**The greatest Rocky movie? I think it could be.** It's hard to pick a favorite Rocky movie, but Rocky IV definitely makes its case for first place. The epic showdown with Ivan Drago drips with emotion, heart, and motivation in ways the other movies can't match. Add the restless conflict between USA and Russia at the time, and it just doesn't get better. Getting the final fight perfect was so crucial that Sylvester Stallone recommended actually boxing and ended up in the hospital after getting knocked out by Dolph Lundgren. Ivan Drago is, without a doubt, the franchise's best villain. The development of Rocky and Apollo's relationship in Rocky IV is a beautiful credit to excellent writing and four movies worth of growth. The added Christmas spirit gives the film more character. If you had to watch only one Rocky, I would say pick this one, but it's only as great as it is because it stands on the shoulders of the movies that came before.
I liked it and then I didn't like it and now I like it again. I have a serious love/hate relationship with this one. The hate comes from Rocky and Rocky II and a little bit, just a little from Rocky III. This was a film focused more on the fight than the Rocky story and, just like Rocky III, and, honestly, I miss the heartfelt Rocky family part of the franchise. Mickey, Creed, Adrian, Paulie, they were the real heart behind what made the Rocky movies great and.... this focused more on the fight. However, it was inspirational and that is what you ultimately sit down to watch a Rocky movie for. You want to see the little guy, the under dog struggle and work hard and give it his best win or lose... and the best part about the Rocky franchise is that he doesn't always win, you see him hurt, you see him lose, and you see him get back up and fight. And that is what Rocky IV delivers.
Unfortunately, Rocky IV is the first film in the series that has disappointed me. This film had major tonal conflicts. For starters, the film is trying to have a very tragic story that motivates Rocky with the death of Apollo Creed, but at the same time has goofy scenes of a robot housewife. I did not like the ungroundedness that began to take shape here. This film also drew the least amount of emotion from me. I felt that Apollo Creed’s character regressed in this film, with him underestimating Ivan Drago the same way he underestimated Rocky in the original film. He no longer had the humble wisdom that he portrayed in Rocky III and was all about the spectacle and show. Additionally, I thought this opponent was the weakest of the series. This is probably due to the main connection between the two boxers being the death of Apollo, and that aspect fell flat for me. The final fight was the least exciting of the series, mainly due to the lack of buildup. The acting is pretty similar to the third film, with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Carl Weathers all doing an excellent job. But the same complaint I had in Rocky III remains in this film, with the main antagonist being extremely corny and poorly acted. The silent, stoic figure of Drago was intimidating but lacked any emotional connection that the previous antagonists had. I would like to note that this film had a little too much 80s music for my liking. I really enjoyed the track "Eye of the Tiger," like in the third film, but I felt that there were not enough of the classic Rocky themes that really boosted the training segments. Overall, I still enjoyed this film, even with all of its flaws. Score: 57% | Verdict: Decent
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David Sumner, a mild-mannered academic from the United States, marries Amy, an Englishwoman. In order to escape a hectic stateside lifestyle, David and his wife relocate to the small town in rural Cornwall where Amy was raised. There, David is ostracized by the brutish men of the village, including Amy's old flame, Charlie. Eventually the taunts escalate, and two of the locals rape Amy. This sexual assault awakes a shockingly violent side of David.
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
Nina, an end-of-teenage orphan with mental problems, starts a new job as a garden cleaner when she meets Toni. They fell in love with each other, but soon Toni starts betraying Nina. In the meantime, Francoise is picked up at a psychic department of a Berlin hospital by her husband, Pierre. After seeing Nina, Francoise believes that she has found her kidnapped daughter Marie, but neither Toni nor Pierre believe her. Nina is unsure about what to think...
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy - full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
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Caye is a young prostitute whose family is unaware of her profession. She meets her striking Dominican neighbour Zulema, an illegal immigrant, after she finds her in the bathroom, badly beaten up. They strike up a close friendship unbeknownst to Caye's xenophobic co-workers.
In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world.
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Ripley worms his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, plunging into a daring scheme of duplicity, lies and murder.
His wife is dead and his son hates him, but this old man still has fight in him! When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa, reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon retaliates by challenging Rocky to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger, and thirty years his junior.