instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
breakdown is an moderately entertaining , if underwhelming , thriller .
kurt russell and kathleen quinlan play couple jeff and amy taylor , taking the scenic route to california through redneck country .
however , while in the middle of nowhere , their jeep decides to break down , leaving them stranded .
a friendly truck driver , warren ( walsh ) , offers to give them a lift to town .
although jeff rejects the offer ( he wants to stay with his car ) , amy agrees , hops into warren 's lorry , and promptly disappears .
jeff wonders where the hell she is , and when he later catches up with warren and warren says he has never seen amy in his life , the plot thickens and jeff goes on a chase to find his wife .
although comparisons can be made with this film to deliverance ( 1972 ) and the vanishing ( 1993 ) plot wise , the latter two are far superior character and script wise .
kurt russell is o .
k as jeff , although he can seemingly only pull of one expression , which is angry .
throughout the whole film , he looks angry ( or just pissed off . )
quinlan is o .
k again , but again
she can only pull off one expression , which is looking dorky .
throughout the whole film , she looks dorky .
j .
t walsh ( who , sadly , recently passed away ) is fine as warren ( who we soon find out is a kidnapper )
although his actual character is pretty weak , and not really menacing enough .
the supporting cast do their best aswell , with rex linn as a doubting sheriff , and the other kidnappers .
the story , written by first - timer jonathan mostow ( who also directs ) is o .
k ,
if surprisingly familiar and sometimes extraordinarily stupid .
some of the things the characters do in this movie is beyond the bounds of idiocy .
there are some flaws with the plot also , as the characters do the complete opposite to logical ( presumably to keep the story ' exciting ' ) and also the fact that the story just is n't strong enough to sustain the audience 's attention .
the picture moves along very slowly also .
it almost threatens to drop dead .
the picture does pick up towards the end , but by then it 's too late .
mostow directs the action sequences well enough , however .
the film does n't really come to a satisfying conclusion , either .
the ending tries to be bleak , but just comes off annoying
.
breakdown could of been a far more enjoyable picture
had it had a stronger cast and director .
instead , it just turns out to be merely average .
a missed opportunity .
overall rating= review by david wilcock
answer:
N

question:
national lampoon 's animal house , made in 1978 and set in 1962 , remains one of the -- no , fuck that noise --
* the * funniest movie ever made .
and this is n't just my opinion , either ; everybody knows this , and that 's why about a gazillion inferior rip - offs have been made , trying to duplicate its success .
( pcu anyone ?
and the first person to bring up glory daze gets decked . )
animal house takes place at the fictional faber college , circa 1962 , where the omega frat calls the shots .
these guys are wholesome , clean - cut , model - citizens .
. .
i .
e .
a bunch of assholes .
greg , their leader , is going out with mandy pepperidge , but since the silly bastard does n't believe in pre - marital sex , their relationship never goes further than a quick jack - off under the stars .
neidermeyer is the supreme - bozo of the bunch , walking around with his dick out kicking freshman ass and trying to impress the muff . also hanging around these losers is babs , future universal studios employee and serious bitch .
now let 's just take a peak next door , at the delta house .
over here , anything goes : you wanna throw shit out the window ?
okay .
you wanna crush a bunch of beer cans on your forehead and pour honey - mustard all over your chest ?
go right ahead .
the frat 's leaders are otter and boon ( tim matheson and peter riegert ) .
otter is the ladies ' man , going out with another girl every night , and boon is the comedian .
he 's got a steady - date , katy ( karen allen ) , but she 's sick of playing second - fiddle to a bottle of j .
d .
then there are the others : pinto , a wimp ; flounder , a blimp ; d .
day , a biker ; stork , who may or may not have brain - damage ; and last but not least . . .
bluto !
bluto , played by the late ,
great john belushi , is the man .
he 's the kind of guy who slugs back entire fifths of whiskey then proclaim , " i needed that .
"
the kind of guy who puts a cream - filled snowball into his mouth , puffs up his cheeks and spits it out , and then says " i 'm a zit -- get it ?
" the story is as follows : the omegas are getting the deltas kicked off campus .
the deltas , knowing that fighting the omegas is stupid , decide to go out with style , throwing a wild toga party and ruining the homecoming parade .
this is the fucnniest movie int he history of the world
. do yourself a favor and go see it .
answer:
P

question:
"
the red violin " is a cold , sterile feature that leaves you uninvolved and detached .
it 's a movie that seems almost clinical , as it traces the 300-plus - years history of the legendary musical instrument of the title .
opening in the 17th century , the story shows how violin - maker nicolo bussotti created the instrument as a gift for his unborn son .
but when tragedy strikes , the violin becomes the personification of its maker 's grief .
from there the violin comes into the hands of an orphaned child prodigy at an austrian monastery .
again , tragedy strikes as the child is struck down at the moment of his triumph .
we follow the violin through the centuries as it finds a home in england and in mao 's communist china before being discovered by expert charles morritz ( samuel l . jackson ) , who mounts a painstaking investigation to prove its authenticity .
the violin becomes morritz 's obsession , just as it is for all those who converge on a montreal auction house to bid on it .
morritz , however , is the only one who knows the secret of the instrument and can understand and appreciate its creator 's intention .
"
the red violin " could have been a touching , inspirational story , as soaring as a beethoven symphony .
however director francois girard fails to make any emotional connection with the viewer .
here is a story that could have made use of various camera angles and lighting to heighten its impact .
girard , for some unknown reason , uses mostly master shots , keeping his camera - and thus us - at a distance .
we get no feel for the miracle
that is the violin .
it 's resonance , its purity of sound are not emphasized enough to make an impression .
nor are any of the performances memorable .
it 's as if girard wanted all his actors to play second fiddle to his violin .
"
the red violin " promises much , but delivers little .
it is dull at times , a bit pretentious and a might murky .
the movie 's music soars over its story and performers .
and that is its only saving grace .
answer:
N