TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: after a rather disappointing " mary railly " , stephen frears is now officially back in business with a comeback worthy of praise .
this is one of the best surprises of this season -- a sweet , small budget comedy with a big heart
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in fact it 's not even a comedy .
it 's a drama or even more precise -- a clever satire on human relationships and needs .
based on a 1995 critically acclaimed novel by british author nick hornby , ` ` high fidelity ' ' is a wry and likable story about a man 's quest for fulfillment and happiness .
rob gordon was a dj .
it seems that he could make everything spin -- except his own life .
now he owns championship vinyl , a little musical store , somewhere in new york .
when he suddenly gets dumped by his girlfriend , a gorgeous blond attorney , life suddenly looses every purpose .
decimated , humiliated and on the verge of a mental ( and emotional ) breakdown , he starts meditating over his life and the way it could have been -- about what 's right and what 's important .
he starts " categorizing " life , dividing it into " top 5 lists " .
and the most important is the " top 5 list " over the most painful breakups of his life , starting with 5th grade , when he found his young girlfriend with another boy .
though you might think that people change , grow more mature with age , it just does n't seem that way and all rob 's relationships were different versions of that first .
where did he go wrong ?
was it he that screwed up ?
or maybe life just stinks ?
while he is lost in his own self - pity , he must think of the " top 5 list " over his needs for the future , find the right elements and mix his life together .
with clever parallels to the cult of celebrity , music and with incredibly direct narration , it addresses the average audience member , in other words -- people like you and me .
although a lot of this honor should be addressed to the screenwriter
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_ _
_ _ and frears , the director , the acting is equally important as the written word .
and here john cusack should absolutely be mentioned .
he is simply superb .
it is as much his movie as it is frears ' .
the film would not be the same without him .
cusack -- whose character is sadder , wiser and 35 -- brings intelligence and warmth to post- mod irony .
most of his dialogue is delivered directly to the camera -- not an easy task -- but cusack pulls it off .
his interpretation feels so emotionally right , so incredibly realistic and precise
that frears ' message simply ca n't be ignored or overseen .
the other members of the cast do an equally remarkable job .
both
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_ and jack black are fabulous .
even catherine zeta jones appears in a role where she actually acts , not just looks beautiful .
however , the most unexpected pleasant surprises is provided by todd louiso who delivers a spectacular comic performance as rob 's co - worker and friend dick .
this is such an impressive achievement that it 's almost worth
a oscar - nomination .
he is simply a joy to behold .
otherwise , everyone are in their place , and at the right time -- all part of frears ' colorful blend .
pretty much like edward norton 's " keeping the faith " , this film does n't follow any formula or belong to any genre
-- it 's dramatic , tragic , sarcastic , comic and even cynical , but never bitter or angry .
it 's a little bit of everything , pretty much like life itself .
nothing seems unreal or staged .
it reflects reality as a mirror .
as you watch it , you go through the same emotional problems as the main character .
you feel and think and reflect .
this effect has become a rarity nowadays .
although it 's primarily about the perils of love , ` ` high fidelity ' ' is secondarily about pop music .
rob owns championship vinyl and his employees , timid dick ( todd louiso ) and overbearing barry ( jack black ) , are fellow music snobs .
music is the language in their lives , the measure by which they define themselves and mark the significant events of their lives .
and so does the movie .
it is as much a musical film as anything else , as rob 's journey is wonderfully portrayed through carefully inserted musical fragments .
in the end , you have gained something while watching it .
it 's not the film of the century or even of the year .
it 's not an special effects extravaganza .
it does n't require big explosions or digital creatures to succeed .
it 's a small movie about the big things .
and even though it does not contain heavy philosophy , you feel as if you have experienced something of significance , and you will experience that nice warm feeling for quite some time .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: pre - review note : seeing as the only concern of body shots is " sex " , i will be forced to refer to that particular act innumerable times throughout the duration of this review .
because of this , i will try to vary word descriptions of " sex " ( meaning if you are offended by pejorative terms , and \ or your name is jerry falwell , you are kindly invited to hit the x up on the left corner of your screen ) , so if there happens to be a word you come across and can not comprehend , fret not , it 's most likely just another way of referring to " sex " .
i think we 'd all agree that any word used incessantly becomes a bit monotonous
so i hope you appreciate my attempt to liven up what could potentially be a very boring review .
though not as boring as the movie which makes steve forbes flat tax plan seem as lively as watching a naked mathew mconaughy play the bongos while high on god knows what .
body shots is a film so frightened of coitus that scenes of copulation are filmed ominously , in the way you 'd normally expect to see a violent attack .
it 's about people who think about screwing , seek it out , and talk about it .
these are things we all do , sometimes .
the characters in this film spend every waking moment pondering the simplicities of sexual acts .
their lives center around the next sexual encounter , but they seemed depressed .
it 's as if fucking is all they have to look forward to after a busy workweek .
at its core body shots is a message movie , the kind of thing i could picture really progressive church groups showing to middle schoolers in order to turn them off coition .
michael cristoffer ( who directed gia , another film that treated bumping uglies as if it where evil ) is a moralist with nothing new to say .
his characters do n't communicate anything of interest to each other , so cristoffer gives them an opportunity to let out their inner thoughts by speaking directly into the camera .
they voice simplistic platitudes like " i like to come " or " sex without love equals violence " .
huh ?
and yes that is as complex as this movie 's observations get .
the characters are stupid and shallow , with not one registering as anything more .
the plot concerns vapid over sexed twentysomethings on an all night hunt for carnal pleasure , then the after math ( the morning after ) of such events .
we meet the characters as they speak directly to us , confiding in us with their idiotic ruminations on intimacy .
i would normally go into the characters and the actors who play them , giving you the pros and cons , but for this film i can not .
i 'm not trying to be clever or witty , but i honestly hardly remember anything that would set them apart from the others .
with the exception of trent ( played by ron livingston as a bargain basement patrick bateman ) , the rest fade into each other-- a patchwork of fake breasts , defined abs , pearly white teeth , and creamy , flawless skin .
i vaguely recall brad rowe as the sensitive one , only because his character gets the worst lines ( " sex without love equals violence " ) .
in between all the confessionals , cristoffer films everything like a headache commercial , with blurry slo mos and dramatic head turning .
the fact that this director at one point won a pulitzer prize completely baffles me .
this film is made without one iota of intelligence or insight into the generation that its tag line claims to be defining .
if body shots is meant to say that all twentysometyhings are idiotic and f * * k - obsessed , fine , i do n't have any problem with a film that tries to persuade me to think a certain way , but cristoffer only gives us one side .
additionally that one side is n't even entertaining ; the characters indulge in buggery without an ounce of sexiness . or realism .
one sexual encounter takes place outside a club on a chain link fence between the two most sensitive characters .
they suddenly have vigorous intercourse with each other for no apparent reason ( other than that they both happen to be standing next to each other ? ? ?
alas , if it could only be that easy ? ? ?
kidding of course ) , then , not only is n't it erotic , it is n't real .
it does n't feel like an authentic sexual encounter .
every f
*
* k scene in this film ( and there are many ) is treated in the same unsexy manner .
body shots makes fornication dirtier than the most scummy porno film .
it shows us none of the pleasure that should go along with it , and most of all , it fails to show us why its characters love making it so much if they seem to hate the act of actually doing it .
the resulting search for nookie ( and you can take that cookie ? ? ? )
over one night leaves us with several tedious plot lines to follow .
the main concern is much ado over a rape that may or may not have occurred .
the film shows us two separate versions of the possible rape ( one where it is consensual the other where it is not ) and in both versions the young actress playing the possible victim gets her shirt torn off .
this is a topic that could be interestingly explored if done intelligently , and if memory serves me i ca n't think of one film that has done so , and yes i saw the accused which may be one of the most overrated movies of the 80 's next to wall street .
unfortunately nobody gives us reason to care , not the writer , the director or the actors nearly all of whom seem to have wandered off the set of a noxious 90210 spin off .
paul thomas anderson approached boogie nights in a manner similar to what cristoffer does here , though boogie nights succeeded .
it was similarly moralistic , but it gave us two different viewpoints ; it showed us how the lifestyle of porn enticed its characters , and it showed us the possible fall - out of such a decision .
the characters in boogie nights were as idiotic as the characters are here , but anderson seemed to care about them .
he gave them heart .
cristoffer gives them nothing but raging hormones .
he preaches to us , by using his characters to preach to us .
this is not the way to get any message across .
why not just direct a public service announcement on the perils of hittin ' skins ?
cristofer kind of does that , though
without an ounce of insight , and with a helping of leering exploitation .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: the film may be called mercury rising , but that title does n't describe the trajectory taken by this motion picture , a routine thriller that combines government cover - ups with a cloying and poorly - motivated buddy story .
the " hook " that is supposed to make mercury rising unique is that the young protagonist is autistic .
however , aside from giving actor miko hughes a chance to win raves for his performance , this particular aspect of the film comes across as nothing more than a convenient plot device .
those expecting to see even a semi - thorough exploration of the condition will be disappointed .
mercury rising treats autism with the same degree of efficiency that many action thrillers accord to alcoholism .
the script for mercury rising is exceptionally tiresome and hard- to - swallow .
i do n't know whether the problem is in the original book , simple simon , or in the screenplay adaptation , but this movie easily exceeds the intangible threshold beyond which a suspension of disbelief is no longer possible .
once again , certain standby plot elements -- the high - level government conspiracy and the maverick law enforcement agent -- are recycled , and not to good effect .
while bruce willis can play the action hero as well as anyone in hollywood , this particular outing leaves him marooned in situations that are characterized by too little tension and too much nonsense .
the story begins with a formulaic sequence in which the tough fbi agent with a heart of gold , art jeffries ( bruce willis ) , is confronted with his own failure .
unable to resolve a hostage crisis in time , he is forced to observe as two teenagers are shot to death .
the event weighs heavily on his conscience and heavy - handedly establishes his motivation for protecting 9-year old simon lynch ( miko hughes ) when he discovers the autistic child hiding in a closet after his parents have been gunned down by the evil hit man who looks like an ex - football player .
soon , art and simon are on the run from seemingly everyone -- fleeing for their lives and bonding at the same time , with the evil hit man who looks like an ex - football player always just a step behind them .
along the way , they are helped by the best friend who defies orders to help out his buddy ( chi mcbride ) and the supporting female who may or may not become a love interest ( kim dickens ) .
why is simon in danger and why were his parents turned into swiss cheese by the evil hit man who looks like an ex - football player ?
apparently , the government has spent millions of dollars developing an ultra - secret code called " mercury . " to make sure it ca n't be cracked , they do the most intuitive thing possible : place a sample of it in a " nerds ' puzzle magazine .
"
of course , no one can solve it --
no one except autistic simon , that is .
when he calls the phone number listed in the solution , he gets the nsa .
as a result , the cold - hearted , sneering government man ( alec baldwin ) decides that simon has to be eliminated -- for the good of the country , of course .
but he has n't counted on the tough fbi agent with a heart of gold , even though everyone in the audience has .
it 's hard to get worked up about a routine thriller that does n't do anything exceptionally well , and does quite a few things rather poorly .
for those who are desperate to find elements of this movie to like , mercury rising manages to manufacture tension from time - to - time , but even the most exciting scenes ( such as the one where art and simon are crouched down , avoiding passing trains ) are n't that pulse - pounding .
the climactic struggle is a real ho - hum affair which leads to a finale that is painful in its obviousness .
overall , director harold becker is constantly struggling ( and failing ) to generate even a moment that is n't derivative or obligatory .
bruce willis ' star seems to be fading .
this is his fourth straight lackluster outing , following last man standing , the fifth element , and the jackal .
willis is n't terrible ,
but this is the kind of role he can sleepwalk through , and often does .
alec baldwin , combining elements of his characters from glengarry glenn ross and malice , does some scenery- chewing , but his performance is surprisingly lacking in menace .
the film 's real star is young miko hughes ( heather langenkamp 's son in wes craven 's new nightmare ) , who does as good a job as dustin hoffman playing an autistic individual , but is about 50 years younger .
mercury rising joins the likes of hard rain , the replacement killers , and u. s. marshals on the heap of pallid 1998 thrillers .
for those who like action and adventure in the theater , this has not been a good year .
hopefully , the advent of summer will change that . until then , the best choices ( for bruce willis or any other action hero ) are on video .
and , if you 're determined to see mercury rising , check out the morning sky in early may .

SOLUTION:
N