The Poster Memorabilia blog

Meeting the Ultimate Movie Rivals

A father's signed original, a son's director's cut, and four signatures chased to finish what he started.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Movies have shown us some of the best rivalries ever. There's Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Batman vs. the Joker, Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort, Professor X vs. Magneto, and more. My favorite is one that's often overlooked: Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago. Their fight in Rocky IV is still the best in the entire franchise.

I know Rocky's rivalry with Apollo Creed was more famous because it established the series, but I always found his matchup against Drago more exciting. You also loved to hate Drago. He was so smug throughout Rocky IV, and as predictable as it was, it still felt good to see Rocky beat the daylights out of him.

Now, I have something controversial to admit: I enjoyed the movie's ultimate director's cut, released in 2021, more than the original 1985 cut. I'm sorry, I just do! The fight scenes are more thrilling, especially Apollo vs. Drago, and the pacing noticeably improves if you watch both cuts back-to-back.

As much as I loved the original cut, I can't help but feel that this new release is better. So I bought a poster and got some of the cast to sign it.

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For context, I already had an autographed Rocky IV poster that my dad left to me when he passed away. He was the original autograph hound in the family, and he actually got the cast to sign the original poster back in the day.

I displayed it in my apartment for a long time, and it was one of the highlights of my memorabilia collection. But when this new cut was released and it came with a different poster, I figured I'd get this version signed by the cast too. Like what Rocky did for Apollo, I wanted to finish what my dad started.

“Like what Rocky did for Apollo, I wanted to finish what my dad started.”

Now, my dad had it easier because most of the cast were still alive back then, let alone still active. So even as I began this new side quest, I had already accepted that I likely wouldn't get as many as my dad did. I'd be happy enough to just get Sylvester Stallone's and Dolph Lundgren's autographs.

As luck would have it, theirs were the first I got! It started when I met Lundgren at the Masters of the Universe: 40 Years panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022. I liked that film too, so I figured I'd get both that movie poster and this new Rocky IV poster signed at the same time.

I was surprised at how pleasant Lundgren was in person. I was just so used to hating him as Drago, truly one of the most reprehensible characters in cinematic history, that I almost developed a similar hatred of Lundgren. But the real guy couldn't be further from his character! He was so nice to everyone, and he didn't even mind that I asked him to sign two posters.

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The following spring, I finally met Sylvester Stallone after years of trying during the Creed movie premieres. This time, I went to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 LA premiere at the Dolby Theatre, which he attended with his wife and daughters. I've always loved how he makes each red-carpet event a family affair.

Stallone was also nice, especially since I asked him to sign two posters, too. Surprisingly, he was a little more guarded than Lundgren, almost a bit distant from fans, but I think it was because his family was there with him. I'm sure he'd interact with fans more if it was just him.

My good luck continued when I caught Brigitte Nielsen at an event in LA later that same year. And then, I saw Talia Shire at the LA premiere of The Good Half in August 2024, a film her son Robert Schwartzman directed, so she was there as the proudest mom in the room. In the end, I got the autographs of the four biggest stars on my poster. Not too bad, right?

It hangs right next to my dad's now. His original, my director's cut. I think he'd like that.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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