138 replies to this topic

[Loomis]

Stax takes a look at ROCKY BALBOA. I trust you don't mind my reproducing your article here, Stax - if it's a problem for any reason, fling us a PM. Oh, and as a major fan of the Rocky franchise, let me say thanks for the report.

http://filmforce.ign...4/664623p1.html

Mod note:
I removed the article text. Let's show the folks behind IGn that Stax's hard work draws people to their website.
- zencat

Edited by zencat, 07 November 2005 - 12:10 AM.

[killkenny kid]

It may work.

[Loomis]

Y'know, this sounds exactly like ROCKY V: an ageing Balboa trying to rediscover his eye of the tiger. A return to the mean streets of Philadelphia. Conflicts between Rocky and his son. A "champ" who's haunted by the idea that he's not as good as the legendary Rocky.... There's even speculation that the minor character of Marie from the first film will be brought back - yet they did that already in ROCKY V! (Although her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.)

So, ROCKY V reloaded, 16 years later?

Well, I hope not, even though I'm apparently one of the few people on earth for whom ROCKY V is actually a fun watch if the brain is in neutral and the right mood is there. Encouragingly, our hero actually has a bout to train for in this one, and one of the problems with ROCKY V is that a Rocky flick without Rocky putting the gloves on is like a James Bond outing in which 007 doesn't go on a mission - fundamentally flawed in terms of premise.

Call me insane, but I reckon ROCKY BALBOA will be pretty decent. I say that because Stallone seems bound to make such an utter, utter fool of himself by stepping into the ring again at 60 and trying to pass it off as a Rocky movie (the equivalent, adjusted for the general lack of requirement for 007 to take his shirt off and reveal an amazing physique, would be Moore playing Bond at 70) that one can only assume that, actually, no, he has some truly brilliant ideas up his sleeve and knows perfectly well what he's doing.

[Atticus17F]

The most surprising cameo, however, was by a character who appeared way back in the first Rocky. Mickey? No. Apollo Creed? Nope, he's dead, too. I'm not saying who it is as I liked the reveal but their inclusion added a nice level of poignancy and nostalgia. As Roth said in his statement, this sequel does indeed bring Rocky's saga full circle.

Ooh, who's this then ... Tony Gazzo? That pet shop woman? It's not Butkus, is it?

Sounds like a good 'un, though. Cheers for the report, Stax.

[Loomis]

The most surprising cameo, however, was by a character who appeared way back in the first Rocky. Mickey? No. Apollo Creed? Nope, he's dead, too. I'm not saying who it is as I liked the reveal but their inclusion added a nice level of poignancy and nostalgia. As Roth said in his statement, this sequel does indeed bring Rocky's saga full circle.

Ooh, who's this then ... Tony Gazzo? That pet shop woman? It's not Butkus, is it?

I'm hoping for Spider Rico. Here's my prediction for how ROCKY BALBOA will play:

White on black, a la the first film: "ROCKY BALBOA" moves slowly across the screen from right to left, accompanied by Bill Conti's famous theme tune.

We open with a TV report on Mason Dixon's incredible rise to stardom. This item is followed by an "And finally...." item considered to be of marginal interest: former champ Rocky Balboa recently opened a restaurant, Rocky's, which serves the finest spaghetti carbonara in Philly, and so on and so forth.

We pull back from the TV screen, which turns out to be - surprise, surprise - in Rocky's restaurant. We follow our hero as he walks around the place (opportunity for a nice long GOODFELLAS-style tracking shot), looking relaxed and cheerful, joking with the staff and customers, watching with a smile and a self-deprecating quip as an employee displays some new bits of boxing memorabilia, taking a call from a journalist about his special pizza recipe, etc. Balboa, we see, is a reasonably contented man, but then Paulie turns up and the expression on Rocko's face turns to one of sorrow. He has to go somewhere now. Clearly, not all is well in the kingdom of the Italian Stallion.

We see Rocky at Adrian's grave, Paulie in the background. And then Rocky and Paulie are wandering around the old neighbourhood, spewing a lot of sentimental dialogue about the old days. It's obvious that, while reasonably happy with his lot in life, Rocky is troubled by a few things: not only the loss of Adrian, who died, say, five years ago, but also his slightly strained relationship with his son, who's now a businessman in his late 20s, as well as his slightly strained relationship with himself. He needs to prove to himself that he still has fighting ability, that he's something just a little more than a well-liked but ultimately irrelevant former champ living the soft life. After these scenes of reminiscence with Paulie, Rocky goes off to spend the evening with his girlfriend.

