TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: this movie about two dysfunctional families never really gets off the ground , despite some good performances from a basically competent cast .
eddie ( sean penn ) and maureen ( robin wright penn ) are a not - so - happily married couple down on their luck .
living in rented rooms in the seedier part of an unnamed city , they spend what little income they have at the local bar , owned by shorty ( stanton ) , eddie 's best friend , and his wife georgie ( mazar ) .
maureen and eddie share an odd relationship marked by eddie 's frequent disappearances .
on his return , he promises her the world and professes his undying love .
their manic reunions all too soon lead to new lows , as eddie disappears again .
like a junky craving the next high , maureen suffers through the lows to reach the next high .
their relationship is further complicated by maureen 's pregnancy .
she wants the baby and the father , but deep down seems to sense the inevitability of losing the latter .
during one of eddie 's absences , maureen is attacked by kiefer , her neighbor , who gets her drunk ( with her cooperation ) and then insists on intimacy .
she leaves badly bruised and in fear of what eddie might do -- not to her , but to kiefer .
she lies about what happens to ensure that no harm will come to eddie as the result of his inevitable rage .
he lashes out as she expects , and ends up in an institution for what he believes to be 3 months -- but in reality is 10 years .
during this decade , maureen divorces eddie and remarries a more solid and reliable individual , joey ( travolta , in a small role ) .
her life falls apart again when eddie is released from the institution and comes to find her .
joey insists on bringing eddie into his home and making his wife choose between her husband ( and father of two children ) and stability ( joey makes a good living , drives a cadillac , and they live in a large house in the suburbs ) and the love of her previous life .
she chooses her past , and sacrifices not only her new life but her old ( by giving up her and eddie 's daughter to joey ) .
but the eddie that she knew is gone , replaced by a mere shell of the man he was .
maureen is herself a mere shell , more an automaton than a woman -- as if she had gone through whatever therapy and treatment eddie was given along with him .
perhaps these two really do need each other and can find happiness ( or maybe the lack of sadness ) together , but the movie 's denouement was not convincing .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: susan granger 's review of " osmosis jones " ( warner bros . ) if the farrelly brothers taught anatomy & physiology in school , no one would cut ever class .
this hip , live action / animation story begins as a monkey snatches a hard - boiled egg from frank , a zookeeper ( bill murray ) , who grabs it back , drops it , then gobbles up the contaminated morsel , explaining , " if it hits and ground and you pick it up within 10 seconds , you can eat it .
" like " fantastic voyage " ( 1966 ) , the pseudo - science animation then takes over when his body 's immune system contacts traffic control as an ingested virus hits the digestive system : " be on the alert for illegal organisms !
" eager to right " a stomach evacuation mistake " he once made , a cocky , clever , courageous white blood cell ( chris rock ) declares , " this is a crime scene ! " and teams up with a conscientious " phi beta capsule " 12-hour cold remedy called drixenol ( david hyde pierce ) to chase down and destroy the deadly " red death " virus ( laurence fishburne ) that 's determined to take frank down in 48 hours , beating ebola and e . coli to a medical record .
watch out for mucus mudslides ,
chaos in cerebellum hall and the detritus from booger dam ( runny nose ) , along with comic turns from molly shannon and chris elliot , plus the voices of william shatner and brandy norwood .
peter and bobby farrelly , along with writer mark hyman and animation directors piet kroon and tom sito , have turned their penchant for gross - out comedy , encompassing flatulence , festering sores and " popping a pimple without a permit , " into a funny , farrelly - funny family film . on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " osmosis jones " is
a wildly imaginative , original , explosive 7 . and perhaps , as they 're laughing , kids will learn where to find their uvula , along with nuggets about nutrition and hygiene .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: martin scorsese 's triumphant adaptation of edith wharton 's the age of innocence is a stunning film for the quintessential new york filmmaker , the man who brought the streets of taxi driver and mean streets to life .
it seems like an odd choice for scorsese to do a period piece in the early 1900 's , but the fact that he pulls it off so brilliantly is a wonder , and a testament to the greatness of scorsese as a filmmaker .
this is a gorgeous visual experience that it surely one of scorsese 's finest .
newland archer ( day - lewis ) is a prestigious lawyer who is engaged to may welland ( ryder ) , a somewhat empty and shallow new yorker , who belongs to a prestigious family and is quite beautiful .
the marriage is one which will unite two very prestigious families , in a society where nothing is more important than the opinions of others .
on the day that archer is to announce his engagement to may , countess ellen olenska ( pfeiffer ) , cousin of may , walks into archer 's life .
archer is immediately captivated , and finds himself in love with ellen .
archer is also bound by the limits of new york society , which is an intrusive as any other in the world .
archer finds himself having a secret love affair in his mind with countess olenska , attempting to keep her in his mind while trying not to lose his social status .
the film 's subject matter may seem alien to scorsese , but the theme is definitely not .
it is a theme of forbidden romance , guilty pleasures , and the consequences causes because of those actions .
there is a painstakingly flawed hero , and his choice between the life he wants , and the life he is destined for .
in truth , it is a film about a society the audience does n't know about , but wants to find out more , much like the society of goodfellas or even kundun .
the performances are absolutely breathtaking .
day - lewis portrays more mental anguish in his face than one man should be forced to take .
pfeiffer is marvelous as countess olenska , a mix of passion and beauty that the audience would die for as
well .
ryder is probably the gem of the group
, for it is her quiet presence that overwhelms the plot , and slowly pushes day - lewis closer and closer to his eventual ending .
the supporting cast is also wonderful , with several characters so singular that they are indelible in one 's memory .
scorsese definitely has a passion for filmmaking .
his lavish and sumptuous set design and marvelous recreation of new york is a wondrous sight .
he literally transports the viewer to another world with incredible imagery .
his script is also excellent , slow in buildup , with a rapid conclusion and a fantastic ending that has to be seen to be believed .
it is difficult to make a period piece gripping : scorsese , however , does it beautifully .
the famous cameras of the legendary director are also everywhere .
he is patient , but he films everything and anything remotely important .
the cameras sweep , pan , track , and do more than they 've ever done , but they are so subtle , one does n't realize he 's watching all the scorsese hallmarks until a 2nd viewing .
the central tracking shot is probably longer and more complex than the famous goodfellas shot , but the viewer does n't notice it , because we want to see more of this gorgeous world .
there are a few deft touches of filmmaking that are simply outstanding , and joanne woodward '
narration is exquisite .
not a fast film like goodfellas , this shares more in common with kundun than anything else .
and like kundun , this is a slow - starting film that truly shines , when given the chance to fully breathe and bloom in the end .
a beautiful film by a director continuing to challenge himself year after year .

SOLUTION:
P