Inception (2010)

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Inception is a brilliant film with a unique, mind-boggling plot, filled with intense sequences that would keep you on the edge of your seat. You’ve got to pay close attention if you don’t want to get lost in order to follow the complex layers of dreams. Christopher Nolan tried so hard to ensure that this project remains discreet, now I understand why he went through the trouble. Just one piece of information could spoil the whole story so if you’re planning on seeing it soon, don’t worry I won’t ruin it! Or will I?

Dom Cobbs, portrayed by Leonardo DiCarprio, is the most skilled extractor who knows all the tricks and techniques incorporated in order to extract any secrets from your mind by delving inside your dreams. He’s got one last job, and perhaps the most complicated of all: he must perform inception, which is the act of implanting an idea in a person’s subconscious mind. In addition, this final mission will reunite him with his family, the highly anticipated moment that would wash away all his guilt and regrets of the past. He gathers a team composed of a point man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); an architect, Ariadne (Ellen Page); a forger, Eames; a chemist, Yusuf; and Saito (Ken Watanabe), who will give Cobb what he wants if he completes this mission.

The film duration is 2 ½ hours. You get 50 minutes to adjust to this new, fascinating world until the mission actually begins. This may seem like it’s dragging excessively and is laying too many pipes but the audience is captivated by the extraordinary visuals during the interference of dreams despite the lengthy inception. As soon as you reach the last epic scene, which is approximately the second half of the movie since there are scenes within this scene, you’re entirely engrossed in the film as the minutes tick away. Christopher Nolan brilliantly depicted how every dream within a dream appears slower than the previous dream as he flashes back and forth between the 4 levels. That leaves 4 timers ticking as the team executes inception!

However, Inception has a few flaws. There are several prolonged scenes with Mal (Marion Cotillard) that seem to drag. Also, some of the characters’ lines are not clearly stated so it’s hard to understand what they are saying, which is an issue since that’s what establishes the plot of the whole movie. Cillian Murphy is well casted as Robert Fischer Jr. but his character wasn’t completely developed. First, he appears nearly halfway into the film and at the end it’s hard to recall his purpose in the film!

Overall, I love Inception’s intricate twists and it definitely leaves me pondering at the end. The CGI Effects are phenomenal, ranging from massive buildings bending within enfolding cities to the explosive chaos of crumbling dreams! It must have taken them forever to film the scene of the revolving hotel hallway where Arthur fights projections with only seconds to spare in order to improvise a “kick” simulation.

Han Zimmer, one of my favorite composers, created the soundtracks for this film. It’s absolutely perfect! I’m listening to it as I type! These sophisticated soundtracks doubles the escalating intensity. First comes the delicate violins or strumming of guitars as the action picks up then the brass starts blasting in your ears!

By now you’ve probably realized that this is not for the Die Hard fans, it’s an intellectual psychological thriller. Sure, there are a lot of intense action sequences, but this is one of those movies that make you think deeper. I suggest watching it a second time if you exit the theater mystified.

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Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club is a brilliant, classic film and has an outstandingly well-written script and exceptional execution by director David Fincher. The film adaptation stays true to the novel with a few exceptions including the conclusion and flows smoothly as the story progresses along with constant narration by the main character. You may think that this film is all about violence, but you must delve deeper.

Throughout the duration of the film, the insomniac protagonist’s name is never mentioned; thus, he’s known as The Narrator. There are several theories such as Jack but that is based on figurative statements. On a flight home from his monotonous job, he meets Tyler Durden, a “soap salesman”, who leads to the spread of Fight Clubs in numerous basements around the country and later resulting in Project: Mayhem.

There is only one part that drags but, overall, this is a very fast-paced film that keeps you entertained and the intensity rises as The Narrator ventures deeper into crime and oblivion. During one of the action scenes, The Narrator is thrown down the stairs. The stunt man had to fall down the stairs eleven times and they ended up using the first take! I love that part!



In addition to Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are perfectly casted as the two friends who start the Fight Club in order to channel anger and aggression as a unique therapy. In addition to Primal Fear, this is Edward Norton’s second movie where he portrays a character with multiple personalities. Only The Narrator is more complex.



If you have not seen Fight Club, don’t read any further. Sorry, but I must continue, I love this film! In truth, Tyler is the manipulative alter ego of The Narrator. The Narrator may appear as only a member of Project: Mayhem under the leadership of Tyler, but he is actually the boss who leads numerous acts of vandalism.





