[7]

Against a backdrop of the Bangkok underground fighting scene, a reticent drug smuggler (Ryan Gosling) is caught in a vicious cycle of brutal revenge after his brother is murdered for committing rape. Only God Forgives plays out like a fever dream, a far more operatic and surreal effort from writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn than his earlier mainstream hit, Drive. There is precious little dialogue, hyper-stylized photography, a brash score by Cliff Martinez, and a willful tendency to blur the line between reality and the characters’ imaginations.

Rocky Balboa (2006)

August 25, 2013

[6]

The sixth entry in the Rocky franchise is far better than it has any right to be. Sylvester Stallone is back in the writing and directing chairs, presenting a melancholy portrait of a hero fighting against decline. At the film’s start, we see the Italian Stallion still reeling from the death of his beloved Adrian two years prior, while trying to maintain a relationship with his estranged son (Milo Ventimiglia). While Rocky tries to break his lonely spell by making friends with a single mother (Geraldine Hughes) and her son (James Francis Kelly III), a TV sports show tries to create a fantasy boxing match between the current heavyweight champion, Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) and a past legend, our man Rocky. The idea catches fire, pulling Balboa back into the ring after years of retirement.

Gentleman Jim (1942)

July 19, 2013

[7]

Errol Flynn plays a banker who takes up boxing and makes it all the way to a climactic match against the heavyweight champion of the world. Gentleman Jim is more entertaining than I imagined, thanks to Flynn’s persistent charm and healthy doses of wit and humor. Alan Hale returns to Flynn’s side, this time playing his proud papa, while Alexis Smith takes over the leading lady duties. She’s no De Havilland, but she holds her own in a romantic subplot that is unusually tolerable for the time.

Rocky (1976)

April 23, 1976

[9] Sylvester Stallone wrote and stars in this low-budget box office triumph that went on to win the Best Picture Academy Award. Rocky is a remarkable blend of fantastic performances, understated screenwriting, and straightforward execution. It's very hard not to…