Better

On a long shot, I looked through my movie collection to see if there was a nice cinematical experience that would cheer me up...and Rocky Balboa called to me.

I love this movie. The original Rocky is a classic film and an amazing piece of American Pop Culture. When it was announced that Stallone was making another Rocky movie, everyone (myself included) let out a collective groan. Ol' Sly had made himself into one of those 'has-been' actors and it was a bizarre appearance of art imitating life. However, I was in for quite a shock.

Once this hit video stores, it had built up some decent buzz. I hadn't watched a Rocky film in years and figured, "What the hell?" I'd give the Italian Stallion a try. I am so very happy that I did. This film has become one of my favorites. Stallone approached this movie as everyone should approach their autumn years. There's several excellent speeches in the movie and the whole film captures the spirit of the first movie.

He doesn't look pathetic. He looks old, but not unrealistic. In fact, the special features on this movie go into detail regarding what Sly did to prepare and how the final fight was stages as close to a real boxing match as possible for the film. My respect raised for Stallone tenfold.

There is nostalgia, naturally...but it's mixed with a new reality. I hope the new Indiana Jones movie is this good at mixing those two elements.

So, needless to say, watching the movie (and getting some laundry done) have put me in much better spirits. Nothing like watching someone who is told "you can't" prove 'em wrong.

And he's right. It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.