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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY RECOMMENDS: VIDEO & DVD |
DVD: '8 Mile,' 'Roger Rabbit'
'8 Mile' a fine debut
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(Entertainment Weekly) -- As they say in the vernacular, props to director Curtis Hanson for contributing to the short list of hip-hop movies -- like "Juice" and "Beat Street" -- that don't suck. In fact, with its stylized dinge and straightforward storytelling, the noticeably rose-tinted "8 Mile" ranks among such similar rise-up-for-your-art films as "Purple Rain" and "Flashdance."
Whether intentional or simply the result of inexperience, Eminem's restraint in playing Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith, a dead-ender whose only aspirations are earning respect in the local rap competitions and escaping his mom's trailer, gives the character just the right sense of suppressed frustration.
It's the filmmakers who let themselves off easy, however, skirting any discussion of the reason why -- besides talent -- entrepreneurial brothers like Future (Mekhi Phifer) and Wink (Eugene Byrd) would be clamoring for a fraction of the sole marshmallow in the film's Detroit-size cup of cocoa. Even Eminem, in his music, cops to his race playing a part in his success, but Hanson expects us to believe it's all about the kid's flava. To wit, the DVD features footage of Eminem verbally dispatching some on-set extras -- all black. If they'd beaten him, would anyone have wanted to make a movie about their lives?
Grade: B
-- Neil Drumming
'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' still passes test
Do you want your "Rabbit" as a kiddie meal or super-sized with adult side dishes?
In reissuing its freak-hit salute to old-Hollywood cartoon stars and detective thrillers, Disney has made the dubious decision to aim this two-disc package at what it considers mutually exclusive audiences. Disc 1, labeled "Family Friendly," crops the original movie to fill the TV screen (aren't there families who hate pan-and-scan?) and throws in a lame interactive game, plus three headache-inducing "Roger Rabbit" shorts. (They're as sadistic as any "Itchy & Scratchy," but with none of the laughs.)
Disc 2, for the "Enthusiast," properly letterboxes all the Mad-magazine-style sight gags jammed in by director Robert Zemeckis and includes some straight-shooting commentary from the filmmakers, as well as lots of archival photos and concept art.
Funniest fact: The screenwriters wanted to reveal villain Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) as the man who'd shot the mama deer in "Bambi," but Disney execs nixed the idea. What family wouldn't want to know that?
Grade: B+
-- Steve Daly
