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

[EX Q]: best remembered for his understated performance as dr .
hannibal lecter in michael mann 's forensics thriller , manhunter , scottish character actor brian cox brings something special to every movie he works on .
usually playing a bit role in some studio schlock ( he dies halfway through the long kiss goodnight ) , he 's only occasionally given something meaty and substantial to do .
if you want to see some brilliant acting , check out his work as a dogged police inspector opposite frances mcdormand in ken loach 's hidden agenda .
cox plays the role of big john harrigan in the disturbing new indie flick l .
i .
e . , which lot 47 picked up at sundance when other distributors were scared to budge .
big john feels the love that dares not speak its name , but he expresses it through seeking out adolescents and bringing them back to his pad .
what bothered some audience members was the presentation of big john in an oddly empathetic light .
he 's an even - tempered , funny , robust old man who actually listens to the kids ' problems ( as opposed to their parents and friends , both caught up in the high - wire act of their own confused lives . )
he 'll have sex - for - pay with them only after an elaborate courtship , charming them with temptations from the grown - up world .
l .
i .
e . stands for long island expressway , which slices through the strip malls and middle - class homes of suburbia .
filmmaker michael cuesta uses it as a ( pretty transparent ) metaphor of dangerous escape for his 15-year old protagonist , howie ( paul franklin dano ) .
in his opening voice - over , howie reveals a morbid preoccupation with death on the road , citing the l .
i .
e .
highway deaths of filmmaker alan
j .
pakula , songwriter harry chapin , and his own mother on exit 52 .
he 's both fascinated and disturbed by the l .
i .
e . , and those feelings are projected onto big john ( who follows howie around in his bright red car , but never makes a move to force the boy to do something he does n't want to do .
this makes him much more complex than the usual child molesters seen in movies -- he 's a beast , but ashamed of it . )
l .
i .
e . would have worked best as a half - hour short film about howie 's ill - advised foray into big john 's haven .
there is unnecessary padding with howie 's miserable dad ( bruce altman ) in the hot seat for a white - collar crime , degenerate youngsters who get their kicks from robbing middle - class houses , and some homoerotic shenanigans with wise - ass gary terrio ( billy kay ) , a handsome artful dodger . rather than add to the themes of suburban ennui ( not that we needed another movie on that subject ) , these awkward subplots pad out the running time to adequate feature length .
concurrently , the relationship between howie and big john is evenly paced and exceptionally well acted .
cox , sporting a baseball cap and a faded marine tattoo , is all bluff and bluster .
dano is quiet and at first glance seems so withdrawn as to be transparent .
we 're so used to child actors whose dramatic choices are broad and obvious ( calling haley joel ! ) , it 's surprising to see one who actually listens throughout any given scene .
the restraint is admirable .
but l . i .
e . 's
screenplay does n't always give them the best material .
when howie reads big john a walt whitman poem , the moment feels a bit too precious .
director michael cuesta lingers on an ecstatic reaction shot of big john , who may as well be hearing glenn gould performing bach 's goldberg variations .
it 's too much .
there are also some obvious dramatic contrivances involving big john 's other boy toy ( walter masterson ) , jealous over the newbie .
this plot thread predictably leads to violence .
not content to be a haunting , observational portrait of teen alienation in a royally screwed up world ( like terry zwigoff 's superb ghost world ) , cuesta lacks the confidence in his own work to end on an ambivalent note .
it 's typical of unimaginative cinema to wrap things up with a bullet , sparing the writers from actually having to come up with a complex , philosophical note .
in this regard
, l . i .
e .
( and countless other indie films ) share something in common with blockbuster action films : problems are solved when the obstacle is removed .
how often does real life work this way ? to extend the question : if a movie is striving for realism , do dramatic contrivances destroy the illusion ?
[EX A]: N

