instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
in the opening shot of midnight cowboy , we see a close - up of a blank movie screen at a drive - in .
we hear in the soundtrack human cries and the stomping of horses ' hooves .
without an image projected onto the screen , the audience unerringly identifies the familiar sound of cowboys chasing indians and can spontaneously fill in the blank screen with images of old westerns in our mind 's eye .
even without having seen a cowboys and indians movie , somehow the cliched images of them seem to have found their way into our mental schema .
but do cowboys really exist , or
are they merely hollywood images personified by john wayne and gary cooper ?
exploring this theme , director john schlesinger uses the idea of the cowboy as a metaphor for the american dream , an equally cliched yet ambiguous concept .
is the ease at which salvation and success can be attained in america a hallmark of its experience or an urban legend ?
midnight cowboy suggests that the american dream , like image of the cowboy , is merely a myth .
as joe buck migrates from place to place , he finds neither redemption nor reward in his attempt to create a life for himself , only further degeneration .
during the opening credits , joe walks past an abandoned theater whose decrepit marquee reads ` john wayne : the alamo . '
as joe is on the bus listening to a radio talk show , a lady on the air describes her ideal man as ` gary cooper ?
but he 's dead . '
a troubled expression comes across joe 's face , as he wonders where have all the cowboys gone .
having adopted the image of a cowboy since youth , joe now finds himself deserted by the persona he tried to embody .
joe 's persistence in playing the act of the cowboy serves as an analogue to his american dream .
he romanticizes about making it in the big city , but his dreams will desert him as he is forced to compromise his ideals for sustenance .
by the end of midnight cowboy , joe buck loses everything and gains nothing .
just as the audience can picture cowboys chasing indians on a blank screen , we can also conjure up scenes from pretty woman as paradigms of american redemption and success .
but how realistic are these ideals ?
joe had raped and been raped in texas .
the scars of his troubled past prompt him to migrate to new york , but he does not know that his aspirations to be a cowboy hero will fail him there just as they had in texas .
alongside the dream of success is the dream of salvation .
the ability to pack up one 's belongings and start anew seems to be an exclusive american convention .
schlesinger provides us with strong hints as to joe 's abusive and abused past with flashbacks of improper relationships with crazy anne and granny .
we understand that joe adopts the fa ?
ade of a cowboy , a symbol of virility and gallantry , as an attempt to neutralize his shame .
he runs from his past only to be sexually defiled this time by his homosexual experiences in new york .
in the scene at the diner which foreshadows joe 's encounter with the gay student , joe buck spills ketchup on himself .
standing up , we see the ketchup has made a red stain running from the crotch of his pants down his thigh .
schlesinger visually depicts the degeneration of joe 's virility by eliciting an image of bleeding genitals , signifying emasculation .
beyond the symbol of castration , the scene may also connote the bleeding of a virgin 's first sexual encounter , a reference to joe 's first homosexual liaison .
the fact that the idea of a bleeding virgin is relegated only to females furthers the imagery of joe 's emasculation .
it is ironic that joe has trouble prospecting for female clients , but effortlessly attracts men .
joe believes his broncobuster getup is emblematic of his masculinity ; new yorkers see his ensemble as camp and ` faggot stuff . '
there are two predominant images of new york .
the first is that new york is the rich , cosmopolitan city where hope and opportunity are symbolized by the tall skyscrapers and the statue of liberty .
the other new york is travis bickle 's new york , a seedy , corruptive hell on earth .
joe envisions new york as the former , but is presented with the latter .
mirroring the irony in which joe envisions his cowboy attire as masculine , he mistakenly buys into the fable that new york is filled with lonely women neglected by gay men .
joe thinks he is performing a great service for new york , but the city rapes him of his pride and possessions .
the people steal joe 's money , the landlord confiscates his luggage , and the homosexuals rob him of his dignity .
what has become of joe 's american dream ?
schlesinger responds to this question with the scene at the party .
joe gets invited to a shindig of sorts and at the gathering is exposed to a dizzying array of food , drugs , and sex .
