Way late review: Rocky Balboa

It only took about 16 years for Hollywood execs to burn Rocky V from their memories in order to allow Sylvester Stallone one last Rocky film – Rocky Balboa. Unfortunately for Stallone this meant he was just about 60 years old. As if making one last Rocky film wasn’t hard enough. The boxing world has …

Way late review: Rocky III

Rocky is the champ. He’s defending his belt since beating Apollo Creed. He lives in a giant house, owns numerous sports cars, looks better than ever. Top of the world for Balboa in Rocky III. Yet lingering in the background is an angry fellow with long feather earrings. Mr T? No (well, kind of). B. …

Way late review: Rocky II

After the surprising success of Rocky, there had to be a second – if only for business reasons. Beyond the financials, one could argue that there was a decent reason for Rocky II to be made. Rocky and Apollo Creed left their first match in much doubt. It would be easy to believe that Creed …

Way late review: Rocky

I’ve seen Rocky so many times now it’s hard to separate the memories of watching it from the film itself. It’s gotten so bad that I often think scenes from the next two movies were in the original. The best sports movies are often less about the sport and more about the men and women …

Way late review: Spirited Away

I’ve never taken LSD. After watching Spirited Away, one of my son’s favorite anime films, I think I know what it’s like to take LSD. Not that it matters all that much, but here’s the synopsis and a juicy Oscar tidbit: During her family’s move to the suburbs, Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase) wanders into …

Way late review: Back to the Future

Nostalgia heavily tints a movie like Back to the Future for someone my age. It’s not just another movie. It’s a phenomenon. Michael J. Fox. Huey Lewis and the News. 1985. As my son likes to say, “good times, good times.” Watching the movie always feels familiar and comforting. This time around I watched it …

Way late review: Soul Surfer

If my six year old daughter was reviewing Soul Surfer I think she’d give it two big thumbs up. She’s watching the movie again for the second night in a row. Some might think that’s quite sweet until they discover this is a movie based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfing …