Rocky

Rocky Balboa

It ain't over 'til it's over. 'Rocky Balboa' examines one of America's greatest icons at a vulnerable period in his life--middle age. A former heavyweight boxing champion known and renown throughout the world for going the distance Rocky finds a new venture: giving back to his community. This is where he once more finds himself at the opposing side of opportunity not unlike the one he has seen decades ago. Heavyweight champ Mason Dixon and his representation offer Rocky a shot for the title. For Balboa it'll be one last hurrah he'll never forget.....but with his glory days far behind him can he withstand the inevitabilities of what's to come? A look at going full circle and wanting more when life turns out how you least expect it and then some.DVD Features:Commentary by: Sylvester StalloneUnknown FormatDeleted Scenes including an alternate endingBoxing BloopersSkill vs. Will: The Making of Rocky BalboaReality in the Ring: Filming Rocky s Final FightVirtual Champion: Creating the Computer FightSystem Requirements:Run Time: 102 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 043396161900 Manufacturer No: 16190

The sixth installment of the Rocky series picks up the story of the Italian Stallion 16 years after the morose Rocky V. And sure, at his advanced age, Sylvester Stallone now looks like one of those sides of beef his character used to pound on. No matter. Somehow you buy the premise after all these years, even if it takes forever for Rocky Balboa to stop wallowing in self-pity (Adrian is dead, his old haunts are demolished) and get down to the business of drinking raw eggs and running up staircases. The business at hand is an unlikely exhibition fight with champion Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver), which the near-sexagenarian Mr. Balboa has no business accepting. Of course, just as sure as the horns of Bill Conti's theme music are even now trumpeting through your head, the ol' Rock might have a punch or two left in him. Stallone wrote and directed, and there isn't much to say except that the movie steps in its pre-determined paces with a canny sense of what has come before (it's practically an homage to all the previous Rocky pictures, complete with fleeting flashbacks). Burt Young is around again, and Geraldine Hughes makes an appealing, rather chaste female companion for Rocky. Stallone's Rocky has gotten suspiciously articulate over the years, but he still knows how to slouch. If Stallone never forgets that, he can probably keep the franchise rolling. --Robert Horton

Stills from Rocky Balboa (click for larger image)

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The Films of Sylvester Stallone

Rocky V

The "Italian Stallion" rediscovers his roots in this exciting thrill-packed drama that reunites Sylvester Stallone with the Oscar®-winning* director of the original Rocky®.Upon returning home from his latest triumph Rocky Balboa (Stallone) learns that all his money has been lost by an unscrupulous financial advisor. To make matters worse his fight-related injuries force his retirement from the ring. So Rocky his wife Adrian (Talia Shire) and his son Rocky Jr. (Sage Stallone) move to their old low-rent neighborhood in South Philadelphia. There the fighter must resolve the deep-rooted resentment held by his son a bitterness that grows when Rocky trains Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) a young boxer who soon rises to national prominence. When Tommy turns against his mentor and publicly taunts him Rocky knows he must fight once more.System Requirements: Running Time 111 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616915184 Manufacturer No: 1007437

Rocky IV

East meets West when Rocky takes on a vicious Soviet fighter who literally killed his last opponent! Sylvester Stallone writes directs and stars in this war between nations in which the only battle is fought in a boxing ring.Rocky Balboa (Stallone) proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Dolph Lundgren) a six-foot-four-inch 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time Rocky's training regimen takes him to icy Siberia where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prepare him for what he's about to face a powerfully charged fight to the finish in which he must defend not only himself but also the honor of his country!System Requirements: Running Time 91 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 027616915177 Manufacturer No: 1007436

It was time for Sylvester Stallone to say "enough, already" to the boxing hero he plays in the popular Rocky film series, but instead Stallone kept the saga going by pushing Rocky into Rambo territory. The 1985 Rocky IV finds the Italian stallion pitted against a seemingly unbeatable Russian monster named Drago (Dolph Lundgren) who lets his wife (Stallone's then-wife, Brigitte Nielsen) do all the talking. With a mighty punch, Drago has sent Rocky's former opponent and trainer Apollo Creed to an early grave, and the boxer responds with the ultimate challenge. Even the Russians are rooting for Rocky, so it's not hard to guess how the film ends. Despite Stallone's claims to the contrary, this installment was followed by Rocky V in 1990. --Jeff Shannon

Rocky Balboa [Blu-ray]

Columbia Pictures Rocky Balboa (Blu-Ray)
When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ "Rocky Balboa" (Sylvester Stallone), reigning heavyweighttitleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging the Italian Stallion to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son (Milo Ventimiglia, TV's "Heroes") and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. With the odds stacked firmly against him, Rocky takes on Dixon in what will become the greatest fight in boxing history, ahard-hitting, action-packed battle of the ages!.

