Sì lo so che il film fa abbastanza vomitare MA qualcosa di buono lo si può sempre trovare.

Ad esempio? Bhé che ne pensate del discorso che fa al figlio???

Assolutamente non male… molto sulla fansariga di Nietzsche sul “Ciò che non uccide rende più forti!“…

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place… and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain’t about how hard you hit… It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that!”

Right now, America is the underdog. Due largely to the Republican party’s abandonment of REAL conservative principals, conservatives are a minority in the house and senate, and we are playing catch up on every front.

We are like Rocky Balboa facing the overwhelming favorite to win, the communist bear drooling to devour the American way, Ivan Drago. Obama and the liberals have launched an all out attack on America, and we MUST DEFEND HER.

We the American people may be battered and bruised through the coming fight, but we WILL PREVAIL.
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The first rule of  fight club is you do not talk about fight club… the legendary dialogue from the movie Fight Club. Hollywood has made some  really cool and awesome movies on Mixed Martial Arts… Fight Club, Never Back Down, Red Belt, each of these leave one awe struck!

All the awesome workout sessions, your head automatically has the Rocky Balboa, “Eye of the Tiger,” playing…  Shootfighters have all of these amazing training sessions, that would transport you to any one of these flicks… strengthening exercises, conditioning, free- running… all of that you can ask for!

But there is a catch! When it comes to Shootfighters, there is more than what meets the eye… there is always something new and exciting to be offered by Shootfighters… While speaking of MMA, we have, taken this term very seriously and to the point!

Ashwin has been practising martial arts for over 2 decades now… and these arts range from Karate, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jujutsu, a bit of Sambo, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kalaripayattu, Tamil Kalaripayattu, Wing-Tsun, Kenjutsu, Garadi, Vajramushti, Judo, Tai Chi, Baghuazhang, Various types of Kung Fu- Eagle Claw, Tiger, Snake and a bit of Manthis… and each of these forms have been blended in Shootfighters…

This unique blend makes the classes, complete fun and totally exciting. Martial Arts has a huge history, and there are wide array of arts… each place has adapted and taken an art form to suit their own needs and requirements. Thus, the existence of this melting pot of so to say, martial arts under one roof… makes it a complete martial treat!

“One needs to enjoy what they teach… and I would personally find only striking pretty boring… after sometime plain old kickboxing without grappling, take-downs… gets very boring. It is not even practical in a real fight, where you are grabbed, pushed, clawed, slapped. Also, in most cases, you are up against more than one opponent… where one person does the hitting, while the others do the holding.” Says Ashwin.

Hmmm, only strikes and kicks seem like so much of a constriction here… one needs to know different techniques and ways to get out of any attack situation. Shootfighters Inc, takes in all the useful martial arts and makes it a part of their course curriculum.

Sounds fun right! Different martial arts, being blended and taught with some really cool moves… but behind all of this is a serious effort made, with tremendous hard work, and passion for Martial arts.

Ashwin has been in constant touch with different people in the world of Martial art, making friends, getting to know their art forms. Many masters do not teach you some art forms that easily… they need to know whether one can handle it. Ashwin had to go through years of patient waiting before he was introduced into numerous arts.

“It is a complete course you need to go through, most teachers do not teach you what part you want and leave the rest… you need to wait it out patiently and get the useful information out. Every martial art has some very useful and amazing techniques, and some may not work.”

With real-time experience of numerous fights, Ashwin knows that one needs to have a multitude of techniques that work.

“My instructors like Siddarth are very good fighters, because they have only learnt techniques that work and nothing else.” Adds Ashwin.

The most tough to capture have been the Indian Martial Arts… these seem to be very well hidden and shrouded, many have been lost and left only to a chosen few., as they need to make sure whether one can wield the power given by the arts.

The organization is doing a lot to preserve and document lesser known Indian martial arts such as Garadi, Vajramushti, Varmakalai, Silammbam so that they don’t die out entirely.

“I had this curiosity to understand and know, why an agriculture based civilization would need Martial Arts. Hunters and gatherers, it is understandable, but Indus Valley Civilization, the first civilization to develop a deep cultural setup of Martial arts was something I wanted to learn about.” Says Ashwin.

The great sages of India like Agastyar, Thirumular, Boghanathar… all of them have made huge contributions to Martial Arts, also incidentally the word ‘Chi‘ is derived from Chivaya (a tamil way of saying Shiva). The insights provided by them in Martial arts is very profound and deep. It set a base for the growth of martial arts all over the world.

“Martial arts, is about being strong, self-defence and all of that… but then there is more to Martial arts… it has a deeper ethereal meaning. When many students had signed up for self-defence or fitness, they continued classes even after achieving fitness and self-defence. Out of sheer curiosity I enquired, and found out that they felt a sense of achievement and strong confidence while be a part of our classes.” Says Ashwin.

Thus, martial arts works directly on the mind of the person, which in turn reflects in the body. “Martial arts is like Kundalini Yoga, where the aim is to achieve enlightenment, thus sages like Agastyar practised the arts. In order to see a mental change, physical vigour need to be done, once there is a mental change it is seen in the spirit… all of them are interconnected. “ Adds Ashwin.

