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110-422: James D. Rolfe (born July 10, 1980) is an American YouTuber , filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedic retrogaming web series Angry Video Game Nerd (2004–present). His spin-off projects include reviews of retro films, television series, and board games. He is considered a pioneer of internet gaming videos and is noted for his widespread influence on YouTube content after
220-413: A bachelor's degree in fine arts in 2004. After graduating, he worked as a film editor for corporate safety and instructional videos, but quit in 2007 following the success of his Angry Video Game Nerd web series. Rolfe operated and ran an annual "haunted house" Halloween attraction out of his parents' garage (the same garage was later used to build a graveyard for his horror comedy film The Deader,
330-776: A special education school for seven and a half years during his childhood. He reflected on his past, saying, "In school, I had a rough time communicating. I went to special ed for seven-and-a-half years. I liked it, I had a good time. But socializing in general... I was a little awkward. Art always made me feel comfortable." Rolfe attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia , where he studied filmmaking. While in college, Rolfe met several friends who would later become collaborators on future projects, including Mike Matei, Kyle Justin, and Brendan "Bootsy" Castner. He graduated with
440-475: A weighted average , assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The Directors Guild of America awarded Rocky its annual award for best film of the year in 1976. Additionally, the Directors Guild voted Rocky as the 65th best-directed film of all time, and in 2006, Sylvester Stallone's original screenplay for the film was selected by
550-631: A cameo in a Doritos and Pepsi commercial published online in November 2010. The ad was part of a voting contest, with the winning clip slated to air during Super Bowl XLV . However, the ad was eventually withdrawn due to public backlash, as it parodied the Catholic practice of Eucharist . In 2007, Rolfe had a cameo in the fan film Return of the Ghostbusters . He was featured in the 2009 documentary His Name Was Jason , in which he discusses
660-465: A camera and took photographs of him and his friends play-fighting. He was inspired by The Legend of Zelda and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to create adventure stories. Rolfe also illustrated comic books, which he updated monthly. One such comic he created had a plot inspired by the video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . Rolfe started filming shorts in 1989, continuing this hobby into
770-603: A collector for a Mafia loan shark , on the basis of his nickname, "The Italian Stallion". Rocky fights in a local Philadelphia fight club, and he won his last fight with Spider Rico. He meets with promoter George Jergens, who tells him Creed has selected Rocky to fight him for the World Heavyweight Championship. Reluctant at first, Rocky eventually agrees to the fight, which will pay him $ 150,000. Rocky undergoes several weeks of unorthodox training, such as using sides of beef as punching bags . Rocky
880-508: A desert dune and raising his hands in victory. In the fourth-season finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , as the credits roll at the end of the episode, Will is seen running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; however, as he celebrates after finishing his climb, he passes out in exhaustion, and while he lies unconscious on the ground, a pickpocket steals his wallet and his wool hat. In The Nutty Professor , there
990-456: A different theme for Monster Madness . In 2007, the theme was the history of horror. In 2008, it was Godzillathon , where he reviewed all of the Godzilla films chronologically. 2009's theme, Monster Madness Three , dealt with a variety of popular and lesser-known horror films. 2010's theme, Camp Cult , focused on both campy horror films and cult classics, such as Troll 2 . In 2011, the theme
1100-467: A half days, shortly after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner that took place at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio , on March 24, 1975. Wepner was TKO'd in the 15th round of the match by Ali, with few expecting him to last as long as he did. Despite the match motivating Stallone to begin work on Rocky , he has denied Wepner provided any inspiration for
1210-449: A man revisiting a childhood amusement park, only to become trapped there. Rolfe stated that the project could be revived in another medium and that he was working on another small-scale screenplay. In May 2007, Rolfe launched a new web series called You Know What's Bullshit? , in which he rants about everyday pet peeves such as pennies, shoelaces, pay toilets , and printers. Initially consisting of rants by Rolfe, he later decided to create
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#17327905204991320-570: A movie like Rocky could envisage, and most previous ring movies have been much more cynical about the fight scene"; commenting on Rocky's work for a loan shark, Sarris says the film "teeters on the edge of sentimentalizing gangsters". He found Meredith "oddly cast in the kind of part the late James Gleason used to pick his teeth". One of the positive online reviews came from the BBC Films website, with both reviewer Almar Haflidason and BBC online users giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The film enjoys
1430-563: A new character to host the series named "The Bullshit Man" (a masked version of Rolfe resembling cow dung ). The Bullshit Man made several cameo appearances in AVGN content, including select videos and the video game AVGN Adventures as a secret character. In 2020, the show's name was abbreviated to You Know What's BS? due to YouTube's advertising policies. Cinemassacre has published a number of other reviews featuring Rolfe and his associates as themselves. Topics covered include video games (under
1540-572: A period, Rolfe focused his efforts on producing Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie , which centers around the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game for the Atari 2600 . The film was a collaboration between Rolfe and Kevin Finn and was entirely funded through fan donations. The release of the film in 2014 coincided with the 31st anniversary of the 1983 video game crash . The final sequence of
