The Sheila Variations

Burt Young: the smashing-up-of-apartment scene in Rocky

If you don't remember the scene, here is what happens, in recap, let's break it down:

Paulie has invited the press to come and watch Rocky train at the meat locker ... without Rocky's permission. Rocky and Paulie have a small argument, and Rocky - in order to keep the peace with the brother of the girl he is now falling in love with - gives in. He allows himself to be filmed by the local news punching the meat.

Later, we see poor Paulie stumbling home, wasted. He's holding a Christmas wreath. He staggers along the street. He picks up a trash can and meanders into the house. He is a lost soul. He is lonely. Sad. He has basically set his sister up with Rocky so that maybe Rocky can do something for him. You know, tit for tat. But he didn't expect it to go so well. He can't see his sister as a person. A woman. He is abusive to her. Calls her names. He didn't ever think that this romance would blossom. So Paulie, this man, this pained man, living a life of quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) desperation - feels that he will be left alone. And Paulie is not a man who analyzes himself, or expresses his feelings. He just EATS it. You can see it in the hunched way he holds his shoulders, the jerky gestures of his arms ... this guy is holding onto a lot. Just getting through the damn day requires this man to swallow worlds of humiliation. How many people live like that.

Then we cut to the interior.

Rocky and Adrian sit in the living room watching television. Rocky sits in the chair, Adrian on the floor, his arms resting on her shoulders. Their body language says it all. They are now one. They are a unit. Rocky has obviously been telling her about Paulie's annoying qualities - inviting the press to come, how it threw off his workout, etc. And Adrian pleads for pity and patience for Paulie - that he is only trying to help. Meanwhile, Paulie has entered the back of the room, unnoticed. He doesn't overhear the whole conversation, but he hears enough.

He comes in. Clutching his cigar and the wreath. He is in a rage.

The best thing about the scene (and the most painful) is that it is not just the rage of that moment. It is his rage, ultimately, at his lot in life. Now is it Adrian's or Rocky's fault that Paulie is miserable? Of course not. But Paulie can't see past his own wounded ego, his own pain. It's somebody else's fault. Rocky is going somewhere else now, he is moving out of the same sad narrow circle that Paulie moves in ... Rocky is moving on. And what will happen to Paulie? What will become of Paulie now?

It gets ugly. Paulie takes out a baseball bat and demands that Rocky and Adrian leave. "Get outta my house!"

He smashes a lamp. All hell breaks loose.

Burt Young is magnificent. Because it's not just anger he is expressing. Anger is easy. He's expressing grief, too. And fear. And the only way this particular character could express it would be to wreck his own house.

Paulie gets nasty - shouting, "I GAVE YOU MY SISTER." Adrian is now her own woman. She can feel the ground beneath her feet. She has Rocky. She is an individual. She is no longer cowed and submissive. She shouts back, "Only a pig would say that!"

Paulie flips out. "I'm a pig?" He goes over to the nearby dresser - wielding the bat - shouts, "I don't get married because of you!" He smashes the silver tea set on the dresser. Shouts something else - smashes down again.

Then he goes too far - and shouts something about Adrian being "busted" (meaning, obviously, no longer a virgin).

Like she is supposed to somehow be married to him forever. A spinster. That was what was expected of her. And she has that moment that gives me goosebumps every freakin' time I see it. She kneels by his chair and shouts, "You made me feel like I was a loser." And then she takes this huge breath, a breath that starts at her TOES and fills up every space within her, and she screams, "I AM NOT A LOSER!" Adrian races off to her room, crying.

Paulie yells something about how Adrian "let him take your pants off" and that is when Rocky moves - grabs Paulie and shoves him down into a chair. He doesn't punch him - but man, Paulie is lucky that nothing worse happens to him in retaliation.

They stay there, counterbalanced, for a long tense moment - Paulie is now crying - it's unbelievable - the thing is a masterpiece of acting, the journey he goes on in that scene ... and then Rocky lets Paulie go and goes off to talk to Adrian in her room.

That's the scene. We all remember it.

Here are some quotes about Burt Young and the filming of that scene. I love, in particular, John Avildsen's bit of direction to Young about how to swing the bat at the dresser, and Young's initial resistance ... hard to control a scene like that, you just want to GO ... and Avildsen was asking Burt to choreograph a bit. Burt didn't "get it" at first. But when you see that scene ... it is SO much more powerful because of those pauses Avildsen asked him to put in, it is SO much more powerful because it is not just a generalized going-apeshit scene that we've seen so many actors do. It has depth. It has import. It has theatricality. But I love Young's not getting it at first. Saying, "John ... no ..." and then trying it. It is in the DOING of it that things become clear. And we, as actors, are inside it ... so we sometimes cannot see what is best. Our job is to lose ourselves in the moment. The director is there to guide us, as we dredge up the unconscious. It's just a beautiful example of that whole thing.

Sylvester Stallone: "Burt Young is as tough as they get. A man who has great compassion and great violence. He is a man who can cry easily and explode with volcanic rage. So he has that angst that so many men in the world have - that are not being realized, that don't have that ability to ever shine. They're always being kept in the background because of economic status, or they didn't get the right breaks, or perhaps they don't look a certain way. So they live quiet lives of desperation. And he embodies that desperation."

Robert Chartoff, producer: "We never considered anyone else for the part of Paulie but Burt Young. When we read the script, we thought he was a natural for it and never offered it to anyone but Burt."

Burt Young on the smashing-up-apartment scene: "The narcotic of being a fighter is once in a while, for me ... you got to find things to make you breathe under duress. And that's what you need as an actor. At least you don't get punched in the face as an actor. But you could get punched in the heart when you leave a set, or a stage - and not do honest work."

Sylvester Stallone: "This explosive scene when he pulls the baseball bat out and destroys everything in the house that has value because he has realized he is going to be left alone..."

Talia Shire on Burt Young smashing up the apartment: "It was ridiculous, it was outrageous, it was amazing, it was beautiful. Burt looks for the contradiction - in the language, in the moment, and in the physical application with his own body and how he is going to handle a prop. The bat ... So Burt looks for that, and then he looks for discovery. So that in the moment of doing one of these things, he's not even sure why he's doing it. Then you have a moment when he makes the discovery, and it's usually a vulnerable moment." --

Burt Young: I was gonna wreak havoc. And John [Avildsen] said, "No, no, Burt ... one swing ... and then ... another swing ..." I said, "John! I'm cookin'! I can't do that! It's like you're giving me a line reading!" He said, "Burt. Try it." It was so painful to me. First of all, it was embarrassing. To show that kind of violence in front of everybody. But it worked. That's where John became my director. And friend.

Sylvester Stallone: You see this man come from a drunken state to towering rage to a broken child on the couch. I mean, how much better can it get? It can't get much better.

Robert Chertoff: I feel like I was honored to be present when they did that scene. It was so bloody real, and they did it many times. It was real, and it was scary. Burt Young was just so incredible. The intensity that he brought to it ... well. I think it was clearly captured in the scene.

Being mean to Rocky Balboa

Freezing cold twilight. I was waiting for the bus. I was alone. A guy was also in the area, and he was in the process of painting a sign up on the wall of a new Thai restaurant. As I approached the busstop, I saw him take notice of me, and watch me. I rolled my eyes internally. I am a "crazy magnet" - David and I have talked about this before, and my absolute impatience with crazies who try to involve themselves in my life. I am mean, blunt, and dead-eyed. This is from my long experience - since I was a little kid - of having the crazies be attracted to me. My visits to New York as a child always involved bums - walking right up TO ME - personally - even though I was with my aunt and her friends ... and trying to talk to me, or - in one case - showing me his penis. Hey, thanks, you fucking lunatic! I'm 10 years old! Thanks for scarring me for life, douchebag. So. I am not forgiving or kind to such people, because for some reason - they are drawn to me, and I have to draw the line. David laughs at me when this happens when we're together. One dude recently, when we were out together, dropped his cane near us - and he was obviously a drunk, and he dropped his cane - looked up at us - and I just knew we would never be rid of the guy if I let it go any further. I looked away, and kept talking to David - as David (nicer man that he is) picked up the drunk's cane and handed it back to him. David was howling later - because as he handed the guy his cane, he could feel (as you can) that the guy wanted to join us ... he was looking for his "in" - and my blatant unfriendliness turned him off. You gotta be brutal with these people, especially in a city like this - where they are EVERYWHERE. It may sound cold, and it is. But crazies love me. They gravitate towards me, and if I didn't keep my barrier up - they'd never leave me alone.

So, as I walked to the busstop I saw the crazy guy immediately decide that I was his new best friend. He started dancing on the sidewalk ... grinning at me, hoping I would be amused. I was like: GodDAMMIT, crazy. No. I'm just waiting for the goddamn bus. Don't involve me in your bullshit.

You get accosted by enough crazies, you lose your compassion. Let somebody else be compassionate. I'm no Mother Teresa. I'm just trying to catch the bus.

He started talking to me, as I stood there. He was a lean hard muscular guy, with a handsome brutal face - big obviously once-broken nose - and a huge smile. He didn't seem harmful, but you know. I don't walk around looking for conversation. I'm minding my own business.

His monologue to me went as follows:

"What are the chances of us meeting ever again? There's no chance! Because I'm never here! I'm just here to paint the wall ... so it's really weird, don't you think? That you and me would meet like this? You're probably married, right? No, don't tell me. Don't tell me. Let me keep my dreams, okay? What's your name? You can even LIE to me ... just give me a name ... anything! What's your name?"

I tried to stave him off, and I was openly annoyed.

"Why?" I said. "Why do you want my name? I'm just waiting for the bus."

"Come on! You can give me a name ... even if it's not real. I can tell by your eyes that you're a good person. Pretty green eyes."

The guy had Tourette's of the emotions.

And to be honest, I could tell by HIS eyes that he was not a bad person. Just a bit insistent, and ... I just get sick of the crazies, that's all. But as he kept rambling like that, I found it hard to be as mean as I wanted to be. I did say at one point, "What do you WANT from me?" and he recoiled physically - holding out his hands at me - like: "I mean no harm ... I mean no harm ..."

"I'm just waiting for the bus," I said, exhausted ... not just from this encounter but from ALL encounters with people who accost me, for no reason. It happens all the time. And more than once they have said it's because of my eyes. Well, I can't help my eyes!! My EYES may be nice (although I think that is debatable), but I am NOT.

But he kept talking. "What do you think my name is? Come on, guess. You can guess - I'd love to hear what you think ..."

Something in me caved - and I realized that he seemed vaguely familiar. Who does he remind me of? That kind of chatter, friendly chatter ... not picking up on 'stay away' cues ... but continuing on?

