TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: susan granger 's review of " legally blonde " ( m. g. m. )
it 's a " pretty in pink " / " clueless " coming - of - age story for the new millennium
as elle woods ( reese witherspoon ) , a perky southern california sorority queen , switches from fashion to law in order to win back her yuppy boyfriend
( matthew davis ) .
the girl - power story begins as this sweetheart of delta nu is unceremoniously dumped by a bonehead who says : " if i 'm going to be a senator by the time i 'm 30 .
..
i need to marry a jackie , not a marilyn .
" determined to prove she 's as smart a snobby brunette ( selma blair ) from country - club connecticut ,
elle not only applies to harvard law school but gets in , much to the amazement of family , friends and faculty .
once there , this flaxen - haired fish - out - of - water not only survives but tenaciously thrives , befriending a local manicurist ( jennifer coolidge ) , dazzling a professor ( victor garber ) and rescuing a defendant ( ali larter ) in a celebrated boston murder trial , plus finding a more worthy beau ( luke wilson ) .
in the tradition of teen - comedy film - maker john hughes and his disciple amy heckerling , there 's wit , cheerfulness , a fidelity of observation and a penchant for problem - solving .
first - time feature director robert luketic is blessed with reese witherspoon who 's joyously incandescent in this utterly formulaic light comedy written by karen mccullah lutz and kirsten smith , based on a soon - to - be - published novel by amanda brown .
the supporting cast is terrific , particularly raquel welch and holland taylor - and i particularly got a kick out of the gag of elle distributing scented resumes in pink ,
her signature color on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " legally blonde " is a frivolous , funny , feel - good 8 . filled with ditzy blonde ambition , it 's a movie for high - school kids that their parents would be happy to have them see .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: there 's more to a quilt than fabric and thread -- each patchwork design has its own unique story ( or stories ) to tell .
in how to make an american quilt , the first hollywood release from australian director jocelyn moorhouse ( proof ) , we come to understand how the tales of the seven makers imbue their creation with passion and vitality .
all the sorrows , joys , longings , sufferings , and loves of these women are sewn into their quilt and , as their bittersweet memories are given expression , one young woman applies these lessons of the past to her own uncertain future .
motion pictures are filled with male bonding rituals ; how to make an american quilt presents a distinctly feminine alternative .
the " quilting bee " consists of seven members : sisters gladys ( ann bancroft ) and hy ( ellen burstyn ) ; sophia ( lois smith ) , a woman known for frightening children ; emma ( jean simmons ) , the timid wife of a perpetually unfaithful man ; constance ( kate nelligan ) , who has been having an affair with emma 's husband ; anna ( maya angelou ) , the leader of the group ; and marianna ( alfre woodard ) , anna 's daughter .
the project they 're busy with is the wedding quilt for hy 's granddaughter , finn ( winona ryder ) , who has just become engaged .
she 's spending the summer with hy and gladys , and away from her fiance , to decide whether a lifelong commitment is really what she wants , and whether it 's better to marry a friend or a lover .
one of the greatest pleasures of how to make an american quilt comes from watching an array of fine performances by an impressive ensemble cast .
from winona ryder , ann bancroft , ellen burstyn , and maya angelou to minor players like rip torn , claire danes , and kate capshaw , this film is overflowing with realized talent .
the performances are good enough , in fact , to cover up many of the script 's weaknesses .
how to make an american quilt is basically an unremarkable , if affecting , tale of love across the generations -- a sort of truncated american version of the joy luck club , with a dash of fried green tomatoes added .
there are probably too many characters .
so , instead of really getting to know a few of them , we are presented with quick glimpses into a single defining event in each of their lives .
we learn about the root of the smoldering resentment between gladys and hy , and are told the reasons why emma stays with her husband and sophia is so irascible .
there are other episodes as well : the love of anna 's life , marianna 's soul mate , and a look at the reasons why constance entered into an affair with her friend 's husband .
the sum total of these tales is meant to provide the framework for finn 's story : whether to go forward with her marriage or dally with a hunky stranger .
there is no emotional epiphany in how to make an american quilt .
