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Read MoreRocky Balboa Returns in Creed ll, a.k.a. Rocky Vlll - by Johnny DiLoretto
Maybe this is crazy, but Sylvester Stallone is a genius. Sure, he’s produced more crap than a flock of geese, but he invented Rambo (the onscreen version anyway) and the beloved Rocky Balboa, one of the all-time great characters in movie history. He puts that hat on, that leather jacket, and lays down some doe-eyed, slack-jawed philosophy, and suddenly the world and my place in it seems clearer. I think it’s that way for a lot of people.
All told, there are six true Rocky films: Rocky (still a masterwork of underdog pathos), Rocky II (a smart, heartfelt sequel), Rocky III (the next logical progression in the to-riches part of the saga), Rocky IV (a short and satisfying glasnost-era melodrama), Rocky V (the one we don’t like to mention) and the absolutely underrated Rocky Balboa, a brilliant low-budget comeback that reintroduced the character after a 16-year hiatus, and that takes us back, full circle, to the spirit and scrappy indie production values of the 1976 original.
In Rocky Balboa, the former champ is lured out of retirement for an exhibition match with the current champ to breathe some life into their dying sport and to quench the never-say-die fire in Rocky’s belly. It’s Stallone’s Unforgiven, an elegiac and sweetly made send-off to the character that made him a superstar and who still inspires millions of people to face down their demons and go the distance, often by running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
But a funny thing happened after Rocky Balboa. We didn’t want to say goodbye to the Italian Stallion just yet. Frankly, it was just so nice to see him again. The character had still more life, more fight in him and more wisdom to impart to an audience for whom humility and quiet dignity have become fast fading concepts. And, so, Creed was born.
In much the same way that Casino Royale rebooted and reinvented James Bond, the Creed movies are a savvy, baton hand-off of the franchise to a younger star and directors, but (in an inspired creative move) Stallone doesn’t do the obvious and simply write a younger Rocky into the mix, he shifts the focus to the son of his former adversary and best friend, Apollo Creed.
Rising screen sensation Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed outwardly bears little to no resemblance to Rocky. First off, the obvious, he’s black; secondly, he’s got a streetwise confidence that belies his inner sweetness; and third, he’s riddled through with daddy issues. But under Adonis’ toughness is the essential element required for these films to work: his character’s fragility, a sad, broken heart and the deep-seated desire to fight to find his self-worth. Enter Rocky as the perfect supporting character.
The Creed films put Rocky in his protege’s corner as both trainer and life coach. It’s another completely sensible and satisfying story pivot: turn Rocky into Mickey, his own former trainer and mentor. But whereas Mickey was tiny, gruff and occasionally cruel; Rocky, though sometimes reluctant, is a lumbering sweetheart always there to lift Adonis up, coach him through his toughest battles and inspire him to rise up when he’s knocked down.
It’s a testament to the timelessness of Stallone’s formula, and the ways he keeps repackaging it with sincerity and love, that the image of an underdog fighter, bruised and bloodied, getting up from the canvas to the strains of that indelible theme music still has the power to stir the heart. It’s the kind of thing that can give you the strength to fight any number of personal crises. You can apply it to nearly every one of our emotional or psychological wounds.
And that’s the beauty of this enduring character: Rocky no longer needs to fight to inspire us. We’re no longer cheering him on - he’s now squarely on Adonis’s and our side, whispering in our ears, telling us how great we can all be if we’re just willing to bear down, do the hard work, and fight through the pain and disappointment life punishes all of us with. Like he tells his estranged son in Rocky Balboa, “It’s not how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” That’s clearly not about boxing at all...
Fortunately, with Creed 2, an absolute blast that ties Adonis’s evolving story to the fourth Rocky film (in which his father is killed in the ring by the Russian juggernaut, Ivan Drago), the Rocky saga just keeps moving forward with the same invaluable lessons for a new generation. In fact, counting the new Creed movie, there are now a total of eight Rocky films: and these new movies have earned inclusion in the franchise in their own right, but mostly because Rocky is still there informing the soul of the stories.
