TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: hollywood has really done the whole dracula thing to death ( no pun intended - honest ) .
it 's a shame , too , because the good count was probably the most frightening out the old b - movie monsters .
i mean , come on .
are people really going to get that scared over a big green guy named frankenstein that moves at a speed of five miles per hour ?
hell no .
and not only was the idea of a vampire frightening as hell , but it also carried with it a kind of sensual feeling as well , not commonly associated with horror films .
and not only has the idea been done too many times , but with the possible exception of from dusk ' till dawn , has not been done very well lately , either .
this is precisely why
it was so much fun for me watching the original nosferatu .
i got to go back to the times when making movies ( even horror movies ) was considered an art form , and not just done to make cash like nowadays .
and that is exactly what this film is ; art .
i 've been a horror fan since i was eight years old , and to this day
i have not seen any horror film cover the intellectual ground that this film covers
.
let me backtrack a minute .
when i say " intellectual ground " , i do n't mean that nosferatu tackles philosophical questions or anything like that , i just mean that in order for the film to work the way it was intended to , a little bit of thinking is involved .
with most modern slasher movies like friday the 13th and what - not , you can just simply sit back in your chair and be frightened by the gore that is shown .
those movies could have been made by a fifth grader with a good makeup kit ; movies like this require the viewer to actually pay attention and ponder what is happening on the screen .
you see , this movie has barely any violence in it and even less blood or gore .
this is a thinking man 's slasher flick .
the " nosferatu " of the title is orlock ( max shreck ) , a strange , hermit - like count that , as the film opens , is looking for a new home to buy .
he employs the help of hutter ( gustav von wangenhein ) , a real estate salesman ( or something to that effect ) who has a nice home and even a fiancee named ellen ( greta schroeder ) . upon orders from his boss , hutter treks to the transylvanian mountains to visit orlock 's castle and speak to him about his new home ( which just happens to be right next door to hutter 's ) .
the next morning , he wakes up to find teeth marks on his neck . . .
not really a good sign .
he then discovers through some reading that the count is a " nosferatu " , or vampire , one of the undead that feeds off the blood of living humans .
but by the time he pieces this together , he is too late ; orlock has already embarked to hutter 's hometown via boat .
will hutter reach his destination in time to save his fiancee from the deadly clutches of count orlock ?
the character of orlock is , of course , dracula .
the only only reason his name was changed was because this was an unauthorized account of bram strocker 's novel .
just thought that was an interesting little side note .
. .
probably the only way you will get to see
this fine film is by purchasing a copy of arrow entertainment 's digitally restored cut , now available in stores .
however , this version is quite different than maunau 's original masterpiece .
the movie is now sporting a new soundtrack by band type o - negative and color tinting , much like the 1984 version of lang 's metropolis .
now , i really appreciate what arrow entertainment is trying to do here , bringing a classic like this to the attention of a wider audience that might have otherwise just skipped this one .
but alas
, i like watching movies the way they were originally intended to be seen .
but that 's just my bag
; you may like the newer , more " modern " version better .
either way , i suggest investing your money in a copy .
if you like what they have done with it , pop it in the vcr and enjoy .
if you 're like me , just do what i 'll do during future viewings ; turn the color all the way down on your television , hit mute , turn on some bach or mozart or whatever , dim the lights and prepare to view what is truly one of the greatest films ever made .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: since 1990 , the dramatic picture has undergone a certain change of style .
now , instead of emphasizing feel - good stories replete with characters of noble virtues , the screenplays and direction point toward human struggle and sorrow .
this realist tendancy can be inspiring at times , as 1993 's schindler 's list shows .
most of today 's mainstream drama , however , creates an overabundance of emoting that can turn off members of the audience .
that 's why pictures like october sky , which are a throwback to the good ol' dramas of yesteryear , are such a welcome relief in contemporary cinema .
the movie is based on the true story of homer hickam ( jake gyllenhaal ) , a teenager in the 1950 's company town of coalwood , west virginia .
it 's a well - known fact that the only boys to make a name for themselves are the ones that get out of the town on football scholarships ; the rest grow up to work in the coal mine .
the mine , which is run by homer 's father ( chris cooper ) , is not the place for homer , however .
after watching the soviet satellite sputnik shoot across the october sky in 1957 , homer feels a connection with the outside world -- as he puts it , " anyone in the world could look up and see the same thing i did .
