This weekend, I saw 8 Mile primarily because of positive reviews by the Village Voice, Salon, and by the New York Times, the latter of which pronounced the movie a success "on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music." I will clearly admit that I expected the movie to suck, the positive reviews notwithstanding. There were, however, several strong points to the film (and I will try not to give away anything for the peeps who haven't seen the flick): (1) Though Eminem delivers fewer lines than your average lead role, his performance is remarkably strong — a commendable role as a first-time lead. Indeed, as B. Rabbit, Eminem successfully conveys emotion through silence. This allows director Curtis Hanson (of L.A. Confidential fame) to limit the opportunities for the first-time lead actor to reveal his inexperience. (2) The soundtrack is straight dope. I haven't been able to locate free downloads, but check out Eminem's homepage, where "Eminem Radio" is currently in the works. (3) Perhaps a slight nod of recognition to peaking criticism of gun violence in rap music, guns were clearly depicted in a bad light through certain comical scenes. But neither the rap world nor Hollywood has gone soft on us: just because poppin' a cap in that ass wasn't glorified, that doesn't mean the movie didn't have its share of beat-downs. (4) Brittany Murphy (Riding in Cars With Boys, Don't Say a Word) played Eminem's saucy love interest in a well-written script that wisely avoids the melodrama of most tangential romantic interludes in Hollywood movies. Each character exhibits a conspicuous sense of ambition and self-preservation, which prevents the romance from getting carried away. As such, the very reason that the relationship remains an aside to the plot renders the script an even greater success.