The #1 Sylvester Stallone Fan Site in the World!
On March 7, 2010, NewsOfTheWorld.co.uk wrote an nice profile piece on the city of Philadelphia. The article says that although the Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia, as was the U.S. Constitution, and Philadelphia was the home of Benjamin Franklin and has of one of America’s largest museums of art, it is Rocky that made the city famous.
It’s hard to argue with the facts. To read the complete article “Rocky’s City Really Packs a Punch” click here.
MarketWatch.com listed 10 Oscar Movies You Must Have in Your DVD Collection. Rocky made the list at #6 and here is what they had to say:
“Rocky” is the only film to make both Hunt’s and Galbraith’s 10-best lists. “It’s just a very human story,” Hunt said. “It proves that you can tell a really great story about a guy who just wants to go 10 rounds with the champ.”
“It’s funny to think about it now, but back in 1976 when this was first released serious film critics regarded Sylvester Stallone’s performance to be on a level with Marlon Brando at his peak, from the time of ‘On the Waterfront’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,'” Galbraith said.
Stephen Ripley yesterday in the Chatham Daily News noted that…
in 81 years only 10 sports-themed films (12 if you consider horse racing and billiards to be sports) have been nominated for best picture…
Mr. Ripley went on to rate them and Rocky came in at #2. Here’s what he had to say:
2. Rocky (1976)
After five sequels, it’s easy to forget what a great film the original Rocky was when it hit theatres in 1976. The tale of a journeyman boxer who makes the most of his shot at the title was written by struggling actor Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the title role. The film received 10 noms, earning the judges’ decision for best picture, best director and best editing.
The Patriot-Ledger also posted their own Oscar & Sports Article. Rocky , Sly, Talia Shire, and Burgess Meredith all got nods…
With the 2010 Oscar winners almost ready to be announced, Tom Chivers was inspired to come up with his list of “The Ten Worst Injustices in Academy Award History.” Coming in at #4 was Rocky. Here’s what Mr. Chivers had to say:
4. Rocky, written by and starring Sylvester Stallone(above), is actually an underrated film. It isn’t helped by its endless sequels (we forget whether it’s Rocky IV or Rocky V that has the robot butler, and the bit at the end of IV where Rocky’s incoherent post-fight rambling seems to bring about the end of the Cold War is particularly ludicrous), but it’s touching, unpretentious fare, and Stallone does well in the role he built for himself. Still, it’s a bit of a stretch that it beat Scorsese’s Taxi Driver to the 1976 Oscar for Best Picture.
While I think it’s great that Mr. Chivers believes that Rocky is underrated, I’m surprised that he thinks it’s a “bit of a stretch” that Rocky beat Taxi Driver. I think the real injustice for Rocky is that Sly didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Mr. Chivers also says that Rocky wasn’t helped by it’s endless sequels. Perhaps he forgot that Rocky was judged on it’s own merits. At the time of the 1976 Oscars, there had been no sequels. And while it’s clear that Mr. Chivers may have been confused [Rocky IV has the robot not V] or allowed his opinion of Rocky to drop due to the sequels, the Oscar judges didn’t have to face that problem.
It’s interesting that if you take out Mr. Chivers references to the sequels you end up with:
4. Rocky, written by and starring Sylvester Stallone(above), is actually an underrated film… it’s touching, unpretentious fare, and Stallone does well in the role he built for himself. Still, it’s a bit of a stretch that it beat Scorsese’s Taxi Driver to the 1976 Oscar for Best Picture.
What you end up with is Mr. Chivers opinion that Rocky [a film he has nothing but praise for] should have lost to Taxi Driver. Okay. That’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it.
Mark Podolski, who covers sports for the News-Herald.com just turn 40. That inspired him to write “The Top 40 Things That I’ve Learned in 40 Years.” Coming in at #32:
32. Sylvester Stallone is the American dream. “Rocky” should be required viewing for this country’s youth — today and beyond.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Mark. Hey, and hope ya had a happy birthday.
The Brisbane Times posted a piece on the Rocky statue created to…
change that image and revive the village – one of the poorest in northern Serbia…
You can read the whole piece here.
This week we have Casey Jones’ take on Sly as Rocky. This was done last year when Casey was sketching for charity at MegaCon. It’s my second and hopefully not last piece from Casey who always does great work. Check out the label on Rocky’s gloves for an additional bonus. You can see more of Casey’s art here and here.
On February 10, 2010, WXII12.com posted a respective on Rocky along with a slide show showing what has happened to the cast in the thirty-three years since it was released. Here’s a bit of what was said:
Not only did the movie capture three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for John G. Avildsen, but it was nominated for seven more, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for Stallone. The nominations made him only the third person ever to earn acting and writing nominations in the same year, following Charles Chaplin for “The Great Dictator” and Orson Welles for “Citizen Kane.”
The 33-year-old classic, which AFI named in 2008 the No. 2 sports film of all time behind only “Raging Bull,” includes a cast featuring Talia Shire, Burt Young, and the late Burgess Meredith, all of whom earned Oscar nominations, and Carl Weathers.
You can read the full article and see the slide show, by simply clicking here.
In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Bill White decided to come up with his list of the 20 Best Movie Couples. Of course Rocky and Adrian made the list. Here’s what Bill had to say:
Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire in “Rocky.” I read that their famous scene in a deserted ice rink had to be improvised at the last minute when only one extra showed up for filming.
On January 28, 2010, ABC News/Entertainment reported that newly elected Massachusetts’ senator, appeared on “The Jay Leno Show” last Thursday. During the course of his interview with Leno, Senator Brown named Sly Stallone’s “Rocky” films as favorites!