___
2D - Fall 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
20 - all 214 Th Michgan Dily -michiandaiyico
2 CHAINZ
From Page 1D
Will Made It, Pharrell and
DJ Mustard blasted out of the
Hill's speakers at an eardrum-
shattering volume that could've
possibly made this the loud-
est show in the history of Hill
Auditorium. "I'm Different" and
"Mercy" probably got the loud-
est, most shout-along crowd
reaction, but with as many hits
as 2. Chainz has, every song
played is going to be somebody
in the audience's favorite.
But what is it about 2 Chainz
that makes him connect so well
with fans? To hear him say it,
the answer is his transparency.
"What you see is what you
get," he said backstage after
the show. "The energy from the
crowd is organic. People like it,
and I appreciate it."
The answer fits in with the
titles of his first two albums-
Based on a T.R.U. Story. While
other rappers tire themselves
out by ceaselessly elevating
themselves as much as possible,
bragging about all the cars they
buy and women they're with, 2
Chainz conveys an unparalleled
confidence and swagger around
his performances. Unlike some
of his pipsqueak imitators, he's
so blunt and strong when he
boasts about money and status
that you can't help but believe
everything he says. You for-
get about the artist-fan divide
when he performs because his
style is so conversational and
his mindset seems so similar
to yours. 2 Chainz is the easi-
est rapper to imagine yourself
wingmanning at a house party.
Adding to this organic and hon-
est image is 2 Chainz's engag-
ing onstage persona, he teased
the audiences about the Uni-
versity's basketball team, say-
ing that he had the Wolverines
going all the way and that "you
fucked up my bracket." He's the
last rapper you'd ever accuse of
being pretentious. His songs cut
right to the point, and he has no
qualms about trying to make
music that's accepted by a wide
audience.
"Being consistent and work-
ing hard" is what 2 Chainz says
is the key to a hit song. In just
the span of a few short years,
he has built up an impressive
following through music that's
built on earnest, confident fun.
The audience knows that with
every 2 Chainz verse they're
going to get the perfect com-
bination of quotable phrases,
charismatic swagger and tech-
nical confidence. He's created
a brand based around the exact
kids who went to see him at Hill
- young kids who want to have
a good time to hard-hitting rap
music. It's almost unheard of to
see a rapper as old as 2 Chainz
connect with youth culture as
much as he has, but he does it
at his shows night after night.
In every 2 Chainz song, and at
the Hill Auditorium show, you
can hear a man who has trav-
eled a long, long road to star-
dom. 2 Chainz knows that he
got where he is now because
of his fans, and now he's com-
mitted to give back to them by
recording the music they want,
and performing for them with
all he's got.
4
FILM REVIEW
'12 Years a Slave' apowerft triumph
4
'12 Years' went on to take home the Best Picture award at the 2014 Oscars
Year's best film
is provocative,
courageous and
visceral
By JAMIE BIRCOLL
Daily Arts Writer
NOV. 4, 2013 - Simply put,
"12 Years a Slave" is the best
of the year, a triumph - a proj-
ect of courage
and heart thatA
is unsettling,
provoking and 12 YD'S
truly stirring.
it portrays a Slave
slavery in all FoxSearchlight
of its horror
and forces the
audience to
examine a past typically shoved
to the deepest recesses of the
mind.
Based on the memoir of its
protagonist, the film stars tbi-
wetel Ejiofor ("Salt") in an
award-caliber performance as
Solomon Northup, a free man,
husband and father of two, who
lives out his days in happiness
in New York - until 1841, when
he is kidnapped and sold into
slavery. During his captivity, he
is moved to different owners of
varying degrees of cruelty.
Paul Giamatti ("Turbo"),
in that slimy fashion he does
so well, plays Solomon's first
owner, a slave trader who quick-
ly sells him to Ford (Benedict
Cumberbatch, "Star Trek Into
Darkness"), a devout Christian
that shows a sort of pity for his
slaves. He reads scripture to his
workers every Sunday and goes
so far as to treat Solomon almost
as family, later protecting him
from his twisted overseer (Paul
Dano, "Prisoners"). All in all,
Ford seems to be a good man,
but does his very involvement
in the practice of slavery make
him evil?
Ford eventually sells Solomon
to Edwin Epps (Michael Fass-
bender, "Prometheus"), another
deeply religious man that uses
the Bible to justify his role as
master, contrasted to Ford's use
of scripture as a means of salva-
tion. Epps prides himself on his
reputation as a "slave breaker,"
doling out lashings on a daily
basis, raping the young women
to fill his lust. Fassbender's por-
trayal of Epps will be compared
to Ralph Fiennes's portrayal of
Nazi war criminal Amon Goeth
in "Schindler's List," an evil
man of no redeeming quality
and unrelenting cruelty - much
like Fiennes, Fassbender should
receive an Oscar nod for his
work.
The audience is subjected
to multiple scenes of suffer-
ing, brutality and violence, and
without the brief levity of, say,
a Tarantino script heavy on sar-
casm, it will likely become bur-
densome for some viewers. And
yet I myself could not look away
from the screen. My eyes never
turned from the writhing bod-
ies being hanged, the lacerated
backs and bloody shirts. It's a
testament to the greatness of
the performances; to miss even
the slightest nuance, the sub-
tlest expression is to miss some-
thing profound.