The sixth installment of the Rocky series picks up the story of the Italian Stallion 16 years after the morose Rocky V. And sure, at his advanced age, Sylvester Stallone now looks like one of those sides of beef his character used to pound on. No matter. Somehow you buy the premise after all these years, even if it takes forever for Rocky Balboa to stop wallowing in self-pity (Adrian is dead, his old haunts are demolished) and get down to the business of drinking raw eggs and running up staircases. The business at hand is an unlikely exhibition fight with champeen Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver), which the near-sexagenarian Mr. Balboa has no business accepting. Of course, just as sure as the horns of Bill Conti's theme music are even now trumpeting through your head, the ol' Rock might have a punch or two left in him. Stallone wrote and directed, and there isn't much to say except that the movie steps in its pre-determined paces with a canny sense of what has come before (it's practically an homage to all the previous Rocky pictures, complete with fleeting flashbacks). Burt Young is around again, and Geraldine Hughes makes an appealing, rather chaste female companion for Rocky. Stallone's Rocky has gotten suspiciously articulate over the years, but he still knows how to slouch. If Stallone never forgets that, he can probably keep the franchise rolling. --Robert Horton

Rocky III

Rocky battles his most powerful adversary yet the ferocious Clubber Lang (Mr. T) in this hard-hitting actioner that comes out swinging with adventure humor and emotionally charged human drama. For what may be the most exciting and fast-paced film in the series Sylvester Stallone writes directs and stars with explosive passion and intensity.As Rocky Balboa (Stallone) fights his way into the hearts of millions life couldn't be better. He scores ten consecutive wins lands lucrative endorsement contracts and becomes famous throughout the world. But when Clubber Lang KOs Rocky in a humiliating defeat it becomes apparent that the "Italian Stallion" has lost his edge. Considering hanging up his gloves Rocky receives encouragement from an unlikely ally: his old nemesis Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With Creed's help Rocky strives to regain the "eye of the tiger" before confronting Lang in a grueling rematch for the world heavyweight championship.System Requirements: Running Time 100 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 027616915160 Manufacturer No: 1007435

Rocky III: The third installment in the Rocky saga is the last one to matter, and in this case only marginally. The now rich and famous Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) triumphantly pummels a succession of boxing challengers until he encounters Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a human wall of brick who wants a piece of Rocky's action. The Rock's loyal trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) has taken ill and dies, so Rocky recruits retired opponent Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) to whip him into fighting shape after his embarrassing defeat to Clubber. Time for another rematch, mixed in with some family matters involving Rocky's brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young), who's feeling neglected amid all the hoopla. Not bad as sequels go, boosted by Mr. T.'s taunting presence and yet another rousing finale. For those with a bad case of '80s nostalgia, the hit theme song "Eye of the Tiger" is sure to bring back memories. --Jeff Shannon

Rocky Anthology (Rocky / Rocky II / Rocky III / Rocky IV / Rocky V)

Disc 1: **ROCKY 1976 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 120 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 DTS Surround, 5.1 Dolby Surround, & Original Mono French Audio: 5.1 Surround Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Disc 2: **ROCKY II 1979 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 119 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Disc 3: **ROCKY III 1982 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 100 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Disc 4: **ROCKY IV 1985 Rating: PG Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 91 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Mono Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Disc 5: **ROCKY V 1990 Rating: PG-13 Rating: Cdn: TBC / Que: G Run Time : 111 min Hi-Def Transfer Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 English Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround French Audio: Stereo Surround Spanish Audio: Mono Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

Rocky II

It's the rematch of the century as Rocky Balboa takes on Apollo Creed in this powerful follow-up to one of the most acclaimed movies in film history. Writer-director-star Sylvester Stallone succeeds in creating a powerful feel-good movie hailed as "a stunning effort in every way" (New York Post).After club fighter Rocky Balboa (Stallone) goes the distance with the world heavyweight champion boxing fans clamor for a rematch. But Rocky having sustained massive injuries in the bout announces his retirement. Though he tries to make a new life for himself Rocky realizes that he can't escape his true calling. The ring beckons once more and the "Italian Stallion" must prepare for the fight of his life.System Requirements: Running Time 119 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 027616915146 Manufacturer No: 1007433

