Puch Drunk Love
No this not going to be a blog about where Paul T Anderson went wrong... It is of course a blog all about Rocky VI.
But before I get into why I love the movie and of course what I didn't like about it... here's a bit about my relationship to the Rocky franchise.
There are all sorts of movies and more so with franchises that are so a part of popular culture and the zietgiest etc. that many people think they've seen them with out ever actually having seen them. The list of such films is so long. There are probably whole theses to be written on the impact of 'that scene' in 'The Seven Year Itch' but how many of you have actually seen the movie. I only know its that movie because I'm a film geek, I've never managed to sit through the whole movie; its mediocre at best. What these movies are will also probably depend on age/generation i.e. Love Story, Now Voyager, Dirty Dancing. Some won't i.e. The Great Escape or The Wizard of OZ.
Anyway more specfically growing up in the eighties there are some movies/franchises that everybody of my generation will have seen or think they have. I dunno Star Wars, Indiana Jones [ok everybody probably has seen those movies]... umm Terminator [specfically T2, coz I'll bet lots of people haven't seen the 1st one?], Nightmare On Elm Street... I'm not gonna bore you with seminal movies of the 80's and early nineties.
So even more specfically in the 80's a whole 'genre' of supermen/macho films was born spear headed by Schwarzenegger and Stallone. These definded masculinity in the Regan/Thatcher era and there have been books written on the subject [i know; I've read 'em]. So as a boy growing up in this period it was a right of passage to see these movies. And more than that they were everywhere. There was an American dinner I used to go to every week that had a pictuire of Arnie on the wall, it was probably years before I knew it was promo shot from 'Commando' but it always made me feel I'd seen the movie with out ever actually seeing it [though of course I did see it]. These movies would always be on when you went round to some kids house after school. Talked about in the playground, behind the bike shed... whatever. Rambo, Rocky, Predator, Conan, Robocop, Mad Max 2, Platoon etc etc you get the idea...
This is a really long winded way of getting round to the following confession: Tonight was the first time I watched a Rocky movie all the way through from start to finish...
I know, I know...
Now don't get me wrong I'd happily say I've seen all the Rocky films. I can give you a rough outline of each [Rocky - he doesn't win, Rocky 2 - its part two what d'you think, Rocky 3 - he fights Mr T, Rocky 4 - its nuts he fights the cold war single handed against He-Man, Rocky 5 - Son of Rocky; Rubbish]. And I really I have 'seen' them all, really I have, honest... I think. But never all the way through in one sitting. I guess part of me never really felt I had to as I'd seen them all so many times [if you know what I mean].
Why is any of this important; well frankly it isn't but it does give you some insight of my feelings going into Rocky Balboa. Rocky is part of popluar culture. Part of the definition of manhood in my generation [and probably the one before]. And I've never been a die hard fan.
Moments before going into the nasty Odeon in the centre of Bristol I was having second thoughts... maybe the reviews were all based on misplaced nostalgia... Maybe its not the 80's anymore... Maybe I'm just not that kinda guy - I'm quite sensitive you know...
I couldn't have been more wrong - I LOVED IT!!!! ROCKY ROCKED... well till the last 10/15mins anyway.
The scope of the film is actually awesome. Its a beautiful portrial of 21st Century manhood. The loss of everything 80's. The dignity and indignity of a man growing old. An exploration of lose and love. How does a man relate to his grown up son and visa versa. What defines who we are and a man in the 21st century. Men's inability to communicate emotionally [though they blow that occasionally... but hey its American] or deal with emotion. Masculinity and Pride... You know; important stuff!
The first act is almost flawless [there are some obvious clunks though]. A very clever and genuinly moving way to do a recap covering the first 5 movies [well particularly the first 2] and what's happened since. And it continues with some great text book story telling.
If you love Rocky you will love this movie. This IS a Rocky movie [in a way that 4 and 5 aren't really]. There's a training montage and everything. If you are a red blooded [21st century] male you hopefully will too. Stallone's script, direction and particularly performance are outstanding. From the first moment you see him he IS Rocky. Judge Dredd, Rambo, Get Carter, Demolition Man, Planet Hollywood, star status etc etc all fall away effortlessly.
