instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
take two old and dying men , a lifetime of regrets , a house full of sins , a thoroughly despicable man , enough lies , insecurities and other character defects to keep a team of psychiatrists gainfully employed , then add a inexplicable meteorological and amphibian - based phenomenon and you will have summed up magnolia , the newest film from paul thomas anderson ( boogie nights ) .
the movie tells multiple stories , weaving them together , or overlapping them during the course of its three hour running time .
would that the stories were worth the telling .
earl partridge ( jason robards , a thousand acres ) is dying of cancer .
bedridden , in much pain , it is obvious that his time is growing short .
his much younger wife played by julianne moore ( an ideal husband ) is surprised to find herself struggling with his impending death .
having married for money , she discovers that she has actually fallen in love with the old guy and regrets having cheated and lied .
earl regrets having cheated on his first wife and estranging himself from his only son ( tom cruise , eyes wide shut ) , now a misogynist self - help guru who teaches men how to " seduce and destroy , " his sexual and vulgar perspective on male / female relationships is so over - the - top as to be utterly unbelievable .
meanwhile , jimmy gator ( philip baker hall , the insider ) is also dying of cancer .
not as physically incapacitated as earl , jimmy is still able to perform his duties as the lovable host of a long - running quiz show which pits adults against children .
the current whiz - quiz - kid is stanley spector ( jeremy blackman in his film debut ) who is tired of the pressure of performing and is willing to call it quits .
on the other hand , quiz kid donnie smith ( william macy , mystery men ) would like nothing more than to return to the spotlight when he was a " somebody .
"
his pathetic life is souring as he can no longer capitalize on his brief 15 minutes of fame which stanley is all too eager to relinquish .
jimmy has his own family crisis as his drug - addict daughter ( melora walters , boogie nights ) refuses to have anything to do with him for reasons which are not disclosed to us until the end of the film .
grabbing at one last attempt at happiness she reaches out to a softhearted cop ( john c .
reilly , never been kissed ) even as she tries to push herself away from him because she deems herself not worthy of his affection .
this dysfunctional group carries on for what seems to be an interminable two - thirds of the movie .
and then it gets worse , literally raining frogs .
yes , frogs . assuming it to be an intended deus - ex - machina device ,
it is an ineffective one because it does n't seem to faze the characters much .
oh , they may step gingerly around the splattered frog corpses littering the streets , but otherwise , the frog shower did n't seem to change their behavior or pattern of living ( or dying ) .
there is simply too much going on in this movie and most of it is distasteful to watch .
mr .
anderson further obscures the film by incorporating a loud and intrusive sound track that often drowned out the dialogue , a character who apparently rapped a significant clue to a plot development which was completely unintelligble , and a heavy handed segment of " historical " occurances containing ironic twists which set up absolutely nothing .
one of the recurring themes is found in a line donnie quotes : " we may be done with the past , but the past is not done with us .
"
this is an absolute lie .
god is in the forgiveness business .
in fact , as we humbly ask for forgiveness and repent or change our offending mindset , god 's word says that he not only forgives , he also forgets .
"
i , even i , am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake , and will not remember thy sins .
" isaiah 43
: 25 [ kjv ] the spiritual one who keeps bringing up our unrighteous past is the same one who wants to keep us in a state of condemnation .
do n't let him .
next time your spiritual adversary reminds you of your past , take great pleasure in reminding him of his future .
he hates that .
answer:
N


question:
known as the most successful , highest - grossing romantic comedy in history , director garry marshall apparently struck gold with " pretty woman , " which opened quietly during the summer of 1990 but , thanks to positive word - of - mouth , was able to reach upwards of $ 175-million in theaters alone .
the question of why it worked so well lies directly with the film 's two charismatic stars , richard gere and julia roberts , since the story itself is none too original or even believable .
the other winning element that makes " pretty woman
" so entertaining is its genuine sweetness and innocence , which is rarely as palpable in today 's films as it is here .
edward lewis ( richard gere ) is a suave , extremely wealthy business mogul who , at the start of the picture , breaks up with his girlfriend over the phone after a nasty argument , and abruptly takes his friend 's car and gets lost on hollywood boulevard while trying to find his hotel .