We now cut to Robert ("Rocky"), Jr., who's filling a suit and an office somewhere. Someone calls him and we follow him through corridors to a room where we discover he's an exec in a company that makes computer games. Rocky, Jr. is forced to watch as they test out a new game in which his father wallops Mason. Someone shouts "Get it in the stores by Christmas, it's gonna be huge!", and Rocky, Jr. walks away, trying to hide his disgust. We cut to:

A TV commercial for the game. Evidently, it's now the Christmas season. We pull back from the TV, and, yes, folks, here we are again in Rocky's restaurant. The Stallion is on the phone to his son, cracking jokes about his new computer game and asking him when he and his girlfriend/wife are going to show up chez Balboa on Christmas Day. Rocky, Jr. makes some lame excuse about being unable to make it, and his dad walks away from the conversation looking troubled. Paulie turns up and tries to comfort Rocky by telling him his son's an ungrateful bum, but Rocky makes excuses for him. But guess what: he's still looking troubled. We cut to:

Rocky at home with his girlfriend. No palace, like in ROCKYs III and IV, but certainly no hovel either. Rock's chilling in front of the TV. Good opportunity for some Mason fight footage here. "That guy's good," Rocky comments. Then the game commercial comes on. Rocky looks thoughtful. We cut to:

Rocky on his own in front of the TV. Girlfriend's gone to bed. The Rockmeister is attempting to play his game, but he's such a technological dinosaur that he can barely switch the thing on. In a comic scene, he manages to have himself fight Ivan Drago, but he keeps screwing up and making himself fall out of the ring, whereupon he lumbers around punching out the audience. Eventually, he figures out what he's doing, and gets really into the game....

Early morning. He's still there, playing. He's fighting Mason now, really enjoying himself. Suddenly, he stops. Glances up at something, say a photo on the wall of himself in his prime. He looks disgusted with himself for a moment.

ROCKY: Silly old fool.

He walks away from the game and wanders into his gym. Looks thoughtfully at the equipment. Stands motionless before the punching bag. Once again, he has Something On His Mind. His girlfriend shows up and asks what on earth he's been doing all night.

We visit Mason and his people. Mason is also aware of the game, and wondering whether Balboa could beat him in real life. Everyone's telling him he's the greatest, but he doesn't believe it. Like Rocky in III, he thinks he's getting soft. A couple of scenes in which Mason pours out his troubles to Mrs Mason or whoever.

Confrontation scene between Rocky and his son. In his usual good-hearted way, Rocky tries to give Rocky, Jr. a few pearls of wisdom, while Rocky, Jr. accuses his father of turning his life into a museum in which he now lives. Et cetera. Scene ends with father and son having a serious rift.

More drama. Something happens that shows Rocky that his girlfriend is only with him because of his fame, and they split up. Rocky is now in a terrible state, but Paulie pulls him together because Rocky's gotta go off and appear on some sports show.

At the sports show, Rocky encounters Clubber Lang, who's now a commentator. Clubber picks a fight with his old nemesis, but Rocky, apart from being a good-hearted chap, hasn't thrown a punch in years. Mason is also present, and helps to restrain Clubber, saving Rocky from a pasting. Yet more humiliation for the Rockster, not his day at all.

Mason and Rocky go to Mason's house to relax. They get on extremely well, Mason telling Rocky what a legend and inspiration he always was to him, and Rocky telling Mason what a great fighter he thinks he is. The two men bond, and it's clear that Rocky starts to see Mason as having qualities he wishes were in his son. Rocky and Paulie end up joining Mason and his family on Christmas Day.

After lunch, Mason and Rocky start goofing around with the computer game, and Mason suddenly asks: "Hey, you wanna do this for real?"

Rocky laughs it off at first, but later that day gets a call from Rocky, Jr., who's also split up with his girlfriend. Rocky and his son patch up their differences a little, but Rocky is upset when Rocky, Jr. tells him quite bluntly that he has absolutely zero chance of even lasting one round with Mason.

A couple more "thoughtful" scenes of Rocky walking the old neighbourhood. He goes to Mick's gym. And now a long flashback:

Rocky as a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, watching Apollo Creed's early fights on TV, going to juvenile hall, getting out and being taken under the wing of the mobster Gazzo, working as a debt collector while falling from a distance for the shy sister of his schoolfriend Paulie, training at Mick's gym, getting into the ring with Spider Rico....

Back in the present, Rocky returns to an empty home. He puts his head in his hand and cries. Then a look of determination comes to his face. The eye of the tiger is back, and he knows what he has to do. He picks the phone up. "Mason?"

