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

[Q]: mpaa : not rated ( though i feel it would likely be pg , for martial - arts violence . )
with three movies already ( re ) released theatrically in america , and at least three more on their way , jackie chan is one of the newest " hot properties " in action adventure stardom , and it 's just about time .
for over twenty - five years , jackie 's been starring in martial arts and action movies in hong kong , thrilling audiences with both an incredible grasp of acrobatics and martial arts and a wonderful sense of comedy .
" drunken master " has the distinction of being the first jackie chan movie to " make it big
" --this is the movie that supposedly set jackie up for big stardom in hong kong .
i 'm not entirely sure why , exactly .
in many ways , " drunken master " is similar to most of jackie 's other early films , such as " fearless hyena " i and ii , " master with cracked fingers " , " half a loaf of kung fu " , " spiritual kung fu " , and others .
in fact , looking at all these early films together , one gets the impression that they were stamped out , cookie - cutter style , at a rate of four to six per year , all using the same casts and telling very similar stories .
to be honest , i think that early jackie chan movies are something of an acquired taste .
they 're quite different from action movies as we know them in america .
these films tend to be set in the chinese countryside in an indeterminate period sometime in the distant past , with fairly slow plots that often meander far afield and sometimes seem to exist only for the intention of stringing comedy and fight scenes together .
" drunken master " , though its plot is tighter than some , is no exception .
( as an aside , " drunken master " was the first jackie chan movie i ever saw , and i saw it the way it was meant to be seen .
. . in a movie theater in seattle , as part of an asian film festival .
at the time , i did n't really think it was anything special . . .
but after having seen more films like it , it 's kind of grown on me . )
" drunken master " 's storyline is very similar to that of other early jackie chan movies , such as " fearless hyena " i and ii and " master with cracked fingers
" --slacker martial arts student is taught the martial arts by a harsh - seeming master , and has a big fight with an evil bad guy in the end ( a formula that has been " adapted , " to put it kindly , by american films such as karate kid ) .
more specifically , jackie chan plays the part of wong fei - hong , aka " naughty panther , " a fun - loving , practical - joking kung fu student who is too good at kung fu for his own good , but not _ quite
_ good enough .
after embarrassing his instructor 's assistant by beating him roundly , then beating up a bully in a marketplace , wong fei - hong tries to hit on a pretty girl , but discovers that she , and her mother , can hit back , better than he can . . .
and is further chagrinned to discover that the two women are his cousin and aunt , respectively .
his father , wong kei - ying , is unhappy about this , and is further annoyed when the father and brother of the bully show up to sue for damages .
kei - ying soon institutes a harsh regimen of punishment , which fei - hong does not like at all .
while escaping from this punishment , fei - hong meets up with a drunken old man , who proceeds to thrash him soundly , then take him on as a student and thrash him some more .
this turns out to be su hua - chi , a legendary master of drunken - style kung fu .
he assigns fei - hong a series of bizarre tasks , such as filling jugs with water while hanging upside down from a frame , cracking walnuts with his hands , and other such exercises , that seem like more pointless cruelty but are actually strengthening him up .
then , when he 's ready , he teaches him the seven styles of drunken kung fu .
unfortunately , the lazy fei - hong only practices six of them . . .
" drunken master " features some wonderful martial arts sequences , with jackie winning some fights and losing others .
it 's been said before , but i 'll say it again --
these fights do n't just _ happen
_ , they 're as
carefully choreographed as any ballet performance , and it shows .
in his fights , jackie often makes use of objects found in his environment-- benches , jugs , cups , bowls , fruits and vegetables -- often in new and surprising ways .
the fight scenes , particularly those toward the end of the film , are unparallelled in most american films .
whether jackie wins or loses , it 's really something to see . . .
and it 's often as funny as anything , too .
and funny is the other thing
jackie chan is very , very good at
.
there 's very little
that 's new in this movie --
jackie winning fights , jackie getting beaten badly by a master , jackie going through punishment or training . . .
these schticks have all been seen before , in any one of several dozen similar jackie movies from the seventies and early eighties .
but they 're still hilarious as ever .
likewise , jackie has a _ great _ supporting cast , many of whom were also in other early jackie films , and they 're often the source of plenty of hilarity on their own .
