Category: Five Star Favorites

Rocky – Five Star Favorites

Rocky is a 1976 movie directed by John G. Avildsen.

WHAT HAPPENS?

An aging club boxer gets a chance to prove himself against the heavyweight champion of the world.

ONE LINE REVIEW

Rocky is a beautiful American story about determination, pride and loneliness.

THE ACTORS

Sylvester Stallone stars in the lead role as Rocky Balboa, an aging, down on his luck club boxer. Stallone takes what could be a limited, cartoonish role and infuses the character with a unique earnestness. Physically, Stallone is born for the role – his unique face and slurred speech resemble a hardened prize fighter.

Talia Shire is terrific as Adrian, the meek, painfully shy pet shop worker who falls for Rocky. Her lack of confidence is intense, as she continually hides her face – never making eye contact. She ducks behind bird cages and scurries away when Rocky approaches. Her character later emerges as Rocky’s support system – her voice and self-esteem grow as the movie progresses.

The cast is rounded out by Burt Young and Burgess Meredith. Young is spectacular as the moody, alcoholic Pauly. His emotional breakdowns are stinging – he viciously snaps on his sister Adrian, then collapses in tears. Still, there is a lovable quality to Pauly – Young plays up the comic aspects of the character. Meredith is great as the crusty, cynical Mickey. He plays the character with absolutely no filter – he coldly dismisses Rocky before offering to later train him. It’s a complicated, tarnished relationship.

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Phantom of the Paradise – Five Star Favorites

Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 movie directed by Brian De Palma.

WHAT HAPPENS?

A disfigured composer trades his soul to an evil record producer to have his music heard.

ONE LINE REVIEW

Phantom of the Paradise is an eclectic, campy, bizarre, brilliant and beautiful work of art.

THE ACTORS

Paul Williams stars as the enigmatic record producer Swan, who is searching to find “a new sound” to open his rock theatre, The Paradise. Williams is a smarmy, manipulative creation – an ode to rock n’ roll Machiavellian power brokers. He easily discards as human collateral the pop sensations he creates. Yet, there’s a goofy vulnerability underlying his character – Williams lustfully grins as the Phantom’s murderous rampage causes a ratings sensation.

William Finley plays the Phantom, largely to comic effect. It’s a campy, physically ludicrous character in a movie that never takes itself too seriously. Finley contorts his awkward body into cramped, dystopian hallways and fires comic-shaped lightning bolts from among the rafters of Swan’s theatre.

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