TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: with more and more television shows having gay characters , and even the infamous " ellen " sitcom being centered on the life of a lesbian , the movie industry too seems to be gaining more and more homosexual based plot lines .
the birdcage was critically acclaimed , as was this years chasing amy .
then along came in & out , and all three of these films are on my top ten list for the years in which they were released .
it 's also noticeable that this " alternative lifestyle " becomes less and less taboo as the years go by , and it seems that using comedy as a medium is proving a worthwhile effort .
while it 's a very serious issue to many , it is the comedies that people are flocking to see and that are gaining notoriety .
but the way we 're using comedy to present homosexuality is also changing quite dramatically .
while the gay community was once very stereotyped and used to laugh * at * , it is more and more becoming something we laugh * with * , and when a movie like in & out comes along , it is something that both heterosexuals and homosexuals should be able to thoroughly enjoy .
it does n't poke fun at the lifestyle , it simply uses it to all
it 's comedic capacity , just as love , sex , marriage , birth , death , and anything else has been .
the idea for in & out was born the day tom hanks won his oscar for portraying an aids - afflicted gay man in philadelphia .
if you remember , during his acceptance speech , hanks gave a highly emotional tribute to the gay community , and even sighted a former gay teacher of his as a major inspiration in his life .
it 's a serious and touchy subject , but producer scott rudin viewed it as the setting for a potentially hilarious comedy , and pitched it to screenwriter paul rudnick .
it 's true that if this same film had been written by a heterosexual , it may have been more controversial , but because it was written by an openly gay writer , the prerogative was set .
kevin kline , who only seems to become more and more acclaimed , stars as howard brackett , a high school english teacher in the small , picturesque town of greenleaf , indiana .
after a three - year engagement to fellow teacher emily montgomery ( joan cusack ) , a wedding date has been set , and the hubbub surrounding it is almost as big as that
surrounding another huge story - greenleaf high graduate cameron drake ( matt dillon ) is up for a best actor oscar .
the small town eagerly awaits both events , and both seem quite astronomical , but little does anyone know how much one will affect the other .
when cameron drake is announced the winner , the excitement is heightened as he pays tribute to his high school english teacher , mr .
brackett .
everyone is cheering back in greenleaf - that is until cameron tacks on those three calamitous words , " and he 's gay .
"
the town becomes silent as the entire population joins in a simultaneous jaw drop .
the thing is , nobody , including howard , can understand how cameron came to that conclusion , and such wild and unexpected news can only wreak havoc in such a conservative american haven such as greenleaf .
naturally the questions pour from howard 's fiancee , parents ( debbie reynolds & wilford brimley ) , students , and the high school 's principal , tom halliwell ( bob newhart ) , and the evidence starts to become more and more obvious : howard is clean , neat , honest , sincere , a romantic , and perhaps the most incriminating fact , he loves barbara streisand .
the frenzy is n't helped any when camera crews from every conceivable news magazine and " entertainment tonight " wannabe show up at greenleaf high the very next morning .
one particular reporter is peter malloy ( tom selleck ) of " inside entertainment " , who unlike the collage of other reporters , wants to spend a whole week in the life of howard brackett , including coverage of his wedding .
the intrusion is all but welcome by howard , who is going more and more out of his mind with each passing minute .
it seems that no matter where he turns , a camera is being shoved in his face and questions regarding homosexuality are being tossed to him like frisbees .
the dominoes begin to tumble as howard 's closest friends begin acting different and principal halliwell hints at a possible termination of employment should howard indeed be gay .
it all sounds very devastating , and it would be if it were n't presented with near - perfection by one of this year 's most delightful ensemble casts
.
kline seems only to improve with age , and he is downright perfect here .
the great thing about this film is that every single character has a moment to shine , and they use it wonderfully .
every single actor turns in one of their best performances ever .
dillon has never been so likeable , cusack
has never seemed so perfect for a role , and brimley , reynolds , and newhart
all provide huge laughs when they 're up to bat .
rudnick 's script is heavily laced with wit and humor , and you 'll likely find yourself laughing out loud for a solid ninety minutes .
