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Rocky (1976)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 6/03, 12/03, 12/05, 5/11, 9/20

Rocky1
6/03: I have been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art many times, and it's impossible not to think of Rocky while going up the steps.

When people talk about power of cinema, the best examples are the training montages in any of the first four Rocky movies. They're uplifting, powerful, and unforgettable. That's why the Philadelphia Eagles football team always uses them during the player introduction for home games.

Rocky isn't just an outstanding boxing film; it has the romance of a lifetime. The ending is an all-time great. Terrific acting and direction transcend Rocky into a moving motion picture for all people.

All in all, Rocky is magnificent.

12/05: Anybody who thinks Sylvester Stallone is rubbish really needs to watch Rocky.

A Philadelphia movie, it's very inspiring and the one that made Sylvester Stallone a star overnight. The "Gonna Fly Now" scene when Rocky Balboa does his training regimen which includes running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art always gets me every time I see it.

All in all, Rocky is for people of all ages.

5/11: Rocky is such a phenomenal motion picture, and I never get tired of it.

The superfight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is what makes the movie so good, and the ending is even better.

All in all, of all films he had been involved with, Sylvester Stallone should be most proud of Rocky.

9/20: Because of Sylvester Stallone's Brando-esque performance, Rocky is the most statisfying winner for Best Picture.

There's a lot to like: the story, the characters, the drama, the sport, and the romance. At the end of the day, Rocky gets the girl, and that's all it matters. If anything, Rocky is the film that made Sylvester Stallone an overnight star which would reach its zenith when Rambo: First Blood Part II was released.

Because of the Ali-Wepner fight, Stallone suddenly had an inspiration to write the screenplay during the next 86 hours with nine eventual rewrites and refused to sell it unless he was made the star of the film, a condition that no studio was willing to concede to because he was an unknown. Eventually, United Artists relented but kept the budget at a bare maximum of one million dollars, and the rest was history.

Rocky has great characters and spends a lot of time on them during the first hour. Then, the saga is born during the second hour, leading to five epic fights with Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago. Burgess Meredith may have been nominated for an Oscar, but Carl Weathers deserves it more. Burgess would give a stronger performance the following sequel. Tony Burton is also excellent as Creed's trainer. Stu Nahan and Bill Baldwin provide some of the best blow-by-blow commentary I've heard in a boxing match.

All in all, Rocky is a special motion picture.