Eminems New Movie - 8 Mile

[Jotown]

Wow, what a bunch of hype. I don't know if it's the same all over the country, but in the metro Detroit area the hype has been relentless. I saw that it did 54 million dollars last weekend which made it #1 in the country. I am not a fan, though I have a few friends who work for the organization. It just amazes me how big this little shit is getting. Are you getting the hype in your heighborhood?

[MattC]

Yeah, the hype's pretty big all over detroit- I'll agree. For my money, though, I'll just rent "rock star"- same (basic) story, different people.

[Jotown]

Hopefully, like Purple Rain it will be the peak of his fame, and signal the decline of Mr. Mathers career. Just like it did for Prince. Just wishful thinking.

[Rader Ranch]

i liked Purple Rain. great music and [b]Apollonia[/b]!!! (sp?) :eek:

[Hippie]

Hey all you Michiganders, please come see my band play at 'The Newsroom' (9 1/2 & Dequindre) this fri. & sat. I'll buy y'alls a drink. As for Eminem, he doesn't bother me as much as he used to now that I understand his humour. I haven't seen the movie yet (other than an MTV promo trailer & interview) but I hear its pretty bad. One friend described it as 'sick'. :D One thing that's kinda cool though is seeing the Detroit landmarks on the big screen. Matt

[Jotown]

Hey Hippie, I'd love to come see ya' but I always have a gig on the weekend. What is the name of your band?

[Hippie]

[quote]Originally posted by Jotown: [b]Hey Hippie, I'd love to come see ya' but I always have a gig on the weekend. What is the name of your band?[/b][/quote]This weekend it's the electric band, 'The Age'. We usually play at Shh-Booms in Warren. How 'bout you Jotown? Where are you at & what's the name of your band? Matt

[Brakka]

Originally posted by Hippie: [b]...One friend described it as 'sick'. :D [/b] I think "sick" means "cool" now. ;)

[Franknputer]

[quote]Originally posted by Brakka: [b]Originally posted by Hippie: [b]...One friend described it as 'sick'. :D [/b] I think "sick" means "cool" now. ;) [/b][/quote]So will seeing this movie make me "cool"? :D

[Jedi]

Yeah, the hype is unbelievable. Looks like a national epidemic. :D I haven't heard any bad press about it. It looks like on the surface it's probably adequately well done. However, for me, the fundamental bullshit that the movie is built upon leaves me uninterested. Basically, the movie feels contrived(to me). Ironically, the wife and I went to see "Jackass" the night 8 mile opened in Virginia. It was playing on 8 screens and sold out on six. Un-fucking-believable, I thought, until I saw the multitude of young white surburban males who looked just like him. God Bless him. Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis

[Rim]

[quote]Originally posted by Christopher Kemp: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Brakka: [b]Originally posted by Hippie: [b]...One friend described it as 'sick'. :D [/b] I think "sick" means "cool" now. ;) [/b][/quote]So will seeing this movie make me "cool"? :D [/b][/quote]I think it'll make you "phat". I actually want to see this movie. I dunno why, but I'm thinking it's like a "Rocky" movie with a music backdrop instead of boxing. You know - underdog overcomes the odds. I just tend to like movies about music anyway. I saw "Purple Rain" three times in the theatre with my friends when it came out and I was the only one who didn't think "Amadeus" was too long.

[Jotown]

[quote]Originally posted by Hippie: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Jotown: [b]Hey Hippie, I'd love to come see ya' but I always have a gig on the weekend. What is the name of your band?[/b][/quote]This weekend it's the electric band, 'The Age'. We usually play at Shh-Booms in Warren. How 'bout you Jotown? Where are you at & what's the name of your band? Matt[/b][/quote]Hey thats too funny, Tell Jason and Justin and their dad that Jotown said hey. I used to do wednesdays there a couple of years ago. 99% of the time I do a solo act. But even with the band the name is still Jotown. It's a small world. Are all of those bikers and Andy still hanging there?

[Jotown]

[quote]Un-fucking-believable, I thought, until I saw the multitude of young white surburban males who looked just like him. [/quote]Just in case you don't know, young white surburban males who look just like him are the majority of the wanabe thug based hip-hop audience. Not just Eminems. You got to hand it to Dr. Dre. He decided to get his own hip-hop Elvis before the man beat him to it. He is crying all the way to the bank.

[Hippie]

Jotown, I'm sure I've seen you play at shh-booms doing the wednesdays unplugged. I did those too from 97-98 with Andy. I'll see jason & justin soon, I accendently stole their hand-truck loading out last week. :) I'll tell them you said hello. Me and andy have been best of friends for over 30 years. We learned how to play together. Andy still does wednesdays, I join him on the weekends. I want to see you play jotown, PM me with your schedule, alrighty? Matt

