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Playing a boxer seems to be a prerequisite for an actor in their journey to become an action star. Will Smith played Muhammed Ali in Ali while Mark Wahlberg played Micky Ward in The Fighter. Though Sylvester Stallone had his breakthrough with the Rocky franchise, the greatest boxer in Hollywood reportedly even bested him.

Stallone recounted the filming process of Rocky IV where the legendary actor Dolph Lundgren played Ivan Drago. While Drago was one of the most dangerous opponents that Rocky Balboa ever faced, Lundgren himself was reportedly no less, punching Stallone in the chest on his insistence, which reportedly led him to be hospitalized.

Will Smith And Mark Wahlberg Have Nothing On Dolph Lundgren Will Smith in Ali | Credits: Sony Pictures

There is just something about boxing movies that makes them an iconic sub-genre in the sports drama category. Films like Million Dollar Baby, Rocky, Cinderella Man, Ali,...

Denzel Washington has played roles in every genre of the industry with remarkable versatility. However, in the plethora of projects under his belt, The Hurricane showcased his talents in the boxing ring as well. The actor played the role of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and prepared ruthlessly to hone his boxing skills for the project.

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky (1976) || Credits: United Artists

But this sport was not just limited to the movie, and he also incorporated the same in his real life as well, given its several benefits. Over the years, Washington has become quite confident in his boxing techniques. Not only that, but he even declared that he could easily defeat the Rocky actor with a knockout punch.

Denzel Washington Says Sylvester Stallone Is No Match for Him in Boxing

Denzel Washington was the talk of the town in the 1990s, with several highly acclaimed projects to his name.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSMy Life as a Dog.Amid concerns over new provisions for AI, IATSE members have voted to ratify their new three-year contract with AMPTP, which includes a historic 40 percent raise for television and theatrical costume designers.Meanwhile, Teamsters Local 399 “remain far apart” on terms after five weeks of bargaining, reporting that “this was the first week in which we saw the employers take this process seriously.” Their current contract will expire on July 31, after which the union could strike.The Swedish motion-picture industry is calling for a change to the state’s “first-come, first-served” funding process, which most recently distributed all available funds in one minute and seven seconds.Germany plans to nearly double its national film funding...

Whitney Rydbeck, the actor and mime who portrayed the last of the paintball victims in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI and one of the original crash test dummies in an iconic public service campaign that promoted seat belt safety, has died. He was 79.

Rydbeck died Monday of complications from prostate cancer while in hospice care in Chatsworth, California, his longtime friend Tommy McLoughlin, the director on Jason Lives, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“We lost not only a truly funny comedian and actor … but one of the most good-hearted human beings I’ve ever known,” McLoughlin wrote in a tribute on Instagram.

The lanky Rydbeck appeared on dozens of TV shows during his busy career, from The Brady Bunch, Phyllis, M*A*S*H, Cagney & Lacey and Highway to Heaven to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Sisters, Living Single, Party of Five and Scrubs.

In the sixth Friday the 13th film,...

Heartbreak comes frequently for Friday the 13th fans. The franchise has had a rough ride over the last couple decades, getting bogged down in legal issues and creative false stars. We get a video game, then the rug is pulled out from under it when it’s just getting started. A movie almost happens, then gets scrapped just weeks before filming was scheduled to begin. The Crystal Lake TV show was just a couple months from filming, then the showrunner gets fired. But worse than all of that is the fact that we’re in a time when actors from our beloved films are passing away very often. Just last month, we lost Erich Anderson, who was in the cast of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Now Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI director Tom McLoughlin has broken the news that Whitney Rydbeck, who played the ill-fated paintball player Roy in his film,...

We’ve learned the sad news this week that actor Whitney Rydbeck, who played a brief but memorable role in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, has passed away at the age of 79.

Jason Lives director Tom McLoughlin said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “I’m heartbroken to share this past Monday night we lost the wonderfully talented physical comedian/actor Whitney Rydbeck. He played Roy the nerdy businessman/paintball player. His comic performance is still making audiences and fans laugh almost 40 years later.”

“I have worked with Whitney for over 53 years,” McLoughlin’s statement continues. “We’ve collaborated on so many projects together. Some as comic partners on stage and film, others on projects I wrote and directed. I specifically wrote the Roy part in Jason Lives for him knowing his unique talent. We also became close friends over these past decades.

