In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.

it was only a matter of time before a dilbert - esque office comedy hit the screens .
however , rather than coming from dilbert creator scott adams , office space is instead based on the work of another animator , mike judge , creator of beavis and butthead and king of the hill .
in his live - action directoral debut , judge
aptly spoofs corporate culture .
the story is certainly not very involved , but there is plenty of truth and humor to fill the gaps .
peter ( ron livingston ) is a programmer working at the initech corporation .
every day in his mundane life is worse than the one before .
. . in other words , every day is the worst day in his entire life .
he 's stuck in a boring job with eight different supervisors , all obsessed with administrative trivialities .
he 's smitten with joanna ( jennifer aniston ) , a local waitress , but has n't the guts to even introduce himself .
everything has simply made him a complete , nervous wreck .
but all of that changes when , after an unintentionally over - effective visit to a hypnotherapist , peter loses all of his inhibitions .
he realizes his lifelong dream : to do absolutely nothing .
he begins to blatantly disregard the nonsensical instructions of his boss , bill lumbergh ( gary cole ) , doing whatever he feels like .
peter 's friends and co - workers , samir ( ajay naidu ) and michael bolton ( david herman ) . . .
no , not that michael bolton , are perplexed by their friend 's sudden change in attitude .
but , they have larger things to worry about : rumors about that initech is about to begin downsizing . . . as bleak as much of this sounds , let me assure you that office space is a comedy , and quite a funny one .
although it shares the same absurdist office humor of the dilbert comic strip , office space is actually based loosely on the series of milton cartoons which aired on saturday night life .
each mundane detail , taken by itself , seems completely , regrettably , plausible .
yet , when combined into a whole , the picture which results is absolutely surreal .
ron livingston tackles his role straight - faced , and becomes much funnier because of it .
his character is n't simply being a clown lampooning around the office , but rather seems possessed by a zen - like clarity .
he is operating on a higher plane , where everything suddenly makes sense , and from this vantage point , he allows the audience to smirk at the absurdities of life .
anyone who has had to deal with the inefficiencies of corporate bureaucracy , or who has ever been frustrated with the technology of modern life , will recognize many of the characters and situations in the film .
in fact , in addition to being wildly humorous , the film may actually prove to be cathartic .
the animated roots of office space show in the film 's lack of complexity .
most of the characters in the film can be quickly summarized by a particular personality quirk .
one employee , milton ( stephen root ) , is practically a flesh - and - blood cartoon .
however , despite their simple nature , the characters still manage to be surprisingly funny .
it 's not required to have a corporate background to enjoy this film ( though the situations may seem exceedingly far - fetched if you are unfamiliar with just how close to reality they really are ) .
the film is flimsy and absurd , but also very funny .
P

