ROCKY BALBOA

i can honestly say i have never seen a rocky movie.. ive seen bits n pieces but thats it

I'm jealous. The theatre where I'm at isn't playing it yet. Don't know how they think "Pursuit of Happyness" is better than good ole Rocky. And Zach, take a weekend and get caught up. Rent them all....some good TV (well at least some of them are.)

Yeah, Zach. I'd say of all the Rocky series (the old series 1-5) 1 and 2 are the best. Followed by 4 (gotta love the whole giant communist, cold war propaganda thing). 3 & 5 in my opinion were both jokes, but still Rocky, and worth a watch.

Admin, number 6 (or Balboa) will not dissapoint. It ROCKS. I was wondering how releases worked up there. If they released at the same time as in the states. Guess not. Hope you see it soon!!

A happy New Year to you all from down under. I must say this latest instalment is a worthy final to the series. It certainly had a huge impact on me. I boxed as an amateur in Germany for 8 years until my mid twenties, but then along came marriage, kids etc. (and along with it weight gain and general decline of fitness).

This movie truly inspired me and, as corny as it may sound, as a result I have taken up training again at a local club. Now, after the first few sessions I must say it's like riding the proverbial bike. I've got my first amateur fight pegged for May, so a big thanks to Rocky Balboa!

Favourite Quote: "What's wrong with standing toe to toe...and saying 'I am'."

ROCK ON!

I don't think that's lame at all! It's awesome! I've been trying for a while now to convince my dad to take it up. Not even to compete on an amateur level, just to get in the gym and spar. I think it'd be good for him. "get the beast out", so to speak. He's a hard man to convince.

I saw on your profile that you compiled a pretty impressive record in your earlier amateur career. You say its like riding a bike...I'm just curious if it's all still there? Your form? Speed? Power? Or did you mean more just your feel for the ring, standing toe to toe, etc...

That was one of the best lines in the whole movie. I thought it was crazy (in a good way) how they turned Rocky into almost this Winnie the Pooh/Buddha character. He's not very bright, he's gotten smacked around for his whole life, he's freakin Sylvester Stallone, yet at several points in the movie he makes these profound statements about boxing. Philosophical, metaphorical, and all deeply meaningfull. If done incorrectly, it could have been really cheesy, but the writers and Stallone were able to pull it off quite nicely.

Very cool, man. Well, good luck with your rejuvenated boxing career. Please keep us updated! And a happy new year to you, too!

I couldn't agree with you more re. the balancing act Sly undertook with the script of the movie in his endeavor to return meaning and depth to the character while building a reasonably believable bridge to the other films in the series.

As for what's left in me after these years: The good news is, the form's still all there. That's the part I compared to riding a bike. I guess once those motor skills are engrained you carry them for the rest of your life. Believe it or not, the power has actually improved over the years as I have continued to do weights and also briefly ventured into martial arts during that time.
The big problem is SPEED! At nearly 40 I find it much harder to 'explode' in the delivery of combos. The old jab is still pretty good, but boy the feet are HEAVY! Hence that's what I'll be focusing on in the coming months: footwork, footwork, footwork...
The other thing I find amazing when sparring with young boxers (16-25) is that I have developed a patience they don't yet possess. What I mean by that is that I focus more on tactics and the mental aspect of setting up your opponent for an effective combo, opposed to just trying to deliver as many punches as I can.

Will keep you updated on how things progress. In the mean time a happy New Year to you, too!

By the way, your encouragement means a lot, so thank you!

Finally got to see it. Rocky is the type of movie you watch when you have a lull in your training, a depressed day, or a dip in the old motivation level. This one did not disappoint. I especially liked how they filmed the big fight. Just like watching an HBO PPV event (for the most part). The writers did an excellent job and Stallone looked amazing. He is 60 years old...I know Hollywood can do a lot and I wonder how much muscle they actually did add, but I suspect the majority of that is Stallone. I guess I have about 30 years of training to catch up to that...