So I finally answered him. "Is your name Rocky Balboa?"

He burst out laughing and then began to dance around me, boxing, throwing punches at me, playfully. The guy was a nut. But he obviously liked my name for him.

"I'm Rocky Balboa!" he said.

I said, still keeping up that barrier - because honestly, the guy was pushy - can't give these people an inch, not if you're me with my eyes ... they'll never ever leave you alone then - so I said, "You remind me of Rocky Balboa. And ..." I suddenly realized something, and it had to do with his smile, and his ultimate friendliness - however annoying it was - and so I added, "It's a compliment. Rocky Balboa is a great character."

He put his cold hand over his nose, self-consciously - "Is it because of my nose?"

"No, no, it's not because of your nose."

"So come on. Come on. What's your name. Do you live around here? Are you married? Don't answer that. You think we could ever see each other again?"

Now that I had clocked him as Rocky Balboa, I could not see him as anything else. And I thought of Rocky, and someone being mean to Rocky ... Nope. Maybe YOU could be mean to Rocky Balboa, but I do not have the heart for it. I can't do it. The guy obviously had a good heart. He was using himself in a comedic way ... and yes, he was invading my space - but not too much. At one point - he stepped about 3 feet away from me and said, "Okay - look. I ain't getting too close. Are you comfortable with me being over here?"

I succumbed completely. "Yes. Just stay right there. I'm comfortable now."

"Good, good. So come on - gimme a name."

James Joyce floated thru my mind. "Molly," I replied.

He knew I was lying and gave me a shrewd yet pleased look. "Molly, huh?"

"Yeah. Molly."

"You know, I know that's not your name ... but I really like it. I'm horrible with names ... but I will remember that name. I'll remember you, Molly. That's a nice name."

"It is a nice name."

"I'm never lonely, do you know that?"

It came out of nowhere. But I can see that a guy like that, a guy like Rocky Balboa, would never be lonely - because he talks to himself and he amuses himself. He is, ultimately, a positive human being, with a humanist approach to his fellow man.

I AM lonely. So I said, "You're really lucky."

"Yeah! You know? I just talk to people, and I do my stuff - and I'm just not lonely. Hey, you wanna see what i'm working on? This is a new restaurant - you know, some Chinese food or shit - and I have to paint over that old sign - and put up a new one ... I guess it'll look good, I don't know ... The weird thing is - I'll probably never see you again. I am NEVER here ... this is the first time ... you live around here, Molly?"

The bus was coming. He stood back even further from me - to give me my space (again) - his jeans covered in paint, his hands cold and red, his nose big and beautiful and crooked ... and he said, "I hope you have a nice day, Molly. You've got some pretty eyes."

I was totally disarmed. This never happens. It doesn't even happen with my boyfriends, let alone total crazy strangers. But he was Rocky Balboa.

I said, "Nice to meet you."

And weirdly, I meant it.

I got on the bus, paid my fare, and sat down. As the bus pulled away, I saw Rocky Balboa, alone on the twilit sidewalk, grinning up at me, and dancing around like a crazy person, throwing punches at an imaginary punching bag. It was his way of saying good-bye.

I smiled the rest of the ride.

I still maintain that the crazies of the world must be kept at bay, since they seem to have an unnatural attraction to me.

But if you meet Rocky Balboa on a deserted freezing sidewalk, it will be YOUR loss if you don't give him the time of day.

2007 Year in Pictures

One of my favorite movies of the year - which I wrote about here and which launched my Stallone obsession.

Pumpgirl ... and Rocky Balboa

Review of a play I really want to see. Its reputation precedes it. Interesting comments there about Ireland, and also what is going on over there right now, in terms of plays, and playwrights. It's no secret that Ireland is, once again, ruling the roost theatrically - and have been for the last 10 years or so. Beauty Queen was the start of it - although Brian Friel, of course, has been a huge success here and elsewhere forever. Conor McPherson, Martin McDonough - these guys are awesome. It's nice to see a female playwright getting her due as well, in the midst of that macho atmosphere. Additionally: Geraldine Hughes - a wonderful actress, with a round gleaming-eyed face - a face you just LOVE - is getting marvelous reviews. She played the woman in Rocky Balboa - not really a love interest, but a friend, someone who befriends Rocky ... I didn't even know she was Irish then, her American accent was so good. And the casting of her was perfect - it was wonderful that Stallone hadn't cast a "name" in that part. I think some of it had to do with budget, that film was made on shoestrings, and they probably couldn't afford anyone bigger ... but because of that, because she was a new face - with no associations attached to it - we could just focus on the story and the performances. My thoughts on that film are here. Loved every second of it. And a big part of the appeal was in Hughes' performance - and also the performance of the kid who played her son (what a face!!). Best scene in the movie was when Rocky takes the sullen kid out - and they go to the dog pound to pick up a new dog for Rocky. The thing about Stallone is - he's so good at this acting thing that it's not commented on much. I don't know, I think people think he's just "being himself". Which is malarkey. If you've ever seen an interview with Stallone, then you know how articulate he is, how almost ... elegant he is, in his manners and demeanor. So no. Dude is NOT Rocky Balboa. It does him a GREAT disservice to dismiss him as just "playing himself". The dynamic between Stallone and Hughes is subtle, kind, and open. In true Stallone fashion, he sets her up powerfully for the audience. We LOVE her. It's NOT just about Stallone, and his performance - he has always surrounded himself with powerful secondary characters, who can raise him up, and add to the reality of the movies. Anyway, I loved Rocky Balboa, as you can see. I'm eager to see Pumpgirl, and to watch the beautiful Geraldine Hughes at work again.

Montage

... from my apartment ...

I have taken down a bunch of my stuff from the wall - for various reasons - and it is stacked up in a corner. Additionally, I've been working on this big writing project - therefore all of my writing stuff and little filing boxes are out and about (I have no desk, by choice - I like to loll about on the floor like a Bedouin.) - but anyway - I happened to glance at the scene before me - and it cracked me up. Rocky rising up above my piles of work.

In honor of the first Sunday of Lent

... here is my impression of Heaven.

Michael - I am dying to talk with you about Paradise Alley. Holy crap! His writing is what really struck me. It's almost pure Odets. Amazing. I realize that I am communicating with you through my blog which is strange and dysfunctional ... but whatevs. Paradise Alley!!!

Comfort food

My equivalent of it, anyhow. (Oh! And speaking of this version of comfort food - I watched Demolition Man last night. I LOVE it. It is just what it should be, as far as I'm concerned. No more, no less. What an awesome escape. So much fun - and surprisingly very funny. Him high-fiving the cop who has no experience with human contact. Stallone saying, as he passes by, "Hey, how ya doin' ..." as everyone stares on horrified. It's hysterical. Stupid, but hysterical. Satisfying, too, with Stallone as the sort of primitive man - yet truthful man - in the middle of an army of sterile politically correct nitwits. Awesome. I really enjoyed it. Maybe I'll write more about it later. I thought it was great - just what I needed last night - as the icy wind literally blew trash cans over the fence into my backyard - and all I could hear was the cans clattering about, crashing, smashing, rolling ... I kept fearing they would be lifted up in the air by a random gust and come barreling thru my windows.)

So. Comfort. On this cold cold day.

First scene. Rocky in the corner of the ring - with the corner dude giving him bad advice - and the spectator coming up and asking Rocky when he thinks the fight'll be over. The sleazy side of the sport. The way this first scene is filmed - the grit - the lack (or seeming lack) of editorial choice - meaning, the camera doesn't seem to be saying to you: HERE is who this guy is and HERE is how you should feel about him ... It has a more documentary feel to it ... and Stallone is brilliant. He has no lines, of course, he's just the boxer in the ring, getting the shit kicked out of him. But he is riveting.

Check out Rocky's glasses. I just love love that detail - perfect character moment. Not explained ... but totally logical. Of COURSE he would have glasses like that.

I love how Rocky is TRYING to complete his joke here - but Adrian is too shy to even look at him - so he is reduced to reaching out and poking her on the shoulder for her attention, like a little kid.

Forgive me, but this small scene in the locker room where Rocky learns that his locker has been given away to someone else - and his stuff has been hung up "on skid row" - is one of my favorite quiet little scenes in the movie. You want to watch an actor truly listening, truly thinking, and having things actually occurring to him ... as opposed to acting like he's thinking? Watch Stallone in this whole scene. The realization that he has been booted out of his locker is slow to come ... and his response to it is slow at first, even hurt ... but it's all in the eyes, and all in how he listens. None of it is in the dialogue. Brilliant.

Okay, so here's the scene where Mr. Gazzo, the loan shark, played by Joe Spinell (who also had a small part in Taxi Driver the same year as the dude who hires Travis Bickle) bitches out Rocky for not breaking the guy's thumbs. Funny thing - Stallone and Spinell had been extras together on some movie back in New York and Stallone had kind of fell in love with him. Loved his whole THING - how funny he was, how "completely insane" (Stallone's words), how he could be either dangerous or sweet - very unpredictable - also a great improviser, Stallone loved acting with him because he never knew what would come out of the guy's mouth - so a couple years later when Stallone had this opportunity with Rocky, he called up Spinell and was like, "So ... from one former extra to another ... you wanna play Mr. Gazzo??" I love that. And I also love that Spinell gave Mr. Gazzo asthma. I have no idea why - it is not referenced in the script - but there he is - chuffing on the inhaler right before he bitches Rocky out - and I LOVE THAT DETAIL. I love the creativity of people, never fails to just fill me with delight. And he does it in a no big deal way. I know people with asthma, and they don't make a "bit" out of the inhaler. They freakin' take a puff when they need one. That's how he does it. So maybe Spinnell himself had asthma, who knows ... but it's just a great moment. One of the many many reasons why I think actors can be such miraculous awesome creatures. I love to watch inventiveness like that.

The Italian Stallion - in the first scene in the grimy club. Nice shot. Not dwelt on, again, not made into a big deal, not like: OOOOOH, foreshadowing of what that name will mean!!! Nope ... it just looks like Rocky's clinging to some sort of identity, something that will separate him from the pack ... and if it only can be the name ... then it'll be the name. He isn't Rocky Balboa. He is The Italian Stallion. Later in the film it takes on a ring of destiny for him - as Apollo Creed starts to talk about him - THAT'S why he was picked - "It's the name, man ... the media'll eat it up," raves Apollo. But in the beginning ... all we know is that this guy, this down and out guy, bloody, battered, unsmiling, has a robe with that name on it ... and maybe in the beginning of the film it seems a little sad, that name, on that ratty robe, in that ratty place. It's like the shred of a dream, or a fragment, the only thing left over from who he used to be, a scrap of a dreamt-of glory from years and years ago.

