There is buzz about Creed that’s being kept on the downlow. If it really is as good as some people are saying there’s a tiny chance it could crack the Oscar race. Tiny chance because they’re not big on sequels unless you’re talking Lord of the Rings or The Godfather. They don’t even like sequels in the animated race where it’s tough to pull in a win unless you’re an original stand alone film.
Creed is based on a story by Fruitvale Station’s Ryan Coogler, who also co-wrote and directs the film. Rocky returns to coach the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan). Coogler will enter the race as one of the few, if only, black filmmakers who was shut out of the Oscar race two years ago.
Creed has been floating around lists here or there but no one has really seen it. So how can the buzz on it already be so good? I don’t know, it just is. Here’s the latest TV spot for Creed.
Rocky takes a lot of heat for beating out some of the best films ever made: Taxi Driver, All the President’s Men, Network and Bound for Glory. Yes, they are all good films. But the power of Rocky is undeniable. It was undeniable back in 1976 and it’s undeniable now. A couple of teens set out to watch all of the Oscar Best Picture winners and nominees going back to the beginning. When asked which films stuck with them they named Rocky as one of those.
Rocky is actually better than many of the films nominated today. The reason being it isn’t about a winner in the traditional sense. It’s about a loser who is really a winner anyway.
Rocky beating out the heavy hitters in the Oscar race was fueled by the narrative of the film. Small time beats the big time. This same dynamic played out when Argo beat Lincoln and Chariots of Fire beat Reds, etc. Everybody loves an underdog. Still, Rocky’s shimmer has been slightly dulled by the many sequels that came after it. Every drop of blood was squeezed from the original so that the original seems less powerful now when you factor them all in.
Still, it just takes the one movie to redeem the original and Creed could be that movie. Hey, stranger things have happened.
if only we could get a movie about the real life rocky !!! 😉
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/britains-worst-boxer-ends-his-51-fight-losing-streak
Rocky II, despite its retread aspect, manages to surpass the original for me, which is a mediocre at best BP.
Best of luck to Creed.
I think the ’75 BP lineup is clearly the best one (though I’m not a huge “Cukoo’s Nest” fan). It’s hard to beat a roster that includes such disparate and landmark works like “Jaws,” “Nashville,” “Barry Lyndon,” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”
I’m sorry Sasha but your analysis of the sequels diluting the cultural impact of the original is shortsighted at best. Granted 4 is a guilty pleasure and the less said about 5 the better but 2,3, and 6 hold a lot of weight amongst my generation not only for their entertainment value but thematic as well. Hopefully Creed carries on the thematic tradition of facing life’s hardships head on. Cannot wait for this movie. My most anticipated right up there with Star Wars.
When I saw Rocky in the theatres during its original release, the audience (Including me and my mum) could barely keep in their seats during the last 15 minutes.
Kris Tapley just dropped a column that listed Sylvester Stallone in his predictions for Best Supporting Actor….
On a side note… while we are debating the “Rocky” films, I do have to say that while Rocky IV may not be as good as the preceding 3, it has a killer training sequence (…I’ll stop and watch it on TV just for that 15 minutes)
Just The 70s in general was great for film ,the best ,full of bleak Eddie Coyle endings
@Bryce, I am mortified to have forgotten OVER THE EDGE as a film that should have been a contender for Best Picture HOWEVER it did sit on the shelf for I believe 3 years until it got a release… which is tragic. You also list THE WARRIORS which I love, however I do in fact think THE WANDERERS is the better overall film from the same year. That was some year for rebel teen films.
I do disagree with you on how well known BREAKING AWAY is… at least for anyone over the age of 30. Don’t insult THE CUTTERS!
OK fine. The one against the hot Russian is a lot of fun.
Have you seen A LITTLE ROMANCE? OVER THE EDGE? Wonderful coming-of-age (of sorts) movies from ’79. I adore BREAKING AWAY, but I find almost nobody I know has seen it; even movie folk.
For me: APOCALYPSE > ALL THAT JAZZ > BREAKING AWAY > KRAMER > NORMA RAE
My ballot though:
1. Apocalypse Now (Coppola)
2. Alien (Scott)
3. All That Jazz (Fosse)
4. Nosferatu the Vampyre (Herzog)
5. Stalker (Tarkovsky)
6. Vengeance is Mine (Imamura)
7. The Marriage of Maria Braun (Fassbinder)
8. Tess (Polanski)
9. The Brood (Cronenberg)
10. The Warriors (Hill)
I say this with pride. I’ve NEVER seen a Sylvester Stallone movie (does “Ants” count?)
And yes, that includes “Rocky”. After it won best picture over “Network” and/or “All the President’s Men”, I was so turned off by a “boxing” movie that I just couldn’t bring myself to even watch it. And I still can’t.
Call me an Assh#@4e? Ok. I’ll take it on this one.
Rocky was great and a pretty decent, yet uneven franchise. Although this looks like a hit and a crowd pleaser, I just don’t see it as an Oscar contender….we shall see.
ROCKY IV ended the Cold War, fyi.
