instruction:
In this task, you must classify if a given review is positive/negative, indicating your answer as P or N.
question:
when 17 year old beau hall ( jonathan tucker , " the virgin suicides " ) gets in a car accident after drinking with his 30 year old companion , club owner darby reese ( josh lucas , " session 9 " ) , his mom , margaret ( tilda swinton , " the war zone " ) pays reese a visit to convince him to leave her son alone .
instead , reese travels out to their lake tahoe home and lures beau out to the boat house where beau learns that his mother was right about reese .
the next morning margaret discovers darby 's dead body on their beach and , suspecting the worst , weights it down in a distant part of the lake .
but her troubles are just beginning , as she soon learns with the arrival of blackmailer alek spera ( goran visnjic , " practical magic " ) in " the deep end .
" the incredibly pale , red - headed scottish actress swinton immerses herself into the role of the reserved american super - mom whose life revolves around serving the needs of her three children and live - in father - in - law jack ( peter donat , " the game " ) .
she shows great strength while allowing other emotions to glimmer through - discomfort at challenging reese in his gay disco ( named the deep end ) , near panic at having to dive down to his body to retrieve car keys , or even wry humor when an attempt to get help from jack becomes hopelessly miscommunicated .
gradually her loneliness becomes apparent ( her husband 's a naval officer , usually away at sea ) when her attempts to email him her concerns about beau are deleted and later , when a most unusual , yet chaste , romance turns tragic .
it 's a terrific performance .
the stendahl syndrome - like script , adapted from elisabeth sanxay holding 's 40 's noir novel ' the blank wall ' by directors scott mcgehee and david siegel , would be unbelievable if not for swinton and her costar visnjic .
alek spera is a wrong side of the tracks loser who arrives after reese 's body has been discovered .
he shows margaret a videotape of beau having sex with reese and demands $ 50 , 000 or he 'll turn the tape over to the reno police .
subsequent visits will turn his mind set upside down and backwards , though , as he comes to admire and even love the woman he set out to blackmail .
there 's yet another problem , though - his partner nagle ( raymond barry , " dead man walking " ) is a harder cored criminal who wo n't let up until his share of the money is delivered .
visnjic 's dark , brooding turn has an interior shading to it that makes us believe he 's a victim of circumstance and environment .
his turnaround is palpable as he witnesses margaret 's inherent decency and her workaday surroundings .
also outstanding is tucker as beau , who has a terrific character arc and pas de deux with his mother .
initially beau 's the typical sullen teen . '
you 're blowing this out of proportion , ' he says of her concerns about reese , not comprehending that his mom has enough insight to have divined the true nature of the relationship .
as his mom gets in deeper and deeper trying to cover up a crime he did n't commit , beau becomes suspicious of her actions and apparent new companion , turning tables .
his early black eye becomes her later split lip .
while the two can never be completely honest with each other , their love for each other comes through strongly .
the directors ( " suture " ) have a firm grip on their material and cast .
the story builds perfectly with bold strokes amidst a myriad of subtler underpinnings .
water imagery is constant ( an early shot of weirdly rushing green is revealed to be a young boy cleaning out an aquarium ) .
giles nuttgens ( " fire " ) cinematography , which won the 2001 sundance festival award , is crisp and startlingly clear .
the tahoe locations and production design by kelly mcgehee and christopher tandon provide a dual personality for the film , contrasting the calm , well off existence of the lake against the gambling city of reno .
"
the deep end " is a complex story of domino deeds and shifting relationships .
take the plunge .
answer:
P

question:
here is a film that is so unexpected , so scary , and so original that it caught me off guard and threw me for a loop .
okay , it is n't quite original ,
considering it is a sequel to the box office hit species , but
it certainly is smart .
most films of this genre are reminiscent of those cheesy b - horror films from the 50s and 60s , and some even become them .
however , as we learned with the 1995 small - budget horror / sci - fi film , sometimes expectations can be shattered .
a lot of criticism has gone against this film ( from what i have read so far , anyway -- yep , all two reviews ) , and it makes me wonder why these types of films are automatically dismissed as gory , laughable pieces of trash .
but , the thing is , it is n't .
it 's well made , well acted , and quite intelligent .
i can see most of the critics now complaining about the level of gore or the level of sexuality in the film .
but the species series is n't about the lack of these elements .
it 's about how much it can get into one film .
and yet , behind it all , it has this basic premise that allows it to get away with doing so .
species ii begins in the present day , though it seems to be an alternate universe .
