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by Eric M. Croas
You don’t have to be a fan of freestyle or Marshall Mathers a.k.a Eminem, and you don’t have to understand the hip hop culture to appreciate or even relate to the film 8 Mile. The story is about self-discovery, self-respect and learning to be true to one’s self.

It’s set in Detroit, 1995. We meet a young white guy nicknamed “Bunny Rabbit,” and he is obviously psyching himself up for something. We hear the beats of a score, and we see Rabbit bouncing his head like a boxer preparing for the ring.

It is a battle that he is going into, but his only weapon will be the words that he can sling in 45 seconds. Like the gladiators of ancient Rome, Rabbit’s fate will be chosen by the spectators.

The film successfully draws in the audience right from the start. The color schemes and lens filter choices give the movie a gritty and depressing quality. Rabbit’s first appearance is a failure when stage fright forces him off stage, and it obviously impacts the confidence he has about his freestyle talent.

As the film proceeds, we watch as Rabbit deals with friends, rival freestyle hustlers and a less than responsible mother. Through it all, he continues to pursue his dream of cutting a demo and earning a record deal. By the end of the film, people will be able to reflect and possibly see themselves in this film. Everybody has goals and we are all at some level of pursuing them.

Extras on the DVD include a documentary feature, extra footage of freestyle battles between Eminen and a few lucky extras from the film. The documentary was your standard behind-the-scenes feature. It allows you to hear and find out more about 8 Mile from director Curtis Hanson and Mathers.

The freestyle battle included on the DVD was originally going to be extra footage for the editing process. Hansen decided to offer the extras on set for the freestyle battle scenes an opportunity to actually freestyle against Eminen. The feature shows the audition process, the twenty finalists and the four that actually got to go against Mathers.

There is also a DVD-Rom feature known as Total Access. Universal offers this feature to allow those with a DVD-Rom to access deleted scenes and more background information about 8 Mile.

This was a good DVD, and it is worth owning. If you saw it in the theater, you know the film is good, and the extras offered are worthwhile. For those who missed it in theaters (author included), 8 Mile is a DVD that offers you the chance to pay the same costs of admission for two, but you get to keep the movie after seeing it.

Eric M. Croas

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Contents: Color; interactive menus; scene access; exclusive rap-battle footage; exclusive music video; Eminem interview; 8 Mile tour with director Curtis Hanson; music featurette; trailer.

Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Language and Sound: English: DTS 5.1 Surround; English: Dolby Digital 5.1

Other Features:

• Exclusive Rap Battles: 25-minute documentary that shows the audition process, the twenty finalists and the four that actually got to go against Mathers.
• "Superman": Exclusive, never-before-seen uncensored Eminem music video of "Superman", not shown on television.
• The Making of 8 Mile: Behind the scenes tour with Eminem and director Curtis Hanson.
  
• The Music of 8 Mile
• Total Access DVD-Rom Featurette - Universal Studios feature that allows those with a DVD-Rom to access deleted scenes and more background information about 8 Mile.
• Number of Discs: 1
  

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