• A Look Back,  Inside Entertainment

    A Look Back: Rocky III

    Writer/director Sylvester Stallone was faced with an interesting challenge when the time came to continue the story of his loveable underdog Rocky Balboa in Rocky III (1982). In Rocky (1976), Rocky Balboa is a journeyman boxer who’s squandered his talent and is given a once-in-a-million shot against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The championship fight becomes less about the title and more about Rocky earning respect (and self-respect) and proving that, for the first time in his life, he matters. Rocky II (1979) is the obligatory sequel to a successful movie. Given Rocky had lost the first bout against Apollo, a rematch beckoned. It would’ve been a brave filmmaker…

  • How I Would've Done It,  Inside Entertainment

    The nWo – What Was and What Could’ve Been

    One of my early loves used to be pro-wrestling. People might roll their eyes. Wrestling isn’t a sport! might be the complaint. No, it’s not. It doesn’t even pretend to be anymore. It’s entertainment – no different than watching an action movie or television show. The plotting is scripted to culminate in a staged battle. We know movies and television shows are fiction, but we still invest in them, we still care for or loathe characters. Pro-wrestling is the same. The great wrestlers also told stories inside the ring through their bouts. It’s a lot like the fights in the Rocky movie series. If you only watched the boxing matches,…