Category: Rocky

More Praise for Sly, “Rocky” & “Rocky III”

Craig / / 2005, Honors, Rocky, Rocky 3

The November 25th issue of Entertainment Weekly contains an article rating the top 30 sports movie dvds and stars.

Sly Stallone, Rocky and Rocky III all earned top spots.

Here’s what they had to say:

4. Rocky [PG, 119 mins., 1976; MGM]
HERE’S WHY: Hard enough to take a 15-round beating from Apollo Creed [Carl Weathers], soft enough to give Adrian [Talia Shire] the bed the night before the big fight, the Philly southpaw is more character than most. With one shot to prove he’s not just another bum from the hood, Sylvester Stallone faces the champ and does the unthinkable, by Hollywood standards: He loses. But wins our hearts by going the distance [and remembering Adrian’s hat].
DID YOU KNOW? The Italian Stallion’s blow-by-blow of the bout weighed in at 32 pages. EXTRAS The 2001 special edition features commentaries detailing every decision made in the making of this Best Picture.
FINAL SCORE:  We’d all like to eat lightning and crap thunder for Mickey [Burgess Meredith]. – Mandi Bierly

24. Rocky III [PG, 100 mins., 1982; MGM]
HERE’S WHY: Because it perfected the formula. Why have one nigh-invulnerable black heavyweight when you can have two? Why have one viscerally adrenalized fight when you can have three? The story of the Italian Stallion’s defeat at the hands of and subsequent victory over Clubber Lang – the only actually scary performance of Mr. T’s career – packs all the inspirational triumph you look for in a Rocky flick [and a touch of casual racism that you don’t], but Rocky III‘s true gift to sports cinema is the anatomically fetishized, borderline homoerotic training sequence. That, and “The Eye of the Tiger.”
EXTRAS:  We pity the DVD fools who included nothing but a measly trailer. If we find them, our prediction for the encounter? Pain.
FINAL SCORE: Twenty notches below the first Rocky on our list, but the most fun installment in the whole series. – Marc Bernardin

SYLVESTER STALLONE Rocky [1976] Rocky Balboa may be an outclassed palooka, but he has the heart of a champ, a virtue that Stallone portrays so convincingly that he transformed his Philly underdog into an indellible and enduring pop-culture hero. [See #4]

– The pic above is different than the one with the article. – Craig

Sly’s Bike

Craig / / 2005, Celebs, Rocky

I received the pic above and the following e-mail from Klein: Sly’s motorcycle and
Rocky stuff can be found at the Celebrity Hotel in downtown Deadwood, South Dakota.
The bike has been there for some 14 years now.

You can also see:

Clint Eastwood‘s Trans Am from Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, his gun from Dirty Harry,
his rifle from The Outlaw Josey Wales, his rifle both him and Morgan Freeman used in
Unforgiven and even his outfit he wore in Joe Kidd, they also have the batmobile from
Batman Returns, Peter Fonda‘s Harley from Easy Rider, John Wayne stuff, the car
from Smokey and the Bandit, Arnold‘s leather coat from T-2 and much more…

We look forward to more pics of the Rocky props! – Craig

“Rocky” Still the Standard!

Craig / / 2005, Honors, Rocky
Now that “Cinderella Man” is out and doing well, writers are creating their lists of the best boxing  movies ever. I’m happy to say that “Rocky” is always listed and usually at the top.

Joe Holleman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ranks “Rocky” at #2 and says, “Sylvester Stallone  reinvented the underdog film with this Best Picture Oscar winner.”

Louis B. Hobson of the Winnipeg Sun writes: Stallone deserves kudos for writing and starring in a simple, time-honoured story told with style, heart and passion. Stallone made Rocky Balboa a symbol of the extraordinary things ordinary people can achieve if they have a dream and the passion to pursue it.

Nearly 30 years later, “Rocky” is still the standard! – Craig

.

Sly Talk and Rumors

Craig / / 2005, Rambo, Rocky, Rumors

Lately there’s been quite a bit of talk on the internet that Sly is working on bringing back Rocky and Rambo to the big screen. Of course SZoners have been hearing these rumors for years.