the really big thing about " drunken master " , though , that inspired several copycats ( including a couple starring jackie himself ) and a sequel fifteen years later , was the drunken - style kung fu .
i 'm not certain whether or not this is actually a genuine style of kung fu , but the principle behind it is to imitate the wobbly movements of a drunkard to lull the enemy into a false sense of security . . .
and it apparently helps if you 're drunk while you 're doing it .
genuine or not , i have to admit , there 's just something incredibly fun
about watching a fellow who looks utterly sloshed wading into a group of startled opponents and making mincemeat out of them before they even realize what 's going on .
come to think of it , perhaps this element is what accounts for this film 's success over any of the other jackie films . . .
it 's not just martial arts , it 's the kind of martial arts that makes you stop and go , " whoa . . .
" on the negative side , the cinematography in this film is nothing special , the film stock is rather primitive , the plot is often rather slow , and the subtitles are sometimes extremely hard to read against the background . " gone with the wind " , this is n't .
still , if you like martial arts films , or like what you 've seen so far of jackie chan and want to see more , give it a shot .
it 's much more " real " than chuck norris or jean - claude van damme .
you might very well like it .
another interesting thing about " drunken master " has to do with its video availability in the us .
" drunken master " is the
only early jackie chan movie that i know of that you can find in its original , letterboxed , hong kong subtitled form , commercially available on vhs ( from magnum video , in a gold box , for about $ 10 ) .
there are plenty of other early jackie films around , but these are typically either in dubbed , pan - and - scanned form or else import tapes priced for rental instead of purchase .
thankfully , " drunken master " , at least , is available in the aspect ratio in which it was meant to be seen , at a very affordable price .
if you like " drunken master " , take a look at the numerous other early jackie chan films that are out there ( even the dubbed ones are n't really _
too _ bad .
.
. if nothing else , you can enjoy the martial arts choreography while making fun of the dialogue ) .
i particularly recommend " spiritual kung fu " , " half a loaf of kung fu " , the " fearless hyena " movies , and " snake & crane arts of shaolin " .
also , the mostly - unrelated - storywise sequel , " drunken master ii " , will hit theaters in american release sometime later this year ( though what its american - release title will be is still uncertain ) and comes _ highly _ recommended by this reviewer .
also , for a rather different interpretation of the character wong fei - hong ( who is in fact a popular figure from chinese folklore ) , i 've been told to suggest the " once upon a time in china " series starring jet li ( though i have n't personally seen any of them yet ) . if you choose to watch " drunken master " , i really hope you enjoy it , and i hope it starts to open your eyes to the wonderful world of asian cinema
that 's out there .
all in all , i give this film
an .
[A]: P


[Q]: martin scorsese 's films used to intimidate me .
because of his reputation , i felt obligated to appreciate them as deep film art rather than as great flicks .
as much as i enjoyed them
, i usually felt like i missed something .
i learned from scorsese 's casino that whatever techniques he uses are merely there to enhance the story .
no mystical interpretation is required to appreciate his movies .
for example , in casino he uses subtitles when robert deniro and joe pesci are using code words with each other .
there was no meaning more exotic than that subtitles were the most succinct way for him to tell the audience what was really going on .
or toward the end , when he uses three quick dissolves to compress a scene of a car backing away from a building .
again , the simple , mundane explanation is that it helped the pacing .
i do n't mean to say that his techniques are not creative or good - looking .
but he simply uses the best tool for the job .
it should n't have surprised me , then , that kundun , a film about a mystical religion , actually turned out to be quite straightforward .
the movie follows the life of the 14th dalai lama , the spiritual and political leader of tibet .
the movie 's title is another name for the dalai lama which means " ocean of wisdom .
"
his story is told in strict chronological order and there are only a few cinematic visions to embellish the literal story .
( one of which makes an interesting statement : pay attention to the film 's opening shot and watch where it is repeated . )
we first glimpse the dalai lama when he is two years old .
his curiosity and self - assuredness capture the attention of a monk wandering in search of the new lama .
a test is arranged to see if this boy really is the reincarnation of the 13 dalai lamas who have gone before .
several items belonging to the previous dalai lama are laid before the boy alongside some other items .
the child is asked if he recognizes any of the items as his own .
the boy picks correctly , proving that he is the new , and the old , dalai lama .
scorsese and long - time editor thelma schoonmaker were kind enough to allow the possibility that the child was taking his cues from the monk .
before selecting an item , he would look at the monk , perhaps for some sort of confirmation .
sometimes he picked right the first time , and sometimes he made a second choice .
either way , whether through reincarnation or quick human perception , the tibetans were assured of choosing a boy who could be a wise , perceptive leader .
