Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie Review

It is probably best that I made it perfectly clear upfront that I am not a fan of Eminem. This has nothing to do with the controversy that followed him a few years ago; his singing simply does not inspire me the way it does his fans.

Filmed at the Madison Square Garden in 2005, Eminem: Live from New York City captures the Detroit rapper in top form. Assisted by his right-hand man Proof, and a number of high-profile guests such as D12, Bizarre, Obie Trice and Stat Quo, Eminem performed a number of his top hits – “Lose Yourself”, “Mockingbird”, “Rock Star”, “Stan”, “Mosh”, etc.

The tone of the show is anything but casual. Right from the get-go, the rapper slams the then-current President Bush and his politics with “Mosh”. Newspaper articles are projected on a large wall behind him while a man wearing a Bush mask encourages the crowds to sing with the rapper. His lyrics are angry and explicit.

Eminem’s special guests are just as well received as he is. In “How Come”, for example, the cameras often zoom around the venue and show the crowds singing together with them. During “Rock Star” and “40 Oz”, the atmosphere is absolutely electrifying.

Originally filmed for the US TV series “Showstoppers”, Eminem: Live from New York City does indeed look very impressive. A variety of strategically positioned cameras capture the rapper and his guests as they sing and play with the crowds from all sorts of different angles.

The multi-level stage - as well as the incredible lighting - is also impressive. It looks simple but it certainly is quite effective, allowing the rappers to interact with the crowds and at the same time quickly access the backstage (the show contains three backstage fragments).

The insert provided with this disc notes that the show at Madison Square Garden was the last time Eminem and Proof performed together in the Big Apple. On April 10th, 2006 Proof was shot dead in a Detroit nightclub.

Maybe Shady Maybe Not

Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Eminem: Live from New York City arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Filmed at Madison Square Garden in 2005, this show looks good on Blu-ray, but not exceptional. The close-ups are well detailed, contrast is adequate, and clarity pleasing. Multiple strategically positioned cameras are used to capture the impressive stage from a number of different angles. This allows the viewer to get a very good feel of the atmosphere in the venue. This being said, I did notice a bit of motion-judder popping up here and there when the cameras zoom in on Eminem and his guests. There is also some low noise during a few of the panoramic shots. Still, the overall quality of the presentation is good, and I have absolutely no problem recommending Eminem: Live from New York City to you. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM 2.0. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The "live-effect" is very strong in Eminem: Live from New York City. The crowd noise is almost always very easy to hear, and at times it feels as if the show is actually a large club event (listen to "Business"). Eminem's singing, however, is clear and easy to follow; there are no disturbing echo effects. This being said, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track will not impress you with strong surround activity as Eminem's singing gets priority.

I feel that the LPCM 2.0 track is actually quite suitable for Eminem: Live from New York City. It partially eliminates some of the distracting crowd noises while at the same time it treats Eminem's singing just as well as the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does. So, I would certainly recommend that you experiment with it to see how much you like it.

There are no serious issues to report with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but I feel that it certainly lacks the qualities the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 track have.

Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc.

Eminem: Live From New York City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This release should appeal primarily to hardcore Eminem fans. I personally do not foresee Eminem: Live from New York City suddenly converting those who never embraced his music, but could be wrong. In any event, it is great to see that Eagle Rock Entertainment continue to expand their already very impressive music catalog.