12 Comments
User's avatar
Beth Lisogorsky's avatar

You are without a doubt one of my favorite Substack movie reviewers. Thanks for the shout out. I lost like 6 subscribers after this post - not sure if it was related but also suspected I reminded some I exist and they decided to purge their oversubscribed lists! I want to rent “Hundreds of Beavers” but question if it’s a film you can watch sober

Expand full comment
Dave Baxter's avatar

You can definitely watch it sober. You might even need to, the first time, to follow the all visual hyper hijinks.

Expand full comment
Henny Hiemenz's avatar

Well Beth you can count me as a new subscriber because I just found you here!

Expand full comment
Beth Lisogorsky's avatar

Thx so much Henny! I’m now subscribed to yours as well.

Expand full comment
Henny Hiemenz's avatar

Oh wow, thanks!!!

Expand full comment
James Lees's avatar

Thanks, Beth! Right back at you.

Regarding Hundreds of Beavers - you *can* watch it sober, but I just don’t know if you should…

Expand full comment
Decarceration's avatar

I do wonder what happens when/if George Washington Duke DOES sue the pants off Rocky at the end of this film.

Back in the day, I bought the boxed set of the first six "Rocky" movies and, bizarrely, the DVD of the fifth movie actually only has the fourth movie on it, so I ended up with two "Rocky IV"'s. I can live with this, because "Rocky V" isn't half as good as "Rocky IV".

I'm doing a series on Sports Movies at my Substack next week, by the way, thought you might be interested.

Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com

Expand full comment
James Lees's avatar

I wonder if someone who really hates the fifth movie just did that intentionally with your box set? 😅

Expand full comment
Dave Baxter's avatar

Man, I will go to bat for this film. Outside of the first, it's my fave of the franchise! It's such a perfect coda to Rocky's meteoric rise and celebrity years. It all goes away, eventually, at some point, and here's what you're left with - how to be a human with the purpose that drove your whole adult life suddenly behind you. I even love the whimper of the end fight, because that's the point - no more glory, no more real dramatics that matter. Now it's just small, personal, stupid shit to deal with. It's such a glorious capper to me.

That said, I also enjoy the 6th movie now existing as a revisit/return to glory, which can also happen in life, a second coming/revival. It all works as a piece, but Rocky V is far from an abomination. It's the Rocky ending we and he deserved. We just (often) hate that in our escapist movies.

Expand full comment
James Lees's avatar

The fight at the end gives me Cobra Kai vibes, watching it now, just in terms of how silly it is.

Expand full comment
Henny Hiemenz's avatar

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this review as I am a huge Rocky fan and consider this particular installment to be an abomination. However, I have told many a friend that arguably the best Rocky song ever sprung from this film. Elton John’s Measure of Man. Most think it’s corny but I love it.

Expand full comment
James Lees's avatar

It certainly seem to divide audiences much more than I thought it did!

Expand full comment