Light It Up ★½ 1999 (R) Tedious hostage flick plays like a humorless "Breakfast Club" with guns. When their favorite high school teacher (Nelson) gets unfairly suspended, a group of fed-up students led by jock Lester (Raymond) stage a sit-in. After a confrontational security guard (Whitaker) is shot, the students take him and the crumbling school building hostage. The usual hostage situation mind games are played until the arrival of a police negotiator (Williams). The youngsters then appeal to the public through the use of the Internet, giving their side of the story and asking for public school reform. The young cast does a good job, but they can't make us believe the wildly inane chain of events. 99m/C VHS, DVD, Wide. Forest Whitaker, Judd Nelson, Sara Gilbert, Rosario Dawson, Usher Raymond, Robert Ri'chard, Fredro Starr, Glynn Turman, Clifton (Gonzalez) Collins Jr., Vic Polizos, Vanessa L(ynne) Williams;
Director:
Craig Bolotin;
Writer:
Craig Bolotin;
Writer:
Elliot Davis;
Cameo:
Harry Gregson-Williams.
