The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 7, 1995 - 9 Lively acting fails to resuscitate 'Dead' m 7 By Joshua Rich Daily Arts Writer Chronicling a small POW recon- naissance mission in Vietnam in 1972, "The Walking Dead" shows its audi- 'ence that life in Vietnam became ,meaningless as the war lost its pur- pose and troops were sent to fight simply for the sake of fighting. More- pver, the makers of this film seek to prove that, in particular, African American soldiers - all of varying * backgrounds - became pawns in a great game that pitted a Caucasian .Jncle Sam against his Asian foe. The title of the film exemplifies a ,,oncept the five main characters in his movie learn very early. As their ;lelicopter lands for what appears to be a routine rescue mission in the dense jungle of Vietnam, an entire platoon of U.S. Marines is ambushed by the VietCong. Seeking to continue their mission despite their apparent initial defeat, the five surviving sol- diers - four black and one white - begin a trek through the jungle in which they fight for their lives and reminisce about their lives at home. At the same time, they know all too well that they could have also been RECORDS Continued from page 8 those slammin' samples and re- imixes, but you can't because some 'husically-illiterate "rapper" is snorting some hard-to-ignore (yet easy-to-hate) B.S. If you buy "Re- venge of Da Badd Boy z" prepare to experience this feeling again. First of, this CD only has six cuts - which actually turns out to be a blessing. Any more of RSO's crack- erjack attempts at rapping could lead some to turn on rap music alto- gether. With four members, you'd think at least one RSO guy could spit out some decent lyrics. Think again. But, the irony of the entire situ- ation is that the beats - some sampled, some original - are all fresh. If given to the right rapper, some really dope cuts could have been produced, but Murphy's Law RSO used 'em. Personally, I think Mack Devil, Microphone Wrecka, Baddboy DJ Deff Jeff and Raydog the Jackal 0hould leave rap alone and go back to school. Obviously these guys have not yet grasped some educational basics. How else can you explain the fact that on this sickening CD, "The RSO Saga Part 2" is the first cut while "Part 1" is fourth? When Warren G spelled next "n-x-e-t" that was cute. RSOain'tcute; these guys are ignorant. If ever a CD of RSO's beats, minus the pathetic lyrics of course, is released, it'll probably be worth buying. But, as long as stuff is trippin' out of these guys' mouths in accompaniment with these beats, none of their cuts will ever fly. -Eugene Bowen killed. They are the walking dead. But through five short flashbacks which illustrate how each of the sur- vivors found himself in the Marine Corps and in Vietnam, we are enlight- ened to the possibility that, by their REVIEW Walking Dead Directed by Preston A. Whitmore; with Allen Payne and Joe Morton At Briarwood and Showcase predicaments in American society these men were "dead" long before they set foot on the battlefield. There is Cole (Allen Payne), the educated man who is neglected be- cause of the color of his skin; Hoover (Eddie Griffin), the young hood from the streets of Detroit; Barkley (Joe Morton), the former Baptist Rever- end and murderer; Brooks (Vonte Sweet), the ignorant 19-year old; and Pippins (Roger Floyd), the white gangster who is driven insane by the horrors of war. All of these men are worthless in their lives at home, ei- ther because of a job that they have, a crime they have committed, or the color of their skin. These characters are portrayed with amazing daring and grace by the cast of young actors, upon whom the entire movie rests. Most notable are Morton ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day") as Barkley, the stoic sergeant who leads the group into a proverbial pit of hell as he keeps in touch with God, and Griffin (outstanding in his small role in 1994's "Jason's Lyric") who shines in his frightening and funny part as the sly Hoover. Fresh off of their critical and finan- cial success in "Jason's Lyric," produc- ers George Jackson and Douglas McHenry bring "The Walking Dead" to the big screen with enlightening dia- logue, clever cinematography and an exciting soundtrack of Motown hits. Once again, this team intelligently shows a rarely recognized slice of Afri- can American life through a motion picture which, from the outset, captures the mind and heart of its viewer. Unfor- tunately, what may not be attracted is the interest of the audience, who might haveotherwisecomprehendedthefilm's subtle messages had they not expected to view an exciting or dynamic Viet- nam War movie. In the 90-minute show, not much tangible action takes place, and when there is activity it appears as an un- original war movie combat scene. Instead, the film uses inventive flash- backs and interesting dialogue to motivate the plot and drive its themes into the minds of its sympathetic au- dience. But what results is a fascinat- ing dissertation on the treatment of African Americans and Marines in the Vietnam War era that remains slow and inert. Despite carrying a poignant