You know, if you went through each one of these movies and edited together all the scenes where Rocky has something to say, you’d have a nice little blueprint for how to be a good man and a decent human being. Stallone can make 20 more of these movies for all I care. It’ll be a sad day when the 72-year old’s not around anymore to guide the spirit of his creation. But, like the Stallion says, “It ain’t over til it’s over.” Thankfully, Creed 2 is a wildly entertaining reminder that it could do all of us a little good to go another round or two with this guy in our corner.
Johnny DiLoretto is a longtime broadcaster, media personality and performer; co-host of the long running, Cinema Classics, host of the currently on hiatus, Not So Late Show; and the director of community relations at Central Ohio’s original NPR station, WCBE 90.5 FM.
I'm a Guest on "The Not So Late Show" with Johnny DiLoretto Thursday, May 26th at Shadowbox - Colin G.
Yours truly will be a guest on a taping of "The Not So Late Show" with Johnny DiLoretto, Thursday May 26th, 8 pm at the Shadowbox Backstage Bistro. Click here for tickets and more info. Come early for drinks and dinner and enjoy the show. I have no idea what I am in store for but it's sure to be a blast. - Colin G.
Below is an interview we ran with Johnny before his debut show in March. The house was packed and the reviews were glowing. Check it out.
-- So tell us a little about the show and what people should expect?
First and foremost, people should expect to be entertained and I promise a lot of entertainment for five bucks. But, honestly, what people should expect is classic talk show fun: live music, comedy, interviews with local celebrities and live performances from the city's deep pool of talent.
-- In practical terms, how similar is it to a proper talk show? Do you have writers ? Do you do a rehearsal before the actual show? Will a sidekick warm up the audience?
Very similar. The only difference is for right now the only way you can see this show is LIVE on stage at the Backstage Bistro. As we work out the kinks and polish the production, maybe someday it'll find a home online or on local television. But, I'm not interested in that right now. I just want to do a live show for a live audience. And I want to be able to drink...
Uh, yes, I have writer. And that's not a typo. One writer -- local stand-up comic, Sommer Sterud. She's also the sidekick-slash-producer who will roam the audience and take questions from the crowd. So, that's another difference -- there aren't any rules. Somebody in the audience has a fun or tough question to ask a guest? They can have at it. All bets are off.
-- Landing MoJo Flow as the house band is a big score. How did that come about?
MojoFlo and I have worked alongside of each other a few times over the years, notably at the past couple Highball Halloween events, and we have a great rapport. As you know, they are incredibly talented and just full of energy and life, so I'm honored they agreed to do this. Basically, when I brought it up to Amber and Walter, they were completely thrilled about the concept -- because they'd actually been thinking the same thing I was thinking: that the city needs its own talk show and they wanted to be the house band... It was perfect timing because I want to be the city's talk show host.
-- Gary Shandling recently passed away and he was a man who not only hosted the real Tonight Show filling in for Johnny Carson, but created his own brilliant parody in Larry Sanders. I mean, come on, that's just crazy talent. Were you a fan of his work?
Absolutely. Garry Shandling was a genius. Of course, he had more than one writer...
-- Who are other talk show hosts you look to for inspiration?
In my opinion the two best interviewers in the business are NPR's Terry Gross and, my own personal hero, Howard Stern. Expect a blend of those two styles... A high brow, low brow mash up.
-- What hosts and talk shows do you hope to avoid comparisons?
You know, I really haven't kept up with all the new talk shows. I've only seen bits and clips of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert's shows. And, of course, those guys are giants. I don't expect to be able to compare to either of those extraordinary hosts and those productions. I just want to create a small, fun, live show that celebrates the people of Columbus. The only show I hope to avoid being compared to is the really awful one Chevy Chase hosted.
-- Sounds like a blast. Where to get tickets again and should people show up early to get liquored up or is this a serious affair?
I hope it's a blast. The first show is tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Backstage Bistro. Two more shows are planned for Thursday, April 28 and Thursday, May 26. And, conveniently, here's that link again: http://www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/the-not-so-late-show
Hopefully, we'll get a good running start at keeping this thing going. And, you know, what would be awesome? If you agreed to be a guest in May... You don't even have to perform. You can be like one of those legendary talk show guests who come on first and just get to take a seat...