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Okay...here's me trying to be an unbiased person. Deep breath...okay...here goes. I don't like anything that Eminem stands for. I think he's a decent rapper, but not nearly as good as some of the more innovative guys over the past twenty years. That having been said... I'm not going to judge this movie without having seen it (no, I haven't, yet). The reports from critics are that he does an excellent job as an actor in this film. That the story line has a similar feel-good, root-for-the-guy vice as "Rocky" (as someone already mentioned). Look...there have been a lot of asshole actors and musicians who are still really good at their craft. If we only used people's personal beliefs and true personas to measure how good their work was, there would be a whole lot of movies and music you'd avoid on principle alone. So, I'll probably give it a shot, and try to keep my whole opinion of him being a misgynistic homophobic punk-ass thug out of my head while watching. It would be lowering myself to his level if I just pre-judge the movie based on my opinion of him (which, also, is a carefully-calculated media-hyped act of propoganda). - Jeff

[Wow]

[quote] Hopefully, like Purple Rain it will be the peak of his fame, and signal the decline of Mr. Mathers career. Just like it did for Prince. [/quote]Hell, I like prince, I think he is a genius . m+m is a fuckin idiot .

[Audiobotica]

[quote]Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: [b] So, I'll probably give it a shot, and try to keep my whole opinion of him being a misgynistic homophobic punk-ass thug out of my head while watching. [/b][/quote]Thanks for the sum-up about the guy. I think that's enough reason to stay away. When I learn too much about the dark side of a performer, it does affect my ability to enjoy their work. If we reward brilliance regardless of character, something ineffable and precious is lost. Just my two centavos (not adjusted for inflation and definitely not calling you wrong if you choose to go see it since it's still a marginally free country as long as you have enough money to buy your own health insurance and have enough left over to see some over-hyped movies.) Yours in Music, Ben Fury

[RobT]

After seeing the trailers for the movie down here in the southeast. I wonder if they did any actual filming in the big D. None of the stuff I saw did.

[Jotown]

[quote]Originally posted by RobT: [b]After seeing the trailers for the movie down here in the southeast. I wonder if they did any actual filming in the big D. None of the stuff I saw did.[/b][/quote]Yeah thy filmed most of it in D'town. The trailer park scene was actually on 8 mile. And the big house burning scene was in Highland Park. It was pretty controversial when they were doing it.

[Jotown]

[quote]Originally posted by C.M.: [b] [quote] Hopefully, like Purple Rain it will be the peak of his fame, and signal the decline of Mr. Mathers career. Just like it did for Prince. [/quote]Hell, I like prince, I think he is a genius . m+m is a fuckin idiot .[/b][/quote]I am a huge Prince fan, I wasn't comparing the talent level. I still dig Prince, but fact is Purple Rain was the peak of his popularity. I am hoping that it will be the peak of Eminems as well. When you are at your peak of popularity you can only go down. Just ask Michael Jackson.

[Wow]

My bad. :D

[RobT]

[quote]Originally posted by Jotown: [b] [quote]Originally posted by RobT: [b]After seeing the trailers for the movie down here in the southeast. I wonder if they did any actual filming in the big D. None of the stuff I saw did.[/b][/quote]Yeah thy filmed most of it in D'town. The trailer park scene was actually on 8 mile. And the big house burning scene was in Highland Park. It was pretty controversial when they were doing it.[/b][/quote]I imagine that the Free Press, Detroit News and Metro Times had a field day with that!!!!

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

[quote]Originally posted by Hank The Cave Peanut: [b]If it's got Eminem, I'm not putting money in his pocket.[/b][/quote]Understood, and I have similar feelings. Of course, he's already received his paycheck for this project...and my ten bucks aren't going to add to his wallet, or increase his chances of doing another film (which is a guarantee at this point, I'm sure). [quote][b]I'm basing my opinion on his public persona, which is one of violence, mysogny, nihilism, and hatred. THAT'S the important thing, as far as what matters when you vote with your dollars. Do YOU support violence, mysogny, nihilism, and hatred? By putting money into the pockets of the people who made the movie, you're indirectly telling the entertainment industry that you do.[/b][/quote]Yup, I'm definitely torn on this point. But I've never really subscribed to the "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem" philosophy. I think I can not like the man and still enjoy the movie. There are so many musicians, athletes, actors, artists and other creative types that can fall into this category that I have no choice other than to try and separate my feelings in this regard. Know what I mean? Anyhow, scarily enough, I noticed that most critics I respect do give the movie a good rating, while several that I don't like have only been mediocre about it. I wonder if that result has been based on this same thought process. If so, it's just wrong. I hope that people who listen to my music can do so regardless of my viewpoints that have nothing to do with my ability to compose and perform. - Jeff

[The Bear Jew]