“He’s truly the kindest,...

Amazon Prime Video is the place to go for movies this month, with a plethora of original films as well as new library additions for just about every movie fan. The Emma Roberts-led original Space Cadet hits the streaming service aptly on the Fourth of July, for anyone looking for a fish-out-of-water style comedy. My Spy the Eternal City, the newest film in the Dave Bautista-led family action series also drops on July 18.

Action film fans are also in for a treat with recent films The Beekeeper and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning coming to Prime Video in July.

As far as TV shows go, the most notable addition this month is the adult animated series Sausage Party: Foodtopia, a continuation of the 2016 film Sausage Party.

Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in July – Amazon originals are designated with an asterisk.

New on Amazon Prime Video...

Can the Rocky franchise ever be complete without ‘Mickey Loves You’? Well, actor Sylvester Stallone reportedly planned on wrapping up the sports drama franchise with Rocky III, wanting to finish up the character’s arc in a trilogy. After the worldwide success of the first film, Stallone hopped on the director’s chair for the sequels and planned a great ending.

Stallone was on the brink of giving up on his dreams when he wrote the screenplay for Rocky and sold it for a chance at starring in the sports drama. What was then a small-budget film became a worldwide phenomenon and the highest-grossing film of 1976. It spawned multiple sequels and a spinoff film centered on Adonis Creed, Apollo Creed’s son.

Sylvester Stallone Wanted To Wrap Up Rocky With The Third Film Sylvester Stallone in Rocky | Credits: Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Sylvester Stallone became an overnight star when he wrote and...

Sylvester Stallone is a brilliant actor, screenwriter, and director. Since the start of his career, the actor has consistently proven himself as a formidable one-man army and has made some of the best movies of all time. Yet, his career has not been without several commercial and critical failures.

Sylvester Stallone ([PC: Tulsa King | Amazon Prime]Also, having made some of the worst movies of all time, the actor once believed he never had made a movie that could lose money. While that is far from the truth today, Stallone once stated that if his career was on the line so badly, he could have made his Rocky Balboa an astronaut.

Sylvester Stallone on Making Rocky Balboa an Astronaut

Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in Rocky II | United Artists

Sylvester Stallone, before his Rocky fame, was just a nobody struggling to make ends meet. Agitated by not being able to get any worthy roles, he...

Before his career-defining success in the Rocky franchise, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor earning just breadcrumbs for his acting roles. Once Rocky happened in 1976, it made Stallone into an overnight star and he admitted that the sudden fame may have got to his head. He revealed in an old interview that he was heading down a path of self-destruction with his arrogance when a fan comment kicked some sense into him.

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky | United Artists

The Tulsa King actor also shared that his media image almost set him up for failure after Rocky‘s resounding success. He was met with the question of whether Rocky II was his comeback movie, despite working on two other movies between the first and second films in the franchise.

Sylvester Stallone Revealed One Fan Question That Put A Stop To His Arrogance Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in Rocky II | United...

Long before Sylvester Stallone found himself on the receiving end of a severe beatdown from Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, the action star let his body be tortured by another star in Rocky II. But it did not stop him from making the fights authentic in the huge sports drama franchise created by Stallone himself.

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky in Rocky II. Credit: United Artists

Stallone’s co-star, Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the franchise, one of the strongest opponents his character had faced, unleashed a hellish pounding on Stallone. However, it was all because of the request from the Rocky II lead and director, Stallone. Putting his body on the line somewhat paid off as the franchise went on to be a huge hit, which propelled his career upward in Hollywood.

Sylvester Stallone Took Heavy Beatdown From Carl Weathers

Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in Rocky II....

Oftentimes, a sequel to a much-beloved film fails to meet the expectations set by its predecessors, which eventually ends up tainting the original’s legacy. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case with Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, arguably his most iconic franchise, which is still going strong with Michael B. Jordan taking its reign with the Creed features.

However, getting the first sequel off the ground wasn’t easy, and if it wasn’t for one plot twist, Rocky might not have gone on to become one of the most celebrated franchises in the sports genre.

One Illogical Plot Twist Was Made in Rocky 2 to Combat Sylvester Stallone’s Injury

Rocky II | United Artists

Coming off the success of the Rocky, which won the Oscar for Best Picture, the sequel had a lot to live up to. But just a month and a half before the shooting was about to kickstart,...

In Rocky II, Sylvester Stallone’s character has to learn how to box right-handed due to the eyesight problems he developed following his first fight with Apollo Creed, but it was a real-life injury which prompted this twist.

During the TMZ special Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons, Stallone revealed that he tore his pec muscle right off the bone while training with Franco Columbu. This was just a month and a half before he was scheduled to start shooting Rocky II. “So, I go down, and it’s maybe only 200 [lbs]. I’m just warming up, and I hear a Pow!” Stallone said. “I fall on the floor. And Franco goes, ‘Let me see.’ He jams his fingers — I’ve torn my pec off the bone. I mean, bad. I could hear it go rip, and he’s jamming his fingers. And I think I’m going to black out.” That…...

Sylvester Stallone revealed on the TMZ special “Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons” (via The Daily Mail) that a near career-ending injury in the lead up to “Rocky II” threatened to end the boxing franchise before its first sequel got off the ground. Stallone was training with bodybuilder Franco Columbu about a month and a half before the “Rocky 2” shoot when he ripped his pec muscle right off the bone.

“So, I go down, and it’s maybe only 200 [lbs]. I’m just warming up, and I hear a Pow!’ Stallone remembered. “I fall on the floor. And Franco goes, ‘Let me see.’ He jams his fingers — I’ve torn my pec off the bone. I mean, bad. I could hear it go rip, and he’s jamming his fingers. And I think I’m going to black out.”

“I go home. I feel like my career is over. I’m supposed to start ‘Rocky II,...

Franco Columbu, the Italian bodybuilding prodigy, and the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger forged a close friendship. The two dealt with everything after meeting in 1965, sticking by one another through good times and bad. But they each brought unique personalities to the table.

If boxing was Columbu’s background, then soccer was Schwarzenegger’s. In spite of this, their shared love of ‘bodybuilding’ served as the foundation for their friendship. Here’s an intriguing anecdote, though: Columbu trained Schwarzenegger’s fellow Hollywood veteran actor, Sylvester Stallone, for the film Rocky II.

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky films

When Franco challenged Stallone to a bench press competition, the actor accepted, but not before the latter tore his pec off the bone. This is where things got tricky. The injury happened 1.5 months before Stallone was supposed to appear and helm the Rocky sequel.

Well, you must hear him discuss how he turned the tide of events!

From left: Dev Patel, Vipin Sharma in Monkey Man Photo: Universal Studios Overlook the training montage sequence in Monkey Man at your own pop culture and movie peril. Kid (Dev Patel) aims to avenge his mother’s death by vanquishing the police chief (Sikander Kher as Rana Singh) who raped...

From left: Dev Patel, Vipin Sharma in Monkey ManPhoto: Universal Studios

Overlook the training montage sequence in Monkey Man at your own pop culture and movie peril. Kid (Dev Patel) aims to avenge his mother’s death by vanquishing the police chief (Sikander Kher as Rana Singh) who raped and...

Sylvester Stallone is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the history of Hollywood, as he made a name for himself as the king of action movies in the 70s and 80s. That’s not all he is known for as Sly is also known as one of the most generous and giving actors in the business. With that said, Sylvester Stallone was accused of forcing a 16-year-old into a threesome in the past.

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky

Sylvester Stallone has defined many generations of stars as well as movies, as the iconic Hollywood legend has made sure people continue to revere him for his contributions to the world of Cinema in his long and illustrious career.

Suggested“It didn’t matter what time it was”: Sylvester Stallone Wrote the First Rocky Draft in Record Time Sylvester Stallone Accused Of Forcing A 16-Year-Old To Join A Threesome A scene...

Two shady figures walk into a club, raising the suspicions of Detective Axel Foley. Foley needs help to deal with both men, but the pair of officers keeping an eye on him — Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton) and Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) — don’t trust him. Furthermore, he’s in a public place, which means that his actions could harm civilians.

After his pleading convinces Taggart and Rosewood to help out, Axel approaches one of the potential troublemakers.

“Phillip!” Foley shouts, adopting the stagger and slurred speech patterns of a drunk man as he approaches the confused suspect. Foley continues the act even after the suspect pulls a gun and threatens the patrons, which allows him to get close enough to yank the weapon away.

