Rocky Balboa

A film review by Joseph Orisino, my brother, on the movie Rocky Balboa

First, let me start out by saying I consider the original Rocky to be one of the finest american films of all time. Although Rocky 2 & 3 are really good movies, they don't come close to the first film. I also like Rocky 4, because even though the premise is awful, the execution is fun. However, after watching Rocky 5 I became horribly disturbed at how truly awful it was, and I wondered how something so good could become so bad. When I found out Stallone was making another Rocky film, 16 years after the atrocity of Rocky 5, I couldn't help but cringe. Now, after having seen Rocky Balboa, I can say with absolute certainty that the film is an absolutely fantastic and appropriate sendoff to the Rocky Saga. THIS FILM IS WHAT ROCKY 5 SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Rocky is now retired and owns a restaurant named for his beloved wife Adrian, who passed away from cancer. Adrian's death has taken a lot out of the former champ, played gracefully by an aging Sylvester Stallone, who shows acting chops we haven't seen since the 1976 original. After seeing a computer simulated boxing fight on ESPN, Rocky's spirit is stirred and he considers a return to the ring. The computer simulation showcases a boxing match between Rocky (in his prime) and the current champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon. At the end of the fight, Rocky comes out on top. Even though he has not been in the ring in years, Rocky starts to believe he still has "some stuff left in the basement," and decides to start fighting again. The boxing simulation, which causes a publicity explosion, gets Dixon's camp talking. Dixon's promoters convince him to fight Rocky in an exhibition match. Complete with a training montage, the film brought back those same chills that I got when watching the original. Originally I thought that Stallone was making this film for the money. That may be true, but he did it with respect to the art of storytelling. Considering Stallone hasn't directed a major film since 1985's Rocky IV, the story of the film is executed remarkably well. Stallone brings back supporting characters we all know (Rocky Jr., his brother-in-law Paulie, Spider Rico) and makes the audience feel like they are visiting old friends. Fans of the Rocky films will spot many references to the other films of the saga, now two decades old. Instead of beating us over the head with corny revenge-driven plot lines and killing off characters for the hell of it, he recovers the original film's charm and, most importantly, its heart. I haven't heard cheering and clapping like I heard watching Rocky Balboa in a long time. If you were listening from outside the theater, you would have thought that the fight was going on live. In the lobby I didn't hear one gripe about the film, which is a damn rare thing these days. While I walked out of the theater I noticed that I couldn't stop smiling. The tagline for the film says it all: It ain't over 'til it's over.

I completely agree with my brother's analysis of the film. The reason why I used his critique is because I could not have written a better one myself. I am extremely happy that this movie was made because it was a good ending to the saga. Rocky 5 did not do the movies justice, and this one certainly did.

Movie Summaries and Reviews

Since I enjoy movies so much, I figured I would write about my favorites, giving a summary about each and telling what each means to me. I feel movies are a great way to escape from your life. You can forget about your troubles and get immersed in the "life" of another. Movies are also extremely entertaining and informative. Movies take up a big part of my life which is why I decided to write about this topic. For example, the movie American History X really opens your eyes to racism and how useless it is. Since the movie is so extreme it really gets the point across. Now when I say I will be writing about movies, I do not mean crappy ones such as the ones made today, for example movies like Hostile and the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift. These movies are jokes and complete crap. These movies shouldn't even be on the big screen, but they make these movies cause they know that idiots will go and see them. I will be writing about the good movies. You may say what makes a movie good? Isn't that a matter of opinion? The answer is yes and no. When watching a movie, you have to know what to look for. Character driven plots are what make a good movie, not gore and violence. Movies that you can relate to are also ones to look out for, not ones where everything turns out perfect in the end. Since I enjoy writing about movies so much, this will be the topic of my upcoming blogs.

Time Flies By...

It is practically December, and I have no idea where the time went. I remember the first day of school freshmen year, and now the first half of sophmore year is already over. This semester has been very hectic for me. With 18 credits, I feel like I am overwhelmed with work. Since working at my job and taking care of the house takes up most of my time, I feel like I hardly have anytime for what should be my first priority, SCHOOL. I have found life to be extremely stressful lately. I am not even looking forward to Christmas break because I know I'll have just as much if not more to do then. I am just waiting for that time when I can enjoy being a kid without everything I have to worry about.

In the Dark of Night on Halloween!

Halloween is one of the scariest days of the year, and also one of the best. I love Halloween because it allows you to dress up as anything you want and become that for the day. I also love the Halloween season. Watching scary movies, picking out your outfit, putting up decorations, and pumpkin picking adds to the hype and excitement of the day to come. I also love Halloween because each year my whole family goes pumpkin picking. It is a lot of fun because we usually go to a big pumpkin patch, and there are usually a bunch of old, rotten pumpkins. We throw and kick the pumpkins at eachother and become a big mess. Although this sounds immature, it is a lot of fun. I like watching the adults act like children for once. After pumpkin picking, we go to my Aunt's house and carve out the pumpkins. I usually watch scary movies around Halloween too. Some of my favorite Halloween movies are "The Exorcist", "Misery", "Casper", or basically anything that is scary. I also like to watch the Charlie Brown special every year. This Halloween was fun, even though I didn't get much candy. I can't wait until next Halloween!