A few weeks later. The Mason Dixon versus Rocky Balboa charity bout is on. Both men are in training, but neither is taking it as seriously as he should quite yet. As time passes, more and more people tell Rocky that he's crazy, and more and more people ask Mason whether he's going to enjoy making mincemeat of an elderly sitting duck. Both fighters become increasingly troubled about what they've gotten themselves into, but neither is willing to show it.

Clubber visits Mason and tells him that he could be in serious trouble if Rocky decides to treat the charity match as a real fight rather than just a show. Mason's pride is stung by this encounter, but deep down, of course, he worries whether he's as good as Balboa. Before long, slightly uncomplimentary remarks about Rocky are issuing from Mason's camp.

Rocky is visited by Marie, from the first film, who tells him she believes in him. She helps him train, and before you know it Rocky's taking the fight with Mason super-seriously. In a scene recalling ROCKY II, Rocky races through the streets of Philly, an admiring crowd running with him. This is captured on live TV, and Mason watches. Mason is now taking his training super-seriously too. Clubber offers to train Mason and give him an insider's guide to fighting Balboa, but Mason angrily refuses.

On TV, days before the bout, Clubber fronts an "exclusive" that sets the world of sport buzzing. He claims that there is serious bad blood between Mason and Rocky, and that the two are hell-bent on turning a charity bout into a major bloodbath. There are a few grains of truth to this, but Clubber is deliberately sensationalising things. The resulting media frenzy creates enormous publicity for the fight, making it into a far bigger event than ever intended, and both Mason and Rocky are portrayed as egomaniacs. Rocky is said to be an old fool, while Mason is said to be a paper tiger taking a ludicrously soft option.

The pre-fight buzz becomes so negative that Mason's people encourage him to call it off, but neither he nor Rocky will hear of it, and, besides, the charity now stands to make an absolute fortune. In a little subplot, Rocky, Jr. and Mason's sister are now an item.

Meanwhile, Clubber keeps up the pressure. He's goading Mason on, talking up Rocky's awesome power. It's as though he wants to use Mason as a tool of revenge against Rocky.

A day or two before the fight, Rocky and Mason, who haven't seen each other socially in quite a while, have a chance encounter reminiscent of the meeting between De Niro and Pacino in HEAT, maybe at a restaurant Rocky is visiting for business reasons. They have a cup of coffee, and talk frankly about what they've gotten themselves into. They like and respect each other, but make it clear that they're going to take the fight seriously. "We know what Clubber and the media are up to, and we'll ignore their little games," Mason says. "It's just gonna be you and me. Maybe neither of us is really in this for the right reasons. But we're fighters, we don't need reasons. This is who we are. And when we fight, it's gonna be just like any other fight. I'm gonna try to put you away." "I wouldn't have it any other way," Rocky says. "And I want you to know: I'm gonna give this my best shot too." They part as friends, but battle has been declared. Not a battle of enemies, but of friends who respect each other too much to not pull out all the stops during the fight.

The fight. Rocky and Mason unleash hell on each other right from the first round. Mason floors Rocky in the second, Rocky gets up and fights on, then Mason puts him against the ropes and really starts pounding away. Rocky goes down again. Booing in the audience. By the start of the third round, Mason is enraged, and Rocky almost fighting for his life. Round four, and Rocky is standing his ground again. The rounds pass, and Rocky moves into high gear, knocking Mason down. Everyone's chanting "ROCKY! ROCKY!" It's become a no-rules street brawl, both fighters behaving like men possessed.

The final round: they've practically destroyed each other, but both are still standing. Rocky does some incredible work and puts Mason flat on his back. The audience erupts, but Mason manages to struggle to his feet by the count of 10. The fight continues. Mason recovers his form, and it looks as though he's just about to put Rocky away for good, when the final bell rings.

It's a draw. Mason and Rocky congratulate each other. They pose with the giant charity cheque, everyone is wild with delight, etc. On his way out, Mason punches the obnoxious Clubber and lays him out.

A few months later: Rocky is in his restaurant. New girlfriend, his son and Mason's sister are expecting a baby, and Mason's latest successful title defence is playing on TV. Everyone's happy. Once more, the Rock is a contented man.

Late at night, an old man comes in for a drink and asks to see Rocky. Rocky ambles along to meet his visitor. It's Spider Rico. They hug, and Rocky jokes: "You wanna fight me, Spider? I think I'm really finished with fighting now." "Me too," Spider says. "But I just wanted to have a few beers and talk about the old times with you. How about it?" "Absolutely," Rocky says, and they settle down to sink a few.