1650-634: A pilot for a planned web series entitled Jersey Odysseys: Legend of the Blue Hole , based on urban legends from the state of New Jersey. The pilot centers around the legend of the Jersey Devil . Rolfe's career did not gain significant momentum until May 2004, when he filmed a 5-minute short review of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game Castlevania II: Simon's Quest under the title "Bad NES Games". His character
1760-462: A public skating rink during regular business hours, but the producers decided they could not afford the hundreds of extras that would have been required. The poster seen above the ring before Rocky fights Apollo Creed shows Rocky wearing red shorts with a white stripe when he actually wears white shorts with a red stripe. When Rocky points this out, he is told that "it doesn't really matter, does it?" According to director Avildsen's DVD commentary, this
1870-437: A reputation as a classic and still receives nearly universal praise. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a 92% approval rating based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critics consensus states: "This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone's script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints." Metacritic , which uses
1980-403: A review of the 1988 game Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , which was initially intended to be the last of the series due to his intense dislike for the game. The video introduced the running joke of The Nerd drinking alcohol in response to a particularly bad game; Rolfe initially used Rolling Rock beer for the gag, as it was the only beer available in his refrigerator at the time, but later performed
2090-575: A second chance, they would award the 1977 Oscar for Best Picture to All the President's Men instead. Time Out ranked Rocky #1 on their list of the "50 Best Sports Movies of All Time". On their list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time", entertainment news website Vulture ranked Rocky at #3. In 2015, Thrillist compiled a list of "The 1001 Best Movies of All Time" by weighing ratings from IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes , Metacritic and Letterboxd . Rocky ranked #589. In 2021,
2200-539: A statue of Rocky, commissioned by Stallone for Rocky III , was placed at the top of the Rocky Steps . City Commerce Director Dick Doran claimed that Stallone and Rocky had done more for the city's image than "anyone since Ben Franklin ". Differing opinions of the statue and its placement led to a relocation to the sidewalk outside the Spectrum Arena, although the statue was temporarily returned to
2310-540: A trip he made to England and Scotland. The music used in the video was from the Black Sabbath single " Heaven and Hell ". Rolfe also participated in the 48 Hour Film Project between 2004 and 2007. In the 2007 event, he won the Audience Award for his film Spaghetti Western . His other entries included a trilogy of films titled Death Suit (2004), Death Seen (2005), and Death Secret (2006). Rolfe had
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#17327905204992420-481: A vehicle for a well-established star like Robert Redford , Ryan O'Neal , Burt Reynolds , or James Caan . Stallone's agents insisted that Stallone portray the title character, to the point of issuing an ultimatum. Stallone later said that he would never have forgiven himself had the film become a success with somebody else in the lead. He also knew that producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff 's contract with
2530-489: A worldwide box office total of $ 225 million. With its production budget of just under $ 1 million, Rocky is notable for its worldwide percentage return of over 11,000 percent. It was the highest-grossing film released in 1976 in the United States and Canada and the second highest-grossing film of 1977, behind Star Wars . Rocky received positive reviews at the time of its release. Roger Ebert of
2640-424: Is extremely well received by the sportscasters and the audience. Rocky calls out repeatedly for Adrian, who runs down as Paulie distracts security to help her get into the ring. As Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision , Rocky and Adrian embrace and profess their love for each other, not caring about the outcome of the fight. Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky in three and
2750-464: Is informed five weeks from the fight date that his scheduled opponent is unable to compete due to an injured hand, and that all other potential replacements are either booked up or unable to get into shape in time. Having already invested heavily into the fight, Creed decides to give a local contender a chance to challenge him. Creed selects Rocky Balboa , an Italian-American journeyman southpaw boxer who fights primarily in small gyms and works as
2860-410: Is later approached by Mickey Goldmill, a former bantamweight fighter-turned-trainer whose gym Rocky frequents, about further training. Rocky is not willing initially, as Mickey has not shown much interest in helping him before and saw him as a wasted talent, but eventually Rocky accepts the offer. Rocky begins to build a romantic relationship with Adrian Pennino, a shy woman who is working part-time at
2970-524: Is the first installment in the Rocky franchise and also stars Talia Shire , Burt Young , Carl Weathers , and Burgess Meredith . In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector from Philadelphia , gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers). Rocky entered development in March 1975, after Stallone wrote
3080-488: The Chicago Sun-Times gave it 4 out of 4 stars and said that Stallone reminded him of "the young Marlon Brando ." Box Office Magazine claimed audiences would be "touting Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone as a new star". Frank Rich liked the film, calling it "almost 100 per cent schmaltz ", but favoring it over the cynicism that was prevalent in movies at that time, although he referred to the plot as "gimmicky" and