many films ( especially sci - fi ones ) create similar timelines as our realistic one , but change it to fit the film 's needs .
species ii begins with the arrival of an american spacecraft , the excursion , landing on the surface of mars .
aboard is patrick ross ( justin lazard ) , a very bright and very handsome astronaut .
patrick is the son of senator ross ( james cromwell ) , who just wants patrick to succeed .
well , it would seem that he has succeeded .
landing on the surface of mars , he is the first human being to ever do so .
of course , he is n't the first ever .
about a billion years ago , an alien species supposedly landed on mars and destroyed the perfect living conditions that were able to sustain life .
now , of course , the red planet is cold and rocky .
no life lives on it .
that is , no visible life .
patrick , upon leaving the spacecraft and landing on the red soil , collects samples from the ground .
he takes them aboard , and puts them in storage .
unfortunately , one of the samples contains a form of life , and it gets loose when it is heated aboard the ship .
just prior to heading back to earth , this life form creeps along the floor and inhabits the earthlings .
they pass out for approximately seven minutes , and then shrug it off as nothing , because they ca n't even remember .
they blame it on a technical malfunction .
back on earth , patrick begins to have strong urges to mate with as many women as possible .
as we know from the original , this is because the alien wants to breed and take over the planet .
however , the children that are bred are half - human , as their father is .
patrick is really looking for another alien to breed with , and he finds it in eve ( natasha henstridge ) .
eve was cloned from dna taken from sil , the original alien .
however , this time around , most of her " alien " urges have been either decreased dramatically , or lie dormant .
the project is led by dr .
laura baker ( marg helgenberger , reprising her role from species ) , and her motives seem respectable .
since she was involved with the original alien attack , she wants to learn how to stop the alien should it come again .
and it has .
story - wise
, species ii is much stronger than its predecessor , but it is also much stronger than , say , aliens
( hey , i love the film , but you ca n't tell me it was strong on story ) .
what surprised me the most with this film was the incorporation of historical facts into the screenplay .
in my search for extraterrestrial intelligence course in college , we learned about a piece of rock from mars which landed in one of the poles .
this piece of rock contained fossils which may have been proof of life on mars ( later , it was proven that it was not a living creature that created it ) .
the script uses this effectively , but also manages to provide a well - balanced plot .
beginning with the first man on mars ( something i have always dreamed of seeing ) , i was hoping that the film would turn this element into a useful starting point for the movie .
and it does it quite well .
the characters are all smart , and they know what to do and what not to do .
the only character that seems a little cliched is the general ( george dzundza ) , and yet
, he remains logical in everything he does .
there are the obvious flaws of course , mostly lying in the technical aspects .
the special effects are only mediocre , and some are just plain bad .
but for the most part , they remain believable
( i even noticed a homage to the alien series when the mothers gave birth to alien children ) .
also , the most realistic ones are usually the goriest , ranging from people being torn open , or someone 's head being blown off .
however , some plot elements also may elicit laughs from the audience , including a menage a troi that is all but necessary .
many people dislike the species series because all it is is an excuse for sex , nudity , and gory violence .
however , i tend to disagree .
what were the alien films about ?
and , if an alien species ever did come to earth , and their sole purpose was to destroy us , would n't you mate as quickly as possible with as many people as possible ?
my only gripe with this is during the scene where patrick goes searching for a mate in a grocery store .
i did n't realize that aliens were that picky on choosing women to mate with
( i just assume it is his part - human side looking for the most beautiful one ) .
the acting is quite good for this kind of film .
it is a vast improvement over the first film , at least .
the acting is the key element to this film : if it was bad , it would have lowered itself into camp ; if it was good , it would have asked for comparison with films like aliens .
okay ,
so it is n't that good .
george dzundza is probably the most obvious mistake on casting , as his over - the - top impersonation of a general makes him annoying and distracting .
natasha henstridge is limited this time around , as she is usually enclosed in a cage .
however , she does manage a very impressive performance with this aspect hindering any of her talent .
oh yeah ,
and she 's quite fun to just plain watch .
marg helgenberger is immensely better this time around , and her performance is probably the best in this film .
michael madsen is so - so , but he is n't annoying ,
and he soon becomes rather appealing
( with his nice cynic personality ) .
james cromwell has a small part , but he makes it much better than what it could have been with a more incapable actor .
as i say , any film with james cromwell dramatically increases in likeability .
mykelti williamson gives an enjoyable performance , and he gives the film a more down - to - earth feel .
and , of course , justin lazard .