while in & out does n't carry enough to give it four stars , it remains one of the best done films of the year , all - around .
the script is exuberant , the actors are absolutely top- notch , and we 're allowed just the perfect blend of heart - tugging so as not to bog down the laughs .
it remains a solid comedy throughout its entirety , yet we 're still allowed a sappily touching ending .
despite it 's subject matter , and one scene that comes almost too close for comfort on explaining gay sex , this is a movie that everyone could , and should , enjoy .
frank oz , best known as a voice talent for muppets
, directs this film quite delightfully , using all the potential rudnick 's script has to offer , which turns out to be quite a bit . check this one out .
you 'll have a gay old time .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: every once in a while , when an exceptional family film comes along , i will attempt to champion it by challenging parents to put their money where their mouths have been ; with all the hubbub over the lack of films suitable for children , it is remarkable how many non - disney films disappear in a couple of weeks .
now i see that in so doing , i have unfairly ghettoized these films .
so i am issuing my challenge not just to parents , but to anyone who wants to support smart , funny , energetic film - making : see matilda .
see it in a theater , rather than shrugging and waiting for it on video .
see
the best film i have seen in 1996 .
not the best children 's film .
. .
the best film . period .
based on a story by roald dahl , it tells of young matilda wormwood ( mara wilson ) , an extraordinarily bright girl whose great misfortune it is to have a pair of deeply stupid parents : harry ( danny devito ) , a crooked used car salesman ; and zinnia ( rhea perlman ) , a simple - minded bingo addict .
the wormwoods barely notice matilda exists , and when they do , it is only to scold her for spending too much time reading books .
when they finally do send her to school , it is to crunchem hall , a bleak place run by cruel , child - hating miss agatha trunchbull ( pam ferris ) .
but things begin to look up for matilda when she discovers a sympathetic teacher , miss honey ( embeth davidtz ) , who nurtures her natural inquisitiveness .
matilda also discovers another special talent -- the ability to move things with her mind -- which allows her to help herself and miss honey to overcome miss trunchbull 's cruelty .
it was this spring 's james and the giant peach which inspired me to note that the best and most lasting tales for children tended to have more than a hint of darkness to them , and you can bet that the roald dahl responsible for the gleeful ghoulishness of james and willy wonka and the chocolate factory has more of the same in store with matilda .
and just as james benefited from the dark sensibilities of henry selick and tim burton , matilda soars on the cock - eyed direction of danny devito .
devito made black humor a key element in throw momma from the train and the war of the roses , and he contributes some memorable images .
in one scene , an unfortunate girl is made an example of by miss trunchbull when she is picked up by her pig - tails and flung through the air like a throwing hammer ; later , an overweight boy is forced to eat an entire massive cake after he is caught stealing a dessert .
matilda is just twisted enough to be a perfect fairy tale .
it is also characteristic of the best children 's tales that they manage to teach lessons in such a way that children almost do n't realize that they are learning them .
there is a hilarious moment when matilda 's television - addicted father snatches away the book she is reading ( in a wicked joke , he thinks _
moby dick _ is pornographic ) and forces her to watch an inane game show ( hosted by jon lovitz ) in which contestants are smeared with adhesive and placed in a booth filled with cash blowing around .
matilda is a story which promotes the value of intellectual curiosity over passive entertainment , and it does so while poking holes in that most frustrating of notions for a child -- that because " i 'm big and you 're little
, i 'm right and you 're wrong .
"
more specifically , it has as
its heroine an intelligent , self - confident girl who struggles successfully against other people 's notions of how she should behave .
it is no coincidence that matilda was co - written by robin swicord , who contributed the superb recent adaptation of little women .
finally , matilda has that quality i find rarest and most treasured in family entertainment : it is family entertainment in the truest sense of the word .
devito knows enough to make matilda fast - paced and appealing to children , taking a deliciously nasty performance by pam ferris as miss trunchbull and making it the focal point of some priceless physical comedy , including a great chase through her dark house .
the child actors are winning but never obnoxiously adorable , with mara wilson making matilda a clever and extremely likeable character .
