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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
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Dangerous Minds
Dangerous MindsQuote: Dangerous Minds (1995) is an American drama film based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by former U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where most of her students were African-American and Hispanic teenagers from East Palo Alto, a then-unincorporated town at the opposite end of the school district.
The film, starring Michelle Pfeiffer as LouAnne Johnson, was released to mixed critical reception, but became a surprise box office success in the summer of 1995, leading to the creation of a short-lived television series of the same name.
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Sat May 21, 2005 12:46 pm |
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xXVincentxX
La Bella Vito
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 11:56 pm Posts: 9146
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Very good movie. I thought Michelle Pfeiffer at least deserved a Golden Globe nod for this. She really brings light, and depth to her character. The story is great, inspirational, and at times devastating. It feels so real and raw, and not at all contrived, like so many other movies of this genre. I also really liked the music, and the score is great. The director does a great job at bringing a true life story to the big screen, and making it seem realistic, and believable, and I applaud him for that. Definitely recommended.
A
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Sun May 22, 2005 4:05 am |
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dolcevita
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:24 pm Posts: 16061 Location: The Damage Control Table
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Ehehehe! Wow, winning *strayed* high-schoolers over with snickers bars.
I didn't mind the premesis, and there have been alot of movies about teachers giving direction to unexpected students, but the actual scenes here were Pfeiffer tries to "earn" their respect, get them to focus up, and the class discussions are pretty silly. Smarter moments and concepts get dwarfed by the chocolate bar and "Her, I can bunch too," type scenes.
C+
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Thu May 26, 2005 11:02 am |
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Atoddr
Veteran
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:07 am Posts: 3014 Location: Kansai
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Not a great movie, but anything with the incomparable Michelle Pfieffer deserves at least a B-.
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Fri May 27, 2005 12:39 am |
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Kris K
Horror Hound
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:44 pm Posts: 6228
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I ejoy this flick everytime i watch it. Sure some of the ways she tries to win them over are a bit lurid. But when she does, it's touching. And seeing them develop and grow up a little from their "who cares" attitudes. When the tragedy hits, it's a very touching tear jerker. Michelles peformance is great, and seeing her crying makes me drop a tear or two every time.
B+
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Tue May 31, 2005 11:01 am |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23840 Location: Classified
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Re: Dangerous Minds
Despite being a huge fan of 90s Bruckheimer, I had put this one off for quite awhile. Was afraid that I was just too late on it. Surely it had been parodied too many times to still take seriously?
Well, in a way, it was just as corny and outdated as I had feared. Yet it also still worked really well somehow. I expected to see cynicism everywhere and was instead met with sincerity. Michelle Pfeifer really brings the heat and makes you understand why these troubled youths are falling so hard for her. All the young actors do great in their roles, and they never do any of the easy-cringe subplots at the school like rebeling against the soft-spoken but uncaring principal or having to turn down the fat married coworker after an inappropriate advance. The big stereotype they do hit is the tragic, preventable death of a student, but only one kid dying actually seems like a pretty decent ratio for a classroom in 2024. So maybe the stereotypes that critics found so objectionable back in the mid 90s really have faded with time? Are we allowed to have progress or is it better to just stick to outrage?
Anyway, I'ma go ahead and give Dangerous Minds a 9/10. We been spending most our lives livin in a gangster's paradise.
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Sun Mar 31, 2024 3:47 pm |
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O
Extraordinary
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 1:53 pm Posts: 11556
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Re: Dangerous Minds
I loved the era of Dangerous Minds, Boston Public, Sister Act 2 of teachers turning around rebellious youth movies of the mid 90s to early 00s. Dangerous Minds gets a minimum 5/10 just for giving us that Coolio song.
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Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:41 am |
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