After watching it a second time, you discover the countless clues throughout the film that leads to the cryptic twist at the conclusion. These meticulous details are proof of the non-existence of Tyler. Here are a few examples. Approximately 5 single frames of Tyler Durden randomly flash in the background of several different scenes before his character actually appears on screen. It’s as if The Narrator has already developed Tyler in his mind but just hasn’t released him yet. Also, Marla is never in the same frame with The Narrator and Tyler. There are many more clues; you just have to keep your eyes open.

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Avatar (2009)

Avatar made a worldwide gross of $1,025,378,961 in 17 days! James Cameron might beat his previous record of $1,835,300,000 worldwide for Titanic! Aren't I psychic? James Cameron has made a great comeback and Avatar is a brilliant mixture of action, adventure, romance, drama, and fantasy.

The plot revolves around a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully, who is involved in an extraordinary mission taking place in Pandora, which is the distant moon with toxic air that is light years away. Within Pandora, the Omaticaya tribe of Na'vi, 10 feet tall blue human-like creatures, happens to be inhabited just above a vast amount of rich minerals known as Unobtanium that are worth millions since it could possibly save earth from the energy crisis. The humans plan to force the Na'vi to leave their land so they could mine for the precious Unobtanium. A human could be mentally linked to an avatar as long as they are genetically similar. Jake’s twin brother, Tom, was part of the Pandora program and also had his own genetically engineered avatar. However, after he died, Jake agreed to take his place in the mission. While exploring Pandora and encountering numerous strange creatures with sharp fangs, piercing talons, and thundering roars, he meets Neytiri, who is a Na'vi and part of the Omaticaya tribe. Neytiri becomes Jake's mentor, teaching him many things ranging from archery, learning the Na'vi language, flying large bird-like Banshees, riding Direhorses, and many more. As the inevitable mission of the humans transpires to mine for the Unobtanium beneath the home-tree of the Na'vi tribe, the Avatar intervenes after witnessing such inhuman acts led by Colonel Quaritch. However, by defending the Na'vi, Jake has not only betrayed his own people, now becoming their enemy, but also lost the trust of Neytiri and her tribe. Now, the alienated Avatar has reached the defining moment to execute his own plan...

So far, Avatar is the most expensive film in history, costing approximately $230,000,000. Being the most anticipated film of 2009, Avatar made $232 million just over the weekend! I wouldn't be surprised if the film makes a billion dollars! James Cameron actually intended to film Avatar just after Titanic in 1997, however, he delayed it in order to let the technology catch up first, which nearly left a 10 year gap between the two films. Apparently, the long wait was worthwhile with superb results. The visual effects is stunningly realistic and takes the audience’s breath away as their eyes are glued on screen and they are transported into the mysterious world of Pandora. Filming Avatar requires meticulous work and every detail counts. The environment of Pandora includes phantasmagorical plants, colossal floating mountains, breath-taking scenes, and unique creatures.

Let’s not forget that Avatar is not just an animation film, where the characters are put into motion through the computer while the actors do voice-overs. This film is %60 CGI and %40 live action. During production, the actors would wear special suits so the camera could capture the character’s motion and they would have small green dots drawn all over their faces so that their facial expressions are visible. In addition, actors and actresses would have to go through months of training in order to learn how to fight. James Cameron also sent the crew out to the jungles in Hawaii in order to let the actors and actresses get the feel of the forest. Paul Frommer, a linguist, actually invented the Na’vi language, creating 1000 words. The main characters were taught the correct pronunciation and how to speak fluently. Avatar is the evolution of filmmaking and is without doubt the best movie I have ever seen! No one could possibly forget about the exceptional visual effects. Describing the film as a hybrid of live action and CGI, James Cameron said, “Ideally at the end of the day the audience has no idea which they’re looking at.” HD Trailer

Queen Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) is a compelling historical film, starring Cate Blanchett as the legendary Queen Elizabeth I of England, and won a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Costume. It is a controversial film because of its melodramatic influence over a more realistic epic film of a great ruler which was the height of the reigning feminist in history, the Elizabethan era. She might have been a female ruler donned in an ornate gown yet had the heart and mind of a powerful man.

The film takes place in the late 1,500’s while England is under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. The historical plot revolves between the fierce rivalry of two powerful countries, England and Spain. King Philip II of Spain wants to rule England and builds Armada to invade it and become its ruler. Later, he orchestrates a plot with Jesuit group to assassinate Elizabeth, known as the “Babington Plot,” implicating Mary Stuart as the Queen of Scots, for conspiring the act which leads to her arrest and later an execution for high treason.

