TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: the job of the film critic is to see a movie and write a review of it that tells you what it 's about and why it 's good or bad .
i feel kind of embarrassed to admit this , but i after having seen " get carter
" i really ca n't tell you what it 's about although i could go on and on about how and why it 's a bad movie .
" get carter " falls into that category of ?
movies that continue to be made for reasons unknown to anyone outside of a hollywood executive board room .
you might call them the " steven seagal / mickey rourke / jean - claude van damme / wesley snipes school of mediocre action / crime thrillers .
"
you know - the potboilers that are heavy on fistfights , shoot - outs and car chases but really light on plot and character development .
they have stories where the so - called hero just keeps running into characters who have some connection to one of the other characters who are all antagonists without a reason for being in the movie other than to give the protagonist someone to fight , chase or shoot at .
sylvester stallone stars as jack carter , a las vegas - based mob enforcer who returns home
* for his brother 's funeral .
he believes his brother ?
richie was " taken out " and did n't die from a dwi accident .
carter 's one of the most cliche bad - asses ever captured on celluloid .
his face alone is pretty intimidating and there 's quite a few scenes in which he leans on both regular citizens and criminal lowlives simply by staring them down and speaking with confidence in his " rambo - on - testosterone - therapy " voice .
stallone 's performance in this movie is so forced and unnatural
he does n't realize he 's mocking himself .
the actual story involves carter 's investigation into his brother richie 's death .
he 's in a town that 's not his
but somehow the local top dogs know him very well .
mickey rourke co - stars as one of these characters , a sort of crime boss who has something to do with running a porno web site and blackmailing a young internet tycoon
( played by alan cummings looking and acting a lot like pee wee herman ) .
there 's also another plot involving richie 's mistress , a secret cd - rom with some convicting and disturbing evidence on it and something terrible involving one of carter 's still - living relatives .
i 'm rolling my eyes
just thinking about trying to critique all this in a way that could be remotely comprehendible .
i could just rip the screenplay to shreds , plus the direction or the editing or the production values but that would require discussion of nearly every scene in order to explain it all .
i do n't like to put spoliers in my reviews either intentionally or accidentally .
yes , " get carter " is just that complicated and complex .
and what 's worse is that it 's not this intricate to make it seem smart like " the usual suspects " for example - just the opposite .
you get the feeling whoever wrote this script
did it in short intervals spaced far apart
and they probably did n't remember what had already happened and did n't figure out how each scene would lead in to the next one or how the major plot points would work towards the climax .
all you really need to know is that most of the film is just scenes of carter tracking down one scumbag or supposed witness after another , asking them what they know , getting information and then realizing that if he was n't a complete idiot he could have figured it out in the first five minutes .
although the supporting characters are equally stupid themselves since they tell him everything which comes back to haunt them in one violent way or another .
making a movie entirely about criminals does n't necessarily mean they have to be unlikable and cliche cutout characters .
mel gibson starred in " payback " a few years ago
that had a story not unlike this one but had such a good screenplay you could n't help
but like him even though he was just as bad a guy as jack carter .
so ultimately " get
carter " fails for pretty much every selling point it has
. carter is not a likable character and you really do n't care if he gets revenge or not .
the action sequences are not at all exciting or original .
the enemies and their massive conspiracy are not threatening at all ( c'mon , you know who 's going to win every brawl and shoot - out and car chase ) .
in the end you do n't feel nearly satisfied with the results .
the filmmakers did a good job in doing everything as unoriginal as possible .
*
the city is never mentioned by name
but i assume it 's seattle since all the cars have washington license plates
and it 's always raining .

SOLUTION: N

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: we share the descent into darkness of a talented boy pianist .
years later we see his subsequent resurfacing ; in the mid 80 's a damaged man walks out of a rainstorm and back into the world .
the movie charts the causes of his mental breakdown .
based on the life story of david helfgott , this australian film is a rich exploration of the pressures drilling in upon a child - genius , compounded by the looming shadow of a domineering father .
in the 1950 's helfgott emerged as a child prodigy .
the film traces his relationship with his father , whose encouragement comes at the cost of demanding david have no life beyond that of the black and white keys .
david is offered places in the usa , but his father refuses to let him leave australia .
the effect this has upon helfgott is cleverly told via a single reverse tracked shot ; david is sobbing on the front doorway of his music teacher 's house .
he is well lit via the external house lights .
his teacher is n't home .
we pull back and see that the dark front room 's window has it 's curtains open .
there , in a pool of blackness , is a grand piano .
david 's fall over the dark cliff has begun .
instead of being told in a linear mode , shine jumps around in time , ala " pulp fiction " .
this narrative device works well ; we see david as a boy , teenager in london and mental - patient in various snippets .
the film then neatly loops back for its uplifting conclusion .
adult - helfgott 's return to the light is told in linear fashion .
the lead role is played by 3 different actors , with the teenage - david ( taylor ) and adult - david ( rush ) standing out
.
whilst rush is known for his tv work in australia , i think this is his first major cinema work .
his david , whilst clearly damaged - he keeps quoting his " daddy " in a babbling word torrent , cuddles strangers and grabs women on the breasts - is both touching and funny .
taylor 's teenage - david is the more sympathy producing role .
we are mute witness to his gradual breakdown as the pressures just keep on building .
his father wants him to play the very demanding rachmaninov 's 3rd , whilst his teacher wants to start him with a simple mozart .
technically this is a beautiful film and a lot of thought has gone in to the production .
i particularly like the use of slow motion and sound effects .
one scene has adult - helfgott happily babbling in a car in the rain .
the sound of the windshield wipers fades up over his voice . with a clever subtlety , the wiper sound appears to morph into a rhythmic thumping , but of the same beat .
the image dissolves and we realise the thumping is the slow motion applause of a crowd .
but it 's us being clapped .
we are young - david walking up to the stage for our first public show .
the music , as you would expect from a film of this subject matter , is critical .
and it works very well .
the ' miming ' of the actors piano playing is faultless
( apparently rush did n't mime ; he really did play ) helfgott 's life is certainly not without it 's sympathetic people .
indeed his return to the ' normal ' world is accelerated by his chance meetings with two very special women .
his ultimately uplifting story is a magic piece of theatre craft .
it shows that with the ' help of god ' we can all find our way back home .

SOLUTION:
P