But it's even more than that.
As much justice as the actors
owed to finding the truth in
their characters, we, too, owe
Solomon Northup and the
countless others like him our
undivided attention, to finally
accept that our past is a dark
one, to acknowledge that Edwin
Epps was as real as the man or
woman in the seat next to us in
the theater.
Many film critics are lament-
ing that it took an English direc-
tor (Steve McQueen, "Shame")
to craft the film that "properly"
portrays American slavery. But
there is no better director than
McQueen to tackle the central
human condition of this proj-
ect: pain. All of McQueen's
films have focused on the pain
imposed on their protagonists
by their societies, and McQueen
then uses that pain and suffer-
ing to explore each character's
strength of will. Despite the
blood, sweat and tears through-
out "12 Years a Slave," there is
something beautiful to be found.
I expect this film will be
taught to future film students
for every aspect of what makes a
great film, from Hans Zimmer's
haunting score, to the power-
ful performances and strong
writing, all the way down to
the importance of each linger-
ing angle of the camera. It's a
fantastic film, and no amount of
praise will satisfy.
Make no mistake that "12
Years a Slave" will be a classic
for one reason: For 133 minutes,
the story of Solomon Northrup
comes to life.
As an audience member, you
will not see a movie but a life,
a real life filled with sorrow
and tragedy, but also with hope
and strength - a story about
perseverance and healing as
equally as torment. Each gaz-
ing stare from Ejiofor reveals
a man breaking inside, strug-
gling every day to fathom just
why this fate has befallen him.
And yet, even as he burns what
is likely his last hope for rescue
(a letter home), as those embers
slowly smolder and fade into the
black night, Northup's will to
endure, to survive, to live never
falters.
And at last, when the credits
roll, when you have dried your
eyes and left the darkness of the
theater, you will recognize that
what you have seen is poetry as
much as it is biography. You will
turn to your friends or family
and you will discuss what you
have just witnessed, and you
will be haunted by every crack
of the whip as much as you will
be moved by the mounting cre-
scendo of each spiritual, and
you will realize that you feel
alive, so very alive.
4
Good Kids
a drama by Naomi Iizuka
Set in a high school in the American Midwest, in a
worldfilled with social media, Good Kids explores a
possible sexual crime and its very public aftermath.
This play contains profanity.
Arthur Miller Theatre " Oct. 2-12, 2014
Dept. of Theatre & Drama
[he U-M School of Music, Iheatre & Dance
2014-2015 season promises superb
entertainment at a great value!
Winter Opera
Anticipation! Our winter opera will
be announced in October 2014.
Mendelssohn Theatre." Mar. 26-29, 2015
University Opera Theatre
Iphigenia atAulis
a drama by Euripides
translated by Don Taylor
A Commandermustechoose between
his daughter's life and winning a war.
Arthur Miller Theatre
Apr. 2-12, 2015
Dept. of Theatre & Drama
Cabaret
a musical by Joe Masteroff, John Kander & Fred Ebb
Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome. Step on in and
come to the cabaret old chum!
Mendelssohn Theatre . Oct. 9-19, 2014
Dept. of Musical Theatre
Dead Man Walking
a dramatic opera by Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally
The powerful true story of a nun's experience as a
spiritual advisor to a death row inmate.
This opera contains violence and profanity.
Sung in English with projected supertitles.
Power Center " Nov. 13-16, 2014
University Opera Theatre
Caroline, or Change
a musical by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner
Set against the Civil Rights Movement,
a black maid in the South struggles with
the changes around her.
Arthur Miller Theatre " Nov. 20-23, 2014
Dept. of Musical Theatre
Fuente Ovejuna
a drama by Lope de Vega, adapted by Adrian Mitchell
Based on an actual event, one small Spanish town
harnesses their communal courage to rout their oppressor
Power Center - Dec. 4-7, 2014
Dept. of Theatre & Drama
Student tickets are only $10 with ID,
over 50% off the regular price!
Get yours now at the League Ticket Office
in the Michigan league. mA
The Music Man
a musical by Meredith Willson
Heartwarming and rousing,
The Music Man is as All-
American as apple pie.
Power Center
Apr. 16-19, 2015
Dept. of Musical Theatre
Currents & Crossings
Choreography by faculty Jessica Fogel,
Sandra Torijano, and Robin Wilson with
guest choreographer Richard Alston
Power Center - Feb. 5-8, 2015
Dept. of Dance
Stupid F###ing Bird
a comedy by Aaron Posner
An irreverent, contemporary, and veryffunny
remix of Chekhovs The Seagull.
This play contains profanity.
Mendelssohn Theatre - Feb. 19-22, 2015
Dept. of Theatre & Drama
it 1
Buy two student tickets for the price of one, for any of
the 2014-2015 U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance
stage productions.
Offer subject to availability. Limited to one free ticket per
coupon. Must show valid student ID and bring coupon
to the League Ticket Office located in the Michigan
League or to the theatre on the night of performance.
4
4