TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: [ note that followups are directed to rec .
arts .
movies .
current - films and rec .
arts .
movies .
startrek .
current only , not to rec .
arts .
sf .
movies .
-moderator
] star trek : first contact a film review by michael
dequina copyright 1996 michael dequina star trek :
first contact ( pg-13 ) anyone familiar with the series of star trek movies knows of the " even - odd pattern " --the even - numbered installments of the series are good while the odd - numbered ones are , well , not - so - good .
the pattern continues with the new star trek : first contact , an energetic sci - fi adventure that
( coincidentally ? ) is the eighth entry in the hugely popular series .
in this first trek feature to feature only cast members from the late star trek : the next generation television series , captain jean - luc picard ( patrick stewart ) and the rest of the 24th - century crew of the starship enterprise -- commander will riker ( jonathan frakes , who also directed ) , android lt .
cmdr .
data ( brent spiner ) , lt .
cmdr .
geordi laforge ( levar burton ) , lt .
cmdr .
worf ( michael dorn ) , dr .
beverly crusher ( gates mcfadden ) , and counselor deanna troi ( marina sirtis )
--travel back to 21st - century earth while doing battle with the borg , a race of cybernetic beings that share a collective mind with the borg queen ( alice krige ) .
the borg intend to alter history and assimilate all of humankind into their race -- starting with the earth - orbiting crew of the enterprise and a 21st century stowaway ( alfre woodard ) .
this is an interesting plotline that is sure to mesmerize trekkers everywhere and engage everyone else , but , unfortunately , it only makes up the star trek half of the script by brannon braga and
ronald d . moore .
the other half of the title -- first contact -- refers to a subplot that takes place on 21st - century earth , where riker , troi , and laforge meet legendary scientist zephram cochran ( james cromwell ) , who is about to embark on the first warp speed flight in human history , which directly leads to the first contact with extraterrestrials .
while this story does tie into the main plot and pays off interestingly in the end , it is nowhere near as involving or exciting as the borg battles on the enterprise .
not helping matters is the tiresome cochran character , an eccentric whose drunken schtick starts out funny but becomes too one - note after a while .
in the end , though , the first contact subplot does n't detract from the enjoyment of the film as a whole .
the story is typical sci - fi fantasy , but the conviction of the cast -- most notably the always - phenomenal stewart -- makes you believe and care .
frakes , making his feature directorial debut , keeps the action swiftly rolling along and delivers the action goods , even upping the violence a notch ( this is the first trek film to bear a pg-13 rating ) to greater effect .
st : fc has a bigger budget than the last trek outing , the middling star trek generations , and it definitely shows on screen -- the production design and especially visual and makeup effects are outstanding
( in particular those involving the borg queen ) .
braga and moore 's mostly sharp script will please both trek devotees and the rest ; the references to the borg storyline in the tv series , the continuity with the previous film ( e . g .
the ongoing saga of data 's emotion chip ) , and a fleeting star trek : voyager crossover will make trekkers squeal with delight , but such points are made easily accessible to those less familiar to the trek mythos .
paramount was reportedly worried about the staying power of its trek franchise with the next generation cast now carrying the helm .
based on the entertaining success that is star trek : first contact , i 'd say the studio has nothing to worry about
( at least not until this cast retires and the crew of the wan star trek : deep space nine takes over . . . ) .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: movies based on video games , such as street fighter or mario bros . , have never generated much interest at the box office .
but when the first mortal kombat movie came out in 1995 , it did surprisingly well .
with a simple story , a pulsating soundtrack , and lots of awesomely choreographed fight scenes , the movie moved quickly and displayed lots of energy .
it got my vote for ' the movie where i expected the least and got the most ' .
and , if you have n't had the opportunity , i would definitely recommend that you see it on video .
in the world of mortal kombat , based on the popular arcade game , dark forces from outworld try to infiltrate earth 's realm with the ulimate goal of total conquest and the destruction of humanity .
the mortal kombat refers to a competition , fought by human mortals against outworld 's minions , which if won , will guarantee earth 's safety for another generation .
mk2 picks up almost immediately after the humans return victoriously from competition .
despite their victory , however , a gateway has somehow opened , and outworld continues in its quest to conquer earth .
outworld 's warriors include an impressive collection of fighters , including shao kahn , mintoro ( a centaur ) , sheeva ( a four - armed ogre ) , and sindel .
earth 's mortal warriors , under the leadership of the benevolent god , lord rayden , includes liu kang , princess kitana , sonya blade and jax , who must fight against outworld 's forces .
it 's an easy enough premise , but unfortunately ( very unfortunately ) , the writers try to do too much with the movie
.
it is only a video game , after all , but the on - screen version tries to go beyond it 's comic book boundaries by adding depth , a conceptualization of self - worth , and worst of all , a love story .
this becomes very awkward , because all of the players are fighters and nothing more .
