What's Next On My List? Sly

Here we are, ten years of #StalloneMonth. Over time I have decided to stop writing, it does not bring me the same joy as it did, but you know what I do still love? Movies. I just adore movies. And one of the many actors that keeps me going back to the big screen is none other than Sylvester Stallone. As I am going through his filmography, it is always hard to choose the four movies I will cover, and honestly, I am slowly running out, having done this for ten years now, it is no wonder. This man is a machine, and I hope he will be making movies for many years to come! Let's just jump into the next one:

Sly (2023)

Obviously, the first one we need to talk about is the documentary film that came out on Netflix in 2023, entitled Sly. It is hard to give a plot summary, but if anyone is interested in the story of Stallone getting his first break with Rocky and the story behind it, they will not be disappointed in this film. 

I am currently writing my dissertation on Italian American representation in Hollywood, and I feature both Rocky I and II heavily, as they are a perfect time capsule for the 1970s in America. I have read many interviews about his struggle as an actor, how he was barely making it, and that he refused to sell the script of Rocky, unless he was starring in it as well, and honestly, that was a good call, I think we can all agree in hindsight! But it was great to see it retold from his lips. In the documentary he is moving from LA to New York, and just around the documentary he was also in Philadelphia, as the city has established an annual Rocky Day, and the Los Angeles Times reported on it: Sylvester Stallone celebrates Philly’s first-ever Rocky Day: ‘Keep punching!’. So many years later, after such a huge franchise - as I think we can all agree that Stallone is the master of franchises* -, the impact that Rocky had on the city of Philadelphia and its legacy will live on beyond Sylvester Stallone, and that is incredible. In my popular culture classes with my students we always discuss the impact that movies and TV shows have had on culture in general, and this is one for the history books indeed.

*Think of the fact that Rocky has had its on spin off series after several movies, or the Rambo sequels, not to mention The Expendables. 

I think one of the best things to come out from all these streaming platforms is the amount of money they spend on documentaries. One is better than the next one, incredible budget, great stories, and great artists, in great moments in history. Most people are attracted to true crime, but honestly, I prefer inspirational stories, like this one. Being a megastar in Hollywood we might forget that Stallone too had to start somewhere, and even if Rocky was his breakthrough, he had acted before, and directors and producers alike noticed him. It was a great documentary on the brain of Stallone and how he puts stories to the page, how we works together with others, and his process.

I have a couple more films I want to talk about this month, and I hope I got a few people to be interested in this one. At the end of the day, Hollywood remains one of the few industries where voting with your wallet is still the way in which we decide 

Before we head out tho, seeing that there would be no Rocky without Apollo Creed, and the fantastic Carl Weathers passed away just a couple of days before I finished writing this piece, and I did not want to go without mentioning it. He was a terrific actor, and he had some of the most iconic roles during his time. Any and all projects he was part of were wonderful. He will be missed.

Stick around for more #StalloneMonth!