So where did it go wrong. It was two things the first was the choice of how to end it. Don't worry I'm not going to give the ending away [but if you've seen the movie and want to discuss it email me].
The Second is a regular bug bear of mine. Its one of the many reasons I hate Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, its what disappointed me about Any Given Sunday... and I could probably give loads of other examples if I could be bothered. We all watch sports [to some degree]. They play out with their own drama. We root for a team/side and we follow them through because we care and because of their skill. We feel the highs and lows and are ultimately satisfied or disappointed [obviously there are some bad games but a definition is irrelevant to the point I'm about to make]. So why why why why do directors/script writers regularly insist on short changing us by denying us the drama of fight scenes.
Every fight scene should have an inate drama of its own [just as ever scene should have]. You should be able to break down the structure of scene the same way you break down a whole movie [acts, turning points, rising drama/conflict/tension]. In Gladiator Sir R Scott [the wrong brother] was so intent on getting the audience to feel they were part of the fight he forgot to show us who was winning/losing each step of the way. And in Rocky Balboa Rounds 4-9 of a ten round match are montage!!! WHY!! We've spent the whole movie waiting for this fight. In fact we've spent the whole of 6 movies waiting for this fight. So why short change us. GIVE THE PUBLIC WHAT THEY WANT. Stallone does a stunning job of making us care, making us root for our side. We want to experience every blow. Regardless of if you like the sport, if the movie is good enough I should care if a soccer team wins or loses [not going to mention 'Escape to Victory']. I'm not actually asking for genuinly 'real' fight; jump cut. But montage; RUBBISH!
And that from the biggest evangelist I know for montage, jump cuts, pace and other crazy editing.
My only other complaint: Not enough Mr T! We only get to see the back of his head in 'highlights' from some of Rocky's pervious fights. Oh and it does have some music by Frank Stallone... I'm not even gonna mention 'Staying Alive' [Saturday Night Fever 2]...
Go see Rocky Balboa! And tell me what you think. You also get to see the trailers for 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Sunshine' almost worth the price of admission alone.
"Even Rocky [VI] had a montage"... but that's a whole blog in its self on Rocky training monatges... I'm sure they are all on youTube anyway.
But before I get into why I love the movie and of course what I didn't like about it... here's a bit about my relationship to the Rocky franchise.
There are all sorts of movies and more so with franchises that are so a part of popular culture and the zietgiest etc. that many people think they've seen them with out ever actually having seen them. The list of such films is so long. There are probably whole theses to be written on the impact of 'that scene' in 'The Seven Year Itch' but how many of you have actually seen the movie. I only know its that movie because I'm a film geek, I've never managed to sit through the whole movie; its mediocre at best. What these movies are will also probably depend on age/generation i.e. Love Story, Now Voyager, Dirty Dancing. Some won't i.e. The Great Escape or The Wizard of OZ.
Anyway more specfically growing up in the eighties there are some movies/franchises that everybody of my generation will have seen or think they have. I dunno Star Wars, Indiana Jones [ok everybody probably has seen those movies]... umm Terminator [specfically T2, coz I'll bet lots of people haven't seen the 1st one?], Nightmare On Elm Street... I'm not gonna bore you with seminal movies of the 80's and early nineties.
So even more specfically in the 80's a whole 'genre' of supermen/macho films was born spear headed by Schwarzenegger and Stallone. These definded masculinity in the Regan/Thatcher era and there have been books written on the subject [i know; I've read 'em]. So as a boy growing up in this period it was a right of passage to see these movies. And more than that they were everywhere. There was an American dinner I used to go to every week that had a pictuire of Arnie on the wall, it was probably years before I knew it was promo shot from 'Commando' but it always made me feel I'd seen the movie with out ever actually seeing it [though of course I did see it]. These movies would always be on when you went round to some kids house after school. Talked about in the playground, behind the bike shed... whatever. Rambo, Rocky, Predator, Conan, Robocop, Mad Max 2, Platoon etc etc you get the idea...
This is a really long winded way of getting round to the following confession: Tonight was the first time I watched a Rocky movie all the way through from start to finish...
I know, I know...