stopping the car along the street , he asks a woman , obviously a prostitute , for directions .
agreeing to get in his car and show him for ten bucks , edward ultimately accepts , they strike up a conversation , and before long she has been asked up to his penthouse room on the top floor .
this meeting does not lead to sex , however , as edward confides that he 'd rather just have someone to talk to , and offers her $ 300 to spend the night .
just as well , since the hooker , named vivian , is a beautiful , generally upbeat young woman who is the type of person that can lend an understanding ear .
the meeting between these two completely opposite people does not end the next morning as planned , when edward finally offers to pay vivian three - thousand dollars if she will stay with him for six days and nights while he is in the area , keeping him company and acting as his companion to business dinners and get - togethers .
since vivian firmly tells edward at the beginning that she will do anything with him except kiss him on the lips , which always leads to unwanted intimacy when dealing with her customers , the obligatory rule of the genre says that by the third act , edward and vivian will finally , truly , kiss .
allegedly planned as a grim , downbeat drama until garry marshall came on board as director , " pretty woman " has been transformed in all senses of the word into a classic fairy tale , a la " cinderella .
"
the premise is hardly believable and its portrait of prostitutes hanging out on the streets of hollywood boulevard is just about the most idealized portrayal that there could have possibly been .
you honestly do n't need a high - iq ( or any iq , for that matter ) to guess how the film will end , and the story is as old as my great great grandma bertha .
the supporting characters are almost all sketchily written and less - than - gratifying , and the screenplay is no award winner .
and yet , amidst all of these qualms and flaws , " pretty woman " is an astoundingly charming motion picture , and it is definately easy to see why it became such an overnight sensation with moviegoers .
you 'd actually be amazed how far bemusement can go , and there are a few select moments ( not even whole scenes , mind you ) that are as romantic as anything i 've seen on film in the 1990 's .
additionally , the film belongs , and its success can be attributed , to two people and two people only , and they are richard gere and julia roberts .
playing sex symbols throughout the ' 80s with such pictures as " american gigolo " and " an officer and a gentleman , " gere branches out here to play a more quiet , almost shy , but still alluring , character that believably could sweep julia roberts off her feet , and vice versa .
julia roberts , in her breakthrough role after 1988 's well - received " mistic pizza " and 1989 's " steel magnolia , " for which she was nominated for an academy award , is radiant and funny as the wordly vivian , who surprisingly could be a role model for impressionistic viewers , not for her line of work , but more for her sheer intelligence .
it would have probably been easy to have written vivian as merely a flake , but screenwriter j .
f .
lawton clearly cared too much about his central characters to do such a thing .
after " pretty woman , " roberts , along with meg ryan , became the reigning queen of romantic comedies ( with her latest being the just - released " runaway bride , " which repairs gere and roberts together once again ) , and no wonder .
roberts has continually proven to not only be a strong actress with a flare for comedy , but also one who can efficiently do drama , and in almost every film she appears in , it is difficult not to fall in love with her along with her male co - star .
an especially strong scene that gere and roberts do together takes place after edward foolishly tells one of his co - workers that vivian is actually a prostitute , and he then approaches her , making sexual advances .
no only does this make vivian feel cheap , especially since she had previously been posing as a more professional , eloquent young lady , but it also maddens her that edward would demean and betray her in such a way , and ultimately causes her to question where exactly her life is leading , and if she likes this particular path .
on the more dreamy side , the film is filled with romantic scenes that are simply effervescent to behold , especially one in which edward enters into the hotel 's lounge to see vivian turn around and not only reveal her marvelous cocktail dress , but also her inner ( and outer ) glowing beauty .
another subtle moment has vivian lovingly blowing a kiss to edward , who is asleep , and placing it on his lips , since she still is unsure if she should be getting attached to this man who may very well be out of her life forever in a short couple of days .
