Barnes & Noble

We arrive at Eminem's exceptional DVD, E, hoping for a clearer understanding of Chris Rock's quip about apocalypse arriving because "the world's best golfer is black and the world's best rapper is white." The rapper, of course, is Eminem (a.k.a. Slim Shady or Marshall Mathers), represented here by seven videos and two mildly amusing behind-the-scenes clips. Each successive clip proves further that, like Tiger Woods, Eminem (Dobie Gillis's dye job notwithstanding) is a terrific, unnervingly gifted artist amid all the hype. The best clips ("Stan," "The Real Slim Shady," "Role Model," "Guilty Conscience," "My Name Is") are directed by Phillip Atwell and Eminem's producer, Dr. Dre. The often-hysterical images establish Eminem's peeves about such matters as his trailer trash roots, media intrusiveness, obsessed fans, teenyboppers, and boy bands. The crankiness is entwined with his undeniable rhyming skill. He's also an ace video mocker, nailing his contemporaries at a faster, wittier, more grotesque clip than "Weird" Al or David Lee Roth at their respective peaks. Christina Aguilera is cast as a blow-up doll. Eminem goes drag to portray Britney Spears, and is then cast as a sleazy monsignor, a devil's advocate, a ventriloquist's dummy, Marilyn Manson, and a corrupt cop. His manic, uncensored scatology -- a wild, often infuriating, and shameless blitz -- establishes Slim Shady as a genuine wild card. Very nearly the Ernie Kovacs of his genre, he is a force who administers a dose of scary, goony humor into MTV's promotional void. It may be the end of the world, but with E at least you'll burn laughing. Eddy Crouse

All Movie Guide

Detroit rapper Eminem creates a lot of headlines along with his award-winning and controversial rap music. Transferring his hot-button lyrics to music videos didn't do much to soften the messages, but it did win him a Best Video of the Year award from MTV in 2000. E contains seven director's cut versions of some of Marshall Mathers' (Eminem's birth name) most popular songs. The songs are taken from The Marshall Mathers LP and The Slim Shady LP and include "Stan,) "The Way I Am," "The Real Slim Shady," "Role Model," "Guilty Conscience," "My Name Is," and "Just Don't Give a Fuck." ~ Jessica Frost, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 044006081991
• Source: POLYGRAM VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English
• Sales Rank: 52,402

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