TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: plot : a bunch of bad guys dressed up as elvis impersonators rob a vegas casino during a presley convention .
the boys eventually get together to split the money , but as plans change , double - crosses occur , dealing and wheeling goes down and the crew set up for the road .
who 's on the up and up , who 's the real bad guy and who 's gon na get to bang courteney cox are just a few of the questions which will be answered by the rest of this movie .
critique :
the funnest movie that i 've seen so far this year !
it 's got style
, it 's got tough guys talkin ' shite
and it 's got plenty of bullets to go around .
a definite hunk - a - hunk - a burnin ' adventure !
a guy 's guy movie through and through , and one that 'll set your jollies to high if you dig on the rough stuff .
it 's not very original
, it goes on for a little too long , but costner and russell make it happen , as two shite - kickin ' elvis lovers , who do n't stop till they , more or less , drop .
this movie 's got some pretty intensive shoot - out scenes , one of the coolest robbery scenarios that i 've ever witnessed , featuring several elvises with guns a blazin ' and the king 's music playing in the background , and a decent helping of double - crosses , sharp dialogue and funny moments
.
in fact , even though the cast is filled with many name actors ( b - actors as they might be for the most part ) , most of them do their bit and succeed well in passing the torch onto the next victim .
but the true glue that holds this film together , other than the spirit of elvis himself , is costner and russell , who play their badass characters to the t .
sure , russell 's been down this road before , but costner surprised me with his nastiness .
i guess he 's pissed at all the box - office bombs that he 's been in of late , but he sure played a great unstable elvis impersonating robber here .
in the end , the bottom line with this movie is having fun , kickin ' ass and making sure there 's enough bubblegum around to chew afterwards .
and smoke
'em if you got 'em , folks !
there is also this one really great show - down scene between costner and a cop , that 'll have you crackin ' up and lovin' it all at the same time .
the violent scenes in this movie are violent and the entire film is wrapped in a soundtrack that 'll kick your arse from this end of the theatre to the next .
it should actually come to no surprise to anyone that the director of this movie comes from a music video background , with plenty , and i mean plenty , of camera tricks , cuts and edits , but for this kind of flick , it actually works .
the film is not perfect though , it starts off with a pretty big bang , but then pulls a way of the gun on us , and slows the pace down somewhat in the middle , while characters intermingle and disperse .
i was personally kept in the game despite some soft spots , and enjoyed the overall ride for what it was as well .
and did i mention that courteney cox looked mega - hot in the movie ?
no . . .
okay ,
well i just did !
i coulda done without her whole " romance " angle , but to be honest
, it does n't take up much of the film , which is generally covered in blood , explosions , guts and elvis nods .
try to see how many " inside " connections to the king you can guess .
of course , it 's no secret that i am quite a big elvis fan myself
so please take this whole review with that grain of salt in mind .
i also like these types of " guy " movies a lot , and even though the film does n't bring much originality to the table , it does offer a pretty coherent story , some nice twists and turns , humor and a big ol' helping of whoop - ass coming straight from costner and russell 's respective boots .
probably not a film for everyone , but definitely for those who enjoy the guns , the charismatic bad guys and a fun , if entirely disposable , adventure .
now see how many elvis songs i 've used to pun my way through this phony review below .
the elvis songs also recommend this movie !
so whether you 're lonesome tonight or any other night , remember to pack the teddy bear with bullets , leave your little sister at home , bring your bossa nova baby and rock out of that jailhouse , cause this movie ai n't one to return to the sender .
i really beg of you , whether you 're stuck in the ghetto or crying in the chapel , to slap this cinematic ring around your neck and love it tender .
and no suspicious minds either , folks , cause i got stung by this movie , i mean it really shook me up , and unless you 're the devil in disguise himself , i think you wo n't be able to help falling in love with this lucky charm either
.
so do n't be cruel
, do n't turn away , do n't curl up with your latest flame tonite ( whether she be a hard - headed woman or not ) and surrender to the hound dog of movies that is this film .
