TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
PROBLEM: the love for family is one of the strongest driving forces in any man 's life , especially for those who have fostered their family under precarious circumstances .
thematically in cinema , love for family has been used frequently and emphatically to highlight more abstract aspects of characters ; it is rare , however , for it to develop as outstandingly as it does in roberto benigni 's neo - classic drama , life is beautiful .
through a central cast of father , mother , and son , benigni demonstrates the wonderful , undying love that a family shares in the best of times and the worst of times .
life
* is * beautiful for guido orefice ( roberto benigni , directing himself here for the sixth time in his career ) , an italian jew , master con man , and aspiring waiter extraordinaire .
living in 1930 's italy , he lives a carefree life of good fortune ; it is made even better when he happens upon a pretty schoolteacher named dora ( nicoletta braschi ) .
although dora is already engaged , guido manages to sweep her off her feet and persuades her to marry him instead ; the two have a child named joshua ( giorgio cantarini ) .
unfortunately for the happy family , the third reich and its nazi minions occupy italy and imprison all jews in work camps .
it is after the movie takes this dramatic turn that the movie 's theme of family love becomes the strongest .
although prior to this turning point benigni plays guido with a sort of goofy charm , he relaxes the role to ensure his son 's happiness .
now , instead of awkwardly seducing the sweet dora , he constantly reassures his son that everything will be all right .
benigni 's performance is truly a well - rounded one , and certainly one of the more fluid turns all year .
the supports are all strong as well , but the movie truly excels in its script .
life is beautiful is a self - proclaimed fable , one which tells its story in grand , two - part fashion .
in certain parts it manages to sink to the level of a " saturday night live " spinoff -- a number of humorous skits connected by a token plot -- but in the movie 's second half the script 's circular nature becomes admirably obvious .
characters make reprise appearances in fine form , and certain events which are intially curious become critically linked to the plot 's outcome .
in all , fans of foreign film will see this as a memorable motion picture , and novice movie - watchers may take this opportunity to see their first " artsy " film .
life is beautiful is an artsy movie by convention but
easily accessible to everyone , and above all is a fine thematic picture .

SOLUTION: P

PROBLEM: this is the worst movie i 've viewed so far in 98 .
the avengers = silly = man dressed in a bowler hat + woman wearing tight leathers
> evil scientists dressed in teddy bear suits + greater evil , sir august de wynter wearing kilt .
the question is what could have gone wrong with a potentially great idea with big name cast ?
the same question was probably asked of last year 's stinker batman and robin .
i feel the production got a little too smug ,
the script a little to smart and direction was somehow lost in the chaos of random events that collided together to form a movie .
my greatest criticism rests on the fact that there was no chemistry between emma peel and john steed ( thurman and fiennes ) ?
something that was a vital element of the 60 's tv serial of the same name .
the dialogue goes on and on about tea and other finer british perks , but does not allow much room for character development and interaction , except to perhaps grate on the viewer 's nerves .
one wonders why the dynamic pair bother kissing in the end except for pure english formality .
connery as sir august , does not fair better than thurman or fiennes .
his dialogue is as erratic as stormy weather , mostly embarrassing and poor quality .
if there is a movie you would prefer never to see , i believe the avengers would be a good choice .
for one thing , you will not have to witness a product that is far inferior to the three high profile names that is associated with the title .
i can not understand how something
so poorly produced could have been released , but i put it down to one of those freak happenings in nature , like lightning you ca n't see it coming until it hits you .

SOLUTION: N

PROBLEM: it 's ironic that the best films in cinema history are invariably the original director 's cut of the film .
films such as aliens , the abyss , the wild bunch , blade runner , and terminator 2 are all prime examples of a filmmaker 's integrity , later chopped up or mucked with by the studio .
the advent of the dvd format has provided a more accessible way to get these original cuts to the public and provide to film freaks like myself the ability to become further enraptured by the extension of such classic films .
the dvd release of the original international version of luc besson 's 1995 masterpiece the professional , which is known as l ? on around the world , is a prime example of how a good film can become an instant classic
as a director 's cut .
for years , i have heard of an " international " version available only in laserdisc format , which has eluded me for years .
i even bought a laserdisc player from my uncle don for 100 bucks just to watch certain directors ' cuts - including l ? on .
but after countless searches in laserdisc stores , i could never find it . until now .
the film follows the story of l ?
on , played by jean reno , a professional hit man for an italian mob crew run by danny aiello .
he lives next door to a ferociously independent 12-year - old girl named mathilda - played by then newcomer natalie portman , whose father is involved in drugs and crooked cops .
one day , a crew of the cops - lead by gary oldman in an over - the - top performance - kills her entire family while mathilda is out buying groceries .
taking pity on her , l ?
on hides her in his apartment when she returns to save her life .
mathilda learns of l ?
on 's hit man profession and decides to follow in l ? on 's footsteps as a " cleaner .
"
she then falls in love with him and manages to reawaken emotions within l ? on he has kept locked away as part of his profession .
at this point , the differences in the american version and the international version really kick in .
the international version contains an additional 24 minutes of footage that pertains directly to the relationship of l ? on and mathilda , footage that american censors deemed " too explicit .
"
i assume that american censors feel that defining character development is too much for american audiences to handle .
the best part of this extra footage is that gives better understanding of both mathilda 's and l ? on 's motivations pertaining to later actions involving oldman and his crew of bad cops .
there 's even a previously unseen cameo by the great french actor jean - hugues anglade - star of queen margot , besson 's la femme nikita , and killing zoe .
with these additional scenes replaced , l ? on and matilda 's relationship brings you emotionally closer to the film and draws stronger bonds between the characters that were murky in the american version .
the most ironic thing about the international version of the film is that with the inclusion of the missing scenes , the film becomes primarily a heavy , emotional drama punctuated with big action scenes at the beginning and the end of the film .
the film betters reflects the serious drama of french cinema but is laced with pieces reflecting the brutality of american cinema .
my advice to everyone out there is to throw away your copy of the professional , throw down twenty bucks , and pick up this newly restored cinematic masterpiece .
director / writer : luc besson producer : luc besson , claude besson starring : jean reno , natalie portman , gary oldman , danny aiello

SOLUTION:
P