(I’m sure at this point The Rev will swoop in and ignore every single thing I’ve said and write grammar police-esque thesis, while conveniently ignoring the commonality of typos, especially when there is no option to edit a post).

“Oh, I have to admit that Tommy calling someone an “uninformed and ignorant pseudo-intellectual” was hilariously hypocritical, considering how big and important and smart he considers himself and his opinions”

Interesting. Having convictions and sticking to one’s guns is an indication of having a superiority complex? Very interesting indeed. I was asked to elaborate and describe precisely what I find profound about the franchise and I did.

“in comparison to how much idiotic nonsense flowed out of his fingers.”

Oh of course. Of course it’s idiotic. No legitimate explanation as to what, in particular, is idiotic about what I said though. So typical. Believe it or not, there is a lot more to things than the mere surface, which is what you and others like you are hung up on. Just because you can’t see why lies beneath, doesn’t mean it’s an empty void.

Really quick, let’s break down the words I used that you seem to feel were unwarranted. “Uninformed”-Those who speak excessively negative about the franchise may have seen a few of the films once, but they didn’t take the time to really understand what they were watching or how the story works. “Ignorant”–more or less on par with “uninformed.” It’s not a euphemism for stupid. It’s meant literally. Simply put, most of the people here just don’t get it. “Pseudo-intellectual”–a type of person that is typically blinded by their bloated sense of self importance. They are the ones who have superiority complexes and who speak with exaggerated and animated mannerism (or in this case, “write”) who tend to be overly opinionated, while merely subscribing to whatever school of thought is generally accepted–not usually to facts or possibilities.

Do you get it? Does it make sense? What is interesting to me is you can’t seem to handle the fact that I will not conform to your way of thinking.

Oh, I have to admit that Tommy calling someone an “uninformed and ignorant pseudo-intellectual” was hilariously hypocritical, considering how big and important and smart he considers himself and his opinions, in comparison to how much idiotic nonsense flowed out of his fingers.

Uhm…

First and foremost, your ridiculously presumptuous attitude impresses no one and I am proud to say my education did not come from some watered down, government mandated institute–in other words I wasn’t brainwashed or indoctrinated.

In regards to these so called “reviews,” what is lacking sorely is journalistic integrity. Your lame attempts at ridicule are too dull and utterly laughable to even really respond to on an individual basis.

Yes, I meant precisely what I said; the point of the franchise did go over his head. It goes over most people’s heads. You are viewing the surface of it all.

I am not interested in the incoherent ramblings of uninformed and ignorant pseudo-intellectuals such as yourself, the poster of this review and too many others to name.

You, like many others, see Rocky Balboa as nothing more than a naive or simple minded pugilist, but others who are passionate about the franchise and who truly understand the profound nature of the story and its characters–especially the titular one–knows that Rocky is an ideology placed inside the body of a boxer; an existentialist operating on mythological platform, rooted within the constructs of reality.

His battles, trials and tribulations; the triumphs and tragedies all transcend the dynamics of the boxing ring. From a literal standpoint there is so much more to the story than the damned “boxing” which people seem to get so hung up on, but metaphorically speaking, it is extraordinary. The first film represents humanity’s battle with life (being the unbeatable enemy, much as Apollo Creed was to Rocky Balboa in the original film). We know it’s not something that can be physically overcome, but what matters is how we have lived, how we have dealt with the obstacles thrown in our paths, etc and in the end, when that final bell rings (metaphorically speaking here), we will know what we are made of, as our characters will have been tested, and we may have a shot at having a little self respect. It is a marvelous celebration of the human spirit and an exploration of a diverse love story.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and if people want to view Rocky IV and Rocky V in the typical light others do, then go for it, but they have their merits just as the others do. Rocky IV was the biggest departure. Most people seem to dismiss it as a display of 1980s excess at its worst; a jingoistic “good” America v.s. “evil” Russia, and nothing could be further from the truth. People don’t seem to realize what the world was like in 1985. We were still in the midst of the Cold War and Ivan Drago is the embodiment of the abominable enemy people were terrified to get close to, had there ever been a physical conflict. The anger, hatred, fear and anxiety which was fueled by many propagated sources were all exercised in the story. Sylvester Stallone cleverly explores the nature of government deception and mass manipulation by the media. Although Ivan Drago’s despicable action of killing Apollo Creed and being absolutely remorseless about it does not go excused, once he and Rocky are face to face, it becomes a clear and simple, man against man, human being against human being situation, as opposed to a sensationalized, distorted perception of each other and their respective nations through the eyes of falsehood spreading machine. I could go on about this, but I believe I’ve said enough to make my point.

The negativity toward Rocky V has always baffled me. It brought the story back to its roots and, while not as great as Rocky Balboa, really brought back the humanity of the first couple of films and the love story aspect of the saga continues as Rocky inadvertently begins to discard the very thing he is trying to save, by placing an enormous amount of stock in the success of his protege. I’m not going to go into every nook and cranny of Rocky V, but the bottom line is this: there is much more to it than meets the eye.

Among Sly’s best films,Nighthawks and First Blood are excellent and his recent Rambo 4 is a superb war movie. I also think that Rambo 2 is a perfect war-action movie. I consider it his best film and the best action movie of the 80s.

I think Drago was ordered to kill Apollo. Notice after the match when he delivers his lines ( I cannot be defeated, I beat all man, if he dies he dies) wich were obviously fed to him by his handlers there his a sad look in his eyes. And when he looks at Rocky I don’t see defiance, he seems sorry for what happened. Go watch that scene again, you’ll see.

Also before fighting Rocky he says ‘I must break you’. Notice he says ‘must’ not ‘will’. He’s telling Rocky this is not personal, he’s following orders. The way I see it Drago threw the fight after he rebelled against his handlers. There was nothing for him to win by beating Rocky. After saying ‘I win for me’ Drago was a free man. That was his real fight.

For myself, I will keep proudly waving that flag. I mean, why wouldn’t I? Also, I was offended by your remark about finding my comment about Japanese people being short offensive. So, you know, I guess we’re even now.

Also, the comment about Japanese people being short. Yeah it’s a joke but it’s the sort of narrow minded insult that I actually find offensive.

Shame really because I enjoy Ken’s writing.

My god, that was wonderful. I’m frequently bringing that point up in various movie-related conversations, but I could never have stated it that perfectly.^_^