3190-651: The Friday the 13th movie series and its antagonist Jason Voorhees . Similarly, Rolfe appeared in a bonus feature for the 2010 documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy , where he discusses the Nightmare on Elm Street NES game , a title he had previously covered as the Nerd in the 13th AVGN episode. The bonus feature can be found on the second disc of the Never Sleep Again DVD set. In 2010, it
3300-593: The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Rocky as the 78th best film in American cinema . The film's ranking rose to #57 on AFI's 10th anniversary edition of the list in 2007. Additionally, in June 2008, AFI revealed its 10 Top 10 —the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Rocky was acknowledged as the second-best film in
3410-491: The American Film Institute placed it 58th on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs . United Artists Records released the soundtrack album on November 12, 1976. EMI re-released the album on CD and cassette . Frank Stallone's song "Take You Back" is also on the soundtrack, and he also sings the song in the movie with other friends around a trash can fire. The movie began with two premieres in New York, starting with
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3520-533: The Angry Video Game Nerd theme song, Brandon Castner, better known as Bad Luck Bootsy from Board James , JonTron and Macaulay Culkin . Rolfe and Matei produced episodes for eight consecutive years until they announced the series would be on hiatus until February 2021. However, Matei left Cinemassacre in December 2020 to become a full-time streamer on Twitch . Rolfe attended the University of
3630-726: The COVID-19 pandemic . In 2020, Time named Neto and fellow YouTuber JoJo Siwa to its annual list of the world's 100 most influential people. Due to this level of influence, in 2013, University of Michigan associate professor Robert Hovden argued for the creation of a new index similar to the g-index and h-index to evaluate a person's output and impact on YouTube. YouTubers can earn revenue from Google AdSense . Additionally, they can supplement their income through affiliate links , merchandising , and 3rd party memberships using platforms such as Patreon . Popular channels have garnered corporate sponsors, who pay to be included in
3740-619: The James & Mike Mondays series), video game peripherals such as the VictorMaxx Stuntmaster headset , and films. One of Rolfe's other series is Board James , in which he, Brendan "Bootsy" Castner, and Mike Matei review old board games in a humorous way, often with recurring characters. The show eventually evolved into a psychological horror series, while still featuring board game reviews in each episode. The show ran for 3 seasons and 27 episodes before concluding in 2015. Rolfe
3850-690: The Klingon Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , made his acting debut, albeit uncredited, as Creed's bodyguard. Principal photography for Rocky began on January 9, 1976. Filming took place primarily throughout Philadelphia, with a few scenes being shot in Los Angeles. Rocky's house was in E Tusculum St 1818 in Philadelphia. Inventor Garrett Brown 's new Steadicam
3960-561: The Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The first sequel in the series, Rocky II , was released in 1979. In 1975, heavyweight boxing world champion Apollo Creed plans to hold a title bout in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial . However, he
4070-582: The Rocky Steps , are now considered cultural landmarks. With an estimated production budget of under $ 1 million, Rocky popularized the rags to riches and American Dream themes of sports dramas which preceded the film. Rocky had its premiere in New York City on November 20, 1976, and was released in the United States on December 3, 1976. Rocky became the highest-grossing film of 1976 , earning approximately $ 225 million worldwide. The film received critical acclaim for Stallone's writing, as well as
4180-552: The Writers Guild of America as the 78th best screenplay of all time. In a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild , Rocky was voted as one of the 75 best-edited films in all of cinema. In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 1998,
4290-470: The musical score for Rocky . He had composed a score for director John G. Avildsen's W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) that the studio ultimately rejected. David Shire (then-husband of Talia Shire) was the first to be offered the chance to compose the music for Rocky but had to turn it down because of prior commitments. Avildsen reached out to Conti without any studio help because of
4400-592: The "50 of the Absolute Best Sports Movies Ever Made". British GQ ranked the film #1 on their list of "The 22 Best Sports Movies". Rocky has also appeared on several of the American Film Institute 's 100 Years lists. The film's success led to eight sequels, beginning with Rocky II in 1979. Followed by Rocky III in 1982, Rocky IV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, Rocky Balboa in 2006, Creed in 2015 and Creed II in 2018. Another sequel, titled Creed III ,
4510-447: The "Top 100 Movies of All Time", as voted by a selection of their writers and editors. In 2024, entertainment news site Comic Book Resources ranked the film #23 on their list of the "55 Best Movies of All Time", while Parade magazine ranked the film #45 on their list of the "100 Best Movies of All Time". In 2014, Rocky was ranked #95 by British film magazine Empire on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time", It
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4620-552: The 100 greatest films of all time. Based on their 2020 readers' poll, the film ranked #60 on Rolling Stone Australia's "100 Greatest Movies of All Time". Additionally, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Rocky at #2 on their list of the 30 greatest sports films. In 2022, Esquire included the film on their list of "The 100 Best Movies of All Time". Esquire also included both Rocky and its spinoff sequel Creed on their list of "The 30 Best Sports Movies of All Time". In 2023, Slashfilm included Rocky on their list of
