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Welcome to Aaron Payne Film Critic! On this page you will find pictures of the latest films out and reviews about the films. There will also be a rating which the film critics give and what i give. There are also reviwes and ratings of the latest releses to buy and rent.
	8 Mile. A young white rapper from Detroit's 8 Mile Road area tries to break out of his urban surroundings. Story In his feature film debut, Eminem is Jimmy Smith Jr., a poor aspiring rapper living in a trailer park on Detroit's 8 Mile Rd.--the city's perimeter road which separates it from the 'burbs, or more specifically, the blacks from the whites. After breaking up with his girlfriend Janeane (Taryn Manning), Jimmy, nicknamed "Rabbit," heads back to the trailer park to live with his mom (Kim Basinger), a lush with a penchant for bingo. He gets a day job in a factory so he can save enough money to get back on his feet, but at night heads to the Shelter, a hip-hop club where the city's best rappers "battle" each other in 45-second rounds of verbally abusive rhymes. Even though his friends, including Shelter MC Future (Mekhi Phifer), believe in him, Rabbit suffers stage fright and freezes like a deer in the headlights when it comes to competition time. But he realizes his entire future--and getting out of Detroit--rests on making it in the hip-hop world and cutting his own demo. To do so, Rabbit must first find his voice and win a coveted battle. The battles, whether you like hip-hop or not, are worth the price of admission alone. Acting According to Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, this film is part real and part made-up. But his character gets a complete Hollywood makeover here and it's glaringly easy to discern fact from fiction. 8 Mile's Rabbit, for example, is concerned with gun violence (Eminem was arrested twice in 2000 for weapons violations, for which he received probation). And when a coworker starts harassing one of Rabbit's gay coworkers, he breaks into a defensive rhyme: "Why you f***ing with the gay guy, G? You're the one with the HIV." Audiences longing for a compassionate and caring version Eminem won't be disappointed. In his big screen debut, Eminem is convincing and hardly afraid to show a soft and vulnerable side. He's a rapper and lyricist at heart, however, and his spiels often take on a cadence similar to his rap style. As Rabbit's buddy Future, Phifer is solid and their relationship on screen is believable and endearing. Brittany Murphy is also great as the skanky Alex, whose plan is to get out of Detroit by sleeping with all the wrong people. Basinger, however, delivers a bland performance as the drunk mom whining about her teen boyfriend's lack of sexual prowess. Direction Director Curtis Hanson scored Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Director and won Best Adapted Screenplay in 1997 for the drama L.A. Confidential, which is one reason there is more than a bit of buzz surrounding 8 Mile. The film is good, but it's not Oscar worthy. Hanson paints a gritty and realistic portrait of the Murder City circa 1995, but the film's problem lies with the story, written by The Mod Squad scribe Scott Silver. For one week, viewers get a voyeuristic peek into Rabbit's life: he beats people up, works hard, has sex, gets beaten up and sometimes raps. It's a stagnant view that never seems to go anywhere. While we know what happens to his mom--she wins big at bingo, washes her hair and does the groceries--we never find out what happens to Rabbit. We can't even assume the film leaves off where Eminem's career starts because it's not a biopic. But despite the weak story, Hanson commands a strong performance from Eminem and showcases both the rapper's newfound acting abilities and his musical talent. Considering the film's strength lies in Eminem, it's surprising there weren't more musical performances from the Grammy-winning rapper. Bottom Line Rapper Eminem scores big with his motion picture debut 8 Mile. His performance, as well as the Billboard-topping soundtrack, makes up for what the film lacks in storytelling. What the critics give: 7/10 What Aaron says: A film that can be very boring at times but does has its good points. Only watch this film if you like eminem. You will die of bordom if you dont. I give this film a 4/10
Jackass- the movie Johnny Knoxville and his crew take the concept of the MTV show Jackass to the big screen--but beware. The makers want you to know that it hasn't been edited for television. Story If you have ever wondered what it would be like to hurl yourself into a spinning ceiling fan or snort a line of wasabi, then Jackass: The Movie is right up your alley. Paramount Pictures and MTV Films have released the big screen adaptation of the series featuring a bunch of guys doing really gross and often dangerous stunts--all for your viewing pleasure. Here, series regulars including Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Dave England, Ryan Dunn, and Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna perform stunts they say couldn't be done on network television. In one gag, for example, Dunn inserts a toy car up his butt then visits an x-ray specialist to complain about some mysterious pain. When the doc shows him the x-ray with the silhouette of the car clearly visible, Dunn asks him how it could have gotten there, to which the doc replies in all seriousness, "Maybe you stuck it up your ass." The lowbrow pranks, however, are nothing compared to having to watch the Jackass crew's pasty, white butt cheeks as they prance around in thongs throughout the majority of the film. If you can stomach that, then you're ready for anything. Acting When Knoxville wanted to turn his practical jokes into a career, he approached Big Brother magazine editor Jeff Tremaine about turning his antics into a column. Tremaine instead suggested he videotape his stunts and the two released the Big Brother Video Trilogy, which quickly became an underground hit. It's nice to see that despite his cult status and MTV fame, Knoxville (whose real name is Philip John Clapp) is not above performing some of the movie's worst stunts, including getting a beating from heavyweight boxer Eric "Butterbean" Esch, which sends him to the emergency room. It is interesting to see the personalities of the some of the Jackass crew emerge, like Steve-O's. Initially, he was supposed to be the one pulling off the toy car prank, but he backs out on camera citing health concerns. But later on we find out Steve-O simply didn't want to disappoint his father and drew the line at that stunt. Look out for some great cameos, including BMX pro Matt Hoffman, skateboarder Tony Hawk and former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins. Direction Tremaine, who directed the film, stays true to the series and delivers a movie that pretty much resembles an extended episode with wackier stunts. The footage is shot in the same fashion, with hand-held cameras and spy cams hidden in oversized hats. Although the first few gags are not the best (neither are the ones involving animals, which are sad rather than outrageous), the film eventually unleashes its goodies, saving the best for last. By the warning that flashes on the screen at the beginning of the film, it's clear that everyone involved has a sense of humor about it. It reads: "The following stunts were performed by professionals, so for your safety and the protection of those around you, Paramount Pictures and MTV Films insist that neither you or your dumb little buddies attempt any of what you're about to see." Bottom Line Fans of the MTV series Jackass--probably the only audience for this film--will not be disappointed. Just remember to sit through the credits because there is a great scene tagged on at the very end involving the crew set some 50 years into the future. What the critcs give: 2/10 What Aaron says: A funny film only if you like watching people kick each othor in the tackle. I found it holarious. Watch the tv seris on mtv before going out out and watching this. 6/10