In the words of Langston Hughes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

The silhouette

There's something archetypal about these shots - it turns the character, a real guy, into an iconic image. Or maybe like something out of a folk tale, or fairy tale. He is that real guy, in a real city ... yet symbolically, within these images, he seems to take on more meaning, or weight. That's what good art can do. The beginning of the movie is filled with images like these ... once he begins to be connected to others halfway through the film, to Paulie, to Adrian, to Apollo Creed - these shots of isolation and lonely silhouettes disappear. One of the things I love about these images is that there isn't a FUSS made about them in the movie. Nothing is lingered over. Nothing calls attention to itself. It is the story that is being told that is always in the forefront. There isn't a self-congratulatory shot in the whole film. Yet make no mistake about it - the layers are there, they exist beneath the surface. They work on the audience subconsciously.

Another thing to notice: Philadelphia is strangely empty throughout this film. You don't see any busy street scenes, with lots of people crossing back and forth. It is a strangely uninhabited city. Even the ice skating rink is empty. A lot of this had to do with the low budget nature of the movie. They couldn't afford to pay a bazillion extras. But they also did NOT want the movie to have that sense of reality to it. It is more of a folk tale than an actual urban drama - and Stallone was aware of that, Avildsen was aware of that ... and so instead of surrounding Rocky with bustling street scenes, with random crowds - they isolate him. For example, nobody else appears to live on the block where Rocky lives.

His silhouette - the hat, the black shoulders, the black legs, the boots - stands out. A black paper cut-out against the urban background.

Ibid.

Uh huh.

Rocky II

The thing about me is:

I am completely forgiving. If I love something ... then I'll stick it out, even if it doesn't live up to my expectations of it. (Tori Amos, I am looking at YOU, beeyotch!)

I have a big post I want to write about Rocky II.

But the main thing I am aware of is: I recognize the creeping cheesy element that starts to come in here ... which was absent in the rawness of the first one. I can see those moments - but I am detached from them. I don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. I've always been that kind of fan - I'm no fair-weather fan. Sometimes I wish I were. That would mean that I wouldn't have to suffer through movies like Touch of Mink (no offense). HOWEVER. That's who I am. Always been that way.

Besides all of that, though - besides the creeping cheese ... I think Rocky II has a lot of awesome things about it. Not so much as a WHOLE - like the first movie I love as a WHOLE - but for me, Rocky II has magic in some of the PARTS. The whole doesn't quite add up ... but it has moments, tiny moments, that are just as effective as the first one.

Like the scene between Mickey and Rocky in the dark stairwell outside of Mickey's apartment. When Rocky tells Mickey he's thinking of fighting again ... and Mickey tries to dissuade him. If he fights Apollo again, he won't just get "hurt bad"- "He'll hurt you poimanent." says Mickey. With that battered nose in the bare lightbulb-lit hallway, the dankest hallway known to man. Stallone is so beautiful in this scene - even just the way he's shot. But more than that: there's this ... pride thing going on in Rocky, something that's hard for him to admit ... Adrian has gone back to work because they need the money, and this just eats at Rocky ... he's feeling the need to fight again, but he could go blind ... and Mickey has this moment where he gives Rocky a little eye test - moving fingers back and forth in Rocky's line of vision. Rocky lies and says, "Yeah, I can see the finger now ..." They go back and forth a couple more lines, and then suddenly - out of nowhere - Mickey slaps Rocky. Hard. On the left cheek. Mickey says later, "You didn't see that coming, did you? Now ... I'm an old guy hitting you. Imagine what someone like Apollo could do." But the moment that I love here ... is Rocky's response to being slapped like that. There are no words, almost no anger - but it's a humiliating moment ... He tries to get himself together, get the macho facade back up - but Mickey has made his point - and Rocky just has to ... stand there and accept it. I don't know - it's a small cornucopia of 100 emotions that flicker and twitch over Stallone's beautifully lit face ... and I love it. It's fascinating acting.

This is what I focus on. And I forgive the other stuff.

There's more. I'll write more later, but I'm going to meet Jackie in the city.

It's a gorgeous day. And the Hudson is half frozen! I love it when it gets like that. You can see the line of white ice meet the line of blue water ... It looks frigid, dangerous, and totally awesome.

Obsession Sunday

-- It was damn cold on Sunday. I finally am getting my share of winter, and I adore it. On Sunday I had heat, and I was happy because it was freezing outside. I'm also insane. Because I bundled up - or layered up, shall we say - and headed out for a run along the cliffs near my house. You know, right near where my dead boyfriend bit the bullet, lo those centuries ago. The wind was frigid, man. I wrapped my face up in a scarf so that only my eyes peeped out. Had the hat jammed on my head. Then the layered workout clothes - and once I started going I warmed up - but if I stopped for just one second, to tie my shoe or whatever, I felt like I would die. The cold seemed even more intense. But it was just so beautiful. The sun gleamed, the city of Manhattan pulsated and glowed across the shining Hudson, everything was bright, and pure, and crisp. I have no idea how far I went - but I was out for over an hour. I felt awesome when I got home - and it was only 9:30 in the morning, and I had already been to freakin' Secaucus and back, or whatever it was. It took me forever to warm up.

-- Allison and I were getting together at around 2, at her place. As always, we had an agenda. Which just cracks me up. I have no other friend like her - and we just value this part of our relationship so much. It's hard to describe - but basically it's like this: I go to her place. And she has DVR'ed a bunch of stuff she knows I would love - so we can watch it together - and we'll pick out a movie that either she has seen and she feels I need to see - or I'll bring a moive that I have seen and I feel she needs to see - and we lie in bed and watch the movie - and basically usher the other person into the obsession. It's hysterical - we've been doing this with each other since we became friends, and it's SO FUN. Like - we want to be there when the other watches the movie that we love. Like when she made me watch The Family Stone with her. It's really fun, by the way. Or when I made her watch The Rookie. This has been going on forever - and is also not just about movies - we do this with books as well (although we don't hover over each other, obviously, as we read each other's recommendations). But we're great sharing partners - it's all about SHOW AND TELL. It's so hilarious - we get a bit manic. Like I will walk into her apartment and she will announce, "Okay, so we have a lot to do today ..." Meaning: a backlog of episodes of 48 Hours or Dominick Dunne's show (we love shows about rich people committing heinous crimes. We love shows having to do with forensic analysis. We love shows having to do with pampered teenagers going on mad Matrix-esque rampages). So then we sit down, and start to watch. We have an agenda. And we get manic. Like - there's a lot of stopping and starting here. Because the person who is obsessed must stop and explain the obsession along the way ... and fill in the other person on what they might be missing, on all of the OCD details acquired along the way. This would drive so many people insane. But we love it.

-- So. Our agenda for Sunday. We had a LOT to get done.

1. I needed to see the last 3 episodes of Extras. I ain't got no TV at the moment ... and Allison and I love that show so much ... and she's already seen them (naturally) but just needed to be there as I experienced them.

2. Allison had saved a 20/20 for us to watch together. I think she had already seen it. But she needed (yes: NEEDED) to see it with me. It had all of the elements that we adore:
1. cults
2. teenagers with guns (preferably good-looking teenagers)
3. bloodshed in small motels - with crime-scene photos of crumpled blood-stained bodies
4. intensive forensic analysis
It is amazing how many shows out there fit that bill, exactly.

So she had saved up a doozy for us.

3. Oh, and she had said to me, "And bring on the Rocky shit. I'm ready." So I brought Rocky over. Allison had seen it when she was a kid, and that was it - saw none of the sequels - said to me, 'This might as well be the first time I've ever seen the movie, for all I remember it." So this would be a THRILLING day.

-- I had really liked getting the blood pumping that morning so I decided to walk down into Hoboken and pick up the PATH from there into Manhattan. This is a 2 mile walk, I guess, something like that. Along an exposed cliff, with all of the city unfurling below. Gorgeous. Wind-whipped. But I kind of overdid it, in terms of the amount of exercise I did this past weekend. I could barely walk on Monday.

-- I arrive at Allison's - and by now, it's ... well, I kind of felt like I would never be fully warm ever again - the cold was in the marrow ... so her place was cozy, with hissing heat, and actual condensation on the windows - because it was so toasty warm inside! Allison was in a tanktop and overalls - and she had pretty much joined the staff of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Her bed was standing up against the wall. She had a screw gun in one hand, and a level in the other. Everything was pushed to the side and she had put another shelf into her exposed brick wall - it looked great. Oscar the dog leapt upon me in a frenzy when I walked in. Charlie the cat sat back and glowered at me resentfully. I tried to give him love but he kind of scorned me. Allison was all about her Murphy's Oil Soap that you spray on the floor directly - (this will change my life) - as well as the vacuum-sucked bags for your sweaters, towels, whatever - if you want to store your stuff and have it not take up any room. Allison showed me how they work, rapturously. Such items will change our lives.

-- We both were hungry so we decided to venture out into the freezing day to find food. Allison put her bed back in place - put it all back together - and we admired her shelf-building handiwork for a bit. We also were kind of aware of the fact that we had a lot to get done that day - we laughed about it. "Okay, I know we have a lot to do today ... but can we go grab some food?" We needed sustenance for our plan of attack.

-- Off to Tavern on Jane. I love it there. It's a real tavern, you know? Dark wood, exposed brick, nice clientele, bar food, shepherd's pie ... Fire in the fireplace. People were there - a nice crowd - but not an insanely packed Super Bowl crowd. We got a table by the wall, and ordered food, and chowed down. Great talk - about our lives, about mediocrity - accepting it, fighting it - about our vague plans for the future - how we don't know how things will work out ... but we know we want to change.

-- Satisfied, we hurried through the increasingly biting wind to Allison's steam-room of an apartment. I had brought my slippers. Because it's just not right to watch hours of television without those fur slippers on. We got ourselves all set up on her bed. We had this serious-eyed focus to us - it just cracks me up. Pillows set up, animals fed ... We decided to start with Extras - we did end up taking a detour into Bloodshed/Cult ... which was a surprisingly easy segue, believe it or not.

-- So. About The Extras. First of all: I adored the first season. Every damn second of it. But I was REALLY pleased to read this - which I think is spot on. Something is going ON in this second season - Gervais and Merchant are taking it to a really interesting and relentless place ... It's truly a cynical show - and yet ... it maintains its humor. It's bitter - but it's not off-puttingly bitter. Fascinating. And the guest-spots. The guest spots!!!