4730-500: The Arts in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2004 and continued living there after graduation. He briefly relocated to Los Angeles while filming Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014) but returned to Philadelphia upon completing the movie. In 2004, Rolfe was involved in a car crash when a utility trailer detached from its truck, careened across the highway, and struck him head-on. Rolfe sustained no physical injuries, although his Saturn Ion , which he had purchased only nine days prior,
4840-456: The B-horror movie The Head Incident , which he completed in 1999 but did not release until its tenth anniversary in 2009. He also made Cinemaphobia in 2001, which follows an actor who suffers from an overload of work and begins hallucinating cameras following him. Two versions of the film were made: a ten-minute version and an extended, fifteen-minute version. Rolfe has stated a preference for
4950-455: The Better and again used in his film/series pilot Jersey Odysseys: Legend of the Blue Hole ), utilizing a collection of several props and antiques that he later reused multiple times in his other films. In May 1996, Rolfe filmed A Night of Total Terror in his backyard, a horror film that he has called "the turning point of [his] life". In the late 1990s, Rolfe created several films, including
5060-530: The Critic launching a satirical attack in an early video, prompting a response from the Nerd. The conflict played out across several videos between 2008 and 2009, culminating in a crossover video titled " TGWTG Team Brawl," where the characters fight and ultimately reconcile. Out of character, Rolfe and Walker clarified that the feud was entirely fictional and that they were, in fact, good friends. Both have since collaborated on numerous videos and other projects. For
5170-508: The J&;M Tropical Fish pet store . Adrian's brother and Rocky's best friend, Paulie, helps Rocky get a date with his sister and offers to work as a cornerman with him for the fight, an offer Rocky turns down. Paulie becomes jealous of Rocky's success, but Rocky placates him by agreeing to advertise the meat packing business where Paulie works for sponsorship as part of the upcoming fight, and both of them reconcile. Rocky trains extensively for
5280-550: The Partner Program, which allows channels that meet certain metrics (currently 1000 subscribers and 4000 public watch hours in the past year) to run ads on their videos and earn money doing so. The Partner Program allowed for the first time YouTube personalities to make a living from the platform. During the 2010s, the ability for YouTubers to achieve wealth and fame due to success on the platform increased dramatically. In December 2010, Business Insider estimated that
5390-485: The Steadicam, although it was actually the third, after Bound for Glory and Marathon Man . Certain elements of the story were altered during filming. The original script had a darker tone: Mickey was portrayed as racist , and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight after realizing he did not want to be part of the professional boxing world after all. Both Stallone and Weathers suffered injuries during
5500-598: The United States and Canada. Rocky grossed $ 5,488 on its opening day at Cinema II, a house record. When it was released nationally, it grossed $ 5 million during its first wide weekend and consistently performed well for eight months and eventually reached $ 117 million at the North American box office. Adjusted for inflation in 2018, the film earned over $ 500 million in North America alone. Overseas, Rocky grossed $ 107 million, for
5610-454: The championship fight, while Apollo is unconcerned about the match and puts more effort into promotion than training. The night before the match, Rocky visits the Spectrum and begins to lose confidence. He confesses to Adrian that he does not believe he can win, but strives to go the distance against Creed, which no other fighter has done, to prove himself to everyone. On New Year's Day ,
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#17327905204995720-509: The end of 2007, Rolfe paused the production of the series and canceled an appearance at MAGFest after experiencing a strain in his voice. On March 17, 2010, he announced that he was suffering from burnout due to the demands of consistently writing, directing, and starring in the videos, and that the show would enter a brief hiatus. It was scheduled to return in May 2010; however, an episode was released on April 30. Episodes are now released on either
5830-610: The entire platform at once. When the ads were introduced in August 2006, YouTube CEO Chad Hurley rejected the idea of expanding into areas of advertising seen as less user-friendly at the time, saying, "We think there are better ways for people to engage with brands than forcing them to watch a commercial before seeing content. You could ask anyone on the net if they enjoy that experience and they'd probably say no." However, YouTube began running in-video ads in August 2007, with preroll ads introduced in 2008. In December 2007, YouTube launched
5940-576: The established and commercial system of celebrity culture; rather, they appear self-governed and independent. This appearance, in turn, leads to YouTubers being seen as more relatable and authentic, also fostered by the direct connection between artist and viewer using the medium of YouTube. In 2014, the University of Southern California surveyed 13–18-year-olds in the United States on whether ten YouTube celebrities or ten traditional celebrities were more influential; YouTube personalities took
6050-475: The fight is held with Creed making a dramatic entrance dressed as George Washington and then Uncle Sam . Taking advantage of his overconfidence, Rocky knocks him down in the first round—the first time that Creed has ever been knocked down. Humbled and worried, Creed takes Rocky more seriously for the rest of the fight, though his ego never fully fades. The fight goes on for the full fifteen rounds, with both combatants sustaining various injuries: Rocky, with hits to
6160-400: The film #2. On their list of the "Top 25 Sports Movies of All Time", entertainment news website MovieWeb ranked Rocky #4. MovieWeb also ranked the film #3 on their list of the "20 Movies That Represent American Culture". On their list of "The 150 Best Sports Movies of All Time", Rotten Tomatoes ranked Rocky #17 and Creed #2. Men's Health included Rocky on their list of