Elizabeth is known to remain a Virgin Queen but as the Queen of England she perceives herself as married to her kingdom. However, there are dramatic twists in this epic film showing the attraction between Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh, an explorer returning from the New World played by Clive Owen. But her love for Raleigh ends when she discovers that he is discretely married to her favorite lady-in-waiting, Bess. Their intimacy provokes opposition and, outraged, Elizabeth banishes Bess from court and imprisons Raleigh in the Tower of London. She later forgives them and releases Raleigh to join the attack on the Spanish Armada ships, resulting victorious. Defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588 is considered to be one of the greatest triumphs in the annals of England.

The acting is absolutely superfluous and Cate Blanchett should have won that Academy Award for Best Actress. Also, the spectacular cinematography and Elizabeth’s ornate costume and white painted face, which is seemingly imbued throughout her skin representing an iconographic image of a powerful queen, successfully transport the audience into the scenes.

A controversy arose due to inaccurate historical facts that were altered due to the artistic vision of director, Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchett said, “It’s terrifying that we are growing up with this very illiterate bunch of children, who are somehow being taught that film is fact, when in fact it’s invention. Hopefully though an historical film will inspire people to go and read about the history. But in the end it is a work of history and selection.”

2012

-->2012, the best Doomsday film so far, is directed by Roland Emmerich, creator of several other disaster movies such as Independence Day, Godzilla, and Day After Tomorrow. Roland said that he’d make this the Mother of all disaster movies!
THE END IS NEAR… Doomsday, anticipated to take place on December 21st, 2009 by the Mayan civilization thousands of years ago, is just around the corner and the government is desperate for a brilliant solution to ensure the continuity of the human race. A sequence of natural disasters is prognosticated by several scientists such as immense earthquakes, devastating volcanic eruptions, and colossal tsunamis all around the world. However, this terrible fate is inevitable.

Jackson Curtis, a divorced limo driver, begins to suspect some terrible, unknown tragedy while taking his kids on a short camping vacation at the Yellowstone National Park. It all started when he was approached by the strange Charlie, who warns him of “the end,” and then all chaos breaks loose, ranging from speeding down a crumbling city to plummeting through the smoky ruins! Hurtling through every adversity, Jackson and his family continue on their frightening journey for survival.

This action-packed film never had a dull moment, constantly filled with catastrophic scenes of chaos from beginning to end! 2012 has superb, breathtaking CGI effects! You owe it to yourself to see this in a large screen. John Cusack did a great job portraying Jackson Curtis. It was totally hilarious whenever he’s late and he says, “I’m hurtling towards you as we speak!” when he is not even in the car yet! The script is definitely well-written and throws every disaster humanly possible at you, establishing an intensifying atmosphere that escalates every minute! The music and sound effects absolutely added to the intensity of the scenes, amplifying the suspense to the max! Unfortunately, this is Roland Emmerich’s last disaster movie. But I guess he has no other choice because he’s done it all!


Trailer

The Chase (2009)

Trailer



There is no escape...

After Roni witnesses two strangers exchanging a briefcase in the park, she couldn't resist the temptation of finding out what’s the story behind this suspicious act and got her friend, Danielle, involved, which led them into a wild chase.

The Chase (2009) is the first film that I have written, directed, and produced and is around 30 minutes long. While writing the script, I decided that I wanted an action-packed short-film with intense scenes that would keep the audience grasping the edges of their seats.

Making my first film was exhilarating and at the same time frightening. During pre-production, I encountered many roadblocks, and casting is definitely one of them. I ended up portraying the role of Roni. Overall, I had to rewrite the script around seven times due to casting issues and several changes. As a result of the limited schedule, we had to film rain or shine and day for night.

Is filming fun? Well, we had one scene that took place on a steep hill. As the camera started rolling, the sky turned dark grey and it started drizzling, but it also doubled the fun. And to answer the question, rolling down a hill is not fun. Well who would call plummeting down a bumpy, cold, damp hill with hidden rocks and going home with bruises all over your body fun? Not to mention the numerous retakes required.

Several challenges involved in filming this movie were setting up the lighting and shooting day for night. Experimenting with the lights was a pain. We would spend hours comparing the locations and brightness of the light. Adding to the difficulty, we had to make sure that the night scenes shot during the day looked realistic and consistent with previous clips. This is one reason why editing lasted for eternity. Well, "no pain, no gain." Without doubt, that was the most ambitious thing I have ever done. Now I could say that filming a movie is indeed fun.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Dances with Wolves, starring Kevin Costner, won 7 Academy Awards in 1990, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Sound, and Best Writing. It was also directed and produced by Kevin Costner himself.