-- Allison had told me about the 3 we would be seeing - "Today, we will be seeing David Bowie, Daniel Radcliffe, and Chris Martin ... and I have to say - this totally shocked me - but my favorite one was Chris Martin ... Wait until you see him. I'm a little bit in love with him now. It's my favorite of all the three - but they are all great."

-- We started off with the Bowie one. Hilarious. Just the horror of that last scene ... with Bowie - BOWIE!! Freakin' David Bowie ... going off on a spurt of creativity at the sight of poor Andy. "Pug ... pug ... Short little loser ..." and with every edit he made - it would get more mean-spirited. Like suddenly he changed a word, so that the new one would be "Fatty" - and you could see Andy hope that maybe ... maybe ... Bowie would say something NICE ... but ... Oh. No. The VIP area has become a horror show. You think it will be great in the VIP area, like your whole life will be different ... but actually it's tremendously terrible, with stars like David Bowie barely giving you the time of day, and then creating a song for the whole bar to sing about what a fat loser you are. I loved how Maggie - so obliviously cruel - she means well, she can't help herself - sat next to Andy, bopping to the beat ... and he kept glancing at her like: "How could you?" and she'd stop herself ... but she always just makes those choices, not out of mean-ness - but just because she's a bit dense ... and has no impulse control. It was hysterical - I loved how Bowie's eyes got all serious and far away as the idea for the new song came over him. Brilliant!!

-- Then came the Daniel Radcliffe one which was - to quote Mitchell - "sheer liquid joy". Honest to GOD. There was so much about it that was absolutely ridiculous, so stupid, SO funny ... First of all: Dame Diana Rigg with a condom on her head. Seriously - only Ricky Gervais. BRILLIANT. The expression on her face too! hahahaha Like - she was barely annoyed. Just kind of flat, dead-eyed. I loved how Daniel Radcliffe just kept trying to be cool and grownup ("I've done it with a girl .... intercourse-wise.") - except he's wearing a Boy Scouts uniform and his mother hovers on the edge of every interaction he has. I really love these big stars who make fun of themselves and their image so openly. It's so FUN to watch. I loved how when Radcliffe suddenly got busted by the dwarf (who was a RIOT) - for hitting on the dwarf's wife - Radcliffe looked down at the dwarf for one instant, had no idea how to handle the confrontation, and then looked up and called out randomly, "MOM?" We howled. I LOVED seeing this young actor futz around with his image, try to smoke, order a "cup of joe", trying to be all cool, announcing that he has "a condom" - but the way he says it you can just tell that the whole thing is a novelty to him. Like - you can only have ONE condom in your lifetime. A condom is a precious thing. Naturally he snaps it across the room like a balloon and it lands on Diana Rigg's head. Also: seeing Ricky Gervais kick a dwarf in the stomach ... look down at the crumpled body ... and then say, as though he's trying to will himself back before the incident, "No ... no ... no ...." Then he calls out, lamley, "It was in self-defense!" WHAT? How on earth could kicking a dwarf be in self-defense?? That dwarf (who works all the time as well) was hysterical. Dressed up in his stupid little leprechaun outfit, and being all offended because people keep hitting on his wife. I thought the whole episode was great. Also because - as far as the tabloids are concerned - Andy has, in the space of a 2 day period - punched a Down's Syndrome kid in the head, and drop-kicked a dwarf across a soundstage. I am howling.

-- But I love this show because there's this undercurrent of true melancholy there. That last theme song ... it's got that ACHE to it, and yet you can't quite point to where the ache IS. It's the human condition. The show is quite genius.

-- Allison was beside herself because the Chris Martin one was next and she was so excited to watch it with me. I'm not a Coldplay fan - or, wait - I was for about 2 seconds, when they first came out - and then I was like: Sigh. Whatever guys, I get what you're going for, and I am totally over it. And there always seemed to be something annoyingly self-consciously sincere about Chris Martin - it turned me off. But my God - the Extras episode with him ... To me, it shows him in a whole new light. I have totally newfound respect for him because he was able to make fun of his own image - and totally mess around with it - and then there was the blooper at the very end of the episode when he and Gervais look at each other, and totally cannot hold it together anymore - and just BURST into laughter. I love Chris Martin now. He's got a sense of playfulness, and also ... he maybe takes his music seriously, as well he should ... but anyone who can go on a show and do THAT ... tells me he is not totally lost in Deeply Ironic Self-Consciously Sincere Land. He was adorable. The version of Chris Martin he played was: completely a careerist, even at the most inappropriate times - like during a photo shoot for some Help Save Africa campaign. He wears a Coldplay T-shirt to the photo shoot - and points to it as the cameras click. He wears sunglasses. He asks the Africa person if maybe it would be a good idea to have the new Coldplay song as the theme for the "Help Save Africa" campaign. It's hysterical ... watch how overly serious he is, but so COCKY, and so ... CLUELESS. I also loved the following line on multiple levels: They're about to take his picture, and he says, arrogantly, "Let's make this quick, okay? I gotta get home. Gwyneth's making drumsticks." I HOWLED at that line. It's such a BUST - on Gwyneth's seriousness, on her vegetarianism ... but it shows a sense of humor about the whole thing that I just found awesome. LOVED it. "Gwyneth's making drumsticks." Allison and I were seriously crying with laughter. And the duet that makes up the final scene of that episode ... you can see Chris Martin - with the sunglasses on - trying desperately to just keep it together and not laugh ... to make it to the end of the song. You could see Gervais sing right next to his ear, in that squeaky voice - and Martin would look off into the distance, and you just KNEW that the guy was DYING to laugh. So that big BURST at the very end, when they finally could not take it anymore - was just beautiful to me.

-- Great show.

-- Oh, forgot to talk about our detour. This happened during the David Bowie one - or maybe in between Bowie and Radcliffe. Oscar the dog stood at the front door of the apartment, staring at Allison, with his head cocked. He looked adorable, quizzical, and ... purposeful. He also had scratched at the bottom of the bathroom door, a clear signal of what he needed. So Allison bundled up - to take him out to do his business - and in the meantime, because she could not bear me watching ANY of Extras without her - set me up with the 20/20 episode.

-- It was about a cult I knew a lot about. Surprise surprise. Allison returned with Oscar 20 minutes later, and I said, "I know all this stuff." However, the intricacies of the murder and the planning thereof - was all new to me. Allison and I watched ... and discussed ... and stopped the show to talk about finer points ... to theorize ... we talked about cults, and brainwashing, and how glad we were that some of them got out, how horrible it must have been, what must it feel like, how we didn't blame the murderer at ALL for what he did. Completely justifiable homicide as far as I'm concerned.

-- Once we started the 20/20 thing, we couldn't stop it - so we watched it through to the end and then went back to Extras.

-- Hours have now passed. We have not moved from the bed. The animals loll about. Charley the cat hangs out on top of the fridge, staring down at us. Oscar the dog cannot bear not to be the center of attention. He is constantly coming over to us - at the peak moment of whatever Extras episode we are watching - and nudging us with a slimy drool-coated baseball. Telling us that it is time to PLAY. When you say "No, not now" - this dog stares at you with ... uncomprehending yet stubborn eyes. Like: No? What? I do not speak that language. It's hilarious.

-- Allison and I order a pizza. Tavern on Jane is now hours in the past and we are hungry again.

-- We are also now facing ... Rocky. It's time. And isn't it so funny that we both were kind of nervous?? I am laughing out loud at our friendship right now. Allison gave me a kind of shy serious glance and said, "So. Are we ready?"

-- So then we watched Rocky. I made her watch the interview with Stallone I have first - just for CONTEXT. Bless Allison for knowing that she needed CONTEXT. That the movie would not be the same without CONTEXT. Allison and I watch movies in exactly the same way. It is truly a kindred spirit type thing. We have the same obsessions, almost the same taste, the same eye for detail, and the same love of certain types of moments.

-- The Stallone interview was awesome and I just had such a great time watching it with her, seeing her discover him, and who he is, and how endearing and articulate he really is. It set up the movie perfectly.

-- The pizza arrived. Chow.

-- Then. The movie. This has been solely a private experience for me - this Rocky thing - except for sharing it on the blog, of course ... but I sit at home, and I watch the thing, and I listen to the commentary, and it's all about ME. So to sit there, with her - someone who didn't remember it - that was key to the excitement - to watch her truly discover it ... It was just AWESOME. So fun!!! Allison's not a boxing fan at all, so to see her - during the last fight - punching the air - as though she were Rocky punching Apollo - hahahahahaha. The movie just works, what can you say.

-- Funny moments I remember:

-- Oscar the dog barking up at the dog in the movie. Every time the dog in the movie barked, Oscar would LOSE IT. He was protecting us from the movie dog. Thank you so much, Oscar. For being SUCH a good guard dog. He stood on the bed, right in front of us - ass in our faces - and barked up at the TV - and all Allison and I could see - our entire field of vision - was Oscar's anus - which made a strange convulsion every time he barked. I didn't ASK to get a close-up of a winking anus but that was what I had to deal with in that moment. But it was so hysterical - the dog in the movie barks quite a bit - so Oscar would rush up to the TV - and stand there - desperately trying to somehow crawl thru the screen to meet his foe, sphincter puckering in the wind.

-- Oh, and this was great. In the scene I mentioned here - the scene where Rocky sits on the couch, and Adrian starts to come on to him and Rocky rebuffs her - so anyway - by this point Allison is totally hooked into this story. You could just tell. It was awesome. So when Rocky pushes Adrian off, Allison cries out - as though it hurt her personally, "Oh no! Is he mad at her?????" (I am laughing as I type this. I love you, Allison!!) And I said, frustrated, "Well, no - it's just that Rocky is realizing that --" Allison suddenly retreated and said, "Oh God. I'm totally being the girl right now, aren't I?" I'm still laughing about this. It was so cute. Like - SCREW whether or not he beats Creed! WHY IS HE BEING MEAN TO ADRAIN? hahahaha But it's great because the movie works on BOTH levels - that's why those scenes are so good. But I just loved Allison's pained shocked gasp: "Is he mad at her??????"

