22

Orientation Edition 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

NO COUNTRY
From Page 16
out with some kind of pressurized
hardware. The senior was just try-
ing to help jump Anton's car.
Elsewhere, the supposed protag-
onist, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin,
"Planet Terror"), unsuspectingly
uncovers the remains of a drug deal
gone wrong with a high body count
(including a dead dog) and only one
survivor, who is slowly dying and
begs for "agua."
Llewelyn takes a satchel filled
with money and leaves the man to
die. Within two angst-ridden and
prolonged scenes - in which Anton
literally throws the life of a help-
less gas station attendant in the air
with a coin toss, and Llewelyn fool-
ishly returns to the crime scene to
satisfy his conscience's plea to help
the parched man - it becomes clear
Anton has been hired to recover the
case of money.
Both men are driven: Anton, cal-
culating and maniacal, tracks the
money, nonchalantly murdering
anyone who irks him or gets in his
way; Llewelyn shrewdly does all he
can to delay what he realizes is inev-
itable - the eventual and unwilling
surrender of both the money and his
life.

thriller or horror film - it's a west-
ern. As much as the Coens play on
blood and the viewer's imagination,
the film also emphasizes dioramic
shots of the undeveloped West. At
its core, "No Country" is about cow-
boys jostling with one another and
with the characters' profound isola-
tion.
Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee
Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"), a
locallaw enforcer always three steps
behind the other rogue characters,
confrontsthe constantcombatinthe
face of grave seclusion. His age only
exaggerates these motifs. Bell is on
the verge of retirement and clearly
feels a deep sense of disgust (accom-
panied by exhaustion and confusion)
over the crimes and his inability to
prevent further bloodshed.
Above all, "No Country for Old
Men" is unfalteringly forceful. The
Coens allow Sheriff Bell to channel
McCarthy's voice self-reflexively:
"You just can't imagine this stuff,
and I dare you to." The intensity is
warped and creative. But by the end,
the audience is in the driver's seat.
We're forced to concoct our own
masochistic confrontations that
pass off-camera and, eventually,
imagine the horrendous acts Anton
has already perpetrated as well as
those yet to come to insane and
bloody fruition.

COMIC BAND
From Page 21
requests littered the air. While
the pair regularly acknowl-
edged screams of endearment
with a running tally of who had
received more, only once did
they give into a request, conced-
ing with sarcastic reluctance,
"We were gonna do the awe-
some song, but we'll just do this
one instead."
Best of all were the band's
antics, like when Bret proudly
demonstrated the demo song
on his keytar (George Michael's
"Last Christmas"), and then left
it playing for minutes while he
and Jermaine went off-stage.
Returning, Jermaine soloed
over the joyous synth bounce
with a few licks on a mini digital
horn before he and Bret settled
back into their routine.
Bidding adieu with "Angels"
in a second encore, Bret provid-
ed for one final moment of hilar-
ity when he fell off the stage.
With their ability to delight
audiences in so many different
ways, the boys of Fight of the
Conchords are entertainers in
the truest sense, as Saturday
night confirmed.

The man you least want to meet in a dark alley.
Bardem plays sociopathic Anton insanity in "The Texas Chainsaw
with maverick precision, maintain- Massacre," but the Coens chal-
ing the disturbing air of intelligence lenge horror conventions. Anton is
behind his character. Brolin gives revealed as the monster early in the
one of his better performances, film with explicit, graphic violence,
never seeming desperate despite and the Coens diminish the gore as
Llewelyn's overwhelmed mix of the movie progresses, leaving it up
fear, anger and alack of options. to the viewer to construct their own
Not only does "No Country" horrific, bloody images of death.
have a tight suspense plot to make And without doubt, the Coens sup-
John Grisham wince, it's also ter- ply their audience with plenty of
rifying. The perverse use of power these opportunities.
tools evokes memories of the gory But "No Country" isn't just a


Piccolo G Y"'f '1 t
Clarinet
Alto Saxophone Michigan Marching Band
Open Auditions During Orientation
Tenor Saxophone Auditions start at 3:00 PM

Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Percussion

Required music audition will be held at Revelli
Hall on the final day of your Orientation Session.
Audition will consist of:
- one chromaticscale two octaves
to demonstrate range
* one minute of prepared music
solo or etudes that have contrasting style
(demonstrate beauty of tone, phrasing & musicality,
and technical ability)
Call 764-0582 for more information

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