Archive for February 2016

Shadow boxing with Sylvester Stallone

On Sunday night at the 88th Acadamy Awards, Sylvester Stallone was 100% robbed for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. If someone wants to argue for Mark Rylance, go for it, but what I witnessed was the equivalent of a bad call at the end of a football game where everyone, except for the referees, could... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 29, 2016 at 8:49 am • 

Sylvester Stallone's sneaky good writing advice

I believe everyone has, at least, one story in their head that is begging to be put down on paper. Could be a novel, screenplay, non-fiction, memoir, a book of poems, doesn’t matter. We tell stories all the time, over dinner, over the phone, a good ol Facebook rant but when it comes time to... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 22, 2016 at 7:14 am • 

When you're caught by the Gates of Wrath

There are situations in life that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Situations so terrifying, so potentially traumatizing that the thought alone is enough to keep even the bravest people awake at night, sweating through their pajamas. I face one of these situations almost every day. For five out of seven mornings, I look... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 15, 2016 at 7:31 am • 
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Is Creed now the best Rocky movie?

End of last year, director Ryan Coogler and rising star Michael B. Jordan brought new life to the Rocky franchise and set Sylvester Stallone up for what should be an Oscar win three Sundays from now. When I saw Creed, I left the theater fired up, like go online and look up the cost of... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 12, 2016 at 8:16 am • 

Time to dust off that Rocky Balboa DVD

When Rocky Balboa (or Rocky VI) was released in 2006, everyone was skeptical. It’s like that moment when the loose cannon on your favorite basketball team fires up an ill-advised 3-pointer late in the game. You scream at the TV, “No, no, no,” then the ball goes through the net, you breathe a sigh of... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 11, 2016 at 7:49 am • 

Ranking the Rocky movies: Scoring the undercard

Here in the month of Sylvester Stallone, I am on the noble, and potentially controversial, quest of ranking the movies in the Rocky franchise. I started off easy last week with something we can all agree on: Rocky V at the bottom of the list. Now things get a little more intense. Now it’s like... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 10, 2016 at 8:16 am • 
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Ranking the Rocky movies: In defense of Rocky V

There are times when my wife will zone out at dinner. I’ll ask what’s up, she’ll say, “Just thinking about the store” or “Thinking about the piece I’m choreographing” for the girls she teaches at a high school. There are times when I will zone out at dinner. “What are you thinking about?” Honestly? I’m... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 8, 2016 at 9:20 am • 

Welcome to the month of Sylvester Stallone

I didn’t know Creed was a thing. I mean, I know the band, the group who rotates in and out of punchlines with Coldplay and Nicolas Cage, but Creed the Rocky spinoff movie was completely off my radar until about two weeks before its theatrical release. When I heard about it, heard that Sly was in... Read more »
By Chris O'Brien,
February 1, 2016 at 7:11 am •