Craig Zablo’s StalloneZone

Archive for the ‘Rocky’ Category

When IGN.com decided to post their choices for The Top 10 Training Montages, you just knew that some from the Rocky series would make the cut.  I’m happy to say that Rocky, Rocky III and Rocky IV all made the top ten.  Both III and IV made the top five and IV came in at #1.  Here’s a bit of why…

10.  Rocky: The original and most iconic, Rocky demonstrated how powerful and popular a movie montage could be. Set to Bill Conti’s rousing ‘Gonna Fly Now’, the locals cheer on Rocky as he pounds the pavements of Philadelphia in preparation for his David vs. Goliath battle. The final shot of Rocky running up the 72 stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art became so culturally significant that it’s now a popular tourist destination, was re-named ‘Rocky Steps”‘ and has a bronze statue of Stallone by sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg at the foot of the building.

05.  Rocky III: It’s a given that any scene set to ‘Gonna Fly Now’ will be thoroughly enjoyable and writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone knew better than to tinker with greatness. The music may be the same but everything else is different; old foe Apollo Creed is now helping Rocky train, the ‘Rocky Steps’ have been replaced with a beach and the cheering children have been swapped for homoerotic slow-mo shots of Rocky and Apollo’s bulging thighs.

01.  Rocky IV: Rocky may have inspired the movie montage as we know it, but it’s Rocky IV’s fantastically ludicrous four-minute training sequence that gets the fan vote every time. With John Cafferty’s synth-tastic ‘Hearts On Fire’ blasting in the background, Rocky and his opponent Ivan Drago’s hardcore training sessions overlap throughout, allowing the audience to judge which is the most ridiculous. Whilst Rocky crumples photos of his opponent, lifts the weight of three people and does sit ups at an impossible angle, Drago trains the old fashioned way, with injections, a bank of hi-tech computers, and Brigitte Nielsen. It also has the distinction of the greatest end to a montage, with Rocky’s triumphant sprint up a mountain followed by a primal scream that says he’s ready to do battle. Endlessly watchable and ripped off by everyone from Family Guy to fans on YouTube, Rocky IV dealt a knock-out blow to the competition and remains the montage champ.

To see the full list, simply click here.

From Yahoo News!

Actors Sylvester Stallone (L) and Dolph Lundgren receive an award from the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the most successful sports franchise in film history with their movie “Rocky” during a news conference for the upcoming Lionsgate motion picture “The Expendables” at Comic Con in San Diego, California July 22, 2010.

REUTERS/Mike Blake

In honor of Independence Day, Cinema Blend posted their choices for the Ten Movie Heroes Who Make Us Proud to be Americans.  Making the list were:

• Scarlett (Gone with the Wind) O’Hara
• President James (Air Force One) Marshall
• Captain John H. (Saving Private Ryan) Miller
• John (Die Hard series) McClane
• Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird) Finch
• Jason (The Bourne trilogy) Bourne
• Will (High Noon) Kane
• Sarah (Terminator series) Connor
• Bryan (Taken) Mills
• Rocky (Rocky series) Balboa

Here’s some of what they had to say about Rocky…

Everyone loves an underdog, and that’s the reason why Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa is such a great character

Balboa is a hero because of the inspiration he provides,

Rocky Balboa IS the American spirit.

Click here to read the full piece.

Sly Stallone’s battle with Apollo Creed in the first Rocky movie won second place in an online poll to determine America’s favorite Fourth of July movie moment.  To see the other choices, click here.

On June 22, 2010, We Are Movie Geeks.com posted their selections for the Top Ten Film Franchises.  Back to the Future; Planet of the Apes; Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter; Rocky; Alien(s); Lord of the Rings; James Bond; The Godfather and Star Wars all made the list. Here’s some of what they had to say about the Rocky series:

…you cannot dismiss the genius of the character of Rocky Balboa.

Rocky was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay that Stallone wrote, and won 3, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Rocky stole the heart of America and reminded us why we should always root for the underdog.

You can read the entire post by clicking here.

Recently Moviephone posted their selections for the Top 25 Movie Fight Scenes.  There were a lot of great choices and one of them was Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed from the very first Rocky movie!  You can go here to see all of the choices and watch the fight scenes!

Hey SZoners!  Mark from Hollywood Collectibles is going to hook us up again.   Hollywood Collectibles is currently taking pre-orders on a limited edition [just 500 pieces worldwide] 12″ Rocky statue.  Here’s how they describe it…

Rocky needs no introduction. A movie and cultural icon, the “Italian Stallion” created by Sylvester Stallone has become a part of popular culture. This highly detailed 12” statue portrays Rocky in a classic fight pose, as he is about to throw another huge punch at his opponent.

This incredible piece of art is constructed from heavyweight polystone and then hand painted to the finest detail. Approximately 12” tall.

Strictly Limited to 500 Pieces Worldwide

Sculpted by Edinho Maga.
Painted by Dan “Danno” Cope.

Once again, Mark and the fine folks at Hollywood Collectibles have created a password for StalloneZone fans.  Simply enter “Rocky” at  check out and you will receive a 10% discount!  Another feature that Hollywood Collectibles has started is the ability to spread the cost of owning an item out over four equal payments.

You’d be surprised at the number of SZoners who contact me asking about how they can get one of the sold out: Rambo statues, Rambo busts, Rambo color busts, Rambo bobbleheads, Rambo Xtreme DForm statues, Rocky color busts, and Rambo Xtreme DForm statues.  Folks, when they are gone, they are gone.  And they do sell out.  So if you want one, I wouldn’t wait too long!

Realbuzz.com asked polled marathon runners as to which songs kept them motivated while they ran.  “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III came out in the #1 spot for the fourth year, uh, running.  Also making the top ten, in the 10th spot was “Gonna Fly Now” which is, of course, from Rocky.

You can see the whole list by clicking here.

On May 2, 2010, PasteMagazine.com posted their list of the Five Inspiring Movie Montages.  Of course the Rocky series had to be represented… and what better way than to include ALL of the Rocky movies.  Here’s what they had to say:

5. All the Rocky movies
Each Rocky movie could honestly have occupied a slot on this list—if you’re watching one, you’re eventually going to see Sylvester Stallone pulling a cart through the snow, or doing one-armed pullups on a Philly playground, or doing wind sprints down a beach with Carl Weathers. Eye of the tiger, baby.

To see the full list as well as the montages for the movies, click here.

On April 30, 2010, the AMC Movie Blog posted their choices for The Five Best Movies of Sylvester Stallone.  Here are their choices and a little of the rationale for selection:

5.  Demolition Man: …Nothing about this movie should work — dated jokes about Taco Bell, a ridiculous time-travel setup — but it work it does, from start to finish. Credit Stallone’s amusing fish-out-of-water performance…

4. Cliffhanger: …Die Hard on a mountain, Cliffhanger is as cool as it sounds… Stallone reminds us why he’s one of the best action stars ever. He radiates intensity.

3. Copland: …Stallone turned his career around with this serious (and underappreciated) drama…

2. Rambo: No. We’re not talking about the original — that’s First Blood. We’re not even talking about Rambo: First Blood II, the sequel. While we love those both, this bare-bones, bloody action film ranks as one of the best flicks in years..

1. Rocky: Not just Stallone’s best but also one of Hollywood’s best…

If I were making the list Rocky Balboa would have been near the top forcing Demolition Man off the list.  And while it may not be one of Sly’s Top 5 best, Get Carter still is one of my favorites.  To see AMC’s whole post with all of their comments as well as some Stallone movies that nearly made it to the Top 5, then click here.