This 1990 epic film depicts the story of Union Army Officer First Lieutenant John Dunbar, who embarks on a journey to the American Frontier to find a military post. Upon arriving at the post, Dunbar has anticipated more soldiers to join him. After several weeks of solitude, Dunbar finds it peculiar that no other soldiers has joined him and documents it in his journal. Unfortunately, Dunbar's assignment to the post remained unknown due to the death of the major, who was in charge of his mission. Dunbar later encounters the Sioux tribe and gains their respect and has been welcomed into their tribe as a member known as Dances with Wolves.

As a result of this movie, Kevin Costner was considered an honorary member of the Sioux tribe. In addition, the Library of Congress has chosen Dances with Wolves for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in the year 2007. This movie is highly acclaimed for its humanistic portrayal of American Indians. The casts’ performances are exceptional thanks to Costner’s directions and the cinematography is utterly prodigious. Another outstanding factor in this engrossing film is the soundtrack, earning John Barry an Academy Award for Best Music. Despite its duration of about 3 hrs, Dances with Wolves keeps the audience engaged throughout the film. This movie grossed $184 million without ever having to reach #1 on the box-office charts and is the highest grossed western movie of all time.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Terminator Salvation has got to be one of the best movies I have seen this year (Depending on how good Transformers 2 will be).

At the beginning of the movie, a convict, Marcus Wright, is being executed and he agrees to donate his body for medical research. Around 17 years later, Marcus escapes from a Skynet base and heads towards Los Angeles by foot and has no recollection of his criminal past. He has no clue about Judgement day or even what year it is.

Meanwhile, John Conner is leading the Resistance against Skynet in order to save humanity. While leading an attack on a Skynet base, he reveals a file regarding the T-800 Terminator, which includes living tissue. John appears to be the only survivor of a nuclear explosion at the base and he returns to Resistance Headquarters.

Once Marcus reaches LA, he is saved from a T-600 Terminator by Kyle Reese, who has no idea that John Conner is his future son. Once they hear a radio broadcast by John Conner, they begin their search for the Resistance.

However, along the way, they encounter many deadly robots and Kyle and several other people are captured by a large Skynet robot. Fortunately, Marcus escapes and attempts to get the Resistance to assist him save Kyle and the other prisoners. Luckily, he comes across a skilled pilot, Blair Williams, and together they embark on their trip to the Resistance Headquarters.

Nearing the base, Marcus is wounded by magnetic land mines. As he is being rescued, Blair and other Resistance fighters discover that Marcus is a cyborg with human organs, flesh, and blood. John orders that he be terminated but Marcus tries to persuade them that he is human and that he should be released in order to save Kyle.
However, John was convinced that this was part of his scheme and that as soon as he releases him, he will attempt to destroy the Resistance. Defying his orders, Blair sets Marcus free but during their escape, she is wounded and he reluctantly leaves her behind. While John is searching for Marcus, who is being surrounded and attacked by the Resistance, his helicopter is being bombarded by hydrobots and it crashed and landed in the lake. Keeping his words, Marcus saves John's life and together they infiltrate the Skynet headquarters.

What I love about this movie is the action and special effects! It is well-paced and the action is continuous. The casting was perfect and Christian Bale and Sam Worthington did an exceptional job at portraying their character. Christian Bale never disappoints me. I also think that Anton Yelchin was perfect for Kyle Reese. Although, the fight at the end seemed a bit short. Why did they let the T-800 Terminator die so quickly? Also, why can't they just let Marcus live? I like to see him in the next movie! I know that he is supposed to be destroyed because he is a robot but they could have left out the heart transplant!

Overall, the whole movie is outstanding. I love the movie! Just as I walked out of the theater, I already wanted to see it again.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

The James Bond movies are known to be one of the most popular franchises in Hollywood history. All the way from Sean Connery in Dr. No (1962) to Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace (2008) with another movie coming up in 2011. I believe that among all of these movies, Quantum of Solace is the most action-packed.

This film is a sequel of the previous film, Casino Royale. There is an intense car chase that takes place in Italy where James Bond is being pursued by other cars while Mr. White is trapped in his trunk. After he arrives at his destination, Mr. White is being interrogated by M about his secret organization. However, M’s bodyguard, Mitchell, reveals himself as a traitor and gives Mr. White a chance to escape by shooting at James and M. However, this did not stop James from accomplishing his mission to kill him.

