Batman (1966) – The Penguin Goes Straight, and Not Yet, He Ain’t

John Cardwell and Lorenzo Semple Jr. join forces to tell The Penguin Goes Straight, which first aired on 23 March, 1966. And as the title suggests it seems that the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) has gone on the straight and narrow, something he demonstrates when he foils a hold-up after a theatre performance. That gets him…

Rocky V (1990) – John G. Avildsen

Sylvester Stallone writes and stars in Rocky V, which sees the return of John G. Avildsen to the series, back for the first time since his directorial turn in the original Rocky. This one get slammed pretty hard by Stallone and some fans (at least it doesn’t have any robots in it) but this may…

Rocky III (1982) – Sylvester Stallone

With ‘Eye of the Tiger’ blaring from every radio station in 1982, it’s wild to think of a time before the song, and the film existed. 1982 was a great year for moviegoers, and Sylvester Stallone brought Rocky back to the screen for a third go-round, in Rocky III. Once again, he wrote, directed and…

Batman (1966) – Fine Feathered Finks, and The Penguin’s a Jinx

It’s that bat-time, and I’ve got that bat-channel, so it’s time to dig into another pair of episodes of the classic Batman series from 1966. My love for the first two episodes is apparently not a one-off, because I absolutely enjoyed episodes three and four, which combine to form one full story featuring that cagey…

Rocky II (1979) – Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone writes, directs and stars in his 1979 follow-up to the 1976 hit Rocky. Picking up moments after the first film ended, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is dealing with the fallout of his fight with Rocky (Stallone) while Rocky is having his first brush with fame and money even as a rematch is on…

Rocky (1976) – John G. Avildsen

From the horn fanfare created by Bill Conti to the fantastic steadicam work (a revolutionary reveal at the time), to an open, honest performance from Sylvester Stallone, 1976’s Rocky remains an iconic film, and the first ‘sports’ film to win the Best Picture Oscar. Stallone wrote the film and was heavily involved in its making,…

Magic (1978) – Richard Attenborough

Somehow this title has slipped through the cracks of my viewing, and I had never seen it before I threw it on for the next misadventure with Killer Dolls as featured in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book. Its directed by Richard Attenborough, written by William Goldman, based on his own novel, stars Anthony…

Creed II (2018) – Blu-Ray Review

Creed II hits blu-ray and DVD today from Warner Brothers, and it continues to prove it is its own beast, while embracing the Rocky-universe in which it is set. And this film does so even more than the first film, because, well this time, it’s personal. Tying in directly with Rocky IV – you know…