Fade to black and credits roll.

[Jim]

You really are keen on this, aren't you LooLoo?

[Loomis]

You really are keen on this, aren't you LooLoo?

Someone has to be, Jimbo.

And, Eon, make Sly Le Chiffre - you know it makes sense.

[Tarl_Cabot]

For charity??? Ahh comon! I want Rocky to have a mansion and a fleet of sports cars again! Get rich or die tryin Rock!

[Tarl_Cabot]

The most surprising cameo, however, was by a character who appeared way back in the first Rocky. Mickey? No. Apollo Creed? Nope, he's dead, too. I'm not saying who it is as I liked the reveal but their inclusion added a nice level of poignancy and nostalgia. As Roth said in his statement, this sequel does indeed bring Rocky's saga full circle.

Ooh, who's this then ... Tony Gazzo? That pet shop woman? It's not Butkus, is it?

I'm hoping for Spider Rico. Here's my prediction for how ROCKY BALBOA will play:

White on black, a la the first film: "ROCKY BALBOA" moves slowly across the screen from right to left, accompanied by Bill Conti's famous theme tune.

We open with a TV report on Mason Dixon's incredible rise to stardom. This item is followed by an "And finally...." item considered to be of marginal interest: former champ Rocky Balboa recently opened a restaurant, Rocky's, which serves the finest spaghetti carbonara in Philly, and so on and so forth.

We pull back from the TV screen, which turns out to be - surprise, surprise - in Rocky's restaurant. We follow our hero as he walks around the place (opportunity for a nice long GOODFELLAS-style tracking shot), looking relaxed and cheerful, joking with the staff and customers, watching with a smile and a self-deprecating quip as an employee displays some new bits of boxing memorabilia, taking a call from a journalist about his special pizza recipe, etc. Balboa, we see, is a reasonably contented man, but then Paulie turns up and the expression on Rocko's face turns to one of sorrow. He has to go somewhere now. Clearly, not all is well in the kingdom of the Italian Stallion.

We see Rocky at Adrian's grave, Paulie in the background. And then Rocky and Paulie are wandering around the old neighbourhood, spewing a lot of sentimental dialogue about the old days. It's obvious that, while reasonably happy with his lot in life, Rocky is troubled by a few things: not only the loss of Adrian, who died, say, five years ago, but also his slightly strained relationship with his son, who's now a businessman in his late 20s, as well as his slightly strained relationship with himself. He needs to prove to himself that he still has fighting ability, that he's something just a little more than a well-liked but ultimately irrelevant former champ living the soft life. After these scenes of reminiscence with Paulie, Rocky goes off to spend the evening with his girlfriend.

We now cut to Robert ("Rocky"), Jr., who's filling a suit and an office somewhere. Someone calls him and we follow him through corridors to a room where we discover he's an exec in a company that makes computer games. Rocky, Jr. is forced to watch as they test out a new game in which his father wallops Mason. Someone shouts "Get it in the stores by Christmas, it's gonna be huge!", and Rocky, Jr. walks away, trying to hide his disgust. We cut to:

A TV commercial for the game. Evidently, it's now the Christmas season. We pull back from the TV, and, yes, folks, here we are again in Rocky's restaurant. The Stallion is on the phone to his son, cracking jokes about his new computer game and asking him when he and his girlfriend/wife are going to show up chez Balboa on Christmas Day. Rocky, Jr. makes some lame excuse about being unable to make it, and his dad walks away from the conversation looking troubled. Paulie turns up and tries to comfort Rocky by telling him his son's an ungrateful bum, but Rocky makes excuses for him. But guess what: he's still looking troubled. We cut to:

Rocky at home with his girlfriend. No palace, like in ROCKYs III and IV, but certainly no hovel either. Rock's chilling in front of the TV. Good opportunity for some Mason fight footage here. "That guy's good," Rocky comments. Then the game commercial comes on. Rocky looks thoughtful. We cut to:

Rocky on his own in front of the TV. Girlfriend's gone to bed. The Rockmeister is attempting to play his game, but he's such a technological dinosaur that he can barely switch the thing on. In a comic scene, he manages to have himself fight Ivan Drago, but he keeps screwing up and making himself fall out of the ring, whereupon he lumbers around punching out the audience. Eventually, he figures out what he's doing, and gets really into the game....

Early morning. He's still there, playing. He's fighting Mason now, really enjoying himself. Suddenly, he stops. Glances up at something, say a photo on the wall of himself in his prime. He looks disgusted with himself for a moment.