--Thanks, I'd love to do it and I'll bring my guitar just in case.
Johnny DiLoretto Talks About "The Not So Late Show" @ The Shadowbox Bistro
-- First things first, where and when is the show this week and how can people get tickets?
Good question, Colin! The show is tomorrow -Thursday, March 31st - at Shadowbox Live's Backstage Bistro and you can get tickets by clicking here. And the beauty part is tickets are only $5.
-- So tell us a little about the show and what people should expect?
First and foremost, people should expect to be entertained and I promise a lot of entertainment for five bucks. But, honestly, what people should expect is classic talk show fun: live music, comedy, interviews with local celebrities and live performances from the city's deep pool of talent.
-- In practical terms, how similar is it to a proper talk show? Do you have writers ? Do you do a rehearsal before the actual show? Will a sidekick warm up the audience?
Very similar. The only difference is for right now the only way you can see this show is LIVE on stage at the Backstage Bistro. As we work out the kinks and polish the production, maybe someday it'll find a home online or on local television. But, I'm not interested in that right now. I just want to do a live show for a live audience. And I want to be able to drink...
Uh, yes, I have writer. And that's not a typo. One writer -- local stand-up comic, Sommer Sterud. She's also the sidekick-slash-producer who will roam the audience and take questions from the crowd. So, that's another difference -- there aren't any rules. Somebody in the audience has a fun or tough question to ask a guest? They can have at it. All bets are off.
-- Landing MoJo Flow as the house band is a big score. How did that come about?
MojoFlo and I have worked alongside of each other a few times over the years, notably at the past couple Highball Halloween events, and we have a great rapport. As you know, they are incredibly talented and just full of energy and life, so I'm honored they agreed to do this. Basically, when I brought it up to Amber and Walter, they were completely thrilled about the concept -- because they'd actually been thinking the same thing I was thinking: that the city needs its own talk show and they wanted to be the house band... It was perfect timing because I want to be the city's talk show host.
-- Gary Shandling recently passed away and he was a man who not only hosted the real Tonight Show filling in for Johnny Carson, but created his own brilliant parody in Larry Sanders. I mean, come on, that's just crazy talent. Were you a fan of his work?
Absolutely. Garry Shandling was a genius. Of course, he had more than one writer...
-- Who are other talk show hosts you look to for inspiration?
In my opinion the two best interviewers in the business are NPR's Terry Gross and, my own personal hero, Howard Stern. Expect a blend of those two styles... A high brow, low brow mash up.
-- What hosts and talk shows do you hope to avoid comparisons?
You know, I really haven't kept up with all the new talk shows. I've only seen bits and clips of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert's shows. And, of course, those guys are giants. I don't expect to be able to compare to either of those extraordinary hosts and those productions. I just want to create a small, fun, live show that celebrates the people of Columbus. The only show I hope to avoid being compared to is the really awful one Chevy Chase hosted.
-- Sounds like a blast. Where to get tickets again and should people show up early to get liquored up or is this a serious affair?
I hope it's a blast. The first show is tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Backstage Bistro. Two more shows are planned for Thursday, April 28 and Thursday, May 26. And, conveniently, here's that link again: http://www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/the-not-so-late-show
Hopefully, we'll get a good running start at keeping this thing going. And, you know, what would be awesome? If you agreed to be a guest in May... You don't even have to perform. You can be like one of those legendary talk show guests who come on first and just get to take a seat...
--Thanks, I'd love to do it and I'll bring my guitar just in case.
Johnny DiLoretto Answers Your Questions About the Downtown Drive In June 13th @ North Market
Johnny DiLoretto is the director of communications for the Gateway Film Center, the Midwest's premiere independent movie house. He will be checking in from time to time over the upcoming months to keep us informed about all the kick-ass events they have scheduled that are sure to keep your summertime blues at bay.
Q: Wait, wait, what's this? You guys are having a Drive-In movie series at the North Market? Like park outside and watch in your car and everything? When does it start? What do I need to know?