You probably recognize the above scene as one of the standout moments of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, in which Foley shows off his keen detective...

Sylvester Stallone shared one of his first memories of actor Carl Weathers, who starred in the iconic role as boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky series.

While on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in an episode aired Friday, Stallone, who co-starred in the franchise as Rocky Balboa, recalled the difficulty of finding someone who could play Creed. “I couldn’t fill that spot,” the actor told the host. “It required incredible athleticism, brains, spirit, talent, speed.” Weathers, a professional football player who played eight games with the then-Oakland Raiders...

Carl Weathers is dead at the age of 76. It’s shocking to consider, even though his best-known character, Apollo Creed, in some ways was ultimately defined by his death in 1985’s “Rocky IV.” The franchise went on without him, and ultimately followed his son played by Michael B. Jordan. But for the next 38 years, there was the fact that Weathers was in reality alive, well, in astonishingly great shape, and underutilized.

Now, Weathers has died himself. And given that he was one of Hollywood’s most prominent musclemen of the late ’70s and ’80s, an era defined by fitness-obsessed actors who either were athletes or aspired to be them, 76 feels startlingly young. Especially given how vital and active he was up until the very end, even directing a couple episodes of “The Mandalorian” so good that one wishes he could have, for the sake of that show’s quality, directed more.

Carl Weathers, the actor who starred as boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky series in addition to memorable roles in Predator, Happy Gilmore, and The Mandalorian, died at the age of 76.

Weathers’ family confirmed the actor’s death in a statement to Deadline, noting he died “peacefully in his sleep” Thursday.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he...

Carl Weathers, the former NFL player who made his mark in Hollywood as the boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and with appearances in such other projects as Predator, Happy Gilmore and The Mandalorian, has died. He was 76.

Weathers died Thursday in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles, his manager, Matt Luber, announced in a statement.

“Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life,” he said. “Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.”

The charismatic Weathers portrayed Detective Beaudreaux on the 1991-93 syndicated cop show Street Justice; the chief of police Hampton Forbes on the final two seasons of CBS’ In the Heat of the Night in 1992-94; a caricature of himself on episodes of Fox...

We come today bearing tragic news as Carl Weathers, the man who gave us memorable characters like Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" franchise, Chubbs Peterson in "Happy Gilmore," the titular "Action Jackson," and Greef Karga in "The Mandalorian" has left us at the age of 76. His family announced that he passed away yesterday, but the news broke today courtesy of Deadline.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers," said his family in a statement obtained by Deadline. "He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts, and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend."

A natural athlete, Weathers got his start as a college football player at San Diego State University...

Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and appeared in Predator, The Mandalorian, Happy Gilmore, Action Jackson and dozens of other films and TV shows, died Tuesday, his family announced. He was 76.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”

Born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Weathers appeared in more than 75 films and TV shows during his 50-year screen career. He appeared in nine episodes of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian over three season and voiced Combat Carl in...

Tributes have been pouring in for Carl Weathers, the former college American Football player who starred in the Rocky films, as well as Predator and The Mandalorian, following his death on February 1. He was 76.

Weathers passed away in his sleep at home on Thursday.

Speaking on Instagram, Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone said he was “so torn up” at the news.

”Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success… When he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness, but I didn’t realised how great,” said Stallone.

”I never...

Carl Weathers, the former American Football player who starred in the Rocky films opposite Sylvester Stallone and also earned notable credits in Predator and later in life The Mandalorian, has died. He was 76.

Weathers passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was born in New Orleans on January 14 1948, and stood out as a keen athlete in his youth, playing for San Diego State University in the team’s invincible season in 1968 when they won all 11 games.

Speaking on Instagram, Stallone said he was “so torn up” at the news.

”Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life,...

Carl Weathers, the former American Football player who stared in the Rocky films opposite Sylvester Stallone and also earned notable credits in Predator and later in life The Mandalorian, has died. He was 76.

Weathers passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was born in New Orleans on January 14 1948, and stood out as a keen athlete in his youth, playing for San Diego State University in the team’s invincible season in 1968 when they won all 11 games.

He studied drama at the institution and moved into acting in the 1970s, getting his first film credit on Clint Eastwood...