ROCKY: Silly old fool.

He walks away from the game and wanders into his gym. Looks thoughtfully at the equipment. Stands motionless before the punching bag. Once again, he has Something On His Mind. His girlfriend shows up and asks what on earth he's been doing all night.

We visit Mason and his people. Mason is also aware of the game, and wondering whether Balboa could beat him in real life. Everyone's telling him he's the greatest, but he doesn't believe it. Like Rocky in III, he thinks he's getting soft. A couple of scenes in which Mason pours out his troubles to Mrs Mason or whoever.

Confrontation scene between Rocky and his son. In his usual good-hearted way, Rocky tries to give Rocky, Jr. a few pearls of wisdom, while Rocky, Jr. accuses his father of turning his life into a museum in which he now lives. Et cetera. Scene ends with father and son having a serious rift.

More drama. Something happens that shows Rocky that his girlfriend is only with him because of his fame, and they split up. Rocky is now in a terrible state, but Paulie pulls him together because Rocky's gotta go off and appear on some sports show.

At the sports show, Rocky encounters Clubber Lang, who's now a commentator. Clubber picks a fight with his old nemesis, but Rocky, apart from being a good-hearted chap, hasn't thrown a punch in years. Mason is also present, and helps to restrain Clubber, saving Rocky from a pasting. Yet more humiliation for the Rockster, not his day at all.

Mason and Rocky go to Mason's house to relax. They get on extremely well, Mason telling Rocky what a legend and inspiration he always was to him, and Rocky telling Mason what a great fighter he thinks he is. The two men bond, and it's clear that Rocky starts to see Mason as having qualities he wishes were in his son. Rocky and Paulie end up joining Mason and his family on Christmas Day.

After lunch, Mason and Rocky start goofing around with the computer game, and Mason suddenly asks: "Hey, you wanna do this for real?"

Rocky laughs it off at first, but later that day gets a call from Rocky, Jr., who's also split up with his girlfriend. Rocky and his son patch up their differences a little, but Rocky is upset when Rocky, Jr. tells him quite bluntly that he has absolutely zero chance of even lasting one round with Mason.

A couple more "thoughtful" scenes of Rocky walking the old neighbourhood. He goes to Mick's gym. And now a long flashback:

Rocky as a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, watching Apollo Creed's early fights on TV, going to juvenile hall, getting out and being taken under the wing of the mobster Gazzo, working as a debt collector while falling from a distance for the shy sister of his schoolfriend Paulie, training at Mick's gym, getting into the ring with Spider Rico....

Back in the present, Rocky returns to an empty home. He puts his head in his hand and cries. Then a look of determination comes to his face. The eye of the tiger is back, and he knows what he has to do. He picks the phone up. "Mason?"

A few weeks later. The Mason Dixon versus Rocky Balboa charity bout is on. Both men are in training, but neither is taking it as seriously as he should quite yet. As time passes, more and more people tell Rocky that he's crazy, and more and more people ask Mason whether he's going to enjoy making mincemeat of an elderly sitting duck. Both fighters become increasingly troubled about what they've gotten themselves into, but neither is willing to show it.

Clubber visits Mason and tells him that he could be in serious trouble if Rocky decides to treat the charity match as a real fight rather than just a show. Mason's pride is stung by this encounter, but deep down, of course, he worries whether he's as good as Balboa. Before long, slightly uncomplimentary remarks about Rocky are issuing from Mason's camp.

Rocky is visited by Marie, from the first film, who tells him she believes in him. She helps him train, and before you know it Rocky's taking the fight with Mason super-seriously. In a scene recalling ROCKY II, Rocky races through the streets of Philly, an admiring crowd running with him. This is captured on live TV, and Mason watches. Mason is now taking his training super-seriously too. Clubber offers to train Mason and give him an insider's guide to fighting Balboa, but Mason angrily refuses.

On TV, days before the bout, Clubber fronts an "exclusive" that sets the world of sport buzzing. He claims that there is serious bad blood between Mason and Rocky, and that the two are hell-bent on turning a charity bout into a major bloodbath. There are a few grains of truth to this, but Clubber is deliberately sensationalising things. The resulting media frenzy creates enormous publicity for the fight, making it into a far bigger event than ever intended, and both Mason and Rocky are portrayed as egomaniacs. Rocky is said to be an old fool, while Mason is said to be a paper tiger taking a ludicrously soft option.

The pre-fight buzz becomes so negative that Mason's people encourage him to call it off, but neither he nor Rocky will hear of it, and, besides, the charity now stands to make an absolute fortune. In a little subplot, Rocky, Jr. and Mason's sister are now an item.

Meanwhile, Clubber keeps up the pressure. He's goading Mason on, talking up Rocky's awesome power. It's as though he wants to use Mason as a tool of revenge against Rocky.

A day or two before the fight, Rocky and Mason, who haven't seen each other socially in quite a while, have a chance encounter reminiscent of the meeting between De Niro and Pacino in HEAT, maybe at a restaurant Rocky is visiting for business reasons. They have a cup of coffee, and talk frankly about what they've gotten themselves into. They like and respect each other, but make it clear that they're going to take the fight seriously. "We know what Clubber and the media are up to, and we'll ignore their little games," Mason says. "It's just gonna be you and me. Maybe neither of us is really in this for the right reasons. But we're fighters, we don't need reasons. This is who we are. And when we fight, it's gonna be just like any other fight. I'm gonna try to put you away." "I wouldn't have it any other way," Rocky says. "And I want you to know: I'm gonna give this my best shot too." They part as friends, but battle has been declared. Not a battle of enemies, but of friends who respect each other too much to not pull out all the stops during the fight.

The fight. Rocky and Mason unleash hell on each other right from the first round. Mason floors Rocky in the second, Rocky gets up and fights on, then Mason puts him against the ropes and really starts pounding away. Rocky goes down again. Booing in the audience. By the start of the third round, Mason is enraged, and Rocky almost fighting for his life. Round four, and Rocky is standing his ground again. The rounds pass, and Rocky moves into high gear, knocking Mason down. Everyone's chanting "ROCKY! ROCKY!" It's become a no-rules street brawl, both fighters behaving like men possessed.

The final round: they've practically destroyed each other, but both are still standing. Rocky does some incredible work and puts Mason flat on his back. The audience erupts, but Mason manages to struggle to his feet by the count of 10. The fight continues. Mason recovers his form, and it looks as though he's just about to put Rocky away for good, when the final bell rings.

It's a draw. Mason and Rocky congratulate each other. They pose with the giant charity cheque, everyone is wild with delight, etc. On his way out, Mason punches the obnoxious Clubber and lays him out.

A few months later: Rocky is in his restaurant. New girlfriend, his son and Mason's sister are expecting a baby, and Mason's latest successful title defence is playing on TV. Everyone's happy. Once more, the Rock is a contented man.

Late at night, an old man comes in for a drink and asks to see Rocky. Rocky ambles along to meet his visitor. It's Spider Rico. They hug, and Rocky jokes: "You wanna fight me, Spider? I think I'm really finished with fighting now." "Me too," Spider says. "But I just wanted to have a few beers and talk about the old times with you. How about it?" "Absolutely," Rocky says, and they settle down to sink a few.

Fade to black and credits roll.

Nice. Maybe he'll lose like Forman did against Holyfield in '91 at 42 but still walk away as a hero, dignity intact for going to distance against a much younger champion. For the opening credits I'd like to see the first frame have the statue of Rocky with the Rocky Balboa banner roll across behind it.

[Loomis]

I reckon it'll be a draw. To have Rocky lose - even with his dignity intact - would be too much of a downer, especially 16 years since the last ROCKY. OTOH, to have him win would seem just that little bit too unbelievable (although you could argue that the movie was probably always going to be as unbelievable as hell anyway). But we'll see. I note that Stax has not revealed the outcome of the fight.

[Prav_007]

Wait a minute, is Adrian (Talia Shire) returning or did I miss something?

[DanMan]

They should go all out with the cheese just like III and IV. No one's gonna take the movie seriously so they might as well make it fun.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I just hope we get to hear:

We're not indestructible,
baby better get that straight
I think it's unbelievable
how you give into the hands of fate

Some things are worth fighting for some
feelings never die
I'm not askin' for another chance
I just wanna know why

There's no easy way out there's no shortcut
There's no easy way out givin' in can't be wrong

I don't wanna pasify you
I don't wanna drag you down
but I'm feelin like a prisoner
like a stranger in a no named town

I see all the angry faces
afraid that could be you and me
talkin about what might have been
I'm thinkin about what I used to be

there's no easy way out there's no shortcut home
ther's no easy way out givin' in can't be wrong

Baby,baby we can shed this skin
we can know how we feel inside
instead of goin' down and endless road
not knowin if we're dead or alive

some things are worth fightin for
some feelings never die
I'm not askin for another chance
I just wanna know why

there's no easy way out there's no shortcut home
there's no easy way out givin in givin in can't be wrong no
there's no easy way out there's no shortcut home
there's no easy no easy no easy way out

(repeat and fade)

[Loomis]

An informative article from the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.c...ll=la-tot-promo

Forever the underdog
A sixth "Rocky" already is the butt of jokes, but producers are betting it can be a winner.

By Robert W. Welkos, Times Staff Writer

Reporter: "Rocky, the press has labeled you a 'Balboasauras' who should be in a museum. With all the 'ring rust,' how do you think you'll hold up against the champ?"

Rocky: "Well, ya really don't know much about nobody until ya lend 'em money or punch 'em hard."

YES, as implausible as it might seem, Rocky Balboa is back for Round 6. Though the script certainly doesn't dance around the fact that the Italian Stallion is stepping back into the ring in his twilight years, Sylvester Stallone's decision to get back into the ring has become the fodder for countless jokes.

David Letterman's "Top Ten List" was among the first to take dead aim: "Constantly says 'Yo, Adrian, got my Lipitor?' " went one zinger. "After tapping hands with other fighter, says, 'Not so hard!' " went another. A writer quipped in the Miami Herald: "Historians are calling it irrefutable proof that mankind has officially run out of good ideas." And one Internet message board posed the question: "Shouldn't Rocky have massive brain damage by now from getting hit in the head way too much just like Ali?"

Enough with the "Rocky" jokes already, complained Joe Roth, who heads Revolution Studios, which along with Sony Pictures and its new banner, MGM, is producing the new Rocky picture. "You can't turn on television without someone making fun of it," he said. "Jokes like, 'Who's he going to fight, Alan Alda?' Or, 'Who's he going to fight, an HMO?'

[Matt O'S oo4]

sigh

I guess if it works once...

beat it to death.

sigh

004

[Loomis]

LOL! Won't mention the irony of that criticism appearing on, of all places, a Bond fansite (this'll be our 21st, I believe).

Anyway, ROCKY worked more than once. It worked at least.... three times.

[Gabe Vieira]

Y'know, this sounds exactly like ROCKY V: an ageing Balboa trying to rediscover his eye of the tiger. A return to the mean streets of Philadelphia. Conflicts between Rocky and his son. A "champ" who's haunted by the idea that he's not as good as the legendary Rocky.... There's even speculation that the minor character of Marie from the first film will be brought back - yet they did that already in ROCKY V! (Although her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.)

So, ROCKY V reloaded, 16 years later?

That's my fear as well. I love the Rocky films, and I really wish that they don't go through with Rocky Balboa 'cause I have a bad feeling that this will be the crazy man that runs into the graveyard, digs the franchise back up and puts one more nail in the coffin just to make sure.

[Loomis]

Mod note:
I removed the article text. Let's show the folks behind IGn that Stax's hard work draws people to their website.
- zencat

Just noticed this. I quite understand, and apologies to Stax.

[Loomis]

Y'know, this sounds exactly like ROCKY V: an ageing Balboa trying to rediscover his eye of the tiger. A return to the mean streets of Philadelphia. Conflicts between Rocky and his son. A "champ" who's haunted by the idea that he's not as good as the legendary Rocky.... There's even speculation that the minor character of Marie from the first film will be brought back - yet they did that already in ROCKY V! (Although her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.)

So, ROCKY V reloaded, 16 years later?

That's my fear as well. I love the Rocky films, and I really wish that they don't go through with Rocky Balboa 'cause I have a bad feeling that this will be the crazy man that runs into the graveyard, digs the franchise back up and puts one more nail in the coffin just to make sure.

Still, I think the world may well be up for another ROCKY in a way that it wasn't in 1990. If Sly and co. put a bit of effort into ROCKY BALBOA, and if it's marketed properly (a good wheeze might be to have teasers and TV spots in the months leading up to release pretending that Balboa was a real former champ, showing footage of his fights from I to IV mixed with clips of real life boxers and mocking a rumoured comeback by the Italian Stallion - this would cleverly pre-empt the "He's way, way too old" derision that ROCKY BALBOA is already attracting; then fade to black and the legend "THEY THINK HE'S OVER THE HILL", cut to "HE'S DETERMINED TO PROVE THEM WRONG", and then the "Rocky" theme starts up and "SYLVESTER STALLONE" cut to "ROCKY BALBOA" cut to "FEBRUARY 2007"), I think it'll do very well indeed. I think V was rather like the franchise's LICENCE TO KILL. Right movie (albeit put together in a somewhat halfbaked fashion), but - for whatever the reasons - wrong time.

Balboa's comeback attempt will also chime nicely with Sly's, putting a similar "do or die" vibe on ROCKY BALBOA to the one Maltin mentions in his "Movie Guide" as a notable aspect of the first film.

One thing they really need to do is make sure that the fight is exciting - the fights in IV and V are just ludicrous, and about as thrilling as watching paint dry.

But I'm surprised that they're apparently planning to release ROCKY BALBOA in February 2007. Aren't they starting shooting a tad early if that's the case? (Or are they trying to see to it that Sly will look as young as possible, and/or factoring in time for lengthy reshoots after test audiences hurl tomatoes at the screen? ) Why not release it in 2006, though, the series' 30th anniversary year?

[Gabe Vieira]

Why not release it in 2006, though, the series' 30th anniversary year?

With this film, they're going to need all the time they can get to make it as good as Sly wants it to be.

[Mister Asterix]

Why not release it in 2006, though, the series' 30th anniversary year?

With this film, they're going to need all the time they can get to make it as good as Sly wants it to be.

Then why not release it in 2005?

[Loomis]

Why not release it in 2006, though, the series' 30th anniversary year?

With this film, they're going to need all the time they can get to make it as good as Sly wants it to be.

You're probably right. Which isn't to cast aspersions on the idea of ROCKY VI (as if ), but they may as well take their time with it. I believe Stallone has already spent several years on the script, so why rush the production?

[Harmsway]

Loomis, I have the utmost respect for your film tastes... but I've just never understood the Sylvester Stallone obsession. But I'm glad somebody loves the guy, and I hope ROCKY VI turns out good for ya.

[Loomis]

Loomis, I have the utmost respect for your film tastes... but I've just never understood the Sylvester Stallone obsession. But I'm glad somebody loves the guy, and I hope ROCKY VI turns out good for ya.

LOL! Cheers, Harmsway.

But the original ROCKY is superb, no? You'll go that far, surely?

[Harmsway]

Loomis, I have the utmost respect for your film tastes... but I've just never understood the Sylvester Stallone obsession. But I'm glad somebody loves the guy, and I hope ROCKY VI turns out good for ya.

LOL! Cheers, Harmsway.

But the original ROCKY is superb, no? You'll go that far, surely?

The original ROCKY is fantastic. A classic, and since I'm from Philadelphia, it's an icon.

[Gabe Vieira]

Why not release it in 2006, though, the series' 30th anniversary year?

With this film, they're going to need all the time they can get to make it as good as Sly wants it to be.

You're probably right. Which isn't to cast aspersions on the idea of ROCKY VI (as if ), but they may as well take their time with it. I believe Stallone has already spent several years on the script, so why rush the production?

Oh yeah, I think that Sly has been writing the damn thing for, like, two or three years. It's not that I don't want to see another Rocky film but if they're going for it, they should take as long as they need, or want. Especially "want" since they're going for lucky number ( ) six here with Rocky Balboa.

[Loomis]

And filming is underway! Okay, this'll be my last ROCKY BALBOA-related post, barring any really amazing news.

But go to http://news.bbc.co.u...ent/4496972.stm for what appears to be one of the first on-set images of Sly back in character as Rocky. Who'd have thought, eh? A real NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN moment for Stallone fans!

Oh, and more pics at http://www.womenboxi...305stallone.htm - I guess this confirms Tarver as the Rockmeister's latest opponent. Love the "WILL VS SKILL" tagline.

[Johnboy007]

Interesting that they picked Philadelphia native Bernard Hopkins to shoot the crowd scenes. Convenient that way, pity he lost. Maybe it's a sign

Glad to see that so many locals came out to the call yesterday, so people seem to be responding. Maybe i'll end up knowing someone in the movie.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Rocky is fighting Antonio Tarver, not Roy Jones:

http://www.womenboxi...toniotarver.jpg

I like Tarver. He has a great personality and looks more like a heavywieght. Excellent choice.

[Tarl_Cabot]

And filming is underway! Okay, this'll be my last ROCKY BALBOA-related post, barring any really amazing news.

But go to http://news.bbc.co.u...ent/4496972.stm for what appears to be one of the first on-set images of Sly back in character as Rocky. Who'd have thought, eh? A real NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN moment for Stallone fans!

Oh, and more pics at http://www.womenboxi...305stallone.htm - I guess this confirms Tarver as the Rockmeister's latest opponent. Love the "WILL VS SKILL" tagline.

OOps I didn't read this...I found out about Tarver while watching the Taylor-Hopkins fight. I think it's a great choice. Tarver has that Apollo Creed/Ali thing going on....very charismatic. And your last Rocky post?? Comon!