at the party , all of joe and ratzo 's desires are made flesh ; joe flirts successfully with women and ratzo loads up on free salami .
contrasting joe 's daily struggles , shots of warhol 's crew display wanton indulgence .
there is an irreverence in the partygoers ' attitude ; we see a shot of a woman kowtowing to nothing in particular , orgies breaking out in the periphery , and drugs passed around like party favors .
the party makes a mockery of joe ' s ideals .
joe believed that hard work and persistence were the elements for success in america ; scenes of the party and his rendezvous with shirley suggest that it is the idle who profit from joe 's toils .
the american dream , schlesinger suggests , is merely a proletarian fantasy , for those who are content no longer dream , but become indolent .
as joe heads to miami , all that was significant of the cowboy image has left him .
his masculinity is compromised and his morality is relinquished .
for joe , nothing is left of the cowboy hero and commensurately , he surrenders the identity .
tossing his boots into the garbage , he returns to the bus for the last leg of his journey to miami .
the final shot of midnight cowboy shows joe inside the bus , more introspective , taking only a few glances outside the window .
instead of the frequent pov shots of joe excitedly looking out of the bus on his way to new york , schlesinger sets up this final shot from the exterior of the bus looking in through the window at joe .
reflections of the palm trees ratzo so raved about run across the bus ' window with joe hardly taking notice .
the scenery of miami no longer exacts the same excitement from joe as before .
the world seems smaller to joe now ; the termination of his journey coincides with the termination of his american dream .
no longer does joe aspire to be the enterprising gigolo ; he resolves to return to a normal job and resign to basic means .
midnight cowboy presents two familiar incarnations of the american dream .
there is the frontier fantasy that if you are brave enough to repel a few indians , you can set up a ranch out west and raise a beautiful family .
then there is the jay gatsby dream that a man of humble stock , with perseverance , can make a fortune in the big city .
joe 's attempt to realize these dreams robs him of his innocence in texas and morality in new york .
during his search for an intangible paradise , joe ends up raping a girl and killing a man .
an allegory of chasing the promise of the american dream , joe
buck 's progressive
moral atrophy is a warning against the pursuit of illusory icons .
answer:
P


question:
godzilla is the ultimate culmination of the " who cares about plot " summer movie .
a loose remake of the 1954 " classic " japanese monster movie , godzilla , king of the monsters ( which is itself pretty thin in the story department ) , roland emmerich and dean devlin 's big - budget lizard - stomps - manhattan disaster flick has been written with the brain dead in mind .
the script is n't just " dumbed down , " it 's lobotomized .
godzilla lives and dies on special effects alone .
presumably , the primary target group for this film is teenage boys , the demographic most likely to shell out $ 7 repeatedly to see the same images of monster - instigated carnage .
that 's not to say that females and other age groups are immune to the special effects seduction ; they 're just not as readily susceptible .
this is the third straight movie in a row where emmerich and devlin have demonstrated that a mastery of computer - generated visuals is far more important for making money than the ability to write and direct for actors .
stargate was a financial success .
independence day was a runaway hit .
and , with godzilla already drowning in hype and merchandising tie - ins before it even opens , it 's virtually guaranteed at least $ 100 million .
nice numbers for a film that could have been penned by a not - too - precocious grade school kid .
godzilla is n't completely without merit , although it is close .
there 's a certain visceral thrill inherent in watching the giant lizard rip his way through manhattan ,
but it wears off quickly .
frankly
, while the special effects are competent , they 're not all that stunning .
there 's nothing new here
; it 's jurassic park meets aliens , with a little independence day thrown in for bad measure .
maybe it will require george lucas and his new star wars movie to take computer - generated visuals to the next level .
godzilla never really pushes the envelope , preferring to remain within a comfort zone .
the imagination of monster movies like king kong has been replaced by a crass , formulaic approach which disallows creativity .
