The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 14, 1988 - Page Weak plot KOs Decisions 9 BY TONY SILBER Maroon The Funky Record Arb Recordings What is Maroon? A. A verb meaning to strand on a deserted island or coast B. A dark reddish-brown or pur- plish red color C. Will E. P. and MK Chilly Dog The correct answer is C. William Pflaum, is Will E. P. and MK -Chilly Dog is Martin Kierszenbaum. Although Martin has since left town, the local duo's funky rap al- bum is still around, and worth checking out. The album consists of 13 tunes. And contrary to the ancient supersti- tion, the13 songs on Maroon's al- bum have proved to be nothing less than a good luck charm. Last spring, Maroon received an "A minus" from the Village Voice's Robert Christ- gau, who said the group presented "the best white rap since the Beastie Boys." Most of the songs on the album are representative of most raps - a slow, monotonous beat paired with a heavy discussion, riddled with social criticism. "Fresher Than This" is a * typical rap in which Pflaum and Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Film Fights! Tonight, a three-generation boxing family copes with their personal relationships and professional struggles in Split Decisions. In this corner, let me present two new actors and their excellent performances: Craig Sheffer and Jeff Fahey. And in the other corner, a story so unbeliev- able, a plot so misguided, and a yarn so ridiculous that it questions the intelligence of whoever came up with this garbage - Ding! Ding! So it goes for this newly released film, Split Deci- sions, a picture torn between two genuinely fine exhibi- tions of acting and a completely misconstrued and wacky storyline. The setting is an urban ghetto, New York's Hell's Kitchen, the ethnic neighborhood of fire escapes, dark alleys, and old-fashioned tough guys, a gritty world of self-determination where one must rise up through his own abilities to make something good of himself. The characters in this film use boxing as their one way ticket out of this oblivion. Craig Sheffer stars for the first time in a full-length feature as Eddie McGuinn, the third generation of his fighting family. He's an honest, hard-working college- bound boxer who also has his sights set on the Olympics. Sheffer turns in an admirable portrayal, mix- ing emotions and sensitivity with naivete and action, grabbing the audience early and keeping us in his corner throughout the film. In contrast to Eddie, Ray McGuinn (Jeff Fahey) is the obvious black sheep of the family. He's a headstrong, arrogant, pugnacious type who boxes for money, not re- spectability. Turning pro against the wishes of his father creates thick (sometimes too thick) tension between fa- ther and son. The relationship between Ray and Eddie is also a major theme of this picture - the two brothers live out a Rumble Fish -type sibling existence in which the younger brother continually strives for the acceptance of the elder brother. The first hour of Split Decisions deals with these intense interfamily relationships. But then the picture switches gears rather suddenly, regretfully, and starts harping on a revenge story whieh builds up to the last, big fight - a la Rocky. But even at this stage in the film, Rocky was more concerned with people than punches. Decisions leaves all emotion and any semb- lence of an intimate story behind at the beginning, and the film is given a very choppy and sloppy appearance. These two good performances are clearly overshadowed by poor story development and a basically inane plot. The supporting characters in this film are also split. The family members like father Dan McGuinn (Gene Hackman) and Pop McGuinn (John McLiam) are colorful and somewhat enjoyable, but altogether forgettable. Jen- nifer Beals (Flashdance ) also shows up, giving a dry performance in a completely unnecessary role. The other characters represent assorted ethnic stereotypes which are as meaningless as the story. Director David Drury does a disappointing job in his portrayal of Irish Catholics and Spanish-Americans, bombarding us with the shallow clich6s that give Split Decisions no social integrity whatsoever. As this bout ends between the performers and the story, it is clear that the brief, bright light Sheffer and Fahay give the picture is no competition for this atro- cious story. Hiding good acting behing rotten scripts is- often a frustrating situation, but these two young actors have the abilities to make great films, and the fact that Split Decisions is a lousy picture should not discourage them from finding that quality niche in motion pictures which they deserve. Aaae Martin Kierszenbaum (left) may be gone, but his spirit lives on in Maroon's funky album. Keirszenbaum informally introduce themselves, and "Baddest and the Hippest" is bad, hip and surpris- ingly fast. The album concludes with "Red, White and Blue"- a so- cial statement ("I took a little trip to Washington, D.C./ Reagan called me up and said he wanted to see me/ I went to his White House/ It sure was nice/ But by the doorstep, a homeless man spent the night"). Pflaum and Kierszenbaum want to make strong political and social statements, communicating feelings and opinions through their music. "We're not just looking for fame and recognition," Pflaum explained in a recent interview, "we're looking for people to listen to our music and take it seriously." But does Maroon pass the test? Yes. -Veronica Woolridge Various Artists Best Of The BUBs Wamer Brothers Records Son of Pure Rock Rampage Records Both of these compilation/contest albums have in- teresting things to offer. The first, Best Of The BUBs, is the result of the Best Unsigned Band contest spon- sored by Musician magazine. Ten songs were sifted out of 2000 tapes by Musician's editors and four celebrity judges (Mark Knopfler, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, and Mitchell Froom). The songs featured range from country to cool jazz to "college rock." Fa- vorites are Adam's House Cat from Alabama, Idle Hands from Massachusetts, and The Conversation from California. The second record, Son Of Pure Rock, is a hard rock/heavy metal compilation sponsored by radio sta- tion KNAC in southern California. This restriction of the source material is no handicap, as southern California is both a hotbed of hard rock talent and a magnet for out-of-state bands. The ten songs here range from album-oriented to generic to blues-based metal. Favorites here are Chalet, a polished AOR band, and Aces & Eights and Angora, two blues-based groups with large debts to Aerosmith. Surprisingly, no speed 'metal is present. If you'd like to check out up and coming talent, these two albums feature a ton of it. Hopefully we'll see albums by some of these groups in the near future; that's the whole idea of these projects anyway, isn't it? -Chuck Skarsaune SO YOU'RE GOOD IN MATH If you have a strong math aptitude and a business orientation (math major not required), the actuarial profession offers unlimited career potential. The Equitable, a financial giant, is the third largest US life insurance company. 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