Rocky III

Rocky III is the point where Rocky Balboa stops being the hungry underdog and starts living like the champ, and that’s exactly why it hits so hard when everything falls apart. We recommend the 1982 boxing sequel, then unpack why the story’s real opponent is comfort: commercials, celebrity, easy title defenses, and the creeping fear that you might not be the person you used to be.

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Music produced by Joey Prosser. X @mrjoeyprosser

Transcript

Welcome And The Rocky III Pick

SPEAKER_04 0:02

Hello and welcome to the We Recommend Podcast, a movie podcast where every week we recommend a movie for you to watch, and then come back here and listen to us discuss. I'm Jesse. And I'm Jason. No, I don't hate Balboa. I pity the fool, and I would destroy any man who tries to take what I got. Because this week we recommend Rocky 3.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

Get a rock. Get a rock. I'm gonna have a heart attack, Rock.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

R.I.P. R.I.P. Mick. Loved you. You made us crap thunder and fart lightning.

Ranking The Rocky Movies

SPEAKER_02 0:45

This movie is fucking wild. Like the the Hulk Hogan. Thunder lips. The Thunderlips.

SPEAKER_04 0:50

Get out of here. Dude, this movie, so I'm just gonna tell you my personal rankings. I love Rocky One. And just out of the four Rockys, it pretty much goes in order. Rocky One, my favorite, Rocky II, my second favorite, three is my third favorite. Four. Even though I know it's sillier and it's the one people like the most, I always thought it was a lesser Rocky. I can't wait to rewatch it. Because after after rewatching three, I was like, fuck, this movie goes. Oh my god. Are they all tied for one? Is that what it is? But it is a movie where it seems like they're like a part of the the indiness went away from it. Like the the storytelling changed. Yeah. And it it became less about like Rocky and more about boxing. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. And a part of that is like why I don't hold it in high regard as the other two. But the them turning Rocky into Apollo in this movie, I think is a genius idea. Oh, that was pretty cool. Of where it's like, oh, now he's acting like Apollo Creed, how he acted in the first two movies towards Rock. And it's like, oh yeah. It's like such a good idea. It's like once you get to that success, once you start getting that success, it like all goes to your head. And I was like, oh, I'm doing commercials and stuff like that. It just takes one hungry young fighter to knock you down. And then it's just like, what a great story.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Yeah. Fighting to get the hunger back.

SPEAKER_04 2:12

Yeah. It's like it takes like give someone else the underdog story and then just like immediately makes Rocky the

Rocky Becomes Apollo Creed

SPEAKER_04 2:20

underdog again. It's just like they're so good at making him an underdog. It's insane. And I think the and again, something the reason this franchise really, really, really, really works for me is because of Adrian. She's the heart of these fucking movies. And every time they they crush it with her.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

She's got a lot of her hair is a lot better in this movie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:39

Yeah. I mean, everybody got even more handsome except for Sylvester Stallone.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

He's only getting weirder looking. Yeah, I don't know. Polly was still kind of Polly.

SPEAKER_04 2:49

Yeah, Polly is Polly. We don't talk about Polly in this household. Polly sucks. He does. I mean, it's like I like that he sucks because you know, like everybody has that one person in their life where it's like, we gotta keep him around for some fucking reason.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Yeah, why the hell are you keeping he's the didn't wasn't he like physically violent with Adrian?

SPEAKER_04 3:08

Yeah, I mean he's no good bad guy. He uh wants to definitely have sex with his sister. It's like it's because he had to take care of her. I think he became like a weird, like it's got like a weird like authoritative like power over her. But you know, in the previous movie, he's like, fuck you, I don't care what you have to say to me. I'm my husband can beat the crap out of you now.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Oh yeah, he can.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

Yeah. So Jason, Rocky I, Rocky II, or Rocky III.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

I don't I enjoyed Rocky III a lot. I don't really remember Rocky II as much. I don't even think I did that one with you guys, did I?

SPEAKER_04 3:47

I'm pretty sure you did. Oh. It's where he won the belt from uh it's of the like first like two minutes of the movie. If you don't remember that, maybe you didn't watch it with me, but I'm pretty sure you did. Yeah, maybe. Um well punching. Definitely not Rocky II.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

There was a lot of funny um boxing terms, like they say something about them being the champion fisters or something. Something like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:10

It's it's like, all right. Yeah, that word had a way different meaning back then. Uh um I think that like you know, the montage in this movie's great. They're running on the beach, it's very homoerotic, it's a very homoerotic uh uh montage. I mean, just like he's wearing a crop top. There's so many close-up of their thighs while running, and they run into the ocean hugging each other. I'm like, I was like, they became very close friends in this, and I was like, I think they're gonna, I think they might have kissed a little bit. Adrian's over in the corner, like, this is gonna be a problem later.

Beach Montage And Mr. T Arrival

SPEAKER_04 4:50

Um, so this is like so before this movie, the only thing I really know that Mr. T was in was he's like a guy on the street in Blues Brothers. Yeah, like an A Team. Yeah, but he it like this, he did this before 18. Oh, really? Yeah. Um, so this was like his first like actual movie where he's credited, really. Um, what'd you think of him in this movie? I thought he was he did a lot better than I thought he was gonna. He kills it, man. He really like he it's because it's kind of the first time he's his first movie, it's like you don't realize this is his whole bit, like the way he acts, but man, he's such an intense guy, and the way he talks, it's so hypnotizing almost.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Yeah, he's so good at trash talking, he really makes Rocky act.

SPEAKER_04 5:36

It's like he can really make you scared. Yeah, it's like his fast talking and the way that he breaks the just I don't know, just the way he breaks up the way he talks. It's it's wildly entertaining. It's very talented, and he looks great as a boxer. Yeah. I would be terrified to fight him.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

He's got the style. I mean, obviously, before he started wearing all the gold chains, I guess, but like he's all he's already wearing like the Native American earrings and like he just looks scary.

SPEAKER_04 6:03

This is the this is the first time he said I pity a fool and became his catchphrase. What?

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Yeah, this is this is where it came from. That's incredible. Yeah. Because he always pities the fool after this.

SPEAKER_04 6:12

Yeah. I don't even think he actually ever says it in uh A-Team. It's just like it's what he's known from, but like I'm pretty sure he never ever said it in that show. Yeah. Because I watched a lot of it when I was younger.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Yeah, I I don't know. I just that's the phrase you think of when you see it.

SPEAKER_04 6:26

Like anytime he's like, all right, sound like Mr. T.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

I pity the fool.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

I don't know. It's just it's a part of me almost wishes that we had a not a sequel, but just like a different perspective on this for this movie. Just like, just you know, they came out with Rocky III and then they came out with Rocky III, but it's all about Clubber Lang. And just be like, I would totally watch that, just see like his whole backstory, which I know he's like an orphan and stuff, and that's why like the line of like I will destroy any man who tries to take what I got. Hell hell. So it's kind of like his backstory is that he was an orphan and he came up on the streets and things like that and learned to be a boxer.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

But that being said, like he's I think he's a good character, but there's really no antagonist in the movie.

SPEAKER_04 7:12

Yeah, they kind of needed to give him a little bit. He needed to be in it more than he was, I feel like.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Because I thought that he was gonna like I thought that he like Clubber was going to actually kill Mill Mick. Yeah, like I thought he was gonna do something so horrible to Mick that he was gonna have a heart attack or something.