The best part about these arts are, they are very nicely blended and gelled in to make a perfect school for martial arts- Independent Shootfighters Inc.

Lembram dele??   (Ahhh não ,lá vem esse cara de novo falar de Rocky Balboa…rsrs). Calma gente não vou falar sobre Rocky,aliás essa é uma nota rápida.Tá rolando um comercial engrassadissimo do jogo Warcraft,com a presença desse figura ai em cima o ” MR .T” famoso pela série “Esquadrão classe A” e pelo Filme Rocky III.Como o cara tá a um tempo sem aparecer, vale ver como o moicano está hoje.Pra quem ainda não conhece o jogo.Tem mais de 11,5 milhões de assinantes, o game se passa em um mundo de fantasia em que raças como os Humanos, Elfos, Anões, Gnomos, Orcs, Mortos-vivos, Trolls e Tauren, coexistem e exploram mundos vastos, repletos de ameaças.Agora vamos ao vídeo,para matar a curiosidade.

Ever since the third year of engineering came into the picture, the thought of doing something different always had passed my mind. Now this obviously has come at a rather surprising time, taking into consideration that the third year is not always that time you would have all the time in the world. For instance , way back in July, i had planned for a meticulous schedule of gym, study and tennis. Now not all things fell into place, considering that academics has never been my cup of tea, neither the idea of getting a body such as ivan draga has materialized into the bonehead thick skull of mine. For the next few months I planned on working out , playing tennis and then concentrate on a familiar known domain Academics. I wanted perfect chiseled abs like the character Dolph plays in Rocky 4, but unlike him, I dont have any fights lined up with Rocky Balboa. Oh yeah people ! i root for the antagonist here. Draga has sort of become of my nickname and I am proud of it ! Well , about the resemblances .. Ahem , moving on …

Heavens ! This picture is so damn sexy [I am not gay if that is what you are thinking] that this just makes up for a great poster and is still an awesome display of chiseled perfection that I really have the mind to upload it again .

See the trick ! In the self proclaimed ‘The God of small things’ book of mine , happiness sure does conjure up uploading photos of draga twice.  The point is – How many of us have been spellbound by the workouts of Sylvester Stallone from Rocky ? Or be transfixed by the exploits of Gerard Bulter in 300  ? And how many of us have let laziness take over our psyche ? Well the fact still remains. Now the effect of seeing a Rocky movie and its awesome training can yield anything , absolutely anything but a goose egg. And when the thoughts of possessing a body such as Dolphie seeped into the mind of mine, it has got to have after effects. I remember once I had to be taken into the doctor for a swollen right arm. No kidding guys ! I am really a fanatic. But in the simple sense , All good things come to a break , if not the legendary end. And so when Life’s simple pleasures consist of uploading Dolph Lundgren’s picture twice, it can also consist of wowing on a picture of this. And then all that inspired frenzy over getting Dolphie’s abs and biceps all come to a weird break, if not end. The goddess thronged as my desktop wallpaper for more than 2 summers until my 3Ghz baby gave me the cold shoulder for not having paid attention to the other quite charming creations of God. My question is – Why God Why ? ..  Why does such angelic creations of God have to be juxtaposed to the imaginary backyard of random cuppers ?  And hence I waste another idyllic setting on what could have been a productive use of cardio workouts , or atleast cerebrum teasers. My good friend Ajay had a question transfixing the myths of modern and pre-historic mankind. Do all the awesome creations of God need understanding? what is their purpose then ? Such questions form an ideal backlight in the rather chaotic thick headed skull of mine. Now, me being in a residential institute , there are no martinets around to keep tabs on me, and the cycle of Karma repeats. The sinking comfort of laziness.The balancing of the equation. I slip into day-dreaming. One of my most favourite totally unproductive pastime. Voila. The contradiction – Me day dreaming led to one productive thing- this post. Now then again, what was this post about ? Ahem Ahem ……

Já mostrei alguns vídeos desse maluco aqui no blog antes. Dessa vez ele caiu nas graças do fantástico. No programa desse último domingo (22/11/2009), mostraram algumas maluquices dele que já mostrei aqui. Estão chamando-no de “Monsieur Remi”. No vídeo abaixo ele mostra paródia de algumas cenas de treinamento do famoso lutador Rocky Balboa, interpretado nos filmes por Sysvester Stallone. O melhor pra mim foi a parte da pesagem no supermercado! Huahuahuahua! Divirtam-se!

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Making The (Up) Grade: Rocky

While new Blu-rays of old movies are sometimes dubious replacements for prior editions (hence the need for this column), box sets released in the high-definition format have thus far been fairly helpful, at least in terms of shelf space: many or most of them forego a lot of the frills and flourishes of their standard-definition iterations in favor of more streamlined packaging. Unfortunately, that’s also sometimes extended to their extras, thanks in no small part to the legal entanglements of transferring commentaries and bonus content from one format to another.

Both Warner Brothers and Fox have faced this challenge a couple of times thanks to their ownership/ adoption of the libraries of MGM and United Artists, which until a few years ago issued their own releases. Rocky, which is one of United Artists’ premier franchises, was recently released on Blu-ray in The Undisputed Collection, a set that contains all six of the films in the series, but it remains to be seen whether complete also means comprehensive in this particular case.

What’s Already Available:

Rocky was previously released several times on DVD both as a standalone title and in Rocky-themed box sets. 2006’s Rocky Anthology featured remastered versions of the first five films (it was released prior to Rocky Balboa) and no extra content. Meanwhile, a Special Edition of the first film was released in December of that same year and featured three commentaries, a three-part making of documentary called “In The Ring,” seven featurettes, TV spots and trailers, deleted scenes and a collectible booklet.

What’s In The New Set: The Undisputed Collection features all of the films as well as a bonus that has more than three hours of extras and special features. Additionally, all of the films are presented in high definition with 5.1 DTS-HD audio tracks, or in Rocky Balboa’s case, English PCM 5.1 uncompressed audio.

What’s The Difference In The Movie Itself: Like many Blu-ray reissues of films more recently released or updated on DVD, the films basically feature the same transfers as their standard-definition version, albeit now presented in uncompressed high definition. Much like the DVD transfer for the ‘06 edition, Rockyshows its age (and its initial price tag) with picture presentation that has a lot of grain and soft detail, but with the exception of the new film, which was transferred to HD when it was originally put on DVD, it by far looks the best of the series.

According to online information the ‘06 Anthology set boasted remastered presentation of the other films as well, but here they’re all grainy and muted, with soft colors and a focus that quite frankly should be sharper in high definition. Meanwhile, in terms of the content of the films, they’re all the same as in previous sets, with no edits or changes implemented.

What’s The Difference In Everything Else: This set unfortunately is a victim, at least in part, of the same rules that kept the bonus materials for Robocop off of its Blu-ray release. None of the films have commentaries, which means that the first film lost all three of the existing ones, and the new ones, well, they never received (and one might argue, they never deserved) one. Further, almost all of the special features on Disc Seven are the same as the ones on the ‘06 Rocky Special Edition, which begs the question why the commentaries couldn’t also carry over in addition to the featurettes and other stuff.

That said, the material is all genuinely interesting – a featurette about Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown explores a footnote in filmmaking history that is virtually unknown to anyone outside the industry – but again it would have been interesting to see something new among these existing extras, or in lieu of that a sort of one-stop set that collected everything together.

What’s The Final Grade: C. The appeal of the Rocky series is mostly predicated on personal experience – all of the films aren’t great – so if you saw certain ones at important times in your life (at least cinematically speaking), then this set is a must own. But for folks on the fence, the transfers are definitely not terrific, and the slate of extras is incomplete, especially if you’ve already spent some money on making this palooka a winner.

by Todd Gilchrist

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Formación MBA para deportistas

La historia es conocida, deportistas que después de haber ganado millones de dólares durante su momento cúspide perdieron su fortuna, ya sea por un mal negocio o malgastarlo de forma indiscriminada.

Según un informe de la revista estadounidense Sports Illustrated, 60% de los jugadores de la Asociación Nacional de Baloncesto de ese país (NBA), en su mayoría “bien pagados”, se quedan sin dinero a los cinco años de finalizar su carrera deportiva.

Un claro ejemplo fue lo que sucedió con el basquetbolista Scottie Pippen, seis veces campeón de la NBA, dos veces campeón Olímpico, integrante del mítico “Dream Team” del 92 y considerado uno de los 50 mejores jugadores de la historia. Ganó cerca de 120 millones de dólares, sin embargo los problemas económicos lo han atormentado.

El cine también ha sido espejo de esta situación. Este es el caso de la película “Rocky” donde su protagonista, un boxeador ítaloamericano (Rocky Balboa), encarnado por el actor Sylvester Stallone, logra ser campeón del mundo de los “pesos pesados”, acumulando una fortuna que perdería debido a los malos negocios.

Pero también hay casos opuestos: deportistas que gracias a sus acertadas decisiones en los negocios y asesorados por personas que se manejan en el mundo empresarial han sabido incrementar sus fortunas.

Shaquille O’Neal, conocido basquetbolista de la NBA, supo mezclar su talento con el reconocimiento mediático para amasar su fortuna en estratégicos negocios. En la actualidad se desarrolla como administrador de negocios en la Universidad de Phoenix.

En México también existen ejemplos: recientemente fue conocido el caso del volante de Monterrey, Luís Ernesto Pérez, quien ha iniciado un proyecto enfocado a los niños. Se trata del “Centro de Cuidado y Crecimiento“, una guardería con servicios de apoyo educativo y con la innovación que abre sus puertas las 24 horas del día.

Dentro de este contexto, la formación de posgrados se establece entonces como una buena salida laboral para deportistas de todas las ramas.

Entre el deporte y los negocios

Los deportistas de élite disfrutan de un éxito social y económico que han de saber gestionar adecuadamente en la finalización de su carrera deportiva. Quizás asistir a una escuela de negocios pueda ser el mejor impulso a su carrera.

Un deportista podría considerarse como un candidato perfecto para estudiar un MBA. Una de las principales ventajas es que las personas que han dedicado su vida al deporte tienen arraigadas algunas características como el liderazgo y el trabajo en equipos, aspectos esenciales para salir con éxito en el mundo de los negocios.

Cuando se combinan un gran nivel de la disciplina, trabajo y  una educación MBA se pueden alcanzar “excepcionales empleados y líderes de negocios”, asegura Jennifer Mae Shores, directora de admisiones en el MBA de UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Tan cierto es, que muchas universidades han comenzado a utilizar la estrategia deportiva como una materia más dentro de sus contenidos.

Sin embargo, muy pocos deportistas cursan estos programas, sin saber que para muchos, la educación empresarial podría marcar la diferencia entre mantenerse como millonario o ir a la bancarrota.

Los primeros casos

Conscientes de este potencial, la liga de fútbol americano de Estado Unidos (NFL) está reforzando la educación de sus jugadores, enviándoles a diversos programas de educación superior.

La Universidad Camilo José Cela de España, en colaboración con el Comité Olímpico de ese país (COE), también ha puesto en marcha diferentes acciones formativas orientadas a los deportistas, para que no pierdan la oportunidad de formarse y ampliar sus posibilidades de desarrollo personal.

El proyecto intenta ofrecer la posibilidad de realizar una carrera universitaria “a la medida”, que se adapte a sus horarios de entrenamiento, competiciones y viajes.

De forma autónoma, el COE desarrolla cursos de posgrado, donde dará facilidades para acoger a alumnos becarios en prácticas y cederá instalaciones para albergar conferencias y seminarios de este tipo, que incentiven a otros deportistas.

Por su parte, la Business Engineering School (BES) La Salle ofrece, desde el año 2004, el programa “Executive MBA in Sport Management”, que ofrece formación empresarial en la gestión de las distintas entidades relacionadas con esta materia, especial para ex deportistas.

En la misma línea, la escuela de negocios de Europa “EAE Business School”, reconoce en su sitio web la necesidad de una gestión económica en el deporte. “Nos hemos dado cuenta de que existe una deficiencia de profesionalidad en los clubes privados y en la gestión”, dice Óscar Coduras, director del “MBA & Sports Management de EAE”.

Artículo original: Formación MBA para deportistas

Fuente: www.altonivel.com.mx

http://guiadeposgrados.wordpress.com/

Notas relacionadas:

Cómo evaluar el retorno de la inversión de un MBA

Cómo ingresar con éxito a un MBA en EU

Claves para sobrevivir a un MBA

MBA de tiempo completo en Colombia

Vi skulle kunna betrakta Bruce-omröstningen som avslutad. Med blygsamma nio (9) röster delar Bruce Wayne och Bruce of the Philosophy Department på första platsen. Jag är varken förvånad eller besviken. Bruce Wayne är asnajs, har både betjänt, slott och ett grymt alter ego. Monty Python-Bruce har humor, och det är värdefullt det också. Snyggaste Monty Python-killen är det också.

Nå väl! Är ni redo för en till? Den här gången har jag skramlat ihop ett gäng härliga Rockysar (föreslå en bättre pluralform?), men innan ni dömer hunden efter håren är det värt att betänka att Rocky Dennis (oh yeah, det finns en Bruce-koppling även här om man läser det finstilta) är finast på insidan och har skitsnygga föräldrar, att hunden Rocky inte är Martin Kellerman (är han singel förresten?), och att Roky Erickson antagligen inte bjuder på några trista stunder. Vem tillbringar du helst en dag på stan med?

Conforme prometido,aqui está a segunda parte de nosso especial jogar ou assistir,agora com filmes que viraram games.Afinal nada melhor que poder estar na pele do herói daquele filmão que você nunca esquece.E  escolhi alguns jogos que representam bem seus filmes

O Poderoso Chefão

Godfather O game começa quando o pai do protagonista é assassinado por mafiosos rivais e sua mãe pede que Don Vito Corleone cuide de você. Logo nas primeiras cenas , é possível perceber o grau de detalhismo dos personagens. Cada um dos atores foi meticulosamente reproduzido(o realismo dos persongaens é incrivel,quem já viu o filme pode até confudir com cenas do cinema).Os combates se dividem em ataques corpo-a-corpo e armas de fogo. Os golpes físicos são variados. O seu personagem dispõe de uma série de socos e chutes, além de agarrões diversos. Os ataques variam entre joelhadas e até alguns empurrões, só para jogar o oponente no chão. Quase tudo é feito com o analógico direito, como se fosse uma versão simplificada de “Fight Night”.Seria muito difícil reproduzir toda a sensação de um filme como  ”O Poderoso Chefão”,mas esse jogo de play 2 traduz muito bem a temática do filme com um realismo e interatividade impressionantes.

Bad Boys Miami takedown

Miami Takedown permite que jogadores controlem Mike Lowrey(Will Smith) e Marcus Burnett(Martin LAurence) em sua guerra contra traficantes de drogas. O sistema usual de sair dando tiros para todos os lados está representado, com o típico humor do filme (que aliás tm cenas impagáveis). O destaque fica por conta de dois elementos pouco comuns. O primeiro é um sistema de cobertura baseado em pontos especiais para a manobra – apesar disso estar presente em muitos game, o fato de se restringir a determinados locais permite que, com o toque de um botão, o personagem salte bem ao estilo cinematográfico para se proteger. A segunda é um indicador para mostrar se você está sendo um “tira bom” ou “tira ruim”.O jogo segue bem a linha do filme ação pura,muitos tiros,descontração bem Bad Boys mesmo,com missões bem envolventes, pra quem gosta de um bom jogo de ação é um prato cheio.

Harry Potter e o prisioneiro de Askaban

Pela primeira vez, jogadores poderão controlar os amigos Ronny Weasley e Hermione Granger, além do próprio Potter. Cada um deles terá habilidades próprias: além de contar com magias únicas (somente Harry pode invocar um Patronus, por exemplo), cada um deles se especializa em algumas áreas: Harry é o melhor saltador e jogador de Quadribol(acredite é mesmo). Ronny é capaz de ver passagens secretas escondidas e Hermione pode passar por pequenos buracos. O jogador deverá escolher qual dos três amigos será ideal para resolver os desafios e quebra-cabeças do jogo. Em alguns estágios, será preciso combinar suas forças para criar magias mais arrasadoras. Como um brinde, você poderá também controlar a coruja Edwiges em algumas partes da aventura.A principio os jogos de Harry Potter não costumam decepcionar os fãs ( pessoalmente estou longe de ser um fã)Considero esse o melhor filme do bruxo,e por coincidência também o melhor jogo,faz você pensar com nenhum outro jogo da série faz,e levando em conta que estou priorizando as melhores adaptações para os jogos,esse merece lugar.

Ratatouille

Assuma a pele de Remy, um jovem ratinho que sonha em se tornar um grande chef de cozinha francês em Paris – tirando o “ligeiro” problema de se tratar de um rato , assim vivendo alguns dos principais momentos do filme.Os desafios são variados(aliás como costuma acontecer nos games baseados em filmes de animação) passando por provas de culinária até lances típicos do estilo plataforma. As atividades envolvem desde criar pratos elaborados na cozinha até evitar ser visto por inimigos famintos.Dentre os vários jogos baseados em filmes de animação escolhi esse para comentar ,não somente pelo filme (que gostei muito),mas pela jogabilidade do game,acreditem é um jogo muito divertido,você tem muitas mudanças ao longo das diferentes missões.Lembra muito os clássicos de super nintendo,com aventuras bem criativas,nessa área poderia citar o jogo de “Shrek terceiro” e “Hércules”(para play 1 baseado no filme em 2D da disney) que são boas pedidas para quem gosta do gênero animação.

Rocky Legends

O modo principal é um Story Mode onde você leva Rocky Balboa por todas as lutas vistas no filme (inclusive aquelas menos importantes), cada qual na mesma locação utilizada no filme(tem uns becos,muito bem feitos). Os personagens derrotados vão sendo liberados para o Exhbition Mode. E com todos os 20 lutadores dos cinco filmes, até personagens menores como Dipper Brown estarão representados. O estilo de controle está mais próximo do arcade, com comandos simples, além dos combos e golpes específicos de cada lutador( pena que o sistema de controle não seja o mesmo de Fight Night). Para garantir o equilíbrio do game, os lutadores mais fortes porém mais lentos serão bons adversários para os rápidos e fracos.Não podia faltar esse clássico,Rocky Balboa neles,um jogo literalmente para os fãs(como eu) onde você revive as lutas clássicas do ” garanhão italiano”,mas já adianto é um dos jogos mais difíceis que joguei (na verdade ainda estou tentando jogar)no inicio se apanha muito,e mesmo mais pra frente quando encontrar os lutadores mais forte pode ter certeza que vai voltar a apanhar durante um tempo.rsrs

Encerro por aqui esse especial,procurei abordar 5 jogos de gênero diferente(e que fossem bons jogos),pra mostrar que existem muitos jogos legais vindos de filmes (não podemos dizer o mesmo de filme vindo de jogos certo??rs)   Nesse caso você pode assistir e jogar que vale a pena.Então suba no ringue , mostre que é um Bad Boy e chame um chefão para a briga,ele vai tremer como um Rato e ter de apelar pra mágia.

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Dear Mister Quesada,

I’d like to formally apologize for the snarky aside I made about “Brand New Day” in the panel, even though it’s not on YouTube yet, and according to the modern digital world, it doesn’t exist. I’m not a huge Spidey fan, and I understand the want to maintain character longevity. I just feel like there are different ways to go about it; after all, Daredevil’s been outed twice, disbarred once, and has had several of his girlfriends die on him, not to mention spending time in prison. Granted, there was that whole Clone Saga, but seriously – compared to Ol’ Hornhead, Spidey has it real easy, and not once has Matt Murdock’s life been in need of a retroactive continuity change.

