Lights... Camera... ACTION!!: A Hollywood Quest

Your work in Return of the Jedi was some of the most strenuous, stressful, yet also rewarding and fun moments of your acting career so far. In between the scenes in Jabba's Palace where you basically played a blind man trying to fight the most deadly mercenary while trying to avoid being thrown into a sand creature, to the forests of California where you once more were witness to Steve and Geroge's genius when it came to directing and innovation of storytelling, you've hardly had a moment where you were not busy, and the few and far between you made sure to spend with your friends and family.

Which would explain why you did not hear about the most recent development with your scheduled releases films, one that frankly you had not even thought possible when you made the plan.

It all started when Sylvester talked to you about the making of the third entry in the Rocky franchise. Just as before, he had told you he planned to write and direct it, and he wanted you to make a cameo as yourself and the one that was defeated by Rocky at the beginning of the movie. You had no problem with that, though you made sure to give him a run for his money, you still made the victory seem real and earned. After said small role however, you'd had very little to do with the movie, hoping that you could go and see it when the time for its release was set.

It was only unfortunate that scheduling issues, and the delay in production for the final Star Wars film made it impossible to attend. But hey, Mike would be there, and he was in charge of producing the film as well. Your trust in him had been vindicated recently, so you were sure that you could focus full time on acting and leave it all to him. After all, there was no other film that could compete with Rocky at the moment, so you were sure that it would work out just fine.

Heck, the movie in itself is a sequel to one of the most beloved franchises at the moment, and if there's something you've learned about Sly is that he does not do things by half, nor does he make another movie just to cash in on its marketability. If he says he has a story for the continuation of the sage then he has something that will make it both thrilling, blood pumping and entertaining to watch.

And when you received the report during one of your breaks, you were certain that you'd made the right choice.

Rocky III hit the theaters with strength, and Sly made a bold choice with this entry by making sure that it would not retread old ground like others had before. For in this film, Rocky was not the underdog fighter wishing to be at the top, but an already established name, a world champion who had taken on the best and succeeded, taking any and all challengers while earning fame, glory and money. Rocky is finally at the top of the world, he has a family and the adoration of the public, it should all be smooth sailing from here on out.

And yet it all comes crashing down as during an unveiling of a statue of himself at the stairway by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he is challenged by an up-and-coming new boxer; Clubber Lang, a man with ambition and a thirst to prove himself, a man who, to paraphrase Mickey Goldmill, has the hunger for the top, and is willing to shed anything to be where Rocky is at the moment. Rocky does not take it seriously however, and only accepts a fight with him after Lang insults his wife (this is sounding oddly familiar).

Yet the situation is not like many other films, for Rocky is no longer the determined man focused on only victory, as despite managing to get Mickey to join him in training for one final fight, he decides to stay at a hotel full of distractions for his fans to look at him train. Clubber Lang, in a dark parallel to Rocky's previous two training montages, is shown to be pushing his boundaries, getting stronger, with ruthless determination and vigor. At the same time, Rocky is then distracted by Mickey's heart issues, and despite the latter urging him to continue the fight, his lack of preparation and distraction over Mickey's condition cause him to lose the fight after his attempt to end it all in one round flounder, and Lang ends him on the second.

Rocky goes to Mickey's room, and tells him the fight ended in the second round, not mentioning who won. Mickey ells him he loves him, and dies, leaving Rocky in a deep depression.

It's in this situation where Apollo meets him, having watched the match as a guest analyst, and offers to help him train for a rematch with Lang. Rocky really tries, but at first it just doesn't seem to click with him giving up due to the crushing guilt and sadness he has over Mickey's death. It's only with the support of Adrian who helps him come to terms with Mickey's death where Rocky finally comes back with full force on his training, both him and Apollo becoming close friends in the process.

And you can only give praise for Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. That song is just the perfect mix of adrenalin, blood pumping, and excitement that just makes you want to stand up and run some laps around the block. That song has just become synonymous with rocky, and you don't think it's going to be dethroned any time soon. You've heard it on the radio so many times now, that it might as well have become part of your repertoire and songs that you hear to pump you up before any fighting scene.

It just fits so well.

Then comes the climax, the rematch against Clubber Lang, where Rocky once more comes to regain his throne in a way. The fight is everything that it had been hyped up through the entire film, as it is full of ups and downs, moments where Rocky has the upper hand, only to be reversed and nearly taken down twice before rising again once more. Through the fight we see both Rocky's fighting style now more refined, instead of the brawler he was presented through the last two movies and at the beginning of the third one, he is now moving with rhythm, he know when to dodge and when to retreat, when to take a hit or when to use the ropes to his advantage. All things that allow him to finally take the win against Lang, as the latter was not used to fight for that long, much of his victories coming from short matches where he overwhelmed his opponents.

With Rocky regaining his title once more, he and Apollo meet one final time, where they decide to try one more match between them and see how well they match against each other now. The movie ending in a frame right before their fists clash against each other.

Now what can you say about this movie? Perhaps that it's an amazing entry into the franchise, and, like its predecessor, a clear improvement where the entire character manages to go forward instead of repeating the same arc over and over again, yet still retaining the theme of never surrendering, to get up and try once more. Rocky lost everything; his manager, his title, his self-respect. But above all, he'd lost his edge. Like Apollo said "Now, when we fought, you had that eye of the tiger, man; the edge! And now you gotta get it back, and the way to get it back is to go back to the beginning." You loved that line and everything it implied.

When you lose something don't quit. You stand up again, dust yourself up, and get into the fight once more to get it back.

Not to mention how it probably has more ups and downs and memorable scenes than any you've seen so far; Rocky fights an exhibition match with against yourself and gets the beating of his life before managing to somehow overcome and win (Up). Then while defending his boxing title, he gets pummeled by a loudmouth boxer "Clubber Lang", and that's without mentioning the death of his manager (Down). But Rocky's former rival "Apollo Creed" agrees to train our hero in a re-match against the obnoxious villain Lang (Up). However, still down and depressed, Rocky is unable to train and be has lost his will to fight again (Down). But Adrian is there for him, helping him through this hard time, where he once more finds his "eye of the tiger" spirit and trains with great inspiration, becoming even and quicker and faster afoot than Creed! (Up).

Sly really managed to outdo himself this time, his role as Rocky Balboa manages to maintain that still lovable down to earth manner from the previous films, yet also imbue it with nuance as he becomes a more soft, more "civilized" fighter as Mickey would call him. It does not fit him, yet he makes it work as part of the movie, showing how this is not Rocky, and should not be, which makes his eventual return during the final fight all the greater when his determination, hunger, and stubbornness once more take center stage. Carl returning as Apollo once more managed to slip into Mickey's place with hardly any interference, and his new role as Rocky's trainer and sparring partner seems so seamless and natural that it just feels like something that was always meant to be. And of course, Mr. T's own take on Clubber Lang, the arrogant, brutal, and foul-mouthed boxer that you just love to hate, yet you can't help but respect as well due to his determination and focus whenever he trains or fights. He is a man that shows what Rocky could have been, may have actually become had he not had anything or anyone to ground him like Adrian.

And you can't forget Talia's take on Adrian in this film and how different it is from her last performance. Where before Adrian would have counseled Rocky against fighting, this time she goes above and beyond by becoming his Rock, his support during this difficult time where she gives him the words of encouragement he needs to hear in order. Their talk at the beach was just so heartwarming and touching that you're sure it's going to live on as one of the defining moments of the franchise. It truly shows that there is more to Adrian than one would have expected.

This is what you love about this movie; it's keeping with the theme but also trying new and interesting developments that manage to break from the old and tried formula, while also giving the fans what they want. Instead of a tale of an underdog, it's a tale of the rise, fall and rebirth of an underdog, proving once and for all that just because you reach the top, it does not mean that you have to disregard or forget all the lessons that brought you there, nor do you need to let it change who you truly are.

From the last report the movie had managed to be hit, gaining great traction among the fans of the franchise and even beyond. The audience seemed enthused, as they loved the story and how poignant Mickey's death was. They enjoyed the fact that the characters were moving forward and developing rather than just remain static cutouts revolving around the same drama over and over again. If the movie ended right then and there, you're sure that many would call it a perfect ending for the entire trilogy, a beautiful and nuanced finale for all their favorite characters. Yet from what Sly told you he still has plans for more movies; perhaps one more, or two at most, but the saga of Rocky is far from over.

Satisfied you put it out of your mind to once more focus on Steve's film, and for the next month you were more interested in both the Ewoks of Endor and the new Troopers that your daughter had managed to create for the film, thus it was a surprise when the next report you received showed how Sly's film had gone from a sure blockbuster in one moment, to barely trailing as the lowest grossing movie of the entire trilogy.

Looking at it, you could only call Mike and ask how the heck this happened?!

And the answer was twofold in a way...it was basically your faults, both yours and Mike in a way.

First of all, Mike, one of the best men for Marketing that you know, was suddenly given more than he could handle when his plan was approved. So much that in the end, when in charge of the movie, he thought that it could get by with the bare minimum of marketing, and name recognition alone. Now, to be fair to him, usually Mike can run rings around any and all other different movies and knows just the right people to speak with and with whom he can make sure to expound the best qualities of the movie and how to better present it to the audience along with trailers and campaigns to drum up support.

He was just too overwhelmed to put it in schedule, especially with most of his crew working on at least 5 different projects at once as well.

And even then, with the amount of notice the movie was getting, it could have still made a profit, and it could have very well perhaps approached the numbers from the first film...had it not been for how utterly ridiculous The Kung Fu Kid did during the next month! You had actually forgotten how it was the next movie to be released, and even then you had not expected it to overshadow the third entry from Rocky of all movies. It was in everyone's mouth, all were praising Lucasfilm's for once more beginning another successful franchise, and all the while, the best entry so far in Rocky laid forgotten like yesterday's news.

That's not to say it did not make a profit. Nearly ten times the budget is no joking matter, but it still makes it the least successful out of all the three films. Both in audience and critics as, once more, they did not manage to find much that they liked and had the audacity to call it "just another Rocky film with nothing new to add". Have they actually watched the film! Have they not seen the character development, the amazing choreography, the gripping story! Have they not seen how it perfectly goes full circle in the friendship/rivalry between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed?!

At the very least you can rest somewhat easy in knowing that this is not the end of the franchise. Sly has not taken this badly, and is satisfied with the results, many of Rocky's die-hard fans writing and saying how much they loved the movie and hope that there can be another one coming soon. How they were still going for second or third viewings in order to support what they see as a "gem forgotten on the road."

You can only hope for the best there.