Dangerous Minds

Classics don't have to relegated to anything pre 1980. Some of my favourite 'classics' are from the 90's, which for me was a decade of gems mixed with huge doozies. Like everything in the 1990's, it was a decade split between holding onto the 80's cliches and trying to find it's own uniqueness at the same time.

So the most recent 90's classic I watched is 'Dangerous Minds'. If you enjoy movies where a bunch of wayward high school students are inspired by a teacher then this is a good one to start with. It's cliche, features a strong cast with Michelle Pffeifer as the teacher thrown to the lions/students to teach, inspire and drag through another year of school. It also features another 90's classic - 'Gangstas Paradise' by Coolio and if you've near heard it, then you must have been living in a rock during the early 90's when rap and hip hop were really beginning to make an impact in the mainstream charts.

There's isn't anything hugely special about this movie, but it just works in way some similiar of it's kind don't. Everyone likes an inspiring story and this cleverly uses the lessons of music and poetry to tell us the stories of the lives the kids in this particular classroom live every day. It doesn't get heavily into gang warfare or racism and prejudice, but the evidence of them is there all the same, albeit with a somewhat sugar coated touch.

Other movies of this nature to look out for are :

Music of the Heart, Take the Lead & The Freedom Writers (all of these are based on true stories of teachers inspiring in the classroom).