Rating: 
Summary: Some modest evidence of the strength of Western culture
Review: Rap music, popular for a couple of decades now, has taken a lot of heat lately, primarily due to it being interpreted as "gangsta" rap, and held responsible for breakdown in social order. The group labeled as "right-wing conservatives", however inaccurate this term may be, has been quoted as being against the "phenomenon of rap music", for the reason that such music instills debauchery, violence, lack of ambition, and disrespect for family values. I viewed this film while on vacation, and the splurges in free time that accompany such endeavors instigate that new things be tried: that one entertain oneself with the unusual. The persons with me on the vacation were curious as to the content of the movie, and so with popcorn, beer, and an open mind, we sat down on a not-so-comfortable couch and concentrated our attention to what some have called "proof" of the decline of U.S. culture. What we viewed was interesting, and not what we expected. But art has the habit of bringing you out of equilibrium, and this piece of art, this movie, was a pretty strong perturbation. What was observed was a character with a strong work ethic: working by day, rapping by night. A character with deep concern with his baby sister's care and well-being. A character whose ambition to break from his routine and find something better bordered on obsession. A character who insisted on being genuine, on being honest with himself, and not masking your origins or upbringing. [Are these not "family values"? Will Western civilization decay because of the practice of values like these?] Was he a "perfect" character? Well, no: he broke with his girlfriend when learning (or making the assumption) she was pregnant. He was violent at times, and followed the crowd without question at one point (the burning of the vacant house). He let himself be intimidated (at first) by an audience. This character clearly believed in the value of a focused life: his extreme note-taking for his eventual musical rap confrontations. A random walk through life was not going to get him where he wanted to be. Playing bingo, like his mother, and not planning...not working, was not the way. The harsh language in the rap confrontations is balanced by its inventiveness, its creativity. It is actually very fun. One can get intoxicated with its free play. All discovery originates this way: the formalities come later, and these are then etched in stone, with later generations to question and possibly rebel against.
Rating: 
Summary: Even if you hate Eminem it's still worth seeing.
Review: 8 Mile is a captivating and interesting look at the life Eminem had when he was growing up. It recreates the streets brilliantly and dosen't hold back on anything. It's one of the must see DVDs of this year. Eminem's acting is amazing and unexpected. The entire cast gives it their all and the end product is stunning. Don't hesitate rent or buy it the next time you're out, because you won't be disapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Saturday Night Fever for a new generation
Review: Regardless of how you feel personally towards Eminem, his lyrics or Rap music in general, you must give the rapper credit where it is due. He has an amazing ability to link words and rhymes to make you laugh at yourself, him and others. His talent as a writer and rapper shine in this movie. Eminem plays a young man struggling to escape the poverty he was raised in. Much of the story takes place at 8 Mile, a stereotypical trailer park in Detroit where Rabbit (Eminem) is forced to moved back home to when he leaves his pregnant girlfriend. There he faces his mother's failings as both a parent and a human being, trying to shield a young sister from the horrors of life including his mother's drunken stupors and violence. His escape and dreams revolve around rap music. Not being very familiar with this type of music myself, I found the battle scenes very interesting and they are without a doubt the best parts of the movie. My favorite being an impromptu rap Rabbit creates with a friend to Sweet Home Alabama while trying to fix a car. The humor and self mockery in the situation seem to sum up the whole movie. I would equate this movie with Saturday Night Fever. The story line is very similar. A struggling minority (as Rabbit would be one of the few whites attending these battles) facing poverty, growing up and facing his responsibilties. I thing this movie may in a lot of ways bring some of the hidden aspects of hip hop life styles and rap battles to public light. One thing I will admit to being surprised about was the lack of swearing in this movie. Don't get me wrong, the movie did have it's share, but there was not nearly as much as I had assumed there would be. It is still not a movie for children though. I was disappointed with the character of Alix played by Brittany Murphy. For the most part I really felt her role in the film was unnecessary and the sex scene was placed for shock value only. Again though, it was one of the less racy sex scenes I have seen though. Eminem does an excellent job acting in this movie, but it is easy to act from experience. I will not claim he is the next cross over star until I have seen him act in a film that does not mirror his own life. The bottom line: See the movie, it is worth a viewing. The battle scenes are entertaining and by far the best part of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't expect to like it
Review: Loved this movie, and I didn't think I would. I am not the type of person to want to see a film just because my favorite rapper stars in it. But once I did watch it, I was amazed of how good Eminem can be on screen. So much energy from him, and plus I love his music, and the movie is about his freestyling. Definitely an original story that has never been done, as far as I know.
Rating: 
Summary: I just wasn't feeling it
Review: For some reason I just couldn't get into the story line. The rap battles were good, but for some reason I didn't want to like it. I love Eminem, and he is a good actor, don't get me wrong, but I just couldn't feel the movie...
Rating:
Summary: Eminem
Review: I a 19 year old guy who likes Eminem's music. He is one of the hottest singers turned actors. I liked the scene with him and Brittany Murphy in the back of his work place, and his rapping showdown (...). He is so hot and has a great body (...). This movie has great acting and a good story.
