Movie Review - Dangerous Minds

Movie Title : “Dangerous Minds”

Movie Review by: William Elfrado Candra.  “Special Kids or Special Teacher?”

Many things are happening inside the class, from the common things to the unexpected ones. I was pretty shock when I saw this movie, students here are really energetic and obviously they “lost control”. It’s actually happened really extreme unlike what commonly I see here in my country. This great movie titled “Dangerous Minds” made in 1995, an American drama/hood which is 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, in 1989, 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.

In this drama, a school teacher discovers that it takes more than the ABCs to get through to a class of "uneducatable" kids. When Lou Anne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer), a nine-year veteran of the Marine Corps with a degree in education, begins a new job at an inner-city school in California, the principal (George Dzundza) warns her that her class will be the "rejects from Hell" - kids with severe social problems and no interest in education. While at first her African-American and Latino students scoff at Lou Anne, she ultimately gets them to open up to learning and literature, through a combination of bribery (candy bars) and intimidation (her karate training from the Marines comes in handy), and she's able to reach out to the students who need her the most: Callie (Bruklin Harris), a bright girl who believes she's thrown away her future when she becomes pregnant; Emilio (Wade Dominquez), a macho bully whose violence is stifling his academic potential; and Raul (Renoly Santiago), the brightest kid in the class, who is afraid to show his intelligence.

Wade Dominquez

Based on this movie, I could asses that everybody did their best performance, they act well and really animate their characters. Especially for Michelle Pfeiffer who took role as Ms. Johnson, she represented the soul of maternity, she exemplified to every teacher, to give extra affections to their students, because it is the real moral onus for the teacher, not only give school materials but also build their students’ personalities. Secondly I appreciate Wade Dominquez who took role as Emilio for his fascinating acting, he told everybody that he is the real ‘king’ in the class, he did so charming acting, and it was so natural.

I like the scene where it is being played the ’Dylan-Dylan Contest’. It was really surprising and unpredictably moment when the ’uneducatably’ students turns out and start to follow the teacher’s instructions, they studied poems! They identified every Bob Dylan Songs that is related to a Dylan Thomas poem. Surprisingly they really do it, and the were really excited, and in the end three of them which come from the same team won the contest and get the prize.

The entire movie deals with little, real, everyday problems and not with the big issues of life. But when teacher consider how children consider and perceive our world nowadays, it's exactly what they expect the teachers, the adults, to do as well. That's to say, take time to explain to students the everyday happenings in their little worlds. Why mom and dad went their separate ways, why do they have to cope with homework they cannot understand and so on and so forth. This movie is a teaching lesson for teachers, not a moralizing or preachy one. It shows us how it should be done, nothing more. Teachers always want to set standards and a higher example to the students, but what about teacher’s commitment to give them what they really want, like: lend students an ear when they talk or a heart when they feel sorrow. For me teaching is not a simple profession to earn your life, it's much more than this, it's a mission, a passion, a call, just like the one an actor or a director have. In my own opinion, "Dangerous Minds" has amply achieved its goals.

Teachers are suggested to watch this movie and for the detractors of this tiny movie I would suggest to take a better and closer look, they might still learn something, but please, take your time and concentrate on it. This is really not a "Popcorn" and "Beer" movie.

Scale of 1-5 :

William Elfrado Candra is Karangturi Senior High School’s student, and at the moment he is on an acceleration program called SCI, which is going to finish the senior high school time in twop years only (commonly in Indonesia must be finished in 3 years). He used to play futsal during in break times, but now he spends more time on basketball. He also prefer playing music especially playing guitar and sing, he enjoy doing that interesting things. 

“I’m The King of The World”

The colossal melodrama that had been made by James Cameron 15 years ago is back in 3D format. This movie doesn’t have any differences according to the ‘old’ one. “The Titanic” tells a romantic love story between two persons during a prime journey from London to New York. For those who had seen this movie is not kind of regret to see this movie again, this movie is always provides the audience the harmony of sound and dramatized story that will call up your cheers and tears.