but there are also many , many delights for adults , including my favorite scene in which matilda uses her powers to frighten miss trunchbull by having chalk write on a chalkboard by itself while matilda 's classmates recite in sing - song fashion ; there is also a deadpan cameo by paul reubens as an fbi agent staking out matilda 's father .
i ca n't imagine anyone of any age leaving matilda feeling as though his or her intelligence had been insulted .
matilda is a film which left me glowing with good feeling .
i will see it again , and years from now i will watch it with my children .
and now i will stop , because somewhere near you matilda is about to begin , and there is a seat in that theater you should be in , if you have a child or ever were a child .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: it was once said that in order to truly enjoy some of today 's movies or novels , you must ' suspend disbelief . '
however , there is a distinct separation between opening your mind to ridiculous situations and believing a bunch of flat lies .
it came as no surprise to me to learn that huntingburg , indiana ( where the film is set ) , does not have a mcdonald 's , a sears store , a statue of a man on a horse , nor even a dam close by .
even if you can ignore these somewhat ' white ' lies ( even though the dam is crucial to hard rain 's plot ) ; there is still a bunch of things that just do n't gel .
firstly , morgan freeman , possibly the greatest actor alive ( after such films as driving miss daisy , the shawshank redemption and se7en ) , was cast as a shifty goon intent on stealing enough money for a healthy retirement .
he _ should _ have played the town sheriff , an experienced and somewhat intriguing policeman .
as a massive flood started by a dam accident overwhelms huntingburg , its residents presumably flee as the water level steadily increases .
i say presumably simply because we never know what happened to them ; and it seems a tad strange that an entire town ( with the exception of some folk who get introduced along the way ) can vanish before the flood has actually started .
but nether the less , armored guard couriers tom ( christian slater ) and his uncle are carrying three million dollars in the back of their van .
with a heavy rainstorm causing depressing conditions and slippery roads , it does n't take long for the van to end up stuck amongst mud and water off the side of the road .
jim ( morgan freeman ) and a small gang of thieves locate the van and attempt to steal the three million dollars .
but of course tom is more than willing to save the day , so he takes the money and hides it elsewhere in town .
the local sheriff ( randy quaid , whom most will remember as the drunken pilot in id4 ) and a couple of police men investigate the situation , but their morals are soon overpowered by greediness as each character contemplates what he / she would do with their share of the three million dollars .
director mikael salomon has made sure that hard rain ends up turning everything topsy - turvy , and whilst the film may at first appear to be a definite ' goodies versus baddies , ' there are numerous twists in it 's plot that make this a slightly more enjoyable experience .
but by the time these interesting changes occur , it 's far too late in the film for them to have much affect .
hard rain 's continuos corniness and lack of originality washes out whatever hope the script may have had ; and although it 's cast is somewhat appealing most of its stars
act well below par .
not at one stage capturing what could have been a fabulous on screen battle between slater and freeman , we are left to reminisce on films that dared to do something different and achieved more than what was expected .
such titles as broken arrow ( slater and john travolta ) and face / off ( nicholas cage and john travolta ) come to mind as films that have mastered silver screen confrontations .
strangely enough , they were both directed by john woo and both star john travolta .
we can forgive morgan freeman for giving a slightly disappointing performance since he is newish to the action genre , but christian slater could have achieved so much more had the amount of crummy one liners been reduced and some personality added to his character . if you had asked me whether slater could perform well enough to substantially boost a movie prior to the release of broken arrow , my answer would have been a definite no .
i now know that he has no excuse , and _ can _ do better ( if you do n't believe me rent a copy of broken arrow from your local video store ) .
although hard rain never really works from the start , i somehow felt feelings of missed opportunity when the credits filled the screen .
the addition of an enticing sub - plot would have given the film time to breathe , rather than try to cram 96 minutes of action and disaster into a story that ca n't handle anything else .
despite the fact that hard rain fails on almost every account , if your standards are low enough you may find this to be a mildly enjoyable film .
no creative flair and no inventive scenes means that hard rain does not stand up well against its many competitors , but it does n't really matter since the last thing you would want to do after shelling about $ 8 .
50 is compare this to other films .

SOLUTION:
N