SPEAKER_04 7:27

They save the antagonist killing someone for the next movie. Yeah. Which we will do next year. And I'm I'm excited to re to re-watch Rocky Four. It's been like a really long time since I watched it. Is that the one with the Russian? Yes, I will break you. It is good. I can't wait. This is very silly compared. This is you can tell it started getting a little sillier in this

Thunderlips And Wrestling Side Quest

SPEAKER_04 7:50

one. I feel like than the previous two, you know, adding thunder lips. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Although I like that's what the heel does, though, in wrestling, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 7:59

Yeah, and it's fun because this is like the first time you ever got to see Hulk Hogan be a heel. But you you didn't turn heel until the 90s for the first time. Everybody wanted him to. He's always like the good guy. Eat your say your prayers and eat your vitamins. Gave everybody you do his little ear thing, yeah, and then he'd give a thumbs up. It's like, I don't know. It's like I and it's it's something that makes this movie like very precious to me. It's because of having Hulk Hogan there and it's like the 80s Hogan, where it's like, oh man, like I know you're a pretty shitty dude, but like yeah, but you know, back in the day no one knew. Yeah, nobody knew, so it was all okay. It's just nice that you're the good guy that was very strong and could pick up Andre the Giant. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Which is so big compared, like, Jesus.

SPEAKER_04 8:45

I know, and it's crazy that Andre the Giant made Hulk Hogan look like Rocky in the scene. That's insane to me. And he picked him up late. He sort of kind of picked him up against Andre the Giant. He really struggled and it was barely a body slam. But I just love the reference of him. It's just, you know, him picking up him, and then later on, he would go on to pick up Andre the Giant. It's just uh I love wrestling. Used to. Um, so would you rather have Mick or Apollo as your trainer?

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Apollo.

SPEAKER_04 9:13

Holy hell yes.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

That'd be awesome. Although I do like Mick's, I do like Mick. No, yeah, he's great in these movies and all of that.

SPEAKER_04 9:21

But man, it's just no one is as charismatic as Carl Weathers in the Rocky series. He's it's like when he comes up and he's like, I'm gonna train you, I'd be like, Rocky, stop pouting, get off your ass. Carl Weathers in this movie. I don't know. It's just such a beautiful little, it's like a perfect trilogy. And it could have really ended, you know, if they kind of came up with maybe a potential better ending um or like story around it to make it the final film. But just the whole Mick dies, Apollo ends up being the trainer, and it's just kind of like the cycle of how the lives of boxers are. It's like you do it until you can't, and now you train, and then it's eventually gonna cycle into Rocky doing the same thing, like with Creed.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Oh man, what if Rock what if Rocky Balboa was the trainer for uh like um God, what's her name? The the girl boxing movie. Oh, million dollar baby. Million dollar baby.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

Still never seen that.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

It's so that's gonna be my don't spoil it.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

Um so yeah, I just put it like Adrian really is the heart of these movies, and it kills me every time. Like every time he's like fighting, and then it cuts to her, and she's like, I'm always like, Don't don't fight that fight. Okay, it's so weird. And then like, you know, she finally she gets like a real good speech, and at the end of this movie, and of course, this movie has the great like I've I see this scene in reels a lot. I'm afraid, all right? I'm afraid. You want me to say it? And it's like I've sent many reels with like you know, with a caption about something, and then he says, I'm afraid. It's like such a good scene. But like her, she gets to deliver a little monologue and she fucking crushes it and love it, absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

I'm gonna have to uh have you teach me how to do memes later because I'm bad at it.

SPEAKER_04 11:07

Oh, I don't make them.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

I just no no no not making them, just sharing them. Sharing them.

SPEAKER_04 11:12

I don't know. I just send them all to my wife. Um, so my last question is like, you think Rock would be a good father? Yeah, he seems to be pretty good. Or you think like eventually the son's like, why do you sound like this? I love like he's just talking about the Goldilocks, and to sound smarter, he keeps saying, therefore. It's so funny. He's got all the words punched out of his mouth. Yeah. It is nice that he got it's fun to see him go from Rocky to where he can't read to now he's like they're reading Shakespeare with a skull. Yeah, it's like what do they say? He's like, You became civilized now.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Yeah, you can't box. But that made you a weak boxer. You gotta be dumb.

SPEAKER_04 11:59

Yes. It's like you think one thing sport. So, according to an interview given by Mr. T, he attended the movie's premiere with his mother. During the scene where he yells lured remarks at Adrian, his mother turned to him and said, I did not raise you to talk to a lady like that. And then she stormed out of the theater. What? It's like, hey, Ma, calm down. It's a movie. It's not real life. Oh, that's so sad.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

I know.

SPEAKER_04 12:28

It's honestly Mr. T. It's honestly such a charming little thing, though.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

He runs out chasing his mother. Like, mom, what? It's just a movie. It's a movie.

SPEAKER_04 12:37

Actually, she's sitting right there. I can tell you.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:40

It's like it's not real.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

It's funny to think that she's the one that he's afraid of. I know.

SPEAKER_04 12:48

That's how like a disappointment. That's usually um, that's how a lot of a lot of times it is with big tough guys. They're their moms are like the people they care about and protect the most. So uh Rocky III is Carl Weather's favorite film in the Rocky saga because he thinks Apollo Creed is humanized so well in it. Yeah, I think so too. He's got more of a dynamic, like he still likes his. It's just the whole talk of like, you know, when they go into Mick's gym after Mick has died, and he's like, you know, retirement, the worst part, it's like how quiet it is. It's like you just wanna, you just wanna do something and get back in the ring. But then he's also still got like, and also I'm gonna make a lot of money from this. He retired at like what 35. Oh yeah, it's crazy. And I love that they keep calling Carl Weathers like an old man in this, and he's like two years younger than Sylvester Stallone, and you can see it. It's like I'm like, he is not older than Rocky. I'm sorry. Hulk Hogan received the initial offer to be in the movie after a wrestling match against Andre Rene Rosamoff at Shea Stadium. At first, he thought one of the wrestlers was trying to pull a prank on him. When he returned from a tour in Japan, Hogan received a Western Union letter he had to sign for the contents. Sylvester Sloan offered to be in the movie. He immediately signed on for the role of Thunderless. Nice. Such a good, such a good name for that.

SPEAKER_02 14:14

Could you imagine him being in Japan just towering over everything? That'd be insane. Japan loves wrestling.

SPEAKER_04 14:20

Really? Yeah, they have like their whole whole wrestling thing over there. And like a lot of American, there's like plenty of American wrestlers that like got their start in Japan and things like that. Yeah. That's pretty neat. Yeah. And it's weird because like um the thing with like wrestling in Japan is they don't act like American audiences, they sit quietly and watch. I remember it was Chris Jericho. I was watching like, because I used to buy like all the wrestling documentaries, and he was like, Yeah, the first time I went to Japan, it was I thought I sucked. I thought I thought no one cared about my match. And then like throughout the night, I realized this is just how they watch wrestling.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

Like politely.

SPEAKER_04 14:54

Yeah. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

I just imagined Hulk doing his whole like listening to the crowd thing, and nobody's saying it's just crickets.

SPEAKER_04 15:02

I do wonder it was like maybe they're kind of different or different like decades, maybe. So maybe it was a little different. I don't know.

Rocky Trivia And Eye Of The Tiger

SPEAKER_04 15:10

So uh during the making of Rocky III, a nine-foot-tall, 1500-pound bronze statue designed by A. Thomas Schomberg was placed at the top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. After filming raps, Bester Stallone tried to donate the statue to the museum, but they said they didn't want it, sparking a huge debate between the museum and the city arts commission about what it constituted art. The museum claimed that the statue was nothing more than a movie prop and didn't want it. Local people were outraged and the statue was ultimately placed in front of the Wachova Spectrum uh in South Philadelphia. It was later returned to the art museum for the filming of Rocky V, after which it was again moved to the front of the spectrum. Later, the statue was put into storage and then moved to the park at the foot of the famous stairs leading to the public museum of art, Philadelphia Museum of Arts.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

They didn't put it in that warehouse where the uh Ark of the Covenant is cut. Right.

SPEAKER_04 16:05

Well, it's just like what a weird thing. It's like, oh, it's a movie prop, not art. And I'm like, well, movies are considered an art. They made a statue for a movie. It's an it's an a statue's art.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

They kind of made those stairs like the most famous stairs in America.

