Dangerous Minds (1995)

 

Starring:

• Michelle Pfeiffer
• George Dzundza
• Courtney B. Vance

IMDB.com
Louanne Johnson is an ex-marine, hired as a teacher in a high-school in a poor area of the city. She has recently separated from her husband. Her friend, also teacher in the school, got the temporary job for her. After a terrible reception from the students, she tries unconventional methods of teaching (using karate, Bob Dylan lyrics etc) to gain the trust of the students.

Light It Up (1999)

"Light It Up" (1999) is a drama thriller written and directed by Craig Bolotin and stars Usher Raymond, Glynn Turnman, Forest Whitaker, Judd Nelson, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Williams. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and his wife, Tracy Edmonds, produced the movie, and Tracy was the soundtrack's executive producer with Michael McQuarn. The soundtrack was a success, peaking at #19 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and featured one charting single by Ja Rule called "How Many Wanna."

By 1999, high school-themed inner-city films were abundant. In addition, Hollywood produced more films to complement the commercialization of hip-hop/R&B towards the youth. Usher was very popular as an R&B singer in 1999, and "Light It Up" was his first featured film as lead actor. Other young cast members were familiar actors from film and T.V., such as Fredro Star, Sara Gilbert, Clifton Collins Jr., and Robert Ri'chard. So, the film had all the necessary elements to be successful. However, 1999 was also the year of the Columbine High School shooting.

In "Light It Up," a scuffle between a high school student and a security officer results in the officer getting shot in the leg. As a result, a standoff between the police officers and students transpires. The premises of the film and Columbine have nothing to do with each other, and Bolotin completed filming before the incident. Still, there were some marketing challenges, as the film earned nearly $6 million on a $13 million budget. A similar thing happened with the movie "Trespass" in 1992 because the racial tension from the L.A. riots hurt the film's marketing value.

Overall, the movie received the most criticism from the writing direction. The acting in the film from the young stars is commendable, and they all maximize their opportunities to excel on screen. It's an intense movie with many layers, as each primary student has a narrative.

Director: Craig Bolotin

Writer: Craig Bolotin

Starring Usher, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson, Robert Ri'chard, Judd Nelson, Fredro Starr, Sara Gilbert, Clifton Collins Jr., Glynn Turman, Vic Polizos, Vanessa Williams, Gaddiel Otero, Frank Dominelli

Storyline

High school students attend an inner-city NYC school that is in poor condition. After beloved teacher Ken Knowles (Judd Nelson) gets suspended by Principal Allan Armstrong (Glynn Turman), students (Usher, Rosario Dawson, Robert Ri'chard, Clifton Collins Jr.) take a stand, leading to their suspension. Things escalate when an altercation between the security officer Dante Jackson (Forest Whitaker) and a student leads to Jackson getting shot. As tensions mount, the students hold Jackson hostage, and a standoff between them and the police begins, and the nation is watching.

One Eight Seven (1997)

"One Eight Seven" (1997) is a crime drama starring Samuel L. Jackson in his first top-billing and leading role. Jackson appeared in several movies before starring in "One Eight Seven," but he was mainly in supporting roles or co-leads. In this film, Jackson is the focal character who is a substitute teacher in a rough Los Angeles public school. Kevin Reynolds directed, and Scott Yagemann is the writer for the film. Yageman based the story on his experience as a teacher in L.A.

The 90s produced many high school-themed movies. It was a popular genre, and there were numerous narratives within. For example, you had biographies, dramas (true and untrue stories), comedies, horror, thrillers, romance, and crime. "One Eight Seven" comes after the success of films like "Sister Act 2" (1993), "Dangerous Minds" (1995), and "The Substitute" (1996). The students were primarily multicultural in the previously mentioned films, but in "One Eight Seven," the student cast was mainly Hispanic. Other films like "House Party" (1990), Juice" (1992), "Class Act" (1992), and "Sunset Park" (1996) had a predominantly black cast as the students. Considering the films mentioned, Hollywood had a formula that worked, but unfortunately for "One Eight Seven," it did the worst out of all those movies at the box office. Truthfully, it flopped. However, the film has a cult following because of its trippy and artistic nature. 

The film flows in neo-noir fashion as Jackson navigates hostile gang members and troubled youth as he tries to help. Jackson gives an excellent performance and provides an audience with a deeper appreciation for his talents. He was already masterful in films like "Jungle Fever" and "Pulp Fiction," but this was a different film for Jackson. 

Director: Kevin Reynolds

Writer: Scott Yagemann

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Heard, Kelly Rowan, Clifton Collins Jr., Tony Plana, Karina Arroyave, Lobo Sebastian, Jack Kehler, Jonah Rooney, Demetrius Navarro, Ebony Monique Solomon, Jonny Bogris, Dominic Hoffman, Martha Velez, Method Man

Storyline

When a student writes the police code for homicide, 187, inside a textbook owned by teacher Trevor Garfield (Samuel L. Jackson), he feels threatened. The principal dismisses the incident, but the same student stabs Trevor soon after. Fifteen months later, a physically and emotionally scarred Trevor relocates to California and takes up substitute teaching. To his dismay, his new school is as full of dangerously undisciplined students as the last one, driving Trevor over the edge.