But, through all of that, you see one shining attribute – persistence. Matt Murdock doesn’t give up. Matt Murdock is the Rocky Balboa of superheroes. Sure, he has a radar sense, but other than that, he’s a physically normal human being, trying to stand toe to toe with the Clubber Langs and Ivan Dragos and the Kingpins. He gets beat down, stomped on, pushed to the limits of his sanity – he knows what comes, and he still keeps going. At times, it’s heroic, like Rocky I or IV; other times, it’s tragic, like Rocky Balboa or Rocky II. Other, other times, it’s just plain cheese, like Rocky V. It doesn’t matter. He just keeps going.

I’m positive this is the way with Spidey as well, but to me, Spiderman’s always been emblematic of what young life is. You struggle to find your way in the world, you meet the girl, you get the job, and you make your hard choices. But, at some point, I feel like Spiderman should be changing diapers. That’s just how it goes. You marry the girl, Aunt May dies, and after a long night of tears, you move on. You try to make sense of your life, and that’s where the kid comes in. You find a new purpose to keep doing what you’re doing, until you reach a kind of Quixotic end, where you decide, “You know what? Maybe the best death for a hero is a normal death. A quiet one, with friends and family. Nothing spectacular. No saving babies from a burning building, no brilliant fight to the end. Just the people who matter most.”

That’s the way I feel Spiderman should be. While Matt Murdock is Marvel’s Rocky Balboa – the enduring warrior, persistence in the face of suffering, triumph in the face of adversity – Spiderman is the one who says, “Once you get through it all, and you’ve had your hard times – life is pretty awesome.” He’s George Bailey, right at the end of “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Scratch that – he IS George Bailey. He’s a smart-alecky, swing-from-buildings, fight-the-Goblin George Bailey. He has some rough patches, but either by himself or with a little help, he always gets to swing above the clouds and see the sun.

So, for Matt Murdock’s sake, let Spidey have the kid. Let Aunt May die. While some heroes are made to suffer, and to quote Glenn Danzig, are “born in the soul of misery”, Spiderman is not one of them. He’s the hero that deserves something resembling a happy ending, and I sincerely hope that he gets it.

All the best,

Brian A. Lynch
a.k.a Brian St. Claire

from January 2, 2007

Rocky Balboa is a rare sixth film. Sixth films are rare in general. Off the top of my head, I can recall Star Trek VI, The Undiscovered Country and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (thanks to George Lucas, episode three is really the sixth film). I thought that Star Trek VI was a very good, even smart at times, movie, with enough nods to the past and a sense of closure to bring the adventures of the original crew to an end, with the exception of the terrible Generations. On the other hand, there was the awful Revenge of The Sith, a film so bad that Lucas took a can’t-miss story (the birth of Darth Vader) and missed by a mile, with a stupid plot, awful acting, sad writing, and video-game special effects. (I know a lot of you like that film. Sorry, you are so wrong.) Going back to the black and white era, the Sherlock Holmes franchise with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce ran for fourteen films, and most were pretty good. But times have changed.

Rocky Balboa is a very good film.

Let’s pause and recap the series before we go on.

Rocky was a four-star classic. We all know the story. A great film in which the underdog didn’t have to win the fight, he just had to go the distance and prove that he belonged. Wonderful acting, great characterization, and a touching and intelligent script.

Rocky II was almost as good as the first. Here, Rocky finally made it. However, the real strength of the film was in the story of Rocky as a person. After the first film, Rocky was still functionally illiterate. He had money but no way to manage it, or keep it. He had no future, and nowhere to go. Only a rematch with Apollo Creed could make him someone, and Apollo had to give it to him since no one believed that Rocky lost the first fight and Apollo would always be dogged with that specter.

Rocky III was good, but by no means great. It logically continued the story of Rocky as he contemplated retirement, but had to fight one last time to prove to everyone that he deserved all he had, since Mickey fed him a string of weak challengers to protect him from injury.

Rocky IV and Rocky V were silly. Rocky promoting peace with the Soviets and fighting in the streets. Silly.

But then Rocky Balboa came along and redeemed the franchise. No one expected this movie to be good. Rocky (and Stallone) is sixty years old. All the jokes were already made. No one thought that this film would be any better than the last two. They were wrong. This film, though not a classic, is a worthy successor to the first two films and a great way to end this franchise.

(WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT)

As the film opens, Rocky is mourning Adrian, who died a few years ago. Rocky has slowly lost everyone in his life. Prior to this film, that was a complaint of mine, that in every recent Rocky film someone had to die. Mickey died in three, Apollo died in four, and his relationship with his son died in five. By the time this film opens, its just Rocky and Paulie, and a lot of memories. Just like the real-life Jack Dempsey, Rocky is running a restaurant, spending his nights recounting his past glories and his days mourning Adrian. (The Dempsey comparison is right up front, especially when Rocky wears a T-shirt with “Dempsey” written across the front.) Rocky drags Paulie along with him as he revisits the important places in his life with Adrian. And it is a touching scene where Paulie tells Rocky that he can’t go with him anymore. Those memories are happy for Rocky, he explains, but not for him. He is sorry about the bad way he treated Adrian. Paulie is also suffering. The years haven’t been kind to either of them.