( how disturbing is it to know that godzilla has been chosen to close the 51st cannes film festival ? ) worst of all , godzilla is n't even exciting .
with the possible exception of a mildly enjoyable car chase near the end , there is n't a sequence in this film that raises the pulse .
even the scenes with dozens of aircraft attacking the monster are so devoid of tension and suspense that they are yawn - provoking .
independence day may have been dumb , but it was full of " adrenaline moments " capable of getting the audience involved in the action .
in this aspect of its production , as in so many others , godzilla is lacking .
actually , part of the problem is that we 're never sure who we 're supposed to be rooting for : the green monster with an attitude or the paper - thin humans trying to stop him .
the plot , such as it is , can be summed up rather simply .
after sinking a few ships and leaving some footprints on tropical islands , godzilla shows up in the big apple .
he does some of the usual tourist things :
stops by madison square garden , visits the chrysler building , goes on a walk through central park , and takes the subway .
in the process , he knocks over a few buildings and steps on countless cabs , but he never has trouble with traffic jams .
on hand to stop him is an elite u.
s. army unit , led by a slightly less - arrogant - than - usual military man ( kevin dunn ) and a biologist named nick tatopoulos , who has a theory about godzilla .
in his opinion , the big guy is actually a lizard grown to enormous proportions as a result of the radiation given off by french atomic bomb tests in the south pacific .
in nick 's words , godzilla is " a mutated aberration ?
an incipient creature ?
the first of its kind .
"
as luck would have it , nick 's old girlfriend , audrey ( maria pitillo ) , is a reporter based at a new york tv station .
along with her cameraman friend , animal ( hank azaria ) , she decides to follow nick around as he trails godzilla .
then , just when the military has rejected nick 's theory about why godzilla is in new york , a member of the french secret service ( jean reno ) recruits him for a special assignment .
instead of stomping around tokyo this time , godzilla has chosen new york city .
unfortunately , manhattan has been destroyed so many times in recent disaster movies ( independence day , deep impact , armageddon ) that it 's becoming boring .
the whole tradition of monsters roaming around the city started with king kong , but the big ape was only about 30 feet tall .
he could climb the empire state building .
at ten times that height , godzilla would be more likely to knock it over .
godzilla contains a few lame attempts at humor .
there 's an ongoing feud between animal and his wife that plays like sit - com material , an unfunny and repetitive gag about how no one can pronounce nick 's last name properly , and a rather tame attack on film critics roger ebert and gene siskel .
both of the popular personalities have alter egos in the film : " ebert , " the mayor of new york , is played by michael lerner , and " gene " ( lorry goldman ) is his campaign manager .
ebert 's re - election slogan is , not surprisingly , " thumbs up for new york .
" the siskel / ebert stuff is amusing the first time it 's used , but , after a while , it grows tiresome .
and , although the " characters " do n't serve any real purpose , they keep popping up .
godzilla is saddled with an unimpressive cast .
this is largely because emmerich does n't want to risk a human performance upstaging his lizard .
that 's not to say that matthew broderick and jean reno are n't capable of good performances ( both have done their share of solid acting in the past ) , but they are n't a - list names .
then again , considering the quality of the writing , even pacino and deniro would have been hard- pressed to shine .
maria
pitillo ( dear god ) plays the love interest and hank azaria ( great expectations ) is on hand to present what is supposed to be comic relief .
ultimately , it does n't really matter what i ( or any other critic , for that matter ) have to say about the movie .
tristar has assumed that godzilla , like all self - proclaimed summer event motion pictures , is pretty much critic - proof .
it may also be word - of - mouth - proof .
those who want to see the movie will see it no matter what i write or their friends say .
so , when i go on record to assert that godzilla is one of the most idiotic blockbuster movies of all time , it 's like spitting into the wind .
emmerich and devlin are master illusionists , waving their wands and mesmerizing audiences with their smoke and mirrors .
it 's probably too much to hope that some day , movie - goers will wake up and realize that they 've been had .
answer:
N


question:
originally entitled dancing about architecture ( i .
e .