-- There's one scene where Rocky stands on an overpass - waiting for the loan shark to come get him. Behind him is a scene of total urban poetry - there's long sun rays on the buildings - not a speck of green anywhere - but none of this is SET - it's all accidental - and it has that feel to it. Nothing is "lit" professionally - they caught these moments on the fly, this wasn't a normal union film - they didn't have permission to film on the steps, etc. So the shots have a reality to them that bigger budget movies don't have. There's mess there - but there's also beauty. Anyway - it's this one beautiful shot (I need to start doing some screen captures - so I can illustrate my oh so brilliant points) - and Rocky is all in black, the bricks in the black kind of glow in the sunset - and an elevated train rattles by - and Allison (who has always had a very keen and good eye for art direction) said, "God. I just LOVE the look of this movie." You can feel it from that first scene in the boxing club - the grittiness of it - the ... it's borderline amateur, in terms of how it's lit. Like look at the shadows cast by Rocky when he's in his apartment. Those are big stark shadows, obviously from the huge lights pointed at him - those are not shadows from any LAMP he has in his apartment. But it just doesn't matter - because the emotion of the movie, and the reality underlying each and every scene is what REALLY matters. You don't even notice these things. Funny thing, by the way: In the scene where Stallone grabs the little girl out from the group on the corner and walks her home - as the two of them walk away together, you can see the Hertz equipment truck in the background. Hahahaha They didn't have time to move the truck - they only filmed in Philly for 5 days ... so they just left the Hertz truck in, hoping nobody would notice the incongruity of it. I never noticed until Stallone laughed about it in the commentary. But that's part of the movie's charm. What you are seeing is often the first and only take - because they didn't have the money to do 100 takes to get it right. You had to be right in the first take. That's where that sometimes unbearable rawness comes from. You can't BUY rawness like that. It has to be authentic. Don't try to create it, or re-create it, or comment on it, or be ironic about it. Otherwise you look like an ass. Rawness like that is money in the bank if:
1. It is authentic
2. It is used as the backdrop for a really great story

As I remember more of our watching moments I will recount them - but it was just SUCH a fun experience - watching it with her. I re-lived the movie all over again, and seriously, I can't have enough of THAT, now can I?

The funniest thing is this:

Allison, like I said, had seen the movie, the first one, when she was a kid, and never gave it a second thought. Never saw the sequels, had no desire to see them. She also never gave Stallone a second thought - never really thought of him as a "contendah" in terms of acting and stuff.

But needless to say - she just fell in love with the movie.

And the next day I get the following email from her, which made me laugh out loud. I'm still laughing about it:

oh, and rocky bobbed and weaved his way in and out of my dreams last night and i woke up in a panic at one point. rocky and adrianne. adrianne and rocky. do they staty together????? i can't believe i failed to ask you this question. did their romance endure through 2, 3, 4, 5, AND 6? (or were there only 5?). after you left i was talking to my mom on the phone telling her about rocky....and she was like, "yeah, i was never much of a rocky fan." and i was like, "no no no, mom. you don't understand. you just don't understand." at which point i launched into a diatribe about steady cams and a script written in three days and a having to sell the dog and the macho tough with a gentle heart and sets that weren't sets at all and the sweet love affair where gaps were filled and the personal victory of transcending the limitations we set for ourselves and the movie's raw gritty realness that has been so readily eschewed in today's films for florid cinematic polish. at some point i'm pretty sure she put the phone down and went and took a bath or something.

but (in my whiniest most hopeful voice) do adrianne and rocky stay together?

"diatribe about steady cams"

I can't stop laughing. She is now an expert.

Ibid.

Idem.

All Rocky posts

Daily fix

You know.

A new discovery

Okay, so you know how Rocky comes into the pet shop every day and tells a bad joke to Adrian? Trying to make her smile? (I am convinced that the reason he would fall for a girl like Adrian - or one of the reasons - is that she doesn't roll her eyes at his bad jokes - she's too shy - she's not sophisticated - and that's a good thing - she wouldn't blow him off - she would never make him feel dumb. She may not laugh openly at his jokes ... but she's somewhat of a safe harbor, with all of her shyness. She doesn't make him feel dumb, or like a bum.)

Okay, so onward.

There's a scene where he comes into the pet shop - it's maybe the 5th or 6th scene into the movie - it's nighttime. He comes out of the gym across the street - and walks into the shop. This is the scene where Talia Shire is filmed mainly through the bars of the bird cage. Rocky is kind of aimless here - he has nothing to buy, no errand, nothing even made up ... He's just had kind of a bad day, he lost his locker at the gym, and he has no one to talk to. It's so amusing because Adrian never responds to Rocky's conversation ... and yet you never feel that it's a one-sided thing. She never speaks ... but he's not hitting a blank wall here. He's not being rejected by her - even though sometimes it's hard work. He likes the work. He likes trying to make this geeky plain woman smile. If she smiles - it makes his day.

Okay. Focus, Sheila. Focus.

He walks into the pet shop. She's busy with the bird cage. He starts talking with her, saying nothing. "Cold night, huh?" No response. "You could get pneumonia on a night like this." No response. He glances at her. "You need help with that cage?" No response. He says again, "Cold night." No response. He glances down at the huge dog in the cage. Says, friendly, "Hey, Butkus, hey." Nothing from Adrian. Rocky then says, "There's a good game down at the Spectrum tonight." No response. Adrian busy at the cage. Rocky is not looking at Adrian, just messing around with that ball he always carries in his pocket. Says, "Want to go to a basketball game?" (If there is a more quietly vulnerable moment on film, I want to know what it is. Anyone who has ever asked anyone out - will know exactly what he's going thru in that moment.) Rocky glances at her. She doesn't respond. Doesn't even acknowledge that she has just been asked out. Shire plays all of this perfectly. You just know that this woman is not a snot ... that's not why she isn't speaking. She isn't speaking because she is shy, she has never been paid attention to, and she is pretty "emotionally battered" (those are Stallone's words for her) - she cringes. She tries to be invisible. She tries to stay out of Paulie's way. She has been "discarded" (those are Shire's words). Rocky somehow gets all of this - and even though Adrian doesn't really give him the time of day - he somehow gets that she just can't. Yet.

So after the basketball game moment - Rocky then goes to talk to the birds - which is great. It's like he's taking the pressure off of Adrian. "Don't these birds look like flying candy?" Pokes his finger thru at them and says, making a Rocky kind of joke (ie: bad): "Hey! I'm a giant worm!" But making a big show (for Adrian) of being friendly - being nonthreatening - how safe he is to this little shy woman behind the desk. (The way she is filmed in this scene she is in the cage with those birds. And funnily enough - the symbolism isn't too heavy-handed. It's more like poetry - a poetic moment. Sometimes in life you have moments where you embody something bigger - a theme, a metaphor - you look at something and you say, "Wow. That is almost a literary conceit". That's what Adrian in the cage is, for me. It's not like: Oooh, heavy symbolism here! It's just a gentle reminder of some of the deeper themes of this piece, and how Adrian fits in to the overall story.)

Then Rocky says to Adrian - "You need somebody to walk you home?" She shakes her head no, thru the cage. We now see Rocky's face in the little mirror behind the counter - so we see the back of Adrian's head and Rocky's big mug - with the Band-aids on his eyebrow, the bruise on his eyelid - the black hat - he looks like a thug and a half, I tell ya. But he wants to walk her home. He wants something. He wants to connect. He wants to talk about his day to someone who gives a shit. It's a lonely cold world out there, man. Mick gave up his locker today to someone else - and that hurts. It hurts. But Rocky can't say to Mick, "That hurts my feelings." He has no friends. His only "friend" is the loan shark - but he can't open up to the loan shark. Besides - a statement like, "That hurts my feelings" is something that only women get to hear. This is Rocky's world. The woman gets to see the soft underbelly - nobody else. This is like Bogart. Bogart never played a guy with a bunch of male friends. He had verbal sparring partners (like Claude Rains in Casablanca) - or he was a caretaker to someone who was less of a man (like the drunk sidekick in Have and Have Not) ... but these were not intimate male friendships. The most intimate he got was maybe with Sam, the piano player - Sam knows him at his weakest, drunk, and upset ... and it's okay. That man will not hold it against Bogart. But in general, Bogart is alone - solitary - and only the woman gets to see the vulnerability, the hurt, the anger, whatever. And only the right woman. The floozy at the bar in Casablanca is treated like the whore that she is. But the right woman? She gets the key to the palace. Which is not easy to come by, obviously. The women have to work for that damn key.

This is a different sort of reality than some other movies - where the woman is the peripheral (see all of Brian DaPalma's films for examples) - the REAL relationships are between men. Women are peripheral, kind of silly, only good for one thing, are NOT to be trusted, and have no business mucking around in the male world.

Howard Hawks' movies were all about a woman who can play with the big boys, a woman who submerges her femininity enough to hang out with men. It's an interesting tension - it makes for some damn fine dialogue.

But the Rocky character - like Bogart's characters - is the hard outer shell guy, with the soft inside. Why do you think Rocky's pets are turtles? You think that's an accident?? Ha. He doesn't have a dog, or a cat. He has turtles. Stallone said in one of the interviews on my DVD - "Rocky is capable of great violence in the ring, or when certain buttons are pushed - but inside he is very pliable. Very impressionable."

I believe that this is one of the main reasons why Rocky wouldn't be interested in floozy women. I could see that a woman like that might ... mess him up, emotionally. I don't know how to say it right. Not that Rocky is a weak guy - obviously not - but I think what he is interested in is ... connection - and being listened to. If you notice in his scenes with Adrian - he's not asking her about her life, or trying to draw her out. No - maybe he senses that that is too stressful for her. What he does in those scenes is talk a mile a minute about his own life. This does a couple of things. It takes the heat off of Adrian - she doesn't have to try to converse, or respond ... Rocky doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable. He'll do anything for her to just relax - and so him babbling on and on seems to loosen her up (watch her in the ice rink scene - his courtship methods are working). But can you imagine a floozy hardened woman listening to that chatter? She'd not get it. She wouldn't listen to him. She would think him talking on and on about how he bought the marbles to go in the bottom of the turtle bowl - was stupid. He won't subject himself to that. I would imagine Rocky goes to hookers - that's just a guess - he seems like a practical enough guy to go that route - and it just seems logical, in that crowd, in that world, that that would be how he'd handle loneliness - but he would never make the mistake of falling in love with any of those types of girls. It's funny - the scene where Rocky goes to take Adrian out - and they walk out of the house, and they're all awkward, and weird with each other, and blah blah - Stallone says in the commentary, laughing at all of the behavior - "You know - she's never been on a date before - he's never really been on a date either ... It's all just awkward."

Sigh. I keep trying to stay on topic but I just cannot.

Okay. Back to the scene in the pet shop - which will then set up what I REALLY need to talk about - which is my "new discovery" from the 2nd scene of the film (when Rocky comes home and talks to his turtles after the fight).

