'8 Mile' opens rap battling world

Rapper Eminem gets to show his acting and rapping talent as he plays Jimmy "Bunny Rabbit" Smith in "8 Mile," a film loosely based on Eminem's life. Whether or not Eminem is acting or just playing himself, the story of Rabbit's struggle to find his voice is well done. "8 Mile" is the story of a young man battling adversity because of his race, but this time it is a white rapper trying to succeed and earn credibility in metro-Detroit. \nThe best way to earn credibility in the Detroit rap scene is by winning rap battles, and this DVD is full of them. During the filming, the extras were getting restless and director Curtis Hanson says he noticed in some of the filming breaks that people were breaking out into mini-rap battles much like the characters do throughout the film. To relieve stress and keep the extra's attention, the production team held a rap battle competition for the chance to to take on Eminem in a scene for possible use in the movie. While none of the footage was used in the film, the DVD offers a feature with the four winning battles and a montage of others, as well as a glimpse into the Detroit rap scene further than the film can.\nThis gives Eminem the chance to show off his acting and the free styling ability that helped him rise to fame. Rap battles are to "8 Mile" as fighting was to "The Two Towers," with little enticing scenes that build up to the finale with an incredible set of battles as Rabbit goes up against his adversaries. \nThe DVD does contain some of the standard extras including a trailer and a small "making of" movie but it lacks extra scenes or even commentary, which would have been interesting between Hanson and Eminem. \nFor those who like the music, the DVD includes a section where viewers can select each song without watching the entire scene. As weird as it might be to call Eminem an "Oscar Nominee," it's even more weird the DVD doesn't include the music video for the nominated song "Lose Yourself," but it does include a video for "Superman." \nThe DVD is surprising whether it's showing rapping or acting. In either case, Eminem can always be entertaining.