Category: Honors

“Rocky” One of Oscar’s Biggest Upsets

Craig / / 2011, Honors, Rocky

On February 20, 2011, Barbara Hagen for Associated Content from Yahoo wrote a piece called 2011: Oscars Biggest Upsets.  In the piece Ms. Hagen looks at movies that seemed least likely to win the Best Picture Oscar, but did.  Here is what she has to say about “Rocky”:

  • Another example of how exceptional acting has influenced the outcome of the Academy Awards was in 1977 when “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone took best picture. Moviefone.com says the performance of “Sly Stallone, [upstaged] the likes of Redford, Scorsese, and Lumet.” When I saw the movie myself, I could see the effort and the work that Stallone put into his character, and I would agree with Moviefone’s statement that Stallone outshined the other nominees for best picture.’

You can read the whole piece here.

Arnold Presents Sly’s Award

Craig / / 2011, Celebs, Honors

In this image provided by the International Cinematographers Guild, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, presents actor Sylvester Stallone with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 48th Annual ICG Publicist Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel Friday Feb. 25, 2011 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/ICG, Craig T. Mathew)

Rocky: All Time Best

Craig / / 2011, Honors, Rocky

On February 15, 2011, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post posted his choices for The Best Boxing Movies of All Time.  “Rocky” came in at #2 and here’s why…

  • 2. Rocky (1976) — The story of a Philadelphia club fighter who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to fight for the heavyweight title is an American classic. Some of the fight scenes look phony now, but Rocky still packs an emotional punch. It remains the ultimate Cinderella story.

    I caught a bit of “Rocky IV” on TV the other day and cringed at the scene where Sylvester Stallone makes peace with the Russian fans. It’s laughably, embarrassingly bad and cheesy. But even the sequels can’t tarnish the power of the original film.

You can read the whole list here.

Cliffhanger: All Time Best

Craig / / 2011, Cliffhanger, Honors

On January 31, 2011, Screenjunkies.com posted their list of The 10 Best Mountaineering Movies of All Time.  Coming in at #1 was…

#1   “Cliffhanger” Sylvester Stallone is a professional mountaineer who ends his career after he drops an inexperienced climber off a climbing cable. But he’s back in business to protect the area from a bomb threat and save kidnapped victims at the same time.

Click on the link to see the full post.

Rocky & Rocky II: The Best Boxing Movies of All Time

Craig / / 2011, Honors, Rocky, Rocky 2

On January 30, 2011, Moviefone.co.uk posted their choices for The 15 Best Boxing Movies of All Time.  Care to guess what movies came in at…

14. Rocky II
Before the ‘Rocky’ franchise devolved into (loveable) camp with villains like Clubber Lang and Drago, star Sylvester Stallone managed to put together one of the best and most underrated sequels in modern times. Though the climactic and triumphant return to the ring and the end of the film is memorable, the best parts of this movie deal with Rocky’s efforts to retire and his inability to find a place for himself outside the squared circle. A surprisingly moving film.

and

1. Rocky
What is there to say about Rocky that hasn’t already been said? Written by an unknown actor named Sylvester Stallone who insisted he star in the film as well, Rocky was a surprise box office and critical success when it debuted in 1976, launching Stallone to superstardom and creating a worldwide franchise that has become an indelible part of pop mythology. And on top of all that it’s still a damn good movie.

To read the full article, click here.

Mike Tyson: Sly Deserves the Hall of Fame

Craig / / 2011, Celebs, Honors

On January 12, 2011, ESPN Boxing posted a piece on former champ and recent Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Tyson.  Mr. Tyson had this to say about Sly Stallone also being inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame:

Although some criticized Stallone’s election, Tyson loves it.

“You know how awesome that is?” he said. “You know how many fighters he inspired from that movie? He had a helluva movie. He contributed to boxing. The body of work he created contributed to boxing. He contributed more than some champions did. You gotta contribute. You have referees, they contribute even though they didn’t fight. [Stallone made a] big-time contribution.”

You can read the full piece here.

Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky Balboa: Best of the Best

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky, Rocky 2, Rocky Balboa

On December 17, 2010, Newsday posted a piece titled Actors, Fighters Weigh-in on Boxing Flicks.  As you can imagine the Rocky movies were selected as top choices several times.  Here’s what was said:

  • Frank Vincent, played Salvy, opposite Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull.”  He’s appeared in numerous other films, including “Goodfellas” and “Casino.”
    1.     Although it was a fantasy,  I have to go with “Rocky 1”, for the inspirational message.
  • Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, former WBA light heavyweight champion, played Billy Fox opposite Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull.”
    3.     “Rocky.” “The entire Rocky series was great for boxing. Even if it wasn’t real, it was an opportunity for Sly to come in and make those movies. It gave boxing a boost.”
  • A.J. Benza, played L.C. opposite Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky Balboa.”
    1.     “Although “Raging Bull” is a better film, with incredible acting and all the sacrifices Robert De Niro made to literally become Jake LaMotta, and having the great Martin Scorsese at the helm, I still have to say the greatest boxing movie of all-time is “Rocky.” Here we are 34 years later and I still drop the remote and stop whatever I’m doing whenever it’s on TV. That song is in everybody’s heart. That fight is a fight we will all face one day in our lives. Sylvester Stallone did it. Game over. Who doesn’t get the chills when they hear the trumpets?”
    3. “Rocky Balboa.” Mainly because I’m in it. But I remember being on the set, on the last day, and watching Stallone run the steps for the last time. And when he was done and it was a wrap, no one wanted to leave. Stallone just sat on the steps. And I remember telling him, “You been making us cry for over 30 years. Who does that outside of our own families?”
  • Jeff Waxman, co-producer, “The Fighter”
    1    . “Rocky”
    2    . “Rocky II”
    “I loved all those movies,” said Waxman. “I loved them not just for the boxing, but for the story. With Riocky, it was about going the distance, in this movie (“The Fighter”), Micky Ward had to go the distance, he had to win and he did.”
  • Steve Farhood, boxing analyst for Showtime:
    1.     “Rocky.” “The right movie at the right time. My friend and I saw it in the dead of winter, and we were so pumped up, we ran home two miles through the streets of New York City. By the way, not one of the 347 sequels compares.”
  • Lou DiBella, boxing promoter, played himself in “Rocky Balboa” and is a producer on “The Fighter.”
    1.     “Rocky.” “I think the character of Rocky Balboa is the greatest personafication of the underdog in movie history and it gets to the essence of why people love boixng. I think Rocky Balboa is the most iconic figure every created about boxing.”
    2.     “Rocky II.”
  • Mark Breland, Olympic gold medalist and WBA welterweight champion. Has appeared in “The Lords of Discipline,” and  “Summer of Sam.”
    2. “Rocky.”
  • Jose Rivera, former two-time world champion who played Mark Wahlberg’s sparring partner in “The Fighter.”
    1. “Rocky.”
  • Junior Jones, former world bantamweight and junior featherweight champion:
    1.     “All of the “Rocky,” movies. I liked the training scenes and the music, too. It allows you to see the hard work and the intensity of a fighter.”

To read the full piece, click here.

Sly to be Honored

Craig / / 2010, Honors

On December 16, 2010, Variety reported that the Hollywood union publicists will honor Sly at their February 25 awards lunch at the Beverly Hilton.  Here’s why:

“Sly has made such an indelible mark on cultures across the globe that people in different parts of the world consider him to be their own,” said awards chair Henri Bollinger. “An indication of the impact a character he created has made on American culture is that a statue of Rocky Balboa was placed at the foot of the now-famous steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.”

You can read the full piece here.