ROCKY 2 IS AN AWESOME FILM. HERE'S WHY.

It's been way too long since I posted on this blog, but I am going to make a commitment to update it regularly. 

I have been watching Rocky 2, and thought I would take a moment to post about something I noticed about Sylvester Stallone.  I noticed during the scene where Rocky is working at Shamrock Meats lifting the sides of beef and doing all that physical labor that Stallone looks genuinely tired from doing the work.  It's not like an ego thing where he wants to show everyone how strong he is, but rather he is acting in a way that is incredibly realistic and makes you feel for Rocky. 

In Rocky 2, Rocky retires and tries to make a living doing commercials and using his star power as a boxing contender.  When he is unable  to successfully do this, he tries in vain to get an office job.  Finally, he resorts to working at his brother in law Paulie's old job, since he gave Paulie his old job collecting debts for Mr. Gazzo the local mobster.  Throughout the job defeats, you can see the hope drain from Rocky's face and demeanor.  Stallone really gets a bad rap for his acting, but if you really watch him in his movies, he can really act well.  You can tell that he didn't phone in his performance, even in the scenes that one could easily take for granted, such as the meat warehouse scene. 

This post is going to be a bit short, since it is pretty late and I seem to have the flu, and also because I want to finish watching Rocky 2.  In truth the movie is one of my favorites not only because of the story, but it also has quite a personal meaning to me as I watched it with someone quite close to me one new years eve and I have an incredibly fond memory of this to say the least.  I was also given the dvd as a gift some years back, and it remains one of my favorites for both critical and sentimental reasons.  But enough of the waxing sentimentally, and back to the critical response to this amazing film. 

Rocky 2 stands out as an amazing sequel because it literally picks off where part one ended and does so seamlessly, and it is also an incredible coup for Sylvester Stallone, who wrote and directed the film, further solidifying him as one of the Hollywood elite. 

In my next blog post, I plan on comparing Stallone to his contemporaries in the action genre, and as you may well imagine, Mr. Stallone fares well ahead of these other leading men. 

REVIEW: COP LAND

"After I made Cop Land (1997) in which I played a timid, overweight cop, all of Hollywood turned their back. I'm surprised they even gave me this table. I'm like driftwood in here."
-Sylvester Stallone


Perhaps one of Sylvester Stallone's most overlooked movies, Cop Land marks Stallone's departure from action films and the Rocky franchise, to a character that is vulnerable and not the dominant alpha male that we are used to seeing in films.  I saw Cop Land in theaters when I was in middle school, and it was the first time that I was truly engrossed in a film that did not involve gratuitous violence and sex.  While the film does have its violent moments, it is truly a drama in the sense that the interactions between characters is what drives the movie, and the acting is simply superb by all parties involved. 


Boasting an all star cast, Cop Land stars Stallone, but also has amazing performances by Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, Michael Rappaport, Jason Patrick, and Ray Liotta.  These actors truly demonstrate their tremendous skills in Cop Land, and keep the viewer fascinated with the complex emotion and drama that ensues.  IT should also be noted that all of the actors in the movie, including Box Office Superstar Sylvester Stallone, worked on this movie for scale, which means they accepted the minimum pay as dictated by the Screen Actors Guild in order to make this movie.  To me, that shows that all of these actors love what they do, or else they would have held out for more money, or taken a more commercially profitable film project.  This dedication to their craft shows in the stellar performances by all. 

The movie centers on small town Sheriff Freddy Heflin, played by Stallone, in a small New Jersey community that is home to numerous NYPD officers, who do not carry themselves to the high moral standing one would expect of New York Police Officers.  I wont go into too much detail with the plot, as it is a bit complex, but nonetheless fascinating to watch.  If you get a chance, I highly recommend this movie. 


