DECEMBER 2002 FILMS

8 MILE (Curtis Hanson, 2002) is a cinematic love letter to Eminem with Curtis Hanson's help. His nose doesn't get longer (Eminem's looks, a safe harbour to whites who listen to rap, remain unmarred save for the valiantly-earned bruise) but fortunately Eminem acts with the conviction that the events in 8 MILE are not mythmaking but based on truth. His goody-two-shoedness is mythic indeed - he knows first aid; he is able to defend himself against small gangs; he's a defender of gay rights; he's an unmasker of bad relationships; he punctuates his final success by returning to work instead of partying - it ain't about da hos and da benjamins after all.

8 MILE amazes with its all-inclusiveness (nary a potential record buyer will feel slighted by the movie) and the complete absence of another, even vaguely appealing, white male. [C]

In CQ (Roman Polanski, 2002), a navel-gazer gets his shot at directing a BARBARELLA-type flick while still attempting to maintain artistic dignity. This is a slight concoction that gives narcissism and nepotism a bad name. [C-]

DEAD OR ALIVE: FINAL (Takashi Miike, 2001) should come with a warning: this film may provoke homosexual panic. This is most notable for persistent homosexual riffing on male-on-male violence in action films and the military. This feels less one-note than the first installment of the trilogy though all the gay action may leave fans wondering, "Takashi, why'd you go all deconstructionist on my ass?" [D]