Category: Rocky II

Rocky Balboa IS the American Spirit

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky VI

In honor of Independence Day, Cinema Blend posted their choices for the Ten Movie Heroes Who Make Us Proud to be Americans.  Making the list were:

  • Scarlett (Gone with the Wind) O’Hara
  • President James (Air Force One) Marshall
  • Captain John H. (Saving Private Ryan) Miller
  • John (Die Hard series) McClane
  • Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird) Finch
  • Jason (The Bourne trilogy) Bourne
  • Will (High Noon) Kane
  • Sarah (Terminator series) Connor
  • Bryan (Taken) Mills
  • Rocky (Rocky series) Balboa

Here’s some of what they had to say about Rocky…

Everyone loves an underdog, and that’s the reason why Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa is such a great character

Balboa is a hero because of the inspiration he provides,

Rocky Balboa IS the American spirit.

Click here to read the full piece.

“Rocky” Rated Top Film Franchise

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Rocky II, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky VI

On June 22, 2010, We Are Movie Geeks.com posted their selections for the Top Ten Film Franchises.  Back to the Future; Planet of the Apes; Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter; Rocky; Alien(s); Lord of the Rings; James Bond; The Godfather and Star Wars all made the list. Here’s some of what they had to say about the Rocky series:

…you cannot dismiss the genius of the character of Rocky Balboa.

Rocky was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay that Stallone wrote, and won 3, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Rocky stole the heart of America and reminded us why we should always root for the underdog.

You can read the entire post by clicking here.

The “Rocky” Series Most Inspiring!

Craig / / 2010, Honors, Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky VI

On May 2, 2010, PasteMagazine.com posted their list of the Five Inspiring Movie Montages.  Of course the Rocky series had to be represented… and what better way than to include ALL of the Rocky movies.  Here’s what they had to say:

5. All the Rocky movies
Each Rocky movie could honestly have occupied a slot on this list—if you’re watching one, you’re eventually going to see Sylvester Stallone pulling a cart through the snow, or doing one-armed pullups on a Philly playground, or doing wind sprints down a beach with Carl Weathers. Eye of the tiger, baby.

To see the full list as well as the montages for the movies, click here.

“Rocky” The Undisputed Collection

Craig / / 2009, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V

The HDRoom.com has announced that on November 3rd, a seven disc collection of all of the “Rocky” movies will be released on Blu-ray.  Amazon.com has the collection listed at 30% off for pre-orders.  Hopefully this will be the definitve collection that all fans have requested.  As more information on the extras becomes available, we’ll post the information.

Why “Rocky Balboa” Works

Craig / / 2009, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V

On June 27, 2009, Christopher Crespo at the Orlando Movie Examiner posted an article titled “Why Rocky Balboa Works Where the Other Rocky Sequels Failed”.  Crespo actually has some good things to say about “Rocky II” and “Rocky III” but focuses his attention on how “Rocky Balboa” (like the original “Rocky”) mirrors what was happening in Sly’s life and “Stallone (didn’t) pretend things (were) different from what they (were).” You can read the full piece by clicking here.

“Rocky II – The Forgotten Rocky”

Craig / / 2009, Rocky II

Christopher Crespo writes a nice piece called “Rocky II – The Forgotten Rocky” for Examiner.com [and I would have said that even if they hadn’t used a StalloneZone photo!].  Here’s a few quotes:

If Rocky was about being the underdog and taking that one in a million shot, then Rocky II is about that underdog finding out what his role is in this game called life.

Much more character based than Rocky III-V, Rocky II shows a predilection for character development and drama arising out of these characters interactions.

Rocky II deserves to be remembered better, and should take its place alongside Rocky and Rocky Balboa as excellent installments about the seminal underdog. Stallone’s direction is fine, and not without a few inspired camera moves and choice moments.

You can read the full article right here.

Rocky’s Best Opponents

Craig / / 2009, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V

William Russo, over at the Bleacher Report, takes a look at “The Best and Worst Opponents of Rocky Balboa.” There’s an online poll and right now Apollo and Clubber are at at 30% with Drago close behind at 28%.  Thunderlips [2%], Tommy Gunn [6%], and Mason Dixon [4%] are lagging way behind.

Click here to read the article and get your vote in!

Sly’s Underrated Sequels

Craig / / 2009, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV

Simon Brew, at the Den of Geek, lists 19 Underrated Sequels That Deserve a Second Chance.  Here’s what he had to say about some Stallone-starring choices:

Rocky II, III & IV

Our love of Rocky IV has already been documented at Den Of Geek, but the saga of Sylvester Stallone’s Italian Stallion is really enjoyable right up until 30 seconds before Rocky V starts. The second movie is a glossy and very functional sequel, but let’s cut film three slack for loosening up and having some fun, with Mr T’s Clubber Lang a great introduction to the franchise. Rocky IV, of course, remains without modern day parallel…

You can read the entire article here.