After Rocky says, "You need somebody to walk you home?" and she mutely shakes her head - he says, "If I were you, I'd take a cab home. Every other block there's a creep around here." Long pause - you can see him checking in with her - it's so hysterical, so vulnerable - he's trying to say, "I'm not a creep!" - but he's got the black eye, the black hat, the fingerless gloves - it's just so funny.

Then finally he gives up and says, "I guess I'll be going. I'm gonna go home and make up a joke to tell you tomorrow." (My heart just aches in that moment. He's trying so hard with this desperately shy woman. It's so nice. Painful.) Again - no response from Adrian. Then he says, "Good night, Adrian." He opens the door - we see her thru the bird cage - she looks up and says, "Good night, Rocky." That's all she can get out, when she is in his presence. But she says it kindly. There's not a moment where you feel like she's "Oh for God's sake, would this guy leave me alone??" That's a hard line to walk on - it so easily could have tipped over into Adrian being an annoying person - but it never does. You just ache for this poor woman. You so want her to just let go, be happy ... but it's gonna take a huge leap, man.

And it's set up, thru the film, that the way Rocky courts this woman is to make up jokes - and tell them to her. When he's complaining to Paulie about how he's getting nowhere with Adrian - he says, "Every morning I go in there and I tell a joke. Every night I go in there and tell a joke. Nothing. She just looks at me like I'm a plate of leftovers."

Now. Back to my "new discovery" (and maybe I'm an idiot and this would be obvious to anybody - but I just figured it out.):

In the second scene of the film - Rocky comes home after his fight, all beat up. He talks to Cuff and Link. He wanders around. He has a beer. Then he has this whole fascinating moment at the mirror. I'm sure any Rocky fans will remember this moment. It's terrific acting, first of all. There are all these pictures of Rocky (only they really are Stallone - his 3rd grade picture, his real parents, etc.) stuck on the mirror. Rocky walks over to the mirror - and he's holding the can of turtle food in his hand - and he looks at himself in the mirror (and he looks like hell) - and starts to talk. This is what he says, in a kind of listless voice:

"There were more moths in the turtle food - more flies ... no ... There were more flies than moths in the turtle food ..." (He seems to be blundering about - trying to say something - then he gets frustrated - tosses the turtle food down and says:) "Oh, who the hell cares."

It is then that he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror - the sullen bruised face - and there's the 3rd grade picture right there - he looks at it - looks at himself - looks back at it - This moment feels like it goes on forever. It's heart-breaking. A truly private moment. As private as Travis Bickle's "You talkin' to me?" (a movie which, incidentally, opened the same week as Rocky - Rocky beat it for Best Picture) ... Bickle has the loneliness that has turned him into a psychotic. Loneliness can do that. That's what that fantasy horror moment of "You talkin' to me" is about. At least that's what I see. Wow. Like Eleanor Rigby. All the lonely people. If anyone had ever listened to this guy ... would he have turned out this way? If anyone had shown him just a tiny bit of tenderness? Loneliness is not for sissies, man - it can mess you up for good. Rocky's isolation is just as acute - but it has not grown so malignant, it has not been turned so far inward - that he has become a sociopath or a psychopath. But his long moment of staring at himself in the mirror - with total honesty - no illusions - after babbling something about the turtle food, then giving up on that (whatever it was) - and catching sight of his 8 year old face. Which stops him dead. He overplays NOTHING - but what I see in his face is: What. The hell. Has happened to me. Who is that 8 year old boy? I'm 30 years old. I just got paid 40 bucks to get the shit kicked out of me. My only friends are turtles. What the hell has happened. No self pity. Just isolation, and aware of his own aloneness.

SO. Okay, I'm almost done, I promise.

Next scene: it's the next morning. Rocky goes to the pet shop. This is our first time meeting Adrian. And also this is our first time in the movie seeing the other side of Rocky. Up until this point - we've had 2 scenes - and while there is a gentleness and a humor to how he talks to his turtles - we like the guy - what we have mainly seen is a scowling guy, fighting in some dingy club, smoking, with blood dripping down the side of his face, no expression, no fire in the belly, nothing. So then we see his face thru the pet shop window, and he's waving at the little puppies, and giving Adrian (although we can't see her yet) a brief wave and we're like: Hmmm. Who IS this guy?

So he comes into the store. I love (and I mean, LOVE) his first line to Adrian. "How you feelin' this mornin'? Full'a life?"

Makes me want to cry.

You can suddenly see this man's good heart. "Full'a life?"

How anyone could look at cringing Adrian, in her maidenly-aunt sweater, her horn-rimmed glasses, her hair pinned back in the largest barrette ever manufactured - and say, as though expecting a "Yes" for an answer, "Full'a life?" is a mystery. She so does NOT look "full'a life". Not in the slightest. But that's the kindness at the heart of this Rocky character. She actually is "full'a life" - it's just underneath all that other stuff.

"How you feelin' this mornin'? Full'a life?"

Adrian can barely look at him. She mutters, "I'm doing fine."

Rocky looks HUGE in that environment. Like he is sucking up all of the available oxygen just by standing there. He says, jovial, loud, "How's the turtle food this week?"

Adrian doesn't look at him. "Fine."

Then Rocky says - and you can so see him just needing her to listen - even though she's not looking - watch how at one point he reaches out and taps her - basically like, "Hey ... hey ... Adrian ... Adrian ... listen ... listen ..."

So he says, "I'm kinda aggravated this week."

Now - what he WANTS her to say is "Why?" He wants her to say "Why?" because (and this is part of my new discovery) - he needs her to set up his bad joke. If she says "Why?" - then that's like the "ba-dum" to his "CHING". It's a little comedy routine he's trying to start here. This is what he does every morning.

But Adrian does not say "Why?" because - that would mean the conversation would have to be prolonged - and she can't bear it - so she says, "I'm sorry."

Dead stop.

Then Rocky (and you just have to laugh at him) says, "Don't you want to hear about it?" Still trying to get her to participate in his joke.

Adrian's boss pushes by him and says something like, "I'll tell you somebody who doesn't want to hear about it."

But Rocky - no guile, no malice - says, "Hey, Loretta, how are you ..." (or something like that) - then reaches out and pokes Adrian in the back - "Adrian, don't you want to hear about it?" He is determined. He will tell her this joke, dammit, even though her BACK is to him.

He then goes on to say, "The turtle food last week had more moths in it than flies. And the moths get stuck in the turtle's throats and they cough - and I have to then smack them on the back. And they get what? What do they get?"

Cut back to Adrian, who is having a harder time resisting this onslaught now.

Rocky says, grinning, pushing her, "Come on ... they get what?"

She shakes her head - shy - and he says, "Shell shock. They get shell shock."

Despite herself, Adrian smiles. She tries to hide it, but she can't.

And so this is a good day for Rocky. A very good day.

And NOW I can see that what he was DOING in front of the mirror - was practicing the joke - and trying to come up with the right order of words so that his lame punchline would be funnier. I never put that together before - I thought he was just talking to himself ... maybe carrying on a conversation with himself to fill up the empty air, the silence in his house ... I never really thought about it. But I just realized yesterday that no: he is practicing his joke.

This makes the triumph of getting her to smile in the next scene even more touching. Because look at the look on his face during his "rehearsal" of the joke. He looks hopeless. Nothing ever will change. He is at the bottom of his life, the bottom of the barrel. He's 30 years old. He has no life. And here he is - trying to make up a joke for this woman who won't even look at him - and oh fuck it, who the hell cares.

But then in the next scene - it's bright sunshiny morning - and he walks into the pet shop, it's a brand new day - and boom. He has figured out the wording, the punchline, the fact that it's the MOTHS that are the problem, not the flies, he has worked out how he wants to tell it, and even though she can barely look at him - dammit - this is what he is committed to in this moment: He is telling her a joke.

And for a second - when she smiles - for just a split second - it seems to Rocky that maybe his life is not nothing.

Happy place

Definitely time for a happy place.

More happy places ...

Oh - and here's something else. It had to be done.

Oh - and obsessions: one more thing:

One of the most wonderful things about being an obsessive like myself is having your friends know that you are a totally safe place, in terms of THEIR obsessions. You'll never ever hear from me: "Wow. Why are you watching Jackie Chan movies every single day? Move on." Ever. I get it. You'll never hear me say, "Don't you get sick of seeing the same M*A*S*H* episodes over and over?" Nope. I get it. See them all 100 times in a 2 week period. I get it.

So friends come to me. To revel in THEIR obsessions.

A dear friend of mine is now completely obsessed wtih Robert Shaw. It has taken over her life. She must see EVERYTHING he has done. I gave her a couple of suggestions - because I mean, come on, who is better than Robert Shaw (the obsession bloomed in her when she recently saw Jaws - which she had seen before -but for whatever reason, his acting in that one scene where he gives the monologues about the sharks - we all know the one - but anyway, she suddenly realized: He's pretty much the greatest actor WHO HAS EVER LIVED.) I love it when my friends go insane. Anyway. Tomorrow night we're getting together to see Force 10 from Navarone. can't wait. I saw that movie myself - years ago when I was a teenager - and my Harrison Ford thing was EXPLODING through my adolescent consciousness.

And Allison's obsession with HBO's The Extras is moving on quite nicely - and I love watching that damn show with her - she and I just have exactly the same sensibility, we find the same things funny. I have no TV right now. So on Sunday we're getting together at her place for an Extras marathon so I can get caught up.

I just love that. Obsessions all around.

Rocky Rocky Rocky!

More observations to come. It takes a lot out of me - posts like this one. It just takes a lot of time - because ... well, I'm insane, obviously, and I have to gear up for it. And take notes. And formulate my thoughts.

But I've got more to discuss.

Next up?

The scene on the steps in front of Rocky's apartment when he's trying to get Adrian to come inside.

I could probably write a Tolstoy-length book about that one minute of film. I know it's nuts ... but there's just so much going on there!! Watch how he hangs on the broken screen door ... And the script ... "Why you think?" Perfect.

Getting ahead of myself.

Maybe tomorrow. I have to go take a run. Do some writing. Meet up with Flynn. Have some dinner. Rocky can wait. (gulp. I think he can anyway ...)

Rocky: things I notice and love Part 2

This is a multiple-part observation about a moment that lasts all of 20 seconds in the movie.

I am sick.

I want to talk about the scene where Rocky gets up in the middle of the night (the night before the fight) and gets up to go down to walk around the empty sporting arena. There are a couple of other scenes that inform this tiny little scene - and I'll talk about them too.