lazard has so far been ridiculed for his performance ,
but i think he is effective .
sure , he is wooden , but is n't that what his character is like ?
the moment when he touches the glass separating henstridge from him was extremely well done , due to the couple 's acting .
species ii is rated r for strong sexuality , sci - fi violence / gore and language .
this is definitely an r rated film that young kids should not see .
more than likely , they would probably have nightmares and never have sex for the rest of their lives .
hell , i do n't even know if i will .
what is sure to be a critically lambasted film turns out to be the surprise film of the year .
i probably wo n't see another film where i was expecting so little and got so much for quite a while .
director peter medak has crafted a very suspenseful , and sometimes very scary movie out of a mediocre series .
medak has also mastered the wonderful " jump !
" moments , and has probably the second scariest moment i have ever seen on film ( scream still has the first ) .
strong acting , smart dialogue , intelligent plotting , and a sure - handed director , species ii is exactly what these films should be : entertaining .
answer:
P

question:
plot : a big - time momma 's boy ca n't seem to leave his mother 's crib and make good on the babies that he himself has produced in the world .
he visits his kids ( and their mommas ) every now and then , but his main goal in life is . . .
well , he does n't have any goals .
then one day , his mother gets an ex - gangsta boyfriend and suddenly he is n't as welcome anymore in his own house .
it is n't long after that , that his girlfriends start realizing what a jerk he really is and well . . .
it 's either time to grow up or bow down !
critique : first things first !
this movie ai n't about the " hood " at all , it 's an intelligent film about love , relationships , family , friendship , maturity and growing up .
do not avoid this film because you think it 's about gangbangers and stuff , because it is n't at all .
it 's about you , it 's about me , it 's about your girlfriend , your mother , your problems and your inability to face up to your responsibilities and to , well . . .
grow up !
this is an extremely well - written film , with some of the most developed characters that i 've seen on the screen all year , with superb acting performances to match
.
granted , the film does start a little slow ( and go a little long ) , but hang in there , because once you appreciate and get to know all of its characters , you will be glad that you did .
this is n't a kid 's movie .
this is about the step that you need to take in order to pass into full " adulthood " and some might not appreciate the grander theme behind that step .
i certainly did , because i too passed , and am passing , through many of these very same things right now ( yeah ,
yeah ,
i still live with my momma ! ! )
and related to a lot of the events that went down in this flick (
oh yeah ,
and for the record , i 'm not black but that made absolutely zero difference in this case ) .
but that 's not even half the story .
you see , the film is damn funny , too . . .
and
i mean , damn funny !
i was crackin ' up at almost every other scene , and they were n't " set - up jokes " like your typical comedies either , just day - to - day things that we could all relate to ( like the scene in which ving rhames is " drinking koolaid " in the kitchen and his infamously improvised " african squat f
* * k " scene , which you just got ta see to believe ! )
and there are the performances , too .
ving rhames , now here 's a man who has already established an early lead in the race for best supporting actor at the end of this year .
damn dude , you scared the shit outta me !
tyrese gibson
, i have no idea where this guy came from ( an r&b singer and mtv
vj
, you say .
. .
hmmmm ? ) , but other than his uncanny resemblance to taye diggs ,
he nailed this part to the tee .
from scene one on , i was glued to his performance and sympathized with his character as he molded and shaped himself into the person that he hoped to become one day .
and everyone else , too .
gibson 's girlfriend in the film , taraji henson , made me a backer with her many subtle touches , all of which helped raise her character several levels above the " typical " bitchie girlfriend that we 've seen in many of these relationship movies .
but that 's the thing that i liked the most about this movie .
everyone seemed real , the situations felt authentic , the characters all came across as people like you and me with issues and struggles and hopes and fears .
i liked this movie a lot because it was masterfully written , wonderfully acted and genuinely entertaining to watch
.
and yeah ,
i even liked the whole homage to boyz ' n the hood that singleton pulled off in the end ( he called this movie a " companion piece " to that film ) .
a very solid follow - up to an ever greater original , baby boy is a film to be seen by anyone who feels like they never wanna grow up .
note : the guy who plays jody 's best friend in this movie is omar gooding , cuba gooding jr .
's
younger brother ( cuba starred in 1991 's boyz ' n the hood ) .
where 's joblo coming from ?
the best man ( 8/10 ) - brothers ( 5/10 ) - shaft ( 7/10 ) - summer of sam ( 7/10 ) - what 's cooking ( 7/10 )
answer:
P