6 1 Thursday, June 12, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, June12, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 71 'Orange'is new and back 'Edge' thrills NETFLIX Red and Vee have a standoff Acclaimed Netflix series returns with improvement and diversity By CATHERINE SULPIZO For The Daily "Smart Entertainment" is the buzzword floating around "Orange is the New Black", Netflix's wildly popular original TV series. It's a case of content molding to form. By the nature of Netflix's distribution (all at once), certain shows can maintain their integrity, but the best minutely- Orange IS drawn, complex the New TV universes prime time B ( and cable have Sea= Two given us don't translate well Netflix into the binge- heavy scheme "Orange is the New Black" was never expected to be the perfect meditation on race, oppressive prison systems and class, but it still offers up a fairly intelligent dialogue without sacrificing its guilty-pleasure roots ... mostly. In Season One, the structure of the show often ran up against its "Smart Entertainment" wall, and the incredible cast diversity (in race, sexuality, and body type) felt like it was wasted on familiar tropes and stereotypes, like the sexy Latinas with snappy tongues or the Black characters who popped up too often for comic relief. By KARSTEN SMOLINSKI Daily Arts Writer What if you had to relive the exact same day, over and over again? That may not seem too terrible depending on F the day. What if it was the day TOmoW you died? In the sci-WarnerB . fi action film Raveand "Edge of Quality16 Tomorrow", a military pro- moter with no combat experience named Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Tom Cruise, "Mis- sion: Impossible") finds himself thrust into a mechanized combat suit and a suicidal assault against strange alien forces known as the Mimics. Caught in a time loop following his first quick death on the beaches of France, Cage must play out this fateful "Groundhog Day" like scenario in the midst of a gruesome slaughter. He per- ishes again and again, only to reawaken on the day before the attack. As Cage struggles to survive each new day, he encounters Spe- cial Forces soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt, "Looper"), a war hero who experienced a similar time loop during the sole human victory at Verdun. Together, they plan to destroy the alien leader in a desperate bid to end both the invasion and Cage's time loop for good. With each brutal death, Cage slowly transforms from hopeless alien bait to flawless killing machine. Endlessly repeating the same day isn't an entirely novel idea. 2011's "Source Code" used a similar device, and the repeti- tion could get tiresome quickly. Watching humans in mechanized combat suits blast, bombard and slice up tentacle-waving aliens does provide an engaging viewing experience. However, the movie's massive, explosion packed bat- tles never stand above the large pool of action flicks. Luckily, the action sequences never dominate the film. Instead, "Edge of Tomorrow" shines when showing how Cage learns to manipulate the events around him by predicting people's words and actions. It's almost like a videogame, with each new death teaching the player what not to do before restarting at the checkpoint. No scenario plays the same way twice, while the plot moves at a fast pace to keep the audience engrossed. Watch- ing Cage's failed attempts proves surprisingly humorous even as repeatedly seeing the bloodied bodies of his comrades provides Cage with the incentive to fight on. Cruise previously excelled in sci-fi action in films such as "Minority Report" or last year's "Oblivion", and "Edge of Tomor- row" proves no exception. Blunt. Cruise and Blunt balance wit and violence never misses a step as the battle- hardened badass. Bill Paxton ("Aliens") gives a dead-on target performance as the no-nonsense, death-or-glory, duty-bound Mas- ter Sergeant Farell, adding to both the laughs and the peculiar sense of inescapable fate. With damaged transport planes falling from the sky like a burning metal rain and aliens exploding into glowing goo, the action in "Edge of Tomorrow" entertains viewers but never astounds. Fortunately, while Cage must use violence to over- come this alien menace, it's the film's wit that proves most enjoy- able. Though learning to over- come each new death stretches Cage's endurance to its limits, the film's quick editing sweeps audiences along on an effort- less thrill ride. It may resemble "Groundhog Day" with a sci-fi action twist, but this particular battle for the fate of all man- kind remains one not quite like any other, unafraid to explore the depths of psychological evil while dealing a fatal blow to the good guys. Jack White proves he can still rock New album Lazaretto more apparent. want to listen to old White Stripes It's likely that how you feel about albums. has moments of Jack White lines up with how you Jack spends the second half of feel about rock music in general. To Lazaretto trying to recapture