instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
" psycho meets the exorcist with no holds barred " .
a blurb like that sounds like desperate publicity for some low budget , third rate rip - off .
but no , this tacky plug comes from the poster for suspiria , perhaps italian horror director dario argento 's most consistently successful film .
what impresses most in re - watching this surrealistic , supernatural thriller is that argento 's directorial flair and stylish visuals are matched by a near - fully coherent narrative .
screenplays have always been his achilles heel ; confusing subplots , gaping holes , totally illogical incidents and reactions .
no question : argento has always been a better director than a writer .
fortunately , he gets the plotting pretty well right with suspiria , taking his cue from a book by thomas de quincey called " suspiria de profundis " .
the film 's storyline suffers from no major lapses in logic , provided one can accept the premise of a ballet school being a front for a coven of witches .
jessica harper plays an american who travels to germany to further her studies in dance .
arriving at the school late at night in driving rain , she sees a girl leave and run into the storm in a clearly distressed state .
what happens next - and i do n't make the comparison lightly - is a murder sequence that for intensity , shock value and sheer directorial flair ranks alongside alfred hitchcock 's infamous shower scene in psycho .
it 's quite possibly a homage to hitchcock , but with its baroque sets , graphic gore and brilliantly chaotic musical accompaniment by the gothic rock group goblin , this stunning sequence remains very much argento 's own .
though nothing else quite equals the intensity of suspiria 's opening 15 minutes , the film continues to be never anything less than engrossing as harper begins her own investigations and slowly comes to realise this is no ordinary ballet school .
we meet an assortment of slightly sinister characters , most notably the head ballet teacher played by alida valli in another one of those delicious sour - old - matriarch - from - hell roles she does so well .
several more violent murders ensue , including a startling scene in a deserted square where a blind man is . . .
well , i would n't want to spoil things now , would i ?
and the film 's climax , staged amid secret corridors and hidden rooms , has a gothic ghoulishness
that 's most impressive .
the english language versions of most argento movies usually suffer trimming , and not just for the violence - deep red and phenomena , for example , have been appallingly hacked about .
fortunately , the cuts to suspiria ( about 7 minutes in this version ) have not adversely affected the film .
the dubbing of the italian actors into english is quite competently done , too , excepting one appalling and unintentionally hilarious effort with a conversation between harper and a professor about the history of witchcraft in the region .
and the soundtrack ?
it is interesting to imagine what power the film would have lost if it had been scored by someone else .
as it stands , the use of goblin 's music in suspiria is outstanding .
apparently , argento played the soundtrack on location while filming so the actors could hear the music as they acted out their parts .
a stereo video player adds greatly to the viewer 's overall experience .
even better , see suspiria in a cinema , where you 'll get the added bonus of widescreen .
and the colours !
deep reds , eerie blues , a superb use of shadow and contrast .
the cinematography of luciano tovoli , whose more recent credits include reversal of fortune and single white female , is uniformly superb .
a nod also must go to production designer giuseppe bassan for his wonderful baroque interiors .
these kinds of settings are crucial to the atmosphere of argento 's more surreal excursions , the other most notable example being inferno ( 1980 ) on which bassan also worked .
suspiria is the film that broke dario argento into the major league of european directors , and it is fully deserving of its cult status .
the gore is at times a little excessive and overstated - that 's always been one of argento 's shortcomings - but overall
this is a fascinating , compelling example of italian horror .
answer:
P


question:
it 's a curious thing - i 've found that when willis is not called on to carry the whole movie , he 's much better and so is the movie .
even though , in the sixth sense he is the " name " , he does n't have the pivotal role .
that honour goes to haley osment who plays cole sear ( cute pun , seer ) a 9 year old boy who can see ghosts .
if osment was cute or precious , the director going for the maudlin , this would be nothing more than a movie - of - the - week , thankfully , osment is not only better than that , but in some instances , blows everyone else off the screen in a bravura performance .
we get to see his fears , vulnerabilities , strengths and intelligence which makes the sixth sense one of the best movies i 've seen this year .
the whole cast matches him in quality , with willis giving a fairly low key performance that matches the subject matter .
one thing about this movie , its target .
this is n't a sfxfest like the haunting or a gorefest , this is more what i 'd call a supernatural drama , more interested in characters than in dazzling you with makeup .
one caveat :
there 's a lovely twist in the movie , something like the usual suspects , where you end up replaying the movie in your head rethinking what you have just seen .
i was extremely lucky to see it as a sneak preview in toronto , before any hype or critical reviews were out , so i went in with no biases .
if anyone want to talk to about the movie before you see it , do n't let them .
let the director explain on his own pace and you 'll enjoy the movie vastly more .
answer:
P


question:
upon taking a seat at the theater , and surveying the crowd , i soon realized that i was the only person under forty in the premises .
i 'm twenty - two , but have been accused of looking sixteen .
yet as the film began , any consciousness of setting shifted to the home of five close - knit , yet troubled sisters .
director pat o'connor ( inventing the abbots , circle of friends ) weaves a quiet yet affecting tale of loss , need , and the bonds between five sisters .
the family is ruled by kate ( meryl streep ) , an unconsciously strict schoolteacher , who is completely conscious of the deterioration of her family .
there is very little background given to the viewer , as we are thrust into a tense but loving home .
squabbles take place one after the other , caused by years and years of history .
perhaps one of the best things about this film , is its naturalness .
no situation is over - wrought , and characters react as real people do , to real problems .
this probably is a result of the film being from a stage play .
the play was in turn is based on a time in the life of the playwright .
what seems to be an underlying theme are the pagan rituals and dances of peoples , both in lughnasa and africa .
in fact , dance seems to be the glue that holds the family together and most expressively shows their closeness .
legs tap , and bodies sway even in the midst of impending disaster .
only after the music stops , and the characters stand breathing heavily
do we sense any trouble .
in the quiet after the music we muse that it 's sad that music has to cease , and families falter .
the movie is framed by a scene of michael mundy , the narrator of the movie , as a young child flying a kite .
he trips over a bump and loses hold of his string , and the kite floats off farther into the distance .
drawn on the white diamond of the kite is a face that looks at once pained , and at another glance mischievous .
the mundy family itself follows a similar fate to that of the kite , and kate 's hold of the family is n't strong enough to hold off the winds of change .
as michael stands , staring at his kite fly away , we hear the adult michael , looking back at the season that his world changed forever .
the movie is not overpowering , but it gives us a beautiful window into the life , love , and trouble of a household of lonely women .
note : this is the first movie review i 've ever written , any responses on it would be greatly appreciated .
: )
answer:

P