" pretty woman " does not blatantly step wrong until the very last scene , which is a happy ending ( as you 'd expect , and would n't have it any other way ) that somehow does not work , perhaps because of its undeniable contrivances .
this one misstep does not put a damper on the rest of the film , though , because there is just far too much magic at work here to disaffirm such a petty problem . helped along by a warm , memorable supporting performance from laura san giacomo , as vivian 's best friend and roommate , and a fabulously catchy soundtrack , in which all of the songs prominently aid in the movie 's overall fulfillment , " pretty woman " is a sparkler of a motion picture , and has what it takes to act as a blueprint on how to make the quintessential romantic comedy .
answer:
P


question:
pollock starring ed harris , marcia gay harden , tom bower , jennifer connelly screenplay by barbara turner and susan j .
emshwiller , based on the book " jackson pollock : an american saga " by steven naifeh and gregory white smith directed by ed harris
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" how do you know when you 're finished making love ?
"
-jackson pollock to a life magazine reporter on recognizing when you 've completed a painting jackson pollock 's " making love
" quote is famous , but in practically the same breath , he said a more constructive thing , " it 's like looking at a bed of flowers -- tear your hair out over what it means .
"
it took him sixteen words to do as whole dissertations have tried and failed : equate god and abstract art and offer a kind of backhanded comfort to those confused to the point of resentment by the concept .
the biopic _ pollock _ , actor ed harris ' directorial debut
, reflects the second soundbite in how it accepts pollock 's creations as part of the order of things , and should similarly disarm haters of fine art .
arguably more than any other living actor , harris , who also plays _ pollock _ , embodies the archetypal working stiff , and his blue - collar demystification of pollock 's labour - intensive art , both as performer and director , makes for unpretentious cinema .
( from what i know of harris , he , like pollock , was not born gifted or lucky ; instead , a strong work ethic is the seed of his success . )
granted , it 's possible that _ pollock _ will alienate those same viewers perplexed by the imponderable " purpose " of pollock 's splatter series : the common thread between them is a lack of editorializing .
the movie _ pollock
_ is all purposeful gazes and silent exchanges dotted by tantrums , but the motivations are left to our own perceptions .
and it is a sympathetic yet not altogether forgiving film , as illustrated by a disheartening conclusion .
_ pollock
_ encapsulates the period in which he fought a losing battle against personal demons ( alcoholism , depression , and the general attendant miseries of an artist ) while finding a place of subconscious expression .
a brief introduction to pollock 's raging drunk side segues into his getting accosted by a fellow new york artist , lee krasner ( marcia gay harden ,
awarded a best supporting actress oscar for this brilliant portrayal ) , who works from the outside - in , pre - intellectualizing every stroke of her brush .
in a scene after they have moved in together and established adjoining studios , she asks what he hopes to achieve on his latest canvas , grilling him about the interplay of cubism and surrealism until he says , " you paint the fucking thing , " and leaves in a huff .
by the time they we d , she has become his de facto manager ; it is form marrying function and chaos marrying discipline , a most harmonious collision .
( krasner denies him a baby , indicating that it would upset the balance . )
such a union is destined to implode , and i hope i 'm not ruining the _ pollock _ experience by saying that it does .
while it is never depicted as a very romantic matrimony to start -- pollock and wife channel their passions elsewhere -- their symbiosis leaves each other picked dry after several years , and it comes down to krasner suffering one of pollock 's conniptions too many : " you are killing me !
you are killing me !
you are killing me ! "
( aside : harris ' own wife , amy madigan , is unrecognizable and exceptional as gallery diva peggy guggenheim . )
pollock himself moves on to dalliances with younger women like ruth klingman ( the scorching jennifer connelly ) , hoping , one supposes , to catch the revitalizing whiff of youth .
i love jackson pollock 's stuff and
i am enamoured of harris ' _ pollock _ as well .
it 's scrappy and observant ; no coincidence that its minor failings are the occasional invasive flourish , such as jeff beal 's hummable but no less lamentable score -- i ca n't imagine that pollock , or anyone , would paint to this music , which puts filling soundtrack voids ahead of complementing the images .
one of my favourite sequences is an eerily quiet re - enactment of hans namuth shooting that famous pollock footage in east hampton , long island ; the mounting tension is almost comic , as namuth keeps interrupting pollock 's process to reload his camera or take a dinner break .
a more seasoned director might 've been too arrogant to admit that not all artists or mediums are created equal .
answer:

P