4B - Thursday, January 10, 2013 \ The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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2.1 jnoUcandU
3,11, "Argo ty
Few movies were anticipated in 2012 the way
"Dijango Unchained" was. Thankfully, even fewer
movies were able to deliver on the hype the way
"Django" did. Quentin Tarantino is at his best,
as the film features violence galore coupled with
sharp, intelligent dialogue. The story's compelling,
the shots are beautiful, the characters are engaging
and the soundtrack fits the film perfectly, even if it
is a little unorthodox (c'mon, the guy put Rick Ross
in a western - RICK ROSS!).
As promised, the all-star. cast of Jamie Foxx,
Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio is phe-
nomenal. Foxx is transformed into one of the all-
time greatest cinematic badasses by the end of the
film. Waltz is as impressive as he was in "Inglou-
rious Basterds," and DiCaprio is able to step out
of his normal role and steal most of his scenes as
antagonist Calvin Candie. Simply put, this was a
great movie.
-CONRAD FOREMAN
"Argo" is a rollercoaster ride that you don't
want to end. Even though it's a biopic and the
"What happens?" is no mystery, the captivating
question in this film is: "How the hell did they pull
that off?" Ben Affleck knocks it out of the park as
he directs and stars in this true story about CIA
agent Tony Mendez, who concocts a fake movie
project called "Argo," to seek permission for a
"location scout" in Iran, so he can smuggle U.S.
embassy officials to safety.
John Goodman and Alan Arkin are hilarious as
a Hollywood make-up artist and a producer past
his prime who help Tony promote, advertise and
market this faux film.
I laughed, I cried, I gripped my chair and I thor-
oughly enjoyed the dialogue; out of it came one of
the most memorable phrases of the year. What is
it, you may ask? Go see "Argo" and you'll know.
when you hear it.
-CARLY KEYES
4. "Cabin in the Woods"
5. "Skyfall"
"Cabin in the Woods"is probably the boldest movie
to have graced the big screen in a really long time. It
should be revered, acknowledged and seen. Why?
Because"Cabin"bringsbacksome much-neededrele-
vance to the genre ofhorror by mocking every stereo-
typical plotline that's rendered it trite and irrelevant.
A group of friends embark on a holiday to a pre-
dictably creepy, secluded cabin in the woods. While
everything about this film, includingits name and ini-
tial plotline, seems to be an echo of a million movies
past, things quickly take a turn for the unusual. The
climax is a slap in the face for anyone who thinksthey
know horror. The actors, led by Chris Hemsworth,
are OK but inferior to the script itself. Joss Whedon
and Drew Goddard's brilliant brainchild is undoubt-
edly a cult classic that has enough blind spots to thrill
even the most seasoned film buffs.
-ADITI MISHRA
It'd be simple to say "Skyfall" has great perfor-
mances, a great script and great set pieces, but this
James Bond ripples with urgency.
Daniel Craig instills gaping soul into his char-
acter. Javier Bardem at once intrigues you, makes
you squirm and pity him. The gun fights are bold
and loud. Resurrection is its hobby, and it makes a
damn good case for our favorite superspy's trium-
phant return.
But where "Skyfall" plants thrills, laughs and
C4 explosives, it also fills with shadows. It's about
unseen enemies moving in the dark, the deep
places in which we hide, the secrets of the past.
It necessitates those hard-nosed heroes we holdI
more dearly than we realize because in the times
we live, fictional and real, we're aware of just how
large a shadow our beloved James Bond casts.
-SEAN CZARNECKI
Best Fjim Characters of 2012
1 Calvin Candie 2 Raul Silva
There's something about Quentin Tar-
antino and evil men. I can't tell if it's the
sharp dialogue or just the palpable gid-
diness that comes hand-in-hand , with
watching one of his movies. Whatever
the reason, Tarantino's most twisted
characters are all indelibly hilarious. And
because they're all so damn funny, their
ostensibly inhuman depravities become
tangible and, in many ways, real. Cal-
vin Candie, the lunatic plantation owner
Tarantino's latest masterpiece, is no
xception.
Unlike Hans Landa from "Inglourious.
