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| 8 Mile |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Starring |
Eminem and Kim Basinger |
| Director |
Curtis Hanson |
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“8 Mile” directed by Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential”), uses a familiar underdog story structure which owes a lot to “Rocky” and “Saturday Night Fever”. But it’s gritty setting and stunning climax makes this a good film even for those who are not fans of Eminem.
Eminem burst on the scene several years back with “The Slim Shady Song.” At first he seemed to be another novelty act like House of Pain or Vanilla Ice. But it turned out that Eminem had enormous amounts of skill and street credibility. With songs such as “Stan” and “Lose Yourself” he proved that he could tell compelling stories in his songs rather than simply rap about about pimping and bitches like so many of his peers. I wondered if Eminem, as a performer, would also be superior to the DMXs, Ja Rules and Master Ps in the world of cinema. The answer is yes. Eminem is an actor with a rare gift for rage, which is good for him because he doesn’t smile all that often.
“8 Mile” chronicles a few days in the life of small time rapper Jimmy Rabbit. Through his initial failures at The Shelter, the local rap arena, through scenes where he hangs with his buddies, struggles at his job, dreams of stardom and copes with a troubled home-life.
Hanson keeps the picture firmly on track and moving smoothly toward the end we all know is coming: Jimmy's stage battle with mic-to-mic combat, under the watchful emcee guidance of Jimmy's buddy, Future (Mekhi Phifer).
If "8 Mile" has one shortcoming, it's that it doesn't contain enough Eminem rapping. Rabbit lets out his rap little by little, falling into impromptu duels in a parking garage or by the factory food cart. The movie, in a strategy at once daring and shrewd, makes you wait for his performance as it emerges and grows in force out of the blistering, no-hope scrappiness of his daily grind. When Rabbit finally does let go, pouring his desolation into the raging wit of his rhymes, it's a catharsis for the audience.
"8 Mile" is very much an old-fashioned kind of story, replete with traditional plot devices that lets civilian audiences to feel the safety and security of familiarity that's simply not possible when listening to Eminem's earlier, more nasty and threatening work.
What makes "8 Mile" transcend the formulaic nature of its plot is the way it makes the rap competitions compelling even for those unfamiliar with rap music, and its scrupulous, loving rendition of a grim, wintry Detroit circa 1995.
Hanson does a superb job of capturing the gutted houses, burned-out buildings and urban decay of the bombed-out sections of Detroit, that gray zone of urban despair in the inner city with an awe and seedy grandeur that almost gives the film an epic sweep.
If nothing else “8 Mile” succeeds as a film by capturing the raw and unsettling emotional power of hip-hop in way that's never quite been done on film before.
BOTTOM LINE: Although “8 Mile” uses the format of the familiar underdog story, the cinematography and stunning climax makes this a film worth seeing. B to B+ |
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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