Rocky has a bad relationship with his son, and other than Paulie no relationships at all. That’s why it is touching how Rocky befriends a woman, Little Marie,  who was a young child in the original and now a single mother. There is never any hint of a romance here- Rocky is too faithful to Adrian, but rather this is a bond between two people who just need other people.

Rocky, needing something, anything, in his life, gets his boxing license back with the intention of just doing some small local fights, almost the way he began. It doesn’t go that way.

Mason Dixon is the current heavyweight champ. In all the other films, Rocky had a fearsome opponent. Apollo Creed was an undefeated champion, and beloved by the public. Clubber Lang was a brutal monster. Drago was a Soviet boxing machine. Mason Dixon, by contrast, is a disrespected champion. He never had any good opponents, and never was tested. He is the champ of a pretty lame group of heavyweights. After a computer simulation between him and Rocky shows him losing, Mason challenges Rocky. It is important that Mason Dixon is not portrayed as a beast like Lang or a boxer like Creed- Rocky at this stage of the game could never go a minute with one of them. An older, slower Rocky needs a comparable opponent. Really, however, Rocky is just fighting time. The opponent in this film is almost a MacGuffin.

The end of the fight was never in doubt. Like the first film, it ends in a split decision for the champion. But Rocky doesn’t even stay in the ring for the announcement. All smiles, he walks back to the dressing room amid chants of “Rocky, Rocky.” The old man just had to go the distance, prove he belonged, and quiet some of his demons.

There were some problems with this film. The relationship with his son was rectified a little too simply. Little Marie’s son is introduced for no real reason. Mason Dixon has a story that looks like much of it was left on the cutting room floor. In some ways, his story might have echoed Rocky’s, as he went back to his old neighborhood and trainer, but nothing is made of that. Even Paulie lost his job but nothing was made of it. (I, knowing how people tend to die in these films, worried that Paulie was going to commit suicide.)

Paulie has undergone a transformation too. He has gone from hating Rocky, to resenting Rocky, to now loving rocky. Paulie here is a friend and family to rocky. Together, they are two old men, one living in the past, the other stuck in the present.

The end of the film is just a feel-good finale, but in this film it fits. The whole film is a good character piece. There is a sense in the whole movie of just how lonely Rocky is and how much he needs a happy ending. No matter where he goes, there are people who want to shake his hand, get an autograph, or take a picture, but it is the old story of being alone in a crowd. There is no one for Rocky to connect with. He gets his happy ending here, and no one can help but be happy for him. His son is back, he proved himself, he goes out a winner. This is the right point for the franchise to end. It goes out on a high note. This film, like Rocky himself, proved that it belonged.

While some may complain about the flashbacks and training scenes- all designed to tug at your emotions- they just added to the wonderful sense of nostalgia, history, time, and closure. And who wouldn’t smile at seeing Rocky (and his dog) running up the steps one last time?

All the jokes about Rocky, about the franchise, have been blown away with this well-done, smart, and touching final installment. The series has gone out with dignity and it’s head held high.

A horde of robed “Rockys” gathers around their hero Sunday morning at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps made famous in the “Rocky” movies. They were among more than 200 people who answered a call to take part in a Parade of 1,000 Rockys, which led from the LOVE statue near Philadelphia City Hall, up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the museum steps. The event, designed to promote the release of a boxed set of the movies on Blu-ray, included a look-alike contest, cheesesteak-eating contest, music by the Irish-American String Band, and other Rockycentric activities.

So this coming Sunday I will get to complete #38, which is to watch Mike compete in a powerlifting meet. Weightlifting and powerlifting have been a BIG part of his life for decades but in the 3+ years we have been together I haven’t been able to seem him compete. So Sunday in Vermont he will be benchpressing for a trophy and possibly a record in the “Vermont Old School Iron Wars.” I am curious to see what all of this is about. He is in the best shape he has been in since I met him and I know he is poised to make a big comeback! Plus it doesn’t hurt your personal training business when you can “walk the walk,” when you are in great shape it gives you more credibility with your clients. That is true of a lot of professions. How many of you have been to a hairdresser that had dirty, unstyled hair and 2″ roots or have been told by an overweight Dr. to lose weight after you were weighed by an overweight nurse? My point is in order to sell yourself and inspire confidence in your customers and clients you need to look and live like you know what you’re doing before people will spend their hard-earned money on your service!

So I wish him the best of luck and love and support and support makes all the difference when you are trying to achieve a goal or a dream and to give him a boost I had a surprise manifesting dinner for him last Sunday. We both love “Rocky” and in fact that is Mike’s nickname, he has always felt a bit of the underdog and he is not the youngest competitor by far so we had a Philadelphia, Rocky-style dinner. The menu was Philly cheese steak subs, Philly Cheesecake, Tasy-Kakes (apparently a big deal in Philly and made there) complete with barbells and dumbbells for dessert. See the picture for an explanation of that last one!! LOL It’s creative thinking like that, that earned me a book contract for my “Storytimes Good Enough to Eat!” book.

I decorated with past first place plaques and trophies and our good luck “Mighty Mick’s Boxing” shirt!

We had a good time and it was his last “Cheat” day before the meet. It just shows you don’t have to spend a lot of money to show someone you care or to have a good time a little creativity and some thought is often enough of a gesture to let someone know you support them.

