AP Film Studies: Swayze Says

Despite their dissimilarities, Point Break's Bodhi and Road House bouncer Dalton are like yin and yang—two men on different ends of the moral spectrum who nonetheless live by deep philosophical codes. They are men for whom violence is a way of life, yet whose Zen-like understandings of the universe easily captivate their followers. They also have sweet haircuts.

Bodhi is like Sun Tzu in a Ronald Reagan mask. And Dalton is like Socrates, if Socrates knew how to rip a dude's throat out.

To deepen our study of Swayzean philosophy, we present wisdom from Bodhi and Dalton, with an everyman's interpretation of each saying's true meaning.

"It's basic dog psychology: If you scare them and get them peeing down their leg, they submit. But if you project weakness, that promotes violence, and that's how people get hurt." —Bodhi

The lesson: It is more important for a person to menace a foe psychologically than to harm him physically. Mainly because if you come in contact with him, you will get urine on you.

"Nobody ever wins a fight." —Dalton

The lesson: Even the most dominant warrior leaves the arena a lesser man, and the toll of violence can be felt in the weakening of the mind and the body alike. Just look at Mike Tyson.

"If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price." —Bodhi

The lesson: Fleeting endorphin release is worth an eternal afterlife burning in hell because you murdered several innocents in your pursuit of fleeting endorphin release.

"Pain don't hurt." —Dalton

The lesson: A man who spends his life getting punched in the face and roundhouse-kicked by drunken rednecks eventually reaches a higher state in which his soul transcends the body's weaknesses. Or he just suffers severe nerve damage.

"Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true." —Bodhi

The lesson: Stop being a pussy and jump out of the fucking plane…the plane of life.

Also Showing: 

1. People often mistake Saturday Night Fever for a celebration of disco, rather than a condemnation of the lifestyle surrounding it. Those Bee Gees songs tend to make you forget about gang rape and suicide, which are kinda the point of the film. Pix Patisserie. Dusk Wednesday, July 9.

1. The Breakfast Club remains John Hughes’ most enduring classic. It refuses to age, Judd Nelson’s feathered tips be damned. Kiggins Theatre. Opens July 11.

1. With High Anxiety, Mel Brooks made perhaps the nerdiest parody ever, lampooning all things Hitchcock. Hitch apparently loved it. Laurelhurst Theater. July 11-17.

1. When the Kraken is unleashed in 1981’s Clash of the Titans, it involves zero CGI beasts or Liam Neesons, making it vastly superior to the recent half-assed remake. Academy Theater. July 11-17.

1. In 2011, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul made the mind-blowingly surreal Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. It’s a meditation on life and death that doesn’t skimp on the ghost monkeys. 5th Avenue Cinema. July 11-13.

1. Hal Ashby’s great Harold and Maude opens the NW Film Center’s Wes Anderson retrospective, probably because of all those Cat Stevens songs and twee jackets. NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium. 4:45 pm Saturday, July 12.

1. I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then do it for the rest of your life. For Wes Anderson fans, it’s watching Rushmore. NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium. 7 pm Saturday and 4:45 pm Sunday, July 12-13.

1. There’s a reason Raiders of the Lost Ark plays over and over in Portland theaters all summer: It’s the greatest action film ever made. Hollywood Theatre. 7 pm Friday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, July 11-13.

1. Considering all the films that worship at its viscera-splattered feet, it’s easy to forget that what makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so effective is its reliance on atmosphere over extreme gore. Hollywood Theatre. July 11-16.

WWeek 2015