> from this point on , the boy is raised as the reincarnation of the lama 's spirit and the future leader of a nation .
it is a great weight to put on the mind of a child .
in the u. s. it might be grounds for a call to social services .
but the young lama accepts his destiny without any apparent emotional damage .
neither the great power nor the awesome responsibility keeps him from becoming a genuinely likeable , well - rounded person .
certain patterns take shape over the years .
for example , the dalai lama is fascinated by technology .
radios , clocks , and telescopes are some of his favorite toys .
when he is old enough to accept his leadership , he makes plans to modernize isolated tibet .
he also has a soft spot for creatures who are suffering or in pain , including herd animals .
it 's nearly a running gag that he will buy sheep to keep them from being herded to slaughter .
but the most ominous constant throughout his life is the presence and threat of tibet 's gigantic neighbor , china .
tibet and its leaders prove correct in fearing china , as , first the propaganda , then the political pressure , and finally the armies , come across their common border .
the chinese invasion is so successful that the lama 's life is in danger if he stays .
the movie ends when , after much agonizing , the dalai lama leaves tibet for india .
the story does n't lead up to a cinematic climax as strongly as most feature films do .
it just does n't fit that mold . if it were forced into such a shape it would have been a completely different movie ( perhaps more like seven years in tibet , which is good in its own right ) .
the pacing of kundun is more calm and level than that .
the structure of the film is made to fit the characters and events , not vice - versa .
perhaps because the pace is slower , we have more time to notice the beautiful art , vestments , and architecture of tibet .
a mandala , ( tibetan sand painting ) with beautiful , vibrant colors is shown throughout the movie .
the robes and hats of state are bright red and gold .
the bricks are a rich reddish brown , not unlike the skin tone of the tibetans .
even the touchstone pictures logo before the movie ( which is usually light blue ) is the red and gold of tibet .
philip glass composed the music for kundun ,
and he was the perfect choice .
for those who do n't know of glass , his music is like a tibetan mandala .
his building blocks are lots of small notes , tiny grains of music , which are first grouped , then repeated in patterns .
these patterns create interesting textures which are themselves part of a larger composition .
people wo n't be flocking to kundun for
it 's great ending , or talking about its outstanding plot , but it does have a lot to offer : an interesting lifetime , exotic sights , rich cinematography , and innovative music .
it gives interesting insight into tibetan buddhism and takes a warm look at the dalai lama as a person .
on top of it all is the cinematic mastery of martin scorsese , who gives the film a strong , beautiful , consistent look .
[A]: P


[Q]: the great actor james woods once said ( and i 'm paraphrasing ) , " if sex is n't messy , then you 're not doing it right " . a truly profound statement , and one that could be made for the entire mad slasher genre ( just replace " sex " with " your mad slasher film " ) .
for those uninformed souls , the mad slasher genre ( or sub - genre ) is a melding of horror and exploitation elements put to the service of a plot that follows an identical outline : a usually masked but always crazed killer stalks and kills attractive teens a la halloween .
urban legend is a mad slasher flick , but one that is so sanitary , bloodless , and nudity free , that with its irony laden dialogue and beautiful ( though not overly talented ) cast , it more closely resembles an overlong wb television special .
for film makers , gore is one of the two weapons they have at their disposal in a stale , fright - free horror movie , as stephen king once said ( again paraphrasing ) " if you ca n't scare your audience , gross em ' out , if you ca n't do that , make em ' laugh " .
alas , urban legend succeeds only at the latter , though not by intention .
i actually find the fact that this film became a minor success ( $ 40 million domestic box office gross ) more frightening than anything in it .
it seems that audiences ' tastes have been whittled down to such a degree that any movie even claiming to be scary is given the benefit of the doubt .
the promotion for urban legend sure promised thrills , but
how can anyone with a three digit iq argue that it provides them .
