A True Champion
for the Ages

Do you think Rocky started the sports movie genre? I'm sure there were other sports-centered films before it, but I feel like the genre truly came into its own with Rocky. The movie introduced or popularized many of the tropes we take for granted now, like the training montage and the redemption arc.

That's why Rocky will always be the OG for me. The OG sports movie and the OG underdog. A true champion for the ages, whose story still resonates with old and new audiences. The film has stood the test of time, and his arc is just as relevant and inspiring now as it was back then.

I don't even think its many sequels lived up to the first movie. This isn't to say they're not great; I enjoyed them just as much as the next Rocky fan. But I'm gonna be 100% honest: the original film still reigns supreme. They can make a million more sequels for all I care; the first one is still my favorite.

My devotion is so strong that I even tracked down Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire to get their autographs on my Rocky movie poster. This might sound crazy, but I don't really care; I moved to Los Angeles just for the chance to meet them in real life.

I finally got lucky in 2015, when I went to the Los Angeles premiere of Creed at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood. It's fitting that the first time I saw Sylvester Stallone in person was at the start of the Rocky spinoff franchise. I'd tried to go to many Expendables premieres before, but I always missed my chance.

Though I'm glad I met him there, since it was less hectic. At the Expendables premieres, he had to share the spotlight with the rest of the ensemble cast. These were action stars who rivaled him in fame and prestige. I could only imagine how crazy those events were.

At least here, at the premiere of the first Creed movie, he was the biggest name on the carpet. Michael B. Jordan was the lead, but he wasn't yet the megastar he'd become, so most of the attention was on Stallone, including my own. And that night, I finally met him and got him to sign my Rocky movie poster.

Two years later, I also finally met the iconic Talia Shire at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was in 2017, and The Godfather cast reunited at Radio City Music Hall for a special 45th anniversary event. Naturally, I went to get her autograph on two posters, one for Rocky and the other for The Godfather.

I'm lucky I even managed to meet her that night, because they didn't hold a formal autograph signing or meet-and-greet. They just held a screening and conducted a Q&A panel afterward. Only my quick thinking got me to a spot near the exit, where I caught up to her and got her to sign my posters.

I guess I could've gotten the rest of the cast's autographs, too, but these two were more than enough. They're the heart and soul of the movie, after all. The big stars who made Rocky the phenomenon it is today. Getting their autographs at all was already a major feat.