Part 1. Definition
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
Part 2. Example
plot : two teen couples go to a church party , drink and then drive .
they get into an accident .
one of the guys dies , but his girlfriend continues to see him in her life , and has nightmares .
what 's the deal ?
watch the movie and " sorta " find out . . .
critique : a mind - fuck movie for the teen generation that touches on a very cool idea , but presents it in a very bad package .
which is what makes this review an even harder one to write , since i generally applaud films which attempt to break the mold , mess with your head and such ( lost highway & memento ) , but there are good and bad ways of making all types of films , and these folks just did n't snag this one correctly
.
they seem to have taken this pretty neat concept , but executed it terribly .
so what are the problems with the movie ?
well , its main problem is that it 's simply too jumbled
.
it starts off " normal " but then downshifts into this " fantasy " world in which you , as an audience member ,
have no idea what 's going on
.
there are dreams , there are characters coming back from the dead , there are others who look like the dead , there are strange apparitions , there are disappearances , there are a looooot of chase scenes , there are tons of weird things that happen , and most of it is simply not explained .
now i personally do n't mind trying to unravel a film every now and then , but when all it does is give me the same clue over and over again , i get kind of fed up after a while , which is this film 's biggest problem .
it 's obviously got this big secret to hide , but it seems to want to hide it completely until its final five minutes .
and do they make things entertaining , thrilling or even engaging , in the meantime ?
not really .
the sad part is that the arrow and i both dig on flicks like this , so we actually figured most of it out by the half - way point , so all of the strangeness after that did start to make a little bit of sense , but it still did n't the make the film all that more entertaining .
i guess the bottom line with movies like this is that you should always make sure that the audience is " into it " even before they are given the secret password to enter your world of understanding .
i mean , showing melissa sagemiller running away from visions for about 20 minutes throughout the movie is just plain lazy ! !
okay , we get it .
. .
there are people chasing her and we do n't know who they are .
do we really need to see it over and over again ?
how about giving us different scenes offering further insight into all of the strangeness going down in the movie ?
apparently , the studio took this film away from its director and chopped it up themselves , and it shows .
there might 've been a pretty decent teen mind - fuck movie in here somewhere , but i guess " the suits " decided that turning it into a music video with little edge , would make more sense .
the actors are pretty good for the most part , although wes bentley just seemed to be playing the exact same character that he did in american beauty , only in a new neighborhood .
but my biggest kudos go out to sagemiller , who holds her own throughout the entire film , and actually has you feeling her character 's unraveling .
overall , the film does n't stick
because it does n't entertain , it 's confusing , it rarely excites and
it feels pretty redundant for most of its runtime , despite a pretty cool ending and explanation to all of the craziness that came before it .
oh ,
and by the way , this is not a horror or teen slasher flick . . .
it 's just packaged to look that way because someone is apparently assuming that the genre is still hot with the kids .
it also wrapped production two years ago and has been sitting on the shelves ever since .
whatever . .
. skip it !
where 's joblo coming from ?
a nightmare of elm street 3 ( 7/10 ) - blair witch 2 ( 7/10 ) - the crow ( 9/10 ) - the crow : salvation ( 4/10 )
- lost highway ( 10/10 ) - memento ( 10/10 ) - the others ( 9/10 ) - stir of echoes ( 8/10 )
Answer: N
Explanation: The phrases used in the review convey a negative sentiment (e.g. "presents it in a very bad package").
