Rocky week on AMC

[printdust]

The production is somewhat arcane with the times but there was a reason Rocky I won an Academy Award. I'd say that was the best, but my favorite had to be III. Lang was the punk most of us have faced at one time or another. IV? It was all good ol' fashioned us vs. them and Apollo was always my favorite character, so him getting killed was a bummer. But after a while, it becomes a little cheesy. Drago in real life would have killed Rocky, and in some respects, did anyway. Rocky V: Brain damaged explains why.

What say you?

 

[BYH]

"After a while, it becomes a little cheesy" is being very generous. The series became a parody/caricature at III. In Stallone's defense, he's never cared about anything other than a buck, so taking an Academy Award-winning film and turning it into a factory of cheese is to be expected and almost admirable.

I really liked VI. It was as self-referential as anything this side of a Wes Craven flick, but it kind of reconnected with the spirit of the original and was an endearing and quietly affecting film. Heaven help us, hopefully he won't bring Rocky back to team up with Rambo to beat the Tailban.

 

[imjustagirl]

Poor AMC. Sorry to hear it had a rough time.

 

[Petrie]

I totally started watching these a few days ago (bought all 6 on Blu-Ray for like $40). I've gotten through III, and I think all are great sports films. I know IV is cheesy (V too)...maybe that's why I've put off watching them for a couple days.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Poor AMC. Sorry to hear it had a rough time.

Now this thread is Gonna Fly Now.

 

[printdust]

The one thing that almost lost it for me with Rocky III is the bumbling when Mickey had his chest pains. "Mr. Balboa we must hurry. Time is of the essence." Huh? Did they have to get Rocky's OK to call an EMS which you'd think, being a boxing match, would have one in the arena anyway? ****.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Rocky IV is a bouillon cube of the '80s. Loosely connected music videos correct for the period and with a Cold War pretext that was far from subtle -- even at the time.

We've been watching them every night. Even the cat seems to like them.

 

[Double J]

"After a while, it becomes a little cheesy" is being very generous. The series became a parody/caricature at III. In Stallone's defense, he's never cared about anything other than a buck, so taking an Academy Award-winning film and turning it into a factory of cheese is to be expected and almost admirable.

I really liked VI. It was as self-referential as anything this side of a Wes Craven flick, but it kind of reconnected with the spirit of the original and was an endearing and quietly affecting film. Heaven help us, hopefully he won't bring Rocky back to team up with Rambo to beat the Tailban.

I agree with this post in its entirety.

 

[Colton]

The bout in Rocky II was epic. I remember watching it in a packed theater with almost 1,000 others.

In the 15th round, when Apollo and Rocky were trading haymakers, everyone in the theater was standing and cheering, as if we were actually at the fight. Almost felt like a Rocky Horror participation deal.

Never seen anything like it since.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

"I" was the best film. "IV" was the best movie. "III" was good, and then there were the rest.

I'll watch IV every day. It's my favorite: Us beating the Soviets, Brigitte Neilsen, James Brown.

I do hate to find out that 25 years later Rocky and Drago wind up working together on a mercenary team. Of course, they do have a falling out where Rocky has to shoot him before they make up once again.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

I watched 2 and 3 last night, and for the life of my, I have no idea why people like 3 over, say, 2. Rocky 1, while slow at times because it had to introduce all of the characters carefully, was just wonderful, but I always thought you could make a case for 2 being the best because they could just move along with the storyline. Kind of going back to what Colton said . . . I always thought that fight scene in 2 was the best ever made, btu that's just my opinion. There was a moment toward the end of the fight, when Rocky took a couple of Creed bombs, then wound up for a shot of his own, they let the crowd burst more get more audible, and it kind of makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. The phasing in of Pauly, the loneshark and even Adrianne after both fighters fall was pretty powerful. The speech at the end fell flat for me, but you can't have it all.

I just thought three was where the comic book started

 

[mustangj17]

I really thought the last one was good but only because I expected it to be the worst movie ever from the start. When it just turned out to be mediocre, I was impressed.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I've always liked the series, except for V. Too much timeline crap (the kid goes from being 8 to 12 in two months, Paulie gives the lawyer power of attorney while Adrian has no clue, etc.), plus a street fight instead of in the ring made that movie fairly suck (except for Burt Young and the Don King character).

The other stuff that bothers me is the inconsistency. In II, they're worried about his eye. Then it all magically goes away, including Adrian, who goes from whining to being all happy during his 10 title defenses.

And also in II, Mickey has Rocky switch to being right-handed. Apollo beats the hell out of him worse than in I. It takes Mickey until the 15th round to tell him to switch. Um, hello? Your strategy of confusing the champ didn't ****ing work. And you wait until the last round to have him do what worked in the first fight? And worse, your fighter tells you he doesn't want to switch. Wha? And then he does switch. Stupid stuff.

III was fine, except for that weird hug on the beach, and IV is a great guilty pleasure. V, as I mentioned before, sucks. The final one, I thought, was really good, especially the scene of Rocky and Paulie at the torn-down ice rink.

 

[kingcreole]

The original is, IMHO, the best sports movie ever if for no other reason than the underdog actually doesn't win. Which is a reason I also liked the last Rocky.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

I told my wife this last night but I have never understood the plot point of Paulie's rabid jealousy in III. Without Rocky, Paulie is still working at a stinking meat packing plant.

 

[tripleoption34]

Why no one thought of bringing back Gasso and his driver is beyond me....

Gasso's driver: "Take her (Adrian) to the zoo."
Rocky: "Why?"
Gasso's driver: "Because retards like the zoo."

That's why Rocky I gets my vote.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

The original is, IMHO, the best sports movie ever if for no other reason than the underdog actually doesn't win. Which is a reason I also liked the last Rocky.

Major league, baby! They don't win either. But I agree with the Rocky 1 pick as greatest sports movie ever mmade.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I told my wife this last night but I have never understood the plot point of Paulie's rabid jealousy in III. Without Rocky, Paulie is still working at a stinking meat packing plant.

They don't show it, but I guess, Paulie was still working at the meat plant and still owned his little house as Rocky was making his riches. They have that scene in the parking garage in III where Paulie yells at Rocky for moving Mickey into the house, but doesn't throw a bone to his friend Paulie. Paulie then asks for a job, which Rocky gives to him.

In V, Paulie says that it's a good thing he held onto the house and in VI, Paulie gets laid off, and talks about being there for over 30 years in this really incredible deleted scene:

 

[doubledown68]

For pure re-watchability, give me Rocky IV every time. It's gloriously over the top (didja see what I did there? didja? Ha!) in every conceivable way. ****, even the psi numbers Drago was getting on the machine... if the dude hit that hard, the human skull would literally explode. But who the **** cares?

There were alot of not-so-subtle homoerotic undertones in III... from the half-shirts to every friggin scene on the beach. But I do wish that someone like Clubber Lang actually existed.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

I told my wife this last night but I have never understood the plot point of Paulie's rabid jealousy in III. Without Rocky, Paulie is still working at a stinking meat packing plant.

They don't show it, but I guess, Paulie was still working at the meat plant and still owned his little house as Rocky was making his riches. They have that scene in the parking garage in III where Paulie yells at Rocky for moving Mickey into the house, but doesn't throw a bone to his friend Paulie. Paulie then asks for a job, which Rocky gives to him.

In V, Paulie says that it's a good thing he held onto the house and in VI, Paulie gets laid off, and talks about being there for over 30 years in this really incredible deleted scene:

Wow. That scene was really good.

Has Burt Young ever played a happy character in any of his parts?