Best movie of this year hands down!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Paradise Alley is a film about three brothers in Hell's Kitchen, New York City that become involved in professional wrestling during the 1940's.It stars Sylvester Stallone,who also acted as screenwriter and director of the film.Cosmo Carboni and his brothers Lenny and Victor reside in the poor section of Hell's Kitchen. Cosmo is determined to get out of their depressing situation.When he discovers an illegal wrestling match,he realizes that Victor could beat the champion and gets motivated when he sees lots of money being passed around.Later,Cosmo's brother joins in by acting as the manager.When pressure builds and the stakes grow higher especially when the mob gets involved,it becomes apparent that Victor must fight for his life.It was Stallone's directorial debut.It was an enjoyable and entertaining dated film from the 70's.Some parts become unintentionally funny.Obviously, it was also predictable and clichéd in the end.But one thing that stands out is the theme of brotherhood especially when the relationship of the three brothers remain a focal point of the story.That alone makes it better than an average film.

In 1946 New York City, poverty-stricken Sylvester Stallone (as Cosmo Carboni) survives by scheming and panhandling. Faring a little better at work are Mr. Stallone's brothers, disabled undertaker Armand Assante (as Lenny) and muscular iceman Lee Canalito (as Victor). To make more money for the brothers, Stallone arranges an arm-wrestling contest to win a monkey from gangster boss Kevin Conway (as Stitch). Stallone figures the monkey will attract bigger handouts on the street. This eventually leads the brothers into the wrestling business. As star, writer and director, Stallone is clearly full of himself in "Paradise Alley". He even sings the song "Too Close to Paradise" over the opening and closing credits. It was not a hit. With less Stallone, the film might have stood a chance.**** Paradise Alley (9/22/78) Sylvester Stallone ~ Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Lee Canalito, Kevin Conway

This film has got to be the best thing next to Rocky 1 that Sly has done. Though I had yet to be born in 1946, I know some of those people, that is the main reason that it is one of my fav's of all time. Every one of them was a freak and the whole film was a freak show. I lived a long time in south Baltimore and Bunchi, Victor, Len, Frankie, and even Cosmo I have known in real life. The time and place were perfect, it was well shot and easy to follow as it should have been for this type of film. The roof race, the Christmas cheer truck ride, the ice block on the stairs, Bunchi's Christmas presents scene, this is great stuff. Am I biased cause it's a city movie, yea I am but I gave it a 10 for a lot of reasons other than that.

This is one of the worst movies ever made. Stallone wrote it and stars in it, and made himself the talky character-actor character, and his acting is horrific. He tries to be the likes of Burt Young in ROCKY, and misses... oh how he misses. Some problems with the movie. Armand Assante begins as his nice older brother while Stallone is a jerk; then, after a collage of scenes, Assante becomes a cross between Michael Corleone and Mickey from ROCKY, and Darth Vadar. He becomes a sinister and evil man, and it makes no sense whatsoever. The plot, as little as it is, involves Stallone getting his other brother, a really big good looking guy who resembles a giant Marlon Brando (in his prime). But as a viewer I could care less about any of the characters. Oh, and if you really want a laugh, the main song, that appears during a horrific credit scene involving a rooftop race, is sung by Sly himself, sounding like Elvis imitating Frankenstein's monster. Another problem I had with this movie is the same problem I had with the main characters in SWING SHIFT and NEW YORK, NEW YORK, that is, all involves a guy who stays home and doesn't fight in the war. Now, for a Vietnam era movie this isn't bad; it happens all the time. But when it involved World War 2, it just doesn't cut it, and that character isn't likable... not to me. This movie is horrible. It's like a cartoon. Speaking of... the great character actor Kevin Conway (who played three different roles in FUNHOUSE by Tobe Hopper) plays a bar owner thug who talks like Bugs Bunny. I think he's trying for a Cagney, but fails. A lot of good actors fail in this bomb: Anne Archer, who seems like she's imitating an old corny movie on purpose; Frank McCrea, who, for no reason, jumps into a river and kills himself; and the great late cult actor Joe Spinell (the mob guy in ROCKY) as an evil, yet still goofy, wrestling promoter. This film tries to involve wrestling like ROCKY did boxing... and fails. Oh boy how it fails... on all counts... 3,2,1...