10 Tuesday, May 1, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, May 1,;2012 The Michigan Daily - michigarndaily.com 13 Avengers revamps tired genre Whedon's script to breathe new life into comic book heroes By KAYLA UPADHYAYA Senior Arts Editor An unofficial leader of the nerd realm, Joss Whedon has estab- lished himself as a prolific and venerated screenwriter on tele- vision with the dynamic duo of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" - as well as the short- lived but ever-loved "Firefly" - and on the big screen with cult favorite "Serenity" and the more recent, self-aware "Cabin in the Woods." It's fitting that a man with the super skills of Whedon has stepped up to write and direct Marvel's "The Avengers," the much-anticipated culmination of four years of box-office-exploding Marvel superhero movies. In a recent conference call in which The Michigan Daily par- ticipated, Whedon explained that this is not the first time he has had to work with pre-existing charac- ters and stories, as he worked on an "X-Men" movie and wrote one of the "Alien" installments. "Even on a TV show, even if you're the one who established them every time you write a script, you're dealing with an established universe," Whedon said. "So it's not hard for me to fall into the cadences of these people. In fact, it's a lot easier when you've already seen them being acted in the other movies." In "The Avengers," S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, "Pulp Fiction") has to bring together a bunch of heroes who all have superhuman pow- ers and superhuman egos. Having to direct a cast made of a slew of acclaimed and talented actors, Whedon's job as director was sim- ilar. "I felt very much like Nick Fury," Whedon said. "He's the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., literally, and that puts him at a remove from everybody, even if he likes them ... I'm not nearly as intelligent or manipulative as Nick, and I didn't have as many problems because my actors actually wanted to be together. They enjoy each other." Whedon explained that he dif- fers from Nick because he never - at least he hopes - put his actors in harm's way as Nick has to do with his team. "You do feel that responsibility that you've gotta get all of these people to give their best," Whedon said. "You know, for him it's in bat- tle and for me it's when we're roll- ing to really, you know, come up with their best stuff and play off each other as well as possible. And you have a great responsibility to service them with your camera at the same time. So I definitely felt some of the pressure, but I can see out of my left eye." Because the film had such a large cast, Whedon noted that unfortunately not every pairing got screen-time. He had difficulty choosing a favorite combination of characters. "I love the Bruce Banner-Tony Stark relationship," Whedon explained. "Bruce Banner's the first guy Tony Stark's come across really who operates on his level intellectually, who isn't a villain. ... Tony's particular attitude about the Hulk is endearing and cool. But I also love Tony and Steve and how much they can't stand each other. And I'm very invested in Natasha and Hawkeye and their deep, deep friendship, so ... oh, I love them all." In explaining how he became attached to the project, Whedon said he has known Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige for a while and has been reading comics for even longer. "I think Marvel has a great nose for a director who has a passionate vision, who's not famous for turn- ing out big-budget hits, but will bring something a little bit fresh to the concept of a hero movie, and it's one of the things that I respect the most about them ... it just seemed like a good fit," he said. Though the characters and cast will be familiar to moviegoers, Whedon said his directorial style is distinct and that his film won't necessarily look like the other Marvel movies that preceded it. "There's no way you could make a movie that looked like a Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh, Joe Johnston, Louis Leterrier movie," Whedon said. "I do think, you know, the DNA of the Marvel movie begins with 'Iron Man,' and that's AUSTEN HUFFORD/Daily President Obama waves to the crowd during a speech for a campaign stop at Dearborn, Mich. Obama calls to prevent rise in student loan interest rates Wait ... seriously, I love you guys. very grounded in the real. I tend to be a tiny bit florid with my camera work and my dialogue, but hopeful- ly in a way that feels like a realistic version of a comic book universe." The more sci-fi and fantasy ele- ments of "The Avengers" were what drew Whedon - who has incorporated everything from vampires, to space cowboys, to all-powerful evil gods in his past work - to the story. "Marvel was known for it's gritty realism, and 'Spider Man' was sort the template for 'oh, they could just be people in