City for Conquest (1940)

Already another mid-20th-century drama with an alliterative title in the "X for Y" format, based on a book, with Anthony Quinn in a supporting role. But that's about where the similarity ends.

Truck driver Danny (James Cagney), from a New York slum, resumes boxing to pay for the musical education of his ambitious brother, Eddie (Arthur Kennedy in his debut). He does a great job of it, but sometimes he has trouble keeping his emotions in check, especially when girlfriend Peggy (Ann Sheridan) has less time for him while advancing her dance career under wannabe boyfriend Murray (Quinn). And when people are betting good money on fights, you can bet that criminal elements will come into play....

Creed II (2018)

I had mentioned that the first Creed made allusions to Rocky IV, being the movie in which Apollo Creed dies in the ring. Apparently, that was just a warm-up. Perhaps writer and producer Ryan Coogler (having turned direction over to lesser-known Steven Caple, Jr.) had this in mind all along.

Right after Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) wins the world heavyweight championship, a blast from the past appears: Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), his father's fatal opponent. Ivan hasn't gotten any kinder with age, nor has he softened his grudge against Adonis' trainer, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), for costing Ivan a lot of honor. His idea of settling the score is to have his own son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu), defeat Adonis.

Creed (2015)

Rocky has been my favorite boxing movie for ages, but that's not saying much. I had never watched any of its sequels in full, tho I did check out the Nostalgia Critic's video on Rocky IV, which caught me up on what happened to Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa's pro rival-turned-friend. I looked up a few other details along the way, but not much affected my understanding of the situation herein.

In 1998, orphan Adonis Johnson, in an L.A. juvie for fighting, learns that he's the bastard son of similarly Greek-named Apollo and accepts adoption by Apollo's widow. In the present, "Donny" (now played by Michael B. Jordan) moves to Philly and tracks down Rocky (an especially unattractive, mumbly Sylvester Stallone). Despite both Rocky and Mrs. Creed telling him it's a bad career, he doesn't feel like doing any work but pugilism, preferably with Rocky in his corner.

Kid Galahad (1937)

As you see from the year, it's not the Elvis Presley vehicle of the same title. (I doubt I'll ever watch a movie starring Elvis from start to finish.) This is one of the two earliest directorial efforts of Michael Curtiz that I've seen, as well as one of the two earliest acting efforts of Humphrey Bogart that I've seen. A precursor to Casablanca? Not really.

The headliners are Edward G. Robinson as boxing promoter/gangster (of course) Nick Donati and Bette Davis as his moll, "Fluff." Nick needs a new champion and discovers surprise potential in a clean-cut bellhop with a mocked name, Ward Guisenberry (Wayne Morris, possibly best known for Lt. Roget in Paths of Glory). Due to issues of jealousy, Nick sometimes plots against Ward's ring success, tho trainer Silver Jackson (Harry Carey) doesn't have the heart to let it work for long. But everyone's biggest concern is how "Turkey" Morgan (Bogart) and his hoods will react to Ward not fighting on his side.

The Champ (1931)

This seems to be a must among fans of '30s dramas. I had seen only one other King Vidor film and did not have a good mental picture of Wallace Beery yet. Why not see what garnered an Oscar for the latter and a nomination for the former?

In the area of Tijuana, Andy "Champ" Purcell talks the talk about getting back into prizefighting, but his habits of gambling and especially drinking get in the way of opportunities (think of druggie Dicky in The Fighter). He probably wasn't like this back when the divorce court granted him custody of his son, Dink (Jackie Cooper), who's about nine. Dink and Champ love each other in spite of frustration, but after Dink's mother Linda happens to catch sight of him, she and her husband put pressure on Champ to cede custody to her. They'd have a good case, seeing as, beyond financial issues, Champ places Dink in rather kid-unfriendly environments and leaves something wanting in the discipline department.

Hard Times (1975)

I think I chose this movie because I enjoyed Charles Bronson and James Coburn for their roles in westerns, including as two of The Magnificent Seven. In a supporting role is Strother Martin, another western staple. It seemed a little odd to see them all together in a non-western, but they're still recognizable in character.

As befits the title, it's set in the Depression Era. The dour, laconic, brawny Chaney (Bronson) drifts into New Orleans and soon forms a partnership with the curiously nicknamed Speed (Coburn), wherein Chaney street-fights and Speed promotes and takes bets on him. This is not the most reliable way to make money, nor does Speed handle his share wisely. He owes a debt to a dangerous sort, but Chaney seems not to care about his partner beyond the terms of their spoken contract...at first.

My Life as a Dog (1985)

Although the Netflix summary mentions only summer, I recalled from what little I had already seen of this movie that it gets snowy -- not a surprise for Sweden. It turns out that we hear the characters preparing for Christmas near the end, so I was not remiss in my timing of this viewing.

Not that the mood is especially upbeat. A slice of life based loosely on the writer's real life, it follows preteen Ingemar during his mother's severe illness and beyond, which he first understands as a nervous breakdown from having to deal with him and his older brother fighting. Each brother is sent away to extended family; their dog Sickan (no pun intended, I presume) is said to go to a kennel, but Ingemar grows increasingly suspicious of her fate. At his most frustrated, he has his own sort of breakdown, exhibiting canine behaviors that explain the title, albeit not for much screen time.

Cinderella Man (2005)

Perhaps the most notable thing about the second collaboration between Russell Crowe and Ron Howard is the discrepancy between its reception by both critics and the general audience (great) and its box office take (inadequate). I blame the title, which may have confused audiences on what sort of movie it would be. When Damon Runyon gave real-life prizefighter Jim Braddock the nickname in reference to his rags-to-possible-riches situation, it had previously been a known insult. Who wants to see a girly boxer?

I wasn't sure what I'd get out of it myself. Sports mean little to me, and boxing is one of my least favorite. Even highly acclaimed movies about boxers (which somehow have become disproportionate in the sports film genre) rarely entertain me much. Sports films in general are prone to exaggerating the seriousness of the climactic game, in keeping with major fans. But CM has a pretty good excuse.