the both inspiration and oversimplify, he's either the super- timeless feel of classic folk ballads cool lastbastionof"realness" among withsongs like "WantandAble,"but a constantly rising tide of electronic the tone just comes off as forced old- pop music, or he's a behind-the- timeyness. Old folk songs are great By ADAM THEISEN times Luddite who romanticizes a not just because of how they sound SeniorArtsEditor Golden Age that was never really but because of the legends and sto- that golden.White's pop sensibilities ries that come with them. You can't Despite being a lifelong Jack always seem to be underestimated - -- put a vintage filter on an Instagram White fan, I did after all, he did a James Bond theme / picture and expect it to feel the same not expect to like song with Alicia Keys, and every T IRD MANRECORDS as an actual black and white photo- Lazaretto. Blun- football Saturday at The Big House Jack White with his new blue color scheme graph. derbuss, his first 100,000 people sing the "Seven It's likely true that Jack White's true solo effort, NationArmy"hook,whichhe wrote. (though occasionally chauvinis- song "High Ball Stepper" is one of capital-I Important records are was mostly just Jack White The slinky, accusing piano number tic) coolness. "What gives me the the record's most compelling tracks behind him. White's no savior, and filled with songs "Would You Fight For My Love?," right?" he asks, "Well these women because of the tantalizing stop-and- The White Stripes didn't turn out to based around Third Man among others, shows off his ability must be gettin' somethin' 'cause start piano and palpable hard-rock be the second coming of The Rolling stale blues riffs to write catchy vocal melodies, but they come and see me every night." guitar jamming. Stones, but for those who still listen, and a few boiler- he keeps his sizeable amount of rock However, White's lack of strength as What I've left out so far is that White still makes some great rock'n' plate, lovelorn acoustic tracks. Fur- cred (and probably even gains some) a lyricist is a big weak point on the half of the songs on Lazaretto could roll. Lazaretto wouldn't be any bet- thermore, I spent the week leading by featuring an extensive backing- record. Instead of drawing listeners probably qualify as country music. ter with Meg White on drums. In up to Lazaretto reading pieces like band that showcases all of the clas- in with metaphors or obscured per- While even the rockers have the fact, it might even be worse: a failed the one Steven Hyden wrote for sic rock 'n' roll instruments. Guitars, sonal details a la his idol, Bob Dylan, occasional fiddle placed in the mix, attempt to recapture their magic. Grantland about how Jack needs his pianos, drums and even the bass all White mostly just falls back on old- "Entitlement" appropriates full-on While the "Jack White is back!" former White Stripes partner back get solos on Lazaretto. school tropes like booze and women. the genre's stereotypical twang, and excitement of the first half wears off in order to stay relevant. However, Lead-off hitter "Three Women," White also proves on Lazaretto while White has some experience by the dull, burned-out back half, while The White Stripes needed probably the album's highlight, that he can still shred with the best with lighter folk music (see classics White is anincredible musician with Meg White, Lazaretto proves Jack shows why Jack is held up and idol- of them. Right in the middle of the like "Hotel Yorba" or "We're Going a strong fanbase, and he certainly doesn't need anyone else to prove ized as a true rock 'n' roll savior. The seemingly-improvised but also to Be Friends"), the songs that popu- does enough to make them satis- that he's a fantastic musician capa- full band steps up the garage-rock intense lyrics of the title track, he late the record's second half lack the fled. Any newcomers (are there any ble of creating electrifying rock. simplicity of White's early days, as casually throws in a killer guitar childlikejoyandenthusiasmthathis new rock fans these days?), though, However, upon multiple listens, the the track crackles with classic enjoy- solo, a classic Zeppelin-esque burst older music featured and come off should take a long listen through excitement of the album can wear able blues energy, and White'svocals whose coolness, again, is impos- as weak imitations. Hearing Jack's his back catalog before checking off, and Jack's shortcomings become show off his incredibly assured sible to deny. Even the instrumental voice sing them will just make you this one out. of Netflix Instant Watch. So L I Season Two has improved on this problem, partly by shifting the lenses away from its white "Trojan Horse," the-easy-to- despise privileged Piper (Taylor Schilling) and spendingmore time LESE PRK 0LFCOUSE MNA20LF.R with the characters who actually LESLIE PARK GOLF COURSE I WWflILA200LFOROinhabit America's prison-system. 