New York,' " Whedon explained. "And even though the Avengers made their home in New York, they were so often out in that space and dealing with artifi- cial intelligence, and grand beings from another world, and gods and monsters. And I love that element. That's definitely a part of the film." Whedon described the writing process for the film as very organic. For him, when writing a script, fig-. uring out how things are going to look and feel are just as importantas the actual dialogue. Because he and his crew were working on a tight schedule, some of the set pieces and action sequences had to be worked on before the story was-put to paper. This made it difficult to piece it all together, but he again emphasized the organic- and teamwork-based nature of the process. With dozens of larger-than-life action films hitting the box office this summer, Whedon explained that he hopes his movie is a bit more reminiscent of what summer movies used to represent. "I think 'The Avengers' is the kind of movie that I grew up want- ing to make and thought they had stopped making," Whedon said. "When I grew up, the summer movie was literally created as a con- cept, and all my life I wanted to do something like that, something like the first 'Indiana Jones,' something that was steeped in character, in love of the genre that it was por- traying, had intelligence, had real MARVEL acting, had a story that unfolded and wasn't just a sort of big premise that you already knew going in - or isn't based on, you know, Parcheesi or something just because it has a name." About more recent summer flicks that are more about the spectacle than the story, Whedon is critical. "More and more summer movies have felt a little cynical," Whedon said. "There are .very, very big exceptions to that, but that has been the case when people throw so much money down. ... They're not interested in a story, they're inter- ested in just barraging you with excitement, and imagery, and brand names." He added: "Marvel doesn't operate that way. They care about the people. That's why they hire some of the best actors in the busi- ness to play their heroes. And this is an old-fashioned movie: It's a little bit bigger than life, but it's very human." President says the issue is personal, he graduated with debt By JACOB AXELRAD Editor in Chief En route to Boulder, Colo- rado, President Obama hosted a conference call from Air Force one on Tuesday with reporters from college newspapers across the country. During the call, he explained that if Congress fails to act in the coming months, interest rates on student loans will double by July 1. Obama said that as many as 7.4 million students could be affected if the interest rate jumps from its current 3.4 percent to an estimated 6.8 percent by July. He explained that for many Ameri- can families, the increased rate would make college unafford- able. "For the first time now we've got Americans owing more debt on their student loans than they do on their credit cards," Obama said. The President said his cur- rent tour includes the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of Colorado-Boul- der and the University of Iowa. Obama said by visiting campuses he hopes to reach out to students directly on an issue that has "never been more important." - Obama explained that this issue is personal for himself and First Lady Michelle Obama. "Students who take out loans to pay for college graduate owing an average of $25,000 a year," he said. "And I know what this is like, because when Michelle and I graduated from college and law school we had enormous debts, and it took us a lot of years to pay off (the debt)." Obama explained that he views the potential interest rate rise as an issue of class and said it is the duty of Americans to help stop the middle class from shrinking more than it has already in previous years. "We've got to build an econo- my where everybody is getting a fair shot, everybody is doing their fair share, everybody is playing by the same set of rules," he said. "That's ultimately how the mid- dle class gets stronger." Following the main segment of the conference call, Cecilia Munoz - Assistant to the Presi- dent and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council - and Roberto Rodriguez - Spe- cial Assistant to the President for Education Policy - answered questions from listening univer- sity newspapers. In Munoz's response to a question from the Minnesota Daily, she referenced the Presi- dent's address at the Al Glick Field House last January when he discussed the importance of a college degree and his plans to alleviate student debt. "(The President is) somebody who understands what college debt means in a student's life," Munoz said. "It hurts us eco- nomically when students finish with an average of $25,000 of debt and you have to delay things like buying a home or starting a business." When Spelman College asked how Congress