Mark L. Lester's Class of 1999 was controversial from the start, and had an equally tumultuous release over the years. His follow-up to 1982's dystopian thriller Class of 1984 took the tale of violent teens and the teachers who try to keep them in line even further. It got delayed while its distributor Vestron Pictures went out of business. Then, its VHS release the following year was recalled. It wasn't until 2008 that an official version of the movie could be bought on DVD. Now, nearly a decade leader, it's finally seeing a restored Blu-ray release.
The film follows a hybrid prison/high school in Seattle, where troubled kids are taught by cyborg enforcers. The cast includes Stacy Keach, Pam Grier and Malcolm McDowell as the principal. The Blu-ray is packed with special features, including a feature-length commentary, interviews with the crew and the original trailer.
The Collector's Series Blu-ray of Class of 1999 hits shelves and online retailers on January 30, 2018.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
