Audiences must have laughed at what seemed like improbably futuristic notions when this film was first released in 1982. Metal detectors in schools? Warfare in the hallways? What a difference 25 years makes. Class is a scarily prophetic film. Liberal music teacher Andy (Perry King) moves to the crime-infested inner city, taking a job at the perpetually graffiti-covered Lincoln High. Ten minutes after walking into the building, he pisses off the school's ruling gang. After his wife is brutalized, the film takes a Straw Dogs turn, wherein Andy puts his pacifist leanings aside in favor of extreme justice, which includes severance of limbs, immolations and one of the most well-deserved deaths ever captured on celluloid. This Class most definitely is in session. Louis Fowler
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24 Hours on Craigslist
Directed by Michael Ferris Gibson
Heretic Films / Release: April 25
For years, I knew of Craigslist, the popular online classified, primarily for one thing: a quick, easy way to score some hot, possibly illegal sex. And while that still holds true, the documentary 24 Hours on Craigslist aims to broaden that distinction by following numerous individuals in their daily Craigslist business, from an Ethel Merman drag queen looking to front a classic rock band to a woman trying to sell eight baby strollers. People look for love, sex, shelter and a gross of women's army surplus pants, all by hilarious means. From the mundane to the outright bizarre, 24 Hours is a fascinating slice of life, putting human faces to typically anonymous transactions. But Craigslist still offers lots of sex. I just checked. Louis Fowler
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Voices in Wartime
Directed by Rick King
Cinema Libre Studio
Voices in Wartime poignantly examines poetry as a vehicle to capture the emotion and dark essence of war. We hear the narratives of groundbreaking war poets, from Homer to Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes to Emily Dickinson, highlighting the imagery and common themes of futility, dehumanization and senseless destruction. The poets emerge as grounding points, pulling the audience back to places of consciousness and morality. For veterans, the act of constructing poetry also proves to be a profoundly therapeutic endeavor. Voices in Wartime is an important work that brings words to life through artful text overlaid with war imagery, excellent readings and insightful interviews. Matthew Schniper