SPEAKER_04 16:19

It's like, hey, do you want people to go to your museum? Guess what? Put Rocky in front of it. And they'll be like, well, we made it up the stairs. Might as well go in this museum. So weird how like finicky they can be. People can be about stuff. Turn their nose up. Yeah. So uh Stallone admits that after Rocky II you ran out of ideas and that this and Rocky IV focus more on the fight and training, whereas the first two films had more elements than just boxing.

SPEAKER_02 16:45

I I know. For the third movie, why don't we punch some more?

SPEAKER_04 16:48

Yeah. What if we somehow make this similar fights even more entertaining? How crazy would that be? So the version of Eye of the Tiger used in the film has been never been officially released. The Survivor album and single release and various Rocky soundtrack albums all feature the standard Survivor Studio version, missing the noticeably heavier bass on the power chords and distinctive trigger tiger growls after each chorus. Song co-writer Frankie Sullivan recalled that Sylvester Sloan was so thrilled with the song that he just went ahead and used it without waiting for a polished studio cut. And that's how the demo version became the one uniquely used in the film. Interesting. So this is the first time Eye of the Tiger popped.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Nice. I didn't know that was uh Roger in it.

SPEAKER_04 17:33

Rocky III kind of really uh really did a lot, you know. Especially for these movies, because you think of Eye of the Tiger,

Rope A Dope And Boxing Realism

SPEAKER_04 17:40

you think of Mr. T and like what he eventually become. It's like I'll started with Rocky III. It's weird. That is weird. Yeah. So to reclaim the title, Rocky pulls off a trick commonly known as rope-dope, making the opponent believe he has the fight, teasing the opponent to make the adrenaline pump and wearing the opponent out so much that you can easily go in and knock him down. The trick was used by Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in the famous Rumble jungle. Yeah. Which you can watch. I don't know if you ever watched it. I remember watching it when I was a little younger. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

It's like on YouTube. I love how he went from because his first fight with Mr. with Clubber, he just stands there. It's like the same with the first movie you've seen, or the other ones where he just stands there and lets the other guy hit him in the face a lot. He's a brawler.

SPEAKER_04 18:28

He's not a he's not like uh Carl with Apollo where he kind of dances around. He's more of a I get hit and then I hope I can wear and I don't get knocked down and then I wear them out by using my face. It works. So I mean obviously I feel like real boxing, you just can't do that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

I'm sure people, I mean, I guess they kind of especially when you're fighting someone huge. Like one punch is gonna hurt a lot. Yeah. How do you train for that? Just get punched a lot, sparring. Have your have your trainer hit you with a two by four.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

That's why it's like Carl Weather's just beating the shit out of him and trying to get it's like you gotta get used to getting hit. It's like everybody's gonna play until you get hit in the mouth. That's what Mike Tyson says.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

You get hit in the nose once, it would hurt so bad, I'd be like, I can't quit. Yeah, it sucks.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

I know. When I was younger, I wanted to be one so bad. A boxer? Yeah, so bad. Had all the games. Me and my little cousin used to just we're like children with boxing gloves, just like it didn't hurt because we could barely hold the gloves up enough to hit, but it was fun. Everybody just sitting in the kitchen watching us, rooting for you, taking bets. We're like, oh god.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Go into the corner with your mom. Yeah, cut me. Cut me, Ma.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

Cut me, Ma.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

Cut me, Ma. Awesome. She cuts you and then kisses you.

SPEAKER_04 19:47

It's like it's like, give me something to Drake, pours water in my mouth and cookies. Give me the cookies. Um pours iodine on your on your eye. Oh my god, I accidentally put O Brother Ort though note in in the notes for Rocky III. So uh for our previous movie, we did O Brother Out there. Here's a little um note for that movie. Ulysses Everett McGill's childhood home, shown at the end of the film where they go to search for the ring, is actually based on the cabin from Evil Dead. Joe Cohen is the assistant editor on that film, his first feature. I had them both up while I was doing notes, and I put it in the wrong one. All right. So, Rocky. All right, we're about to hop into the plot of Rocky 3 featuring Clubberlang.

Tell Us The Movie Point

SPEAKER_04 20:39

Good ass name. Oh, Thunderlips and Club Lang.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

Thunderlips, who came up with that name and fire them. It has to be Stallone.

SPEAKER_04 20:47

He wrote the movie. But before we get into it, please we would like to know what the point of the movie is. You can send us an email at the bottom of the description. We have our email. We recommend it at mailbag at gmail.com, or you can click the link at the top where you can just click it and text us from your phone. And if you're on YouTube, maybe like our boy Mark with a C, you can comment there and we'll read it there as well. So let's hop into the 1983 movie Rocky. Or is that 82? I think it's 82. 82.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Rocky III. Almost as old as this movie.

SPEAKER_04 21:23

Nice. That sucks. Congratulations.

Plot Setup Fame And Complacency

SPEAKER_04 21:27

So the movie begins. I start weeping at the recap of Rocky II. Um, yeah, we just see the whole ending of the Rocky II movie, essentially. Or he beats Apollo. So, in 1980, four years after winning the World Heavyweight Championship against Apollo Creed, Rocky Babo has had a string of 10 successful title offenses defenses. Mickey is in Rock's Corner for all the fights while Polly watches from the stands and takes to drinking. James Lang, or Clubber Lang, follows Rocky's career. Lang is a fighter himself. Himself, who continues to train himself hard, waiting for the right opportunity. Lang competes in the lower circuits and has a perfect knockout record. And like we see him slowly rise up to the ranks to be the defender. As Lang improves his rankings, Rocky is busy with his numerous celebrity endorsements. Rocky's manager, Mickey, wordly eyes a young, powerful clubber Lang, rapidly rising through the ranks. Lang tells Mickey that he wants Rocky. Lang challenges Rocky for a shot at the title during a TV interview. It's kind of like the Holby, and it's really just kind of a starts with a montage, which is great. Love it. He's like doing like Capital One card commercials. Like he does uh Sesame Street on the Muppet Show, too.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

Muppet shows.

SPEAKER_04 22:41

That was incredible. That was his actual episode of the Muppet Show, yeah. I never knew he was in it. Um, but yeah. Love it. It's just like, ah, he found his success and he's happy, but he's getting he's getting weak in the knees. He's getting comfortable. And then we have our bundle of joy, Polly, who's drinking and he's a little bitch about Rocky being so famous. He hates everything about him. Jealous AF. He goes to an arcade. He's gonna hates pinball. Goes to an arcade, smashes Rocky's pinball machine. I like that this part's kind of filmed like a horror movie. Like the music kind of kicks up. And I'm like, he does it a couple times. They're like, wow, that's a really effective sound that they're using. Um, Polly is gets thrown in the drunk take and tank, and Rocky bells him out. Polly is upset that Rocky hasn't given him a job and he hasn't invited him to live in his house. He isn't just taking care of this grown-ass man because he let Mickey live in the house, and it is kind of one of those things where it's like, well, I mean, I don't I I wouldn't want Polly around either. I barely would want Mickey around. Yeah. Um, yeah, and he's mad that he has taken Adrian away from him because he wants to secretly have sex with him. Rocky calls him a bum, Polly fights him, and then he asks for a job. He's like, Well, that's all you want.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

You desire this.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

He throws his Rolex on the ground. He's like, Oh, you give me this watch $100,000 watch.

SPEAKER_03 24:12

Yeah. And he's like, it doesn't even keep the time well. Yeah, I can't read time.

SPEAKER_04 24:19

Um, but yeah, then I like I like it though. He's like, man, you really throw a you really can fight. He's like up in his ego. So great.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Really? Yeah, yeah. Hey, Adrian. So Rocky seeks the Adrian in bed. Hey, Adrian. Polly's a bitch. Yeah, hey, uh I hate that guy, don't you think? Therefore.

