EmpireOnLine.com recently posted their list of The Top 25 Best One Man Armies in the Movies. Of course, Rambo came in at #1. Who could argue with that? The rest of the list can [and should] be debated. Isn’t that the purpose of lists? Here are my suggestions for the top ten:

1. Rambo played by SYLVESTER STALLONE in FIRST BLOOD, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, PART II, RAMBO III, RAMBO
2. Lee played by BRUCE LEE in ENTER THE DRAGON
3. Bryan Mills played by LIAM NEESON in TAKEN
4. Geno Felino played by STEVEN SEAGAL in OUT FOR JUSTICE
5. Creasy played by DENZEL WASHINGTON in MAN ON FIRE
6. Walker played by LEE MARVIN in POINT BLANK
7. El Mariachi played by ANTONIO BANDERAS in DESPERADO, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
8. John Matrix played by ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER in COMMANDO
9. Blade played by WESLEY SNIPES in BLADE, BLADE II, BLADE TRINITY
10. John Preston played by CHRISTIAN BALE in EQUILIBRIUM

To see the full list, click here.

Over at Today at NineMSN.com, they take a look at the all time Top Sporting Movies ["Rocky", "Chariots of Fire", "The Longest Yard", "A League of Their Own" and "Jerry Maguire"].  Here’s what they had to say about “Rocky”:

Rocky is a 1976 film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by John G. Avildsen.

It’s a rags-to-riches story about Rocky Balboa pursuing his American dream - an uneducated but good-hearted debt collector, who is also a club fighter, gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship when the contender breaks his hand.

Rocky was made for only $1.1 million and it made over US$117.2 million, the highest grossing film of 1976 for US.

Who could forget the famous scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?

Academy Awards:

• Best Picture (Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler) (won)
• Best Director (John G. Avildsen) (won)
• Film Editing (Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad) (won)
• Best Original Screenplay (Sylvester Stallone)
• Best Actor (Sylvester Stallone)
• Best Actress (Talia Shire)
• Best Supporting Actor (Burt Young)
• Best Supporting Actor (Burgess Meredith)
• Best Music, Original Song (Bill Conti, Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins for “Gonna Fly Now”)  
• Best Sound (Harry W. Tetrick, William L. McCaughey, Lyle J. Burbridge and Bud Alper)

You can check out the entire piece by clicking here.

Entertainment Tonight posted a piece [with video] titled “Sly’s Venice Triumph”.  You can check it out here.

On September 13, 2009, Yahoo News posted several photos of Sly from The Venice Film Festival. Here are photos of Sly that they ran.

(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

On September 13, 2009, Yahoo News posted several photos of Sly from The Venice Film Festival. Here are photos of Sly that they ran.

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone poses during a photocall before he is presented with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award during the 66th Venice Film Festival September 12, 2009.     [REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi]

REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT)

REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT)

REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT)

On September 13, 2009, The Herald-Dispatch.com posted several photos from The Venice Film Festival. Here are photos of Sly that they ran along with their commentary.

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone poses at the photo call for the Glory to the Filmmaker Award at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone poses at the photo call for the Glory to the Filmmaker Award at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.
(AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone arrives for the closing ceremony at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.   (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

You can see all of the Herald-Dispatch photos by clicking here.

On September 12, 2009, the DailyMail.uk posted some photos of Sly at the Venice Film Festival in a piece titled: Sly Stallone Raises Eyebrows… The piece says that although Sly wanted to look his best since he was the first American to receive the Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory To The Filmmaker award, perhaps he went about overboard.

Take a look at the photos and the piece and you can judge for yourself.  Sounds to me, like the author of the piece wanted to see Rambo, but got Sly instead.

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone is flanked by actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta during the closing ceremony of the 66th Venice Film Festival September 12, 2009.  REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT)

U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone makes a speech during the closing ceremony of the 66th Venice Film Festival September 12, 2009.    REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT)

WorldTempus.com posted a piece about Sly being awarded the “Jaeger- LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award” on September 12, 2009,  during the closing ceremony of the 66th Venice International Film Festival.  Here’s a bit of what it says:

…the prize is intended to celebrate Sylvester Stallone’s stature as a filmmaker. Ever since the visionary opening sequence of his first film as a writer and director, “Paradise Alley” –a chase across the rooftops of New York City in the 1940s– Stallone has shown an original eye and an auteur’s determination

“Being honored at the Venice Film Festival – says Sylvester Stallone - is something I have always hoped would become a reality and now that it’s actually happened it’s been well worth the wait”.

During the presentation of the award, there will be a world-premiere screening of some sequences from the new film written by, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables, with Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke. “The Expendables - explains Stallone - is a story of heroism and the price that people pay to save others. It’s a great deal of action and human comedy as well”.

In addition, at 11 p.m. in the Sala Grande - with the support of Jaeger-LeCoultre - there will be a screening of Rambo - Director’s Cut by Sylvester Stallone, about which the director also says: “I’m very happy because I wish the director’s cut had been the actual cut. The problem with releasing a film is when you revisit it a year or some later you see all the wasted possibilities that you didn’t pay attention to the first time because of a rushed schedule. The new one has a great deal more heart to go along with the physicality of the film.”

To read the whole article click here.    ["Rambo - Director's Cut" is music to my ears.]

Here’s another article on Sly’s Award.

Variety also covers the award.

“Rocky Balboa” made the list of the TOP 15 FILMS of the NEW MILLENNIUM over at the Big Hollwood site.  Here’s what they had to say about “Rocky Balboa”:

“Rocky Balboa” might not be better written, photographed or acted than any number of films not on this list, but I’m going to watch it a helluva lot more, that’s for sure.   Who would have ever thought writer/director Sylvester Stallone could pull this off? But he did. And I love it more each time I see it.

I couldn’t agree more.  You can see the entire list by clicking here.