martin scorsese 's films used to intimidate me .
because of his reputation , i felt obligated to appreciate them as deep film art rather than as great flicks .
as much as i enjoyed them
, i usually felt like i missed something .
i learned from scorsese 's casino that whatever techniques he uses are merely there to enhance the story .
no mystical interpretation is required to appreciate his movies .
for example , in casino he uses subtitles when robert deniro and joe pesci are using code words with each other .
there was no meaning more exotic than that subtitles were the most succinct way for him to tell the audience what was really going on .
or toward the end , when he uses three quick dissolves to compress a scene of a car backing away from a building .
again , the simple , mundane explanation is that it helped the pacing .
i do n't mean to say that his techniques are not creative or good - looking .
but he simply uses the best tool for the job .
it should n't have surprised me , then , that kundun , a film about a mystical religion , actually turned out to be quite straightforward .
the movie follows the life of the 14th dalai lama , the spiritual and political leader of tibet .
the movie 's title is another name for the dalai lama which means " ocean of wisdom .
"
his story is told in strict chronological order and there are only a few cinematic visions to embellish the literal story .
( one of which makes an interesting statement : pay attention to the film 's opening shot and watch where it is repeated . )
we first glimpse the dalai lama when he is two years old .
his curiosity and self - assuredness capture the attention of a monk wandering in search of the new lama .
a test is arranged to see if this boy really is the reincarnation of the 13 dalai lamas who have gone before .
several items belonging to the previous dalai lama are laid before the boy alongside some other items .
the child is asked if he recognizes any of the items as his own .
the boy picks correctly , proving that he is the new , and the old , dalai lama .
scorsese and long - time editor thelma schoonmaker were kind enough to allow the possibility that the child was taking his cues from the monk .
before selecting an item , he would look at the monk , perhaps for some sort of confirmation .
sometimes he picked right the first time , and sometimes he made a second choice .
either way , whether through reincarnation or quick human perception , the tibetans were assured of choosing a boy who could be a wise , perceptive leader .
> from this point on , the boy is raised as the reincarnation of the lama 's spirit and the future leader of a nation .
it is a great weight to put on the mind of a child .
in the u. s. it might be grounds for a call to social services .
but the young lama accepts his destiny without any apparent emotional damage .
neither the great power nor the awesome responsibility keeps him from becoming a genuinely likeable , well - rounded person .
certain patterns take shape over the years .
for example , the dalai lama is fascinated by technology .
radios , clocks , and telescopes are some of his favorite toys .
when he is old enough to accept his leadership , he makes plans to modernize isolated tibet .
he also has a soft spot for creatures who are suffering or in pain , including herd animals .
it 's nearly a running gag that he will buy sheep to keep them from being herded to slaughter .
but the most ominous constant throughout his life is the presence and threat of tibet 's gigantic neighbor , china .
tibet and its leaders prove correct in fearing china , as , first the propaganda , then the political pressure , and finally the armies , come across their common border .
the chinese invasion is so successful that the lama 's life is in danger if he stays .
the movie ends when , after much agonizing , the dalai lama leaves tibet for india .
the story does n't lead up to a cinematic climax as strongly as most feature films do .
it just does n't fit that mold . if it were forced into such a shape it would have been a completely different movie ( perhaps more like seven years in tibet , which is good in its own right ) .
the pacing of kundun is more calm and level than that .
the structure of the film is made to fit the characters and events , not vice - versa .
perhaps because the pace is slower , we have more time to notice the beautiful art , vestments , and architecture of tibet .
a mandala , ( tibetan sand painting ) with beautiful , vibrant colors is shown throughout the movie .
the robes and hats of state are bright red and gold .
the bricks are a rich reddish brown , not unlike the skin tone of the tibetans .
even the touchstone pictures logo before the movie ( which is usually light blue ) is the red and gold of tibet .
philip glass composed the music for kundun ,
and he was the perfect choice .
for those who do n't know of glass , his music is like a tibetan mandala .
his building blocks are lots of small notes , tiny grains of music , which are first grouped , then repeated in patterns .
these patterns create interesting textures which are themselves part of a larger composition .
people wo n't be flocking to kundun for
it 's great ending , or talking about its outstanding plot , but it does have a lot to offer : an interesting lifetime , exotic sights , rich cinematography , and innovative music .
it gives interesting insight into tibetan buddhism and takes a warm look at the dalai lama as a person .
on top of it all is the cinematic mastery of martin scorsese , who gives the film a strong , beautiful , consistent look .
P

i was originally going to give the spanish prisoner two and half stars .
from my first viewing , i noticed that david mamet 's film was intense and clever at times but boring and cliched at other times especially at the beginning .
from my second viewing however , i noticed that mamet 's script was actually a masterpiece .
the spanish prisoner , like the usual suspects or chinatown , begs for the viewer 's complete attention .
miss a scene or even a small detail , and you could miss the meaning of the entire film .
also like the aforementioned films , it rewards its viewer for paying attention by delivering
a surprising and memorable ending
.
mamet is success doing again what he once tackled in 1987 when he wrote and directed house of games .
like his past gem , the spanish prisoner fools the audience as much ( or even more ) than the victim . because we were deceived just like the victim , we feel a strong attachment to the main character and consequently are more interested in the film .
mamet has the talent of not completely ending a film gift wrapped , but rather leaving some ambiguity towards the end .
the power that he has in forcing the viewer to determine who the good guys and bad guys are once the film is over , without giving a right answer , is unique and ingenious .
the spanish prisoner will leave you seriously puzzled and intrigued .
after seeing the film again , i noticed that the details mamet uses are so incredibly accurate it is frightening .
his direction is very subtle ; as he leaves so many clues explaining what is going on and who is who
but it is still very difficult to tell what exactly is happening even if you see all of them , or think you see all of them .
the story follows a young up and coming businessman , joe ross , ( campbell scott ) who has just created a mysterious and lucrative " process " that everyone is trying to get their hands on .
soon ross does not know who he can trust or who is after his " process .
" through his journey ross meets a number of mysterious characters : the rich and popular jimmy dell , a secretary who has a huge crush on ross , and ross ' boss mr .
klein .
played by steve martin , rebecca pidgeon , and ben gazarra respectively , the supporting cast is very solid especially martin , who deserved an oscar nomination for his commanding and manipulative role .
the most interesting character in the film , though , was campbell scott 's joe ross .
the character 's transformation from an ingenuous and polite rookie to a paranoid veteran is very apparent and justifiable .
david mamet 's script is so interesting because we know people do n't actually talk like the characters in the film , yet we feel so connected to some of them .
his beguiling style could fool any viewer up for the challenge .
this is a must see , for those interested in solving a complex puzzle of a movie .
P