Sylvester Stallone gained a 40 pounds to play the role of Sheriff Freddy Heflin in this film, and while his portrayal of the Sheriff was riveting, the role seemed to hurt his acting career to a certain extent. After this movie, he put out a few lower budget features that did not get the same promotion as his earlier works did, perhaps because of his decision to branch out and try a serious, dramatic role.  This is quite unfortunate, as he shined in Copland, and as evidenced by his roles in Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and The Expendables, he lost nothing in regards to his ability to play the role of action hero.


Sylvester Stallone is truly an underrated actor, and I feel that his tremendous box office success makes some people forget that he is quite a talented actor, and his performances are not merely action movie caliber, as evidenced by his 1976 Oscar nomination.  He is also the brains behind most of his blockbuster movies, as he served as writer, director, and star for most of them.  If you are still not convinced of Sylvester Stallone's acting prowess, go watch Cop Land and see for yourself.  Then watch Rocky1-6 and First Blood. The proof is in the pudding. 

What Blows My Mind About ROCKY

I am watching Rocky as I type this, and as I watch it, it occurs to me that this film was Stallone's big break.  He wrote the movie after living in poverty trying to make it in the entertainment industry.  After he wrote it, he was able to garner interest in it as a screenplay.  However, Stallone would not sell it to a studio unless he was cast as Rocky Balboa.  At this time, Sylvester Stallone had penned one or two screenplays that sold, but weren't blockbuster movies, and he had acted in maybe one or two films, so he wasn't known as a movie star.  By demanding that he be cast as Rocky, he was putting himself at a serious disadvantage, and was risking his big break.  He was told that he was a writer, and not an actor, but nonetheless decided to stick to his guns and insist that he be cast as Rocky or else he wouldn't sell the screenplay. 

Finally, he was able to persuade the movie studio and producers by accepting much less money than his original offer, and thereby accepting some of the risk that the movie would be less successful with him as the lead.  So by the time the movie began production, Sylvester Stallone was by no means an established actor, and had most likely drawn the ire of several movie stars and producers who would have wanted the role of Rocky Balboa to be given to a more prestigious actor at the the time. 


For anyone to go through such a tense emotional ride such as this would be a nightmare, and many would have taken the money for the screenplay, especially given the financial troubles Stallone was going through as he tried to make it in Hollywood.  Stallone, however, was able to overlook all of these insanely stressful barriers and give the performance of a lifetime as the lead in Rocky.  If you really think about it, that is nothing short of extraordinary.  Here's a guy who is given a big break as a writer, and demands to be an actor too, risking his big break as a writer.  Then, he is given the opportunity to act in the movie he wrote, and instead of freezing up or psyching himself out and panicking, he delivers the perofrmance of a lifetime in one of the best movies ever made. 


There must have been times during the production of Rocky, when Sylvester Stallone realized that if the movie tanked, or his performance was sub-par, he would never be given the opportunity to star ina feature film again.  And yet, his acting in the movie was so good that many people immediately associate Sylvester Stallone with Rocky Balboa. 


Stallone knew what he had to do and when he had to do it.  He didn't let his mind or his fear hurt him, but rather he used his emotions to make the character of Rocky Balboa come to life in all of our hearts and minds.  That is what I call the Stallone Factor, and that is why he is so awesome. 


If any representative of Mr. Stallone would like to comment on this or give any feedback, it is always appreciated.

The Purpose of this Blog

This blog is dedicated to examining and emulating the success, drive, ambition, and awesomeness of Sylvester Stallone. 

Much like the popular book 'The Secret' suggests, it was suggested to me that creating a blog examining the success Mr. Stallone has achieved would be a great way to attract the positive energy and strategies that have launched him to Hollywood royalty and box office success.  So this blog will focus on the techniques, tools, and strategies that were used by Mr. Stallone, as well as review the films written, directed, and starring Sylvester Stallone.  If Mr. Stallone or his representatives would like to comment or dispense any advice about making it in the entertainment industry, their feedback and input would be more than welcome either as a comment or by email.  I hope this blog's content inspires others as much as the success of Sylvester Stallone has inspired me.  Enjoy.