WESH.com answers the question, Where Are the “Rocky” Stars Today? with a slideshow. Thanks to Coach Shooter for the tip!
Category: Rocky Balboa
Top 10 Reasons We Can’t Get Enough Rocky
In celebration of Can’t Get Enough Rocky Week, AMC has posted The Top Ten Reasons We Can’t Get Enough Rocky,
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
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky Balboa: Best of the Best
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.”
SZ Exclusive Behind the Scenes: Rocky Balboa
SlyStalloneFan is back with some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the filming and premiere of “Rocky Balboa.”
“Hello Craig. As you know, I truly admire your work and I enjoy visiting the StalloneZone. I recently was going through some of the pictures I have that were taken during the time Rocky Balboa was filming in Las Vegas. Seeing the Rocky Balboa movie being filmed in front of my eyes, was/is a dream come true. The level of excitement that I had was unbelievable. I thought I share some of the pictures with you and the wonderful zoners and hope you enjoy them as much as I did enjoy being part of the filming. Thanks. I apologize if some of the pictures are not in best quality.
Antonio Tarver Praises Sly
On September 30, 2010, Antonio Tarver, who is in training for his upcoming heavyweight fight in his run at the heavyweight title, was interviewed. As you could expect, there was a question about working with Sly and the filming of Rocky Balboa. Here’s how it went down…
- Not only are you a world class boxer, but currently a boxing analyst for SHOWTIME and movie actor. You where the co-star in the last Rocky Balboa movie. Talk to us about making the movie and working with Sly Stallone?
That was such a great experience, I have to pinch myself even today, I just can’t believe I had that opportunity. When I look back as a young man growing up wanting to be a boxer, the Rocky movies where huge and had a big effect on me. Just to be considered for the part sent chills through my body. Still does today when I think about it. Sly was great to work with, he made me feel very comfortable. I take a lot of pride in making that movie. Sly trusted me to help direct the fight scenes. I had a lot of offers for other parts that I turn down because I still had boxing in my blood. Acting is something that I would like get more involved with after I retire from boxing.
Antonio Tarver is a class act. I had the good fortune to meet him years before winning the light-heavyweight championship, knocking out Roy Jones Jr. and the filming of Rocky Balboa. I also met him again when he was the champ as well as right after filming Rocky Balboa. Antonio Tarver was still the same humble, appreciative man. I wish him the best in his quest to win the heavyweight championship. Go Tarver!
Maga & Hollywood Collectibles Present…
That’s the ad for the new Rocky statue coming from the Hollywood Collectibles Group. It appeared in a recent issue of Previews, a catalog available to comic shops and collectors. I still get jazzed to think that Edinho Maga was discovered after I posted his work on the StalloneZone.
Remember the Rocky statue is coming out this fall and pre-orders are now being taken! – Craig
Expendables UK Press Conference Coverage
On August 16, 2010, The Den of Geek posted coverage of The Expendables UK press conference. Here’ s a taste from Sly:
“Well, I have made a lot of career mistakes, a lot and I have made a lot of personal ones too! But the idea is, I never started out to be an action actor. I was an ensemble actor. Rocky was ensemble, F.I.S.T. was ensemble and Paradise Alley was ensemble. Then along came First Blood and it was the start of something unusual.”
“I think everyone in this room, everyone on the planet, has a regret. That in one moment they made the wrong decision, and sometimes you can just never get your life back on course. And that theme from Rocky Balboa, to Rambo, it just haunts me. Maybe I’m just mono-minded, or limited, but it’s just inextinguishable.”
To read the full report, simply click here.
Sly Mini-Interview
Saying Goodbye to Rocky Balboa
On August 4, 2010, Hollywood News posted a piece about how difficult it was for Sly to say good bye to the character of Rocky Balboa. Sly told…
…Britain’s GQ magazine: “It was really hard leaving that character behind… saying goodbye to the greatest character that anyone could ever dream of… I felt incredibly sad. It was like having a brother die in my arms.”
You can read the full piece here.