it 's now or never , folks .
trust me , i did it my way and the heartbreak hotel of crappy movies that i 'd seen
so far this year is far behind me .
joblo has now officially left the sanity of his mind and this building .
thank you . . .
thank you very much ! !
where 's joblo coming from ?
get carter ( 7/10 ) - heat ( 8/10 ) - honeymoon in vegas ( 9/10 ) - payback ( 8/10 ) - reindeer games ( 5/10 ) -reservoir dogs ( 9/10 ) - way of the gun ( 6/10 )

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: ( warning to those who have not seen seven : this review contains some spoiler information . )
seven is a powerful , fully - realized film on the level of the silence of the lambs .
it is a disturbing film that accomplishes its biggest of goals -- it occupies the viewers mind long after the closing credits have rolled .
while this film is not for the squeamish , there is no denying that seven demands attention , for it is a film that transcends its genre in both style and substance .
for starters , classifying seven as a " thriller " would not be an altogether complete classification of this film .
while i was genuinely thrilled throughout , i would rather call seven an " intense drama , " because that is what it delivers -- meaningful scenes with a relentlessness that does not readily let up .
part of director david finchers accomplishment is in style .
he seems to have a knack for knowing exactly how the average person fears something as " simple " as a corpse .
and visually , fincher shows us the remains of murder victims in all - too - realistic and graphic terms ( courtesy of rob bottin 's always - grisly special effects ) .
throw in the appropriate but not - to - be - underestimated effects of lighting and a foreboding score and the result is a technical masterpiece of the murder scene .
these scenes alone are quite impressive ; as fascinating as they are harrowing .
yet , seven is more than just a technical accomplishment .
in addition to style , fincher supplies substance .
seven has compelling characters that it wants us to know and understand , and fincher ties them all together in a completely pessimistic view of society .
detective william somerset ( morgan freeman ) is a man who has nearly given up on the world .
its easy to see why .
the world does n't make sense .
( somerset drives this point home with a rather ghastly story of a robbery victim who was attacked just blocks from the police precinct .
after knocked down and robbed of his wallet , the attacker stabbed the helpless man in both eyes . )
why should somerset believe that by following this murder investigation and " picking up the pieces " he will be able to catch the killer ?
somersets new partner , david mills ( brad pitt ) has not given up on the world , perhaps because he is still young ( and perhaps by having this optimism he 's naive in
this films portrayal of the world ) .
he completely disagrees with somersets abandonment of hope .
however , david 's wife ( gwyneth paltrow ) has so much fear of her urban surroundings , she is n't even sure if she wants to * tell * her husband about her recent pregnancy , let alone carry it until birth and attempt to raise it in this environment .
these three characters are all performed with skill and authenticity
that makes them feel like real people and not the typical hollywood characters a lesser film might have offered .
and in addition to making clear how each of these characters sees the world , fincher gives us support for
* why * they feel the way they do .
but if there 's one character that underlines the message seven is trying to convey , it has to be the killer , john doe ( kevin spacey ) .
seven 's payoff lies in its ability to allow us to see how the killer views the world and what drives him to do what he does .
one important thing to remember about doe is how easy it is to simply dismiss him as a " psycho , " with no motives behind his slayings .
this is exactly the mistake mills makes .
in the extremely intense and superbly performed closing scenes , were allowed to see that doe is , in his mind , merely a product of society .
he 's a killer who kills those who are bringing society down .
in his mind he did n't kill " innocent " people , and , perhaps , they were not completely innocent ( but , then again , who is ? ) .
he s absolutely infuriated that mills believes that the murder victims were innocent .
really , seven does n't just comment on the superficial obviousness of how screwed - up john doe is .
seven makes larger statements about how screwed - up society is , hinting that society 's degradation is simply conducive of creating more john does .
besides the stylistic and larger - issue arguments for seeing this film , i recommend seven because it is , after all , also a very slick and well - made thriller .
it features exciting plot developments , commanding performances , lots of suspense , and a conclusion that is chilling , riveting , and quite unfair .
