B-and-B - I changed the clip to a longer one. Watch it again, I think it’s even more powerful now.

And I never thought I’d say this, but after watching that video at the end there, I think I’m gonna have to declare Sly Stallone my new motivational speaker.

As for Lois, She IS a skank! she always has been. She’s always smoked. Always been impulsive and she’s always been a “star-fucker”.

I mean, everyone knows Supes is an alien but she still wants to hit that? All the while being dismissive and condescending to “Clark”?
i wouldn’t put it past her to fuck some dude a month after Superman dipped. She was prolly mad he “hit it and quit it.”

What’s she gonna do? tell the boy scout? No way was she risking her silver medal when she had no reason to think Supes would return.
This is what women do! Didn’t we discuss this in a previous post?

Smash’s last blog post..The Soulless

But I’m sitting here thinking about what sly (who i agree is a pretty good screenwriter. “Rocky” was brilliant) could have done differently. Changing the third act fo the movie isn’t enough. The victory as told doesn’t work for the reasons outlined.
Having it end in a Rocky loss or draw, while more believable, had already been done twice.
Really the only thing to do is make Clubber less likable. Unfortunately for me I love the character as is, but for the purposes of Rocky’s story arc it would have to be done.

You know what? I’ll tell you EXACTLY what he should have done! (and i grant that this easier with the benefit of hindsight)

Rocky 2 should have been about Apollo’s story as well as Rocky’s!

The character beats for Rock in the second movie were fine, almost pitch perfect, but what about Apollo’s “lost eye”?
i’m thinking they could have transplanted Rocky’s story arc from “3″ onto Apollo in “2″
Same stories getting told, but across two characters in one movie as oppsed to one character in two. And isn’t that what life is? Isn’t the world at any given moment, THAT rich in story.

Being a sequel, the grander story would not have been out of step and the rematch would have been all the more epic after our investment in TWO noble characters. Rocky’s “one-second victory” would’ve properly reconciled BOTH plotlines.
They both would be “true champions”

This also would have left room for the 3rd movie to be the FINAL movie following a similar plot of “Balboa”.

eh. i’ve said enough about this.

Smash’s last blog post..The Soulless

Not to mention general scumbag behavior by Superman and Lois. Lois sleeps with Richard so close to when she last slept with Superman that she can lie about the paternity? And obviously both with out condoms if either one can be the father. HO. Then she lets a decent guy think he’s the father of the child for years? Then Superman, after stalking her the whole movie like a creep, keeps the secret from Richard too? Richard is more heroic and decent than ANYBODY in this movie. I also found Batman Begins to be dull as hell too.

I think it has something to do with the Superman Mythos. I think good superman stories can’t be about Superman fighting people. He’s super.
what’s interesting is the circumstances and people surrounding him. I think that movie did an adequate job with that. Almost as if Ang Lee directed it.
But I also didn’t completely dislike the Hulk movie. I’m a big fan of the use of silence and space to tell a story. That’s why I love Miles Davis and why I also thought “Way of the Gun” was a brilliant movie.
you’ve just inspired my next post.

Smash’s last blog post..The Soulless

Smash - I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen part 3 in so long that I forget many of the plot details you bring up now. Like I totally can’t remember the tomato can fight or the circumstances around Mickey’s death. But based on your descriptions, you make a good case. I have to rewatch and get back to you.

T.’s last blog post..The Rocky Fallacy

So I guess my criticism is not about storytelling choice but the execution of it. If that’s the story he wanted to tell and if those are the emotions and concepts we’re supposed to get enlightened too, why didn’t we? He did it so well for the emotiona beats and ideas of the first two movies and even in the last one. But really, short of wanting the more “familiar” character to win-we’re given no genuine reason to want Clubber to lose!

I think part of the reason was that Clubbber wasn’t villainized enough. In fact, thru the first 2/3rds we’re really only given reason to like him. He was hungry. Talented. Had the best lines and was the victim of injustice with the subplot of Mickey staging “tomato-can-fights” for Rock

I suppose the death of mickey was supposed to do it for us. but it was a complete accident. All Clubber wanted was a fair shake and when he got it he performed admirably. Why should we have hated him in the first fight or even in the second? It was obvious that he was physically superior to Rock. You’re telling me he lost HIS “eye of the tiger” in the span of six months?

It didn’t make any sense. The feelings we felt were artificially manufactured through the use of a great song from Survivor. If not for that we wouldn’t have cared if he won the title back.

The irony is that 3 is my favorite. But the fact that it is because i completely identify with the “villain” from start to finish is a testament to the failure of his story-telling.

Smash’s last blog post..The Soulless

No, they say, “Yeah, fuck the Royals, the damn losers. How about them Red Sox! They’re kinda like underdogs…to the Yankees…except they’ve won 2 world series in 3 years.”

What I’m trying to say here is most people don’t really wanna root for the underdog, because they hate losing so much. The real fan, the real pride, comes from sticking with your people even at their lowest. That’s where the real pride comes from. Not being shallow.