Killer cyborgs, A-list megastars, groundbreaking visual effects And a kick-ass soundtrack! It can mean only one thing. Yes, that’s right, good friends of JoBlo, uber director James Cameron is back to show us exactly how to follow up one of the biggest smash hits of your career with a sequel that had to surpass the expectations of even the most hardcore fan of the original movie, and also show the world how to revolutionize modern VFX…Again. Cameron had already wowed audiences with The Terminator back in 1984 and had proven that he could create impressive sequels to existing sci-fi franchises with the action-heavy Aliens in 1986. He’d also made great strides with visual effects in 1989’s The Abyss so could his original vision of having a liquid terminator in the franchise really work?

That’s right, sci-fi fans, we’re giving one of the greatest sequels ever made a...

In 1973, producer Irwin Winkler attended the New York Film Festival and decided to check out a new film by a talented young director. Winkler liked what he saw in Martin Scorsese‘s “Mean Streets,” and he was flattered by the fact that Scorsese paid tribute to one of Winkler’s early films by featuring a poster for “Point Blank” at a key moment. “Somebody arranged for Marty and I to have coffee, and we just hit it off,” Winkler told IndieWire. Thus began a producer-director partnership that would yield some of the greatest movies ever made, including “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and “Silence.”

Winkler would be a legend in the business based on just the movies he made with Scorsese, but they’re the tip of the iceberg. “You look at his credits and it’s astonishing, even if you know him and even if your own films are among them,...

The "Star Trek" movie franchise was almost a one-and-done fiasco. Paramount had the highest of hopes when they released "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" on December 7, 1979, and, at first, it appeared as though their commercial expectations would be exceeded. The film scored the biggest opening of the year with a gross of $11.9 million (slightly better than the openings for "Alien" and "Moonraker"), but mixed reviews and ho-hum word of mouth (particularly from non-fans) kept it from being the runaway blockbuster it needed to be given its then exorbitant $44 million budget. It wound up being the fourth highest grossing film of 1979 behind "Kramer vs. Kramer," "The Amityville Horror" and "Rocky II").

The film's primary problem was its length and lack of action. At 132 minutes, Robert Wise's movie kind of lumbered; there are long, reverent shots of the U.S.S. Enterprise that, for many in the audience, quickly went from awe-inspiring to tedious.

Sylvester Stallone’s career took off after writing and starring in the first Rocky. The actor was in the process of carving out a nice career for himself after the Oscar-winning drama. But despite his growing film resume, many considered Rocky II his comeback film. It wasn’t an attitude that Stallone appreciated.

Sylvester Stallone didn’t think his career needed saving with ‘Rocky II’ Sylvester Stallone | Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Stallone once owed a lot of his success to the Rocky franchise. Both the movie’s titular character, and the actor himself, became household names after it first hit theaters. But ironically, Stallone felt that Rocky’s momentum made it easier to fail in the eyes of critics. He felt the film might’ve set expectations way too high for his career. Stallone believed that other films he’d done were measured with the same metrics used for Rocky.

Like the Italian Stallion, the "Rocky" films have seen some real highs and lows. Now spanning almost 50 years, it's a franchise that offers boundless entertainment, even at its most baffling. These movies are also formulaic to a "T." Even if you've yet to watch a single one, you probably already know what to expect: Rocky Balboa -- or Adonis Creed -- will be down on his luck when he's presented with a new opportunity to prove himself in the boxing ring. Or he'll be riding high only to get knocked flat on his ass and have to pick himself back up. Cue the training montage. It's predictable, but damn if it doesn't work like gangbusters, time and time over.

For the most part, the titles of the "Rocky" films are numerically ordered, which makes it pretty easy to figure out which one to watch after which. The only outlier is "Rocky Balboa,...

Christmas comes early on Max, as the streamer adds a bevy of holiday movies to its library for the month of November, alongside new TV debuts, a noteworthy documentary and more. “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Arthur Christmas,” “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Four Christmases” are some of the holiday films arriving on the streaming platform on Nov. 1.

This month also sees the Season 2 premieres of “Rap Sh!t” (on Nov. 9) and “Julia” (on Nov. 16) and the series premiere of “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre’s new sitcom “Bookie” starring Sebastian Maniscalco (on Nov. 30).

On Nov. 11, check out the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” in which the comedian, actor and filmmaker’s best friend Rob Reiner peppers him with questions about his life and career.

And Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate a 100-year-old building in “Fixer Upper: The Hotel,” which premieres on Nov. 8.

Check out the full list...

It’s a lean month for new original content on HBO/Max. November will see the return of two scripted series in Julia and Rap Sh!t, both of which are debuting their respective second seasons, but this month’s fresh highlight is likely to be Bookie, a new comedy series from the partnership of The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre, and Nick Bakay. The show tracks an LA bookie called Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco), whose business is in peril as California movies to legalize sports gambling.

Elsewhere in November, there quite a few interesting documentaries to keep an eye on, and two that jump out as “must watch”. The first is Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, which chronicles the aging comedian’s life and career. The second is the previously-released Little Richard: I Am Everything, which tries to peel back the whitewashed canon of Richard Penniman in a true...

Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce in ‘Julia’ season 2 (Photograph by Sebastein Gonon/Max)

Max’s November 2023 schedule includes season two of Julia starring Sarah Lancashire as Julia Child and the return of Rap Sh!t with Aida Osman and Mia KaMillion. Bookie, a new comedy about sports gambling created by Chuck Lorre, makes its debut on November 30th with Sebastian Maniscalco starring as an LA bookie.

HBO documentaries Albert Brooks: Defending My Life and South to Black Power will stream on Max this November, along with CNN Films’ Little Richard: I Am Everything.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In November 2023:

November 1

Act of Valor (2012)

After the Thin Man (1936)

Aliens (1986)

The Ant Bully (2006)

Arthur Christmas (2011)

The Avengers (1998)

The Bachelor (1999)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Black Beauty (1994)

Boys’ Night Out (1962)

Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

Brigadoon (1954)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A Christmas Carol (1938)

Christmas Cookie Challenge, Seasons...

Burt Young, best known for his riveting portrayal of Paulie in the iconic “Rocky” films, passed away on October 8th in Los Angeles at the age of 83. His passing was confirmed by his devoted daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser.

The actor, originally from Queens, exhibited a rugged charm that landed him roles in more than 160 films and TV shows, from gritty crime dramas like “Chinatown” and “Once Upon a Time in America” to the poignant portrayal of Paulie, the brother of Adrian and Rocky’s loyal friend. This particular role would garner him an Academy Award nomination, showcasing his ability to infuse a tough exterior with a deep-seated vulnerability.

Lee Strasberg, the legendary acting teacher, once described Young as a “library of emotions.” This sentiment perfectly captures the depth and versatility that Burt Young brought to the big screen. Even when he embodied a criminal or thug, Young never settled for one-dimensional characterizations.

Sylvester Stallone‘s Rocky is a classic film about a small-time Philadelphia boxer who gets to fight a heavyweight champion—the redemption tale centered on hard-luck Rocky’s quest for self-respect. The story hit a nerve with moviegoers and subsequently spawned a multitude of sequels. Today, is Sylvester Stallone the oldest living member of the Rocky cast?

Who is still alive from the ‘Rocky’ series of films?

The Rocky films created iconic characters beloved by film fans. These include Rocky and Adrian Balboa, Paulie Penning, Apollo Creed, Micky Goldmill, Duke Evers, Clubber Lang, Ivan and Ludmilla Drago, and Tommy Gunn. But is Sylvester Stallone currently the oldest living member of the Rocky cast?

Sylvester Stallone, who played Rocky Balboa, is the oldest living member of the cast at 77, but he doesn’t share that distinction alone. Talia Shire played his wife, Adrian Balboa, and is also 77.

Carl Weathers, who played...

Burt Young, best known to “Rocky” fans as the underdog champion’s best friend Paulie Pennino, died on Oct. 8 at the age of 83, according to The New York Times.

Young earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Paulie in the first “Rocky” film in 1976, and reprised the role in the next five films in the series from “Rocky II” in 1979 to “Rocky Balboa” in 2006.

Over the course of the series, Paulie serves as both a positive and negative force in Rocky’s life, helping the boxer get a date with his sister and Rocky’s future wife Adrian, yet regularly mistreating her and never hiding his jealousy at Rocky’s in-ring success. By the time of his final appearance in “Rocky Balboa,” the aging Paulie comes to regret his abusive behavior towards the now-deceased Adrian, and has a much easier relationship with the retired Rocky.