2120 TRAVER ROAD 1 ANN ARBOR 1734.794.6245 Taystee's backstory, in particular, This coupon entitles you to:. p deftly carves out a realistic acoark background that introduces 9 W/ s/Season Two's main villainess, Nil 3% R1 the fabulous Vee (Lorraine WITH THE PURCHASE OF11 HOLES Toussaint), a sociopathic drug distributor who acts as a surrogate Must show valid faculty/student ID. This coupon is not good Li1 mother for the neighborhood kids with other coupons. IEpiresAug. 1,2014. Coll today ofM San like our in exchange for involvement in fculty/students receive 15% off greens fees year round. Fcebsokpage her local "business." Apparently, like the island on "Lost," everyone seems to end up at Lichtfield, so it's not really a surprise when Vee walks through the door by the end ;.of the episode (and that she and Red are old frenemies). The show rarely goes in an unexpected See ORANGE, Page 8 Cruise-ing along Say what you want, Tom Cruise is an awesome movie star By JAMIE BIRCOLL Daily Film Editor Of the 37 screen credits to his name, Tom Cruise runssignificantly in 19 of them: 19 glorious, unencum- bered sprints at varying velocities, each one with its own definitive qualities. Take "Mission Impos- sible IV," where Cruise runs at a 90-degree angle down a building, or "The Firm," where Cruise gal- lops at blistering speeds in a suit and suspenders whilst carrying a brief- case,or"Collateral,"inwhich Cruise runs doing his best "Tom Cruise as the Terminator" impression. With the release of "Edge of Tomorrow," Cruise will go for a run again, and again, and again. Each charge car- ries a certain bravura, an aesthetic quality that translates to an art form: you want to run like Tom Cruise, you need to run like Tom Cruise. But Mr. Thomas Mapother IV brings something else to his films: exceptional star power. For the last 30 years, no actor has commanded the screen quite like him: not Hugh Jackman, not Brad Pitt, not Leon- ardo DiCaprio and not George Cloo- ney. Because each of those actors can bring toughness or subtlety or charisma to the table, but none of them do it with Cruise's brand of flare. No matter the genre, no matter how bad the movie ("Rock of Ages"), you're in for a spectacle when Cruise steps forward. It's a brand really, the Tom Cruise film; his characters tend to have similar trademark characteristics: the whisper turned shout, the afore- mentioned running, the smile and the dazed stare with mouth agape, a look that radiates a quiet yet burning intensity. And every character has those traits because that's what you want to see, because Cruise looks so damn cool doing them. But still, even in the action films, his characters are rarely one-dimen- sional franchise drivers. Ethan Hunt of "Mission Impossible" is constant- ly balancing his drive for justice with his desire to have a personal life, and you can see the pain in his eyes when one or both of those goals don't work out. Vincent of "Collateral," Cruise's finest, most over-looked role, is a sleek, philosophizing killer with scars from his past and an unusual desire to motivate others into orga- nizing their own life goals - it's a complicated role that Cruise bal- ances perfectly. His smaller, sup- porting parts from "The Outsiders" to "Tropic Thunder" are always cap- tivating. And of course there are his award-caliber performances in "Born on the Fourth of July," "Mag- nolia," "Jerry Maguire" and "A Few Good Men." Those credits combined with aresume that includes working with such directors as Steven Spiel- berg, Michael Mann, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick and Paul Thomas Anderson, among others, yield a successful, notable and impressive body of work. Surprisingly, with "Edge of Tomorrow," many critics are hailing Cruise for his expansion into new acting territory as a coward rather than a hero - at the age of 51, with more than 30 years of work and with enough success that'd make a less motivated actor complacent, Cruise can still break new ground for him- self. Yes, maybe Cruise's ego occasion- ally writes a check you don't really want to cash, maybehe seems a little off every now and again, but the guy does pretty much always deliver - these last fewyears, his filmshaven't been quite up-to-par with most of his previous works, but Cruise noth- ing if not resilient. I don't know if I'd call Cruise an artist, maybe a performer with W flashes of artistry, like Sonny & Cher, but he deserves credit where credit is due: for changing the action genre with "Mission Impossible" and again with "Minority Report," for the 80s classics "Risky Business" (and the joke that is "Top Gun") and for defining the modern romantic comedy in "Jerry Maguire," but per- haps most importantly for providing audiences with an unparalleled sort of entertainment for thirty years. Cruise knows what he is, and 4 the public should know too. He's a personality, an entertainer and sometimes even a caricature, and he's fantastic at what he does. Ever self-aware, his twitter bio states the following: actor, producer, running in movies since 198L Here's to many - more Cruise - keep on running.