To say “Rocky IV” (1985) is simplistic is to say two more words than I think Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago said in the entire movie. Sylvester Stallone cashes in (or sells out?) by exploiting the Cold War in what turns out to be, more or less, a 90-minute music video of workout montages, flashbacks and forgotten ’80s hits. But there’s also James Brown singing “Living in America” when Apollo Creed enters the ring to fight Drago. That scene says more about the spectacle of boxing than anything ever filmed. If this movie only exists for that one purpose, it’s enough.
Archives for posts with tag: James Brown
I was expecting a typical biopic, but “Get on Up” (2014) is so much more entertaining, so much more creative. Is it lazy to say the movie matches the man? James Brown, because of the sloppy last years of his life, has been reduced to that of an entertainment industry cartoon character (I know. As a TV newsman, I once stalked him in a driveway as he was bused into Broad River Correctional Institution). But he was a musical genius and an innovator on and off the stage. No, it’s not lazy to say this quirky film does him justice.
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