Rocky III (1982)

I am incredulous that Eye of the Tiger didn’t win the Oscar for Best Song. The song is so evocative of the entire Rocky series that I’m betting there are people who think it came from the original rather than a second sequel. The movie itself could be used as a stand-in for any individual Rocky story: hero loses the first battle only to use that humiliation to come back stronger and more ready for the final battle, insert montages throughout. Mr. T’s Clubber Lang might be one of the best villains of the series. III firmly moves the series from the gritty realism of the original’s 1970s setting to the upcoming brash Cold War propaganda of Rocky IV. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Song