A Tribute- To a Dancer, Ghost, Hockey Player, and Bouncer

There are four movies I will watch in a continuous cycle for the rest of my life – in no particular order:

Rocky IV – For the training montages
A Few Good Men – For the brilliant acting and tense court room scenes
The Karate Kid – For the comedic over-acting of Ralph Macchio (about a minute in)
Road House – Because it's the most re-watchable movie of all time

Now – I know what you're thinking: your love for Road House is heightened due to the recent death of Patrick Swayze, and you're absolutely right. But if you were to make a list of characteristics that make a movie extraordinary, what would they be?

Gratuitous sex scene? Check. Swayze gets a gorgeous blond doctor back to his place, (credited only in the film as “Doc” - which shows you important women were in 80's films) throws on “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding, and engages in some hot fire place love. I once tried that with a woman – we ended up at the emergency ward to treat her third degree burns - but I digress.

Evil villain? Check. Brad Wesley is so awesome he is able to have two first names. He sleeps with every hot chick in the movie, has the best parties in town and drives with reckless abandon on the roads (sha-boom). His only crimes are extortion, assault, ruining that guy's Ford Dealership and murder. I still think he's a pretty likeable guy.

Great action? Check. There are 786 fight scenes in this movie – many of which involve Terry Funk. The best part about it is that Swayze doesn't use a gun. Atticus Finch taught me that “courage was more than just a man with a gun in his hand.” But Patrick Swayze taught me that that shouldn't stop you from kicking ass.

Likeable Lead Character? Check. Swayze gets the girl, usurps power from a local tyrant through lethal force, is kind to old people ... well... I guess that's about it. Can you believe in 1990 he was nominated for a Razzie for worst actor for the portrayal of Dalton? Check out this clip to see just how cool he was on Road House ... although the guy aggressively ripping the napkin almost steals the scene...

I am aware of Swayze's other works – I've seen Dirty Dancing, Youngblood, Ghost, Point Break and that SNL skit with Chris Farley. Isn't that the true testament of acting? Diversity? He was a dance instructor, a ghost, a surfer, a bouncer, and a Chippendale dancer. He even played a woman in that cross dressing movie “To Wong Foo” - there's a good chance I'll never see that one.

So here's to you, Patrick Swayze: “She's Like the Wind” rivals anything MJ ever did, and you managed to do it without molesting any children – while there won't be an abundance of people three miles deep trying to get into your funeral, you were truly a multi-gifted entertainer whose works have made my life a little bit happier.