Even though he accepts "total responsibility for it -- who else could?" -- Sylvester Stallone wasn't happy with how "Rocky V" ended. "I wanted to wrap up Rocky's story with a sense of hope, and 'Rocky V' didn't have that feeling at all," Stallone said during a recent chat with the Sun-Times in Chicago. "In fact, I thought it left people disenchanted, and that was kind of it."

For those who may not remember the film -- released in 1990 -- Rocky Balboa was forced into retirement, having been permanently damaged in the ring by Russian boxer Ivan Drago in the "Rocky" film before. Virtually bankrupt -- thanks to an unscrupulous accountant -- Rocky turns to coaching an up-and-coming fighter with mixed results.

"It just wasn't how I wanted to end Rocky's long road," Stallone said. And it has been quite a lengthy journey. After all, the first "Rocky" in 1976 -- which won three Oscars -- roared into our consciousness, "when I was 29, that's a huge chunk of my life, virtually half my life," said Stallone, who turned 60 in July.

In the ensuing 16 years since "Rocky V," Stallone claims he's learned a lot -- about himself, filmmaking and the always-changing realities of getting things done in Hollywood.

Source: http://www.msn.com
POSTED BY BILL ZWECKER


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