SPEAKER_04 24:42

But yeah, so Rocky sings the Adrian in bed. It's so romantic and not cringy at all. It's just, you know, I don't know. It's just hard to see Sebastian Salone. Being romantic. Like, but in like in the first one, it works because it's so he's awkward. Yeah. And this one, now that he's like got more confidence and he's they're both kind of more confident, it actually is weirder now. I don't know. But it's like, I love those two. I'm glad they, I'm glad they make it. So Rocky's fame, wealth endorsements, and celebrity profile have increased, leading him to participate in an exhibition charity event against a world wrestling champion, Thunder Lips. Or hulk Hogan, baby. Thunderlips is seven feet tall, weighs 390 pounds. Uh meanwhile, Rocky weighs in a measly 202 pounds. Rocky takes it easy for the charity event, but Thunder Lips takes it very seriously and sees the beat Rocky in the ring.

SPEAKER_02 25:39

I know, wouldn't you think that they would have gotten together to correlate? Since it's wrestling and that's what you do.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

It's weird. It it's like I'm not sure. Because, you know, people believed wrestling was real back in the day. And it's like now everybody knows it's all fake. I mean, people still thought it was then, but you know, I mean, it's just not what it is today. You know, you could kind of make it seem real back then because it's like mainly just holds and punches. Yeah. Versus now you're like flipping all over the place and things, and it rules.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

Body slams.

SPEAKER_04 26:11

But it's like there's like so much of old wrestling was getting somebody on the ground and holding their head. And then they're shaking. Yeah. And it's just like, wow, that's all wrestling was and like, you know, just hitting him with both like pump handle slams and things like that.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

It is a pretty fun wrestling match, though, in the movie.

SPEAKER_04 26:28

Oh, this fucking rules.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

This is like a hardcore wrestling match. Throws them out into the crowd and everything.

SPEAKER_04 26:33

And it's it's like I'm like, so, and there's a part where Hulk Hogan's like, You thought this was fake? And I was like, Well, it is. It's supposed to be. Um, but yeah, and like Rocky like is going into is like, hey, let's all smile. It's a it's charity. Thunderlips, I'm gonna kill you. So Rocky is shocked and barely manages to draw with him by removing his gloves and choking Thunder Lips with a necklock and then throws him out of the ring. Um that was a struggle. Yeah. It's like I love it. Because then he's like, yeah, because he gets thrown out by Thunder Lips and he's like, Polly, take my gloves off. And he runs around and starts punching them actually, and it's great. And then he kind of does like the you know, like the body slam outside of the ring, which is something cool that he did with Andre the Giant a few years later at WrestleMania 3. Um so, and then you got some great lines like why are they carrying him? He's walking because he's so tall. Um there's a part, it's like nobody, nobody, even for charity, would want to fight him. It's like Bob Hope would. Then Mick, that's true. It's like, it's so funny. Um, and like this is such a big deal because like you know, like he was never gonna turn heel. Like that was the thing with Hoko and it's like everybody wanted to turn heel. Then finally he joins WCW and the NWO begins. And it's just like watching it now, I'm like, this is so fun that you get like old school looking.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Yeah, it was cool seeing him like in all of his sweaty glory. Being a shithead, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:03

It's like great. And then he becomes a real shithead in WCW. Um, there's another great line. Uh Rocky asks, like, how much does he eat, Mick? About 202 pounds. It's like, man, he did a great job with his script, Svester did, in terms of just making it really kind of funny in certain parts. Um, so we're back at Rocky Mansion. He is taking care of his kid. He explains Goldilocks. He keeps saying therefore. Um, while, and then they are they go to the unveiling of a statue of himself at the stairway by the Philadelphia Museum of Art just prior to announcing his retirement.

Clubber’s Challenge And Mickey’s Truth

SPEAKER_04 28:39

Rocky is then publicly in like the crowd's like, no, we want to see you die in the ring. Lead for us. Which that is how uh um like Sylvester Sloan was gonna end Rocky III. He's gonna end him dying in the ring. He's like, that's the only way that we could really end this series is him doing is dying in the ring, because that's what he would just eventually do. Nice. Not how it went, though, obviously. Um so yeah. Rocky is publicly challenged by Lang, now the number one contender. Lang accuses Rocky of intentionally accepting challenge from lesser opponents and goads Rocky into accepting his challenge for a championship fight by talking about Adrian. And at that point, I'm like, Rocky, you gotta knock the shit out of him. No one talks about Adrian like that. We protect her in this house.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

It's perfect though. Yeah, it's great theater.

SPEAKER_04 29:40

It's like, hey, he wants that fight, he knows he can beat him. He's watching him, he sees that he's like not into it as much anymore. And then I mean, what better way to beat the champ than when he's ready to quit? Well, let him retire and then you just become the champ, right? Yeah, but you gotta beat the best to be the best, Jason. If you want to beat the man, you gotta be the or if you want to be the man, you gotta beat the man. That's what Ric Flair in wrestling always said.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

I saw his documentary. That was fun. Yeah. I don't think I actually watched his. I need to. Yeah, he talks about his workout routine. It's crazy. Like walking up flights of stairs on his hands. Yeah, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 30:15

And then, like you see him and you're like, you're not even like the fittest one. He's got the cardio. Yeah. It's great. Love Rick Flair. He's one of the best talkers. So Mick initially wants no part of it. Pressed by Rocky, Mickey confesses that he handpicked opponents for Rocky's title defenses in order to spare him from another beating of the kind that Creed gave him in the rematch. He explains that Lang is young and powerful, and the most of all, he's hungry. That Rock won't last three rounds because he hasn't been hungry ever since he won the title, and he became civilized. It's like, oh, what a I mean, I don't blame like the stuff that Rocky goes into here. To hear that like I spent four years fighting ten people thinking I'm the best, and then you just gave me the easiest people to fight. Yeah. Or like people that aren't nearly at the same speed as Apollo Creed. Right. You know. That's like that was kind of a call that's that's something like even to bring it to just something like modern right now, that you know, because I watched Survivors. Logan Paul or Jake Paul, whichever dumb brother it is. I it was all for money. Yeah. There was nothing serious about that fight. So stupid. Like, why would you why? Uh money. Yeah, I guess. Fight someone who can actually fight. Well, it's just like, I mean, boxing just isn't popular anymore. They all, if you wanted to be like back in the day, nobody really did UFC or MMA. They're all like, you know, and now people want to do that over boxing. So there's just like not nearly as many boxers there is to fight. I'm assuming. I don't know. I guess so. I don't follow boxing anymore. I used to, I used to love it. I used to watch it, used to come on HBO stuff. I remember watching Mike Tyson bite an ear off. Whoa. I watched that pay-per-view. It was fucking sick, dude. I just I remember like that whole night. It was it was so rad. Uh terrible, but rad. Mike Tyson, crazy person. Um so, but like what I was saying, like that idea of that like your paper champion is such a real thing. Oh wow. Like in Survivor, just like the silly little reality show Survivor. There's so many contestants that return, they're just like, people didn't think I should have won. They said that I had it easy. And then, like, that's the only reason I won, and I never would be able to win again if I came back. And then it's like them just being like, even though they won a million dollars and won the show, their season of the show, it's like it wasn't enough because they're like, you had it easy or something, or it's like the the other contestants on the show wasn't weren't that great. So that's the only reason you won. And it's just like, so you know, it's such a real feeling of like, oh, people don't think I earned this? Well, fuck them. Well, Survivor, you can just get voted off, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 33:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:07

Yeah, but it's not really it's like, you know, like let's say the there's an Boston Robb. I don't know if you've heard of him. Well, he's like one of the most famous pop uh Survivor contestants, right? And they're the season that he won. I mean, it really was like everybody just kind of did what he said, and it was just like, did they like handpick these people to like do whatever Boston Rob says? So like he gets a lot of flack online because of that. And I'm like, I think it's just because he's a charismatic guy who's able to like kind of manipulate people to watch them what Survivor is, you know. Um, but yeah, so like it's sort of like a real thing that people go through. And I thought the movie kind of shined a pretty decent light on it. Interesting. Um, Survivor Talk. Yeah, I love Survivor. We literally are re-watching all the ones we watched a couple years ago. Just love that shit, man. It's weird. It's like the best reality TV show.

unknown 33:57

All right.

