Movie of the Week: Rocky

   

    Movie of the Week (4/11/14-4/17/14): We all love a good underdog story and there is no better one than probably the one that started them all. Boxing has sort of faded away a little in today's age, although there are still plenty of fights, it is not as popular as it used to be twenty years ago. Boxing was popular for a very long time in the United States and people watched many boxers rise from the bottom to the top. I'm sure you know which ones I'm talking about. But, in 1976 we were introduced to one that started from the very bottom and rose to the top by making a 'nobody' become a 'somebody' in, Rocky.
    Rocky Balboa is a collector for a loan shark and he gets paid here and there when he collects money. He is also a small time boxer and has very small fights every now and then. The problem is he doesn't get paid very much and is struggling, he lives in a terrible apartment with bugs and dirt. Then he gets the chance of a life time. Champion Apollo Creed comes to town and Rocky sees this as a chance to become 'somebody.' He and Apollo plan to fight an exhibition that is suppose to be an easy fight that Apollo is suppose to win. Rocky wants to train as hard as he can while falling in love with a girl and prove that he's got what it takes to step in the ring with a Champion.
    As you all know by now, Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, his only nomination. That is probably because this is his best acting that he has done, although he has a few other movies were he didn't receive the recognition that he deserved. But, nevertheless he was great in this movie and brought Rocky to life I don't think anybody else could. Talia Shire plays Adrian and she too was great here as a struggling woman who finds a man she least expected. Burgess Meredith and Burt Young play Mickey and Paulie respectively and both got nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Again, they too are great in every scene adding to the emotion filled film. Carl Weathers is also very good here as Apollo Creed, he and Rocky were great when on screen together.
    As I said this is a great story about an underdog rising up from the very bottom and that is what Stallone gave us. He actually wrote the screenplay when he had next to nothing and sold it to become a millionaire over night. He actually went and bought his dog back, which he sold because he needed money so badly. But, he gave us a great story with wonderful character development and characters that we want to cheer for over and over again. Director John G. Avildsen gives us great classic direction with perfectly filmed scenes with a very realistic feel to them. The boxing scenes were filmed very well too with a good mix of close up and wide shots so we are not overwhelmed, they were very well balanced.
    Of course we have great editing from start to finish, some scenes with very little and some with several good cuts to give the film excellent flow. The film also has great sound as it is mixed and edited perfectly in each scene, especially the boxing scenes and the iconic training scenes when Rocky goes from workout to workout all the way up those famous steps. Of course this film would not be complete without its powerful and motivating musical score. Bill Conti gave us a wonderful and moving score that is still being used today, we all get pumped when we hear it. Rocky is a film that never gets old as we cheer on its underdog every time we watch it, including its sequels, and get moved by its story and characters.
4/4 Stars