It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of ‘Rocky’, it’s not only required viewing for every boxer to ever step foot in the ring, but it’s also the kind of film that needs to be shown in schools. Motivation is difficult to come by these days, in a climate fundamentally riddled with people and companies prying for your attention, it can be difficult to find a moment of peace and solitude. That first ‘Rocky’ is a film that can get you out of any sort of slump, be it emotional or physical. Southpaw’ is eyeing the champ, this film is looking to go toe to toe with ‘Rocky’, and it’s not one that should be easily written off.
The ‘Rocky’ films did got a bit silly as the franchise progressed, but that first film is an authentic and honest portrayal of boxing,
…show more content…
He plays a character that could have easily been a write-off, but he’s so captivating in his portrayal that you can’t help but fall in love with this mentor. I’d say that Whitaker’s trainer is on the level of Burgess Meredith’s in that first ‘Rocky’, that’s how prominently I feel he factors into the film as a whole. Rachel McAdams actually proves that she’s still a good actress here. She has a few scenes that feel flat in hindsight, but for the most part all of her scenes are incredible, specifically one scene that broke me down to tears. 50 Cent, though underutilized, is actually very good here, which was surprising given the current scandal surround the hip-hop artist. I don’t think there’s necessarily a weak link in the cast, everyone pulls their own weight, but if I had to pick one as the weakest it’d be Oona Laurence. But that’s only because she’s surrounding by Academy Award level …show more content…
All you have to do is establish the rules of the sport and maintain a degree of tension, ‘Southpaw’ does that with ease. This is the kind of white-knuckle tension I’ve been waiting for all year. Sutter forces you to loathe the antagonist of the film without coming across as manipulative or insincere, and it’s because of this immense hate that you’re driven to support the protagonist even more in his journey to self-improvement. I didn’t go into this film expecting much more than a hardcore boxing film, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is so much
The film The Fighter shows a side where some or most athletes struggle with during or at some stage of their sports career, identity. Identity seems to be one of the social issues that is portrayed in this film and is an issue that athletes face today. This film shed light on an underprivileged community where in a family of nine, two brothers attempt to make a name for themselves in the sport of boxing. The struggle to find themselves as individuals as well as sportsmen is shown through this movie. This is shown as Dicky Ward whom is one of the two main characters in the film The Fighter is depicted as the favourite child in the eyes of his parents in which whom have failed to realise he is a drug addict whereas the younger brother Micky Ward
Review written by David Ansen on Newsweek: ‘’Ron Howard's depression-era boxing saga "Cinderella Man" has one thing in common with "Revenge of the Sith": just about everybody knows how the story will turn out. It's not that everyone's heard of James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), the scrappy heavyweight from New Jersey whose rise and fall and rise made him a working-class hero in the depths of the Depression--the symbolic equivalent of a two-legged Seabiscuit. What we do all know is that Hollywood's not about to make a sports movie with this title that doesn't have a happy ending.’’ That was basically in particular that specifically related to what was going on in the 1930’s in relation to how the economic structure of 2005 settled in although the intensity of the economic slowdown, which reduced yearly growth to 3.5 percent from 4.2 percent in 2004, surprised many forecasters. They had expected a sharp pickup in business investment in the final months of the year to take up some of the slack in consumer spending and had predicted an overall growth rate of 2.5 percent to 3 percent in the fourth
The documentary, “Unforgivable Blackness” directed by Ken Burns casts light on the extraordinary life story of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. The documentary is about the barriers Jack Johnson had to overcome to satisfy his hunger for becoming the best and living “The American Dream.” Johnson had humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas and it was in those beginnings that glimpses of his bright future were slowly but surely beginning to show. Through out his life, he showed independence, relentlessness, ability to improvise, call attention to himself and get around rules meaning to tie him down. Jack Johnson was a self made man who had the drive to go forward and achieve what he wanted to achieve
The movie Rocky is based on a boxer who has overcome tough times in his life but works for everything he has and loves. Sylvester Stallone wrote and produced every Rocky movie and also played the main character in the films. In almost every Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa faces a big opponent in the ring. Balboa must train hard and overcome the situation and challenges before the fight. Balboa then steps in the ring and gives his all for the win.
Creed, is a movie that performances by Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, Apollo Creed’s son, Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, and Tessa Thompson as Bianca was directed by Ryan Coogler. Adonis Johnson, who is the son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, was living in the youth facility when Mary Anne, Creed’s widow visited him and decided to adopt him. Adonis work as a professional, but he was not satisfied with his current life. Mary Anne was so disappointed with him because Adonis’s father passed away in the ring, and she did not want Adonis to follow his dad’s step. Despite the fact that he wanted to pursue his dream to work as a professional fighter, he gave up his current job and went to Philadelphia. He found Rocky Balboa there and he requested Balboa to become his mentor and trained him. In the process of becoming a professional fighter, Adonis went through challenges. Even though Adonis faces challenges in life, he overcomes them because he never gives up.