Still, the word is that Sly’s serious about bring back his cornerstone characters. Stallone promises fans a
Rambo IV says one site. Stallone to bring back Rambo says another. While “Rambo Lives!” cries a third. Not to be out done another site [using the same info as the others] posts “Stallone Promises Rocky VI!”

As always, I’ll believe it when I see it. [And I hope to soon!] – Craig

Rocky Legends

Craig / / 2004, Rocky

Ernest Jazzman Resendes sent in the following:

The latest Game Stop flyer has a cool ” coming soon” ad for the new Rocky Legends video game. Here’s a scan…

*****

Thanks to Jazz for the scan and quotes! – Craig

Rocky: One of the All Time Best

Craig / / 2004, Honors, Rocky

Dennis O’Connell’s Entertainment Column for October 15, 2004 at AskMen.com lists the Top Ten All Time Best Movie Characters. And you just know that Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky made the list. Coming in at #9, here is what was said:9. Rocky

Rocky Balboa has delivered some cheesy speeches in his lifetime (anyone remember Rocky IV, where Balboa single-handedly melted the Cold War?). Regardless, no one saw Rocky for its intricate plots or Oscar worthy acting. They did, however, watch the Rocky series for the macho and epic battles between man and his enemy. Rocky made you want to be a boxer, executed flawlessly by all-around class act, Sylvester Stallone.
– Craig

2 of 3 Wepner Claims Dismissed in Suit Against Sly

Craig / / 2004, Celebs, Rocky

On September 28th, U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden denied Sylvester Stallone‘s bid to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Chuck Wepner which claims that Stallone inappropriately used Wepner‘s name to promote his “Rocky” movies.

However, Judge Katharine S. Hayden dismissed two other claims by the ex-boxer: 1) that Stallone was unjustly enriched by trading on Wepner‘s life story and 2) that Wepner suffered by relying on Stallone‘s promises.

Wepner‘s lawyer Anthony G. Mango called the ruling a “100% victory.” [Uh, but weren’t TWO of the THREE claims dismissed? 100% Victory? More like 33%, I’d say. – Craig] Sly‘s attorney, Jon Paul Robbins, declined to comment preferring to not try the case in the media.

As to the one claim that was allowed to go forward Judge Hayden stated that “Wepner contends, and Stallone does not contest, that the main character, Rocky Balboa, was based on Wepner and the plot of the first movie was inspired on the 1975 fight.”

We’ll keep you posted of updates as the case progresses.

It’s not unusual for a judge to allow a case to proceed to trial so that a jury can decide the outcome of the claims. The fact that two of Wepner‘s claims were dismissed is good news for Sly. The claim that did go forward doesn’t seem to have a solid foundation since Wepner has no contracts and he benefitted from his association to Rocky. I’m sure it can be easily proved that his appearances and income went up AFTER Sly spoke of his inspiration for Rocky. I’d also bet that Wepner used Sly‘s name in his appearances! – Craig

“Rocky” Legends

Craig / / 2004, Rocky

If you’re into home video games, then you should visit the Rocky Legends site.

It’s loaded with screenshots, trailers, music, and more. You have 40 fighters to choose from, including Rocky as he was in each of the five films. You can train and increase your fighter’s skills and there are twenty venues in which to hold your events.

I’m not the video game fan that I used to be, but this site has me wanting to grab a joystick to see how I’d fare against those 40 boxers!

Thanks, Jorge Napoles for the tip! – Craig

“Rocky” Anthology DVD

Craig / / 2004, Rocky, Rocky 2, Rocky 3, Rocky 4, Rocky 5

MGM Home Entertainment has announced a new Rocky Anthology dvd giftset for release on December 14, 2004.

Each film will boast brand new high-definition transfers along with a new DTS track on Rocky and 5.1 Surround on the four sequels.

The selling point for me is the new audio commentaries on all five films

The set will also include a bonus sixth disc containing the A&E Biography “Sylvester Stallone: The Rocky Road to the Top”.

The six-disc package will list for around $63.00. If you order using a link on the SZ, not only do you save money but you also help support us!

You can pre-order it HERE for 30% off.

Thanks to Tarek for the heads-up – Craig