SPEAKER_04 33:57

So Rocky, now knowing that he never really defended his title against the best opponents, convinces Mickey to work with him for one last fight. Despite his promise to Mickey to live in the gym, Rocky trains in a Las Vegas style environment that is filled with distractions, such as merchandise cells, women kissing him during his session, which was his wife at the time. Oh, nice. Yeah. Photo opportunities and the works. This time it is Rocky who does not take his training seriously to Mick's chagrin. In contrast, Lang trains with ruthless determination and vigor. The end of some sparring, Mick tells Rock that he is proud of him for the last time. But yeah, it's just like you can just tell, it's like Rocky is so done. He's so ready to be done with fighting, and he thinks, like, oh, I've been winning, I can just win again. Yeah, it'd be so easy. But he's like, he doesn't have the cardio, he doesn't have any of it because he's just too busy dancing around. It's become Apollo Creed. It's crazy. It's so good. It's like if someone didn't watch this, I'm just gonna just keep saying it's so good until people believe that's good. Yeah, it was pretty good. Yeah. I don't know. It's just it's kind of why I really like doing this podcast because it's like something I never really just immediately caught on to, but now that I'm like really diving in, I'm like, oh my god, I love this. So Lang and Rocky meet at Philadelphia Spectrum on August 15th, 1981.

The Loss That Breaks Rocky

SPEAKER_04 35:13

Mickey tells Rocky that Lang has never been 15 rounds with anyone yet and advises not to go toe-to-toe with Lang. Pandemonian a rust backstage as Mickey is violently shoved by Lang, causing Mickey to suffer a heart attack due to underlying heart condition. Uh evidence during Rocky's charity fight with pro wrestler Thunderlips. Distraught, Rocky wants to call the match off, but Mickey urges him on while in the dressing room. Rocky's lack of preparation is worsened by his concern for Mickey, preventing him from fully concentrating on the fight.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

Did they not have a an on like a standby medical team at these?

SPEAKER_04 35:46

Well, the doctor did go in, but like Mickey was saying he didn't want to go until after the fight to the hospital. Because there was a doctor with them. They're trying to put like oxygen on them, but because uh Mickey is a hard-headed man, he's like, I don't want help, I just want to die. Um but yeah, there's no way in hell I would fight after just witnessing maybe one of the closest people to me almost dying. I'm like, I can't do this. If my mindset isn't I gotta win for Mick, it's I'm worried for Mick, then you can't do it. You can't focus. Yeah. Now if it made you have that drive, like, hey, if he dies, I at least want to my last fight win for him. Yeah. That's not your mentality, don't fight.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

That's that's kind of where I thought they um that's where it was gonna go. Like he was gonna be killed, and then Rocky was just gonna go super ham on club.

SPEAKER_04 36:35

Yeah. Like, no. It's like in football all the time, like if quarterbacks like had someone that died in their family, but like the same day that their game is, they always end up usually playing, and and then just ends up being like a five touchdown game for him. And it's always like, Man, it's crazy when you really have that like fire behind you. You can really do anything. It's crazy. Um, so before the match, Apollo is introduced into the ring to talk to the fighters. Lang is mean because that's Lang's like, how about you put on some gloves? I'll kill you. It's like it's a chill out, man. And then Apollo wants Lane knocked out by Rocky. Um, so the match begins. Well, it the thing I like about it is that like after he lane kind of shits on Apollo, Apollo goes to him, he's like, Huh. I don't think Rocky's actually gonna win. Like you can almost kind of see it on his face, like, oh wow. Yeah he's gonna kill Rocky. So the match begins with Rocky. He's like beating up Lang with several huge blows, looking for an early knockout, but he can't put Lang down due to his lack of conditioning. Lang quickly recovers and takes charge, dominated Rocky and knocking him out with a Haymaker left hook in the second round, winning the World Heavyweight Championship. It's like great because he's like jabbing, boom, boom, boom. And then, oh, my turn to fight. It's like, oh, he's dead.

SPEAKER_02 38:01

Could you imagine being hit that hard? Insane.

SPEAKER_04 38:04

I don't know. I mean, this movie does such a great job with the sound of the punches. It's like because they don't sound like actual punches, they sound like a car crash, just like minimized. Yeah, no, I know, because like Mr. T looks just I mean, looks like a robot. He looks like the Terminator in the ring. It's amazing. He's just it's like I just want to wish I just could have that presence. Just like I'm big and I'm in this room, and y'all all know it. Always being one of the smaller guys in a room. Never had that feeling.

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Like a little yappy dog.

SPEAKER_04 38:42

Yeah. Hey guys, I can fight too.

unknown 38:45

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

So after the match, Rocky tells a dying Mickey that the match ended in the second round knockout without saying who was the victor. Mickey dies right after he says, I love you, kid. Oh Rocky lapsing into severe depression, mourns over Mickey's death. The Sylvester Sloan cry was That was pretty silly. That was pretty bad. This is this is his worst performance out of the Rocky movie Safari. He was he's so overshadowed by everybody versus the last couple movies. Because he's such a drown downtrodden like boxer and playing stupid very well, it really works. But in this one, there's like just something off. I think it's just Sylvester Sloan's actor.

unknown 39:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:26

Or it's just like the uh well, maybe it's just like kind of weird because he sounds the way he sounds, but he's acting the way he acts. So it's it is kind of there's this unintentional comedy, I feel like, in it.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Yeah, for sure.

Apollo Training And LA Culture Shock

SPEAKER_04 39:40

Um so yes, stopping by Mickey's closed gym, the forlorn Rocky encounters his former rival, Apollo Creed. The best damn character in these movies. So good. Creed offers to help train Rocky for a rematch against Slang in exchange for future favor, which Rocky accepts. Creed says there is a fight left in the old horse and they are not ready to retire just yet. Plus, you can make a ton of money by promoting the fight. But Rock has to have the Eye of the Tiger. Oh yeah, he does.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

It's the Eye of the Tiger.

SPEAKER_04 40:15

And uh don't worry, if you want someone to say Eye of the Tiger again, they will say it 15,000 more times in this movie. So remember the song, Rocky? Yeah, remember? And I love that um uh because it's like Mickey, or no, it's Polly, Apollo, Rocky, and Adrian watching like a news thing talking about Clover Lang. And like Polly's like, I don't know, it just feels like a family sitting there watching it. And it's like they haven't even really got to that point, but because it's the third movie, you're just like, here's all these characters I know and like. And then like when Polly's like, we're gonna give them something to talk about, huh? Apollo? And he's like, Yeah, we are. And it's just like all our friends are together, even Polly's in a better mood.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

Yeah, I felt like there's a lot of times where Paul or Apollo should have just punched the shit out of Polly.

SPEAKER_04 41:07

Yes, when we're getting Yes, because we're about to find out not only is he an alcoholic, Polly, he is also a bit of a trainer and a racist. But I don't think he's like necessarily being racist. I think he just hated LA, but every time he was saying something, he was surrounded by black men, and it was just like, Polly, shut the fuck up. So Apollo then takes Rocky to the gym where he once trained called Tough Gym. Uh, that's a gym for African-American boxers in Los Angeles. As they walk in, everybody stops and stares at them. Apollo tells Rock that they look like they have the look that they have is the look Rocky needs to get back. The eye of the tiger. Oh, yeah. Polly is very skeptical as the place has no class because he seems racist.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

And there's no like concert band, you know, or like orchestra.

SPEAKER_04 42:00

This movie hates LA. This movie is like Philadelphians went to LA and said, fuck this town.

SPEAKER_02 42:06

Yeah, there's no trash tornadoes here.

SPEAKER_04 42:08

Yeah. We don't have homeless in Philadelphia. There's no drug problems in Philadelphia either. It's like, I don't know. I I I guess just I don't know. I didn't live in the 80s, so I don't know like what Philadelphians actually thought of like Californians and things like that. But it definitely seems like they're like, we have the perfect town in Philadelphia, and this town's run down and it's going to the dog. Maybe it was, yeah. I don't know. Which I mean, I know they had like, you know, I know LA has like bad homelessness and uh like drug use, but I'm like, so does every city at this point. That's true.

