner for " girl , interrupted " no less ) in the title role is , however , none of these things .
it is n't fun , it is n't exciting , and the only challenge is seeing how long you can stay in your seat
( i suffered through to the bitter , bitter end ; the wife opted for barnes & noble at the 45-minute mark ) .
directed by simon west with the same subtlety he brought to " con air , " " tomb raider " is an empty - headed , big budget bore .
the story borrows unintelligently from that mother of all turkeys " hudson hawk " ( the same hokum about planetary alignments and sacred stones that , when brought together , well . . . who the heck cares ? ) and it makes " super mario bros .
"
( bob hoskins ' ill - advised career move ) look like " rocco and his brothers " ( that classic of italian neo - realism ) .
i 'll go out on a limb here and say i suspect there 's actually more character development in the video game than the movie proper .
this is where the jolie defenders / video game nuts jump in and say this movie is n't about character development
it 's about kicking serious butt ( or bum , since ms .
croft hails from england 's green and pleasant ) .
with lips , breasts , and biceps all inflated to the max , lara croft is all about posturing , and jolie has a hard time simply standing still without trying to look tough .
ok , let 's forget challenging .
should n't " tomb raider " be , at the very least , fun and exciting ?
should n't our butt - kicking heroine also encompass the sophistication of , say , james bond with the wit of indiana jones ?
there 's no humor to be found anywhere in " tomb raider , " even though it tries hard from time to time .
even " the mummy returns " did n't take itself too seriously .
the villain here is noticeably lacking , the special effects are ridiculously overblown and unnecessarily complicated , and the script is non - existent .
to liven things up ( perhaps ) , jolie 's live father jon voight puts in a few minutes as lara 's dead father lord croft ; talk about a stretch .
one thing i had n't expected from the film is that jolie affects a slightly better english accent than her pa ( although i suspect that thin - looking moustache he 's forced to wear gets in the way some ) .
unsuccessful ?
not entirely .
if anything , " lara croft : tomb raider " makes you want to check out the video game itself to figure out exactly what all the fuss was about .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: billed as a " feminist sex fantasy " , this spirited , imaginative and thoroughly engaging film by the award - winning canadian director cynthia roberts , is destined for extreme reactions .
camille paglia enthusiasts will no doubt champion this heart - felt tale of the title character bubbles galore ( nina hartley ) , a porn - actress - turned - porn - producer who faces an uphill battle in her quest for sexual and economic independence .
however , those in the andrea dworkin camp , will no doubt loathe the film 's decidedly pro - porn stance .
political considerations aside , however , this is a delightful lesbian love story as the film takes us on a whirlwind tour of bubbles ' romantic entanglements with a naive and virginal young porn starlet dory drawers ( shauny sexton ) .
in the backdrop , however is bubbles ' loyal assistant vivian klitorsky ( tracy wright ) who pines longingly for the affections of her bubbly boss .
this femme - butch - femme triangle is what provides the film with considerable humanity * and * sensuality .
in addition to the romantic aspects of the story , bubbles is being stalked and terrorized by her ex - boyfriend godfrey montana ( daniel macivor ) , a slimy porn mogul who wishes to make her life as miserable as he can possibly make it .
when his plans to sabotage her latest film fall through , he snaps and psychotically decides to kill her .
these proceedings are presided over by a most heavenly presence .
god herself - yes , in the world of this film , god , is most definitely a " her " - and a chorus of undulating , scantily - clad angels , have their most watchful and lustful eyes on the events as they unfold ,
adding a lovely fantasy element to this frothy concoction .
this bright , colourful and deliriously sexy film is chock - full of great performances . making her dramatic debut , after appearing in over 300 triple x adult films , porn star nina hartley takes command of her role with considerable assurance and a screen presence which puts many other contemporary ' straight ' actresses to shame .
hartley has overwhelming star power , and one wonders why other non - triple - x producers have n't used her bountiful talents .
it is also interesting to note that hartley appears in the recent release of " boogie nights " , a film which takes a far more traditional doom - and - gloom approach to the porn industry . making a cameo appearance in the role of god , former porn actress annie sprinkle ,
a true artist in her own right - gives the entire film an earthy , sensual glow and certainly solidifies and , by her very appearance
, downright justifies the themes of the movie .
the other performances are equally solid .
daniel macivor appropriately chews up the scenery as the villainous godfrey and tracy wright lends able support with her complex role .
shauny sexton , an erotic dancer and pin - up model , makes an impressive screen debut .
overall , bubbles galore is a film which wears its politics on its sleeve and very proudly indeed .
at one point , the title character declares that " instead of trying to save women from the sex trade , we should be working to ensure that the sex trade is a safe place for women to work " .
the direction by cynthia roberts is daring and subversive .
roberts is not afraid to plunge the otherwise straight - ahead and simple narrative into extended and extremely avant - garde montage sequences .
the love scenes between the women are especially beautiful .
the musical score by nicholas stirling blends cool jazz and lounge stylings , while the skilful cinematography by harald bachmann terrifically captures a blend of garish 70 's porn and psychedelia .
amazingly , this film appears to have received a good deal of its funding from a variety of canadian government cultural agencies .
this speaks volumes towards the importance of state funding for culture , as one can not imagine such an entertaining , original and vital film being made in a traditional setting where conformity and formula rule the day .
bubbles galore seems to be making the film festival rounds and does not , at present , appear to have any traditional distribution in place , so keep your eye on the alternative film listings for this one .
it 's funny , sexy and subversive .
and it should n't be missed .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: the people who populate the movie 54 are shallow , self - absorbed and self - indulgent .
in other words , they perfectly mirror the era as well as the movie this feature depicts .
54 is the story of that well - publicized new york disco , studio 54 , the in - place in the ' 70s where anybody who was anybody went to be ogled , photographed and pampered .
the difficulty with 54 , which was written and directed by mark christopher , is that his script takes no point of view .
christopher
neither condemns nor glorifies the legendary excesses that were studio 54 's hallmark .
he keeps an uninvolved distance , thus keeping us from forming any emotional attachment with any of the protagonists .
the movie 's one main asset is the surprising performance by mike myers as steve rubell , the famous owner of the nightspot .
he is part rebel , part dreamer , part shrewd entrepreneur .
he 's smart enough and childlike enough to pander to the dreams and desires of his clientele , yet stupid enough to brag on tv about hiding profits from the irs .
myers , in his first straight character part , is in turn appealing and appalling .
at one moment he can try to pressure a male employee into a sexual situation , then at the next moment apologize for his bad behavior and offer the young man a handful of cash .
the story is told by shane o'shea ( ryan phillippe ) , a new jersey lad who dreams of crossing the river to the big apple .
shades of john travolta 's brooklyn - bound tony in saturday night fever .
eventually , shane does come to new york , attracts rubell 's eye and is admitted to the promised land .
his looks get him a job as a busboy , and he is later promoted to the prestigious position of bartender , where he mixes with and makes drinks for the rich and famous .
shane 's dream is to meet soap star julie black ( neve campbell ) , a fellow garden stater .
but both characters are
so sketchily drawn that even when they do hook up , it 's no big deal .
the chemistry between shane and julie is nonexistent .
54 is a very cold , uninvolving movie .
it 's all strobe lights and glitz , all substance .
it 's sort of like the musical era it covers .

SOLUTION:
N