Home :: DVD :: Drama :: General  

African American Drama
Classics
Crime & Criminals
Cult Classics
Family Life
Gay & Lesbian
General

Love & Romance
Military & War
Murder & Mayhem
Period Piece
Religion
Sports
Television
Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent real life movie you can't miss
Review: After I watched Dangerous Minds for the first time I couldn't stop watching it. It was such a good movie. It was sad but that was part of what made it so good. Sometimes in order to enjoy a movie there has to be sad parts or it doesn't seem realistic.

My favortie character in the movie was Callie Roberts. She was such a smart, strong person. I felt sorry for her having to be in a class like that.

If you haven't seen Dangerous Minds, you have to rent it. You won't regret it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: PREDICTABLE BUT STILL ENTERTAINING
Review: An ex marine takes the challenging position as an English teacher at a tough inner city school where she confronts raucous students who don't want to learn. Not as good as i'd expected with the casting of the capable Michelle Pfieffer in the leading role but is defintley worth a look and at best can be described as entertaining, with a few interesting sub plots along the way. Its not really origanal with its typical fantasy, feel good factor about the tough being tamed, but boasts some good performances and some scenes are genuinley moving. Purley judged on its own merits, its good and worth a look. Recommended.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: You've seen this before a hundred times.
Review: Dangerous Minds (John N. Smith, 1995)

That longtime director John N. Smith has such an anonymous name is a kind of poetic irony, in that no one remembers any of his films. Except, that is, Dangerous Minds, and the only reason they remember that one is because it has a really great main title, supplied by Coolio (Billboard chart-topper "Gangsta's Paradise").

You've seen this movie a thousand times before; that it's based on a more recent piece of nonfiction does not in any way downplay it's overt similarities to movies going all the way back to Boys Town. Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer, the movie's real gem) is an ex-drill sergeant in the Marines taking on her toughest assignment: a class full of troubled high school kids. Her ally is old friend Hal Griffith (Law and Order's George Dzundza, who does what he can with what he's got, which isn't much), and her enemy is the school principal, George Grandey (Law and Order: Criminal Intent's Courtney B. Vance), who despite being based on a nonfictional character is the essence of the two-dimensional Evil Nemesis(TM). Caught in the middle are the kids themselves, whom Johnson is forced to manipulate into wanting to learn. Some of the kids (most of whom were acting in their first film, and have not acted since) give surprising turns of flair in this movie, but in all honesty they're not enough to warrant going out of your way to watch this. Andy Garcia (cast for the movie, but whose scenes were cut before release) may have been able to spice this up; he steals every film he appears in, or did back when this came out. As it stands, it's something you've seen so many times before that by the very predictable end, you find yourself asking "is that really all there is?" **

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Moral - Our choices in life
Review: Dangerous Minds was a very good movie although the story line was a little predictable. It showed real kids with real problems. It also shows that all it takes is for someone to actually care about kids like that and they can change. There was a lot of foul language and although that's how kids talk, they could have done without it. I like how the writers had Michelle P's character constantly talk about choices. She showed how everything we do and say is our choice. We may not have choices that we like (which she stated) but everything in life is a choice. Good movie for all (especially students).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: DANGEROUSLY INSPIRING
Review: Definitely a must see movie. "rage rage against the dying of the light" WOW. Every black and latino person must see this movie and understand how the ghetto life is affecting us and adapt some skills to make it a better place. I absorbed the lessons in the movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining, but often unrealistic
Review: I first saw this movie in '96, and upon rental, I thought it would be reflective of Louanne Johnson's teaching methods, as well as the plight and reality of poor, inner-city youth. The truth is it was entertaining but not for it's supposed authenticity. There is the token rebel, the pregnant girl, and for some odd reason, a white kid in a Grateful Dead-esque shirt(complete with acoustic guitar). This movie's realism could be reminiscent of , "Boyz N the Hood", at least in comparison to, "Menace II Society".The latter is good movie ,but with it's only periodic violence, and character development, less realistic than "Menace..." Also, the Bob Dylan hit, " Tambourine Man", or whatever it's actual title, plays softly in the background as the students busily research poets. I find this a bit stupid, it seems it's only service is to appeal to the average American,not illustrative of actual "hardcore" gangstas, and/or impoverished minorities."Dangerous Minds" is hard to digest at points, especially Johnson's former position as a Marine; although she gains assertiveness throughout the movie, she just seems too timorous at times.She hands out candy bars, and conducts a contest in which the winner gets to dine with our hero at the best restaurant in the city.Also, she invites the rebel to her house, so he won't get killed. Of course, he eventually does, which is one of the only parts I found indicative of street life. Finally, the whole idea that these "kids"(they look like their 20's...) decide to come to school in the first place seems somewhat unbelievable. At isn't there some sort of discipline offered at this school? In essence, it is entertaining,but not thoroughly believable. Sometimes we have to distort the truth for mass appeal, and this is what this movie does. Rent it, buy it, just don't use it as a subject for film studies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a tragic , sad , gritty masterpiece
Review: i loved this movie because of it's realism. it has so much life to it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: another great inner city movie
Review: i loved this movie. it is truly great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome movie
Review: i really liked this movie.it really explains the life of teenagers like that class in this movie,sometimes they get shot at and theres a lot of fights and everything.one of the kids gets shot at so thats a sad part.Michelle Pfeiffer had to have won an award for this movie for best acting.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't believe I never saw this....
Review: I watched this yesterday, and can't quite believe I never saw it when it came out... considering I'm a big Michelle Pfeiffer fan and of movies similar to this. Maybe I was tired of THE PRINCIPLE and LEAN ON ME type movies at the time... nevertheless, this is an excellent movie with a very good message. Basically through it all... no matter who you are, no matter what difficulties you face in your life, and no matter what cards are played to you... the fact is that you make your own choices. By making your own choices, you choose the path of your own life... even if you give in and allow someone else to make those choices, that was your choice, too.

There's a lot of rough language, and rough characters... but a much more believable storyline than other movies of this same type. It seems all it takes is one person to care to make a difference, where others may see no light. Michelle Pfeiffer's character is that light... and if you've ever asked yourself "what can one person do," this may be a very rewarding or enlightening movie for you - as it was for me.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates