Yes, so I saw a couple of interesting movies recently. One of them was ‘School of Rock’ which was in a show put up by the graduate school. The graduate school does all kinds of interesting things like arts nights, food festivals and so on. This was part of the same series. School had Jack Black in an absolutely zany role, and he comes across as a madcap, wild-eyed character, but with a lot of heart. He plays a down and out musician who impersonates his friend as a substitute teacher for some much needed dough. Joan Cusack is absolutely splendid as the headmistress of the really posh prep school where Black goes to work. She plays a really uptight, wound up stickler for discipline. I think she would have done well with a little more screen time, but there we have it.. she was only a side character and the main show was Black and his students. Go see it!
The other movie was 8 mile. This is Marshall (Eminem) Mathers’ semi autobiographical work about a white rapper who is struggling to break out of his job at the car factory, the fact that he is living in his mom’s trailer… break out of the disappointment that his whole life is. One might have expected this movie to be a sad excuse for self adulation, but it is not. Eminem delivers a very powerful performance. I am not sure that this guy would be successful playing anything else, and I am not sure that he should either.. for this movie as it stands is amazing. Eminem, his supporting cast and the rappers have put a lot of heart into this movie and it comes across. There are intense racial and reverse racial undertones to this movie. Detroit is not a happy place. Detroit is a metaphor for the general malaise that has gripped mainstream America; or at least that part which does not have the luxury to live in well-manicured suburbs far from the anarchy of the inner cities. This is an America which has been sold down the drain by their managers and their shareholders: this is an America where jobs are Bangalored, Shanghaied, Mexicoed, whatever, and the only reality is that of the trailer park and minimum wage shifts at Walmart. Anyway, back to the movie. My favourite scene is when Jimmy (Eminem) realizes that he is going be clobbered by their rival gang ‘The Leadaz of da Free World’ and tells his kid sister to go indoors and lock the door. And all the while, we can sense the tension, its so palpable, but he doesn’t let the little girl see it in his eyes. The direction is awesome, the music is … wow! And the acting is pretty neat too. Just see it.
The other movie was 8 mile. This is Marshall (Eminem) Mathers’ semi autobiographical work about a white rapper who is struggling to break out of his job at the car factory, the fact that he is living in his mom’s trailer… break out of the disappointment that his whole life is. One might have expected this movie to be a sad excuse for self adulation, but it is not. Eminem delivers a very powerful performance. I am not sure that this guy would be successful playing anything else, and I am not sure that he should either.. for this movie as it stands is amazing. Eminem, his supporting cast and the rappers have put a lot of heart into this movie and it comes across. There are intense racial and reverse racial undertones to this movie. Detroit is not a happy place. Detroit is a metaphor for the general malaise that has gripped mainstream America; or at least that part which does not have the luxury to live in well-manicured suburbs far from the anarchy of the inner cities. This is an America which has been sold down the drain by their managers and their shareholders: this is an America where jobs are Bangalored, Shanghaied, Mexicoed, whatever, and the only reality is that of the trailer park and minimum wage shifts at Walmart. Anyway, back to the movie. My favourite scene is when Jimmy (Eminem) realizes that he is going be clobbered by their rival gang ‘The Leadaz of da Free World’ and tells his kid sister to go indoors and lock the door. And all the while, we can sense the tension, its so palpable, but he doesn’t let the little girl see it in his eyes. The direction is awesome, the music is … wow! And the acting is pretty neat too. Just see it.
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