" drafting two of his best friends and the brainiac outcast , homer begins to construct rockets .
with the help of their history teacher , miss riley ( laura dern ) , and several mine workers , the four are soon bound for great things .
october sky is a skillfully crafted film , and most of that credit must go to director joe johnston .
johnston -- whose career in the film industry includes everything from directing well - known titles like jumanji and the rocketeer down to an uncredited role as a death star trooper in star wars -- certainly knows what he 's doing here .
he molds characters which are true to life and also fun to watch into a plot that is straightforward and robust
.
he does not push any barriers , but instead adopts a conservative style of filmmaking which enhances the film 's charm .
his finesse brings out elements which might otherwise be lost -- such as the relationships between homer and various mine workers , or the silent struggle between homer 's mother and father .
the cast is well chosen , although the true bright spots are the supporting roles
.
laura dern ( jurassic park ) lends a strong performance in the role of the history teacher , giving the boys the support and guidance they need .
her role is instantly likeable .
chris cooper ( the horse whisperer ) , as homer 's father , is less likeable -- even downright despicable at times -- but his turn here gives gravity to the movie .
he 's definitely a driving force in homer 's life , and his more humane moments give the piece a certain dynamic that is commendable .
the script is generally cheerful , projecting the boys ' endeavors in a lighthearted manner .
there are moments when it becomes predictable -- such as the train tracks scene -- and there are moments when it sacrifices orginality for the need to come up with an emotional plot twist .
it highlights the essence of youth , however , and for its exceptional job at this it can be forgiven other missteps .
october sky
should be a success with audiences .
although it does n't have the appeal of current teen flicks like varsity blues or she 's all that ,
it certainly holds an undeniable quality that older crowds will lean towards .
it 's a welcome change to the dramatic genre , and one that everyone should see .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: last summer , a feature - length version of the avengers hit theaters to the tune of a unanimous critical panning .
based on the famous 60 's television show , the film was an enormous box - office flop and a huge disappointment for warner bros .
a year later , the studio is up to their old tricks again , with the unnecessary revival of the robert conrad program the wild , wild west .
but it sounded promising : the same tag - team of star will smith and director barry sonnenfeld , who both contributed to make men in black such a financial success , is at the reins again .
and co - star kevin kline is attached to the project , as well as a substantial budget to spice up the special effects .
i mean , what could possibly go wrong ?
the answer is just about everything .
wild wild west is a cinematic abomination - a film that was so entirely pointless to begin with that it is never given a proper chance to get out of the gate
.
there are a lot of fancy special effects , and a handful of distinguished actors who try desperately to tunnel through the inane plot and make a lasting impression .
but the script is so deliriously uneven , the entire movie so off course , that no human being or technical achievement has a chance to salvage it .
at square one , we have a bizarre case of casting .
will smith plays james west , a renegade cowboy who was originally played by white actor robert conrad in the tv series .
my guess regarding the casting of african - american smith is a simple one : the actor + a cozy summertime release = big bucks for all those involved .
smith is a very talented performer who usually brings swift assurance to any comic relief material , but this is not an ideal role for him .
he 's too much of a joker .
i heard that initial casting included george clooney in the lead role , and frankly , that sounds a lot more plausible .
what makes matters worse is that smith goes through the role with such self - assurance in his eyes ; you can practically sense his contentment with the fact that he knows wild wild west will be a huge hit at the summer box office .
the plot involves west and cross - dressing government agent artemus gordon ( kevin kline ) , who are assigned by the president to recover a group of kidnapped scientists .
the trail leads to the diabolical dr .
arliss loveless ( kenneth branagh ) , a man with no lower body who speaks in a dry , witty southern accent .
loveless has taken the country 's top technical minds hostage so that they can assist in his deranged plan of total government control , using lethal superweapons to destroy entire towns .
one such weapon is an 80-foot mechanical tarantula , bearing eight spindly legs of thrashing metal and spewing enormous fireballs left and right .
the visual effects that bring this metallic bug to life are spectacular , seamlessly blending computer - generated imagery with the western surroundings .
unfortunately , all of these effects seem so detached from the story , and can do little to support the film 's plot deficiencies , which are undoubtedly the main problem .
wild wild west is a running gag that never truly works .
most of the jokes , usually care of smith , die on arrival .
if it 's one thing that could possibly be the saving grace , it 's the performances , and even they are mostly off - kilter and poorly delivered
.
kline is admirable , but he has little to do but invent silly devices on the spot .
salma hayek is wasted as the romantic interest , because she is viewed as little more than that - window dressing to look pretty and create conflict between west and gordon .
branagh , an esteemed shakespearean actor and director , adds marginal enjoyment to the film .
but even he is so utterly weird and over - the - top .
rarely is a film so lost in itself as wild wild west is .
i suppose there 's always one turkey of the summer season ; a highly anticipated , big - budget release that manages to completely disappoint
.
wild wild west is such a movie , and will probably go down as one of the biggest disappointments of 1999 .
but it is highly unlikely that this will go down in defeat at the box office .
perhaps after this , audiences will be less assured when they see will smith 's name stamped on a summer movie .
after such hits as independence day and mib , wild wild west is not an impressive addition to the resume .

SOLUTION:
N