The Movieland Report

If enough imprints of a movie are created, eventually it will arrive full circle. ‘Rocky Balboa’ –the sixth installment of Sylvester Stallone’s title character, which cost a projected $24 million to make- is such a movie.

Balboa, now a widower, is a Philadelphia restaurateur with a fire in his belly. The burning inside him had nothing to do with the Italian food prepared by his Mexican chef but, rather, everything to do with the need for one last fight.

Antonio Tarver, a former light heavyweight boxer, portrays Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon, the current undefeated champion whose propensity for fighting unproven opponents has become a big issue in the public eye.

When ESPN’s Brian Kenny hosts a simulated ‘Then vs. Now’ match pitting Balboa against Dixon, more than a passing interest is stirred.

While Rocky reapplies for a boxing license with the intention of a low-level fight, Dixon’s advisors see a huge payday. The champion, not looking to “beat up an old man,” only relents when he is told there is no other competition out there.

During a chance meeting at Adrian’s [the establishment named for Balboa’s late wife], the promoters make their intentions known. They look to bill the match as an exhibition, with a portion of the proceeds designated for charity.

Along the way, the audience is reintroduced to several familiar characters. The most prominent is Adrian [Talia Shire], who is remembered through a series of flashbacks. Paulie [Young] is still a knockaround guy, except that years of guilt have finally gotten the better of him. Rocky’s son, Robert, Jr. [here, Ventimiglia replaces Sage Stallone] confesses that he is tortured by the family name, and the shadow his father continues to cast. Duke [Tony Burton] returns to train the 60 year-old Stallone one last time. Even Spider Rico -a club fighter who had battled Rocky before Apollo Creed stepped in- has resurfaced.

Lastly, there is ‘Little Marie,’ who –as a teenager thirty years ago responded to Rocky’s advice by shouting, “Screw you, creepo!” This time, Marie, who is now a single mother, is more acceptable of his friendship.

Though there are scenes which could’ve been eliminated, the obligatory montage, during the in-ring sequence, is a keeper. The build-up to the fight –a Las Vegas extravaganza that was filmed during the Middleweight Championship rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor in December 2005- and the subsequent event are worth hanging around for.

But, this movie is not so much about who wins. It is more about what it takes to win.

Rocky Balboa, -both the movie and the boxer- has survived for three decades with dignity and heart, and has proven to be an everlasting champion.

Rocky Balboa is a partnership between Revolution Studios, Columbia Pictures and MGM. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia and Geraldine Hughes. The film is produced by Stallone, with Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler. Running Time: 102 minutes. Rating: PG

Rating: ***

When Alexander and Ilya Salkind started the Superman production in the mid 1970s, the original play was to film both Superman: The Movie and Superman II at the same time, much like the way Peter Jackson did the Lord of the Rings Trilogy a few years ago.Because of time constraints, the already filmed ending of Superman II was put on the first movie to get the feature out in time for a December 1978 release with director Richard Donner planning on coming up with a new ending for the second movie.

Before the director could finish Superman II, he was fired by the Salkinds and replaced by Richard Lester (A Hard Days Night). And with 80 percent of the sequel filmed, most of it was re-shot under Lester’s direction.

Also, the Salkinds did not want to honor Marlon Brando’s contract, since it called for him getting a percentage of the gross, so he was cut from the follow-up, as was his character Jor-El, even though all his shots were in the can.

Lester delivered a good movie, which was popular in its own right, but because of the changes made by the new director, Superman II had a very different tone compared to Superman: The Movie. Plus because Brando was not in it, there were a few plot holes in the feature and the relationship between Kal-El and Jor-El was lost.

So for years, fans wanted to see what Donner’s vision was. With so much shot, it was conceivable that his original version could be pieced back together. But not until an Internet movement did anything happen. Producer/editor Michael Thau took the helm and re-edited it using the Donner footage.

Now, since Donner never finished the film, there are some Lester scenes in there - like the three villains taking over East Houston, Idaho, but edited to Donner’s vision.

Are there problems? Sure. Since it’s not complete, there is a screen test scene at Niagara Falls, but that’s not the point. The movie is made to show the viewer what the original director wanted and clear up all the plot holes. Since it is 26 years old, it’s impossible to complete the movie.

And it would have been better to bring John Williams back to simply re-score the whole film, instead of repeating elements from Superman: The Movie.

Also the ending, which seems repetitive because of Superman: The Movie, actually fits better with Superman Returns, because it easily clears up any continuity issues.

But there are so many good things in the film. The Jor-El scenes bring out a new wrinkle in the story and the special effects are great since they are made to match the time the movie was filmed. Unlike George Lucas with Star Wars, Donner and Thau are keeping the late 1970s vision, even with the new FX shots, which designed to blend into the film.

We have waited for years to see this version of the movie and it doesn’t disappoint. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut brings the original vision to a film in a series many love and treasure.

Rating: ****