Category: 2010

“Rocky” is a Best Knockout

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky

On December 16, 2010, Warren Tasker of The Edmonton Journal listed his choices for Five of Hollywood’s Best Knockouts.  “Rocky” made the list and here’s what he had to say:

2. Rocky (John G. Avildsen, Avild-1976)

Sylvester Stallone learned this month that he will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for writing the screenplay to Rocky, , the tale of a Philly club fighter plucked from obscurity to fight the heavyweight champion. Can’t disagree at all with the decision.

Rocky, the opposite of Raging Bull, is a feel-good yarn that delivers on its message: If you try hard enough, your dream will be realized. Stallone’s Rocky Balboa is a lovable lug, a self-deprecating deprecating boxer with a killer left hook to the body. Audiences love him, the supporting cast, the music and the gritty boxing scenes. You catch yourself cheering, even after all these years. Yo Rock, we still love ya.

If you’d like to read the full piece simply click here.

Thomas Boatwright’s: First Blood

Craig / / 2010, Craig's Sly Art, First Blood

I had been a fan of Thomas Boatwright’s art for a while.  When he announced a sale on commissions for the month of December, I wrote to ask him about a Stallone piece for my collection.  Thomas quickly responded and said that he was a fan of “First Blood.” I was surprised at how quickly Thomas finished the piece and that he’d decided to put Richard Crenna’s character in as well.  I totally dug everything about it.

So… I asked Thomas if he was up for some more Stallone.  He said that he was, so you’ll be seeing his take on Sly from The Expendables and Get Carter on the SZ in the next few weeks.  They are just as cool!  If you want to see them sooner, Thomas has posted them on his blog and his DA site.  Send him some love.

I hope to get more Stallone art from Thomas in the future.  If you get commissions, you should consider him as well.  He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist!  – Craig

Dolph: Sly & The Expendables

Craig / / 2010, Celebs, Expendables

The Mirror recently caught up with Dolph Lundgren and asked him about working with Sly and the cast of The Expendables.  Here’s a taste…

  • Sly…”created my career with the Ivan Drago character in Rocky IV. Now here I am, a little bit older and once again Sly has created a multifaceted character for me…
  • Sly… “is an instinctive writer, so as soon as he sees something he’ll say, “OK, maybe in the next scene you should be doing this because of what’s happening here”. It’s a pleasure to work so organically…
  • “I think everyone in the cast was a little starstruck, including myself. When you see us on screen together, you can feel the extra electricity. Those guys are all big. They’re all just as deadly in real life as on film. Sly gathered these imposing, big personalities and managed to form them into one incredible team.

To read the full piece, click here.

“Rocky” One of the Most Powerful

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky

On December 8, 2010, SignOnSanDiego posted Christy Lemire choices for the Five Most Powerful Boxing Movies.  As one would expect, Rocky made the cut and here is why…

  • “Rocky” (1976): Again, from the what-more-can-we-say? department. We went with the first “Rocky” here, tempting as it was to dredge up later installments featuring Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren, because it set the precedent for the franchise. It was the little movie that could, the one that came out of nowhere with no budget and shocked the world by winning the best-picture Oscar over bigger and more traditional contenders: “Network,” “All the President’s Men,” “Bound for Glory” and “Taxi Driver.” Sylvester Stallone wrote the script and starred as the Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer who would go on to win the heavyweight championship. As full of cheesy uplift as the ending is, it still sends chills.

To read the full report, click here.

Sly Named to Boxing Hall of Fame

Craig / / 2010, Honors

On June 12, 2011,  Sly Stallone will join Mike Tyson, Julio Caesar Chavez and nine others to be inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame!  As you can imagine, this is getting a lot of coverage…

Gary Daniels: Sly & The Expendables

Craig / / 2010, Celebs, Expendables, Fan Art, Rambo

The California Chronicle recently interviewed Expendables co-star Gary Daniels.  Here’s a bit of what he had to say about filming with Sly…

  • “Working on The Expendables was definitely a great experience, just to be directed by and work with Sylvester Stallone was truly memorable. Also, getting to work out in the gym with him and to experience his kind of energy was very inspirational…
  • “…Sly is very intense as a director but, because of his energy, he is always moving around the set while giving direction so I found myself really having to keep up with him and payattention. He always had a cigar in his mouth so sometimes it was a little tough to understand, but he is a very physical guy and would often demonstrate what he wanted…
  • “…Who knows if it will be done again? But it takes a man of Sly’s stature to bring it together because everyone respects him in the action genre. When someone such as Stallone, Clint Eastwood or Steven Spielberg calls, you just don’t say no. Will it happen again? I am sure they are already prepping Expendables 2…

To read the full interview go here.