8 Mile [WS] [Uncensored Bonus Materials]

Director: Curtis Hanson Curtis Hanson

Overview

"Curtis Hanson is such a talented filmmaker, it's really too bad that more content isn't added to his movies on DVD. As with L.A. Confidential, this disc doesn't go far enough. An extensive documentary on the making of this film would have been a real plus, but sadly all that is offered is a nine-minute featurette. As much cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes, as shots from the film, it just doesn't go much further than standard studio PR material. More important, and far longer at around 24 minutes, are actual rap battles put together by the filmmakers to keep the mass of extras actors content during filming. Beyond that is a music tie-in for the soundtracks that takes you to the specific place in the movie for each song, an extremely racy music video for ""Superman"" from Eminem, the theatrical trailer, and the standard slew of production notes and filmographies. As for the film itself, the sound is a real highlight. Present in 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks (as well as a 5.1 track in French) the audio on this disc is very powerful. Since so much of the film is made up of rap music segments, the bass really takes control. The low frequencies are deep and rich, but dialogue is never indistinguishable. The image, framed at 2.35:1 and anamorphic (there is a separate pan-and-scan version, and both also come in censored and uncensored editions) is a faithful representation of the theatrical print. The transfer is nearly perfect, at least as it's intended to be. Grain is evident, and purposeful, while colors stand out against the dreary backgrounds of Detroit. Whether you are fan of Eminem or not, this film is the Rocky of rap films, and while lacking in significant supplements, the DVD is a knock-out punch."

Product Details

Release Date:	03/18/2003
UPC:	0025192198120
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00
Sales rank:	19,409

Special Features

Closed Caption;Exclusive all-new uncensored Eminem rap battles - free-styling rap competition featuring Eminem; Exclusive never-before-seen uncensored "Superman" music video (song from "The Eminem Show" album); Eminem's personal insight into the making of the film; The Music of 8 Mile

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Eminem	Jimmy `Rabbit' Smith,Composer
Kim Basinger	Stephanie
Mekhi Phifer	Future
Brittany Murphy	Alex
Evan Jones	Cheddar Bob
Omar Benson Miller	Sol George,Actor
Taryn Manning	Janeane
Proof	Lil Tic
Michael Bell	Shorty Mike
Chloe Greenfield	Lily
Eugene Byrd	Wink
De'Angelo Wilson	DJ Iz
Anthony Mackie	Popa Doc
Larry Hudson	Bouncer
DJ Head	Battle DJ
Michael Shannon	Greg Buehl,Actor
Mary Hannigan	Mrs. Helgeland
Strike	Lyckety-Splyt
Nashawn 'Ox' Breedlove	Lotto
Na'Keya Snoddy	Papa Doc's Girl
Malik Barnhardt	Moochie
Day Golfin	Day
Allen Adams	Omar
Hom	First Parking Lot Rapper
Obie Trice	Second Parking Lot Rapper
Njeri Earth	Third Parking Lot Rapper
Jennifer Kitchen	Willing Girl
Kyla Womack	Alex's Friend
Melissa Zaglanikzny	Christine
Rockey Black	Rocky
Craig Chandler	Paul
Paul Bates	Manny
Miz-Korona	Female Lunch Truck Rapper
Xzibit	Male Lunch Truck Rapper
Abdul Salaam El Razzac	Joe Lee Patton
Steven Monroe	Plant Worker
John Smith Jr.	Lobby Security Guard
Venicia Foreman	WJLB Receptionist
Waverly W. Alford II	Big O
Bushman	WJLB Disc Jockey
Adam Brook	Roy Darucher
Brandon Jackson	Club Patron

Technical Credits

Scott Silver

Curtis Hanson	Director,Producer
Scott Silver	Screenwriter
Mali Finn	Casting
Carol Fenelon	Executive Producer
Gregory Goodman	Executive Producer
Brian Grazer	Producer
Jimmy Iovine	Producer
Jeff Imada	Stunts
John D. Milinac	Special Effects
Paul Rosenberg	Executive Producer
James Whitaker	Executive Producer
Danny Michael	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The hip-hop generation gets its Saturday Night Fever with 8 Mile, director Curtis Hanson's searing, grimy look at the world of freestyle rap in mid-'90s Detroit and its most notorious progeny, Eminem -- or, more specifically, a rapper nicknamed Rabbit who happens to bear an uncanny similarity to the controversial superstar. The film seems tailor-made to deflect criticism of the media-hungry artist: The man otherwise known as Marshall Mathers is portrayed as a hard worker, doting big brother, and even friend to ostracized gay co-workers. And yet 8 Mile is no puff piece. Eminem's character is also hotheaded, insular, and, with his gray skull cap and headphones perpetually glued to his head, more than a little nerdy. Hanson and writer Scott Silver have managed to create such a vivid milieu, time period, and bank of supporting characters, a first-time actor can't help but succeed, and Eminem acquits himself well -- there isn't a moment when he's grandstanding or playing to the camera. Predictably, the women who orbit Rabbit's life -- including a defiantly cast but strangely appropriate Kim Basinger and an irresistibly tarty Brittany Murphy -- don't fare as well in the scheme of the plot, but they're at least understandably, three-dimensionally pathetic and/or two-timing. Tying it all together are the thrilling, incendiary freestyle scenes, which dovetail perfectly with the drama and underline the pitch-black insult humor that provides the burgeoning rapper -- and seemingly, just about everyone else in Detroit -- with his only real release. After its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, 8 Mile broke box-office records in the US when it garnered the second-largest opening ever for a drama.