but then again , its a cruel world .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: for example , in happy gilmore , sandler plays a rookie golfer trying to beat a self - confident jerk of a pro .
if the star were any other comic , that would be enough motivation to drive the movie , but with sandler , the rookie also wants to win the prize money to help his grandma keep her house .
that extra motive does n't make happy gilmore a funnier movie .
it does n't really add any genuine emotional depth , either .
in fact , the motive is almost totally irrelevant to the movie .
but sandler 's philosophy seems to be , if it 's a token gesture , why not make it a nice gesture ?
that is endlessly refreshing .
in the wedding singer , sandler is right on track .
the fact that he 's a wedding singer is only superficially relevant to the story .
what kind of a wedding singer he is is even less important .
david spade could have filled the role with cynicism and sarcasm .
he could make fun of the fat , ugly , or embarrassing people he meets at weddings , and the story would be intact .
but sandler instead brings a mature goodness to the character .
he seems to really enjoy the people at weddings and treats them as though they were his own family .
robbie hart ( sandler ) does n't just sing at weddings ; he also gets the loners to join in and have fun , and he smooths it over when someone does something embarrassing .
he is exactly the man you would want at your wedding .
the day comes when robbie has his own wedding , and he is stood up by his heavy - metal bride ( the movie is set in 1985 ) .
robbie takes it hard .
he does n't sleep , he does n't eat , and he gets punched out at work when he sings " love stinks " at a wedding .
julia ( drew barrymore ) , who waitresses all the weddings in town , gives him a shoulder to cry on and an ear to talk to .
eventually , robbie starts rebounding toward julia .
he really likes her , but she 's engaged .
her fianc ? is a self - confident jerk ( do i see a trend - nope , just a formula ) who does n't deserve her , but robbie is too depressed to fight for her hand .
julia seems to like robbie too , but she ca n't leave her seemingly safe and stable fianc ? for the off - chance that robbie might be serious about her .
you know the story .
you 've seen it a million times before .
there 's always a new way to tell it , with new lovers , new chemistry , and new details , but it 's the same story .
and sometimes , it works .
the wedding singer works .
first of all , the chemistry between sandler and barrymore is effective .
actually , it 's not so much the chemistry between the two as it is each one 's own romantic tension .
sandler captures the forlorn sleepwalking look of a jilted man , struck with an unattainable love .
barrymore is charming
as the girl next door looking for someone serious to settle down with .
sparks do n't fly when they kiss , but they both seem right for each other .
second , their love is mature .
they are not driven by passionate sexual attraction - they 're a cute couple , but neither sandler nor barrymore is centerfold material .
instead , they are both looking for someone meaningful , someone to settle down with , someone to grow old with .
at a wedding , robbie comforts a kid throwing up in a dumpster while julia sits by .
the repulsing situation is taken in stride , as if the two were already parents , caring for their sick child .
the ? 80s soundtrack and references play a big part in this movie .
other critics liked this movie in part because of the ' 80s soundtrack .
i liked it in spite of the soundtrack .
often , the music and references felt forced .
for example , robbie tells his ex - fianc ?
to " get out of my van halen t - shirt before you jinx the band
and they break up .
"
( ha ha ha . get it ?
david lee roth did leave van halen ! ) or how about when sammy ( allen covert ) , robbie 's chauffeur friend , shows up at a party wearing a michael jackson jacket and - get this - a single silver glove .
( that 's exactly what mj used to wear all the time ! ) .
unfortunately , making fun of generalizations about a past era is too easy to be rewarding .
that 's not to say the movie is n't funny .
screenwriter tim herlihy has written for sandler before ( billy madison and happy gilmore ) , and the two make a good combination
.
herlihy knows what sort of jokes sandler is good at and has tailored the script to his straight - faced , smart - aleck style .
let 's hope herlihy and sandler stick together for a few more projects because this movie really won me over .
with barrymore 's charm and sandler 's heart , it was hard to go wrong .

SOLUTION:
P