For what it's worth... No way am I going to go and see [i]8 Mile[/i], [i]Jackass[/i] or any of the crap put out by the big studios. It seems we see a lot of complaints here about the state of mainstream, major label music today (I tend to agree with most, BTW), and to me, the same things apply to mainstream films. Man, everything looks TERRIBLE. I have been avoiding movie theaters like the plague since long before [i]Star Wars: The Phantom Menace[/i] came out. Why? Because everything playing in the big-name theaters looks like absolute tripe. Man, I used to LOVE movies. Now, I can't imagine seeing them in the theater. The last film I saw in the theater that was worth my $18 investment (or whatever it cost) was [i]The Man Who Wasn't There[/i]. I finally saw [i]Spiderman[/i] two weeks ago... what an incredible waste of time. While the CGI effects were kind of cool, the overall film was simply abysmal. The script totally handed viewers EVERY bit of the plot on a huge, obvious platter. Enjoyment of the story required no thought whatsoever. This sort of film-making is grown into an epidemic of mediocrity. Nobody seems to be making filsm that respect the audience's intelligence at all. Cliches run rampant. Seeing a movie now almost seems redundant -- you know what's going to happen in every scene before you even get to the theater. You know who's going to die, who's going to live and how the film will end before the opening credits roll. And now there's a "re-make" trend... UGH. [i]Deeds[/i] ... what a terrible idea. I just found out they're going to re-make [i]Breakfast At Tiffany's[/i]. Stop the insanity, please. The worst part is... as soon as I totally write off the entire film industry (and I've done this at least 10 times since I got out of high school), something hits the theaters that gives me hope: [i]Reservior Dogs[/i] [i]The Big Lebowski[/i] [i]The Blair Witch Project[/i] [i]Goodfellas[/i] [i]Full Metal Jacket[/i] [i]Blue Velvet[/i] [i]Raising Arizona[/i] [i]Showgirls[/i] OK, I was just kidding about [i]Showgirls[/i]... no I wasn't. Anyway, the point is, I'm not going to see any movies any time soon.

[Jotown]

[quote]I find the "message" in his music repugnant. I've heard the comparisons of Eminem to Elvis, but... well... Elvis didn't condone killing people in his lyrics, y'know? There's a line that's been crossed where it's no longer entertainment. [/quote]Just for the record, my reference to the Elvis thing was in regards to a white dude bringing a black music form to the masses. I was not talking about his talent or lack thereof. I agree with your assesment of his music and persona. My comment was in regards to Dr. Dre's business acumen, not Eminems musical ability.

[Jotown]

Well actually, Eminem has been putting that rererence into his songs for a while. I have met Marshall, I grew up with his ex-wifes family. He is ok in person, but make no mistake, he is very clear and calculated about the value of controversy in markting his bad boy image. He has certainly taken a page out of the Madonna markting method book. And sadly people are eating it up.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

[quote]Originally posted by Hank The Cave Peanut: [b]Besides Jeff -- ask yourself... What would Joni Mitchell do?[/b][/quote]I just had a horrifying image pop into my head of Joni in a "feel good hit of the summer" movie about a upper-middle-class Canadian woman overcoming the pressure to be a pop princess while refining her skills as a quirky yet underappreciated songwriter. BOR-ING! :) - Jeff

[Jedi]

[quote]Originally posted by Jotown He has certainly taken a page out of the Madonna markting method book. And sadly people are eating it up. [/quote]I met a girl today, who proclaimed how honest M+M and his music was. Turns out this girl grew up in a trailer park and really relates to the guy. Moments like these always make me take a step back, a lot kids really identify with this joker, and can't or won't see the hype for a hole in the ground. There's something good in all of this, I know there must be. Anyway, it is always funny to hear these folks explain rap, or aspects of rap to me. Today, she was explaining to me the battle rap she saw in the film. Boy, was I laughing inside. Reminded me of a time when a middle-aged white woman told me how "dope"(her words) Em was, knowing goodness well that was probably the only rap she ever listened to. I find all of this stuff funny. Em and his hype machine is in high gear, and all I can say is, God bless him. Lincoln Ross Dead Black Jedis

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

[quote]Originally posted by Hank The Cave Peanut: [b]What I meant was, would Joni approve of you buying into Eminem's hype? (Not that it matters -- I'm just jerkin' your chain because I know you have a soft spot for Joni!!! ;) )[/b][/quote]I know...I got it the first time. ;) Trust me, I'm the last guy in the world buying into Mr. Mathers' hype. But I do like to be entertained. If I think his movie may be entertaining, I'll probably forego the fact that as an individual, I rank him lower than the worm-like larvae thing that slimed itself out from under that rock I picked up this morning (ewwwww!). Ah well. Maybe I'll see "8 Mile" this weekend. Or, maybe I'll get to work on the screenplay for that Joni movie! :p - Jeff

[G. Ratte]

Blah blah. I saw it last weekend and liked it. It's a pretty darn realistic depiction of "the struggling band life." Every scene I've been involved with is the same... punk rock, metal, hiphop. You're in a band/crew. You hang out with your crew. You talk endlessly abou "making it" at whatever level that is. On and on. Meanwhile, the rest of your dead-end life is on hold while you dream the rockstar dream. The big soundbite moving part of the movie is about shutting up with the dreaming and getting to work. He wins the big triumphant lyrical battle at the end in a clever way. Then he turns around and goes back to his shitty job. Back to work. It's a good message. You guys are funny with your white liberal guilt about Eminem. It's the assumption with pseudo-intellectual whites that everyone with a brain hates Eminem, or at least you'd better not say anything remotely positive about him around your girl. Freakin' hilarious. Gets the white Columbia and NYU students all in a predictable tizzy, but I never hear anything bad from the blacks in the 'hood.