Edition #2 Rocky II

     Rocky II, the rematch. Apollo changes his mind seconds after the fight to demand a rematch, right before he said there wasn't going to be another one. Contrary to popular belief of how the internet has destroyed great conversation, Apollo Creed is hit with hate mail from thousands. There's a much better story than the original. Rocky's no longer a character that your forced to like, he actually does stuff this time. It seems throughout this collection, the original Rocky is the only disc with special features, which is a shame. I would have liked to have seen some special features from the other films, especially part 3.

Into the Blu 4K Edition #1

 

   

     After owning a little over 930 DVD titles I thought it was time to start my transition to Blu rays and 4K UltraHD home videos. Streaming sucks, so I'm sticking with the physical.

        My first edition is the 40th Anniversary Rocky The HeavyWeight Collection, from Rocky through Rocky Balboa. This Blu Ray collection comes packaged 6 artful character cards, with 6 disc in one. It's rare now a days to find a great disc cover, but the Rocky collection had a lot of care put into it, making it a keeper.
         The picture is so beautiful. It was like watching Rocky for the first time. However, Rocky has become so clear to a fault, specifically the final fight scene. In most scenes of the fight, the crowd goes into complete darkness, showing the film's obvious low budget. To be honest, I never really cared for the original Rocky. At least in the first Rocky, this character is the sappiest character in film history. His 'poor me' underdog persona is frustrating to watch. Inspired by the boxer Chuck Wepner, who knocked down a past prime stage, Muhammed Ali. All he wanted to do was go the distance. Step in the ring and tell the champ he almost beat him. Get the girl and be some type of hero. A real Cinderella story. Unfortunately for Rocky, Cinderella is a fairy tale and Rocky is predominately base around realism. All this underdog and going the distance messages in the movie are overblown, practically getting on their knees begging for that Oscar that should have went to a superior picture. If I would do anything to make this movie better:

Rocky : Hey, Apollo I almost had you.
Apollo:You almost had me. You never had me. You never had your punches.
Crowd:Ohhhhhh!
Apollo: Grandpa stance. Yelling for your girlfriend before even listening for the results. Almost had me? (He says to overacting extra.) Ask any boxer. Any real boxer. It don't matter if you win in the 3rd or 15th round. It doesn't matter if you win by the skin of your teeth. Winnings, Winning. So, take your little participation trophy girlfriend as the final shot.