Change Your Image
Me31
Reviews
8 Mile (2002)
An engrossing movie with a refreshing naturalism
No, I don't know exactly how realistic this movie was, or if it's likely a white guy would be tolerated as much as "Rabbit" was in the Detroit venues he frequented in the film. However, the movie had a naturalistic sense about it that did remind me of "Wonder Boys."
And Eminem can act! Who would have thought it? I thought he out-acted Kim Basinger in fact. There are lovely naturalistic touches to this film: Eminem making up a rap to the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama"; images of the depopulated and gritty streets of Detroit (who among us isn't fascinated by Detroit-- which has lost over 1 million residents since 1950-- and at the same time ashamed that the city doesn't get more assistance from our government and private charities in this supposedly prosperous nation); and the light banter between Rabbit and his friends. No, naturalism and realism aren't exactly the same. So I can't vouch for its authenticity, but no one associated with the film has maintained that it's an autobiography of Eminem's life.
It's not the best film of the year and there are parts of it I would have cut out (the scene in the radio station, for one, which added nothing to the plot-- in fact I would have taken most of that woman's scenes out and replaced them with more about Rabbit's ex-girlfriend, whose brief scene showed her to be a capable actress who probably would have proved to be a more interesting character), but the fact remains that it does hold together and provides a refreshing naturalistic counterpoint to most of the stilted Hollywood films of today.
Serial (1980)
A film with great potential that doesn't live up to it
"Serial" is a fairly good movie that instead could have been great. From the very beginning of the movie and the sappy and straightforward opening theme song, it's clear that the director opted not to capture the subtleties and sharp satire of Cyra McFadden's brilliant novel, but rather to paint a much broader and sitcom-ish picture.
From a commercial standpoint, this wasn't necessarily a bad decision (though the film wasn't much of a hit): the novel was very much about a specific place, Marin County, with tons of inside references, and a movie as slavish with the insider details as the novel was wouldn't have played very well at all outside of the Bay Area.
Still, the end result is disappointing. Not as disappointing as, say, the movie version of "Bonfire of the Vanities," but nonetheless along the same lines: a satirical page-turner brought to the screen without its sharpness and full potential. The dialogue feels forced at times, and we never get a clear enough sense of the characters to invest our full interest in them. I'd argue that some of the casting and direction was off the mark: Bill Macy, as great as he was on "Maude," isn't right for this film, for example.
As someone who was a young child in late-1970s Marin County, I wish there were a film that truly captures the quirkiness (some would say craziness) of that place and time. "Serial" tries, but doesn't quite get it right.
As a side note: Although Cyra McFadden's novel "The Serial" is out of print in the US, there's a pretty-recently-reissued UK edition that contains a really interesting forward from McFadden. Diehard fans of the book should check it out. Easier to order than you might think, through amazon.co.uk.
The Real World Movie: The Lost Season (2002)
This was an ambitious project, that mostly worked
Yes, it had flaws, but the people who say they hated it seem to be missing the point. It was "The Real World" parodying itself, and so therefore the characters were supposed to seem over-the-top and exaggerated. The segments with the actual former "Real World" contestants were priceless. Yes, this film defied easy description. No, that doesn't mean it sucked. MTV shows way too many ads though-- that does suck.