The scene (Rocky getting up in the middle of the night) - and how it is handled - so delicately and subtly - make me realize how PANDERING so many film-makers are today (or writers, or directors - or maybe it's just "the suits", who knows who to blame). They think people are stupid (and you know what, a lot of people are) so they feel the need to spell everything out for the retards in the audience. So a couple of things are NOT spelled out in this tiny silent scene with no dialogue that says WORLDS about what is going on. It's a 20 second scene. No speech. But there is so much to notice.

1. Rocky is sleeping on the couch. You see him lying there on the couch, it's the middle of the night, and his eyes are wide open.

A couple things here:

-- he's sleeping on the couch even though it's after Adrian has moved in. Now there have been a couple of moments leading up to this - in OTHER scenes - but nothing is spelled out too clearly, there is no conversation about why he is sleeping on the couch ...

After Rocky's first disastrous day of "working out" - when he can barely get to the top of the museum steps, when he has the fight with Paulie in the meat locker ("Are you balling her?" "'Hey. Don't talk dirty about your sister.") and then Rocky punches the meat ... he goes over to hang out with Adrian (she's in her old-lady pink bathrobe - the wardrobe is so great in this movie. Oh, and Talia Shire dressed herself. Those are all HER clothes - there was no money for wardrobe on this film - they all dressed themselves. So that gives another level to how brilliant Talia Shire was.)

So. Rocky sits on the couch like a big lump and he's a wreck. His hands are bloody from the meat - he is sweaty - and completely exhausted. Everything hurts. Adrian starts to make tentative love-making moves - he resists. Which is new ... when would Rocky ever NOT want to be connected? To anybody? Not just a sexual thing ... I mean, connection. He's a guy who looks for human moments. He's kind of lonely, you know? Instead of breaking the guy's thumbs on the docks, he starts to give advice. ("You should have planned ahead. You should have planned ahead.") He picks up the freezing bum on the street and hauls him into the bar. He banters not just with Adrian in the petshop, but with her boss. You know that kind of guy? A real social animal. He is looking for connection with everyone (think of the little girl he drags away from hanging out on the corner ... tries to give her advice ... Think of his "friendship" with the loan shark ... with the bartender ... Rocky is not a cold guy. He's isolated - but he would rather not be. His natural milieu is human interaction.). So anyway, to see Rocky push her hands away is ... we haven't seen this part of him yet in the movie. It's disconcerting and a little bit upsetting. But what's happening is: he's starting to take himself seriously. And when you start to actually take yourself seriously, and not say stuff like, "Yeah, I box ...but more like a hobby, you know?" ... then certain anxieties come up. Because now you have to actually work and risk. He is now facing the fact that he is not good enough to fight Creed. He is in way over his head. He has no illusions (which, I think, is one of the most appealing parts of this guy). And so instead of being just taken up with the moment to moment of life, like he is in the beginning of the movie (he goes to the gym, he stops off at the pet shop every day to tell a joke, he drives around with the loan shark, he talks to his turtles ... he has no real obligations ... he has nowhere to really BE ...) - instead of THAT ... now he actually has to start working, and focusing ... and investing in himself. This is a tough tough transition for Rocky. It goes against eveyrthing he knows, and the way he is wired. It's almost embarrassing for him. To take yourself seriously. He's a big lug, a child of the streets. You never want to be caught dead taking things too seriously in that environment. You'll get the shit kicked out of you. And what if you fail? What if you fail so big that everybody KNOWS you failed? If you say stuff like, "I box like a hobby..." then that protects you from ever having everybody SEE your disappointment.

He says something like, "I'm tired, Adrian ... no fooling around, okay?" But Adrian is blossoming now, she has roots, she is becoming her own person - so she persists, and tries to kiss him - and he gets annoyed. He says something like, "No fooling around during training. I need to stay strong." He says it with impatience and exhaustion. Again, it's a disorienting moment. Rocky is becoming an individual, singular, his own man. Finally. Adrian feels rejected and says, "Are you serious?" He says, "Yeah." There's this long still pause between them and he can't deal with it anymore, he just wants some SPACE, he had a terrible morning, he's totally out of shape, and for the first time ... he's scared. He's scared of facing Creed. It seems an insurmountable challenge.

When he pursues Adrian at the beginning of the movie - she's IT, in terms of his life, and what he has to look forward to. She's all he has going on, his awkward courtship of her is pretty much the only thing he focuses on. But now ... he has other obligations, other "promises to keep". And that's an awkward transition for Rocky. He pulls back the reins from her abruptly in that one scene, and it's painful - for both of them. He doesn't know how to balance. He says something to her like, "Why don't you go make the meat?" He brought over a package of meat from Paulie - and Adrian says, "Okay. I'll go make the meat." She goes. She's not in a huff, she's not being passive-aggressive - nothing like that. She's just trying to survive - survive the moment to moment with this man. It's overwhelming, when you're that much in love with someone. You become too connected, it's hard to deal with the realities of life ... because you're just so totally ga-ga. I speak from experience, obviously.

Rocky sits on the couch and watches her go. He's wearing the black winter hat, his hair is sweaty, hanging down from underneath the hat, he's wrapped up in a blue blanket, and his hands are completely torn up from hitting that beef. And it's such an eloquent silent moment. He's just as disoriented as she is. It's disorienting ... to suddenly start taking yourself seriously, after a lifetime of calling yourself a "bum", and having nothing much to do all day. It's not just a blast of Rocky theme music and there he is being triumphant, because YAY he believes in himself!!! You have to earn that. Rocky has to earn that. He's got to go through some hard times before he gets the payoff. In one of the interviews with Stallone on my DVD he references this scene when he pushes Adrian away - and says something like, "This is probably the most confused moment of Rocky's life up until that point." Stallone conveys all of this in the scene with no dialogue - it's my favorite kind of acting. Simple, clear, and yet very layered.

Rocky knows he can't just leave it this way with Adrian so he gets up (and he looks like a little old man, or a squaw or something - huddled in this blue blanket) - and shuffles over to the kitchen door. You can hear her bustling about in there. He says, "Yo." Of course. Then they have a silent little make-up scene. Or, not totally silent - she comes out - and has this kind of awkward moment - she doesn't know whether to hug him or not - so she walks back into the kitchen - and he can't deal with that, so he says again, "Hey." And back she comes- and he puts his arms around her - says, "I'm sorry" - and the last moment of the scene is him resting his chin on the top of her head, which is buried in his chest - and heaving this deep deep sigh. Great scene. I love the sigh at the end. It's complex. It's not a simple movie. A simple movie would have underscored that whole scene with sappy music, it would have been chock-full of closeups - of his or her face - which would telegraph: HE'S FEELING THIS, or SHE'S FEELING THIS ... and the resolution of the scene would be much more simple. Like; Yay, they made up! Rocky's strong now! No. Rocky is still scared, and nervous, and knows he's out of shape. But he also knows he has to balance a couple of balls in the air now - as opposed to only one, or none. He has to start training for real, he has to start to become an athlete. This is going to take WORK. But he also has to still be a good boyfriend. He has to do BOTH. That scene is about (in my opinion), Rocky learning that he's got to grow the fuck UP. So the deep deep sigh at the end, a sigh to himself really ... is so eloquent. It says it all. If you can do it without dialogue, screenwriters, then DO it. Imagine how bad it would have been if Rocky had said to her, in that moment, "I'm just realizing how out of shape I am, yo. I feel confused and I need some space. I can't screw you right now, Adrian, cause I gotta take myself seriously as a boxer, you know, yo?" I mean, it sounds so stupid writing it out - but how many scripts do we see that explain every human emotion in dialogue - when in reality so much of life (especially the hard stuff, the insecure stuff) is left unsaid?

That scene ends. With Rocky holding Adrian, but he looks so beat up - you can tell it hurts to even stand.

It is my theory, however, that they do end up making love after that - even though he's said "no fooling around". I think that because of the NEXT scene and what happens therein - and because I think there are no accidents in this script. Stallone is too good. So. We have the scene with Adrian coming on to him, and Rocky saying, "No fooling around."

Next scene: we are in the boxing gym. Rocky is in his filthy sweat suit (it's hysterical to notice how different he looks from the rest of the people in the gym) - punching on a bag like a MANIAC. He's drenched in sweat, and he is kind of all over the place. I don't know much about boxing but I do know that while he obviously looks very strong here - he also looks wild. Not like a real boxer yet. But he's going like crazy. Mick comes over and starts shouting at him about his lack of technique - and gets somebody to tie a string around Rocky's ankles. Mick growls, "This cured Rocky Marciano ... If you can still punch and hit to the body with your legs tied ... now you have balance. Now you become a very dangerous person." (Or: "poy-son", in Mick's accent). Rocky is a bit more docile now (docile meaning: he is accepting Mick as his coach, he "takes the coaching" rather than try to fight it). So he lets Mick tie up his legs. Mick keeps growling at him about balance, blah blah ... and at some point, two girls come up and ask Rocky for his autograph. He's obviously become a local celebrity. Rocky - who still has no focus, no discipline - is completely swayed by the request, even though it comes in the middle of a training session - and you can see him start to say "Sure" - before Mick ROARS at the two girls: "GET OUTTA HERE." Everything kind of stops ... the girls cower, and move backwards. Mick then takes the coaching to the next level, the psychological and comes back to Rocky saying, "And another thing. LAY OFF THAT PET SHOP DAME." Rocky, guileless, says, "Yeah, but I really like this girl, Mick." Mick ROARS: "THEN LET HER TRAIN YOU!" Rocky stops, doesn't say anything - you kind of expect him to let Mickey have it there - or to fight back, or something - Rocky doesn't take too kindly to being yelled at. But then he says, with this air of concession (it's a very funny moment, I love it - watch the expression on his face - I can't explain why I love it, I just do, it's so honest): "All right. No more foolin' around." And Mick nods, satisfied - and they go back to their training. Mick shouts, "WOMEN WEAKEN LEGS!" Rocky, punching the bag, repeats the phrase - he's kind of laughing, though - like it feels a little bit silly, but he's getting into the mode now, getting into the boxer mode. "Women ... weaken ... legs ..." PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH

Okay. So. There are the two scenes. In one we see Rocky push Adrian off, knowing he has to be strong. The scene ends with the two of them in a weary sort of battered embrace. Next scene - Mick brings it up - maybe he can tell that Rocky is distracted, or easily distracted ... Adrian's on his mind - whatever it is ... I'm sure athletic coaches (the good ones) are totally in tune with whatever the hell is going on with athletes to whom they are committed. That's why I think that Rocky did mess around with Adrian the day before. Despite his pushing her off initially. He did mess around with her - and Mickey can sense it. Rocky tries to defend himself - "I really like this girl, Mick!" but Mickey is having NONE of it.