" talking about love is like dancing about architecture " ) , but changed because it sounded too much like the recent box - office dud dancing at lughnasa , this film slaps together a stunning cast of hollywood names , playing interesting and well - written characters , within a vignettes - styled plot arrangement a la robert altman .
plot : follow the lives of several couples falling in and out of love , finding themselves , regaining a clearer understanding of the people that they are , and who they want , and appreciating the fine emotional art of love .
critique : charmingly effective romantic drama , this film offers insight into various types of relationships , presents us with interesting characters and excellent performances from the cast , and scratches beneath the surface of love and its many complex subtleties .
how do people fall in love ?
why do people fall out of love ?
how do people fall back into love , once they 've been hurt and left to join the lonely hearts club ?
all of these questions and more , are touched upon in this film , within several types of variant relationships .
meet a hip , young couple going through their first date .
a divorcee attempting to date again after her many failed relationships .
a married woman " finding herself " while cheating on her husband .
a husband letting go of his inhibitions .
an older couple dealing with a past " love " of the man , a secret recently uncovered .
a son dying from aids , joined by his mother at the hospital .
there are many nuances to this picture , and many ideas and quotes to which we could all relate , but more importantly , there is diversity .
diversity of relationships helped me and my gang of friends enjoy this film on many levels .
some related to the younger couples ' issues .
others with the married .
there 's a little bit of everything for everyone in here .
and i would bet dollars to donuts that if i were to watch this film again in a year , i would relate myself to yet another predicament .
just like love itself , this movie is distinct and appreciated by all on many different levels .
the actors in this film are all also very , very good .
sean connery is solid as the older man with some issues to resolve , as is gena rowlands , as the aging wife with trepidations .
jolie comes out of this film a star with a great performance , while philippe is as pretty - boy as ever .
anderson leaves scully far behind with her wonderful portrayal of a damaged woman trying to re - ignite her love life , opposite a surprisingly admirable performance
by former talk - show host , jon stewart .
even dennis quaid manages to step outside of his overacting shoes in this film , and offers a convincing show of a man lost within his own imagination .
the only piece of this puzzle which left me somewhat detached , was the part surrounding jay mohr , the man dying from aids , and his mother , ellen burstyn .
the actors were fine , but somehow , the piece seemed out of place within the realm of everything else .
the ending of this film was also a little too saccharine for me , but i guess that 's just hollywood .
this film is actually a lot like your friends and neigbors ( 5 . 5/10 ) and happiness ( 4 . 5/10 ) in concept and style , but its complete anthesis in regards to character relatibility and likeness .
the characters in those films were too unique and inhuman for anyone to care , as opposed to this film , which offers rich and believable characters , living real lives and talking about real issues in today 's relationships .
all in all , this movie offers many interesting characters , talking and living genuine and engaging love lives , wonderful performances by its solid cast , too sweet of an ending , but an enjoyable and rewatchable movie nonetheless .
little known facts about this film and its stars : according to a story in the london sunday mirror , sean connery asked for only $ 60 , 000 for his role in this movie , as compared to his usual fee of $ 14 million , because he liked the script so much .
on top of that , he convinced his co - stars ( including gena rowlands , gillian anderson , ellen burstyn ,
et al . ) to do the same .
this is director / writer willard carroll second real foray into the world of " adult films " .
before this , he had written and produced many children 's movies .
gillian anderson stands 5'2 .
angelina jolie 's full name is angelina jolie voight .
she is actor jon voight 's daughter .
she has trained and performed at the lee strasberg theatre institute .
she divorced actor jonny lee miller of trainspotting ( 8 . 5/10 ) fame in 1997 .
they were married in 1995 .
actor ryan phillippe 's full name is matthew ryan phillippe .
he stands 5'9 , and spent his childhood in new castle , delaware .
his acting career started on tv 's " one life to live " .
he portrayed daytime television 's first gay teenager .
jon stewart 's full name is jonathan stewart leibowitz .
this film was originally entitled if they only knew and dancing about architecture .
watch for movie posters from swingers ( 8 . 5/10 ) , chasing amy ( 7/10 ) and the texas chainsaw massacre ( 8/10 ) at the movie theatre where the characters of joan and keenan go on their first date .
answer:

P