Beginning precisely where Rocky left off, the surprisingly effective 1979 sequel takes the saga of Rocky Balboa to its logical next step, as the palooka turned public idol and media darling returns to his "normal" life in Philadelphia with his newlywed bride Adrian (Talia Shire) and some degree of material comfort. He needs to find a job, but boxing champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is challenging Rocky to a lucrative rematch, and despite his doctor's warning against future boxing, Rocky can't resist. Defying the odds that most sequels can't live up to their originals, Rocky II doesn't pack all the punch that Rocky did, but it takes us further into the lives of its now-familiar and beloved characters, and Stallone (as director and star) gives us another rousing finale in the ring. Do you really need to know who wins? --Jeff Shannon

Rocky V

Rocky (Five-Disc Boxed Set)

Americans love the underdog. Anytime someone is beating the odds, fighting his or her way to the top, like the Little Engine That Could, it resonates well with U.S. audiences; it's in their nature. Sylvester Stallone knew that in 1976, when Rocky was a monstrous hit and established itself in the American cultural lexicon. His low-budget tale of a young boxer who came from the slums of Philadelphia and worked his way to the championship recalls Capra characters such as Mr. Smith or John Doe as he worked his way to fame and self-respect. Like Capra's films from 30 years before, Rocky pushed emotional buttons with audiences, but in a somewhat less maudlin, obvious way; it's possible to enjoy Rocky without feeling embarrassed about it, even in the cynical, postironic '90s. It ranks respectably among the best boxing pictures, such as The Set-Up or Somebody Up There Likes Me. The story paralleled Stallone's own, from a relative unknown to a star with one breakthrough picture. Rocky II (1979) carries on the story line, playing on the rivalry between Rocky Balboa and nemesis Apollo Creed, while Balboa's wife fights for her life. Mainly, though, the sequel seems like a link between the first film and Rocky III, in which an aging Rocky takes on big, bad Clubber Lang (the near-forgotten Mr. T). While playing on the same emotional capital as the first movie, Rocky III is the high-water mark of the sequels; by the next movie, Stallone had turned into a near-self-parody of the original character. Rocky IV finds the underdog taking on an oversized, blond Russian boxer (Dolph Lundgren) in a cold war scenario (Rocky literally wraps himself in the American flag). The series mercifully played out by 1990, as embarrassingly punch-drunk as the Rocky character himself by that point. Given the way the American pop-culture continuum seems to work, it's probably due time for the later sequels to be plucked from the compost heap of '80s flotsam and revived as high camp; the Reagan-era hyperpatriotism of Rocky IV is as dated as in junk like Red Dawn or the dreadful Invasion U.S.A. Still, the first three films pack a satisfying emotional wallop without giving the viewer the urge to crawl under the couch. The last two... well, use your judgment. They will soon be good for an '80s nostalgia party. --Jerry Renshaw

"Rocky" (1976, 119 min.) - Rocky Balboa, club fighter from the mean streets of Philadelphia, gets an unlikely shot at the heavyweight championship by taking on Apollo Creed. "Rocky II" (1979, 119 min.) - After his fight with Apollo Creed, the embarrassed champ insistently provokes Rocky to accept a challenge for a rematch. "Rocky III" (1982, 99 min.) - When Rocky is dethroned by the brutal Clubber Lang, Apollo Creed offers to retrain him in order to regain his fighting spirit. "Rocky IV" (1985, 91 min.) - When Apollo Creed is killed in a bout against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky challenges the Soviet boxer himself in a personal fight for country and for his friend. "Rocky V" (1990, 104 min.) - Due to permanent injuries caused in his fight with Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa is forced to retire. He comes home, his wealth and fame now gone, and begins to coach ungrateful up-and-coming fighter Tommy Gunn.

Rocky II

Beginning precisely where Rocky left off, this surprisingly effective 1979 sequel takes the saga of Rocky Balboa to its logical next step, as the palooka turned public idol and media darling returns to his "normal" life in Philadelphia with his bride, Adrian (Talia Shire), and some degree of material comfort. He needs to find a job, but boxing champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is challenging Rocky to a lucrative rematch, and despite his doctor's warning against future boxing, Rocky can't resist. Defying the odds that most sequels can't live up to their originals, this one doesn't pack all the punch that Rocky did, but it takes us further into the lives of its now familiar and beloved characters, and Stallone (as director and star) gives us another rousing finale in the ring. Do you really need to know who wins? --Jeff Shannon