SPEAKER_02 42:43

This is probably a little worse than but I I usually only see like pictures of people that are like crash out on fentanyl, you know, they just like stop where they are and kind of lean and like kind of stay there for like ever.

SPEAKER_04 42:55

That fentanyl lean. Yeah. Or the hero heroin lean.

SPEAKER_02 42:58

I saw this great video of a guy doing that. He's like doing this in neighborhoods that I can't afford to bring down the cost of living.

SPEAKER_04 43:06

He's like not actually on fentanyl, he's just pretending to be.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

He and his friend are just like hanging out in the middle of the sidewalk in front of these really nice houses doing that.

SPEAKER_04 43:14

It's so that we were uh for it was a few years ago at a bachelor party in uh Nashville. We were standing outside of a place, and there's this guy, he's just like his knees are bent. He's just kind of swaying. He's hot as fuck. And I was like, I was just like, oh man, he must be really messed up. I didn't really know much about fentanyl at that time. But then there was like this whole this group of like young, younger people than us, like in their 20s, and like there was a guy, I guess, just like handing people pills, their fentanyl pills. That sucks. One of the girls took it, and we could, and like, you know, I snoop on people's conversations when I'm standing in lines, and like I could hear them talking, and they're like, How do you feel? It's like, she's like, I feel amazing. It's like my whole body is just having like an orgasm. And then eventually she's like, I think I gotta go. And like she ODs on the fentanyl and like ambulances had to come in, and then the guy that was standing weird, he eventually like has to be taken too.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

And it was just like, what the fuck is that scary?

SPEAKER_04 44:15

I was like, are we sure we want to go in here? It was wild. Fentanyl talk. Shit. 2026. So um the training begins. Apollo is trying to make him faster and lighter on his feet. So he has him swim, bounce a bouncy ball, and kind of like do this dancey thing. And uh racing Apollo on the beach. But Apollo is getting infuriated with Rocky's lack of effort.

SPEAKER_02 44:38

I was getting infuriated with Polly because everything he's doing is like he can't do this. He's spruz out.

SPEAKER_04 44:43

It's like, can he swim with a name like Rock? I don't think so.

SPEAKER_02 44:46

That was a good bit. That was a good joke. That is true. Like you got a uh very very little fat percentage, you're gonna have a lot harder time swimming.

SPEAKER_04 44:55

Name's Rock.

SPEAKER_02 44:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:57

But yeah, it's like Polly can't be around. He's an asshole. He's just constantly he's constantly the worst person to have around.

SPEAKER_02 45:03

Putting him down constantly.

SPEAKER_04 45:05

Maybe he kind of maybe he kind of needs that.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

I don't know. No. He needs Apollo there to be like, you can do this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:12

Most importantly, he needs Adrian. So yeah, uh Paul's infuriated. Rocky's lack of effort, which comes from being demoralized by a combination of Mickey's loss and nightmares of Clubber's knockouts. There is and there's like they're like sparring and he's like, we'll do it tomorrow. There is no tomorrow. Weathers is so good in this scene. Like when he's just yelling at Rock, it's from the perfect trainer for a golfer. Love Carl Weathers, right? However, Rocky regains his focus after Adrian helps him come to terms with Mickey's

Adrian’s Fear Speech Sparks The Comeback

SPEAKER_04 45:47

death. Rocky admits that he's scared.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

I'm scared, all right? For the first time in my life, I'm scared.

SPEAKER_04 45:52

Uh he's scared of losing her and the kid, and Adrian says that's okay. She tells him to get rid of the fear. Because he's like, what are you scared of losing? We already have cars, we have a house. What do you what do you want to lose? It's like, uh it's like, I don't really know. I think it's like, I mean, they're not getting in the ring.

SPEAKER_02 46:12

Do you think that she's gonna run away if he loses a boxing?

SPEAKER_04 46:15

I think he's just like, you know, once you get in that mountaintop, you're scared that once you're gone, no one's gonna care about you. That's what Apollo's literally going through. Uh essentially. That's true. But also, I think he's scared of dying a little bit. He doesn't want to lose his wife and kids. He doesn't want to like be hit so hard that he can't remember who they are. It's like I feel like that's what a lot of it is. It's just maybe adding a little bit into the conversation.

SPEAKER_02 46:36

I'd be so scared getting hit so hard that you like retinas would detach and you wouldn't be able to, you just be blind.

SPEAKER_04 46:41

Yeah, it's happened.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

Yeah. It's crazy. It's like uh no thank you.

SPEAKER_04 46:45

Glad I didn't box.

SPEAKER_02 46:46

Apparently, yeah. If you get hit enough, your body falls apart. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:50

It's like with football, like a lot of football stars are starting to like retire earlier and earlier just because it's like it's so hard on their bodies. Traumatic brain injuries. Well, it's like not even that, it's just like to stay that fit. Oh it's just it's a it's a 24-7 process for especially like offensive linemen, those are the ones that are getting out earlier and earlier. It's like we got our we got a couple contracts, we're out of here. It's like some of them would play to like their 40s, but now they're barely making it to their 30s. And it's because you have to stay so huge all they have to constantly eat, constantly work out, and it's just hard on their bodies and eventually, you know, their knees and start breaking down, especially with linemen, because you know, they squat and they push so much with their knees. Football talk. Um, uh Talia Shire as Adrian uh crushes this scene though. Yeah, she's so good, made me ready to fight. Q Rocky's theme. Getting stronger because it's montage time, baby. Apollo and his managers, Tony Duke, infuses Rocky's undisciplined brawling style with more of Apollo's trademark footwork, skill, and speed, rebuilding him into a more complete fighter. During the training process, Apollo and Rocky become close friends. You got crop tops, min thighs, hugging in the ocean. These Rocky's learning how to do butterfly swim, swimming. It's great. It makes me want to get up, start punching shit.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

So good. Does that make you want to swim?

SPEAKER_04 48:25

Uh no, hit a bag.

SPEAKER_02 48:27

Punch the water.

SPEAKER_04 48:28

Gotta fill a bag up with water and punch it.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

How do you teach a boxer how to swim? Just punch it. Punch the water. Punch the water until you get it.

SPEAKER_03 48:36

Punch the water until it's out of your way.

SPEAKER_04 48:41

We're pretty much at the end of the movie already.

Rematch Strategy And Clubber Falls

SPEAKER_04 48:43

So, after a month of training, the rematch takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lang says Rocky is predictable and easy to beat. Paolo tells Rocky to remember where he came from and what happened to him last time. Now it's his turn to win. So we're like, do you hate Rocky? No, I don't hate Balboa. I pity the fool and I will destroy any man who tries to take that. I got it really was my favorite, uh, obviously my favorite line from the movie since I've said it like five times. It's just, I don't know, man. It's it really is just it makes me want to watch Mr. T and more things. Fuck yeah. He just kind of became a became a joke, I feel like, way too early. I guess it was because of his style, like his you know, like you said, the golden chains and the the like Indian stuff, like or Native American stuff. But like he's always kind of looked like a badass to me. Yeah, it's like other than like the Pity of the Fool thing, I always thought he like was really cool.

SPEAKER_02 49:37

Yeah, I always liked him. Except for that one episode of the 18 where they're listening the end of it, they're listening to Boy George and he's like supposed to be enjoying it a whole bunch. I was like, how? How is this happening? Yeah. He's like he's like nodding his head and tapping the table while Boy's up to Boy George is saying, Do you really wanna hurt me? Like maybe he likes it. Maybe she is the most the weirdest thing to me.

SPEAKER_04 50:02

I don't think I ever sold it. So uh Apollo lends Rocky, the American flag trunks that he he wore during their first match. The men come out to the ring, Rocky sniffs them first.

SPEAKER_02 50:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:14

No, you didn't watch a movie.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Oh, thank you for not watching these.