Beyond “Rocky,” Young...

With Expend4bles more than likely bringing to a close the franchise Sylvester Stallone created over 13 years ago, we wanted to know what movie in the legendary actors filmography is your favorite? Does his original creation of Rocky remain your favorite all these years later or do you find some of his iconic 90’s action films more your speed? Or perhaps you a true purist and find Italian Stallion to be quintessential Stallone! If you don’t see your favorite listed, please click other and let us know what it is (and why) in the comments.

What is your Favorite Sylvester Stallone Film?Italian Stallion (1970)Death Race 2000 (1975)Rocky (1976)F.I.S.T (1978)Paradise Alley (1978)Rocky II (1979)Nighthawks (1981)Rocky III (1982)First Blood (1982)Rhinestone (1984)Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)Rocky IV (1985)Cobra (1986)Over The Top (1987)Rambo III (1988)Lock Up (1989)Tango & Cash (1989)Rocky V (1990)Oscar (1991)Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)Cliffhanger (1993)Demolition Man (1993)The Specialist...

The mesmerizing tale of Rocky Balboa has been a cornerstone of American cinema since the release of the first “Rocky” movie in 1976. Portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky’s journey from a struggling boxer in Philadelphia to an international icon is a story that’s both empowering and poignant. And in recent years, this story has seamlessly transformed into the tale of Adonis Creed, breathing new life into a franchise that spans nearly five decades.

The Rocky series was always more than just boxing. It vividly depicted love, friendship, rivalry, and redemption. The recent Creed movies, helmed by the character Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), son of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), have gracefully transitioned the narrative from Rocky to Adonis, offering a fresh perspective and a respectful nod to the past. With the recent release of “Creed III” in 2023, the saga has reached a new milestone, marking the first time Stallone...

To quote the great Taylor Swift, “August slipped away like a moment in time.” September has arrived, and with it, a countdown to certain films and shows leaving Netflix at the end of the 30-day month. Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” (1992) has one more month to teach you that “There’s no crying in baseball,” and why not watch it in support of the Prime Video series that can’t seem to catch a break? If you’re more in the mood for a childish story and magical whimsy, the person you need is “Nanny McPhee” (2005).

Franchise films exiting the streamer’s rotation this month include “Rocky,” “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” “Rocky IV” and “Rocky V.” Along with those wrestling movies, other films departing at the end of September are “Snow White & the Huntsman,” “Star Trek,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Titanic” and “Warm Bodies.”

Here’s...

It’s often claimed that good things come in threes, but try telling that to anyone who sat through the Big Momma’s House trilogy. Film sequels, in essence, are nothing new in Hollywood—the very first sequel came back in 1916 with the silent film The Fall of a Nation, Thomas Dixon Jr.‘s follow-up to D. W. Griffith’s jaw-droppingly racist epic, Birth of a Nation.

However, the concept only became commonplace in the 1970s when a string of follow-ups to successful dramas made waves at the box office. The Godfather, Part II, Rocky II, and The French Connection II were among the first movies that helped usher in this new era of filmmaking. Today though, moviedom has expanded beyond even the sequel and into new territory where the word “franchise” is king. Buoyed in recent times by the dominance of comic book movies and an increasing appetite for nostalgia,...

Yo, Adrian! The entire Rocky series, in addition to the Creed trilogy, is coming to 4K Blu-ray. As per TheDiscFather, Warner Bros. is set to release a nine-film box set on the 4K Ultra HD format that will surely leave many fans down for the count.

While the first four Rocky movies were previously released on 4K earlier this year as part of the Rocky: The Knockout Collection, this will be the first time that every Rocky / Creed movie will be collected as one on the format. Addressing a concern on whether or not this box set would include all of the Rocky movies, TheDiscFather said that “All 6” would indeed be included. These are: 1976’s Rocky, 1979’s Rocky II, 1982’s Rocky III, 1985’s Rocky IV, 1990’s Rocky V, and 2006’s Rocky Balboa. In addition to these films, the box set would also feature the most recent Creed trilogy, which spans 2015-2013.

To date,...

Yo, Adrian! I did it! I just bought a Porsche by selling three Rocky tapes! Original, sealed VHS copies of the first three Rocky movies just sold at auction for $53,750. To give that a little perspective, that’s around 20% of the original movie’s budget and significantly more than Sylvester Stallone’s salary.

