November 29, 2006, - 4:36 pm

Just Saw the New Rocky Movie

By Debbie Schlussel
I just returned from screening, “Rocky Balboa,” a/k/a Rocky VI. It’s not bad. But Girlie-Man Alert: Did we really need to see Rocky cry? Et tu, Rocky?
Parts of it were a little slow (like the first hour) and kinda cheesy, but it was okay. If you liked the Rocky quintology (Yes, I made up this word), you’ll like this one. The boxing part is fun (with real-life boxer Antonio Tarver playing Rocky’s opponent). And I wonder how much Mike Tyson got paid for his cameo. (To me, that was the funniest part of the movie, though there are some good lines, too.) Michael Buffer (“Let’s Get Ready to Rumbllllllllllllllle”) is in it, too, as well as some familiar sports commentators.
The new version has everything you expect in a “Rocky” movie. It is vintage Rocky: Rocky running up and down the steps in Philadelphia in front of the museum to the tune of “Gonna Fly Now,” Paulie (now painting water colors?!), etc. As I said when I wrote about this movie in January, Sylvester Stallone looks pretty good for a 60-year-old (the Black hair is a little to Grecian formula, though; a little gray would have been fine).

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No “Yo, Adrian,” though. She’s dead (though he does utter it once to her tombstone and she’s shown in flashback footage).
Remember, the original “Rocky” movie is almost 31 years old! Feel old?
Stay tuned for my complete review when the movie debuts. Fave DebbieSchlussel.com Rocky character: crotchety trainer/manager Mickey Goldmill played by the late Burgess Meredith (who also makes an appearance in Rocky 6, in flashback footage).
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Rocky Balboa/Sly Stallone: Now and Then




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7 Responses

Debbie I always loved Mick the Jew in the Rocky movies. BTW with all the plastic surgery and homogenization I don’t know if we’ll ever see the outwardly Jewish mega stars like Dustin Hoffman, Elliott Gould, Babs and Bette again. It’s a real shame.

Anonymous1 on November 29, 2006 at 7:21 pm

Thirty-one years ago i’d have dubbed it “return of the Gret White Dope,” but i guess i’ve mellowed with the passage of time…good to see Balboa didn’t end up some punchdrunk has been like so many boxers do, although THAT would have been an interesting spin on the storyline.
Hurricane Jackson, http://www.answers.com/topic/tommy-hurricane-jackson is one of those unfortunate fighters i met when i used to work in Queens, NY. He drove a “dollar car” along the bus route, and most of us would ride in his car, calling him “Champ” out of respect. Your Tommy Hearns also looks a bit punch drunk, and if we can sissify football, don’t see why we cannot have fighters wear protective head-gear in the ring!!!
Anyway, since the Governator will be defeated next time around by the term-limit bugaboo…got something to look forward to in four years…Rocky vs the Terminator

EminemsRevenge on November 29, 2006 at 7:41 pm

He’s the best 60 year old I’ve ever seen, I’ve seen 40 year olds that look older. He could probably kick the majority of 20 somethings butts. It doesn’t look like he’s had any plastic surgery either.

Minnie Mouse on November 29, 2006 at 8:14 pm

Well, as they say in Hollyweird; Anything to make a buck.
Sly is cashing-in on the 30th anniversary of Rocky because he’s got nothing better to do. He’s a washed-up, aging actor/director who hasn’t had a memorable film in YEARS. He’s desperately trying to stay relevant.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I happen to like Sly. But if he really wanted to make his mark in Hollyweird at his age, he wouldn’t fall back on his reputation by being wheeled into a boxing ring in a wheelchair. If he had any brains and creativity, he’d stick with directing. After all, how many 60-year-old boxers are there in real life? This movie’s premise is a farce. (BTW, in Rocky II, wasn’t Rocky supposed to lose his eyesight if he kept fighting? Yet, Rocky went on to make 342 more movies! Just kidding…but you get my drift.)
Instead, Sly should be doing something different. He’s just reprising roles that he’s been playing for the last 30 years (“The Lords of Flatbush” doesn’t count. I think that was the best performance of his career.) Just like Robert Deniro has been relegated to reprising the same old shitty characters in his movies, Sly is doing the same thing. (How many times can you bear to see Robert Deniro play the same old tired shitty characters in his movies anymore?) I can’t bear to see Sly do the same thing.
Clint Eastwood falls into the same category. This is what’s called; “One-Dimensional acting”…essentially, playing the same character over, and over, again.
Save your money, and your sense of self-respect, and wait for this movie to go straight to the $5.00 bargain bin at Wal-Mart in two weeks.

Thee_Bruno on November 29, 2006 at 10:53 pm

I mostly agree with Thee_Bruno. It might be a good movie, but I just don’t really care anymore about the Rocky franchise.
This reminds me of the sight gag in the Airplane movie where they show a poster of Rocky 74 with a grandpa looking guy with gloves.
BTW, I recently saw Casino Royale and mostly enjoyed how they reinvented the Bond character. Not a great movie but I liked it a lot. The one problem is any further movies need a little more “Sean Connery” type fun or they will be too dry.

Jeff_W on November 30, 2006 at 9:11 am

Clint Eastwood…same character…Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power..all different. Thee-Bruno = wrong.

eluril on December 1, 2006 at 12:09 am

eluri vomited;
“Clint Eastwood…same character…Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power..all different.”
All the same FUCKING character – different wardrobe.
eluri = Shithead.

Thee_Bruno on December 1, 2006 at 7:31 am

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