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

Q: note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . be forewarned .
like its own opening shot , from out of the darkness boogie nights triumphantly explodes upon the film scene with stunning authority and clarity , persuasively heralding its helmer paul thomas anderson as a bonafide major talent .
a sprawling epic set in the heart of the disco era and focused upon the ascension and decline of a troupe in the adult film industry , boogie nights is an astonishingly ambitious feature film which is completely effective both as an utterly entertaining joyride and as a strikingly impressive piece of filmmaking .
the film follows a soft - spoken young man , eddie adams ( mark wahlberg ) from torrance , through his induction into the erotic picture business to stardom , and later , to a harrowingly precipitous drop .
as boogie nights opens , he 's toiling as a dishwasher in a trendy san fernando valley nightclub , and living at home under the thumb of a tyrannical mother who denigrates him at every opportunity .
recruited by fatherly jack horner ( a rejuvenated burt reynolds ) , a successful porn filmmaker , eddie abandons his old life in favour of a new one as dirk diggler , pornstar .
wholeheartedly embraced by jack 's troupe , including the maternal amber waves ( julianne moore ) , reed rothchild ( john c . reilly ) , buck swope ( don cheadle ) , rollergirl ( heather graham ) , dirk and his " one special thing " are quickly propelled to the top of his field , fulfilling his mantra of being a " big bright shining star " .
his lack of discipline , however , incites a chain of circumstances which sees dirk and his friends unravel as a new decade is ushered in .
the element of boogie nights which literally commands attention is the bravura direction by mr .
anderson , whose fascination and prowess with the camera is obvious .
from the terrific tracking shot throughout a nightclub which opens the film and introduces the players through to the showy sequence in the camera follows a female partygoer diving into a pool , mr .
anderson 's accomplished command of the camera is without question .
while novice directors often demonstrate an unfortunate lack of restraint in terms of flamboyant camerawork which ultimately proves to be aggravating , impertinent and self - congratulatory ( case in point : marc rocco 's unforgettable perpetual - motion helming of murder in the first ) , in boogie nights every zoom or pan by mr .
anderson , be it slow and deliberate or energetically sharp , is purposeful and potent .
it 's a rarity and a delight to discover such a confidently assured work so early in a filmmaker 's career -- boogie nights is only his second feature film , following up his debut feature from earlier this year ,
hard eight -- and
although it 's somewhat derivative ( his storytelling style is reminiscent of robert altman , while in terms of visuals he 's clearly influenced by martin scorsese ) , at least he 's borrowing from some of the best , and it 's entirely effective within the context of this film .
while boogie nights is astonishingly polished from a technical perspective , in terms of sheer entertainment value it 's also rollicking good fun , with a wickedly deadpan sense of humour .
the film perfectly captures the essence of the disco period in terms of music , clothes , hairstyles , dance , idioms , and culture , aided immeasurably by impeccable production design by bob ziembicki and costume design by mark bridges , and boogie nights convincingly catapults the audience back to this recent , pre - aids - scare period in american history where uninhibited , free - wheeling lifestyles abounded .
while much of the film 's humour pertains to the characters ' obliviousness of now - outdated aspects of their lives then prevalent in society -- a prime example is part - time salesman buck swope 's demo of a stereo system with an eight - track tape , and inviting a prospective customer to get ' freaky deaky ' with the music -- it 's elicited with an undercurrent not of ridicule , but of wistful reminiscence , and some the throwback elements in the film are strangely wondrous .
a giant ensemble disco dance production number in a nightclub is funny , to be sure , but oddly magical , and the sequence which lovingly explores eddie / dirk 's bedroom , completely adorned with posters and elements of iconic 1970s figures ( farrah fawcett , cheryl tiegs , bruce lee ) is breathtaking .
ably supported by a well - selected collection of period music ( all of which purportedly came straight from mr .
anderson 's personal collection )
, there 's a clear affection for the era in boogie nights .
it 's the period aspect and the playfully comic nostaligism of boogie nights which has been played up in its marketing campaign in deference of the pornography element of the storyline ; the film 's promotional trailer markedly avoids any explicit reference to the adult film industry which unites its characters .
