An example of a movie review. negative.

A: I got lured by the title... I was expecting an insightful and intriguing journey into alcoholism, instead I got a rather boring and uninspiring story about a rowdy Scot.

The leading character isn't given much psychological depth, unless you are willing to classify cheesy teen-like poetry as psychology.

It was a shame, because the core of the story could have been good, with a better effort to depict the inner feelings of a man who had to live with alcohol and violence since his youth.

Sadly, the general idea seems to be more like "I'm the way I am because that's the way I am". And the laughingly bad attempt at giving some sort of poetic edge to a lower-class man makes things even worse. Resorting to the overused cliche of the "poete maudit" reeks of a quick fix, a cheap way to make a dull movie seem smart, artsy and meaningful.

But "16 years of alcohol" isn't much smart, artsy or meaningful... The leading character doesn't evolve at all, and the feeble attempt of changing fails without a good explanation. Just like the initial attempt happened rather out of the blue.

The movie borrows heavily from classics such as A Clockwork Orange and Trainspotting, but it ultimately fails to recapture their greatness, not even for a few seconds.

Jobson put too much emphasis on the artistic side of the story, and neglected the rest, giving us a movie which is pleasant to the eye but insipid to the brain.

An example of a movie review. negative.

A: Words can't simply describe how awful this film is. I watched it on video last night, and I simply could not believe what I was seeing. Basically, "Snakeeater" is about an ex-military man (Lorenzo Lamas) and his search for his kidnapped sister who has been held captive by Deliverance-style Rednecks. The film's acting, writing, direction, photography, and editing are deplorable along with a song called "Soldier" that has to be one of the worst theme songs of all time!

However, there is one treat. "Horshack" (Ron Pallio) from "Welcome Back Carter" is in the film playing a laughable bad guy. Otherwise, please avoid this mess at ALL COSTS.

An example of a movie review. positive.

A:
I was not expecting much from this movie, but was very pleasantly surprised, as it is light and funny and very well observed. The central trio of deadbeat bikers were surprisingly likable as they staggered and clowned their way through their drug-centred trip to Wales. The humour was gentle and subtle, as indeed were the three characters (witness their sympathetic treatment of the little old lady shopkeeper). The atmospherics of rural Wales were captured perfectly, and the soundtrack was very well chosen. Cleverly and carefully scripted, with great attention to detail - I have never seen such a realistic portrayal of alternative culture - I felt I was there with them. Very light in touch and full of fun - not what you might expect from a movie about bikers and drugs. A delight on all fronts, and difficult to criticise, though I thought the last two scenes were a bit lame - the film should have ended when they left Wales. But overall, an unexpected treasure of a film.