Basterds," Candie is not an exceptionally
cunning individual. Suspicious? Yes, but
not in possession of the discerning detec-
tive's mind that made Landa lethal. But
what our southern friend lacks in sheer
force of wit, he makes up for in blunt rage
- a rage carefully bottled behind Leonar-
do DiCaprio's arched brows and laughing
eyes. But once all that vitriol comes flood-
ing out, completely convinced of its own
righteousness, we get a throttling taste of
what evil can become.
-AKSHAY SETH
Let's be honest, there's something
slightly dry about the Bond series. The
martinis, the humor, the titular char-
acter, they're all so ... British. Which is
great. Who doesn't want to keep a stiff
upper lip? But even the driest of drinks
can occasionally use a dash of some-
thing sweet to keep us interested. Enter
the most recent Bond villain, Javier Bar-
dem's Silva.
"Skyfall" feels a bit slow until Silva
saunters in. His appearance is strik-
ing, almost ridiculous: flamboyant
bleached hair, almost touristy clothing;
Silva is eerily un-ruthless looking. His
face is animated; He talks with kissy
lips, graceful hands; He throws gre-
nades with a tiny flick of the wrist. It's
enthralling casual evil that is fascinat-
ing to watch.
Ultimately, Silva's disregard is what
draws us to him. He strokes Bond's
thigh (blasphemy!), he hunts the hunt-
ers, he burns his mother. Silva is naugh-
ty, demented and everythingthis storied
franchise needed.
-MATT EASTON
3. Abraharm Lincoln
Though I'm well aware of Daniel
Day-Lewis's nonpareil talent, there's
no way I could have anticipated the
pure genius of his performance as
Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln." It's like
the real deal came back from the dead
and decided to hop in front of a cam-
era. Day-Lewis looks like Lincoln; he
sounds like him, walks like him and
even - in multiples instances - sits like
him with his hands on his knees. It's a
purposeful performance that succeeds
in doing much more than simply mim-
icking the monument of one of Ameri-
ca's greatest historical figures.
Everything Day-Lewis does is innate,
inherent and authentic, and I think if
the 16th President were to see his per-
formance, he'd approve, as this beyond
gifted actor remains scarily true and
"honest" to Abe. His vacillation between
the caring father to the patient husband
to the empathetic political figure to the
intimidating commander-in-chief is
seamless and Oscar-worthy. He has my
vote at least.
-CARLYKEYES
WEINSTEIN
4., Freddie Quell
Joaquin Phoenix's Freddie Quell is a
wayward, neurotic sailor who tries his
best to mimic normalcy in post-World-
War-II America. Through the grit of
combat he has learned to be devious,
manipulative and, to some extent, even
maniacal.
He is cruel. He abuses himself. He
retreats into personal shadows and
confides with demons of a dark order.
But he's aware of his illness. Through
some veil of feigned reality, Freddie
Quell knows he's twisted. So he forces
himself to experiment with religion,
friendship and community in a wild
attempt at self-healing.
While it's hard to watch a man so dis-
gruntled, so far gone into the realm of
paranoia try to become ordinary, Phoe-
nix makes it equally fascinating. He
does nothing right but in every failing,
there's a need for redemption.
And the great paradox of Freddie
Quell is how a man so broken and per-
turbed can ultimately be so spectacu-
lar.
-BRIAN BURLAGE
5. Bane
Bane - the seemingly inde-
structible villain who was, disap-
pointingly, oh-so-easily destroyed.
Despite his unfulfilling end in "The
Dark Knight Rises," this formidable
foe who promised to be every inch
more bad-ass than the Joker, if
not as delectably crazy, proved his
worth by very nearly destroying the
Batman twice.
This character couldn't have a
more apt name. Bane not only acts
as one of Batman's strongest ene-
mies yet, he surpasses his predeces-
sors by truly rendering the film's
titular character helpless for the
better part of the movie.
Without a doubt, Tom Hardy
("Inception") has to be credited for
making Bane as physically fearsome
as the Joker was mentally. Being a
villain of this "Batman" series is an
honor almost equal to that of being
a Bond villain, and with Hardy's
help, Bane proved that it's an honor
he deserved.
-ADITI MISHRA