Rocky’s work ethic was both a mental and physical battle throughout the movie. His trainer, Mickey Goldmill,
Rocky influenced the film industry through its plot. The main plot of Rocky is the main character’s desire to make his or her life better. This theme is one of the most common themes
Though much has been made of the physical transformation Jake Gyllenhaal put himself through to look like a real boxer, Southpaw is a fairly standard, by-the-numbers boxing melodrama that hits all those beats we're accustomed to through the Rocky films. Gyllenhaal continues to show that he is one of the most interesting and talented actors of his generation, elevating this conventional boxing story that, despite an excellent start, embraces every cliché of the genre and becomes so frustratingly sentimental in its second
In cinema, there are many memorable scenes, but few are as iconic as a Rocky training montage. The horns from the montage’s music blast a feeling of triumph as you watch the fictional character, Rocky Balboa, train. The emotions from this scene can make the laziest person feel like they can run ten miles without the feeling of fatigue. Rocky is a series of six movies about a fictional boxer named Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, and the triumphs of his boxing career. Rocky has an exhilarating boxing match as an underdog in each one of his movies. Also, in all the movies, there is often a singular theme of perseverance despite any of the hardships Rocky must face. The same theme can be found in the spin-off of the Rocky series, Creed. Creed takes place after Rocky’s retirement from boxing. The new protagonist, Adonis Creed, is the illegitimate child of the late former heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed. Adonis receives help from Rocky to pursue his career boxing professionally. Along his journey, Adonis comes into contact with many characters that portray the same characteristic of being able to persevere through their challenges and afflictions. Although there seems to be a singular message, Creed’s recurring theme of perseverance can be expressed in many ways because of the various adversities each character had to overcome.
Throughout history, Americans have dealt with cultural and social tensions in a number of ways. For several decades, the nation was manipulated by fear and paranoia as the shadow of Soviet influence continued to loom large in everyone’s life. Rocky IV (1985) is an American sports film written by, directed, and starring Sylvester Stallone. Rocky IV tells the story of world champion American boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) seeking to avenge the death of a friend and defend his country’s honor by daring to travel to the Soviet Union and fight their best athlete on enemy soil. Director Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy film Office Space depicts a different kind of “enemy” in modern America, as it satirizes the daily grind of a typical software company and its disgruntled employees in the 1990s.
It can be heard in boxing gyms and continiously along the ring side at fighing events, “boxing is like a game of chess.” Many mix matial art (MMA) fighters would rather beg that MMA is like chess and boxing is checkers. Both checkers and chess can be fun and challenging but chess requires an higher level of planning, thinking, and anticipating your opponent. In return, boxing and MMA are very challenging and boisterous but MMA adds a higher level of danger, excitement, and cleverness. Athough the two pair take place in different areas and require different sets of skills, they both pit you one on one against your opponenet who you have to eliminate in order to win.
“Raging Bull” (1980) is not a so much a film about boxing but more of a story about a psychotically jealous, sexually insecure borderline homosexual, caged animal of a man, who encourages pain and suffering in his life as almost a form of reparation. Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece of a film drags you down into the seedy filth stenched world of former middleweight boxing champion Jake “The Bronx Bull” LaMotta. Masterfully he paints the picture of a beast whose sole drive is not boxing but an insatiable obsessive jealously over his wife and his fear of his own underling sexuality. The movie broke new ground with its brutal unadulterated no-holds-bard look at the vicious sport of boxing by bringing the camera
When ever you are going to see a boxing movie you know that it is going to action packed but Southpaw was much more than just an action packed movie. The story is focused around a legendary boxer who goes down hard in life and then heroically rises up against all odds. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the main character, boxer who becomes a superstar champion, Billy Hope. Hope is an undefeated professional boxer that lives in New York City. Hope is married to Maureen played by Rachel McAdams, together they have a daughter Leila played by Oona Laurence. In the first match that is seen, Hope defends his World Light Heavyweight title but also receives a serious eye injury. After the match, Maureen convinces Hope to retire and stop while he is ahead. She also
Gyllenhaal brings every ounce of his physical self to the role, but rippling muscles and a mashed-up face don't authentically constitute a performance. It's not quite his fault that Billy is such a maddening character. In the ring, it's a better story, but who authentically cares if the fight sequences are innovative. If I optate to optically canvass authentic boxing, I'll turn on the boxing channel. The boxing movie has a long and honourable pedigree, which is not just about men hitting each other. The fight game itself is plenary of good stories; the great movie is more about a simple primary emotion like 'I gotta get my daughter back'. Boxing is a grown-up sport in one sense. It comes with excruciating drama, but Southpaw feels like it's
Martial arts has a long branching history and the stories of its practitioners have continued to entertain the public both from the East to the West. In this paper, I will be reviewing two films that focus on the famous external southern style, Wing Chun. The films are “Wing Chun” (1994) and “Ip Man” (2008).