On August 10, 2012, IGN posted their choices for Sly’s Top 10 Best Movies. Click on the link and let the debate begin. – Craig
Category: Demolition Man
Thomas Boatwright Sends in a Maniac
Thomas Boatwright is back and with a vengeance. He knows you have to send a maniac to catch a maniac.
If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his DA site. Send him some love.
If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices, is a fantastic artist and always gives you more than you’re expecting! – Craig
LotofSly: Elliott Goldenthal Autograph
That’s an autographed card for “Demolition Man” starring Sly Stallone and Wesley Snipes. It’s autographed by Elliott Goldenthal, the composer for Demolition Man. How cool is that?
My pal, Alex surprised me with a package containing it and several other Stallone-related autographs that I’m going to post on the SZ over the coming weeks. Alex, as you’ve probably guessed is also known as LotofSly on the SZ message boards where he also serves as one of our moderators [and now has his own section Me &…]. Alex has met more celebrities than anyone else I know, and he somehow always manages to get photos with them. That’s in addition to being an all-around nice guy… and as nice as Alex is THAT has to be a full time job!
Best Stallone Films
SFGate.com posted their choices for the Best Stallone Films along with the films that readers picked. You can see the choices above or here.
Mike Torrance: It Takes a Maniac…
Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd knows what the three shells are for and so he decided that it was time for Sly as John Spartan aka The Demolition Man.
You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. You’re also going to be happy to know that once a month Mike has a contest for someone to win a free sketchcard! That is how I came to own this cool sketchcard. I won the contest and told Mike to pick a Sly character. He chose Spartan and I couldn’t be happier.
Craig Rousseau: Demolition Man
I had the good fortune to get this cool sketch from Craig Rousseau back in 2009 when I purchased one of his sketchbooks. It was a great deal, because with each sketchbook, Craig included a free headsketch. [If you’re interested, the deal is still available, and since the sketchbook is worth the price of admission, the headsketch is a great bonus!]
Welcome to Rockyland
On December 29, 2010, IFC News posted Matt Singer’s article, “Welcome to Rockyland: Sylvester Stallone’s Viagra Cinema.” In the piece Singer explores Sly’s resurgence to the top at an age when “action stars” have long since retired. Here are some excerpts:
- On July 6, 2011 Sylvester Stallone will turn 65 years old. At an age when most Americans are considering their Social Security benefits, Stallone’s career is the healthiest it’s been in decades.
- His latest film, “The Expendables,” was the first he’s headlined to gross over $100 million in the U.S. since “Rocky IV” back in 1985. Ten years ago, Stallone’s career was dead and he was a joke. Now he’s the world’s leading manufacturer of viagra cinema, movies designed to showcase the aging male frame as it performs unnatural but remarkable physical feats.
- What Stallone’s done is basically without precedent. All of his former rivals for action film supremacy have faded away or moved on; all of his predecessors turned to moodier and more reflective work by the time they were his age.
- …the world of Stallone’s viagra cinema: a place of physical and moral decay, the Philadelphia of “Rocky Balboa,” the Burma of “Rambo,” or the corrupt fictional island of Vilena in “The Expendables.” The heroes Stallone plays in these films refuse to concede to the decay around them or bend to the physical limitations of their age. The world may decay; Sylvester Stallone does not.
- Given Stallone’s age, and the fact that he surrounded himself in “The Expendables” with fresh action stars like Statham and Terry Crews, it seemed reasonable to assume that he was making the film as a symbolic passing of the torch; that it would be about what it’s like to realize you’re not faster than light anymore. Nope. Ross is correct about his skills… “The Expendables” isn’t about making way for a new generation. It’s about putting that new generation in their place and showing them how it’s done. Casting Stallone’s old contemporaries like Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke was good for some chuckles; it was also good for showing how good Stallone looks in comparison to them.
- In “Rocky V,” when Rocky was forced into retirement (a first time), his constant refrain was “I didn’t hear no bell!” signifying that his life is not over and that he continues to endure. Twenty years later, Stallone is still fighting, still refusing to hear the bell. The longer he refuses, the deeper he gets into Rockyland, the more strangely compelling his viagra cinema gets.
Singer has written an excellent piece and I highly recommend it to all SZoners. – Craig
Jason Walker’s John Spartan
My buddy, Jason Walker, gives a free headsketch with every sketchbook of his that you purchase. This is his take on Sly as John Spartan from Demolition Man. The caption says, “To Craig: Eating at Fuel leads to a need for the three sea shells. best – J. Walker”. Seems everyone but Spartan knows how to use the three sea shells. You can see more of Jason’s art here.
Ryan Cody: Sly is the Demolition Man
That’s Ryan Cody’s take on Sly from Demolition Man. I’d been wanting to get a sketch from Ryan for a while now, but since he doesn’t make it to east coast shows and I don’t get west, it didn’t look good. Not long ago, Ryan was going to a show and offered fans some discounted sketch opportunities and even extended the offer to me through the mail.
I jumped on board for two pieces and the Demolition Man is the first. You’ll see the second in the coming weeks. Until then check out Ryan’s blog and his DA site.
Thanks to Ryan! Hopefully we can do it again sometime. – Craig
“Demolition Man” One of the Best
On June 17, 2010, Den of Geek posted their list of The 12 Best Pure Hollywood Action Films of the 1990s. Making the list were Executive Decision, The Mask of Zorro, Mission: Impossible, Speed, Goldeneye, The Rock, The Last Boy Scout, The Matrix, Starship Troopers, Terminator: Judgment Day, Con Air and Demolition Man (which came in 5th).
Here’s some of what was said about Demolition Man:
Demolition Man is an absolute riot. It has a whale of a time with its script, as Stallone plays the brawny old fashioned cop failing to grasp futuristic technologies (there’s perhaps an Expendables parallel there)
The dialogue here is golden, and Demolition Man isn’t just a fine action film (you’ve got to love it when Wesley Snipes gets hold of futuristic weaponry), but a cherishable comedy too.
To read the full review, as well as the write-ups of the other films to make the list, click this link.