Sold at the Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, the Rocky VHS tapes were brought to attention by Jay Carlson, who not only is an avid VHS collector (sealed only), but serves as consignment director for Heritage. He also runs a nifty and nostalgic Instagram called rareandsealed. It was there he posted more on the Rocky VHSes:

“2 days after our last auction where we sold the only known 1982 drawer box releases of Rocky, Rocky II and Rocky III, these Even Earlier 1982 copies popped up. The main tell is the die cut that you’ll see on the bottom left of...

The legendary, Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Steven Spielberg’s horror classic Jaws, Bill Butler passed away Wednesday at the age of 101 years old, THR reports this morning.

The site notes, “He would have turned 102 on Friday.”

It was back in 1976 that Bill Butler was co-nominated for a “Best Cinematography” statue at that year’s Academy Awards for his work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a film released just one year after Butler served as Cinematographer on the horror classic Jaws.

“His iconic shots included the early dawn attack of the first victim that opens the film, the Vertigo-inspired dolly zoom that accompanies Chief Brody’s shock at witnessing a shark attack from the beach and the extreme close-ups of panicking swimmers,” THR explains, detailing Bill Butler’s integral role in the making of the game-changing summer blockbuster.

Bill Butler later served as Cinematographer/Director of Photography on the original...

Oscar-nominated Cinematographer Wilmer C. Butler, whose work included a series of landmark films such as The Conversation (1974), Jaws (1975) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), has died. He was 101. The American Society of Cinematographers confirmed Butler’s passing.

Butler was the ASC’s most senior member, and he had a resume to match. He worked with directors such as Philip Kaufman, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Richard Donner, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Ivan Reitman, Tobe Hooper, Joseph Sargent, Mike Nichols, John Cassavetes and Steven Spielberg.

Friedkin convinced Butler to be the cinematographer on The People vs. Paul Crump, a documentary about a prisoner slated for execution in Illinois. The project got Crump’s death sentence commuted.

He got his start in features with Philip Kaufman’s 1967 film Fearless Frank. Two years later, Friedkin introduced Butler to Francis Ford Coppola, with whom he shot The Rain People before going on to...

Bill Butler, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose career in Hollywood spanned five decades, has passed away. The news comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter, with the American Society of Cinematographers confirming his death. Butler was 101 years old, and mere days away from 102. The celebrated filmmaker leaves behind a body of work that is sure to outlive us all.

Born in 1921, Butler got his start in the early '60s serving as the director of photography on TV movies such as "The People vs. Paul Crump" and "The Bold Men." But it wasn't long before he was making a name for himself, shooting Francis Ford Coppola's first feature "The Rain People" in 1969. Butler was also behind the camera working with Coppola again for one of cinema's all-time classics a handful of years later with 1974's "The Conversation."

It was, however, the following year when Butler would arguably make his biggest...

Bill Butler, the self-taught, Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose work on the landmark 1975 horror film Jaws unleashed a wave of anxiety for beachgoers that lasts to this day, has died. He would have turned 102 on Friday.

Butler died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He is survived by five daughters and his wife, Iris.

During his five-decade career, Butler also shot Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People (1969) and The Conversation (1974); Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One (1977); Randal Kleiser’s hit musical Grease (1978); and Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985), all written and directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.

On another noteworthy 1975 release, Butler replaced the fired Haskell Wexler midway through production on Milos Forman‘s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Both shared an Oscar cinematography nomination for their work.

Butler also had replaced Wexler on The Conversation after creative differences forced Wexler off that production early on.

There is perhaps no greater sports underdog story in the history of cinema than "Rocky." Sports dramas had existed long before the 1976 classic, but Sylvester Stallone's beloved boxing flick has become the de facto blueprint for the genre ever since it was released. The film smartly and realistically portrays Rocky Balboa not as a reigning champion, but a down-on-his-luck amateur looking for his big break. It's fitting, then, that the character's primary inspiration, Chuck Wepner, was mostly known for his ability to take beatings instead of giving them.

Rocky Balboa has become so famous that it seems as if he was a real person, his statue proudly standing in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and drawing more visitors than the Liberty Bell. The boxer may have climbed the ranks in the sequels, but the original film's charm was the Italian Stallion's loss in the ring contributing to a victory in the soul.