Rocky IV (1985)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren

Time: 90 minutes

Ivan Drago, a Russian boxing champion and super athlete, arrives to America with his wife and a team of trainers and promoters. Drago is being sold to the public as the personification of Russian superiority. Incensed by that arrogance and wanting to prove something to himself, Apollo Creed challenges Drago to an exhibition bout. Sadly, Creed dies in the ring after a series of blows, under the eyes of his friend Rocky Balboa. Balboa challenges the Russian boxer to a match, which will take place in the USSR.

At this point, the Rocky franchise was really starting to lose steam. Stallone, who wrote and directed the film, all the while playing the title role, still manages to make you root for his underdog character. That being said, the level of cheesiness and clichés is increasing and we are going through the paces of a recipe at this point.

Rocky IV is truly a product of its time. It is emblematic of the feeling Americans had about Russians then. The Russian characters are over-the-top and exaggerated. Still, Dolph Lundgren, without saying much, manages to make Drago a truly menacing presence on screen.

The training part is pretty cool, though it feels more like a long music video than a movie. In spite of its flaws, I will give a passing mark to this one, for the good scenes included, a good underdog and a convincing villain.

Rating: «««

Rocky III (1982)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Mr. T

Time: 99 minutes

After defeating Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa is the new Heavyweight champion. He goes from rags to riches. Big house. cars, motorcycles, money, commercials, fans; he has it all. He goes into a series of 10 successful title defenses, but, unbeknownst to him, his opponents were hand-picked by his management. When Clubber Lang, an absolute monster of a fighter, comes along, Balboa is highly unprepared and loses his belt. Rocky also loses his manager and friend, Mickey. As he is looking to gather the pieces of himself, the fallen boxer gets a bit of unlikely help from a former enemy, namely Apollo Creed.

Just like the character of Rocky, the Rocky franchise lost a bit of its edge with this particular installment. There is a lot of good here. In spite of his limited acting skill set, Mr. T offers a great on screen bad guy. He is convincing as Clubber Lang. Though his mom must have been upset to see him being so mean and all. Stallone is still pretty good as Rocky. The last scene between the title character and his dying manager is really solid. It was also nice that they gave Adrian even more of a voice and an importance here.

Unfortunately, the script felt a little weaker here. It felt as if they were going through the motions and forgot to add a little more substance. Some of the dialogue and action was a bit cheesy too. That bit where Apollo and Rocky run on the beach, then jump and hug in slow motion on the beach made me laugh and cringe at the same time.

Overall, while this is not a perfect offering, Rocky III remains a very entertaining film.

Rating: «««

Rocky II (1979)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith

Time: 119 minutes

After bringing Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed to the limit in their boxing match and losing by a split decision, Rocky Balboa retires to enjoy life alongside his wife Adrian, who does not want him to box anymore, because she is worried he will go blind from it. The problem is, the former boxer is not qualified for anything else and he has a hard time finding a new way to earn a living. When Creed comes knocking, looking for a rematch and a cleaner win for the sake of his pride, Rocky finds it hard to stay away, feeling like he has to do it to be a man.

For this first sequel, Stallone wrote the script, directed the film and played the lead role. And what a tour de force for him. Some would say Rocky II is even better than the first. I would not go that far, but it is close in my book. Stallone makes it so easy to root for the ultimate underdog, and the supporting cast also carry their weight.

Overall, this is an awesome sequel that is well worth watching.

Rating: «««««

Rocky (1976)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: John G. Avildsen

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith

Time: 119 minutes

Rocky Balboa is a small-time southpaw boxing in clubs and making a living as a collector for a local loan shark, in the Italian Neighborhood of Philadelphia. When Rocky is randomly chosen by Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed to be his opponent for a fight to be held during the US Bicentennial celebration, Balboa’s low-profile life gets turned upside down.

Sylvester Stallone wrote the script to this film. The producers did not want him to star in it at first, but he stood his ground, and that is a great thing. Stallone is perfect for this role. He brings Rocky Balboa to life and makes him truly believable. You cannot help rooting for this guy. He is the perfect underdog that never gives up. The supportive cast was also quite solid.

I have watched this particular film many times over the years, and I still get more and more out of it. It is a wonderful piece of cinema, that everyone needs to see at least once in their life.

Rating: «««««

Instant Family (2018)

Genre: Comedy 

Directed by: Sean Anders

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner

Time: 119 minutes

When Pete and Ellie Wagner, a couple who make a living renovating and flipping houses, decide that it may be time for them to start a family, the idea of adoption through foster care seems to be the avenue to choose for them. They end up fostering three siblings, Lizzy, Juan and Lita, the kids of a single mom who is a drug addict that was sent to jail.

The subject of adoption is one that hits close to home for the wife and myself, so we went to the movies last weekend to see it. It does a good job of showing how difficult it can be to care for foster children. Most of the acting was okay, though I found Rose Byrne’s performance a little over-the-top and exaggerated in the role of Ellie Wagner.

The biggest problem for me was in the writing. A lot of the characters, from the social workers, to the parents interested in foster care, to the nosy neighbor played by Joan Cusack, they were so big and clichéd. There was a definite lack of subtlety there. I get the idea of comedic effect, but it was not that funny. And most at the attempts at verbal comedy, through the script, felt awkward.

That being said, some moments still made me laugh, some made me smile and some others were quite touching. It was a decent film, not without its definite flaws.

Rating: «««

The Holiday (2006)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black

Time: 136 minutes

Iris Simpkins and Amanda Woods are two very different women living on different sides of the Atlantic, but, as Christmas time is fast approaching, they both find themselves lovelorn and looking to escape. After talking to each other online, they decide to swap homes for two weeks.

The Holiday is not without charm. The story is compelling enough to hook you in. Unfortunately, in the delivery, it is far from perfect. Kate Winslet is pretty good and convincing in her role. So are the two male leads. Yes, even Jack Black, who was definitely a weird choice. He made it work. But, Cameron Diaz, as is often the case, overplays a little too much. Sometimes, her performance was so big that it took me out of the story.

That being said, this is a fine light romantic comedy that offers decent entertainment for a couple looking for something to watch.

Rating: «««

The Late Bloomer (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Kevin Pollack

Cast: Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow

Time: 90 minutes

Inspired by journalist Ken Baker’s autobiographical memoirs, The Late Bloomer tells the story of Dr. Peter Newmans, a 27-year-old sex therapist who has remained a virgin all his life. As he ends up in the hospital after an accident on the basketball field, he finds out that a small tumor in his brain has been impeding on his normal growth from boy to man. Getting this fixed plunges him in the difficult hands of puberty, which complicates his relationship with his neighbor Michelle, a woman he has befriended and been secretly pursuing for years.

This film was bashed by critics and reviewers, but I found it amusing. Sure, most of it was silly, but the actors, many of which are talented folks, managed to squeeze some good out of the little they were given. I was entertained.

Rating: «««