I hadn't really planned on blogging today, with Monday Night Football and How I Met Your Mother on tonight. But, as I was watching Federer get upset by Juan Martin Del Potro in the US Open, I flipped on the computer and saw the headline regarding Swayze.
Next to Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze was one of my favorite 80's Action Star. I know, most people (mostly girls anyway) equate Patrick Swayze with Dirty Dancing and Ghost, but he did star in several very cool 80's action films. Let's do a Reset Button top 5 of Patrick Swayze movies:
1) Red Dawn
I remember that there was a big to-do regarding the violence when this movie came out. Funny thing, this movie can't even hold a candle to the violence that you can see now on video game trailers. Its about a Russian invasion of the United States and the rebellion of some local yokels. It must have been a Midwest thing, but when we were out playing "Guns" with our friends in the expansive woods behind our neighbor hood, this movie was our example of what to do and how to repel a Commie invasion. WOLVERINES!
2) Point Break
Ok, technically the was a 90's movie, but you get the drift. Bohdi and Johnny Utah are still two of the coolest movie character names ever. If I ever became a porno star, I would have called myself Juan Utah. This is a good surfing buddy movie. Kinda like Surf Ninjas. Heh, not really, but its still a good action movie. As a kid, the movie made me want to move to California and learn how to surf. So, as an adult when I moved to California, I learned how to surf.
Err...wait, actually I learned that I was too afraid of riptides, sharks and was way to self conscious about being shirtless at the beach. Oh well, can't expect all our childhood dreams to come true (I'm still hoping I'll have a room in my house solely devoted to LEGOS).
3. The Outsiders
Wait a second...gangs used to consist of white people wearing jean jackets? How old is this movie? This was actually jam packed with 80's stars. Also, my cougar crush Diane Lane is in the movie. Another movie/book with sweet character names like Ponyboy and Sodapop Curtis. Hmm, maybe my porno name should be Ponyboy Sodapop Utah. As Dallas says in the movie: "Don't you know a rumble ain't a rumble without me?". I actually grew up with a kid named Dallas. He sometimes carried a screwdriver; he said in case he got jumped...not that we were really under constant threat to get jumped in mid-Missouri. But, I guess he was handy to have around in case we needed to unscrew something.
4. North and South
This was actually a T.V. mini-series but definitely helped foster my interest in the Civil War. To be honest, I really can't remember much of it other than really liking it. As kids, when we visited our cousins who lived in Iowa, we would re-enact civil war battles we saw from this series. I've been tempted to find the series online and rewatch it, but I'm afraid that I'll not like it if I watched it again (Ala all of the old 80's cartoons and movies I've watched again).5. Road House
Here is the most influential line in the entire movie:"That girl has way too many brains to have an ass like that."
Thus proving to my young mind that it is indeed possible to meet a smart girl with a nice ass. AKA my soulmate.
Of course its incumbent on me to mention Ghost and Dirty Dancing. I did like Ghost a lot, and the very romantic clay molding scene is often sarcastically imitated, but is definitely a defining movie moment. So, I'll as I leave you to create your own Patrick Swayze list, lets just all agree that:
Nobody puts Baby in a corner!
Come on, son. I can remember TWO things from North and South:
ReplyDelete1) The North won.
2) Cleavage.
Both 1 and 2 are CORRECT! I do remember a particular sequence of scenes. One of the main characters in the South sold metal ore that he knew would be faulty to some cannon factories to make a profit. The cannons blew apart as soon as they tried to fire them. The guy felt bad but still kept the money. Maybe an allegory to the Mortgage Industry?
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