6270-505: The film ranked 2nd on ESPN 's "Top 20 Sports Movies of All-Time". In 2024, Forbes magazine ranked Rocky #1 on their list of "The 42 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time". British film site CinemaBlend ranked Rocky and Creed #1 and #17 respectively on their list of "The 25 Best Sports Movies". On their list of "100 Best Movies of All Time", entertainment news website Collider ranked Rocky #94, and on their list of "The 30 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time", Collider ranked
6380-466: The film's performances, direction, musical score, cinematography and editing; among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture . It has been ranked by numerous publications as one of the greatest films of all time , as well as one of the most iconic sports films ever . Rocky and its theme song have become a pop-cultural phenomenon and an important part of 1970s American popular culture . In 2006,
6490-427: The film's relatively low budget. Avildsen said, "The budget for the music was 25 grand. And that was for everything: The composer's fee, that was to pay the musicians, that was to rent the studio, that was to buy the tape that it was going to be recorded on." The main theme song , " Gonna Fly Now ", made it to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 list for one week (from July 2 to July 8, 1977) and
6600-524: The films. Rolfe brought back Monster Madness in its original 31-episode format in 2021 with the aid of Screenwave Media. However, Rolfe redacted and remade the first two published videos of the 2021 series after realizing that his writer had plagiarized content from the episodes' scripts. In 2012, Rolfe and Mike Matei created a Let's Play series called James and Mike Mondays , formerly called James and Mike Plays , for Cinemassacre's YouTube channel. The series featured guests such as Kyle Justin, who composed
6710-529: The first five spots of the ranking, with the YouTube duo Smosh ranking as most influential. The survey was repeated in 2015, and found six YouTubers on the first ranks, with KSI ranked as most influential. Several YouTubers and their influence were subjects for scientific studies, such as Zoella , and PewDiePie . Numerous studies in the late 2010s found that YouTuber was the most desired career by children. YouTubers' influence has also extended beyond
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#17327905204996820-452: The first or second Wednesday of each month, instead of two episodes per month due to Rolfe's other projects. Episodes were at one point posted on YouTube over a year after their original release on GameTrailers . Rolfe was previously affiliated with ScrewAttack but left the company in 2013. Rolfe's Nerd character gained further fame through a fictional feud with fellow YouTuber Doug Walker 's Nostalgia Critic character. The feud began with
6930-473: The future but stated that Monster Madness will always live on in some form. In 2017, Son of Monster Madness debuted, consisting of five new reviews, with the rest of October filled by reuploads of older reviews previously not available on YouTube. Monster Madness , under the original branding despite not having videos posted every day, returned in October 2019, now featuring Rolfe with a guest talking about
7040-444: The head and swollen eyes, requires his right eyelid to be cut to restore his vision, while Apollo, with internal bleeding and a broken rib, struggles to breathe. As the fight concludes, Creed's superior skill is countered by Rocky's apparently unlimited ability to absorb punches and his dogged refusal to go down. As the final bell sounds, with both fighters embracing each other, they promise each other there will be no rematch. The fight
7150-452: The highest earner on YouTube during the previous year was Dane Boedigheimer , creator of the web series Annoying Orange , with an income of around $ 257,000. Five years later, Forbes released its first list of the highest-earning YouTube personalities, estimating top earner PewDiePie 's income during the previous fiscal year at $ 12 million, more than some popular actors such as Cameron Diaz or Gwyneth Paltrow . Forbes estimated that
7260-458: The independent film company Troma , appearing as a drunk. Diana Lewis, then a news anchor in Los Angeles and later in Detroit, has a minor scene as a TV news reporter. Tony Burton appears as Apollo Creed's trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers , a role he would reprise throughout the entire Rocky series, though the character is not named until Rocky II . Michael Dorn , who would later gain fame as
7370-673: The joke with Yuengling beer, hard liquor , or even non-alcoholic hot sauce . Although Rolfe originally intended to keep his videos private, his friend and collaborator, Mike Matei, persuaded him to post them to a YouTube channel called "JamesNintendoNerd" (now known as Cinemassacre ) on April 6, 2006. Matei created and managed the channel for Rolfe. On September 12, 2006, Rolfe's character gained mainstream attention when his review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became popular on YouTube. His videos were also posted on GameTrailers and ScrewAttack , amassing 30 million views monthly. As of September 2019, he has over three million subscribers. At
7480-442: The mid-1990s. He used Mario Paint for a few of his early films. His early films did not have scripts or rehearsal. However, once he started writing scripts, his friends gradually lost interest due to the pressure of trying to remember their lines, which left many of Rolfe's films unfinished. He then experimented with action figures and puppets. The plot of The Giant Movie Director (1994) involved toys coming to life. Rolfe attended
7590-530: The movie, in which The Nerd reviews E.T. , was later released as a standard AVGN episode. In 2007, Rolfe began filming The Deader, the Better , a classic-style B-movie horror film that pays homage to the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead . The film was shown at the Atlanta Horror Fest in October 2007. On May 5, 2006, Rolfe released a music video that included stock footage from
7700-542: The online video-sharing website YouTube , typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006, and subsequently appeared in the 2006 Time Person of the Year issue. Influential YouTubers are frequently described as microcelebrities . Since YouTube is widely conceived as a bottom-up social media video platform, microcelebrities do not appear to be involved with