Best part of this show is something that addresses a question that comes up here way too often. One is never too old. Be realistic, but age shouldn't be a deterent if you want to do/try something. Rocky Balboa - two thumbs up from me.

Admin: Glad you finally got to see it, admin! They did do an awesome job on the fight itself, probably the most realistic fight in the whole series (while still having that very unique Rocky-esque "I punch you for half a round, now you punch me for half a round" pace). Stalone is the man. 60 years old and in that kind of shape, unreal. That had to take a lot of work. And you're right: Rocky does something for the old motivation level, really kind of fires you up.

?urnerr: I'm glad to hear that form is something that sticks around. And I was expecting you to say that about power. I'm a firm believer in the fact that old muscle is just naturally stronger than new muscle, it's had more time to fully develope. (at least that's why I say my dad is still stronger than me, despite hours and hours in the gym!...ha!) Good luck with your footwork! In my opinion, thats one of the hardest parts to get down for any boxer, of any age. You're fighting at Heavyweight, right? That should help a lot when it comes to dealing with opponents speed. Especially when you've got that power! Let em flutter all around you, and then - BAM! - just zap em with that power. So hey: keep knocking them younger boxers around, teach em something about patience and timing!

Guest: You're completely right. Yesterday (while recovering from New Year's Eve) I watched number 1 & 2 again. Now, after seeing the 6th, those first two are so much sadder. It changes your whole perspective on the movies. It's crazy to think of Rocky as a love story, but it really is. Not like other boxing movies, where there are female supporting characters, relationships, etc...but in Rocky its an actual love story. It's crazy. Very unexpected, and an aspect that I really overlooked when seeing the movies originally. Which is funny because in all honesty (especially the first two) the movies are more about the love story between Rocky and Adrian than they are about the fights. The fights and the training take up a much smaller portion of the movie compared to the love story that really seems to be the focus. It's cool.

admin quote: "Rocky is the type of movie you watch when you have a lull in your training, a depressed day, or a dip in the old motivation level." I totally agree, I came at this site via google.com I'm not a boxer, but i do survival-runs. When I saw this movie, it finally gave me enough strength to start excercising again! I've been waiting way to long for that feeling to come back again. Even my performance in excercising has improved by 200%!!!!! Sorry for my bad english, I'm dutch. Greetz (and maybe i should start boxing) http://www.survivalrunboerakker.nl

i've never seen such a movie,it was the best out of the whole series,an umbelievable performance,a true underdog story.

it was amazing!id seen all da uvvers but dis 1 was boss any1 hu hasnt seen it yet has to its boss

the whole rocky series is amazing, and rocky balboa was deff. my personal favorite. when i saw it in theaters almost 6 months ago i wasnt even into boxing, and as hard as it is to believe, it's what got me into boxing. after watching Rocky Balboa i went and watched the first 5. they are all amazing. it's probably my favorite movie at least right now. and yes, it is a really great movie to watch when youre feelin down, or when you want a pump-up before a workout or boxing session. all around just an awesome movie. Sly Stallone is the man "but it aint about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"

i just started boxing and now i want to go see all of them. ya ive seen maybe two seconds of but that is it. i cant wait to rent them.

i need to see this!!

rockys a ledgend film don't diss it lol. really good but ive got to say i prefur number 4 i think...? is that the one were apollo creed dies??? it is aint it:D all his films are great apart from 1st and second one beacuse ive nver seen them two. must walk up the rental shop in a min lol :D

Just watched rocky balboa, i like it, bad thing to admit, but the beginning brought a few tears to my eyes, if only rocky was real.. though im determined to raise some cash and go to phily and run up those famous rocky steps. flights from england to phily aint cheap.

I will go pirate it now! Along with Cinderella Man. I remember when I first saw Cinderella Man in the theaters - I wasn't into boxing at all. I was just going to the theater that night to hang out with friends, I didn't know what it was about or anything. I ended up being completely enthralled with the movie, it was probably the movie that sparked my interest in boxing, really. Don't mean to hijack the Rocky thread though, I just hope Rocky can get as much of a rise out of me!