In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
One 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 )
Solution is here: N
Explanation: The phrases used in the review convey a negative sentiment (e.g. "presents it in a very bad package").

Now, solve this: a cinematic version of one of john irving 's novels is always cause for celebration even if , as in the case of " simon birch , " the treatment is merely " suggested by , " rather than strictly based on , the book .
suggested means that irving , author of the acclaimed " the world according to garp , " sold the rights to his novel " a prayer for owen meany " to the disney machine for $ 1 million , but would n't grant them permission to use either the title or any of the character names .
that 's an odd decision -- irving claims it 's to protect both himself and the novel -- but it 's one that does n't unduly harm the finished product .
irving 's books are rich and complex works , full of intriguing , colorful characters .
"
a prayer for owen meany " is no exception ; it tells the story of an unusual boy -- called simon birch in the film version -- who is uncommonly small in stature and possesses a high - pitched falsetto voice , " like strangled mice .
"
simon believes himself to be " god 's instrument , " placed on this earth to somehow effect god 's plan .
simon is played by ian michael smith , who suffers from a rare enzyme disorder known as morquio syndrome which , among other things , prevents bones , ligaments , and joints from developing normally .
smith 's debilitating disease makes him an obvious physical choice for " simon birch " ; however , the producers unwisely favored form over function -- smith 's acting abilities are limited at best .
another drawback is that in the book , simon 's condition is described the way irving describes any of his characters -- in careful , loving detail . watching " simon birch , " however , creates a different feeling altogether ; the audience is forced into a voyeuristic relationship with the character , surely something irving would not have intended .
simon himself tends to be too cute and irritating , a combination of smith 's rookie status as an actor and the precocious one - liners he 's forced to deliver , courtesy mark steven johnson , the film 's director and screenwriter .
fortunately , simon birch is n't the real star of the film that bears his name .
simon is more of a catalyst , allowing his co - stars to shape the story , and the actors who fill those roles to turn in outstanding supporting performances , saving the film from an obsequious , manipulative destiny .
first and foremost is joseph mazzello ( " jurassic park " ) , who is nothing less than remarkable as simon 's best friend , joe .
mazzello turns in a wonderfully layered performance for a 14 year old , ripe with laughter , pain , and tears ; he is certainly an emerging talent .
ashley judd
positively beams in her role as rebecca , joe 's single mother , and oliver platt is warm and tender as her boyfriend , ben .
david strathairn and jan hooks play the town 's reverend and sunday school teacher respectively and their contributions uphold the high standards set by the others .
there 's even a surprising yet effective uncredited cameo performance from .
. .
well , that would be telling .
perhaps " suggested by " the novel is the appropriate way to go after all , since " simon birch " only focuses on one chapter , one year , of simon 's extraordinary life .
the film also changes the book 's ending to one that is more melodramatic , yet necessary given simon 's lot .
the flavor of irving 's original novel remains , however -- the passions , friendships , and insecurities that come with a change of seasons to the little community of gravestown , maine , and the engaging oddballs , both big and small , who reside there .
Solution:
P