While probing Mitchell’s apartment, he learns about the ecological organization called Greene Planet and meets Camille. A general known as Medrano, who is working with Greene, murdered the family of Camille years ago when she was still young. Now she intends to avenge her family. In addition, the two team up to destroy the Greene organization with the help of Mathis and Felix Leiter.

The plot was vague and not well executed. For some people, it is hard to figure out the motives in this movie but action-lovers tend to overlook the imperfections of the plot. I believe that Daniel Craig did a great job as James Bond. Although others may like Roger Moore, Sean Connery, or Pierce Brosnan better because they always appeared to be calm, cool, and collected even in times of peril while Daniel Craig gives James Bond a new identity. He is rugged, muscular, and his action scenes are more intense and physical. In addition, Camille is perfect for the role.

Marc Forster's directing was superb although at times it could be dizzying since the camera is constantly shaking during certain action scenes. Apparently, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace have less gadgets compared to previous James Bond movies but it has much more action. There is only one thing that I absolutely disliked in this movie. During the opera, the loud singing was very distracting while the audience was trying to listen to what was going on or watch the action sequences. Although opera lovers may find it okay. All together, it was a very satisfying movie and many were captivated by the pulse-quickening action.

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King Kong (2005)

Ann Darrow, portrayed by Naomi Watts, is an unemployed actress who is greatly in need of a job. However, she runs into Carl Denham, who is a filmmaker looking for an actress to replace the one who has dropped out for his movie, and is convinced to star in the film. Carl pays a captain to sail to a mysterious island, which, according to his map, is known as Skull Island. Along the way, Ann meets Jack Driscoll, who is a screenplay writer, and they fall in love with each other throughout the movie.

As they finally reach their destination, crashing into the island’s shore, they encounter natives in an old civilization and are being attacked. After escaping them and returning to their ship, Ann has been secretly taken away and offered to King Kong as a sacrifice.

The crew enters the dangerous jungles of Skull Island in order to rescue Ann. However, they stumble across large, deadly dinosaurs and insects. As they attempt to evade them, many of the crew has been killed. Meanwhile, Ann is being carried away by the massive King Kong.

However, the over-grown ape and Ann begin to enjoy each other’s company and King Kong does anything to protect her. As the sky begins to darken, Ann and King Kong are watching the breath-taking sunset on a towering mountain. Even when it seems as if all hope has been lost, Jack refuses to leave Ann behind and decides to search for her by himself while the rest of the crew returns to the ship and wait.

I believe that this is the best version of King Kong so far. I love this movie even though it was three hours long. Some may find that it is way too long. It was unbelievable how realistic King Kong and all the other creatures appeared and the visuals and sceneries were outstanding. Peter Jackson really has the vision and skills to create such an extraordinary masterpiece. All the acting was superb and the action was non-stop. In addition, Peter Jackson knows how to capture the intensity and suspense in the scene by playing the suspenseful music while the actors act. This movie also had excellent soundtracks. Some may believe that adding the dinosaurs to the movie was unrealistic and not a great idea but I thought that it made the movie even more exciting. It added suspense and was the perfect opponent who gave King Kong a chance to really prove how strong and powerful he was. It also proved his feelings for Ann and how he would risk everything to save her. The ending, as always, is very moving because there was nothing Ann could do to save King Kong. Overall, I believe that King Kong was a very pulse-quickening and uncomparable film.

Star Trek (2009)

 Star Trek is known as one of the most popular franchises. This movie shows how James T. Kirk became captain of the Enterprise. James Kirk was given birth to the day that George Kirk was granted command of the ship when the captain was requested to board Narada, which came out of a black hole and heavily damaged the USS Kelvin. George saves many lives as he stays behind during the evacuation and protects the shuttles from oncoming missiles. Just before the USS Kelvin collides with Narada, George’s wife gives birth to James.

James is now grown up and runs into Captain Pike, who tries to persuade James to enter Starfleet and possibly become captain of the Enterprise in around 8 years of studying. However, James laughs at the idea of joining Starfleet. Pike then states that James’s father saved 800 lives in 12 minutes of command and challenges him to do better. James considers this, and decides to join Starfleet the next day.

Now being a student at Starfleet for about 3 years, James attempts to pass the Kobayashi Maru a third time, which has never been done before, and this time he finally passes. However, he is being accused of cheating by alternating the computer in order to win. James meets his accuser, Spock, a Vulcan student who is half human. During the official inquiry, a rescue mission interrupted the hearing. Although Kirk has been grounded and could not join the mission, McCoy helps get him into the Enterprise on medical grounds by injecting him with a vaccine.