So now ... what began as a vague plea to Adrian, based on nothing but his own instinct, and a little bit of fear at how far he has to go with this training - ("I need to stay strong, Adrian") - has now become a commitment. A commitment to himself, to doing his personal best in the fight with Creed - to actually following through on stuff. (That's why I love when he says to the guy on the docks in the beginning of the movie, "You should have planned ahead." Ha. You NEVER see Rocky "planning ahead" in the start of this movie. He's a moment to moment dude. There are no "plans" in his world. His only plan is to buy some more turtle food so he can try to court Adrian again. Maybe fight in some skeezy club once a month. This is not a guy with plans, yet here he is chastising this poor sack of a man, "You should have planned ahead.")

So after the big training montage - the famous one - we then suddenly are in the quiet little room where Rocky (and now Adrian) live. It's dark. Rocky is lying on the couch. Adrian is lying in bed. Nothing is explained or spelled out - and yet everything seems okay. Rocky has obviously made up his mind - and so they live like that, and it's okay. Because they're both growing up. And no way could Rocky sleep in the same bed with her and not get distracted. No way is this guy a "cuddle and spoon" kind of guy. Nope. So on the couch he is.

To me - those elements all add up (except they're just pieces ... and they don't fit together perfectly - just like they don't in life ... there are still cracks there, gaps in what we know about what happened) ... to a picture of Rocky getting serious about his training (at least in a psychological way - which sometimes is just as important as the physical) and knowing he has to lay off the sex for the duration. Maybe that's not true for all athletes - but for him it is - and the pieces that lead up to that moment are perfectly placed, I think. It's a little story within a story, as far as I'm concerned ... and that's what makes up a great movie, a movie I can watch over and over again.

2. The second thing I want to say about this scene is this (and it's subtle - I didn't notice it the first time, or the second time ... and now, funnily enough, it's ALL I can see!!): Adrian's decorating of Rocky's apartment.

Remember what that apartment looked like in the beginning scenes when he is there alone.

And now Adrian is there, she's his "roommate".

A lesser movie, a movie that thinks we, the audience, are mentally challenged, would have given us an Adrian montage, of her cleaning up the joint, putting her feminine stamp on that masculine bachelor nightmare of an apartment. We would have seen her dusting, scrubbing, tacking up nice pictures, blah blah. So we would "get it". We would "notice" the work that had been done. THAT'S a film that annoys me - a film that wants to be congratulated for the work that has been done - work that SHOULD be done in EVERY film. Why should I congratulate you for what you SHOULD be doing? So if they had put in an "Adrian cleaning montage" - then we, in the audience, would fully appreciate how detailed the art direction was in the film. So many movies operate like this. Not Rocky. We're in the apartment - and next time you see the movie - just notice how much that apartment has changed. It's beautiful. We only see it in passing - as Rocky gets up and puts on his coat and leaves - with one last look at the sleeping Adrian before he goes.

But it's everywhere. Her touch is everywhere.

It's Christmas time - so there's a little Christmas tree over in the corner. There are stockings hung up on the wall around the Rocky Marciano poster. Also a nice collage of boxing magazine covers featuring "The Italian Stallion". On that crappy wall over by the fridge - behind the front door - she has now put up all this flowered contact paper. It's on the wall, on the fronts of the drawers ... it doesn't look great - but it is a bold attempt at prettiness and civilization. Instead of the cluttered shelf behind the bed with the crosses and the bottles of Noxzema (which, sorry, I just love that detail - that Rocky is all about Noxzema) - there is a neat little shelf with a stereo on it. Or a radio - who knows what it is. And she's put up contact paper all around the bed - a black and white pattern ... It's decorating. It's her way of decorating. She probably lived with Paulie in their parents house ... and never got to put her stamp on things. Oh - and on the little bureau below the mirror - you can see a black and white framed photograph, candid, of the two of them, Rocky and Adrian. She's hugging him from behind and they're both laughing. Again: none of this is lingered on - to tell us: LOOK HERE. There are no close-ups of the contact paper, or the candid photo ... The main focus of the scene is that Rocky is troubled, it's the middle of the night, and for some reason he's putting on his coat and going outside. That's what we SHOULD be focused on. I'm just talking now as someone who has now seen this movie 8 times in the last 5 days. The thing about the change in his apartment - and the detail that is there - (oh, and the couch is a new one, too - the disaster couch from the beginning of the movie is gone - it is now a scratchy plaid couch) - anyway: the thing about it is: If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you don't. Maybe you'll get it the second time you see it. So instead of it being a telegraphing moment: See how she has changed the apartment?? - it continues on to feel like a slice of life.

Intimate. A whole world going on between the scenes. These people don't just live when the camera is pointing at them. Stuff is going on in between. This is life we're looking at ... not fiction.

Here's part 1!

Obsession:

This just arrived.

Look, I don't mess around.

Obsession: some struggles

So. The obsession with Sylvester Stallone is moving right along. Going quite well, thanks for asking.

Sadly, the blossoming obsession means I must see movies like Judge Dredd and Demolition Man (in some cases, I need to RE-watch them - because, let's not forget, I've always been into Stallone ... it's just that now I have kicked it up a notch) ... but obviously I can always find something to latch onto, something to enjoy. Like Tango & Cash. Come on. Ridiculous. FUN. 2 of my favorite guys.

So the obsession is going as planned - it's just that there's so much CRAP to slog thru as well. There's even that hard-to-find p0rn0 movie he made before Rocky ... I think the Germans have released it or something ... I did a little bit of inquiring. That's the level to which I have stooped. THANKS, SLY! I think I might know where I can find a copy - there are a couple shops in Greenwich Village I could check out. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they had it. The funny thing is is that after Rocky was released and Stallone became so famous and important - the p0rn movie was re-released - and they called it The Italian Stallion. Trying to cash in. I think they cut out all the X-rated bits, though, which left the movie about half an hour long. Anyway, it sounds hilarious and I need to see it.

Now I happen to be a person that loves a little bit of CRAP ... like, I think Rhinestone is adorable, for example - I love that movie ... but I'll sit through all the other stuff as well. I feel it is my duty, as a Stallone maniac.

I'm seeing Lords of Flatbush tomorrow and I'm so excited that I feel like a 7 year old kid on Christmas Eve. Like ... I can't sleep or think. Sly? The Fonz? Brooklyn in the 50s? All of those guys on the cusp of major - not even just stardom - but PHENOM-dom.

I am beside myself.

I've got another Rocky post in the works. Just stuff I notice and love. More to come.

And don't even THINK I won't liveblog Rhinestone when the time comes.

That time WILL come and I need to be ready. Emotionally.

Rocky: things I notice and love Part 1

-- how Mr. Gazzo takes a gasp off of an inhaler before bitching Rocky out for not breaking the guy's thumbs. What a detail. The inhaler. I LOVE actors, man. I have no idea why he gave the character asthma (it's not in the script) but he did ... and it's just fascinating.

-- Rocky's glasses. He puts them on in the backseat of the car with the loan shark, as he writes down his assignments for the next day. You know that he swiped those from a drugstore. They are the goofiest most inappropriate looking glasses. GREAT character choice.

-- How Adrian has pinned her watch to her sweater. Interesting detail.

-- the terrifically awkward moment when Rocky asks Adrian out (the first time - in the pet store) - and she is so shy that she doesn't even acknowledge that it has happened. He says, "Great game down at the Spectrum tonight ..." (he's not looking at her - pretending to look at the dogs, or whatever) - Adrian cleans the bird cage - nothing ... Rocky then says, "Want to go to a basketball game?" Not looking at her. Then a quick glance at her. She does not even look at him. And then right after that - Rocky moves on - as though it never even happened. As though he didn't just ask her out.

-- I love how Rocky bitches out Paulie in the bathroom: "I need a Cadillac to connect with your sister, or what?" Paulie is hunched over, trying to comb his 4 strands of hair in the tiny shard of mirror that is left on the wall. Beautiful. Every element of that scene: the dialogue, the set, the relationship ...

-- how in the beginning of the movie Rocky is a thug. By the end of the movie he has become an athlete. Like - in the first jogging-at-dawn scene - you can just tell that Rocky never gets up and jogs. Jog? Are you crazy? He's got the Converse on, it's dawn, his sweat suit is filthy (and hysterical - he looks so ridiculous in it - kind of chunky and pudgy) - and he does a few desultory stretches against the building - and then off he goes. He looks creaky. Not used to running. It's so eloquent - that shot.

-- I love how when Rocky first takes Adrian into his apartment he says to her, "You hungry? I think I got some donuts. Maybe some soda." She shakes her head. He says, "No? I got some cupcakes." She shakes her head. "I think I got some chocolate in there." She shakes her head. He says, "No? Okay." Uhm - donuts, soda, cupcakes, and chocolate. Perfect.

-- He sits on his couch, and tries to get her to join him. He says, "It's a nice couch, I don't know." Rocky. It is NOT a nice couch. There are beer bottles stuck in between the couch and the wall, the necks of the bottles hovering along the back of the couch like organ pipes. You have placed newspapers over the holes in the couch. A crumpled dirty blanket lies on half of a cushion. Now - there's no shame in being poor, Rocky. But that is NOT a nice couch.

-- Wonderful change of scene: Rocky comes home after the fight in the first scene. Talks to Cuff and Link. You know, that famous scene. He wanders around his disgusting apartment. You get the sense of his isolation. He has a beat-up face, band-aids on his eyebrow - a black eye - he goes to the fridge, takes out an ice tray, cracks it on top of the fridge - so a couple of ice cubes pop out into his hand. Some cubes go on the floor, he doesn't care. He takes the cubes and walks to his bed (you can so get the aches and pains in how he walks ...) - lies on the bed - it's a single bed - you can see a big wooden cross behind him - religious memorabilia on the shelf - and he lies on bed, his leg kind of curled up - and puts the ice cubes against his cut eye. And just lies there, with this ... battered look on his face, man. This battered flat dead-eyed look. The pose, the look says it all. This man is ALONE. But then: NEXT SHOT: we're inside the pet shop, it's daylight, and we see Rocky walk up to the window, from the outside - and he starts to tap and wave at the puppies - and his face is totally different. He glances up - waves at Adrian - there's still something a bit shy there, he's maybe trying to play up how unthreatening he is?? - but I just love that cut. We go from the violent guy lying in his single bed, no expression on his face, aching and throbbing from injuries ... to him trying to tell jokes to Adrian, trying to draw her out, make her laugh ... And BOTH of these things are true. Neither side is a pose. He is violent. Or - he has capability of great violence when he is in the ring, or when he feels