unfortunately , these kinds of flicks will continue to be produced because people no longer have expectations ; one idiotic super - hyped blockbuster flick after another has desensitized audiences to the point where films do n't need to do anything more than promise a good time without the added pressure of delivering .
if anyone disagrees i would love for them to explain the box office successes of shit like batman and robin , wild wild west , and godzilla .
but forget all that , it goes without saying that mad slasher films ( or any other exploitation off - shoot ) will be made without an ounce of craft ( especially considering the sheer volume that are produced ) .
allow me to present you with the real fault of the mad slasher film :
the lack of enthusiastic exploitation .
these flicks are n't harnessed with any lofty aspirations , so why not break free and give your audience a bloody good time ?
sadly out of the literally hundreds made , i would estimate that maybe three are at all worth while .
and urban legend would certainly not be included amongst those three .
despite its considerable production value and the absence of any boom mics slipping into frame , it is just as awful as any no budget entry in the slasher sweepstakes . as far as the possibility of some good natured exploitation urban legend 's setting alone offers a myriad of promising possibilities : it takes place on a college campus , which is always an appropriate playground for the crazed killer .
you see , the campus is a community made up almost entirely of young people all in the midst of strange hormonal surges percolating beneath the surface .
all those young people are growing up together , going through all kinds of inexplicable emotional highs and lows , so naturally some weirdness is expected .
all the better for that elusive crazed killer .
coupled with the copious amounts of scantily clad coeds running around , and the introduction of a little exploitation into the proceedings should be a relatively easy task .
but alas ,
urban legend is not only idiotic and clich ? ?
full
; it 's way too clean , a slasher flick for the whole family with
no nudity , little gore , and much stupidity
.
this is the kind of movie where the killer drags dead victims from the scene of the crime for no reason other than , i dunno , exercise .
it 's the kind of movie where the villain calmly purses a running - like - the - wind - prey , yet still manages to catch that prey through some really awful editing techniques .
it 's the kind of movie where characters run into each other just as a loud clash reverberates on the soundtrack .
i really wish filmmakers would just retire that whole loud - noise - jump - scare thing .
yes the audience jumps , momentarily frightened , but would n't anyone if a loud sonic boom suddenly infiltrated a quiet room .
i lost all hope for the possibility of any genuine scares in urban legend about ten minutes in when i caught a glimpse of the killer .
apparently filmmakers are running out of creative ways to disguise their mad slashers .
in scream it was a ghost mask ( scary enough )
, in i know what you did last summer it was a fisher man 's rain slicker ( in the middle of summer no less ) , and in urban legend the disguise sinks to the level of mel brooks parody
: the villain wears an oversized parka with a fury hood ( ooh ? ? ?
scary ) intended to conceal his / her identity .
for urban legend 2 i humbly suggest a donald duck costume .
though i must admit , urban legend does have a winning premise for what could have been a somewhat entertaining exploitation film .
the film 's killer slices and dices comely college students to the tune of famous urban legends ( you know , like the babysitter gets threatening phone calls only to find that they 're coming from inside the house ) .
i wo n't spoil the surprise as to what urban legends are used , after all the film does offer fine 2 : 00 am cable viewing if you happen to be intoxicated enough . sad to say , it does n't include my favorite urban legend : a fairly graphic antidote concerning richard gere and a very unhappy gerbil .
now that would be scary .
before i leave you , i would like to bring to your attention
the third most irritating thing about the film ( the first being the lack of craft , the second the lack of exploitation ) -- its characters , all of whom are just about the most annoying group of people i 've ever spent an evening with .
only jared leto ( looking like a carbon copy of rob lowe from back in the day ) and alicia witt , as the resilient heroine , avoid vexatiousness .
the most annoying of the bunch is a tie between noxima girl rebecca gayheart and sitcom star michael rosenbaum , as a supremely irritating lout
( so irritating
i actually cheered his painful death , and i am not a cruel person ) .
ironically those aggravating sacks of human waste provide the only entertainment in the film ; if viewed as a vicarious fantasy urban legend can be mildly entertaining .
after all this is a movie that features the kind of faux hipsters i ca n't stand getting slaughtered , which is at least better than watching an entire film about people
i ca n't stand not getting slaughtered .
[A]:
N