Shan you’re the only reactor who fully reacted to the Rocky and mick scene that ends with him walking out and catching up to mick, I think one of the best scenes in any movie and always makes me emotional, every part of that scene is great from dialogue, music to complete lack of dialogue. Wonderful reaction as always Shan!
At the end, Rocky shakes Mick's hand with his left hand. As a lefty myself, I had to "learn" to shake with my right as it is just makes for awkward social interactions using my left. I think it's an interesting choice for Rocky's character.
This is the most romantic film of all time. I said it, I stand by it, I won't take it back. Watching the ending gets me every single time. He has given everything, he has been through a war with the greatest fighter on the planet, they're reading out the results of the decision to that very fight, and all he can do is one thing: scream for the woman he loves. Screams it. WAILS it. Beaten, bloody, exhausted and still he screams for her. He doesn't care about the results, hell they announce them in the background. All he cares about is her, because she made him feel like he was worth something and she believed in him when the world did not. I love this movie man. Sylvester Stallone risked everything for this movie - he was a starving actor when he wrote this script. He was so broke that he ended up selling his dog to a guy outside a 7-11 convenience store, both because he needed the money and because he knew he couldn't afford to keep feeding the dog. The script he wrote gained traction and they offered him big money to buy it and put a leading Hollywood man in the role, but Stallone refused. He said he would only sell it if he starred...staring into the face of poverty and starvation, this man refused to give his art away to let someone else act it. Finally they relented but gave him a much smaller fee and gave the movie a much smaller budget. And in that script, Stallone had written that Rocky got a dog...so now with a little bit of money in his pocket he went out and found the man he sold the dog to and paid several times more to get him back, and that's how we get Butkus the dog in this movie. Stallone is oft-maligned for his run of 80s action films and a lot of people dismiss the brilliance in this man for that. Well, that and the way his face contorts and the way he talks, which is really kind of fucked up considering he looks and talks that way because doctors screwed up while he was being born and used forceps incorrectly and he suffered permanent facial paralysis because of it. But between Rocky, First Blood, F.I.S.T., Cop Land, Rocky Balboa and Creed it's tough to argue that this man cannot act. Rocky is a perfect movie. It sets a standard that other inspirational sports movies can't live up to because they forget that the core of Rocky is Rocky himself, all heart and complicated emotion inside, turmoil and strife, and it has very little to do with the sport itself. It's a character drama that happens to involve a sport, not a sports movie that has some drama to it. And the supporting performances (especially from Burgess Meredith) are fantastic. That scene with Rocky and Mickey always hits hard and I don't blame you for shedding a tear for it, both actors were letting it all out in that moment and it's beautifully sad. Carl Weathers brings a gravity to the movie too, he fully dedicates himself to the Creed role and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that he's not written as some evil asshole. He's a smart, talented and gifted boxer who clearly understands marketing and is a physical specimen. He self-promoted and his brash and cocky attitude always toes the line and never crosses it for me. It's the perfect foil to Rocky because Rocky is already too sympathetic of a character to need some dire villain to square off against. The real villain in this movie is self-doubt, fear of failure. Paulie suffers from it, Adrian suffers from it, Rocky suffers from it...hell even Apollo is driven by it in a sense. That's why it doesn't concentrate on the outcome of the fight, because Rocky already won when he stepped in there and gave it his all. I could talk about Rocky all day.
You've been with my journey since day 1. I look forward to reading your insights every single video. Again thank you for this and the wonderful read. It's actually more of a romantic film than anything else. I feel like an idiot not seeing the obvious.
@@ShanWatchesMovies hey, you do all the hard work and we just get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. I love what you do, I love that you keep doing it.
It's not possible to dislike Rocky. He's just a good guy. Mickey, Burgess Meredith appeared in so many things including Batman (1966) as the Penguin :)
As a kid, I didn't like Rocky because in the end, he technically lost the fight. It's a great movie, but that part makes it disappointing. The only one I enjoyed watching was Rocky IV.
I loved Burgess Meredith in Grumpy Old Men. I think half the time they didn't even give him a script, they just told him to do what he does, and it was hilarious. I could be wrong about that, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Stallone still has the turtles to this day. Also, Rocky 2 is as good as the first one. It's not a copy of the first, the story continues but with new challenges and possibly the best acting of Carl Weathers. It's awesome and i hope you watch it.
Rocky II is a strange outlier in pretty much the entirety of film history. It is the only movie sequel I know of that can have almost a full carbon copy of the previous movie's story, and yet still be so entirely different. On paper, it looks like a lame sequel - "After narrowly losing to Apollo Creed, Rocky overcomes his doubts to face the Heavyweight Champion again" Its like "its just the same movie, WTF?"... but its not. Everything about it is so different, and not only does it not stand in the shadow of the first film, but even goes to surpass it in many ways. And then after that, to take Rocky 3, which on paper seems like a cash grab, and make a film just as touching, impactful, exciting and wonderful as the first two.... Stallone is absolutely amazing. Amazing on screen, amazing with his pen, and amazing with his heart.
Yes, HUGE yes. Rocky 2 is fantastic. I'm kinda biased from there but Rocky 1 and 2 are both on my watch list of yearly must see movies. Great job on them. And with 2 taking place right after 1, it just feels like a complete story. Love 'em.
The first thing Rocky says to Adrian when she runs up to him on the stage is "Where's your hat?" lol I always get a kick out of it when watching that scene
I'm convinced, you really have become the best movie reactor on RU-vid. The scenes you choose to comment on are fantastic! I haven't watched Rocky in over 30 years and you edit your commentary to show scenes that are subtle, yet impactful. So unlike most others doing commentary. Great work, Shan. I look forward to so much more.
Sorry to hear you're going through stuff. Hope you're feeling better. Appreciate your enthusiasm and honest reviews! And I love your expressionistic left eyebrow. ;-)
Thank you so much for the kind words. You have no idea how far little things like these go. And about my left eyebrow, it has a mind of its own and it's not under my control at all 😂
@@ShanWatchesMovies I didn't noticed it to be honest. Is it like the people's eyebrow? This was a great reaction video man. Outstanding. I'm subscribing.
THANK YOU for saying you liked Paulie. Burt Young played the hell out of that role. Lots of people miss the nuance and are all 'I hate that guy, what a jerk', but there is so much more there. Thanks for seeing it. Edited to add: I want Joe Frazier's suit! That is an amazing color.
Paulie was a flawed human being just like Micky and Rocky. All three overcome their issues to work together. The character arcs were brilliantly written Ron. Thank you for your comment and kind words as usual!
That's the great character actor Joe Spinell, who also was in some famous horror movies. There are many cool stories about him as well as some really sad ones. Apparently he was quite a character.
@@TEXTMANNEN Yeah. And Spinell even took care of Stallone when he had nothing. I guess the ignoring was because of Spinell's drug addiction and that made Spinell unreliable, pretty sure Stallone didn't want anything to do with it. And sadly, Spinell did become unreliable when he became an addict, when it came to shooting a scene he was either late or he never showed up. When they shot the movie Vigilante, he was late and his mum was there. She was upset with him and told him to apologize to the whole crew for waiting on him and he did.
The most impressive thing is... They film everything in 28 days. Sly wrote the script in 3 days, of which 90% was bad. The general idea was there but he rewrote the script 25 times. That's his dog in the movie. And the lead singer on the street is his younger brother Frank Stallone.
I think many people can relate to the theme of what Rocky is. It's a story of man who is struggling though life and trying to gain some sort of success so he knows he isn't just some bum. "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"
I love that you got emotional at that incredible Rocky & Mickey scene in the apartment. One of my absolute favourite scenes in any movie. Stallone and Burgess Meredith smashed it. I'm gonna go have a Rocky marathon now 😁👍
Mickey is played by Burgess Meredith. He was an actor for almost his entire adult life, a career that spanned almost 70 years. And I've *never* seen him give a performance that was anything less than masterful. He was a true craftsman in the art of acting. He played a character called "Golobulus" in the G.I. Joe animated film and managed to make that nonsense seem Shakespearean.
@@johnmorris8444 If I have given offense, I apologize. Such was not my intention. I merely hoped to demonstrate the gentleman's ability by contrasting it with a role that most would've considered a simple reading.
@@clash5j Oh, he was in more than one! Time Enough at Last, the Obsolete Man, Mr. Dingle the Strong, Printer's Devil, and he was the narrator for the Twilight Zone Movie.
@@danielallen3454 You are correct, sir! I didn't realize that he was the narrator for the Twilight Zone movie though. Very cool. When people talk about the great actors, he never gets mentioned, but he was terrific in everything he did
I'm glad you're honest with your viewers that this is not the first time viewing even though I've been watching your channel and clicked on it thinking it was going to be
Just one more thing... The reason I mentioned how much I enjoyed watching you relate and empathize is because I think a lot of reactors feel they have to comment, predict, or analyze to make it worth our while; but you just sat and teared up several times without saying anything. And I enjoyed that more than your other comments because it showed you're a sensitive, smart, feeling, and genuinely nice human being. No words, just an expression on your face. Please carry on with the other comments because they're also intelligent and coming from an appreciation of how the movies were made, but your sincerety in emotionally responding without exaggerating, as some do, is what I find enjoyable.
Fun trivia:The scene that involved Rocky and Adrian kissing in Rocky's kitchen was originally not scripted the way it was shot. Talia Shire had contracted the flu and was worried about getting Sylvester Stallone sick, so she was very hesitant to kiss him. Her hesitation and behavior was actually such an improvement over the scripted scene that they decided to keep it. Indeed, this scene has become Stallone's favorite scene in the entire Rocky saga, and both he and Shire see the scene as a 'birth-scene' for Adrian, where she is awakened to a new life. Fun trivia:Rocky Balboa was named the 7th greatest movie hero by the American Film Institute on their 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list. Additionally, he was ranked #34 on Empire Magazine's compilation of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters. Premiere magazine ranked Rocky Balboa #64 on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Fun trivia:When Rocky knocks down Creed in the first round, he doesn't go to a neutral corner until a good 10 seconds after Creed hit the canvas. This was critical because the referee cannot start the count until the fighter is in a neutral corner. As it took Creed to the count of 8 seconds to get up off the canvas, had Rocky gone to a neutral corner immediately Creed would've been counted out and Rocky would've been champion via a 1st Round KO. Fun trivia:During the scene where Gazzo (Joe Spinell) is talking to Rocky about not breaking the dock worker's thumbs, Gazzo pulls out an inhaler mid-sentence and uses it. That wasn't written into the script, Spinell actually had an asthma attack and really had to use his inhaler right on-camera on the spur of the moment. John G. Avildsen liked the authenticity it brought to the scene, so he decided to leave it in the film. Fun trivia:Most of the scenes of Rocky jogging through Philadelphia were shot guerrilla-style, with no permits, no equipment, and no extras. The shot where he runs past the moored boat for example, the crew were simply driving by the docks, and John G. Avildsen saw the boat, and thought it would make a good visual, so he had Sylvester Stallone simply get out of the van and run along the quays, while Avildsen himself filmed from the side door. A similar story concerns the famous shot of Rocky jogging through the food market. As he runs, the stall keepers and the people on the sidewalks can clearly be seen looking at him in bemusement. While this works in the context of the film to suggest they're looking at Rocky, in reality, they had no idea why this man was running up and down the road being filmed from a van. During this scene, the famous shot where the stall owner throws Rocky an orange was completely improvised by the stall owner, who had no idea that a movie was being filmed and that he would be in it. Fun trivia:After producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff became interested in the script, they offered Sylvester Stallone an unprecedented $350,000 for the rights. He had $106 in the bank and no car, and was trying to sell his dog because he couldn't afford to feed him, but he refused to sell unless they agreed to allow him to star in the film. They agreed, on the condition that Stallone continue to work as a writer without a fee, and that he work as an actor for scale. After Winkler and Chartoff purchased the film, they took it to United Artists, who envisioned a budget of $2 million with an established star, particularly Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds or James Caan. When Winkler and Chartoff told United Artists that they could only get the screenplay if Stallone starred, United Artists cut the budget to $1 million and had Chartoff and Winkler sign agreements that they would be personally liable if the film went over budget. The final cost was $1.1 million. Chartoff and Winkler mortgaged their houses for the last $100,000.
Stallone has written countless movies in his career and is still writing movies to this day. He wrote all the Rocky and Rambo movies. Truly brilliant and one of the greatest film writers of all time. Please continue with the Rocky and Rambo series, all great movies.
I love the way composer Bill Conti took the action/suspense music from the fight (which begins at 22:13 in the video) and turned that same music into a beautiful, elegant classical piece for the closing credits.
Stallone had an amazing vision for what Rocky would be like and that's what carries the movie. The plot is predictable, it's Rocky as a character and how Stallone portrays him that sells it. He is completely in tune with the character, knows exactly how to make him likeable, all the little dialogue scenes, how to make him relatable.
Its kinda like Wrestling in that way. Is it predictable? Absolutely, but that's not the point. Its all about the performance, the artists in the ring who draw you in to the drama on display in the ring, making you believe in the babyfaces (heroes), and hate the heels. You know in the end the good guy is gonna win, but it doesn't matter. You let yourself get absorbed in the spectacle of it all and believe what you're seeing. How appropriate that we get to see Hulk Hogan in Rocky III
Stallone shopped the script around to several major movie companies. He had some offers, but NONE of them wanted to let him play the lead. He finally got the nod, but with a tiny budget ($1.1m). And it turned out to be one of the most profitable films of all time, raking in over $150m in the box office, and spawning a worldwide 1.6 billion dollar franchise.
Your personality coupled with your ability to review movies in the fashion you do is why I love this channel. My intuition tells me you are amongst the most genuine people on this platform. I hope you are able to navigate whatever issues are currently plaguing you without too much hardship (even though we must all endure hardship)
Thank you so so much for your kind words and encouragement. Please know that things like this go a long way. I appreciate you and again, thank you for watching :)
When I was a kid, my Dad and his Girlfriend took me to a drive in ( ah the nostalgia ) . We saw Rocky along with The Jazz Singer double header. Gloria summed it up perfectly. "well, i guess their both inspiring movies....one was success through hard work and making people feel good and entertained, the other was a smash in face i'm gonna beat up people until i succeed. " I laughed.
My sister’s friends went; I was too young to drive, and the idea of not getting paid seemed strange to me. Lol. Many years later I went to Philadelphia to be an extra in a low budget film; they fed us well and the hair & make-up treatment was memorable, but still no pay - lol. A great review by the way.
Shan, you are an EXCEPTIONAL reactor. You are the only reactor I've watched that balances emotional, visceral reaction with knowledgeable, technical reacting. It is so obvious that you are truly passionate about the craft of film-making. As a past film student and current screenwriter, I appreciate your skill so very much. Please don't ever give up reacting. And just one more thought -- ever considered writing a blog or book about film? Just a thought. I'm a fan. :)
@@orangewarm1 you need to rewatch it in the context of A Brave New World. Its is pretty much spot on. its actually a really good dystopian depiction, when it became a Stallone vehicle it does suffer a bit. it really is a good movie with tons of subtext.
Hi Shan. You're one of my favorite reactors, but I wanted to comment on something I never saw from you before. You do a lot of commenting on how shots were framed or production values, which is fine, but what I enjoy is what Spielberg likes doing: Going to the theater to watch his movie through the eyes of the public. So...I've seen you laugh, but I never saw you get misty, until this movie. You were doing it as I was, even though I've seen this movie 20 times, which made watching you a joy for this reaction. Another thing I really liked was your empathy with Mickey and Paulie. Other reactors don't get where people are coming from: Ooh, that Mickey's rude. Paulie's obnoxious. Uh, yeah, they're real people and there's good and bad in everyone. Mickey's disappoiinted in Rocky working for Gazzo, but he IS a smart, experienced trainer. Paulie feels left out when Rocky gets his break, and he's generally a lonely man who has only his sister. The characters just draw you into the movie, as if you're living real life. The gritty environment and unpolished characters are what makes this movie so relatable. And you appreciated it all. I was thrilled when you didn't start berating Mickey or Paulie. By the way, I find all the Rocky movies enjoyable (less so with V because of his charge and the promoter who steals him away), but the presence of Stallone's Balboa makes them effective. Everyone has his own opinion, but they're all emotionally packed and enjoyable.
One of the all time great sports movies One of the all time great love stories It's a documentary of the 70's, and at the same time completely timeless
The way I see it...if 'Rocky' doesn't get one "emotional"...one doesn't have emotions. Way back in the day, they used to re-release movies in theatres (pre-VHS and rentals) year after year for a couple of years. I had the pleasure of seeing this gem in the theatres when I was a child. Moving and inspirational. Glad you liked it too.
Thank you for becoming so emotionally charged. This is what separates Stallone action from most other action films. It is not just an adrenaline rush, it actually effects you, moves you. I hope you do the next 3 . They have emotion just as deeply entwined with action.
"There are movies and there are films. Rocky is a film!" Agree 100%!!! Rocky is my #1 favorite movie of all time!!! And with amount of movies I've seen and they importance movies have played in my life, that is really saying something! The dog, Butkus, was Sylvester Stallone's actual dog. At one point in his life Stallone was so broke he couldn't afford to take care of him and sold him. When he finally got some money after selling his script for Rocky, he got his dog back. The two turtles, Cuff and Link, are still alive and Stallone has them to this day! This movie was nominated for a ton of Oscars. It won for best picture and John G. Avildsen won for best director. Stallone, Shire, Burt Young, and Burgess Meredith were all nominated for either best lead actor or best supporting actor. Stallone was also nominated for best writer. Burgess Meredith was a long time journeyman actor. His most famous movie after the Rocky movies is probably The Story of G.I.Joe, a movie that came out in the 40's and I've never seen it. After the role of Mickey, Meredith is probably most famous for some TV roles he's played. He was The Penguin in numerous episodes of the Adam West Batman series and he also starred in several episodes of The Twilight Zone, one of the episodes where he played a man with very thick glasses and loves to read is usually always ranked in the top and most famous episodes of the series. The camera work, specifically in shots of Rocky walking or running...that was done on a steadicam. It was brand new technology only coming out in 1975. Avildsen was one of the first directors to use it and they were kind of making up techniques to use it as they went along in making this movie. Steadicam has gone on to be a favorite go to device for directors and used in many movies. Apollo Creed was "inspired" by Muhammad Ali, whose name was Cassius Clay before he converted to Islam and changed it. I highly recommend watching the rest of the films in this series. Definitely Rocky II, it's not better than Rocky, but I honestly think you'll be surprised at how close it comes. It's the second half of Rocky's story began in the first movie and the "character" of Philadelphia I believe is featured best here out of all the films. When/if you get to Rocky III and IV...well those are movies, not films. Very very fun movies though!!! You just need to pretend that for just these two movies Rocky's continuity changed from a realistic universe to almost a comic-book-like fantastic universe to tell these particular chapters of Rocky's story. I really do love III and IV, but if you don't consider them "Super" Rocky movies as compared to all the rest being "Real" Rocky films, the change in tone could be jarring and suspension of disbelief will be challenged. Accept them for what they are and you will have a very fun time! Also, Rocky V is the weakest film in the series. Go in with low expectations. I still think it's important though to watch if you are watching the entire series. John G. Avildsen did direct the Karate Kid movies, and Bill Conti who composed the score for Rocky and most of the sequels also composed the score for the Karate Kid movies. When Stallone was filming Rocky IV, Conti was committed to scoring The Karate Kid, Part II, so that was one of the few Rocky movies he didn't score. Stallone got synth music composer Vince DiCola to score that movie and it has a very unique sound that I quite like, though not in the same league as Conti's scores. You may want to rewatch the first Karate Kid again as a comparison. I would say it has a definite "Rocky" feel to it. Another John G. Avildsen movie, Lean On Me, starring Morgan Freeman is another movie I highly, highly recommend!!! I am so glad you liked this film and it has the special meaning it does to you. This film and this series also has special meaning to me and I cherish them!!!
Thank you so much for watching and the wonderful wall of trivia/insight! I really loved this film. I'll be watching it over and over again throughout my life :)
Rocky is one of those films that is so well made it is always a pleasure to watch. The behind-the-scenes story of what Stallone went through to get his script filmed with him in the lead would make a great movie in itself. Rocky won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Editing, and Stallone won the award for Best Foreign Actor from Italy's equivalent of the Academy Awards. My favorite Rocky movie after the original is definitely "Rocky Balboa" (2006), a great story, almost as good as the first one.
The loan shark was played by Joe Spinell, who never become a huge star, but had a nice career in some small roles and occasionally very big movies - The Godfather and Godfather 2, Taxi Driver, Rocky 2 and Nighthawks (which also starred Stallone)
45 years later....today year 2021. My brother and I still say one liners whether on the phone or in person. " cover up you cover up!" TODAY is thanksgiving. Another line: " you want the bird? Go out in the alley and eat the bird!". I think we all are a little Rocky in our own lives. Life, challenges.taking risks. Fear of failure. Etc.
The tracking shots are smooth because they invented the “steady cam” during the production of the movie.. Which was a major advancement in movie cameras..
The scene where Mick tells Rocky why he took his locker is so powerful because you can here the anger he has at watching Rocky throw his talent and life away because he sees Rocky as being so much more than Rocky sees himself being. He feels like Rocky let him down. And then the apartment scene when Mick realizes how much he let Rocky down. So powerful. Great reaction. And review. Gotta watch Rocky 2.
I like very much your analysis, Shan. It's a pure gold. And I really appreciate you picking out moments that others miss, like Mickey's visit :) Very good job!
@10:35 One film you might consider is _American Graffiti_ . That's a Lucas film that has no score at all, and instead uses music playing from all the cars as the soundtrack. It's a great film with an amazing cast, and really shows what life was like for Lucas in the early sixties as a car enthusiast and a teen in Modesto, CA.
Yup, fantastic film. Rocky has always been a favorite of mine. And yes, Stallone can really act if he's given good material. Remember that impactful final scene in First Blood, he nailed that performance as well.
Even rockys choice of his sweatsuit workout clothes. Just cheap basic sweats and shoes etc. In today's movies they make it colorful and slick wardrobe.
The takeaway I get from “Rocky” is how a person can just be average, nameless, faceless, but when someone BELIEVES in him, and he begins to believe in himself, magic happens. It helped that Rocky has an iron jaw. Also, I just now, after 40+ years of loving this film, I realized the correlation between Rocky and the young girl that called him “creepo”. He told her that, essentially, when she gives up her body to boys, they don’t remember her name. They only remember her reputation. When Apollo picked Rocky to fight, Rocky’s reputation was not a factor. Rocky was picked solely based on the name. Wonderful film...
Great breakdown. As I've said before, possibly one of the most perfect "FILMS" ever made. Much of the screen play's strength comes from Stallone's on personal desperation and struggle. Iconic.
Always liked your reviews, keep up the good work. I knew you were going to love this one, one of my favourites as well, from back when the movies were "films" in all meaning of the word.
I've seen this movie several times, but seeing you get so emotional over it made ME get emotional... like I was seeing it for the first time. Thank you for this great reaction video!
2:12 In all my times watching this, I don't think I ever picked out Apollo's trainer in the crowd of Rocky's opening fight. He was checking him (and likely others) out before Apollo ever had the idea to fight a local.
"Rocky" at least popularized the montage or training montage, if not invented it. Also, it was the first use of the "Steady Cam", a gimble to steady a handheld camera.
I LOVE this movie since a little kid. Since I was so young I wasn’t even supposed to allowed to watch. Even when everyone thought it wasn’t the kind of movie that should be a little girl’s or preteen girl’s favorite movie. My favorite story about this movie is how Stallone got the script to the producers who wanted to make it, which is already really hard to do, and then refused to let them have it unless he got to play Rocky. He said he knew with a face like his it would be nearly impossible to get a lead role I. Hollywood any other way. He showed all his heart and his acting chops in this role and it’s what launched his incredible career. Rocky is also just probably one of my favorite fictional characters of all times. This first movie is my all time favorite and I honestly think I have watched it well over 100 times
This video was such a gift. I’ve seen this movie easily 50 times over the years but this allowed me to almost experience it new again. Really enjoyed your reaction. Please do Rocky 2 soon. Thank you.
Loved your reaction. When I saw this pop up on Facebook I knew what scenes I wanted to see you react to and seeing your reaction was great!! Love to see you do the other films at some point!! Hope everything you’re going through works out and look forward to seeing more reactions from you. I’d love to see you react to Arlington Road. It’s a criminally underrated movie and doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the review section. Only 20% of people do according to youtube analytics. I actually take more time to write the review than the length of the film itself so thank you for appreciating the effort. I hope to keep making reviews long after the "reaction" fad fades away. I see myself a reviewer first and a reactor second
What always amused me was that Gazzo's driver taunted Rocky by telling him to take Adrian to the zoo- and then in the next movie (spoiler) Rocky proposes to Adrian at the zoo.
The First one and the last one ( BALBOA ) are my favorites the others are okay, I have them all including CREED ( CREED is also a really good movie ). Thanks for sharing. You should look into the History of Sylvester Stallone and the making of this movie. You can really see the PROGRSSION of talent in writing and acting through the ages. ONE WORD that is used in ALL of his ROCKY MOVIES "BUMB" "YOUR A BUMB" or just BUMB lol.
Every sporting event in philadelphia that gets televised shows "the rocky steps" and anytime a Philly team makes the playoffs you always see the statue at the base of the steps and at least one reference to the ultimate underdog!
Oh Shan, I am so glad that you are watching “Rocky,” it’s one of my favourite movies of all time! Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, this film is a masterpiece! It’s *the* modern retelling of David and Goliath. It’s the American dream. I love your videos man, keep up the great work! Also, Burgess Meredith, the actor who plays Mick played The Penguin in the 1960s.
Thank you so much for watching Aiden! David and Goliath is a wonderful way to see the film but in this case Goliath wasn't a bad guy. In Rocky David had to cover come himself! And thank you for the trivia, I haven't watched the Adam West's Batman in forever!
You deserve far more subs than you have. I enjoy your reactions. I love the honesty I see. Have you ever watched Man on Fire, Devil in a Blue Dress or Crimson Tide? All Denzel Washington movies. crimson tide is with Gene Hackman. I just don't see many reacting to many of his films.
Thank you so much for the kind words and the recommendations! The only one I haven't watched is Devil in a Blue Dress. Ive seen it play on cinemax growing up. I'll add it to the list of it's worth watching!
Stallone wrote the script in two weeks. He was offered almost $200k for the script, but declined because he wanted to play rocky. it was given a budget of 950k. It won Best Picture and Stallone was nominated for best actor. It was nominated for 10 academy awards and won 3. Best Film Editing, Best Director, Best Picture. It was the top grossing film of 1977
Hi Shan. Thank you very much for your reactions to the ROCKY film . I do also see that there are movies & then a film and ROCKY I agree is an incredible film. I do feel that ROCKY is in my all times favorite films list and when I get down I get a sense of joy watching ROCKY in his workout routine... just pushing through to his goals. I will suggest that since you did genuinely have a feel for ROCKY I am asking you to Please do yourself another favor and watch ROCKY 2 ; I do not want to spoil any of that for you by saying "why" I am asking this but with everything I feel I do believe that you will get even More than the original . For me ROCKY 2 really made me grow as a person and I felt I learned so much. Shan thank you for this reaction and I look forward to many more. Hope you have a Happy & Healthy 2021 !
Stallone's dad is the bell ringer during the fight.This was the first movie that used the steady cam .I may be wrong about the name,but that's how they got the side shots of him running.The cameraman can run along side of him but the camera shot stays smooth.
I thought steadicam wasn't used till the late 70s. I was about to point it out on the video but I refrained because I wasn't sure. Thanks for letting me know that this was the first!
@@ShanWatchesMovies From Wikipedia: Bound for Glory was the first motion picture in which inventor/operator Garrett Brown used his new Steadicam for filming moving scenes.
Great video on one of my favorites of all time. I'm from the area and spent a lot of time in my youth in the 80's at my grandparents in South Philly. There are a ton of familiar places in this film. The Philadelphia Spectrum alone brings back hundreds of great memories from Flyers games, concerts and more. More than any of that though, is the story of Rocky Balboa, the greatest underdog tale ever committed to film. I love movies from the 70's and Rocky is no exception. I also really enjoyed your analysis of the film, I think you were spot on. I'm glad you liked it so much and I can't wait for you to do Rocky II. I think it's almost as good as the first movie. After that they're maybe not as good but they sure are lots of fun, especially parts III and IV. Part V is better than people say, in my opinion and Rocky Balboa (the sixth film) is kind of a return to form. I hope you get a chance to review them all. Take it easy and thanks for the videos.
I agree with another poster in recommending Cinderella Man (2005), an even more incredible boxing story, set during the Great Depression, well told, and a true story, at that, featuring Russell Crowe as James J. Braddock.
Yes, Stallone WAS nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Actor for his iconic performance and he was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. In fact, Sly was only the third person at the time to be nominated for both acting and writing in the same year-- the other two being Charlie Chaplin for "The Great Dictator" (1940) and Orson Welles for "Citizen Kane" (1941). And it won 3 Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Director and Best Picture! Here's a link to all the awards the film won: www.imdb.com/title/tt0075148/awards Other cool trivia bits: The dog Butkus in the movie was Stallone's actual dog. Also, he still has the turtles from the movie to this day. And Sly arranged all the boxing choreography in the film which is really impressive for an unknown actor. Also, you should listen (and research) to the story of how Stallone got the movie made. It's an incredibly inspiring and poignant story of perseverance. He was a complete unknown and starving actor (even homeless at times) who struggled for years in Hollywood-- he'd only be an extra or at most given bit parts (in movies where he had no more than 30 seconds of screentime). It wasn't until he was inspired to write "Rocky" that he had a real opportunity to prove himself. Every studio turned down his script except for one but they didn't want to cast an unknown in the lead. But Stallone stood his ground and wouldn't sell it unless he got to star in his own film-- even turning offers of $325,000+ just for his script despite the fact that he was dead broke. Just watch the video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ywuse55qU2A.html
Also, this is a long read but interesting breakdown of the themes and symbolism in the film/script: Stallone is not just praised for his iconic performance but his screenplay is also hailed for displaying an almost literary genius. Aside from: --the clever, quirky, and funny dialogue --the realistic, sympathetic and colorful characters --the astounding character development and --the overall interesting, relatable and universal story Often overlooked are Stallone's profound themes of redemption, forgiveness, and human beings getting a second chance at life. The overall story is Rocky being given an opportunity to redeem himself, to overcome the low self-esteem that has kept him from being the boxer (and the person) he could have been. Adrian overcomes her shyness and abusive relationship with her brother. Mickey overcomes his ego to humble himself and admit his mistake in not helping Rocky earlier in life. And, these themes are reflected in symbolism throughout the film (below). Scene after scene reflect the film's themes of redemption, forgiveness and second chances: 1. In the opening fight scene, it appears Rocky is losing to Spider Rico after that head-butt however Rocky REDEEMS himself and goes out strong, knocking out Spider Rico in the process. 2. The man at the docks whom Rocky collects from. Rocky refuses to break his thumb and gives the man a SECOND CHANCE. 3. When Rocky's boss (Gazzo) confronts him about his refusal to break thumbs, Gazzo forgives him and gives Rocky a SECOND CHANCE. 4. Rocky walks Little Marie home, giving her a pep talk about the nature of reputations in hopes she turns her life around -- REDEMPTION. 5. Apollo Creed has to cancel his bicentennial fight after receiving the news of his opponent's broken hand. The event is REDEEMED when Creed has the epiphany to rebrand the fight as an American Dream story by giving a local unknown Philadelphia fighter a shot at the title. 6. After the original opponent has to drop out of the fight, Apollo Creed gives Jergens, the fight promoter, an ultimatum to replace him with a suitable contender. Jergens REDEEMS himself when he successfully pitches the idea to Rocky. 7. Mickey asks to be Rocky's manager in an attempt to REDEEM his own once promising career that never really took off (due to Mickey's lack of good management over his own boxing career). Rocky forgives Mickey and accepts his offer; Rocky gives Mickey a SECOND CHANCE. 8. At the meat packing plant, Paulie and Rocky get into an argument. Instead of fighting Paulie, Rocky takes out his aggression on a big slab of beef, giving Paulie a SECOND CHANCE in the process. 9. After Rocky tells Adrian that he doesn't want to "fool around" and to just make the meat, he apologizes to Adrian and she forgives him -- REDEMPTION 10. The dog at the pet shop, Butkiss, gets a new lease on life when he's adopted by Rocky -- SECOND CHANCE 11. Again at the meat packing plant, Rocky gets angry with Paulie over the reporter. Rocky forgives him and give him another SECOND CHANCE. 12. In the scene with Paulie's outburst with the baseball bat, Adrian overcomes her shyness and her abusive relationship with her brother, finding REDEMPTION in her relationship with Rocky. And at the end of Paulie's outburst when Rocky grabs him by the collar, he seems like he's about to beat up Paulie or threaten him, however Rocky feels sorry for him and just lets it go. He gives Paulie another SECOND CHANCE. 13. After Paulie's little outburst, he asks Rocky's permission to capitalize on Rocky's name. Rocky forgives him and gives him another SECOND CHANCE. SYMBOLISM: The film's overall story is centered around the concept of the American Dream. The film opens with an image of Jesus-- as the story of Christ dying for our sins and being resurrected is a story of REDEMPTION. Images of the burned-out city of Philadelphia rising up to host the Bicentennial. The pet store symbols; the dog being released from his cage, turtles coming out of their shells etc. As Adrian starts to overcome her shyness and "comes out her own shell", she sheds her glasses and drab clothing and she begins to dress more attractively (her red outfit that Rocky compliments her so much on-- "you could be a heartbreaker" he tells her). Rocky's face at the beginning of the movie is bruised and stitched up but is healed up before the climax (and quickly bruised up again lol). And the steps: As you pointed out in your review, the first time we see Rocky run up the museum steps, he is struggling and is gasping for air-- which is a metaphor for the uphill journey Rocky has ahead of him. And by the end of his training, he can run up those steps effortlessly, signaling his triumph. The locations of his training regimen is also metaphorical. Every day Rocky begins his jog from his home (located in a lower class section of town) and ends his jog in the more intellectual side of town (the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum). He runs from the bottom to the top (both physically at the museum steps and metaphorically in his journey). He then faces the city from which he came and raises his hands higher than the skyscrapers. The symbolic nature of the shot is astounding and to this day, it's still one of the most inspirational images from any film I can think of. And also gotta love the foreshadowing; the never-broken nose gets broken, Rocky breaking the ribs in the beef slab (foreshadowing him breaking Apollo Creed's ribs), Creed and his publicists not paying attention to Rocky punching the beef on TV (foreshadowing their surprise upon realizing in the climax that they completely underestimated Rocky's potential). There's a reason why the Writers Guild of American named "Rocky" as one of the greatest screenplays ever written: www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-greatest-screenplays/list The snobs won't say because they're still salty over "Rocky" winning Best Picture over "Taxi Driver" (which is one of the best films ever, don't get me wrong)... but "Rocky" really is a masterpiece... at the very least, screenplay-wise.
Fun Fact: The fighter Rocky is fighting in the beginning is Spyder Rico. In Creed II, there’s a deleted scene where Rocky attends his funeral. The desert scene where he trains Adonis Creed was where Spyder Rico trained
Great reaction (as always!) 😊 The 6th (?) film "Balboa" is amazing imo and again what he's going through makes him so relatable. "The older you get, the more things get taken away away from you. Thats life." 💔💔💔😢😢
"I wonder why he didn't write more films" I mean... there are 31 writing credits for Stallone on IMDB. He wrote some really great films. Paradise Alley, Over the Top, Cobra and Cliffhanger are all really great. I know some are rather contentious (over the top has a pretty loud group of people who think it is stupid and Paradise Alley is pretty silly....) but Stallone has been writing fairly consistently since the 1970s.
I recently heard that Carl Weathers lied about boxing experience to get this roll. You’d never know it, he looked like he boxed all his life. Those combos were so smooth.
This was the biggest suprise for Academy Awards. Rocky has 10 nominations and win in 3 categories: The Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. Specially when we see how big competiton he has in the first category: Taxi Driver, All the President's Men, Network. My God, that was possibly the best year for American cinema.
@@ShanWatchesMovies 1967 to 1980 was the "New Hollywood" (of American New Wave) phase of American filmmaking. Prior to '67, all Hollywood ever made were adaptations of musicals and stage plays, costume drama period pieces, westerns etc. with big budgets and big stars. Movies that were more fantastical in nature and audiences in the '60s were no longer connecting with these films as they didn't really reflect much of what was going on in the world at the time. The 1960s and 70s was a time period of great change in America; culturally, socially and politically. The Civil Rights movement was going on, the country was divided (violently so) over Vietnam, young people openly defied the draft en masse, the sexual revolution, the feminism movement began, gay rights movement began, protests and riots were everywhere, the country plunged into a deep recession, there was a gas shortage and rationing for several years, crime was rampant in big urban cities, the idea of climate change was first introduced leading to the modern environmentalism movement, Americans first learned just how corrupt the US government was when President Nixon resigned due to his involvement in the Watergate scandal etc. It pretty much seemed like the world was ending. It was at this time that the New Hollywood phase began and American films became grittier, more realistic, and featured actual sex and violence and bad language, and had much deeper and relevant themes reflecting this very pessimistic time period. Pretty much every movie from 1967-1979 was realistic, violent, cynical, downbeat and depressing-- this was no less the case with films like "Taxi Driver", "Network" and "All the President's Men". "Rocky" with its optimist outlook was a breath of fresh air for audiences and Hollywood and everybody got caught up in its message of hope. So through that lens, it's not surprising "Rocky" won Best Picture over more "realistic" films. Just some context.
Loved the reaction. In reference to one of your last statements. Rocky III is dynamite. It’s not Rocky but it’s closer than you’d think any of its sequels would be. Really fun.
Great reaction. As a lad a lot of my friends loved this, a couple were boxers and I just assumed it was a boxing film. Now one of my favourite series of films. So much more than boxing.
I just realized what I think is a continuity error. The fight is on the bicentennial which is July 4th 1976 but it’s between thanksgiving and Christmas when he accepts the late notice fight. Apollo says it’s the country’s biggest birthday which suggests it’s a July 4th fight.
It was about her, and so are II, III, and IV. Rocky is the car, but Adrian is the key. She is the catalyst for allowing him to realize his potential. I believe that's why these movies are so compelling, and as a married man it's something I can definitely relate to.
