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Sly made a few headlines this week…
Rolling Stone posted their choices for the 30 Best Sports Movies of All Time. Sly made the list twice…
2. Rocky (1976)
Hey, remember when Rocky Balboa wasn’t considered an example of lunkheaded Reagan-era jingoism, but rather a soulful, working-class underdog? There’s a reason the original Rocky won a Best Picture Oscar: It’s a surprisingly lived-in, sensitive drama about a broken-down boxer who gets one last, very unlikely chance to prove himself against the World Heavyweight Champion, played by a wonderful Carl Weathers (just because you’re a nemesis doesn’t mean you can’t have a soul). Those hang-dog eyes, that sensuous mouth, that shrinking demeanor, even his characteristically slurred speech – there’s something so noble about this very human bruiser, and the then-unknown Stallone, who also won an Oscar for the screenplay, must have seemed like such a revelation. And if you want sports-movie symbolism, you could not do better than the driven, determined Rocky going for round after round with the red-white-and-blue clad Creed – the American dream as Sisyphean beat-down. BE21. Victory (1981)
Based on the Hungarian film Two Half Times in Hell, director John Huston’s potboiler stars Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, and Brazilian superstar Pele as WWII POWs who’re going to use a match against the Germans as an opportunity to escape. Everything is ready to proceed as planned — and then the players wonder if they can actually do more good by beating the Nazis on the pitch. The football-ignorant Stallone may be a surrogate for all the early 1980s Americans who were just starting to learn more about “the beautiful game.” But watching the legendary Pele display his footwork on the field (that bicycle kick!), you almost believe the soccer god could have singlehandedly stopped Hitler’s troops in their tracks. NM
On February 27, 2015, USAToday posted Every “Rocky” Movie, Ranked by Chris Chase. For details check out the piece, but here are Chris’ rankings and mine. We differ quite a bit, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
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Chris Chase
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Craig Zablo
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| 6. Rocky V | 6. Rocky V |
| 5. Rocky Balboa | 5. Rocky II |
| 4. Rocky II | 4. Rocky IV |
| 3. Rocky | 3. Rocky III |
| 2. Rocky III | 2. Rocky Balboa |
| 1. Rocky IV | 1. Rocky |
Salvador Anguiano created this awesome Rocky poster. It is available in a couple of style from Mr. Anguiano.
On February 21, 2015, The New York Post published Reel champions: The Post doles out its all-time Sports Oscars by Brian Lewis.
Sly won a couple of awards…
Best picture
“Rocky”
The ultimate underdog “Rocky” pulled off the upset against sports movie heavyweights “Hoosiers” and “Raging Bull.” Sylvester Stallone got the inspiration for the screenplay after watching the heavyweight title fight between Bayonne’s Chuck Wepner and reigning champ Muhammad Ali, and insisted he play the lead. Good call.
Stallone, who trained with Jimmy Gambina every day for about five months before shooting, became a star, and the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, ranked 57th on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years … 100 Movies — 10th Anniversary Edition.
Stallone got sued by Wepner for a share of the profits and settled in 2006. For the movie that gave us the most-used workout music in history — “Gonna Fly Now” — the line “Yo, Adrian!” and five sequels, it’s the least he could do.
Nominees: “Hoosiers,” “Raging Bull,” “Field of Dreams,” “The Natural,” “Remember the Titans,” “The Fighter,” “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “The Hustler.”
Best hero
Rocky Balboa
Seriously, what other movie hero actually has his own statue? Sylvester Stallone donated a life-size statue of Rocky Balboa to the city of Philadelphia, and it still sits near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the titular character ran during his iconic training scene. The character starred in five more sequels, fought villains like Ivan Drago and Mr. T, gave us lines like “Yo, Adrian!” Oh, and Balboa was ranked seventh on AFI’s 100 Heroes and Villains list.
Nominees: Roy Hobbs in “The Natural,” Crash Davis in “Bull Durham,” Terry Malloy in “On The Waterfront,” Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger in “Rudy,” Dottie Hinson in “A League of Their Own,” Daniel-san/Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid,” Paul Douglas in “Angels in the Outfield,” Norman Dale in “Hoosiers.”
On October 26, 2014, WhoSay created their list of the 8 Most Inspirational Sports Movies of All Time. Rocky made the list (but not #1?). Here’s what they said…
It’s impossible to think about boxing, or hear the song “Eye of The Tiger” for that matter, without remembering of the iconic film, Rocky. The Oscar-winning film made Sylvester Stallone‘s Rocky Balboa a household name, and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art a cultural landmark.
Well, since they list Rocky but talk about Eye of the Tiger (Rocky III) it’s an easy jump to their confusion in not listing Rocky in first place. ; ) – Craig
Rocky and Adrian by Aykut Aydoğdu.
On October 24, 2014, SciFighting posted the Top Ten Most Memorable Boxing Movies by Marcus Hogan. Rocky [II, III, IV and V] came in at #1. What? Rocky Balboa didn’t make it?
Here’s what they had to say…
1.) Rocky (II, III, IV, V)
Rocky was the highest-grossing film in 1976, making $225 million worldwide on a $1 million budget. The film was shot in only 28 days, but won 3 Oscars including Best Picture. It is the rags to riches story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) who is a loan shark by day and boxer by night. Although this film is not considered non-fiction, former heavyweight boxer Charles “Chuck” Wepner claims that this and all the proceeding Rocky films where based on his life.
I recently received the following e-mail with the attached video…
On September 30, 2014, MoviePilot posted Warning to All Rocky Fans: These 12 Facts That Might Shock You. [Although I doubt SZoners will be shocked or surprised. ; ) – Craig]
