Nvidias Big Trouble In Little China

@Chutebox: Then why so few new teachers? Not getting paid enough. Too much going to admin.

I'm glad this filtered into gaming, they have become fat Potbellied pigs under the impression we are their truffles.

Couldn't believe about 1 week back reading that "we" have to "aid", "them", to please their shareholders.

****. Off.

Because the kids being currently raised are peices of shit with parents who don't give a damn (generally). When issues brought up with these "parents," they believe everything their angel child says.

Where I work, districts are pushing more tasks on to the teachers. For working half of the year, I do make pretty good money. But yes, the money still isn't what it should be. But I make enough to comfortably provide for my family.

Admin get too much, but that's not a large dent into the amount of money this country puts into education.

@Chutebox: Certainly the way America teaches kids needs to be significantly reformed. Their terrible diets and lack of independence due to car infrastructure have to factor in too. In any case, major humiliation for United States and their education system. Have to pour so much money to do what China did with far less money and better educated people. If I controlled another country, I would be investing in China before USA. More rational and competent government. Human rights abuses? Like USA doesn't have a mountain of them.

Or like Rocky 4 where Apollo Creed acted so arrogant and patriotic and then Ivan Drago kills him in the ring.

I think this is slightly different because Apollo actually did try and believe he was at war with Russia.

Ivan Drago is also antagonized constantly.

Rocky 3 happens after Rocky 2 (which IMO isn't that good a movie) where Rocky is top of his game, rich, famous, having soft matches, losing everything he was in the first movie. He doesn't even sense Clubber Lang is a threat until Mickey tells him he will straight up murder him.

Overall I think Rocky 3 is a incredibly underrated movie and arguably the best sequel. I'd rather watch this over and over compared to those Apollo movies.

Rocky 4 is great as well, the recut is interesting. Rocky Balboa is also pretty good, but his opponent is boring as shit.

Rocky 5 is cancer.

To be fair, Apollo was way past his prime, but he couldn't accept the reality that he's aging and should stay out of the ring. Rocky IV was clearly inspired by the Ali vs. Holmes fight, where an older Muhammad Ali suffering from Parkinson's disease was defenceless against a young hungry Larry Holmes... A few year after Rocky IV came out, a young Mike Tyson got revenge against Holmes.

My top 5 Rocky movies:

1. Rocky II

2. Rocky

3. Rocky IV

4. Creed

5. Rocky Balboa

...Sorry, Rocky III didn't make the cut.

This was more so Rocky. Although Stallon has repeatedly stated these are not sport movies, it is based off the real story of Chuck Wepner where Stallon himself was in the audience and wrote down the story on a notepad.

It also echo's his real life where prior to being a mega-star he was a nobody, had to sell his dog, his father was ringing the bell and they didn't want him for the part.

Rocky is essentially The Tortoise And The Hare, whereby Apollo and the world doesn't take him seriously, and Rocky knows he cannot win, past his peak days and of lower skill, with the ultimate goal to persevere, which is why it's such a resonate movie with men.

I feel Rocky II undermines this concept, and generally lacks soul. It ignores the original in order to make it a franchise, for good or ill.

Rocky III turns Rocky into Apollo, with Clubber Lang a bastardized version of Rocky. Liquid Rocky, with Apollo becoming a mentor like character stripping him down, which is what makes it interesting.

Not sure really ascribe hungry to Ivan Drago. He's more of a emotionless Frankenstein that serves represented of the soviet' union, less a person and more an instrument. Which is what Apollo explicitly says he's against. The theme of Apollo older is shown trying to relive past glories, but the general main theme is that of cold war, clashing cultures. Arguably the best scene when Drago is mystified at Americanism.

The directors cut makes alterations to this, he talks more, shows more humanity, Apollo puts up more of a fight, and the ending is heavily altered. It's logically makes more sense with Apollo 2 as Drago is disgraced.

@uninspiredcup: Well, Rocky IV in general was clearly inspired by the Cold War (like Stallone's other movie that same year, Rambo III). But in terms of individual characters, Apollo's character arc is clearly inspired by Muhammad Ali, whereas Rocky's character arc is inspired by Chuck Wepner and Joe Frazier. Obviously, Ali wasn't very nationalistic like Apollo, but was the very opposite (Ali was accused of being anti-American). However, the Ali vs. Holmes fight feels very similar to the Creed vs. Drago fight. Basically, an older legend way past his prime coming out of retirement and getting punished by a younger fighter in his prime. The Ali-Holmes fight was brutal to watch, just like the Creed-Drago fight.

Come to think of it, the Creed-Drago fight also reminds me of Usyk's more recent fights against Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Both times, the British press was patriotic, hyping up the homegrown British stars and downplaying the Ukrainian foreigner, only to end up being humbled by the Ukrainian.

As for Rocky I vs. II, you could say the original Rocky perhaps had more depth to its narrative themes. But the pacing felt a bit off and I remember even finding some parts boring. In contrast, Rocky II was enjoyable to watch from start to finish. Sure, it's basically repeating much of the first movie's story, but it's doing it in a way that's more entertaining and thrilling to watch.

@Jag85: I disagree, I think the pacing in Rocky is the best paced of the lot.

The focus itself isn't really on the boxing, it's a drama movie. Rocky 2 focuses more on the action, and Rocky 3/4 become comic book action. 5, ignoring. Balboa pulls it back to the original, not really big on the Creed movies.

But the original Rocky is almost entirely outside the ring, with the fight itself largely skipped over designed specifically for the crescendo ending.

Also say it's Stallons best performance. It works perfectly with him as well as the character isn't suppose to be an intellectual like Apollo, this goes for Pauli and Adrian as well who is borderline autistic and the lower end of social ladder.

The original idea after Rocky 4 was actually to focus on Drago and pariah status, Creed 2 hints at that, but it's most the boring ass shit with Creed and his deaf girlfriend which is like an interior attempt at the stuff from Rocky. It's real shame they never went through with it or focused more on it.

Rocky 5, on paper, is a good idea. It's similar to the idea of Revenge Of The Sith where a youth is tainted by an outside influence and they have a grand battle. The Totally not Don King "hit me and I'll sue". It's just the movie is fucking terrible, litterally threw the blueray away from the set. At that point it was "this shit makes money".

In general don't like 2 very much, it has a higher budget, better shot, but it feels soulless to me. Not really big on Adonis Creed as a character either, I like the actor, the drama attempts to replicate Rocky really fall flat for me. As say, focusing on Drago, even in an older state with his son in Russia, would have been a far more interesting concept.

When China enters the game, it all comes back to cabbage prices.

@uninspiredcup: The first Rocky movie I watched was Rocky IV. Then I went back to watch the earlier Rocky movies. The drama focus of the first Rocky movie threw me off a bit, after getting so used to Rocky IV's comic book action style. OG Rocky probably does have the best drama in the series. But I was disappointed with the lack of action. Whereas Rocky II struck the right balance between drama and action. Rocky I leans too heavily towards drama, whereas Rocky III & IV lean too heavily towards action, whereas Rocky II struck the best balance between drama and action.