7810-472: The opportunity to view exclusive content by clicking on the ad. The first such ad was for the Fox show Prison Break and solely appeared above videos on Paris Hilton's channel. At the time, the channel was operated by Warner Bros. Records and was cited as the first brand channel on the platform. Participatory video ads were designed to link specific promotions to specific channels rather than advertising on
7920-455: The part. Philadelphia-based boxer Joe Frazier has a cameo appearance in the film. Outspoken boxer Muhammad Ali , who fought Frazier three times, influenced the character of Apollo Creed. During the 49th Academy Awards ceremony in 1977, Ali and Stallone staged a brief comic confrontation to show the film did not offend Ali. Frazier has claimed that some of the plot's most memorable moments—Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up
8030-715: The platform. Some have ventured into mainstream forms of media, such as Liza Koshy , who, among other pursuits, hosted the revival of the Nickelodeon show Double Dare and starred in the Netflix dance-comedy film Work It . In 2019, Ryan's Mystery Playdate , a show starring Ryan Kaji, the then-seven-year-old host of the toy review and vlog channel Ryan's World , began airing on the Nick Jr. Channel ; later that year, NBC debuted A Little Late with Lilly Singh in its 1:35 am ET time slot. Singh's digital prominence
8140-432: The premiere trailer for Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie in November 2012 that they were expecting their first child. In April 2013, she gave birth to a baby girl. Rolfe has not disclosed many details about his daughter, except for a few photos and expressing gratitude that his wife overcame complications during childbirth. In November 2013, April posted an update on Rolfe's Cinemassacre website, stating that their daughter
8250-411: The project for the foreseeable future. On October 18, 2020, Rolfe announced that the horror film had been postponed indefinitely due to time constraints. Instead, he directed a sequel to his 1999 horror short, The Head Incident , reuniting several members of the original cast and crew. On June 10, 2021, Rolfe released a video explaining the premise of the shelved "nostalgic" horror film: it would involve
8360-463: The screenplay in three days. It entered a complicated production process after Stallone refused to allow the film to be made without him in the lead role; United Artists eventually agreed to cast Stallone after he rejected a six figure deal for the film rights . Principal photography began in January 1976, with filming primarily held in Philadelphia ; several locations featured in the film, such as
8470-537: The script "heavy-handed". Several reviews, including Richard Eder 's (as well as Canby's negative review), compared the work to that of Frank Capra . The film did not escape criticism. Vincent Canby , of The New York Times , called it "pure '30s make believe" and dismissed both Stallone's acting and Avildsen's directing, calling the latter "none too decisive". Andrew Sarris found the Capra comparisons disingenuous: "Capra's movies projected more despair deep down than
8580-459: The script and the idea of Stallone playing the lead character, they were hesitant about having an unknown headline the film. The producers also had trouble casting other major characters in the story, with Apollo Creed and Adrian cast unusually late by the production standards. Real-life boxer Ken Norton was initially sought for the role of Apollo Creed , but he pulled out and the role was ultimately given to Carl Weathers . Norton, upon whom Creed
8690-406: The script to executives at the network. They expressed interest in turning it into a made-for-television movie and actually bought the script but insisted that someone else rewrite it. Upon hearing the news, Stallone begged Winkler not to let ABC change writers, so Winkler went back to the executives and offered to return the money in exchange for the rights. While ABC refused at first, Winkler said he
8800-526: The script to various producers and studios in Hollywood but were repeatedly rejected because Stallone insisted that he be cast in the lead role. Eventually, they secured a meeting with Winkler-Chartoff productions (no relation to Henry Winkler). After repeated negotiations with Rumar and Kubik, Winkler-Chartoff agreed to a contract for Stallone to be the writer and also star in the lead role for Rocky . United Artists liked Stallone's script and viewed it as
8910-526: The script. Other inspiration for the film may have included characteristics of real-life boxers Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier , as well as Rocky Graziano 's autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me and the movie of the same name . Wepner sued Stallone, and eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. Henry Winkler , Stallone's co-star in The Lords of Flatbush who then broke out as Arthur Fonzarelli on ABC 's Happy Days , said he had taken
9020-416: The series premiered on the platform in 2006. Rolfe began creating homemade video productions in the late 1980s, having made more than 270 videos and short films by 2004. Among these were the first Angry Video Game Nerd episodes (originally known as Bad NES Games , and later Angry Nintendo Nerd ), which were released on his Cinemassacre website in 2004. Two years later, he gained mainstream attention when
9130-436: The series went viral after being published to YouTube. Following its success, Rolfe released a feature-length film based on the series in 2014, which received a mixed reception. Rolfe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , on July 10, 1980. He was raised in southern New Jersey . He is of Italian ancestry. His parents bought him an audio recorder as a Christmas present sometime in the early to mid-1980s. Later, he received
9240-415: The shooting of the final fight; Stallone suffered bruised ribs and Weathers suffered a damaged nose, the opposite injuries of what their characters had. The first date between Rocky and Adrian, in which Rocky bribes a janitor to allow them to skate after closing hours on a deserted ice skating rink, was shot that way due to budgetary concerns — the scene was originally scheduled to be shot in