after the debacle with 1996 's milos forman film , the people vs .
larry flynt , another finely - crafted work which was knocked off the market prematurely due to controversy regarding its pornography - related storyline , the new line marketing team faced a unique challenge with boogie nights in terms of attempting to deemphasize the relatively risque erotic picture element of the story in order to increase salability to the general public .
however , while boogie nights delves into the world of the adult film industry of two decades ago , it 's hardly a lurid or seamy film -- given the subject matter , there 's very little nudity , and virtually none of it can be construed as gratuitous -- and boogie nights smartly depicts
erotic filmmaking not as a hotbed of carnality , but simply as a business .
the glimpses on the sets of jack horner 's shoots reveal that while the films he makes are intended to titillate , there 's a candid matter - of - factness in terms of sex ; his cast and crew are professionals who are merely doing a job , and it 's refreshing that the obvious cliches of depravity and sinful lechery often linked to dismissive portraits of adult filmmaking , such as coercion or debauchery , are avoided .
if anything , boogie nights is more interested in the process of adult filmmaking than the adult films themselves .
jack horner 's dream is an honourable one -- he genuinely aspires to make a great film -- and to some degree boogie nights is reminiscent of ed wood ( albeit lacking a certain wistful innocence ) .
in both films , the world of quickie low - budget filmmaking is explored , and both jack horner and the version of ed wood by tim burton , scott alexander , and larry karaszewski share similar mindsets -- jack 's retort of " there are shadows in light , baby " to his cinematographer 's complaint about poor set lighting echoes back to ed
wood 's
" it 's not about the little details , it 's about the big picture !
" rant when it is pointed out that his graveyard set for plan 9 from outer space appears patently false .
in boogie nights and ed wood , the aspirations of the respective filmmakers ' prove to be bemusing , not in their intentions -- there 's nothing inherently silly in the goal of making an ' artistic ' erotic picture -- but in the degree that they miss the mark .
much like the humour lacing ed wood , the laughs involving jack horner are double - edged ; after viewing a hilarious excerpt from one of his latest films which hybridizes the james bond and porn genres , when jack breathes " this is the best work i 've ever done " , it 's genuinely funny , but given his utter sincerity , also possesses a tinge of sadness .
mr .
anderson is at this point clearly a greater talent as a director than a screenwriter .
while boogie nights shows great inventiveness in staging , there really is n't any clever dialogue in the film , though a valid point certainly can be made that none of the film 's characters particularly lend themselves to thoughtful verbal exchanges ; when one considers that the film 's * protagonist * literally does n't say a single insightful thing throughout the entire 152 minute running time , it 's no wonder why the playfully inane " how much can you bench ?
" banter between dirk and reed constitutes one of the film 's finest exchanges .
and while mr .
anderson creates a rich collection of fascinating characters
, it 's problematic that some of the the threads given to the film 's characters are simply stale material -- julianne moore 's child custody battle is fairly cliched stuff , better suited for a less risque and uninspired tv - movie version of her character 's story , and far less interesting than the thread dealing with her woefully hackneyed filmmaking ambitions .
still , even if he does n't always know what to do with his characters , mr .
anderson most definitely captures their essences , and his resolutely nonjudgemental affection for them is infectious -- misguided , even aimless , hopelessly naive , self - destructive , insufferable : i loved them just the same .
in any case , it 's hard to pick nits with a screenplay which contains one of the most audacious and inspired ( and ultimately best - executed ) scenes of the year :
a scene where dirk diggler and reed rothchild are dragged along by their loose - cannon compadre to the home of drug baron rahad jackson ( a mesmerizing alfred molina in an unforgettable performance , even if it 's a small one ) in a suicidal drug deal scam , only to find that the millionaire is a crazed eccentric ( the part where he stops the deal to listen to the crescendo of night ranger 's " sister christian " on his stereo system is sheer brilliance ) flanked by an armed bodyguard .
if this scene already was n't tense enough with these elements , mr .
anderson introduces a chinese boy that wanders through the scene , who for no discernable reason is tossing firecrackers around the room , pushing the scene to a new , surreal level of delightful giddiness .
