That was an excellent one.

From my favorite movies..

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Somebody Up There Likes Me is a reasonably good boxing flick, that is rather emotionless at times.Paul Newman doesn't much fit this role and the story is fairly weak, it is only when Pier Angeli enters and is involved does the film have any heart. There is no triumph or character growth for the viewer, he just meets an amazing girl and falls in love. I particularly love when Rocky gets Norma to come and see him train, knowing she doesn't want to see any violence, he dances with his sparring partner and acts out a fight. The biggest problem with the film is there is just too much time spent telling his past and the many scenes with his parents, that just don't do anything for me. Angeli was wonderful.

One of the best movies out there with our favorite actors to boot awaits any viewer who wants to spend some quality time in the entertainment world and also be introduced to a real story about real people too. There is so much reality going on here it is refreshing to see it. Rocky is not perfect but juvenile delinquent, convict and a dishonorably charged military person. He is dysfunctional, carries lots of mom and dad issues and basically is a mixed up ignorant lost soul. That's why he captures our hearts because there is a little bit of us in his life. Anyone could have got caught up in all that and many did. Here we see the grace of God giving a person a chance to form a different ending with his life other than what the dark forces intended. Imagine if this guy was brought correctly. One of the greatest inspirations stories around. Remember, next time things have you down and it all looks bad, somebody up there...

Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman) has to fights his drunken violent father as a kid and grows up to be a petty criminal. He is sent to prison where he violently resists. When he is finally released, he is immediately drafted by the Army for WWII. He goes AWOL and starts boxing. He is sentenced to Leavenworth where he continues to box. On the outside world, he continues to box, stays clean, gets married and has a family. He loses a title fight with Tony Zale. Then he gets into trouble with his past coming to haunt him.Originally set to be played by James Dean before his death, newcomer Paul Newman shows good promise. The movie is standard biopic. The acting is solid. However for a boxing movie, the boxing action is still not the best. It's old fashion intercut with other things in a montage. The most memorable hits come from the father hitting little Rocky early in the movie. This is much better as a character study and Newman shows his charms.

I rented this film knowing that it was made in the mid-50's, so I didn't expect it to be as good as it turned out to be. The acting is good, Newman is terrific, he never stops moving, and the movie itself never slows down. For a biopic, it presents its hero as flawed from the outset; the script is good, the dialogue is fresh, and the boxing scenes are, for a 1950's film, pre-Raging Bull, pre-Rocky, surprisingly convincing. Rocky Graziano wasn't a particularly refined technician in the ring; he was a grim, determined street fighter. He had no style, and that's how Paul Newman plays him. The big match at the climax of the film is presented in enough detail to show one boxer just beginning to tire as the other gets his second wind. Paul Newman is great as the main character, but the other actors, the writing and direction and the production itself rise to the level of his performance.