`Rocky' still packs a mean punch.(The Orange County Register)

This week's DVD picks include the Oscar-winning story of the ultimate underdog and new episodes of one of the most unusual and fascinating TV series ever made.

We'll begin with the movie that launched the career of Sylvester Stallone. It's "Rocky: 25th Anniversary Edition" (MGM, 1976; rated PG; 1 hour, 59 minutes plus supplemental material; original 1.85:1 widescreen format; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound; $19.98).

Conceived and written by Stallone, "Rocky" discovers new territory in ground that has been explored many times before _ a down-on- his luck fighter gets a chance to battle for the heavyweight championship. How do you take something familiar and make it fresh? You do it through good, smart writing, solid acting and great directing. And that's what you get with "Rocky."

It's unlikely that Stallone will ever match his performance in this film. That isn't a putdown of Stallone, just a reminder of how great his performance was here. He really did deserve his Best Actor Academy Award nomination. And his three co-stars _ Talia Shire as his shy girlfriend, Burt Young as her tough brother and the late Burgess Meredith as Rocky's grumpy but wise trainer _ deserved their supporting performer nominations, too.

Director John Avildsen, who picked up a Best Director Oscar for "Rocky," takes just the right touch with the material. And cinematographer James Crabe weaves in and out of the action like a fighter, putting us in the center of things. And then there's Bill Conti's rousing and unforgettable music.

Like its title character, the film was an underdog when it came time for the Oscars. But sometimes the underdog wins, and that's what happened with "Rocky." It won the Best Picture Oscar over three very good contenders _ "All the President's Men," "Network" and "Taxi Driver." I'm not sure it deserved to win over those films, but it belonged in the ring with them.

The special-edition DVD has some great extras. First and foremost is a very personal 28-minute commentary by Stallone, who talks about the origins of the story and offers a fascinating list of actors the studio wanted to play Rocky instead of him. That list includes Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford and James Caan. The movie itself also features running audio commentary by director Avildsen, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, actors Shire, Young and Carl Weathers and cinematographer Crabe, who discusses the use of the Steadicam in photographing the movie.