there are some other interesting touches in boogie nights .
mr .
anderson recycles the use of long methodical chimes on the soundtrack from hard eight ; here , it accompanies the violent intercut sequences which depict the prostration of various characters to frightening effect .
similarly , a painful scene where crew member scotty j ( philip seymour hoffman ) breaks down in tears in the driver 's seat , sobbing " i 'm so stupid " after being rebuffed by dirk after an awkward but heartfelt advance is strikingly played out exactly as a later scene with dirk in the driver 's seat after a particularly tumultuous and traumatic evening .
boogie nights is exceedingly well cast , and each of the actors rise to the occasion ; the ensemble cast is uniformly good .
while most of the acting accolades will no doubt go to mr .
wahlberg ( fulfilling upon the sparks of promise he demonstrated in some of his earlier films ) and mr .
reynolds ( terrific as the father figure and stable anchor of the film , ringing true in every respect ) , a handful of other performances
which might otherwise be overlooked deem mention .
mr .
reilly demonstrates here , as he did for brief glimpses in ulu grosbard 's georgia , a genuine aptitude for comedy -- many of his scenes in boogie nights are among the very funniest in the film .
i 'm not sure how much of his performance as reed was scripted and how much was done on the spot , but he plays the quintessential second banana character to a tee .
mr .
reilly is the best part of the big disco dance production number , and
it 's wickedly funny to watch his reed join in with dirk after the fact in threatening the new stud on the block during a macho altercation .
worth the price of admission alone is the glimpse of him getting down in the recording studio while the dirk character is laying down a numbingly bad ( and dead - on period ; it sure sounds like bad early 1980s to me ) demo track
" you got the touch " in a vain attempt at a musical career .
mr .
reilly plays his vacant character with utter conviction which is convincing and effective .
ms .
graham , with her long dirty blonde hair , innocent demeanour , and huge hazel eyes , looks like a disney animated heroine come to life -- or in this case , a disney animated heroine who came to life , made a wrong turn , and ended up on the new line lot in a film focused on the late 70s / early 80s adult film industry .
consequently , it 's a bit incongruous to see this cheery sweet - faced starlet whizzing about the set on her roller skates , but in a scene where she 's lounging in a limousine prowling the streets , garish red lipstick messily smeared on , giving the camera a hilariously pouty come - hither look , all one can do is gulp .
her role in the film sadly needs more fleshing out ( err -- in a figurative sense ) -- she 's essentially a glorified extra -- but she does score impressively in her key scene which is unnerving in its sheer primal ferocity .
( if only mr .
anderson had filmed the scene so that we could actually see the expression of rage and anguish on her face , though ! ) and a cautionary tale for the strict and prudish : as a teen , ms .
graham 's parents forbade her to take a part in the twisted cult classic heathers ; since then , her most notable roles have been as a junkie ( gus van sant 's drugstore cowboy ) and now a porn starlet .
draw your own conclusions .
perhaps the most quietly touching performance in boogie nights is that of mr .
cheadle , who lends dignity to his role as a character in search of his identity , and whose quest is comically manifested by a series of changes in his sense of fashion .
his relationship with his cheerfully supportive new wife jessie st .
vincent ( an interesting melora walters ) is wholly compelling has genuine sweetness , and although his general longing for acceptance from others is perceptible , it 's no more so than in the bank scene where his loan application to open a stereo store is rejected due to his background in the porn industry .
while the scenario is familiar , the wounded look in cheadle 's eyes makes the scene unforgettable .
luis guzman 's most famous work is possibly in brian de palma 's carlito 's way , and here he plays a variation on the same character : maurice t .
rodriguez is a hapless but good - natured nightclub owner who 's a hanger - on to jack 's group , ingratiating himself into the clique and constantly hounding jack , with little disguise made of his desperation , for a part in one of his erotic pictures .
jack 's eventual acquiescence to maurice 's request leads to one of boogie nights ' biggest comic payoffs .
boogie nights is a stunning achievement due to the virtuoso direction by mr .
anderson , who immediately asserts his presence in the film industry as a presence of note with this work .
striking a fine balance between humour and drama , and exceptionally well - crafted , there 's no doubt that boogie nights is among the very best films of the year .