Rating:
Summary: My pick for "Best Picture"
Review: 8 Mile proves that Eminem is a double threat.He can act and he can rap.This film focuses on Jimmy Smith (a.k.a Eminem) a.k.a
Rabbit.A rapper who has stage fright.His Mom (Kim Basinger) plays the typical alcholic mom,who has a boyfriend who is the same age as Jimmy.Heart touching and violent this movie deserves more than it got.If I was in charge of the Oscar Ceremony,then this is my pick for "Best Picture","Best Actor" Eminem,
Best Supporting Actor Mekhi Phifer,and Supporting Actress Kim Basinger.Bottom Line:
Walk This Mile
Rating:
Summary: Now I understand what rap music is all about. Great film!
Review: I didn't expect to like this 2002 film. After all, I'm a 64-year-old woman and I don't know or care about rap music. I am so unacquainted with the star, "Eminem" that I've just learned he doesn't spell his name "M&M". But because this film has gotten so much attention, I thought it would be good for me to check out what for me is a culture stranger than that depicted in the foreign films that I watch all the time. The story is supposedly a fictionalized version of Eminem's own roots. It's set in Detroit, where "8 Mile" is the area that separates the black and white neighborhoods. The character Eminem plays is named "Rabbit" and he grows up in a trailer park with his mother, played by Kim Bassinger, who is excellent in the role. His little sister is exposed to his mother's numerous boyfriends and it is with this little girl that Rabbit shows the most tenderness. Rabbit works in a car plant but his whole life is about rap music and he hangs out with a group of both African American and white friends who feel the same way. There are scenes in the film which show what rap is all about. It's not about the big money and the trashy lyrics. Instead, it's about disadvantaged people who communicate the frustrations of their lives. Much of it is spontaneous. And much of it is competitive, where insults fly and there's always a battle to see who will win over the audience. And an audience can be bystanders by a lunch wagon as well as in a club. I liked the part that Eminem played. He comes across as real. He wears a wool cap through much of the film, making his skin look very pale and his light eyes defiant. He shows vulnerability as well as strength and I rooted for him throughout. This was not surprising because the film has a good script and is well paced with plenty of confrontations and tension. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed the rap music. It's all about words and being creative. And doing it to a rhythm. At first it was a little hard to understand. But by the end of the film I was completely won over to rap as an art form. I loved "8 Mile" and highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: ... Ugh!
Review: This movie did have some good points. Rabbit, played by Enimen, is tender to his sister (she is about four it seems) and portrayed as a basically good person. I didn't like the sex scene though- how could Rabbit have sex with a woman he knew for 15 minutes? Ewww! I also believe in MORALS, that sex is only for marriage. And I don't like free-style rapping. Seriously, that kind of rapping can bring a person so low! Why can't free style rapping talk about the positive points of a person? I think "Free World" and "311" shouldn't have been so angry at each other! Why couldn't they befriend each other instead? I just wish this movie had a more positive message. It was so depressing! I don't recommend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: 8-Mile Review
Review: The acting debut of Eminem in "8-Mile" makes for an excellent breakthrough for the popular rap star. Em (real name: Marshall Mathers) is Jimmy Smith (a.k.a. "Rabbit"), a working-class white kid from the racially-divided lines of inner Detriot. Smith lives in a trailer park with his alcoholic mom and her much younger boyfriend but spends his days, working in a garage, and looks to make ends meet as a rapper. He has two ways of doing this: One, through battle-rapping at a club spot hosted by his best friend, Future, and the other is relying on help from a so-called talent agent. While this movie is highly entertaining upon first view, it definetly suffers from some horrible writing and real lackluster characters (other than its lead). For some reason, all of Rabbit's buddies have nothing better to do than wait around for him to decide what he wants. It seems rather unlikely that in a movie set in 1995 when white rappers were viewed as jokes, that a handful of Smith's black followers would stand around with nothing better to do than wait on their "white savior". His black militant friend takes the cake as far as "filler" characters go. He seems to just take up space as he waits to throw out a cheesy sterotypical line about being held down. He goes nowhere with these opinions and just seems to stand around, playing the background. Eminem, himself, is great as Smith but he seems too much like a good character in a movie filled with bad cartoon characters. He's a deep character stuck in SAVE THE LAST DANCE. That's right. This script makes some of the same mistakes as "Last Dance" in its belief that urban kids stand around and talk about "hip-hop lingo" like they are explaining it to a documentarian. To be fair, it's not quite as bad as "Last Dance" but it does get really annoying. The story involving Smith and his mother makes for some good moments but it still doesn't quite make up for such awful characters. This is actually a real good movie at times but again, the script could certainly have stood to go through a few more re-writes. And while I'm talking, this DVD could have used a lot more special features such as some videos, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary. Don't fear though I'm sure that there will be another release down the road.
| 