[EX Q]: an astonishingly difficult movie to watch , the last temptation of christ may be scorsese 's most important film , and yet his most impossibly abstract as well .
scorsese presents the life of jesus christ
, through nikos kazantzakis ' novel , which details the life of christ from approximately 20 until the day of crucifixtion .
jesus of nazareth ( dafoe ) is a carpenter , who opens the film making crosses , so that he can escape the fate he is subjected to , his destiny on earth .
yet , he soon learns his evil ways for aiding in the deaths of others , and subjects himself to a desert in exile , in hopes that he can reach god .
before leaving , he asks for forgiveness from mary magdelene ( barbara hershey ) , a prostitute who is also a childhood friend of jesus .
after going to the desert , christ learns his true purpose in life , and what he must do .
aided by judas ( keitel ) , he sets off on teaching the world his message .
along the way , he meets john the baptist , the rest of the prophets , and tries to teach the world his message .
christ is also confronted by internal demons and self - doubt , as he tries to find his true purpose throughout the entire film .
during the story , judas is the closese ally of jesus : his betrayal , argues the film , was not out of hate , but out of love , in order to allow christ to die .
he is eventually captured , and crucified as per the bibile .
however , as he is about to die on the cross , he is saved by a girl , who brings him to his marriage with mary magdelene .
the girl is a guardian angel who is from god , and who has saved him from his death .
jesus goes on to live a life as a man , as a carpenter , and does not die on the cross .
on his deathbed , in the final moments of his life , he is visited by the prophets , and by judas , who denounces his master for " not keeping his end of the bargain .
"
judas reveals the angel to truly be the devil , and the life jesus had lived to be the ultimate selfish act .
jesus escapes from his deathbed , and asks his father for forgiveness , for succumbing to his last temptation .
visually and aurally , the film is absolutely breathtaking .
no other director has even come close to realizing jerusalem during the time of christ 's life to the screen .
peter gabriel contributes a score than is simply astonishing , with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer .
the performances are simply exquisite , with dafoe leading the way with a mesmerizing turn as jesus .
keitel , although his accent is a problem , is passionately brilliant , fighting through language to bring the character to life .
the visuals are also amazing .
scorsese frames his movie in a harsh tone , leaving the impression that jesus truly is a man who is having human frailties .
the film , though , has many trouble spots .
paul schrader 's script is one .
schrader uses modern - day new york english to tell the story , along with new york words , new york mannerisms , and new york slang speech .
the film also does not focus on the godly aspects of christ .
there is no underlying message behind the man 's words .
the film fails to capture the glory and splendor of christ .
had it faithfully explored that aspect , than the dichotomy of jesus ' soul , his frailties and doubt mixed with his unmistakable glory , would have been simply spectacular .
the message of christ is confused between love and violence , and the film merely tells us jesus is great , instead of showing us his greatness .
the film is also overlong .
it just drags in the middle , with nothing truly happening .
christ is a confused figure , in the sense that the audience does n't know who he really is .
schrader forgets to give jesus a message , to show that he truly is the messiah , to give him the divinity .
without that , he is a rambling prophet , who the audience themselves do not believe .
there are several moments of accidental hilarity , and most of them occur when jesus is attempting to preach .
there are moments of brief awe and power , followed by moments of confused hilarity .
that said , the controversial temptation sequence is something to behold .
it is a step in an unexpected direction , one that leaves the audience puzzled , until the arrival of the disciples .
it is a simply breathtaking scene , with jesus about to die as a mortal .
it is truly one of scorsese 's finest moments .
it is unfortunate that scorsese could n't make a film about christ as powerful as that one scene .
[EX A]: P

[EX Q]: what were they thinking ?
nostalgia for the seventies is bad enough , but do we really need an eighties film ?
robbie hart ( adam sandler ) used to want to be a rock and roll star , but in 1985 he 's singing at weddings and having a good time .
a romantic at heart , he loves weddings and is just about to get married to his high - school sweetie .
when she leaves him waiting at the altar , his tune changes to " love stinks " .
he meets waitress julia ( drew barrymore ) who is engaged to a junk - bonds salesman
and you know that they are going to get together .
in
fact you know everything that is going to happen during this movie .
sandler is somewhat adequate in his leading man role , but there is no spark .
barrymore does n't seem to be able to convey anything other than a pretty face with nothing behind it :
beauty but no attitude .
both characters are just there .
bit parts by steve buscemi and jon lovitz steal the show .
the eighties are shoved in our face .
references to deloreans , madonna , " dallas " , ivana and donald , burt and loni and " miami vice
" get old fast .
the filmmakers must have realized that there was n't much entertainment to the story and thought they could dazzle the audience with humorous period allusions .
they 're not funny and it does n't work .
with change on all fronts accelerating more and more , nostalgia appears to have a great appeal , but do n't you think we could have more than 14 years before we yearn for the past .
maybe we can look forward to a film next year waxing nostalgically about el nino .
( michael redman has written this column for over 23 years and he knows that nostalgia is not what it used to be . )
[EX A]:
N