Some Irish recommendations and more

The English Teachers' Association of Ireland (ETAI) puts out a quarterly called "Teaching English," which features helpful hints, new trends and content suggestions for teachers of English - a notion some Irish, I'm sure bristle at.
All that taken into consideration, the staff of the magazine have included several ideas on how to help English teachers with lesson plans and content. Included in the Spring 2010 issue is an article with suggestions for class films. The films are all mainstream, ones that every day citizens may have seen, but which also contain great messages that teens will identify with.
One of the suggested films is, "Bend It Like Beckham," an amazing work by Gurinder Chadha about a girl coming into her teenage years and discovering boys and a peerless athleticism at soccer. Jesminder is the daughter of orthodox Sikhs living in London. They have mapped out a traditional future for her but, of course, she has other ideas.
The ETAI suggests showing this film to grades 9-11 and has suggested themes from the movie to discuss in class: race, gender, family, growing up and society. There's a lot of latitude there for teachers to play with. The film could be the jumping off point for a larger unit that includes projects like students shooting their own movies that discuss similar themes.
Access to technology in the classroom will still be an issue. But it will only dissipate over the years as it becomes less expensive and increasingly necessary.
The ETAI makes a few other suggestions: "Rabbit-proof Fence," "Oliver Twist," "Holes," "Save the Last Dance," and "Whale Rider." Each of these films contains thought-provoking material, beautiful imagery and an assortment of viewpoints. They're great accessories to larger lessons that can include Internet research and student-made films.
I love movies, but I've never been a fan of using them in the classroom. I'd almost feel guilty. But they can be useful, and incorporating good ones can help students learn about themselves and others.