the stories are all well - told , but it 's difficult to really connect with the characters -- their moments pass so quickly .
while we certainly feel something for each of the eight principals , our emotional investment is tenuous .
there is n't enough depth to pull the viewer in all the way , and many of the personalities and relationships feel half- formed , like a quilt with patches missing .
to put it bluntly , while i enjoyed watching this film , it did n't " do much " for me .
on the whole , how to make an american quilt is a nicely - understated drama that has a lot to say about love , passion , and monogamy in relationships .
finn 's segment is by far the most compelling , because she 's the focal point : her actions are shaped by everyone else 's experiences .
the other patches of this american quilt are successful only to varying degrees .
if there 's a disappointment here , it 's that the script does n't have more resonance , but the privilege of seeing such a fine cast in top form allows a viewer to enjoy this picture even if the story is somewhat conventional .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: ' bicentennial man ' is a family film without any external motive with the exception of providing the minimum dose of entertainment .
chris columbus , the director who gave you " mrs . doubtfire " , plays on sentimental strings and mushy dialogue to make his point .
based on the short story by isaac asimov , it is supposed to be a science fiction story about a robot who wants to be human , which as you can imagine is very difficult .
starting in a not too distant future the film concentrates on a wealthy family that buys an android to help them with the house and children .
soon this robot , called andrew ( robin williams ) shows abilities that makes his owner mr .
martin ( sam neill ) very curious .
andrew is interested in art and music , he " enjoys " making clocks , which clearly shows that he has genuine emotions .
it shows out that because of a small failure in the " electrical circuits " and " positronic brain " andrew has accidentally gained a soul .
this makes him unique and his evil creators worried .
then mr .
martin decides to teach andrew all the things he was n't programmed to do .
soon andrew wants to leave the house in pursuit of freedom , destiny and love .
this film can be described as a disney version of blade runner , a film that still shines as the biggest gem in the crown of science fiction .
ever since that film , the subject of humanity still stands as one big controversy .
what makes us human ?
the thoughts ?
the emotions ? is it possible to become human ?
at what point can we say to a robot " now you are one of us " ?
these are very tough questions that require a serious and thurral approach .
it is obvious that columbus did n't take them very seriously .
when you think about it , this film is not really meditating on the question
" when is a robot no longer a machine , but a human being ? " , but tells a story about racial discrimination and lack of understanding .
andrew is so complex and emotional from the very beginning that the audience immediately accepts him as a human being , and only the society has troubles with it .
in other words , it is as far from reality as from the academy awards .
further more , there are other annoying problems .
to this day no serious filmmaker has dared to speculate about the future in more than 50 years from now .
this has not been done for obvious reasons , because the filmmakers are well aware of the fact that they lack the knowledge and imagination to perform such a difficult task .
columbus is the first to have crossed that line .
the result is , as you might imagine , primitive , unrealistic and incredibly disappointing effort .
the world is simply frozen in time .
neither the society , fashion , culture or values have changed over 200 years .
mom is still working at the kitchen , doing the dishes .
when you think back to the late 17th century and then compare it to the world we live in today , you 'll see a slightly bigger difference .
i am not saying that everything should change .
it is unlikely that the human rights will change , but it 's even more unlikely that there will not be any progress in science , technology and fashion .
i suppose it 's possible to watch this as a some sort of bizarre fairytale , but it 's really hard .
robin williams is hidden behind c and speaking in a robotic way .
as always he does a decent job , as does sam neill .
but it does n't really matter .
it is the sentimentality and length that turns
this picture into a tiresome experience .
pretty much like last year 's " meet joe black " , this is a primitive and unresolved story which is presented with a splendor and professionalism that it does n't deserve .
great actors and a talented crew have worked hard to achieve something that will be instantly forgotten .
when isaac asimov wrote this story , the future seemed far away and magical .
everything seemed possible .
now is the future of asimov 's time , and we know that it is not as magical and perfect as it seemed a long time ago .
for the same reasons that the young generation of today can not be amazed by julius verne 's " 20 000 leagues under the sea " , so ca n't we accept this story as a potential reality .
let us hope that next year 's " a. i. " will be more rewarding .

SOLUTION:
N