Part 3. Exercise
the computer - animated comedy " shrek " is designed to be enjoyed on different levels by different groups . for children ,
it offers imaginative visuals , appealing new characters mixed with a host of familiar faces , loads of action and a barrage of big laughs ( including numerous gags related to body functions and yucky substances , apparently a requisite in contemporary family films ) .
for adults , it 's a fractured fairy tale packed with rude jokes that will sail over the heads of the kids .
all in all , " shrek " is a snappy ride , although there are a couple of points i found disturbing .
but first the basics .
based very loosely on a 1990 children 's story , " shrek " follows several momentous days in the life of the title character , a rotund green ogre voiced by mike myers in that pleasant scottish accent
he is so fond of using .
shrek is a grumpy fellow living a solitary life deep in the swamp , until a local nobleman disturbs his peace .
petty tyrant lord farquaad ( take away the " awk " in the middle
and you have the basis of a string of impolite one - liners ) owns the land on which shrek resides .
he proceeds to turn the ogre 's yard into an ellis island for storybook characters when he banishes the fanciful beings from his castle .
as a result , shrek finds himself surrounded by legends like the three blind mice , pinocchio , the big bad wolf , the seven dwarfs , and the three bears , to name but a few .
an enraged shrek storms to the castle , only to find farquaad ( john lithgow ) ready to bargain .
lord obnoxious wants to become king and the magic mirror from " snow white " has shown him the way .
all he has to do is rescue a damsel in distress and make her his wife .
the mirror unveils three choices in a presentation straight out of " the dating game " ( when snow white is shown , the cheeky announcer purrs , " even though she lives with seven men , she 's not easy !
" ) farquaad selects the lovely princess fiona ( cameron diaz ) and offers shrek a deal :
if the ogre snatches fiona from the dragon - protected , lava moat - filled castle in which she is held captive and brings her to the throne , the lord will allow the fairy tale pests to move back on his grounds .
shrek reluctantly agrees and sets off on his quest , accompanied by a motor - mouthed donkey ( eddie murphy ) determined to make the green grump his best friend .
they finally hook up with the princess , only to learn she is not the helpless maiden they expected to meet .
for the matter , the dragon offers a few surprises as well .
the movie references a great many other flicks , from " babe " ( " that 'll do , donkey .
that 'll do " ) to " the graduate .
"
but the lion 's share of the jokes come at the expense of the wonderful world of disney .
the public - domain characters made into icons in various disney films take their hits ?
pinocchio is referred to as a " possessed toy " and when shrek spies a sleeping snow white in his cabin , he bellows , " get that dead broad off the table ! " ?
but the biggest slams come when shrek visits farquaad 's royal domicile , which closely resembles a certain magic kingdom , from its souvenir stands and queue lines to a display of animatronic figures that sing the palace rules in a relentlessly peppy tune that sounds a lot like
" it 's a small world .
" which brings me to disturbing point number one .
i laughed at all the disney swipes , but found the mentality behind them a bit sad .
the acrimony between dreamworks honcho jeff katzenberg and disney big wheel michael eisner is well known .
for years the two companies have tried to sabotage each other 's film and video releases by issuing similar competing productions on the same day .
and now we have katzenberg using an entire movie to attack his former employer .
here 's a suggestion for the two boys : grow up !
put the past behind you !
there 's room in the sandbox for both of you and if you farquaads ca n't play nice , then go to your rooms !
the other area i found troubling came in the portrayal of lord farquaad .
beyond all the irreverence , " shrek " actually has a message : people should learn to look beyond physical appearances , because true beauty lies within .
it 's a lovely notion , but the film betrays its own moral by incessantly taking cheap shots at farquaad 's diminutive stature .
do we really need a family film reinforcing the idea that mocking short people is acceptable ?
the pompous , selfish behavior of farquaad is enough to make him a target for zingers .
adding short jokes is simply mean .
still , " shrek " is a rollicking good time .
the computer animation is mostly impressive
( although several key characters look like animated rubber squeeze toys and the human movements are often jerky ) , the voice work is strong ( particularly from eddie murphy ) ,
the laughs come fast and furious , and the moral , tainted though it may be , is a good one . to trot out a clich ? , " shrek " is fun for all ages .
parents , though , should remind their young ones during the ride home
that taunting others because they are short , tall , skinny , fat , etc . is a bad thing .
Answer:
P