A young man named Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who won the lottery and the prize is a trip to New York by a luxurious ship called Titanic. Jack was very happy and he would not squander this opportunity. Titanic was a great and very luxurious ship that had just completed. Titanic was called ‘A Ship of Pride’. The gloriousness of the ship made many people boasted that the ship could not sink. Most of the Titanic passengers were the aristocratic class. They are the ones who are very wealthy who have the honor to try the first Titanic trip. The Ship would sail from london to new york. In the vessel, Jack met a woman from an elite group named Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Kate Winslet). Rose which was saturated with the life of the elite, charmed with the innocence of Jack. They eventually fell in love. They met each other when Rose was trying to suicide on the stern by jumping to the coast, but thankfully Jack was there and he stopped her immediately by his own way, then Rose canceled her plan to commit suicide. At first Jack was accused of sexual harassment, then Rose made a statement if that tragedy was an accident.  Caledon Hockley (played by Billy Zane), Rose's fiance, was very angry with their attitude. He was insulted to see his fiance close to a poor boy like Jack. At last Caledon Hockley believe his fiance, then as a regard, Jack Dawson was invited to their dinner. This is the opening story that represent the first met between Jack and Rose. After this scene, Jack and Rose became closer and the relationship between Rose and Caledon Hockley became worse.The story of a very romantic love triangle dominates the whole of the stories in the Titanic movie. The story and the charisma of the players made Titanic kept in audience’s mind. Another strength of this film, namely because the film is based on a true story. A deified Cruise ship had very bad luck and finally, one hour after it struck an iceberg, the Titanic was sinking, just at two in the morning the Titanic is totally sank, in the month of April 1912.

            All of the actors and actress here played well, especially Kate Winslet, she was really good when she act as an elite and gorgeous woman, I think it was really hard when we really forced to act as a noble woman in 1912-era, but she did it well. Being Jack Dawson was difficult also, in shis character we were forced to be a childish but has an authority also, but Leonardo DiCaprio did it well. Caledon Hockley inside this movie had awful part, in my opinion, he seemed to be dissappeared in the scene when Jack and Rose were talking each other on the deck, he seemed not very close to his fiance. I think in this scene Caledon Hockley must be more curious to search and to protect Rose from Jack.

            I love the beautiful scenery of  ocean when Jack and Rose got their first kiss, it was very real, although I knew it was a computer editing. I like the scene when Rose was being drawn by Jack, the face expression of Jack was very shy, we could see it when his cheek was blushing. I like the scene when Rose was trying to help Jack when Jack was being cuffed, she was holding an axe and immediately swang the axe, it was really straining, but at last she succeded, she could break the handcuffs. I didn’t like the scene when it showed an incident that a number of the coal worker boiled close to the fire place when the water came in, it was really frightening for me, I could not imagine, how did it feel. I also like the scene when Jack and Rose were already floated above the ocean, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet really act well, they could pretend as real-chilled person.

From this movie I could learn that love and joy are always precious, they could not be paid by money or even pearl. We should not be arrogant, we should get closer to God. After we believe in God we are also ought to make efforts and never give up is the key to reach our successness.

            This movie is obligated to be watched by couples who were in a relationship, because this film is very romantic, and I believe after you watched this movie you and your boy/girlfriend would become closer and become more romantic. Children who were under age probably don’t have to see this kind of film, because this film will give nothing interesting to them, and probably they will get bored soon, and the most important is this film would give less moral value for underage children.

rating: 4 of 5 stars

By: William Elfrado Candra

THE NUTTY PROFESSOR

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This character named Harold. He is a genius inventor boy whose experiments always seem to backfire. One day all of his clients are visit upon him to get his responsibilty. It caused of Harold’s flawed invention. One of his client were a girl who use Harold’s nuclear hair-dryer, her hair burned away. But, while they were in debate, Harold’s robot (named robin) got a fax from Cerebrum College, it says that Harold Kelp got a scholar-ship on there. So the angry clients were not angry anymore, because they knew that Harold must be live far from them.

In the Cerebrum College Harold was taught by his grandfather, his grandfather is a scientist, he met some new friends too and also a beauty girl. He love the girl very much but, he couldn’t express his feeling to her. As he living there some problems are coming one by one, first: his grandpa named professor Kelp got a problem with his years fund so that Harold must help him to finish his invation named kelp-a-tronic, second: he has bad classmates, third: he must finish his cold engine project to go race. Although all of his problem were not finish he has got new problem by use his grandpa’s secret potion.

The effects are: he became more arrogant, more self-confidence, and braver than before. At the begin there are no problem, but at the second day the girl named Polie was not like him anymore because he became a bad guy. But it’s too late, the second Harold named Jack wanted to go out every day from Harold’s mind.

Than finally jack bring out a monster, and the real Harold from Harold’s mind by C.R.U.D., it was did not in purpose. And harold must fight His fear monster. And finally he can destroy the monster by himself for being brave witout Jack, and so he can get Polie’s love.

***THE END***