Boxing Movies Ranked

I finally watched Creed, which means I had to put together my list of the best boxing films of all time.  This isn't easy, since boxing is the sport with the second best collection of movies, after baseball of course.  I have not seen Raging Bull nor On the Waterfront, so I can't rank them.  I tried to watch Ali once, but was too bored to finish it.

Rocky

            The undisputed champ, a fantastic movie that set the bar extremely high.

The Fighter

            It borrowed from the Rocky formula, except it's a true story.  One of the best ensemble casts in a sports movie.

Cinderella Man

            Another movie based on a true story, another great cast, it does a good job of looking at one of the toughest eras in US history.

Rocky II

            Rocky gets his revenge, a stellar sequel.

Snatch

            Is this a boxing movie?  It was ranked on one list, so I included it.  Only this low because boxing is not the focus.

The Quiet Man

            Again, boxing is not really a focus, but still one of the best fights in cinema history.

Creed

            A tough call between this and the next, I gave this the nod because of the Everton link.

Rocky Balboa

            A very good movie which breathed life into one of the best franchises in movies.

Rocky IV

            I love this movie more than it is good, because "if you can change, and I can change, then everyone can change."  The movie that won the Cold War.

Rocky III

            Mr. T is a great 80s villain, this movie sometimes gets lost between the greatness of the first two and the importance of the fourth, it's a solid contribution to the franchise.

Real Steel

            Watched it on a lark, and it was surprisingly better than I expected.

Million Dollar Baby

            People love this movie (look at all the awards) but I hated it, probably because it supports assisted suicide (spoiler).  I also was not a big fan of Hilary Swank, I could never really get behind any of the characters.

Rocky V

            The movie we prefer to believe never happened, of the many times I've watched the franchise, I've never seen this a second time.

Finishing May

On Monday I was able to meet with my friend for lunch at the Hobbit Cafe.  Good conversation as always.

Tuesday and Wednesday were my days to finish packing and start getting this moved to the new address.

Thursday I drove down to Brownsville, actually Lyford.  It was a long drive, but not too bad.  On the way I got a text about a tornado near my brother's house in Bryan.  Lots of flooding as well.  Please pray for all those affected by the storms in Texas.  I was able to stay at the house of a friend from seminary, right in the middle of farming country.  It was actually greener than I expected.  It was not too bad. 

On Friday we went to see X-Men: Apocalypse.  It was ok, with some good action scenes, but overall most of the characters were underused.  Perhaps I've been spoiled by Captain America: Civil War.  Then we headed down to McAllen for the ordination at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.  The basilica itself was a bit too modern for me.  I was expected more of a Spanish mission feel.  The ordination was beautiful with lots of Spanish.  After the ordination myself and a few other seminarians met for a late dinner (dessert) at a local Italian restaurant.  We got back to the house late for some sleep before I had to drive back on Saturday.

I drove back early on Saturday because we were trying to get the family together one more time before the move.  Unfortunately because of the flooding one family could not make it, but we had a good time regardless.  Sunday was my day of rest.

I set out for Wisconsin on Monday.  The stop overnight was in Springfield, Missouri.  The drive was basically uneventful.  I spent the night at a Route 66 Best Western.  It was ok, though not as unique as the reviews made it sound.  The desk manager recommended I go to lunch at a diner next door, which gives a 10% discount.  The food was alright, and fairly cheap.

Tuesday started with a stop at a local parish for Mass on the feast of the Visitation.  After a quick breakfast, I was on the road to Wisconsin.  The scenery was much better this day heading through the hills of Missouri and the farms of Illinois and Wisconsin.  9 hours later, I arrived at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Madison.  The pastor and religious education coordinator were kind enough to help me move stuff out of my car up to my room.  Then it was time for dinner.  After a check online, I headed over to a local sandwich joint (Crostini Sandwiches).  Fresh squeezed lemonade, California chicken panini, and a free chocolate chip cookie after I mentioned I just moved in.  It was all good, I will definitely be returning.  I spent the rest of the night moving in my stuff before I got too worn out and called it a night.  Apparently I slept through a strong thunderstorm.

Now, I'm sitting in my new room after the first Mass at the parish (with the windows open, something unthinkable in Houston).  I am looking forward to a good summer getting to know Madison.