9350-575: The shorter, ten-minute version. The same year, he created Kung Fu Werewolf from Outer Space , a largely silent film except for narration. He also created an hour-long comedy film titled Stoney , which is a spoof of the 1976 film Rocky . His eighth film of 2001 was It Came from the Toilet! . In 2003, Rolfe created another film, Curse of the Cat Lover's Grave , which was split into three parts to represent three different horror genres. Rolfe also made
9460-502: The sports genre, after Raging Bull . Film scholar Steven J. Schneider included Rocky in his book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die , writing that the film is "often overlooked as schmaltz". FilmSite.org , a subsidiary of American Movie Classics , included the film on their list of the 300 greatest films of all time. Additionally, Films101.com ranked the film as the 228th best of all time. In 2006, British film magazine Total Film ranked Rocky at #71 on their list of
9570-674: The steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of his training regimen—are taken without credit from his own real-life exploits. Because of the film's comparatively low budget, members of Stallone's family played minor roles. His father rings the bell to signal the start and end of a round; his brother Frank plays a street corner singer, and his first wife, Sasha, was stills photographer . Other cameos include former Philadelphia and then Los Angeles television sportscaster Stu Nahan playing himself, alongside radio and TV broadcaster Bill Baldwin; and Lloyd Kaufman , founder of
9680-469: The studio enabled them to "greenlight" a project if the budget was kept low enough. The producers also collateralized any possible losses with their big-budget entry, New York, New York (whose eventual losses were covered by Rocky 's success). The film's production budget ended up being $ 1,075,000, with a further $ 100,000 spent on producers' fees and $ 4.2 million on advertising costs. Although Chartoff and Irwin Winkler were enthusiastic about
9790-424: The tenth-highest earner that year was Rosanna Pansino at $ 2.5 million. That year, NME stated that " vlogging has become big business." The rapid influx of wealth within the YouTube community has led some to criticize YouTubers for focusing on earnings more than the creativity and connection with their fanbase that some claim was at the heart of the platform before expanded monetization. In August 2021, it
9900-504: The top of the steps in 1990 for Rocky V , and again in 2006 for the 30th anniversary of the original Rocky (although this time it was placed at the bottom of the steps). Later that year, it was moved permanently to a spot next to the steps. The scene is frequently parodied in other media. In the 2008 movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan , Zohan's nemesis, Phantom, goes through a parody training sequence finishing with him running up
10010-464: The untitled horror film, which would be in the vein of past works such as Legend of the Blue Hole and Cinemaphobia . On August 8, 2018, Rolfe stated that he was 50-75% finished with the script, that it would contain some "nostalgia theming", but that it would likely undergo further rewrites and had no plans to film it in the near future. On June 19, 2019, Rolfe confirmed that the script was completed, but that his commitment to video production would delay
10120-556: The video game, Flying Fuckernauts vs. The Astro-Bastards (2016), a tribute to B-movie sci-fi, and Mimal the Elf (2017), a mockumentary . On May 25, 2017, in a general update video about the future of the YouTube channel, Rolfe announced he was in very early development on what he described as an "atmospheric horror movie... [the film would] take place in one room... very minimal". On December 29, Rolfe announced that 2018 would focus more on his own original projects and that he had begun writing
10230-437: The videos. In 2018, Walmart , Nordstrom , and others sought YouTube stars as influencers . In the early days of YouTube, there was no way to monetize videos on the platform. Much of the site's content was homemade and produced by hobbyists with no plans for making money on the site. The first targeted advertising on the site came in the form of participatory video ads, which were videos in their own right that offered users
10340-561: The world premiere for Rocky, which would take place at Paramount Theatre in New York City on Saturday, November 20, 1976, by United Artists and the other on the day after Sunday, November 21, 1976, by United Artists at Cinema II in New York City. The Los Angeles premiere took place at the Plaza in Westwood Village on December 1, 1976. This was then followed by a full official release on December 3, 1976, all throughout North America in
10450-758: Was Sequel-A-Thon , which covered horror sequels. 2012's theme was 80's-a-Thon , which featured only movies from the 1980s. While the first five years of Monster Madness involved one film review per day throughout October, the 80's-a-Thon series in 2012 was reduced to every other day due to the production of The Angry Video Game Nerd Movie . Despite the reduced number of reviews, the reviews in 80's-a-Thon were longer than those in previous years' Monster Madness . In October 2013, Monster Madness returned to one review per day with Sequel-A-Thon 2 , which covered more horror sequels. The 31-day marathon of Monster Madness continued in October 2016. Rolfe expressed his desire to explore other Halloween-themed projects and reviews in
10560-402: Was able to use his status as one of its biggest stars at the time to convince them to sell the rights back. At the time, Film Artists Management Enterprises (FAME), a joint venture between Hollywood talent agents Craig T. Rumar and Larry Kubik, represented Stallone. He submitted his script to Rumar and Kubik, who immediately saw the potential for it to be made into a motion picture. They shopped
10670-503: Was an actual mistake made by the props department that they could not afford to rectify, so Stallone wrote the brief scene to ensure the audience did not see it as a goof. Conversely, Stallone has said he was indeed supposed to wear red shorts with a white stripe as Rocky, but changed to the opposite colors "at the last moment". Similarly, when Rocky's robe arrived far too baggy on the day it was needed for filming, Stallone wrote in dialogue where Rocky points this out. Bill Conti composed