A: P
****
Q: why do so many children 's films treat their target audience with utter contempt ? too many of those who write or direct for children 's movies assume that the kids just ca n't handle serious , thoughtful discussions on meaningful issues .
"
the iron giant , " which was directed and co - written by brad bird , late of such animated series as " the simpsons " and " king of the hill , " assumes that not only can children handle such discussions , but that they can do so while being entertained at the same time .
"
the iron giant " holds absolutely no contempt for the young people in the audience , making it a film that 's enjoyable for both children and adults alike
.
hogarth hughes ( voice of eli marienthal ) is a spirited young lad who lives with his hard - working single mother , annie ( jennifer aniston ) , in a small town in maine .
after staying up late and watching scary movies on a night his mother is away , hogarth treks out into the forest to investigate what has stolen his antenna and ruined his tv reception .
he comes across a giant robot ( vin diesel ) from space that eats metal for food .
after saving the robot , nicknamed the iron giant , from electric shock , hogarth befriends the creature and takes him in as a pet of sorts .
because of damage he suffered upon landing , the giant has forgotten what his original mission was , so he just follows hogarth around like a lost puppy .
realizing he ca n't just keep the giant in a barn all the time , and that the giant needs food , he takes him to a junkyard owned by dean ( harry connick jr . ) , an eccentric artist who assembles sculptures out of scrap iron in his spare time .
it soon becomes apparent that dean and hogarth ca n't keep the giant a secret forever , because a government spook named kent mansley ( christopher mcdonald ) has been brought in to investigate mysterious sightings in the surrounding forest area and considers the giant a threat to national security .
he suspects hogarth knows something about the giant , and takes up residence in hogarth 's house as a lodger .
meanwhile , the giant begins to exhibit ominous behavior that suggests he was built to be a weapon of some kind .
"
the iron giant " is exactly what family films ought to be , because it doesn ' t talk down to its audience .
the story is simple , very simple , about an alien being that drops out of the sky and befriends a young boy .
it 's very similar to the spielberg classic " e .
t . , ' and such comparisons are actually deserved in the case of " the iron giant .
"
the film holds many of the better elements of spielberg 's film , such as the ability to be sentimental without turning sappy .
the film delivers several serious messages , the most important of which is one 's ability to choose one 's own fate .
hogarth teaches the giant to go against his programming and become what he wants to be : a hero .
the final sequence is touching and appropriate , though i wo n't give it away , i will say that very few will be disappointed .
the animation , while not up to disney standards ( what could be , after " tarzan " ? ) , is good enough to make you forget you 're watching a cartoon .
the giant is computer - animated , while the human characters are all hand - drawn the old - fashioned way .
the characters ' faces are done quite well , drawn realistically enough to make the personalities credible , but the features are exaggerated so as to allow for the cartoonish expressions that provide for comic relief .
fine voice work is turned in by young eli marienthal as hogarth , and jennifer aniston is surprisingly convincing as his waitress mother .
harry connick jr .
does a nice characterization as dean , and i really enjoyed the voice work of john mahoney ( of tv 's " frasier " ) as an army general called in by agent mansley .
unlike several cartoon features , each character is actually a developed personality , rather than a stereotype , and is actually integral to the plot , rather than being a superfluous comic - relief sidekick ( a clich ?
disney still has n't ditched ) .
dean , for example , could have been a stereotypical beatnik ( his character profile seems to suggest that ) , but he is presented as a character with real emotions , thoughts , and motivations .
even the heavy , agent mansley , is not a villain who does bad things simply because he wants to , but out of his own fear and paranoia .
a lesser animated feature would have drawn up paper - thin stereotypes and figure the kids wo n't mind , but " the iron giant " has clearly put a little work into making the characters real , and it pays off .
the film is n't only around to deliver heavy - handed messages , though .
it 's also very funny , and the humor is of the kind that both children and adults will enjoy .
the scenes in which hogarth teaches the giant to do certain things , such as dive into a pool , are handled well , and director brad bird clearly has a sense of comic timing , having worked on " the simpsons " for many years .
a sequence where hogarth and mansley attempt to " outlast " one another by trying to stay awake is very nicely timed , and also extremely clever .
the film even takes some jabs at america 's nuclear paranoia during the early stages of the cold war , satirizing the lame safety films shown to grade school students that tell them to " duck and cover " in the event of a nuclear attack .
