Ben Bova Praises Stallone & Rocky

Dr. Ben Bova has written more than 120 novels and nonfiction books. He has received numerous awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Robert A. Heinlein Award just to name a few. Dr. Bova is the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science Fiction Writers of America. He is also a huge fan of the movie, Rocky.

On October 9, 2011, The Naples News posted a piece by Dr. Bova titled “Rocky Reminds Us We Can Be Contenders.” Here are some tidbits…

  • I saw the movie “Rocky” again on television a few nights ago. And, as usual, got a lump in my throat.
  • “Rocky” holds a special place in my heart.
  • And as a writer, I have to admire the script that Sylvester Stallone put together for “Rocky.” Think about it: The movie is filled with conflict and suspense, yet there is no villain, no bad guy.
  • One of the secrets of writing fiction is to avoid the clichés. Stallone did this admirably in “Rocky.” It would have been easy to scribble out just another fight movie, but Stallone steered his way past the clichés and wrote what I consider to be a masterpiece.