10780-611: Was announced that Rolfe was set to appear in a low-budget remake of Plan 9 from Outer Space titled Plan 9 , which was released via Video on Demand on February 16, 2016, and later released on physical media on January 5, 2017. In early to mid-January 2013, Rolfe had a brief role as a news reporter in an independent short film about Sonic the Hedgehog . He was offered a role in V/H/S/2 by Adam Wingard , but had to decline due to his commitments on Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie . He
10890-469: Was born on September 1, 2017. Rolfe had two cats named Yeti and Boo, who occasionally appeared on the Angry Video Game Nerd . Boo passed away from cancer on April 27, 2020, and Yeti died on January 5, 2024, of natural causes. Rolfe published his autobiography, A Movie Making Nerd , in 2022 and narrated its unabridged audiobook. YouTuber A YouTuber is a type of content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on
11000-647: Was cited as a reason for her selection as host by then-NBC Entertainment co-chairman George Cheeks. In 2024, Canadian YouTuber Jasmeet Singh Raina , otherwise known as JusReign, released his half-hour comedy series titled Late Bloomer . In addition to expanding into other forms of media, several YouTubers have used their influence to raise money for charity or speak out on social issues . Notable examples include James Stephen "MrBeast" Donaldson and Mark Rober , who helped raise over $ 20 million with their Team Trees campaign, and Felipe Neto , who publicly criticized Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for his response to
11110-440: Was involved in a fifteen-part series titled OverAnalyzers , where he played the role of the manager of a fictional company that overanalyzed various pop culture references. The series was edited and produced by another website called Cinevore. He also worked as a film reviewer on Spike.com. Rolfe has hosted Monster Madness , a series in which he reviews one horror movie for each day in October, since 2007. Each year, he has adopted
11220-585: Was later offered a potential cameo in Godzilla vs. Kong by Wingard, but the demands of production, combined with the timing of the birth of Rolfe's second daughter, made the arrangement unfeasible. Rolfe also appeared in the crowdfunded 1980s horror documentary In Search of Darkness . Commitment to YouTube videos has slowed Rolfe's progress in creating new features, but he did produce a trilogy of new shorts following Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie , including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The Movie (2015), based on
11330-449: Was loosely based, fought Muhammad Ali three times. According to The Rocky Scrapbook , Carrie Snodgress was originally chosen to play Adrian, but a money dispute forced the producers to look elsewhere. Susan Sarandon and Cher auditioned for the role but Sarandon was deemed too pretty for the character and Cher too expensive. After Talia Shire 's ensuing audition, Chartoff and Winkler, and director John Avildsen , insisted that she play
11440-441: Was originally named "The Angry Nintendo Nerd," but was later changed to "The Angry Video Game Nerd" (sometimes abbreviated as "The Nerd") to avoid trademark issues and because he expanded his reviews to include games on other consoles (e.g., Sega Genesis , Atari 2600 ). Rolfe conceived the character while studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia , where he attended from 1999 to 2004. Rolfe then produced another video,
11550-631: Was ranked #370 on their previous list of the 500 greatest films in 2008. Conversely, in a 2005 poll by Empire , Rocky was No. 9 on their list of "The Top 10 Worst Pictures to Win Best Picture Oscar". In June 2014, The Hollywood Reporter compiled a list of the 100 best movies ever made, polling film industry insiders on their favorite films of all time. Rocky ranked #91. The following year The Hollywood Reporter polled hundreds of Academy members, asking them to re-vote on past controversial decisions. Academy members indicated that, given
11660-422: Was released in 2023; however, Stallone did not appear in the film. In July 2019, Stallone said in an interview that there have been ongoing discussions about a prequel to the original film based on the life of a young Rocky Balboa. The famous scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has become a cultural icon, with the steps acquiring the vernacular title of "Rocky Steps". In 1982,
11770-550: Was reported Kevin Paffrath made $ 5 million in just the first 3 months of 2021 and his YouTube analytics showed he made "several million" in ad revenue within the prior 12 months. By 2021, YouTuber earnings had expanded even more, with Forbes estimating that the highest earner that year was MrBeast at $ 51 million. Rocky Rocky is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone . It
11880-528: Was totaled. Later that year, Rolfe discussed his experience in a short film, Mechanical Losses . Rolfe revealed in episode 7 of the Angry Video Game Nerd episode 7 " McKids " that he has attention deficit disorder (ADD) . Rolfe met April Chmura in July 2004; she was a cinematographer on the early Nerd episodes. They began dating shortly thereafter and married in November 2007. He announced at
11990-484: Was undergoing ongoing medical treatment due to unspecified complications. On April 13, 2016, Rolfe shared more details while announcing an auction of various Cinemassacre memorabilia to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children . During birth, his daughter suffered nerve damage to one of her arms, requiring many months of physical therapy to regain full use of it. Rolfe expressed gratitude to Shriners for all they did for his family during that time. Rolfe's second daughter
12100-470: Was used to accomplish smooth photography while running alongside Rocky during the film's Philadelphia street training sequences and the run up the Art Museum's flight of stairs, now colloquially known as the Rocky Steps . It was also used for some shots in the fight scenes and can be seen at the ringside during some wide shots of the final fight. Rocky is often erroneously cited as the first film to use
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