"
the iron giant " has much more of a satirical edge to it than most family films , and the edgy humor is actually quite refreshing .
instead of seeing people get bonked on the head , we get well - timed , clever gags that seem to have required some imagination to come up with
.
when you get right down to it , " the iron giant " is no more than the story of a boy and his robot .
the story is so straightforward , so quaint , that it ultimately becomes charming .
though i enjoy the complex plotting of film noir as much as the next person , when it comes to family entertainment , simple is the way to go .
it 's akin to one of those bedtime stories your father told that had you hanging on his every word , but it 's not the story that sets the film above others of its kind ,
but rather the elements that go into the story , namely real characters and thoughtful dialogue , which " the iron giant " has in spades .

A: P
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Q: there are those of us who think of leslie nielsen as the bumbling , hapless straight man from the hysterical " naked gun " films , crack an immediate smile and forgive him of whatever wavering movie spoof he 's committed himself to starring in since .
the wavering movie spoofs , however , are less forgivable .
to be fair , " wrongfully accused , " the send - up in question and nielsen 's third parody since the last " gun ,
" is n't quite as excruciatingly humorless as his " dracula :
dead and loving it " or " spy hard , " which is a mighty good thing .
nielsen is still in tip - top comedic form , able as ever to deadpan his way through even the most horrible puns ,
but he really needs a screenplay that plays off his talents instead of relying on them , and he needs one very soon .
" wrongfully accused " meshes together the premises of " the fugitive " and " patriot games ,
" casting its always game star as ryan harrison ( get it ? ) , a master violinist who is drawn into an affair with a married temptress (
kelly
le brock ) .
she , however , sets harrison up to take the rap for the murder of her husband ( michael york )
- a crime actually committed by a one - armed , one - legged , one - eyed man ( aaron pearl ) .
harrison is arrested , found guilty and sentenced to death , but
escapes from a prison bus , of course , and then is pursued by a determined u.
s.
marshal named fergus falls ( richard crenna , unnecessarily riffing off of tommy lee jones ' already smirky oscar - winning role ) .
there 's also a mystery brunette ( melinda mcgraw ) and an assassination subplot involving the u. n. secretary general , but like any of it matters .
" wrongfully accused " gets off to an assured start , with an in - concert nielsen , touted " lord of the violin " by bare - chested posters , pulling a jimi hendrix on his musical instrument as hundreds of tuxedo - clad mosh in front of the stage .
nice touch .
most of the scenes that follow , however , never top the opener .
( hysterical exceptions : the mentos and " baywatch " goofs . )
movie parodies are crammed in at an almost - subliminal rate , but most are empty .
when a giant snake lunges onto the screen and snatches a cast member a la " anaconda " or baseball players disappear into a " field of dreams " -esque cornfield
, there 's really nothing to laugh at .
other moments , like an interlude in a fishing shop , are so unfocused that you 're not sure what you 're supposed to be laughing at .
there seem to be more cheap references than frenzied send - ups here , so
it 's possible that director / writer pat proft , by bombarding the viewer with a careless mixture of the two , guarantees something is sure to stick .
and what does stick sticks well , particularly the jabs at genre conventions like stylized flashbacks and hard - boiled dialogue , what those
" naked gun " s ( which proft collaborated on ) did great ; these bits are so on - target that they allow you to remember " wrongfully accused " as an almost - halfway - there spoof instead of a lame - brained failure .
the movie might have been cursed to begin with , opening fast on the heels of " mafia ! " , from proft colleague jim abrahams , and " baseketball , " from proft colleague david zucker , but
it 's a strong possibility that nobody is going to be accusing " wrongfully accused " of being nielsen 's funniest .

A:
N
****