A: You got it, Colin! This is total badassery at work. We kicked this program off back at the beginning of May with Toy Story. Next up is Ghostbusters on Friday the 13th. It's great -- you park in the North Market parking lot, we put up a 40-foot inflatable movie screen, and you listen to the movie through your FM radio. We're bringing this tradition downtown so you don't have to drive out to some shady-ass boondock and risk having some heroin addict climb through your hatchback and stab you in the neck with his cooking spoon.
Q: This is so cool. Where did the idea come from? Is there anything else like it in America?
A: I came up with it. (No matter what Rick Harrison Wolfe, North Market exec director, and Gateway FIlm Center president, Chris Hamel have to say about it...) And, to answer the other question - there is only one other downtown drive-in in the United States and I probably had the idea for that one too.
Q: Harold Ramis recently passed away. In addition to his role in Ghostbusters, what would you recommend is worth revisiting from his impressive body of work as both a writer/actor/director?
A: In addition to co-starring with Bill Murray in Ghostbusters and Stripes, Ramis directed Caddyshack and the first National Lampoon's Vacation movie, so obviously those are classics. He also did the movie, Multiplicity, which has a fun performance by Michael Keaton as a guy who clones himself, so he can get more shit done.
Q: Did you ever sneak a bunch of people into a Drive-In movie growing up and if so, how many?
A: No, I was too riddled with Catholic guilt to sneak people in. I have two distinct drive-in memories though. One, is when I was really young, my uncle brought me to the drive-in and let me go buy popcorn by myself. I got lost on my way back to the car and when I finally thought I'd found the car, I saw a dude's horrifying, pale white ass pumping away at someone under him. It was the wrong car and scarred me for life. To this day, I shudder at seeing a dude's pale white ass. The second experience came later when I was 12 or so. I went to the drive-in with my friend and his super hot mom, and all I could think about was how I could lose my friend and make out with his mom. I forget the movie, but not the mom.
UPDATE: You can actually now order your tickets / parking space in advance for Friday's show here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/downtown-drive-in-ghostbusters-presented-by-gateway-film-center-and-north-market-tickets-11868851053
"Pulp Fiction" @ the Gateway Sunday June 8th. Johnny DiLoretto Explains Why this Movie Still Matters.
Johnny DiLoretto is the director of operations for the Gateway Film Center, the Midwest's premier Independent movie house. He will be checking in from time to time over the upcoming months to keep us informed about all the kick ass events they have scheduled sure to keep your summertime blues at bay.
Q: Sunday June 8th Cinema Classics presents the 20th Anniversary Screening of "Pulp Fiction" at the Gateway Film Center. Wow, that was a quick twenty years. Why is this movie still important and worth seeing on the big screen?
A: Of course you gotta see this movie on the big screen! You have to see it in its element to be reminded of exactly how revolutionary and influential it was. It changed the way movies were made and had a direct impact on everything that came after it. For better or for worse. Mostly for worse, because people lifted Tarantino's techniques and bit off his writing style without the cinematic chops to make that stuff sing. You should see it to be reminded of how great it is.
Q: For us movie dumb asses, what makes director Quentin Tarantino special?
A: He's a savant. He has devoured, passionately devoured, all of cinema -- the classics, the crap, all of it. And he pukes it back out, in some instinctive way, so that you can see all of this amazing stuff happening in his movies -- he's referencing film history as he's blazing new narrative ground. He's conducting a score of tension and comedy and violence all the while spinning these exhilarating, musical exchanges of dialogue. He is - without fucking question - one of the true geniuses of modern American cinema.
Q What other Q Tarantino's films do you consider essential viewing for the casual movie fan?
A. You can't go wrong with any full-length movie he's directed. All of it. Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained. Of the stuff he's only written, you have to see True Romance, which features a mind blowing cameo by Gary Oldman as a psychotic, dreadlocked, pimp; and features one of the all-time great scenes between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper.
Q: What are the details for the movie again and when can I hear Cinema Classics?
A: You can see the movie at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. It's $7.50 for just the film; or you can get eat brunch and see the movie for $15. We do a great brunch in The Torpedo Room.
Learn more about Johnny DiLoretto and other Pencilstorm contributors by clicking here.