Now don't get me wrong I'd happily say I've seen all the Rocky films. I can give you a rough outline of each [Rocky - he doesn't win, Rocky 2 - its part two what d'you think, Rocky 3 - he fights Mr T, Rocky 4 - its nuts he fights the cold war single handed against He-Man, Rocky 5 - Son of Rocky; Rubbish]. And I really I have 'seen' them all, really I have, honest... I think. But never all the way through in one sitting. I guess part of me never really felt I had to as I'd seen them all so many times [if you know what I mean].
Why is any of this important; well frankly it isn't but it does give you some insight of my feelings going into Rocky Balboa. Rocky is part of popluar culture. Part of the definition of manhood in my generation [and probably the one before]. And I've never been a die hard fan.
Moments before going into the nasty Odeon in the centre of Bristol I was having second thoughts... maybe the reviews were all based on misplaced nostalgia... Maybe its not the 80's anymore... Maybe I'm just not that kinda guy - I'm quite sensitive you know...
I couldn't have been more wrong - I LOVED IT!!!! ROCKY ROCKED... well till the last 10/15mins anyway.
The scope of the film is actually awesome. Its a beautiful portrial of 21st Century manhood. The loss of everything 80's. The dignity and indignity of a man growing old. An exploration of lose and love. How does a man relate to his grown up son and visa versa. What defines who we are and a man in the 21st century. Men's inability to communicate emotionally [though they blow that occasionally... but hey its American] or deal with emotion. Masculinity and Pride... You know; important stuff!
The first act is almost flawless [there are some obvious clunks though]. A very clever and genuinly moving way to do a recap covering the first 5 movies [well particularly the first 2] and what's happened since. And it continues with some great text book story telling.
If you love Rocky you will love this movie. This IS a Rocky movie [in a way that 4 and 5 aren't really]. There's a training montage and everything. If you are a red blooded [21st century] male you hopefully will too. Stallone's script, direction and particularly performance are outstanding. From the first moment you see him he IS Rocky. Judge Dredd, Rambo, Get Carter, Demolition Man, Planet Hollywood, star status etc etc all fall away effortlessly.
So where did it go wrong. It was two things the first was the choice of how to end it. Don't worry I'm not going to give the ending away [but if you've seen the movie and want to discuss it email me].
The Second is a regular bug bear of mine. Its one of the many reasons I hate Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, its what disappointed me about Any Given Sunday... and I could probably give loads of other examples if I could be bothered. We all watch sports [to some degree]. They play out with their own drama. We root for a team/side and we follow them through because we care and because of their skill. We feel the highs and lows and are ultimately satisfied or disappointed [obviously there are some bad games but a definition is irrelevant to the point I'm about to make]. So why why why why do directors/script writers regularly insist on short changing us by denying us the drama of fight scenes.
Every fight scene should have an inate drama of its own [just as ever scene should have]. You should be able to break down the structure of scene the same way you break down a whole movie [acts, turning points, rising drama/conflict/tension]. In Gladiator Sir R Scott [the wrong brother] was so intent on getting the audience to feel they were part of the fight he forgot to show us who was winning/losing each step of the way. And in Rocky Balboa Rounds 4-9 of a ten round match are montage!!! WHY!! We've spent the whole movie waiting for this fight. In fact we've spent the whole of 6 movies waiting for this fight. So why short change us. GIVE THE PUBLIC WHAT THEY WANT. Stallone does a stunning job of making us care, making us root for our side. We want to experience every blow. Regardless of if you like the sport, if the movie is good enough I should care if a soccer team wins or loses [not going to mention 'Escape to Victory']. I'm not actually asking for genuinly 'real' fight; jump cut. But montage; RUBBISH!
And that from the biggest evangelist I know for montage, jump cuts, pace and other crazy editing.
My only other complaint: Not enough Mr T! We only get to see the back of his head in 'highlights' from some of Rocky's pervious fights. Oh and it does have some music by Frank Stallone... I'm not even gonna mention 'Staying Alive' [Saturday Night Fever 2]...
Go see Rocky Balboa! And tell me what you think. You also get to see the trailers for 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Sunshine' almost worth the price of admission alone.
"Even Rocky [VI] had a montage"... but that's a whole blog in its self on Rocky training monatges... I'm sure they are all on youTube anyway.
posted by thefatman at 22:53
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