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

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: it 's a shame
the execution of this concept falls very short of its premise .
the movie is lacking and most unsatisfying .
osmosis jones is crude , gross , disgusting , and was directed by the farrelly brothers - the twisted siblings behind there 's something about mary , me , myself and irene and a couple of other movies in which the humor is mostly targeted below the belt .
not that there 's anything wrong with scatology .
i bet even cavemen appreciated bathroom humor - such as it was .
it 's merely that with osmosis jones , the farrellys humor is too juvenile , too predictable .
you can almost foresee the puns just by viewing the part of the inner anatomy a sequence is drawn .
osmosis jones looks like one of those old health class movies gone psycho .
the trouble is , the animation may please the very young , but the jokes may be over their heads , while the teen - age audience may find it too tame for their tastes .
adults ?
well , let 's just say most will find it unappetizing
.
osmosis jones plays like a 100-minute infomercial for the eat healthy foods lobby .
the live action sequences revolve around frank ( bill murray ) , who seems to be the grungiest human being in the universe .
he continually looks as if he needs a shave and a shower .
frank , much to the consternation of his daughter , is a fast - food addict , eating anything - and everything - that can kill you .
he works at a zoo where the animals look cleaner - and presumably smell better - than he does .
frank 's body is invaded by thrax , a lethal virus , after frank eats a hard - boiled egg that had fallen to the ground .
it 's not gross enough that frank picks the egg up from the dirt and plops it into his mouth .
nope , the farrellys pile it on by first having frank wrestle a chimp for the egg , wresting it from the primate 's mouth .
like i said , the gross meter tips the scales on this one .
after ingesting the egg , the movie begins its animated sequences .
here , osmosis jones ( voiced by chris rock ) , a renegade white blood cell is teamed with drix ( voiced by frasier 's david hyde pierce ) , a 12-hour , painkiller cold capsule to battle thrax ( smoothly voiced by laurence fishburne ) .
basically , what we have is a cliched cop - buddy movie , rife with all the clich ?
s of that genre .
and this is why osmosis jones does n't click .
it merely falls back on tired , familiar conventions instead of creating new and exciting situations .
the jokes and puns are lame
: osmosis searches out a snitch , a former flu virus .
after pumping him for information , drix tells osmosis , " funny , he does n't look fluish .
"
and the jokes do n't rise above that level .
the live action scenes are no better .
frank is such a slob , so unappealing that it is difficult to fathom how he ever married or even sired a child .
he 's almost a bigger cartoon than the animated characters .
osmosis jones is a movie that may be too violent for young children as thrax burns and dissolves blood cells right and left .
the animation is rather two - dimensional and flat .
it lacks scope and depth .
it is an unappealing movie that will leave you scratching your head , and maybe leaning toward a shower after you walk out of the theater .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: the 1998 summer movie season is still in its infancy .
but after diasappointing films such as " godzilla " and " fear and loathing in las vegas " , it would be nice to see a really good film .
but i doubt you could have expected this .
the truman show is one of the most unique films i have ever seen , and it deserves a spot on the " decade 's best " list .
there is no way to isolate any single component of this picture and proclaim ,
" yes , that 's what makes this film great .
"
the blend of peter weir 's masterful ( and in many ways brilliant ) direction , peter biziou 's stunning photography and jim carrey 's performance is what makes this film work so fantastically
.
there is something strangely beautiful about every shot in the truman show .
it may be the use of color or the placement of characters in the frame , but everything about this film looks intentional and perfect .
carrey has made a very wise choice .
by playing mild - mannered truman burbank , he allows himself enough room to be comical , and therefore not alienating his true fans , while still showing a vulnerable and human side .
that is a side which has been missing from nearly every major character he has played in his numerous commercial successes .
truman burbank was born to an audience of millions .
he was chosen before birth to be the focus of a 24 hour television show .
everything in his environment is controlled by a team of technicians , led by the show 's director , christof ( played by ed harris ) .
everyone in truman 's life is an actor or an extra .
they are all being watched by millions of people around the globe , people who can tune in at any time of the day to see what is happening in truman 's life .
but he is the only person that is not aware of it .
the classification of the truman show may be tricky .
the audience reacted to many of truman 's revelations with laughter .
i did not laugh much during the film because i was so emotionally wrapped up with the character .
the things that made the audience laugh gave me glassy eyes , because what was happening to him , indeed what had been done to him his whole life was wrong .
so is this going to end up labeled as a comedy ?
a drama ?
it really depends on the audience .
but to me , the truman show was a touching , sad tale about the extents to which a corporation will go to exploit human life for the entertainment of others .
but above all else , the truman show was a stunningly beautiful picture with humor , heart and scary realism .
oscar predictions in june are pointless , but if the truman show had been released on schedule in late fall or winter of 1997 , as originally planned , james cameron would be oscar - less .

SOLUTION:
P