It turns out that the lightning storm that the Enterprise is approaching is the same lightning storm that the USS Kelvin encountered before the Narada emerged from the black hole. He informs Captain Pike and Spock confirms that he is correct. As the Narada approaches them and attacks, lowering the Enterprise’s shield percentage, Nero orders Captain Pike to come aboard. Spock is given command of the ship and Kirk is now first officer.
Spock beams down to Vulcan to save the council, including his parents, just before Vulcan implodes but in the process of beaming them back to the ship, Spock lost his mother. Millions of Vulcans died and very few of them survived. Now that Nero’s objective is complete, he heads for Earth with the help of Captain Pike. Now the Enterprise must do their best to save Earth and Captain Pike.

I just recently saw Star Trek in the IMAX theater and I was amazed by the spectacular visuals and sound effects. The actors did a superb job at portraying the characters. The script was well written and the action was continuous. This movie captured the audiences’ attention with a mixture of humor, action, suspense, and mystery and is a must see.

For people who are considering watching the original Star Trek movies, if you are looking for nonstop action, don’t watch it. However, Star Trek fans find these movies interesting for their plot and story. The plots of the original Star Trek movies are very fascinating and although the movie is older, its visuals are also breathtaking.

Rocky (1976)

Rocky Balboa is a boxer who has not developed all of his techniques. Apollo Creed, the current boxing champion, is trying to make himself look good by giving an unknown boxer a once in a lifetime opportunity to fame and wealth by challenging him in the ring. Many doubt that he'll defeat the champ but he goes for it anyway. During the fight, Rocky would have won if there was just a few more seconds but Apollo still won. At the conclusion of the movie, Rocky didn't care if he lost because he decided boxing is not for him and he just wanted to be with his girlfriend, Adrian.

One of my most favorite part of this movie besides the final fight, is when Adrian comes into his place, asking if she could use the phone to call her brother just in case he might be worried. Since Rocky didn't have a phone, he just opened the window and yelled out across the neighborhood instead.

I enjoyed all of the Rocky movies and I love the inspirational theme song. Rocky was an instant success when it first came out in theaters despite its low budget. It had a brilliant script, excellent acting, and the fights were directed well and made you feel like you were in the ring with the two actors. Sylvester Stallone did a fantastic job portraying Rocky's character and is the talented screenplay writer who started the Rocky franchise. Not only did he write the script, but he began directing the Rocky movies after he starred in the first movie.

The second movie is as good as the first. Apollo may have won the fight in the first movie but a few seconds more and it would have been over for him. He intends to ask for a rematch but Rocky decided to retire and spend time with his his wife, Adrian. However, he can't find a decent job because of poor education and a past criminal record, and ends up working in a meat packing company. It wasn't long until he was fired and decides to return to boxing, accepting the rematch with Apollo. Apollo thought that Rocky was just lucky that he survived the 15 rounds the last time. Apollo was also surprised by how tough and enduring Rocky is and now he knows to train harder the next time. However, so does Rocky. Apollo fails miserably and looses his championship just before he retires. Now, Rocky is the champion!

Rocky 3 is also very entertaining but probably just can't beat the first or second. Now Rocky appears undefeated after many victories and is enjoying his fame and glory with Adrian and his son. Rocky decides to announce that he is retiring when Mr. T. as Clubber Lang challenges him. Adrian is against it and Mickey informs Rocky that Clubber Lang is a killer compared to his recent fights but he disregards the warning. Before the match, Mickey suffers from a severe heart attack and Rocky couldn't get his mind off of Mickey and is defeated by Clubber. After the funeral, Rocky is back in the old gym when Apollo approaches him, offering him help in training for the rematch with Clubber. According to Apollo, Rocky has lost the "Eye of the Tiger" and he must work hard to regain it. After training and Rocky is about to fight at the rematch, Apollo lets Rocky borrow the shorts he wore on their first fight together.

I love the song "Eye of the Tiger." Sylvester asked the rock band, Survivor, to write this song just for this movie. It also became very popular and was also known as one of the best movie soundtracks. I also love how Apollo comes back into the story after his embarrassing defeat in the second movie and helps Rocky defeats Clubber. As always, Sly did great as Rocky and Mr. T. did an excellent job at portraying the ferocious Clubber and had that intense expression on his face throughout the whole movie.