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

you may not have heard of lucas , or if you have , you might not think much of it .
probably because it stars corey haim , or maybe because it 's about a little geek who collects insects , or maybe because it does n't feature slick one - liners or the chart topping soundtrack albums that were almost a requirement for teen films in the 80 's . however , you have been missing out on a true masterpeice , the best film of 1986 , and the best film about adolescent life ever made .
corey haim stars as lucas bligh , a tiny 14 year old with scruffy hair , thick glasses , and an interest in insects and other outdoor life .
one day he stops by the tennis courts and sees what must be an angel to him .
her name is maggie , a 16 year old who certainly is a beauty , with lovely red hair and a sweet , innocent complexion .
maggie seems to be a little disturbed by this little kid watching her , but somehow he interests her , and soon they are talking and getting to know one another .
they gradually become good friends , and spend the summer together doing various things , such as studying insects ( namely locusts , who come out of hiding once every 17 years ) , playing tennis , and listening to a symphony orchestra through a manhole cover .
lucas is obviously in love with maggie , and while she is charmed by him , it 's clear that she would never consider him anything more than a very good friend .
this is not clear to lucas , however .
he still beleives that maggie is his soulmate , and he dreads the impending start of school because he knows what 's about to happen .
we soon find out why in a painful scene where lucas is humiliated by the jocks during a pep rally .
they throw him on stage , right in front of his beloved maggie .
surprisingly , he turns the tables on the jocks with some clowning around , but he takes it too far , and is embarassed in front of the entire school .
the next scene is brilliant .
maggie follows lucas outside of the pep rally .
she tries to talk to him as if nothing happened .
he rails back against her , in a cruel unfair fashion .
in lesser movies this would 've turned into a confrontation between the two characters .
but maggie is written smarter than that .
she understands what lucas is feeling and knows exactly what to say to console him .
next we are introduced to another great character named cappie ( charlie sheen ) .
he is a jock with a typical cheerleader girlfriend .
what 's interesting about him is that he sticks up for lucas and protects him from the other jocks .
of course anyone with a brain can tell what 's gon na happen next .
cappie will cause conflict in maggie and lucas ' relationship .
this begins in classic scene in the school laundry room when cappie and maggie are alone .
she 's been assigned to show him how to operate the washer / dryer so he can clean his shirt .
maggie is charmed by cappie 's tender undertsanding demeanor , not to mention his shirtless body .
this scene is so delicate and sweet , but cappie still has a girlfriend , preventing either one from acting on their desires .
desperately trying to puncture the tension , cappie begins to kick basketballs around the room .
it 's not long before cappie does break up with his girlfriend ( in the films only subpar scene ) .
lucas finally figures out what 's going on when he tries to pick maggie up for the dance .
this causes him to take severe actions to prove himself to maggie and himself , such as try out for the football team .
the last third of the film revolves around this attempt .
while the idea seems cliched , the way it is executed is not .
there are many surprises
during the last half hour which lead to an ending so emotionally involving it should make the most heartless of cynics get choked up .
dave grusin 's memorable score , played at the perfect moments , certainly helps .
lucas is filled with great performances .
forget everything you know about corey haim .
back in 1986
he had talent , and that is proven here as he delivers a perfect fully 3-dimensional performance filled with anger , humor , and pain .
kerri green is very appealing
as maggie , showing us why she cares about lucas so much and why he is so attracted to her .
sheen 's cappie is almost too good to be true , but sheen makes him beleivable , especially when he explains the reason why he protects lucas .
there are other wonderful minor characters such as ciro popitti 's ben , a friend of lucas , whose diminutive stature does not mean he will take crap from the jocks .
also turning up in a few key scenes is winona ryder as rina , the girl who admires lucas from afar .
when people talk about the great teen angst films of the 80s , you hear john hughes this and john
hughes that .
lucas seems to be lost among the crowd of his so - called classics .
but hopefully , like with heathers and say anything , lucas can begin to find it 's own loyal following and help people realize there were more to the 80s than anthony michael hall and molly ringwald .
it deserves more than that , but i do n't want to be greedy .
P

men in black is an explosive mix of science fiction , action , and comedy that hits the target in every possible way .
although another alien movie , men in black succeeds in every way
that independence day did n't , and towers above many other movies of its type .
the brilliant acting , especially by tommy lee jones as agent kay , is also as good as it gets .
director barry sonnenfeld , who was behind the camera for the addams family movies and get shorty , has crafted a masterpiece .
the story behind men in black is just as interesting as you would want it to be .
the men in black , or mib , are a top - secret governmental agency that is not known to exist .
the mib are responsible for " saving the world from the scum of the universe " .
a though job , indeed .
the film opens with a truckload of illegal aliens ( the human kind ) being transported across the mexico border and into the united states .
presumably , these " aliens " are all migrant workers .
that is , until the mib show up and begin interrogating them .
agent kay selects a particular suspicious worker and takes him away from the other local authorities to discover that he is not an illegal human alien , but a real extra - terrestrial alien .
when the alien makes a run for it , agent kay is forced to eliminate the alien with one of the mib 's very unique weapons , and after one of the local law enforcement officers witnesses this bizarre occurrence , agent kay is forced to use another very unique device on them .
the device , described as " out of state " , eliminates the memory of anyone it is used on .
>
from here , we are introduced to james edwards , played very well by will smith .
edwards , a police officer , is chasing a fleeing criminal .
the criminal gives a very good chase , and at one point when edwards confronts him , the criminal pulls out a very different looking weapon that disintegrated when it hit the ground .
edwards continues to chase the very athletic criminal to the top of a building , where the criminal informs edwards that he must let him go , because someone is after him .
edwards does n't take this seriously , but when the criminal shows very non - human characteristics and leaps off the building , he begins to wonder .
back at the police station , agent kay shows up to ask edwards a few questions .
he informs edwards that is was , in fact , a non - human that he was chasing , and that the gun he pulled out was definitely not man - made .
he has edwards identify the gun , and asks edwards to come to the mib headquarters the following day .
edwards arrives and finds that he is involved in a recruiting process , along with various other men who seem a bit more qualified than he .
after goofing up for half of the time , edwards puts on a show at the firing range , and agent kay notes the reason why he feels edwards should be the man to join the mib
: he chased down the " criminal " on foot , which is something that no one is supposed to be able to do .
in the meantime , an upstate new york farm has a very close encounter .
edgar ( vincent d'onofrio )
, owner of the farm , investigates a strange crash landing and is attacked by the inhabitant of the flying object , which presumes to jump inside edgar and use his body as a human transport .
the " bug " , as he is called , is an intergalactic terrorist who has come to earth to attempt to kill two ambassadors .
and it up to the mib , with newly recruited agent jay ( formerly james edwards ) to exterminate the bug and save the planet from intergalactic war .
men in black delightfully combines fast - paced action with often hilarious comedy , which is usually from will smith , although tommy lee jones opens up his comedic personality in this film .
the special effects are also very well done and are not the entire source of the plot , as in another big alien film from the past summer .
screenwriter ed solomon , writer of super mario bros .
and the upcoming x - men film , has surely struck gold with this story .
all ages will enjoy men in black .
it is an extremely fun film that you will want to see again .
although it runs a very quick and speedy 96 minutes , the entire film from beginning to end is a non - stop adventure .
the ending of the film , which ties up a few loose ends for one of the main characters , is also very well done
.
a sequel is already being planned , so there is more to look forward to !
P

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
*
* * 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 .

N