benefits from bat- tling an increase in interest rate, Munoz said it's an opportunity for the House to demonstrate bipartisan cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. By gathering support in upcoming weeks, the White House hopes to prove to Congress that it has the necessary time to pass this proposal with support from both parties, according to Munoz. "The case that we're trying to make here is that this is the kind of thing that can get done in a bipartisan way," she said. COMMENCEMENT From Page 1A team in competition with the Wol- verines, then some 500,000 alumni will hunt you down and paint you maize and blue," Gupta said. He also said the graduates should drink a beer at Ashley's, which was met with applause from listeners and prompted Gupta to offer to buy drinks for anyone he saw out on the night of commencement - and the cheers continued. Gupta told anecdotes about his children and his experiences reporting abroad that have put his life at risk. He spoke about a time when he was in a war zone in Afghanistan and his camp was being invaded by enemy soldiers. He was instructed to write a letter to his loved ones in case of his death. He suggested the graduates think about what they would write in such a situation. "I don't know what you'd write, and maybe you've never thought two seconds about it, but lesson number five graduates, make sure you can write this sentence: 'I am who I always wanted to be,"' he said. As the speakers in the stadium were still echoing Gupta's final words, the crowd erupted with a "Go Blue" chant. University Presi- dent Mary Sue Coleman paused to laugh before continuing with the ceremony. During a press conference after the speech, where Gupta donned a navy blazer and maize socks, he said Coleman asked him to be the commencement speaker at a foot- ball game. "It was a tremendous honor," he said. "I think it was particularly exhilarating just being in the Big House ... because this place has pro- found memories for me." After the ceremony, Gupta also said that while the current econ- omy is challenging, he feels the graduates have an advantage when it comes to finding jobs with their_ degrees from the University. "I think Michigan graduates are pretty uniquely prepared in our collective society," Gupta said. "It's tough (with) the economy, but I think Michigan grads probably have a leg up just because of the education they have and also the resources in terms of the alumni." Gupta explained during his speech the ways he defines the Michigan tradition, telling the graduates to never forget what the tradition means as they go forth in their lives. "It's a Michigan tradition to take risks and, in the process, blaze new trails," Gupta said. "It's a Michigan tradition to always read the direc- tions but not always to follow them, to always prepare but sometimes throw that preparation in the trash allowing yourself to be surprised, honest and genuine. It's a Michi- gan tradition to make history and change the world, to be immortal not as in living forever but as never being forgotten." Other speakers who addressed the crowd of about 50,000 before Gupta's speech included LSA Asso- ciate Dean Philip Deloria, who spoke in place of LSA Dean Ter- rence McDonald who was unable to attend, Engineering graduate Julia Brennan and Coleman. In Deloria's remarks, he explained the word "gumption" to the crowd, saying all of those graduating have it. He said though having gumption gives one "guts" and "wits," it is not the only aspect graduates will need in life as they move forward. "Mix one part gumption with equal parts knowledge, commit- ment, patience and the willingness to take a risk," Deloria said. "Stir in a healthy portion of liberal arts and sciences education and you have before you a recipe for success - a recipe to become truly one of the leaders and best." Brennan, who was the selected student speaker, asked the students to never forget their first days at the University, which she said was a shared experience between all of the graduates. "Celebrate that unsettled feel- ing," Brennan said. "Celebrate Michigan for instilling in us the confidence to thrive in everything we choose to do." Coleman was the last to speak before the granting of the honorary degrees. She spoke about creativ- ity and said the graduates will need to adopt new ways of thinking to change the future. "Simply put, we expect you to raise a few eyebrows," Coleman said. Honorary degrees were awarded by the University's Board of Regents to five University alumni, including Gupta, who received a Doctor of Humane Letters. J. Ira Harris, a financier, received an honorary Doctor of Laws, and Richard Sarns, a biomedical engi- neer and entrepreneur, received an honorary Doctor of Engineering. Susan Orlean, author and writer for The New Yorker magazine, and Chris Van Allsburg, author and illustrator, received honorary Doc- tors of Humane Letters as well.