Movies Revisited

Day #8 of 31 Days of Storytelling


So this weekend we managed to cram viewing Rocky 3 and 4 into a pretty busy weekend.

We have our priorities, I'll have you know.

Rocky 3 is when Rocky fights Mr. T who is actually Clubber Lang in the movie.

We tried to explain Mr. T to my daughters. 

And the television show The A Team. 

Let's just say some things just don't translate generations.

Like when we excitedly sat them down to watch an episode of The Dukes of Hazard.

They asked incessant questions (and quite frankly, ruined it for my husband and I):

"Why is there talking but their lips aren't moving?"

It is called a Narrator.

"Why don't they open their car doors?"

Because that is the coolest thing ever.

"Why are they always being chased?"

Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane don't like them.

"Why? Are they bad guys?"

Um, no, well, maybe?

Rocky 3 wasn't the love story that Rocky 1 and 2 were.

And Mickey, Rocky's elderly trainer, died. 

Which just devastated our girls.

And Clubber Lang beat the holy heck out of Rocky.

The first time.

Then Apollo Creed (Rocky's former nemesis) decides to train Rocky in a rematch of Clubber Lang.

It was all about the business of boxing and not love.

And Rocky didn't look the same. 

Before

After

As his drunk brother-in-law, Paulie, said, "You fixed up your face."

 My daughters weren't ooey-gooey for it.

Then we watched Rocky 4--the one with the Russian Drago

"I must break you"

who kills Apollo and Rocky fights to avenge Apollo.

Did I lose you?

Again, not a love story.

But an intense national pride, 

personal pride, 

man vs. machine kinda story.

With a little back story of the Russia/USA hate and fear of nuclear bombing from us, the girls got sucked into the intensity of the movie.

So did we.

The boxing was so intense.

I hid my eyes more than once.

McDaniel wore boxing gloves the entire movie.

At one point, she screamed that Rocky should fight Drago's wife.

She was a bit mouthy.

Ironic side note:  Sylvester Stallone married Brigitte Nielsen, who played Drago's wife, for a brief 2 years.

iPhones are handy.

As Drago was entering the ring to fight Rocky, Ellie thought he looked like Wreck-It Ralph, Disney's newest animated movie to be released in November.

By the end, even my husband was punching the air helping Rocky defeat the Russian.

We all cheered loudly when Rocky won.

McDaniel announced that she still wanted someone like Rocky.

Sigh.

There are worse things.

Right?