and powerful commentary, "The Walking Dead" fails, as a movie and more particularly as a war movie, to ever hit us with live ammunition.' Killing Joke Pandemonium BMG Mention the name Killing Joke, and punk and industrial bands from all over the world will jump out of the woodwork to sing their praises. They have been around for quite a long time, starting off as a fairly straight- forward punk outfit, and mutating into more of an industrial group as digital technology progressed. On their latest release, "Pandemo- nium," Killing Joke manages a fairly successful blend of riff-heavy indus- trial pounding and trippy dance mu- sic, often leaning towards the latter element. The album is also, in great industrial tradition, filled to the brim with layers of morbid-sounding samples. These actually add quite a bit to the thick sound of the disc. The opening title track starts things off in a pretty boring manner, but things get rolling by the second cut, a fast-paced rave-romp called "Exor- cism." While the first two tracks are definitely dance oriented, we next slam into a wall of guitar power called "Millennium." This excellent track is powerful enough to fit right in on the last Ministry album. Other standouts on the album in- clude the driving rock of "Black Moon," the techno frenzy of "Whi- teout," and the gothic-sounding "Labyrinth." Throughout most of the songs, the emphasis is on instruments and se- quencing, the vocals consisting only of completely distorted shouting. This works well with -the music, but cer- tainly doesn't add much of interest. There are two big exceptions to this, one being the aforementioned "Mil- lennium," on which the singing is actually mildly catchy, and the other being the surprisingly sensitive "Jana" - a song about a girl who discovers she is HIV positive. Though Pandemonium has a great sound and some cool hooks, overall it is pretty boring. Most of the songs are between six and seven minutes long and highly repetitive. With all of its dark, mystic lyrics and booming per- cussion, Pandemonium works mainly as mood music and not much more. Blak Czer - Mark Carlson Tales from the Blak Side Relativity Records When you begin playing "Tales from the Blak Side," you will prob- ably be struck immediately by the lyrical strength of its 16 cuts. "The Hood," "Put in Some Work," "Think I'm Going Crazy" and "Peace in the Hood" are mere examples of Blak Czer's ability to capture what life in the streets is like in all its horrific reality. Blak Czer is an excellent rap artist who seems to understand what it takes to make a good album. His rhymes are straight and the interesting mixes of beats are boomin'. Nothing on "Tales from the Blak Side" seems fake or forced. Nevertheless, I can't help but to feel that, in actuality, Blak Czer isn't as hard as he'd like us to be- lieve. But, I can't fault him for that since that's the way most "gangsta rappers" are. 1 The CD is alright, and if you buy it you won't be disappointed. Blak Czer is, however, more proof of the old adage about gangsta perpetra- tors like him: "there ain't no such thing as a gangsta rapper because the real gangstas ain't rapping." - Eugene Bowen READ THE DAILY EMPLOYING YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS Tuesday, March 7 6:10-7:30pm CP&PProgram Room CAREER PATHWAYS IN HISTORY Thursday, March 9 5:70-6:30 pm CP&P Program Room CAREER PATHWAYS IN ANTHROPOLOGY Monday, March 13 5:1 0-6:00 pm CP&P Conference Room OEM FIELD POSITIONS AND INTERNSHIPS . jJ Stop by CP&P to explore these and other career fields in the CP&P career library. The Unvmity n /2(de cv s id g74 4 Career Planning) IPc n 3200 Student Activities Building 313 764-7460 C(_ D6.00-$6b/.75 /our DAY & NIGHT CR EWS \ Base Salary Plus Bonus Incentives Study Japanese this Summer! Intensive six-week program at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon July 18-Aug 27. Study Japanese lang. (all levels) & culture courses in economics, literature and history. Earn 8 sem. hrs (12 qtr. hrs) while living and studying with Japanese students. Outdoor wilderness trip included.Prior language study I required. Scholarships availablel OregonJapan Summer Program 222 SW Columbia St., Suite 1750 Portland, O 97201 1-800-823-7938 opieannb@aol.com Environmental mosquito management and aquatic weed control contractor is now hiring field personnel for 110 seasonal positions beginning in May. Flexibility to work day and night crews and excellent driving record required. Company paid training. Must pass state licensing exam to apply pesticides. For more information, stop in and see us... Tuesday, March 7, 1995 Michigan Union 12 noon - 4 p.m. C CLARKE ENVIRONMENTAL MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT, INC. 159 N. Garden Ave. " P.O. Box 72288 Roselle, Illinois 60172 CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-942-2555 (!L ONLY) 1-800-323-5727 (OUTSIDE IL) peed our our 0o eeree SummerStudy 95 Take Michigan State University courses offered in: I kAm * Farmington Hills * East Lansing * Rome * Birmingham * London * Sao Paulo 3-, 4- and 7-week courses beginning in May, June, and July ---. C , ,, x" ,, ,irk *. ?: