Hooray! The new "Rocky" is getting great reviews! - The Orange Mane

Taco John · 12-16-2006, 01:12 PM

That's great news for me, because I have an old pact with myself: I will watch every Rocky movie ever made. I don't care if it's Rocky 80, and he's boxing in his retirement center's rec league. If it's Rocky, I'm watching it.

Here's the review:

Rocky Balboa
Bottom Line: Well, whadda ya know? It looks like you can teach an old underdog new tricks.
By Michael Rechtshaffen
Dec 15, 2006

First 007 gets back to basics, now, 30 years after the Italian Stallion came out swinging, Sylvester Stallone has returned to Rocky's humble roots with an unplugged edition that emerges as one of this season's more pleasant surprises.

Dispensing with those bloated Roman numerals, "Rocky Balboa" -- for those keeping count, it's the sixth in the series and the first since 1990's winded "Rocky V" -- defies all expectations with a low-key, technically stripped-down production that really does come close to capturing the heart and soul of the original.

That one, with a budget of less than $1 million, played like gangbusters, punching up more than $56 million in 1976 dollars.

But is Rocky gonna fly now?

Given that Bill Conti's mighty fanfare still has a way of putting a lump in the throat, the nostalgia factor, combined with the picture's underdog status among the holiday heavy hitters, might just result in Rocky going the distance for one final round.

There's a disarming quality to Stallone's thoughtful script that has a way of stopping smirking skeptics right in their tracks, as if to say: "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. But at least give me a shot here."

And darned if that gently self-effacing approach doesn't melt away those preconceived notions.

With his beloved Adrian having passed away, Rocky trudges along the streets of his South Philly neighborhood like a man who's been beaten down by the ravages of time and bittersweet memories of all-too-distant glories.

He's only too happy to regale patrons at his eatery, Adrian's, with those stories, but his habit of living in the past is beginning to grate on his old buddy Paulie (Burt Young, who's been there for all six rounds), who's no longer willing to accompany Rocky on those ritual tours through his old haunts.

Fortunately the guy we all know and love snaps back into form when an installment of ESPN's "Man vs. Machine," which pits two athletes from different eras against each other in a computer-simulated competition, has current heavyweight champ Mason "The Line" Dixon (real-life boxer Antonio Tarver) going up against Balboa in a hypothetical bout that gives the Italian Stallion the upper hook.

Before you can say "yo," Rocky's back in training for the real thing, cartilage and all, much to the embarrassment of his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), who's still struggling to crawl out from under his dad's formidable shadow.

Although the picture hits a few, er, rocky patches once it ultimately enters the ring -- it also overplays the dead Adrian card with one too many visits to the cemetery -- up until the rather abrupt finish, Stallone's grass-roots approach works quite effectively.

Passing on studio sets in favor of actual locations with extensive handheld camerawork (incorporating both 35mm and high-def film), Stallone reconnects with a lot of what made the character so endearing in the first place.

In addition to all the familiar faces -- Tony Burton also returns as Balboa corner man, Duke -- Irish actress Geraldine Hughes does affecting work as the grown-up Marie (played three decades ago by Jodi Letitizia), now a hard-working single mother of a grown son (James Francis Kelly III), whom Rock has taken under his wing.

Of course, Rocky wouldn't be Rocky without that signature theme, and Conti has turned it into elegiac lament for the first half of the picture before cranking it up to full throttle for that last hurrah, as well as backing amusing end-credits footage of tourists from all over re-enacting the iconic ascension of those Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.

Rocky Balboa
Revolution Studios

MGM

Columbia Pictures

Credits:
Executive Producer: Irwin Winkler
Executive Producer: Robert Chartoff
Producer: Charles Winkler
Producer: David Winkler
Producer: William Chartoff
Producer: Kevin King
Co-producer: Guy Reidel
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Screen Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Director of Photography: Clark Mathis
Editor: Sean Albertson
Unit Prod. Manager: Udi Nedivi
First Assistant Director: Rip Murray
Prod. Designer: Franco-Giacomo Carbone
Art Director: Michael Atwell
Set Decorator: Robert Greenfield
Costumes: Gretchen Patch
Prod. Coordinator: Kelly Moran-Brown
Special Effects: John Hartigan
Sound mixer: Mark Ulano
Casting director: Sheila Jaffe
Unit Publicist: Sheryl Main

Cast:
Actor: Sylvester Stallone
Actor: Antonio Tarver
Actor: Burt Young
Actor: Milo Ventimiglia
Actor: Geraldine Hughes
Actor: Tony Burton
Actor: James Francis Kelly III

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/....jsp?&rid=8554

Hogan11 · 12-16-2006, 02:29 PM

Well...it almost has to be better than the last two Rocky films.

MechanicalBull · 12-16-2006, 03:43 PM

I'm in the same boat with you Taco and actually when I head up back to NY for XMAS I'm going to go see it. The movie has been rumored forever and I believe I first saw the preview for it when I saw Casino Royale and right away I said it looks pretty good. Everywhere I read it has been getting pretty decent reviews.

I'm probably in the minority but I actually liked Rocky V a lot.

Crushaholic · 12-16-2006, 03:46 PM

I originally scoffed at the idea of another Rocky movie 30 years after the first one, but it does look good...

Hercules Rockefeller · 12-16-2006, 04:55 PM

Can't wait for it, I'll be there on Wednesday.

Master___Pain · 12-18-2006, 04:07 PM

The thing I have a hard time buying into is the actor is 60+ years old playing a pro boxer.

I was a big Rocky fan but I doubt I'll see this movie.

Billy Clyde Puckett · 12-18-2006, 05:26 PM

I re-watched the original the other night. Might just have been my mood, but it did not hold my attention they way it did when I saw it in the theatre years ago.

RhymesayersDU · 12-18-2006, 06:02 PM

I can't wait to see this movie. I'm such a Rocky mark it's not even funny.

Dagmar · 12-18-2006, 10:34 PM

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_balboa/

ludo21 · 12-19-2006, 12:33 AM

When it comes on tv Ill watch it.

So in about 6 months sounds right

Crushaholic · 12-21-2006, 04:43 AM

Ro-cky! Ro-cky! Ro-cky!

Fantastic way to end the franchise! I hear Master Pain's concerns about a 60-year old getting into the ring and making us believe he can do some of that stuff, but I was so caught up in the story that I didn't care. It's cliched as hell, but it wouldn't be a Rocky movie otherwise. You hear various version of the Rocky theme throughout the movie and it just feels good. I was entertained, which is the whole point of going to movies for me...

Orange_Beard · 12-21-2006, 10:44 AM

Think I will pass...

24champ · 12-21-2006, 06:03 PM

Im going with the family tonight to check it out, I hear the story line is great. The last Rocky movie just didn't end right and Rocky was never in the ring. I really hated that last rocky movie.

dumpy · 12-21-2006, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogan11

Well...it almost has to be better than the last two Rocky films.

Rocky IV was great. Unrealistic? Maybe, but what do go to movies for?

24champ · 12-22-2006, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dumpy

Rocky IV was great. Unrealistic? Maybe, but what do go to movies for?

concur, I liked Drago. Just saw Rocky Balboa and it was great for rocky to make his last stand.

British Bronco · 12-22-2006, 06:06 PM

I am a Rocky Mark.. the new film is everything Rocky V should of been

Pendejo · 12-23-2006, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by British Bronco

I am a Rocky Mark.. the new film is everything Rocky V should of been

I loved the final street fight scene in Rocky V. It was brilliant. "Yo Tommy!!! I didn't hear no bell...one more round...one more round."

A street fight complete with live news coverage.

Crushaholic · 12-23-2006, 02:50 PM

One more thing I should say about this movie. It's a movie specifically for Rocky fans. The flashbacks in the movie will mean nothing if you haven't grown up watching the early Rocky movies. I wouldn't take a kid under 10, not because of anything objectionable, but they could be bored out of their freakin' mind. This is meant to be a final nod to us old fogie Rocky fans, not to create new Rocky fans.

MechanicalBull · 12-23-2006, 09:17 PM

Great Great Movie. That is all

24champ · 12-24-2006, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crushaholic

One more thing I should say about this movie. It's a movie specifically for Rocky fans. The flashbacks in the movie will mean nothing if you haven't grown up watching the early Rocky movies. I wouldn't take a kid under 10, not because of anything objectionable, but they could be bored out of their freakin' mind. This is meant to be a final nod to us old fogie Rocky fans, not to create new Rocky fans.

I really loved the fight against Mason "the line" Dixon showing the flashbacks and the screen in black and gray showing Rocky fighting in slow-mo.

REB · 12-24-2006, 02:35 PM

I'm a hugh Rocky fan and have seen all of them numerous times. I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

1-2-3-

!!!!!!!

SPfloppy · 12-25-2006, 07:34 AM

I will make the effort and watch this one. I also liked IV. "I must break you" Drago was a badguy you wanted to see destroyed and then gain sympathy for when he does. Unrealistic yes but it made you feel good. V was a piece of crap.

12-16-2006, 01:12 PM	#1
Taco John 24/7 Broncos In Elway I Trust Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 49,697 Adopt-a-Bronco: Peyton Manning	Hooray! The new "Rocky" is getting great reviews! That's great news for me, because I have an old pact with myself: I will watch every Rocky movie ever made. I don't care if it's Rocky 80, and he's boxing in his retirement center's rec league. If it's Rocky, I'm watching it. Here's the review: Rocky Balboa Bottom Line: Well, whadda ya know? It looks like you can teach an old underdog new tricks. By Michael Rechtshaffen Dec 15, 2006 First 007 gets back to basics, now, 30 years after the Italian Stallion came out swinging, Sylvester Stallone has returned to Rocky's humble roots with an unplugged edition that emerges as one of this season's more pleasant surprises. Dispensing with those bloated Roman numerals, "Rocky Balboa" -- for those keeping count, it's the sixth in the series and the first since 1990's winded "Rocky V" -- defies all expectations with a low-key, technically stripped-down production that really does come close to capturing the heart and soul of the original. That one, with a budget of less than $1 million, played like gangbusters, punching up more than $56 million in 1976 dollars. But is Rocky gonna fly now? Given that Bill Conti's mighty fanfare still has a way of putting a lump in the throat, the nostalgia factor, combined with the picture's underdog status among the holiday heavy hitters, might just result in Rocky going the distance for one final round. There's a disarming quality to Stallone's thoughtful script that has a way of stopping smirking skeptics right in their tracks, as if to say: "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. But at least give me a shot here." And darned if that gently self-effacing approach doesn't melt away those preconceived notions. With his beloved Adrian having passed away, Rocky trudges along the streets of his South Philly neighborhood like a man who's been beaten down by the ravages of time and bittersweet memories of all-too-distant glories. He's only too happy to regale patrons at his eatery, Adrian's, with those stories, but his habit of living in the past is beginning to grate on his old buddy Paulie (Burt Young, who's been there for all six rounds), who's no longer willing to accompany Rocky on those ritual tours through his old haunts. Fortunately the guy we all know and love snaps back into form when an installment of ESPN's "Man vs. Machine," which pits two athletes from different eras against each other in a computer-simulated competition, has current heavyweight champ Mason "The Line" Dixon (real-life boxer Antonio Tarver) going up against Balboa in a hypothetical bout that gives the Italian Stallion the upper hook. Before you can say "yo," Rocky's back in training for the real thing, cartilage and all, much to the embarrassment of his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), who's still struggling to crawl out from under his dad's formidable shadow. Although the picture hits a few, er, rocky patches once it ultimately enters the ring -- it also overplays the dead Adrian card with one too many visits to the cemetery -- up until the rather abrupt finish, Stallone's grass-roots approach works quite effectively. Passing on studio sets in favor of actual locations with extensive handheld camerawork (incorporating both 35mm and high-def film), Stallone reconnects with a lot of what made the character so endearing in the first place. In addition to all the familiar faces -- Tony Burton also returns as Balboa corner man, Duke -- Irish actress Geraldine Hughes does affecting work as the grown-up Marie (played three decades ago by Jodi Letitizia), now a hard-working single mother of a grown son (James Francis Kelly III), whom Rock has taken under his wing. Of course, Rocky wouldn't be Rocky without that signature theme, and Conti has turned it into elegiac lament for the first half of the picture before cranking it up to full throttle for that last hurrah, as well as backing amusing end-credits footage of tourists from all over re-enacting the iconic ascension of those Philadelphia Museum of Art steps. Rocky Balboa Revolution Studios MGM Columbia Pictures Credits: Executive Producer: Irwin Winkler Executive Producer: Robert Chartoff Producer: Charles Winkler Producer: David Winkler Producer: William Chartoff Producer: Kevin King Co-producer: Guy Reidel Director: Sylvester Stallone Screen Writer: Sylvester Stallone Director of Photography: Clark Mathis Editor: Sean Albertson Unit Prod. Manager: Udi Nedivi First Assistant Director: Rip Murray Prod. Designer: Franco-Giacomo Carbone Art Director: Michael Atwell Set Decorator: Robert Greenfield Costumes: Gretchen Patch Prod. Coordinator: Kelly Moran-Brown Special Effects: John Hartigan Sound mixer: Mark Ulano Casting director: Sheila Jaffe Unit Publicist: Sheryl Main Cast: Actor: Sylvester Stallone Actor: Antonio Tarver Actor: Burt Young Actor: Milo Ventimiglia Actor: Geraldine Hughes Actor: Tony Burton Actor: James Francis Kelly III http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/....jsp?&rid=8554

12-24-2006, 02:35 PM	#21
REB LP.org/L4L.org "This one's for John!" 3:16 Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: 'I guess he'd rather be in Colorado' Posts: 8,723	I'm a hugh Rocky fan and have seen all of them numerous times. I'm looking forward to seeing this one. 1-2-3-!!!!!!!

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12-16-2006, 02:29 PM	#2
Hogan11 Rock-N-Roll Historian Let's take these SOB's out!!!!!! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: W.NY.B.C. Posts: 21,300 Adopt-a-Bronco: Floyd Little	Well...it almost has to be better than the last two Rocky films.

12-16-2006, 03:43 PM	#3
MechanicalBull Interesting Times Ahead Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,825	I'm in the same boat with you Taco and actually when I head up back to NY for XMAS I'm going to go see it. The movie has been rumored forever and I believe I first saw the preview for it when I saw Casino Royale and right away I said it looks pretty good. Everywhere I read it has been getting pretty decent reviews. I'm probably in the minority but I actually liked Rocky V a lot.

12-16-2006, 03:46 PM	#4
Crushaholic Armchair Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 22,041	I originally scoffed at the idea of another Rocky movie 30 years after the first one, but it does look good...

12-16-2006, 04:55 PM	#5
Hercules Rockefeller Ring of Famer Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 16,005 Adopt-a-Bronco: DJ Williams	Can't wait for it, I'll be there on Wednesday.

12-18-2006, 04:07 PM	#6
Master___Pain Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: The Springs Posts: 4,605 Adopt-a-Bronco: Rock Hoover	The thing I have a hard time buying into is the actor is 60+ years old playing a pro boxer. I was a big Rocky fan but I doubt I'll see this movie.

12-18-2006, 05:26 PM	#7
Billy Clyde Puckett Billy=Semi Tough Big Guy Looking down on KC, SD and Oakland Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: between 5,000 and 10,000 feet elevation Posts: 12,665 Adopt-a-Bronco: John Elway	I re-watched the original the other night. Might just have been my mood, but it did not hold my attention they way it did when I saw it in the theatre years ago.

12-18-2006, 06:02 PM	#8
RhymesayersDU Go Broncos, Nuggets, Rox GANGNAM STYLE Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Back In The 303! Posts: 14,812 Adopt-a-Bronco: Ty Lawson	I can't wait to see this movie. I'm such a Rocky mark it's not even funny.

12-18-2006, 10:34 PM	#9
Dagmar ...there ain't no devil ..there's just God when he's drunk. Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Morrison Posts: 17,132 Adopt-a-Bronco: Tim Tebow	http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_balboa/

12-19-2006, 12:33 AM	#10
ludo21 RIP Darrent Williams Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 17,901 Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster	When it comes on tv Ill watch it. So in about 6 months sounds right

12-21-2006, 04:43 AM	#11
Crushaholic Armchair Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 22,041	Ro-cky! Ro-cky! Ro-cky! Fantastic way to end the franchise! I hear Master Pain's concerns about a 60-year old getting into the ring and making us believe he can do some of that stuff, but I was so caught up in the story that I didn't care. It's cliched as hell, but it wouldn't be a Rocky movie otherwise. You hear various version of the Rocky theme throughout the movie and it just feels good. I was entertained, which is the whole point of going to movies for me...

12-21-2006, 10:44 AM	#12
Orange_Beard Over Jay Cutler Todd Snider Rules! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 7,836 Adopt-a-Bronco: Tony Scheffler	Think I will pass...

12-21-2006, 06:03 PM	#13
24champ Livin' the dream! Methwolfe Alliance Captain Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 18,541 Adopt-a-Bronco: DomCasual	Im going with the family tonight to check it out, I hear the story line is great. The last Rocky movie just didn't end right and Rocky was never in the ring. I really hated that last rocky movie.

12-22-2006, 06:06 PM	#16
British Bronco Cheer Squad Co-ordinator Redvee.Net Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St Helens, nr Liverpool England Posts: 139	I am a Rocky Mark.. the new film is everything Rocky V should of been

12-23-2006, 02:50 PM	#18
Crushaholic Armchair Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 22,041	One more thing I should say about this movie. It's a movie specifically for Rocky fans. The flashbacks in the movie will mean nothing if you haven't grown up watching the early Rocky movies. I wouldn't take a kid under 10, not because of anything objectionable, but they could be bored out of their freakin' mind. This is meant to be a final nod to us old fogie Rocky fans, not to create new Rocky fans.

12-23-2006, 09:17 PM	#19
MechanicalBull Interesting Times Ahead Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,825	Great Great Movie. That is all

12-25-2006, 07:34 AM	#22
SPfloppy Perennial Pro-bowler Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 880	I will make the effort and watch this one. I also liked IV. "I must break you" Drago was a badguy you wanted to see destroyed and then gain sympathy for when he does. Unrealistic yes but it made you feel good. V was a piece of crap.