Back to my writing which has been slower than I’d hoped but I’m in a better frame of mind and looking at the BIG picture. I have a month to finish not just 3 days!! lol

Enjoy the pictures!      “Rocky, Rocky, Rocky…..”

For more info on the meet or powerlifting in general check out these sites:

www.vermontpowerlifting.com

www.rawpowerlifting.com – they are sanctioning this meet

blogsurfer.us

alphainventions.com

Rocky Balboa è un film del 2006 diretto da Sylvester Stallone. Scritto, diretto, interpretato e prodotto da Sylvester Stallone che, 16 anni dopo Rocky V, torna ad interpretare uno dei personaggi che gli stanno più a cuore, il pugile italo-americano Rocky Balboa, con quello che è il sesto e presumibilmente l’ultimo film della fortunata saga iniziata nel 1976.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Sportivo | Drammatico | Azione | Sylvester Stallone | Antonio Tarver | Burt Young | Milo Ventimiglia

I enjoyed the original Rocky movie and also the sequels Rocky 3, 4 and Rocky Balboa. Now there is talk about Sylvester Stallone making yet another Rocky movie.

Rocky Balboa seemed to wrap things up well for the aging boxer. Rocky Balboa gave a good showing in the ring, but youth finally overcame Rocky’s raw power and he lost the match in a split decision, reminiscent of the original Rocky movie. In reaching that final bout, Rocky re-established his relationship with his son and may have even found a new love interest.

Everything wrapped up nicely. Yet Stallone thinks there is more water in the well. Why? What purpose will be served? Rocky Balboa brought closure to any loose ends in the Rocky story. Does Rocky have to die like Apollo Creed in Rocky 4 before the sequels end? It seems more of a way to make a lot of money.

While I have enjoyed more of the Rocky movies than not, I think it’s time for Rocky to enjoy his retirement. Besides, if Rocky goes back into the ring, the battering he will get there will be a slap on the cheek compared to what critics will say about a 60+ year old man thinking he could last in the ring.

Maybe Stallone’s brain is as rattled as Rocky’s.

I have always been a big movie guy, if you know me well you know this. Over the past few months I have started to hear things about having expectations versus the real outcome. We expect things to go a certain way and when they don’t … disappointment. Jesus’ followers expected He was going to overthrow the Romans and rule but He got executed and they were shocked. So they quit the ministry and went back to fishin’. It’s not what they expected.

What the heck does this have to do with movies, being ripped off or freakin’ unicorns? It does. As many of my mind changes involve the author Donald Miller (see previous posts if you don’t know what I’m talking about). We went and saw him last week and learned some stuff. Films are all about Story. You need to have a likable  or at least interesting character, you need to have conflict and then you need resolution. So the rip-off comes when we watch the film and Meg Ryan kisses Tom Hanks on the Empire State Building and they live happily ever after. Rocky Balboa calls out for Adrian, who runs down to the ring. As the ring announcer declares the fight for Apollo Creed by virtue of a split decision, Adrian and Rocky embrace while they profess their love to one another, not caring about the results of the fight and everyone lives happily ever after. The thing is nobody lives happily ever after. Don Miller said he thought that if he had a bestselling book and fat stacks of cash then he thought he wouldn’t have any problems and would even be able to talk to animals. Sounds silly but I bet you think there is something out there if you had it you would be happy. There isn’t and you won’t. Our story will resolve someday, and we’ll be dead when it happens.

I heard that we spend 67 billion dollars on foreign aid, helping people who don’t have enough food and water, get food and water. Sounds like a lot of money huh? Well somebody spends something like 280 billion on advertising. Trying to get you to think you need things you don’t. If you brush with this toothpaste people will like you, if you drink this beer you’ll get laid, if you don’t feed your baby this you are a bad parent. But if you do buy all of these thing you will live happily ever after and be able to talk to animals.

So what should we do? I’m going to still watch movies and TV but I’m going to try and not be looking for this fulfillment that I’m not going to find. If you want your life to be a great story that has a great resolution at your death then make a great story. You are really in control of your story. Love others, help people, serve , give, sacrifice, and be a blessing!

Live Loved! m

Somebody took Sylvester Stallone’s words out of context, go figure. In an interview discovered three years ago with Tele5 Germany, Stallone joked about experimenting with Rocky’s storyline for a possible seventh film:

“When I was 21 years old and at drama school. My teacher said to me, ‘If you ever put your head out there, thousands of people will try to cut it off, but that’s exactly what you need to do as an artist’”…I know it’s ludicrous and everyone would laugh. I would laugh about it. But I also know that I’d be successful if I can make this a film about becoming older, not about boxing but about myself.”

Stallone’s publicist layed that rumor to rest asap:

Also the interview that has been running with Sly talking about doing another Rocky – hello people – that was done 3 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is not a new interview and Sly has no intention of doing another Rocky – Rocky Balboa was the perfect bookend to the original Rocky – nothing left to say. I personally am pushing Sly to do Poe – but that will have to wait until he does the next movie – whatever that may be.

Thank GOD!!!