Rocky is a masterpiece. Rocky 2 is a good sequel that expands the story but ultimately fails to do much more with it. Rocky 3 is underrated… It creates a satisfying and worthwhile conclusion to what could have been a trilogy. Rocky IV is horrible… it’s the kind of empty, creatively dead sequel that makes every other movie in the franchise seem worse by association. Rocky V gets points for trying to do something different, but ultimately fails by relying on tired cliches and boring storytelling. Rocky Balboa is light years better than it has any right to be… a moving and satisfying movie.
So needless to say, I’m pumped for “Creed”. If the movie lives up to the buzz, few things would make me happier than being able to see Rocky return to the Oscars.
You guys debate ’75 and ’76 Best Picture nominees. Allow me to throw in the class of ’79 Best Picture nominees.
– Kramer Vs. Kramer
– Breaking Away
– Apocalypse Now
– Norma Rae
– All That Jazz
Gotta tell you, that is a pretty damn great group. I actually would have listed Kramer Vs. Kramer as the third Best Film of that year behind Breaking Away and Apocalypse Now (Being There wasn’t even nominated!!!).
Breaking Away is one of those masterpieces that has only gotten better with age and seems to be one of those great films that everyone I have ever met loves. Who can blame them?
Creed is going to be a whole different story all together.
Rocky is actually a great film and deserved the Oscar for best picture. Stallone wrote that film and is one of the best boxing movies ever made.
I just rewatched them over Labor Day weekend. There was a marathon on. I think if you exclude Rocky V, which most do, they’re all great movies. If ROCKY III wasn’t as great as it is, I don’t think the SOUTHPAW people would have tried to rip it off so vigorously. That made me so angry, because of my love for the Rocky films, that I had to get up and take a walk in the theater lobby. For shame.
The original however doesn’t have a flaw as far as I’m concerned and I know I’m not alone. I think those movies are just as important to my generation as the Star Wars movies. And we’re talking globally. You have to think of the global impact these things have. How many people the world over have been inspired to just go the distance? And does Sylvester Stallone ever get called “Sly” or “Mr. Stallone” out in public? I think not. Those movies are a part of us.
I’ll be interested to see how the score is in CREED. I think one of the greatest things about the originals was the score and the use of music that became huge pop hits. I’d love it if they follow that pattern. The trailers have been amazing so far. Even if that last one almost killed me.
Rocky is also one of the best films ever made.
I’d love to see Creed nominated for BP and Sly winning Best Supporting Actor would ne the highlight of the night.
Rocky stood the test of time. It’s uplifting and inspiring. One of the most deserved BP winners of all time.
Go Creed Go
Go Sly Go
Go Rocky Go
Oh–Evidently ’75 > ’76.
Bear with me. I’m gonna create some definitions to rank / illustrate:
1976
Absolute Masterpiece
1. TAXI DRIVER
2. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
Great Films
3. NETWORK
4. ROCKY
5. BOUND FOR GLORY
1975
Absolute Masterpiece
1. NASHVILLE
2. BARRY LYNDON
3. JAWS
4. DOG DAY AFTERNOON
Very Interesting
5. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (though I understand many people revere it, etc.)
See?
Stallone’s has two good performances to my liking; ROCKY and COPLAND, but he despises and regrets Mangold’s film because it “confused” his “action fans,” ruined his career or something.
I’d say that Stallone will win, if the movie is a big player at the Big Night. I mean, he’s not THAT bad as an actor and certainly has at least a couple of performances that could have broke in the final five, in their years (First Blood and Copland).
Sly’s problem: he doesn’t get meaty roles. “Creed” gives him a golden chance to build up a performance, and take his classic character to another level.
That being said, I don’t really think “Creed” will make the cut. But Stallone, nom’d at Supporting, I wouldn’t count it out, even if the film is mostly ignored in the rest of cathegories.
You’re spot on, Jon. 1976 might have the best BP line-up the Oscars have ever produced (though 1975 is VERY close in terms of unbelievable quality…). For me Rocky would be third best in that elite group, behind the incomparable Network and the stunningly engrossing All The President’s Men, but – yeah, I know it’s sacrilege – I feel the movie is better than Taxi Driver.
The original ROCKY is great and still is great. NETWORK, TAXI DRIVER and ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN are also great. To be honest with you, you could flip a coin in terms of who you believe should have won Best Picture that year, they are all classics and all deserve to be.
I know you’re not trying to knock it, as the brief piece later reveals, but I’m not sure the first one needs any redemption, like, at all…It’s not trying to be RAGING BULL…if it ain’t your cup of tea, that’s another legitimate issue. Pretty sure TAXI DRIVER and ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN never did need any awards and certainly don’t need any now. But I’m not gonna defend ROCKY of all things. I think CREED will be its own thing as well, Coogler and Jordan will never settle for making the xth installment of an otherwise unremarkable franchise, I mean, overall.
“Rocky is actually better than many of the films nominated today.”
And winners. Remember BIRDMAN?
I am one of the very few that actually hate the movie Rocky I think. Can’t stand it. I say I hate that and also Top Gun and I almost get punched in the face. Hah
I am interested in this though based on Coogler and Jordan.
I’m very interested in seeing what kind of performance Coogler gets out of Stallone. Rocky Balboa was a good movie for what it was and there was a lot of heart. Every time I go to the art museum there are people running up the steps. So yeah…I’d say the original Rocky movie has endured.