The Principal
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Movie Reviews of The Principal
Movie Review: Prompt Delivery
Summary: 4 Stars
It was very good to deal with Amazon since i received my product, much before time, and in excellent condition.
Would like to deal with Amazon.co again !
Movie Review: the principal
Summary: 4 Stars
once saw this movie. saw that it was available in dvd, closed caption format. part of my collection of james belushi movies.Movie Review: Great entertainment value surrounding role of leaders and managers
Summary: 3 Stars
The Principal (1987) has the great actors James Belushi and Louis
Gossett Jr, (both with high critical and viewer acclaim) _ taking
on challenging roles. There's a glimpse back at the 1980's a
quarter century later, in particular, the fascinating scenario of
an inner city high school comprised of a melting pot of various
cultures and backgrounds.
Cast as an underdog, struggling with strained relationships of
various sorts (wife, elite school job, family) and a hot temper,
Belushi is assigned to an inner city school, as the director (in
lieu of jailtime or fine for damaging the Porche owned by his
wife's new lover.)
The personality of Belushi's character is to never turn down any
challenge, physical confrontation, being never too small for any
situation.
Albeit a school setting, there's a great entertainment value of
suspense, body to body fights, flashy motorcycle, humor, action,
thrills, stunts, with an effective soundtrack (not at all dated)
and a crystal clear cinematography and DVD transfer.
A principal requires an agile body, a fitness prepared for body
combat, a honed fighting technique and brute muscular strength,
from the lessons learned, in counterpoint to delinquents and
mockingbird detractors and unbelievers in the mission of education
in general.
As with guerilla conflicts, the war is not winnable by the entity
in whom authority and hierarchical power is invested unless the
"hearts and minds" are won of the overall, numerous population at
large - here, the student body.
Belushi invests energy and stamina in turning around certain
difficult students - which is the opposite of earlier principals
strategies, which was more of an accounting profession technique,
of writing off "bad assets" as "uncollectable", unworthy,
hopeless, allowing gang members to self-destruct, improving the
income statement (collecting a an educator's pay cheque), meaning
the status quo.
Many ingredients are here ...ganja and pills, graffiti on school
walls, overt sexual innuendo, boom boxes, gangs, cliques, a
zoo-type school microcosm faced by youths who obviously haven't
seen too much of the world at that stage of their lives.
The leader also deals with the ever-present grapevine from which
people form ideas about other people, profanity, chaos, gambling
activities, absenteeism, intimidation, death threats, assaults,
brass knucles, switch blades etc.
The rival gang member says: "You talk too much!", played by
Michael Wright, whose presence is a wild card - keeping viewers
interested and guessing over 90 mins - as a rebel and gangster who
wants to create and impose his own rules onto all others. His
power is underlined with an omerta, such that, nobody will agree
in identifying him in a police lineup.
Belushi's organization skills are also put to the test, in face of
making do not only with the student body, but also with the
administrative personnel (teachers, staff) who often are as
rebellious and set in their ways as the students, in terms of
adhering to official school objectives, established methods,
goals, and discipline.
The film is a hurrah to principals who have a lot on their plates,
relying on their mental and physical instincts and their
professional experience, as much as on the official powers
delegated in order to success in their mission.
Movie Review: James Belushi should have gotten an oscar for this...
Summary: 3 Stars
So then why do I only give 3 stars? Well, for one the movie was not as long as I hoped it would be and I also didn't care too much for the abrupt ending. Despite all that The Principal is probably the most realistic story of a man who even though has serious difficulty turning a trashy high school into a somewhat safer learning environment, manages to slowly succeed while firmly enforcing his rules. I wouldn't be surprised if this movie was based on a true story. I've seen movies like this such as Lean on Me, Dangerous Minds, High School High, and the Substitute but The Principal is the most realistic (not to mention more entertaining) film of the "Teacher vs. dangerous schools" scenario and I never seem to tire of it.Movie Review: No learning at this school
Summary: 3 Stars
A fun movie, even though it's unlikely. This school has so many problems, it would be closed down immediately. They should have the National Guard in every classroom, teachers with tear gas, metal detectors, etc.. No parent would allow their kids to attend. But this is 1987 when even principals smoked in the halls.