SPEAKER_04 50:17

So the men come out to the ring, Rocky with cheers and Lang with boo. Lang pushes Apollo for the match, and chaos ensues. I love it. It's just like, God, really want Clover to lose. So good. It's like no one pushes Apollo in this ring. Not even Rocky, and he beat him. Um it's like all of it. I'm gonna bust you up. Go for it. It's like so good.

SPEAKER_02 50:41

I really thought that Mr. T or Clover was gonna be throwing like cheap shots and stuff and like be a cheater. Yeah, clean fight.

SPEAKER_04 50:48

I was like, he has he has no reason to fight dirty. I mean, being how strong and massive he is.

SPEAKER_02 50:54

That's true, but like that's kind of what I I was just spent this whole movie looking for an antagonist, and really it's just the Rocky himself.

SPEAKER_04 51:04

Yeah, I mean, the only way he's an antagonist is how much he goads Rocky. He does goad him I mean, he does push an he pushes an old man to the ground, which sucks. You know, I mean he is an antagonist, but it's like now this is just kick a dog or something.

SPEAKER_02 51:15

This is just a reason to hate it.

SPEAKER_04 51:17

It's like in MMA, this is just this is literally part of it is that you have to trash talk. You have to trash talk so you can get more like views and make more money.

SPEAKER_02 51:26

Um this but I feel like that's choreographed though, a lot of the time.

SPEAKER_04 51:29

Yeah, it definitely feels like it most of the time, right? Versus this is just he's just like a young, hungry champ. Yeah. And he's just like, I want to crush people with my hands. I once was an orphan. I had to fight for everything I got, just like Rock.

SPEAKER_02 51:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:43

Except he wants it more than Rocky. Except not now. So at the outset of the match, Rocky sprints from his corner, battering Lang with a level of skill and spirit that no one ever expected. Just a bunch of like right hand jabs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:58

You just see his face, like his head popping back. Bam, bam. Because he never learned how to block either.

SPEAKER_04 52:02

Yeah. I don't think he ever had to. I think he just punched him like a couple of times and the people go down. Um, Rocky completely dominates the first round, leaving Lang enraged and bewildered after the bell. Lang gains the upper hand in the second round, and Rocky adopts an entirely different strategy that bewilders Apollo by intentionally taking a beating from Lang, even getting knocked down twice, all the while taunting Lang. They cannot knock him out. You're breathing heavy. There's nothing better than watching Rocky get the shit kicked out.

SPEAKER_02 52:33

He tastes it like a champ.

SPEAKER_04 52:34

It's just like once he gets knocked down, whoa, is it all you got? It's like, yeah, I'm ready to kill myself. Put me in the ring, Rock, I'll take him out. And it just uh, it's just the best. And it's like, I don't know, Sloan is the best in the ring, like in these in this movie. Like it just his the cockiness, the I don't know, just trash talking. Yeah, it's it's so good. Oh, just takes me back to being a kid on the room.

SPEAKER_02 53:01

What if they have the ghost of Mick infuse Rocky's gloves? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:06

It's like Rocky looks at his glove and it's kind of like uh just the face. It's kind of like um what uh uh uh uh uh uh Happy Gilmore where he sees Carl Weathers in the sky, but it's just on his glove.

SPEAKER_02 53:20

Or like the blood smear on his chest. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:23

So by the third round, Lang, who is used to winning matches swiftly with knockouts in early rounds, becomes increasingly furious over Rocky's taunt. He quickly exhausts his energy trying to finish Rocky off with repeated knockout blows, which Rocky blocks and dodges. With Lang rattled and vulnerable, Rocky outboxes Lang with a flurry of punches, punches, culminating in a brutal knockout to reclaim his heavyweight championship. That was awesome. I love it because especially when uh Rocky starts hitting him fast. Yeah, there's one part where he like was just punching like so quick. I was like, Yep, holy shit. Great, great job, Sylvester.

SPEAKER_02 53:58

Great job, because that looked so good and fast. It was kind of funny though, like whenever um right before the final round, he's in the corner and they're like, What are you doing? He's like, I know what I'm doing. He's like, No, you don't. It really doesn't look like you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_04 54:14

By the way, like in boxing, you don't want to get punched, and you're getting punched a lot.

SPEAKER_02 54:18

He pulls out a whiteboard, it starts it's like, see this?

SPEAKER_04 54:23

We have 500 marks with the lane like punches he landed. It's like you don't want that. You have to knock them out now. Yeah, this is your fault. Otherwise, you're gonna die. Remember how in the first movie we thought you shouldn't box again? Now we're on the third one. Oh, it is great though. The and it's like the first two movies, like the rounds go all the way to like 15 rounds, and this is the first one where it's like, hey, it's only like three minutes. Yeah. And apparently, like they um, you know, for this last fight, like Mr. T and Stallone like went hard at each other fighting. Nice. So that's why it looks so good. Hell yeah. I don't know. These movies really nail the boxing. But yeah. Rocky's champ again, and then we cut to afterwards. Rocky fulfills Apollo's favor, a second rematch with him, but this time in the spirit of friendly competition taking place at Mighty Mixed Gym with no audience. The film concludes without showing the results, but freezes into an oil painting. Two boxers simultaneously throwing the first punch, showing two equally skilled athletes ring the bell. Ding ding. So good. And it's wild because this is one of the most famous like shots of the film. And it's like it's in the third one. Yeah, it's like it's wild. Rewatching the third one, it's like, man, it's got so much in it that you kind of forget. It's very good. I feel like a lot of people mainly just remember the fourth one because how ridiculous it is. Uh the robot, I think.

SPEAKER_02 55:46

Yeah, the butler.

SPEAKER_04 55:48

And then and like Polly's even more of an asshole. Yeah, he sucks. Yep. Groping the robot.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

Yeah. Come here, robot. Robots can't consent.

SPEAKER_04 55:58

And then I heard like at the um at the premiere of the fourth movie, uh, Polly took his mother there and he's like, I don't like how you I didn't raise you to talk to female robots like this. Almost had a stroke trying to say that. But yeah, that is the end of Rocky

Point Of The Movie And Final Grades

SPEAKER_04 56:15

3. A great fucking sports movie, baby.

SPEAKER_02 56:18

I love this shit. It was more sports movie than anything else, and I kind of enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_04 56:24

Yeah, when I was watching it, I was like, I bet Jason's gonna like this one more than the other two.

SPEAKER_02 56:29

Yeah, I did. A lot of it with with the other ones was there was not a lot of boxing. Yeah. Um, it's very character-driven. And when you're it's written by were they all written by Sylvester Stuart? I believe so, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:44

Yeah, and it's great.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

Well, maybe just he found out that he's better at attacking. Those first two movies are great. Get out of here.

SPEAKER_04 56:54

Guys, we're gonna have a quick boxing match. I will don't worry, I will lose. So if you like Jason Moore, get me winded, yeah. I'll be done. Just run around in circles. Well, I don't butt a yellow biscuits. You'll just be like, Snake, bite Jesse. Like, okay, anything you want, Jesse. Or Jason. All right, Jason. For the point of the movie, I put that once you get hit, a certain amount of once you hit a certain amount of fame, you become distracted and lose who you are. And to gain former glory, you have to get rid of all the things you're scared to lose and just fight. Yeah. I feel like that's what they were saying.

SPEAKER_02 57:29

Sometimes your worst enemy is yourself.

SPEAKER_04 57:31

Yes. The fact that you should have listened to your trainer and not fought him, maybe. But then you wouldn't feel so good at the end of the movie. And now your best friend's Carl Weather. Hell fucking.

SPEAKER_02 57:43

That's worth it.

SPEAKER_04 57:44

Like Mickey, I'm sorry, old man, you had to die. Do you have anything else for the point? No, that's uh covers it. Yeah, cool. So we're gonna hit up our next category the good, the bad, the ugly, the fine. So we're gonna discuss the good of the film, something we like, the bad something we don't like, the ugly, something that a didn't age well, the fine something that did age well. What do you got for the good?

SPEAKER_02 58:08

Well, the good, I think uh I really liked I don't know, I thought like what we said before, like that it was more about him struggling with uh his own issues. Identity almost. Identity, yeah. He and it 'cause he kind of had everything he wanted. And really had no reason to fight anymore. He was gonna retire, but you know um Yeah. Then someone called him a chump. Yep. And and got went after his girl. Can't call people chumps or bums in in Philadelphia.

SPEAKER_04 58:39

They immediately fight ya. Uh for the good, I mean I just thought uh Talia Weathers and Mr. T just nailed it. They brought so much life and energy to this movie and just crushed it.

SPEAKER_02 58:50

Oh yeah, Mr. T was that was a surprising act. Like I was not prepared for him. He he really crushes it.

SPEAKER_04 58:55

I kind of want to watch more things with Mr. T in it. Like it's like I don't know what all else he's done in movies. Uh guess I just kind of have to watch.

SPEAKER_02 59:03

He just pities the fool a lot more later.

SPEAKER_04 59:05

Pities the fool. Yeah. It's his whole thing. I think he like said it and was just like, wow, that sounded great. It's time to do it. Everyone in the room just looked around. It's like, whoa. Yeah. It's like, I don't know if you know this. When you say pity the fool, you sound cool. You should say it more. Um, the bad I put Polly.

SPEAKER_02 59:23

Yeah, Polly sucks. He's such a wet blanket. It's just they should just like, I mean, he's family, I guess, and that's important or whatever, but no.

SPEAKER_04 59:29

I mean, I like I like that like he usually gets his comeuppance, which is kind of nice, but like sometimes he's like, Can you grow already? He kind of grows in this one. When they throw him in the pool, it's fun.

unknown 59:41

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:43

He becomes less of an asshole once he's included in you know, with Rocky.

SPEAKER_04 59:47

I mean, he does have some good like lines in it, but there's like so much of it, I'm like, Polly, shut up. Uh, for the uh ugly, I was like, man, the movie. The movie really hates LA. Yeah, it really does. Don't remember that. And it's just like, you know, East Coast, West Coast rivalry. Not sure if like how much the movie hates LA or the people in LA. And I don't know. This got a little weird once they got to LA. Just like all the comments about it. I was like, I don't know, man. You're next to the beach, it's kind of a beautiful, some some beautiful scenery.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:23

They showed him running on the beach. I was like, does Philip have a beach?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:28

Where are we? You got anything else for the other? Uh mainly just poly. Just poly, yeah. Uh for the fine, I just kind of put the whole movie itself. Uh perfectly executed downfall and rise up, putting Rocky in a poles role was kind of a genius move.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:44

Yeah, I felt like it was it was more of a mature movie compared to the first two, and in some ways.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:51

Actually, I think it's the opposite. I think the other two are way more mature than this one. Different perspectives, uh sure. There's a wrong one and a right one. I won't tell y'all whose is wrong and right. Leave a message on whose. Ooh, yeah. Fun thing. Let us know. What do you think? Do you think that the first two movies are better than the third one? Or do you like the third one more? We'd love to hear from you guys. Cool. And we're gonna hit up our

Boxing Double Features To Watch Next

SPEAKER_04 1:01:18

next category. And I'm not sure if I already did this one, but I was thinking a good fighter movie is the movie The Fighter, the 2010 film. I haven't seen that one. Yeah, it's got um Mark Wahlberg, who's a fighter, and then Christian Bell, who's a former fighter, trains him. And it's directed by um uh David O. Russell, who may be uh not good guy, but he did like um American Hustle. Um what's the movie with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in Philadelphia? Oh shit. Um Silver Lining's Playbook. That's a really good one. Yeah, I never saw that. Um David O'Russell's done a lot of good movies. Um He did Three Kings, actually. Nice ironically. Wow, two Shrake, Three Kings references. That's so funny. Um he hasn't really done anything that great recently. He's got a couple upcoming things. But uh The Fighter is really great. It's also got a um Oh my god. I'm just like absolutely losing my mind because of acid reflux. Um Amy Adams in it, and she's so good. Oh, I love Amy Adams. It's like it's honestly it's just like it's kind of like what if like trashy people were trying to be boxers? And that's kind of how it works. Not trashy, but it's like Street Fights? Yeah. Well, no, it's just like it's just a kind of a different perspective from like uh different type of fighters, and it's it's really cool. I like that movie. I own it, it's good. We'll eventually do it because I love boxing. Once we run out of uh Rocky in Universe Rocky movies, which we're only probably gonna go up to Creed. I still gotta need to rewatch uh Creed 2 and 3. But we'll see. Uh, what do you got for your double feature?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:55

Uh like I said earlier, it is Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood is the coach of uh a girl. I need to watch it.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:03

We're just gonna have to do it for the pod so I can watch it.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:05

But it's it's reminded me a lot of like the hungry, because she's the hungry fighter. She's like literally hungry in the movie because she's so poor.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:12

So she gets into boxing and it's it's really good.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:16

My hair has a very uplifting ending. Yeah. Bebus in butt. She breaks her neck. Wait, so you already know what happens? Yeah, everybody knows what happens. Oh, well, you haven't seen it. Uh yeah. I mean, uh, it's that film's been spoiled so many times. Uh I remember Family Guy spoiled it for me. Really? Yeah. It's like a whole bit with the chicken.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:39

Oh, do you remember that did you see that part um in Rocky III whenever he gets the water in his mouth, he spits it at Pauly. And Polly's like, Yeah. What is because he was not saying that common?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:51

No, well, it's because he wasn't, he was supposed to get it all in the bucket, but like most of them were on his shirt. He missed and it hit Polly, and that was like that was a genuine reaction from the actor. He was like, Oh, what? Yeah, I do remember seeing that too, where I was like, it's like, wow, that was some good acting from the actor who plays Polly, but it's like so bad. It was a complete whoa. I feel like it's dumped the bucket on his head. I mean, if you watch like boxy, like it's not like they're they usually put it in front of their face, not next, like the person holding it, not usually next to their chest.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:25

He just spits like without like like aiming, he's just hoping someone with a bucket will catch it.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:31

Yeah. Squirting it in the air. It's a fountain. And that is a perfect place to end our discussion on Rocky 3.

Ghostbusters Tease And Ghost Story Mail

SPEAKER_04 1:04:41

Join us next week, baby, because I've been thinking about ghosts a lot. So we're doing Ghostbusters. Yes. Who are you gonna call, Jason? Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters. Yeah, just been wanting to watch it. It's on Netflix, and I was like, hell yeah, it's a it's a banger. Let's do a banger. We've been doing bangers. I'm ready to bang. Come bang with us. We're banging, babies. No, we're not that's that sounded weird.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:13

Oh, Rose, go with it.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:15

Yes, yes, and yes and join join us next week for that. It's gonna be fun. Because I love ghosts and I love ghost hunting. Nice. Yeah. It's like, I wish uh I wish I had more ghost stories, you know. Like outside of the first like uh October like Halloween series sessions that we did. It's like I've seen no other ghosts, so I have no new ghost stories. If you have a ghost story out there, why don't you leave us some fan mail? Or you can do it at the top of the description. There's a link you can click, or at the bottom, we recommend mailbaggmail.com. Leave us fan mail that way or on YouTube. Mark, you got any ghost stories? Let us know. We'll say it so we can say it on our Ghostbusters pod. Um seriously, just anybody out there listening, if you have a ghost story, I love hearing them. I love asking people their ghost stories.

unknown 1:06:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:04

So uh do that. Give us some fan mail, leave us some reviews. Uh, you know, be more like Rocky and leave us good reviews and not mean reviews like Clover Lang would probably leave.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:14

He would.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:15

Yeah. It's like just do your best, make a very rocky themed review. I would love it. Um, so yeah, do that. And uh thank you for listening. This has been the We Recommend Podcast. I've been Jesse. I've been Jason. Ding Ding. Hi.