they are likable and impressive when they are showcasing their martial arts and fighting skills , but look extremely awkward and uncomfortable when they are required to actually act .
this becomes embarrassingly apparent
, for example , as the movie tries to develop a romantic bond between liu kang and princess kitana .
the original mk was smart in letting the players do what they do best .
they spoke little , but fought a lot .
thus , the movie was easy to digest .
however , mk2 tries to give these players a certain amount of depth , an element that was lacking in the first movie , but the attempt here fails miserably .
this uneasy feeling is readily apparent , for example , whenever you hear lord rayden speak .
not only does he talk in riddles and offer enigmatic ( e . g . useless ) advice , but he speaks so slowly as if to simulate infinite wisdom .
try reading this half as fast , and you 'll hear what i mean .
but the movie is not a complete fatality .
fight scenes are well - choreographed , highlighted by terrific acrobatics and agility .
and players of the game will be rewarded with the inclusion of practically every character from the video game , although their screen time amounts to nothing more than a cameo .
even if you 're not familiar with the video game , each fighter has their own costume and unique weaponry to easily differentiate themselves .
but it 's just too little of what movie - goers and especially fans of the game will expect .
oddly , the inclusion of the human element actually pollutes the purity of the mortal kombat essence . and the poor acting results in a muddled movie that offers the viewing audience little chance for survival .
( i am now talking very slowly as if to simulate infinite wisdom ) .
rent the first one , but the sequel is for kombat fans only .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: tarzan chad'z = good ) 1999 , g , 90 minutes [ 1 hour , 30 minutes ] [ animated - adventure / drama ] starring the voices of : tony goldwyn ( tarzan ) , minnie driver ( jane porter ) , lance henriksen ( kerchak ) , brian blessed ( clayton ) ;
written by tab murphy , bob tzudiker , noni white ; produced by bonnie arnold ; directed by chris buck , kevin lima ; based on the story ` tarzan of the apes ' and characters created by edgar rice burroughs .
seen july 4 , 1999 at 7
: 15 p .
m .
at crossgates cinemas 18 ( guilderland , ny ) , theater # 9 , by myself for free using my hoyts season pass .
[ theater rating :
*
* * 1/2 : very good sound , picture and seats ] title : ` tarzan ' beautiful to look at , easy to follow
.
review : disney continues its trend of producing animated summer blockbuster movies meant mostly for children but with enough wit and charm for adults to be interested and at least entertained by the story .
the basic premise is the same as every other ` tarzan ' story : a boy is raised in the african jungle by gorillas and becomes one himself never really understanding ( or even noticing ) that he 's human and is a lot different from the animals he befriends .
the first third of the film shows how tarzan comes to be adopted by kala ( voiced by glen close ) , a female gorilla who lost her own child in a classic case of darwanism .
her mate , kerchak ( henriksen ) , is a mean , conservative leader of the pack of gorillas who make up tarzan 's extended family .
he refuses to acknowledge tarzan ( voiced by alex d .
linz during the childhood scenes ) as a son and often has to hold himself back from killing tarzan after he continually does dangerous , wild things that are the result of his own childish instincts .
i have a feeling children will quickly be able to identify with tarzan since all he really is is just a kid who wants to have fun
and it 's funny how the adults fail to comprehend this .
later , as the story transitions from tarzan as a child to a full - grown man ( voiced by goldwyn ) , he is encounter by a party of three humans from england : jane porter ( driver ) , a beautiful woman who is something of a zoologist and an artist , her father prof . archimedes q . porter ( voiced by nigel hawthorne ) who is also a scientist ; and their slick and cunning , yet barbaric safari bodyguard clayton ( blessed ) .
it 's easy to tell where the story is going at all times but the screenplay does n't seem like it was written hastily nor dumbed down for children 's enjoyment .
sure there 's a lot of cliche stuff here , like clayton 's smugness and diabolical manipulation of tarzan and jane ; the goofy supporting characters ( voiced by rosie o'donnell [ in full brooklyn accent ! ]
and wayne knight - ` hello newman ! ' ) .
there 's also a lot of fun action such as tarzan 's swinging through the jungle on vines and sliding down and around tree branches and trunks .
it 's just like skateboarding really fast and doing all sorts of tricks ( those mcdonald 's commercials really prove this point ) .
ultimately , you get exactly out of ` tarzan ' what you expect . . .
and
i mean that as a compliment , so have high expectations . pros : animation and sound are a feast for the senses , story is lighthearted , breezy and not dumbed - down , no stupid sing - along songs to get stuck in your head .
cons : surprisingly violent , should have been rated pg .
young children may not understand some of the more adult themes ( parents , be ready to have some heavy questions thrown your way ) .
running time is a bit short .
would you recommend this to friends ?
not to my friends , but to the movie - going public i would .
score : or with no 0 rating ) .

SOLUTION:
P