Creed II

Strange how seriously people take sports sometimes.

I always thought if you were playing in a big game, a playoff game, a game against a division rival, any game really, you did everything you could to win, training hard, listening to your coaches, sticking to the game plan, improvising if it's not working, supporting your teammates, using all your skill and talent to put up another win, while hoping you were playing against opponents who were genuinely doing the same.

If you didn't let up and did everything you could to win without cheating, then if you unfortunately didn't, it didn't matter so much, even if it still stung, still hurt a bit afterwards.

There was usually another game the following week, night, month, at some point, and winning all the time didn't make much sense, was improbable, even if it would have been nice to pull off a perfect season, or go up by 20 early to take the edge off and settle it down.

In a big game.

Some people aren't like that though, losing against solid competition even though they've trained just as hard drives them a bit mad even after they've done their best competing at a high level.

It doesn't help if their support networks collapse like Ivan Drago's (Dolph Lundgren) did after he lost to Rocky, and they lose a style of life they've grown accustomed to, as well as the contacts who made it so dear.

They came down hard on the Drago.

But he came down equally hard on himself.

I don't see the differences between Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and Drago's situations in terms of nation, however, but rather in the ways in which they were supported by friends and family after their losses.

Every nation has people who know how to win.

Every nation has people who don't know how to lose.

Every nation has people who are there when you lose.

Every nation has people who freakin' love sports.

I don't see the arts in terms of winning and losing so much, more like a realm where your work's appealing or unappealing, interpreted differently according to individual tastes.

It surprises me when people are upset because I didn't like a film, or confused because I did.

Different people have different tastes and having different tastes in film has nothing to do with being right or wrong.

I don't get why people don't like some movies.

But I'm not insulted if they don't like my favourites.

Creed II lacks subtlety and daring yet still delivers something reliable, something durable.

The situations are familiar and the formula's a bit worn but that doesn't mean I don't like seeing Rocky back at it, or watching as Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) and Bianca's (Tessa Thompson) lives change and grow.

They change and grow in very conventional ways and their struggles don't remind me much of Adrian and Rocky's.

They're kind of tame in comparison.

Where's Creed's Paulie?

I think their lives need less traditional complications.

Wasn't the first Rocky one of the best American movies ever made though, so many life lessons built into its original script?

Rocky Balboa too?

Creed III's got its work cut out for it if it's goanna make it without Stallone.

In genres where a lot of artists seem similar at times, there's truly no one else like him.

At his best when he lets his heart speak.

I may have an Over the Top postcard stuck to my fridge.

Which no longer works.

There be another fridge though, close at hand.

Stuffed full of cheese.

And a rice/veggie medley.

It's good in soup.

With sour cream and blue cheese.

Yum.