Would the following phrase be considered positive or negative?

somewhere lies ... footage that might have made no such thing a trenchant , ironic cultural satire instead of a frustrating misfire .

negative

Would the following phrase be considered positive or negative?

soothe and break

positive

Would the following phrase be considered positive or negative?

, they 're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination .

negative

Would the following phrase be considered positive or negative?

hell
negative