THE LOGICAL ENDING TO...
DIRTY DANCING!
We are near the end at the scene where Baby and her family are sitting at the Kellerman closing banquet. She is sitting there either pouting like a little dog...or cringing while listening to the most grotesque attempt at singing as the committee is singing about "joining hands and hearts and voices" (you all remember that song - it was TERRIBLE!) But wait! At the back door, enter Johnny (with obligatory bad ass leather jacket). He greets his friends at the entrance and then does a creepy Terminator scan for Baby. Seriously, watch that scene again, it looks like a scene right out of The Terminator...the leather jacket doesn't help either.
Johnny then approaches the Houseman table. Baby, who I think may have wet herself (or worse) seeing him, smiles widely. What follows is the line that EVERYONE remembers to this day!
Johnny: "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!"
Then beckons her like a dog to follow him. The father (the late great Jerry Orbach) stands up to protest, but apparently his wife's powerful grip is enough to subdue an angry father.
A beeline is made to the stage. Johnny and Baby walk up the stage (thankfully shutting up that sad excuse for a chorus line), and he makes his big speech:
Johnny: "Sorry for the disruption folks. But I always do the last dance of the season." (I think he is going to cry...unfortunately he doesn't) "But this year somebody told me not to. So I'm going to do my kind of dancing with a great partner. Who's not only a great dancer, but somebody's who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them. Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Miss Francis Houseman."
Now this would normally be the part where Mr. Houseman goes to get up again, and Mrs. Houseman stops him with the line "Sit down Jake." and every girl in the universe lets out a little scream.
BUT, since I am the one re-writing here, this is where I cut in:
Mr. Housman gets up, and yells out: "She is only 16!! I know what you've been doing with her! I call statutory rape!"
The crowd's murmur gets louder. Just then one of the guests stand up and flashes a NY Catskills County Sheriff's Badge. "Is this true, Ms. Houseman?"
Baby (in tears) shamefully nods her head. The sheriff walks up the stage and places handcuffs on the great Johnny Castle. A protest begins with some of his fellow dancers. Security is able to subdue them while Johnny is taken away to the sheriff's car that was parked outside.
Baby looks over to her father. "I hate you! I never want to talk to you again!" She storms off the stage and goes outside. Her sister Lisa takes off after her. She finally catches up to Baby.
Lisa: "Listen Baby, I know you loved him. But this was just a summer fling."
Baby: "But I'll never forget him. There will never be another man like him."
Lisa: "And I hope not. Seriously, all he wanted to do was dance! What about watching a movie or going to dinner? You need to let him go. I mean seriously - did you even know his middle name?"
Baby buries her face in her sisters outstretched arms.
The screen fades to black. Text appears on the screen and reads as follows:
"John Edward Castle was indicted on 1 count of sex with a minor on Septemer 3, 1963. Upon further checking, he was charged with 7 more counts of sex with a minor, as it was found that every year prior he intentionally victimized one family by seducing their youngest daughter. In his second year, the girl was only 12 years old! He has been placed in a federal facility for an undisclosed sentence. Police continue to investigate more allegations as they arrive."
NOW THAT'S AN ENDING!
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RIP Patrick Swayze. While I never liked you as an actor, I am not trying to defame you on a personal level.
This is not to be confused with a movie review. It's sort of like, if my life was a book, this is one of the chapters. after reading this, you will all understand as to why T2 will forever live in my mind as the greatest movie of all time!
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TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
While this show was not my first fond memorable movie, it has still lasted the test of time as STILL being my favourite movie...OF ALL TIME!
It was 1991. I had just finished grade 5. I was watching TV one day and I seen this movie commercial (because at that age I had never heard the term trailer before, so I just called them commercials). Anyways, this commercial comes on for a movie called Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Now, I've heard of The Terminator. Everyone did. But that movie came out in 1984. I WOULD'VE BEEN 5!! Needless to say I didn't watch it when it came out. I grew up in a household that didn't really allow much swearing on TV (heck, we weren't even allowed to watch The Simpsons), so when T2 hit, I STILL had not seen the first one. But at least I knew that Arnold was the baddie. I remember the commercial distinctly as the final tagline was "...this time there are 2." Two Terminators after the boy, HE'S SCREWED! AWESOME! Now, topped off with badass explosions and CGI, this commercial practically made me weep with excitement. I HAD TO SEE IT!! A few nights later, while watching the Arsenio Hall Show (yup, I watched it), Arnold Schwarzenegger was the guest. They talked about T2 and repeatedly flashed across the screen "THE BIGGEST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER!". They even showed a good 2 minute clip of the beginning bar scene.
OK, so I couldn't contain it much longer! One way or another I WAS THERE! So, later that summer my sister, her friend Diane (yup, if you are reading this, I mean you), my friend, and I finally made the decision to go. So off to Place Riel Theatre at the University of Saskatchewan campus we went!!
A glorious 2 hours and spare change went by. All we did was talk about it after. I even had bought a collectible magazine with pictures and behind the scenes stuff, etc. Guns N' Roses aided the situation by putting out a track that would forever be known as that song from T2 ("You Could Be Mine"). I had already liked Guns N' Roses, having heard Appetite For Destruction back in the late 80's. But when I found out they had not one but TWO albums coming out, a sort of double shot of awesomeness if you will, I was elated! And, thanks again to my ever incredible sister, Christmas came and guess what was under the tree. Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusions I & II!! Meanwhile, in that gap between late August (when we seen the flick) and Christmas, my friend and I NEVER STOPPED TALKING ABOUT THIS MOVIE. The phrase "Hasta la vista, baby" was forever used in our daily conversations. And the recently released music video for GNR's "You Could Be Mine" was recorded on our awesome VCR, and watched to death!
Finally 1992 hit. Grunge music was taking over the radio. The Kurt Cobain era was half way done while the Pearl Jam and Soundgarden era were just getting started. Guns N' Roses and Metallica represented all that was rock that year. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Trisha Yearwood were the biggest names in country music (and for the most part I still didn't care).
I was finishing my rough stint in grade 6 (I hated A LOT of people in elementary, and I never got along well with my grade 6 teacher). But still, Terminator 2 was all I could talk about. In fact, Superchannel was finally getting it! Luckily I had the channel, too! One day, I finally got my handy-dandy blank VHS tape, popped it in and pushed record. IT WAS MINE!
Around this time, my brother (who was only 2 at the time) and I were at home alone (I babysat him A LOT), and I figured: brother, it's time to introduce you to an AWESOME movie. Into the VCR went T2. So, after watching it and the GNR "You Could Be Mine" video that day (and many, many times other days), I was now the proud big brother of a little boy who had committed an R-rated show to memory. I know, awesome, right? In fact, anytime the movie, the video, or even a shot of Arnold himself came on the TV, Johnathan (in the cutest 2 year old voice piossible) would always be excited and just kept saying "Mine" (his referencing to the song). I was so happy with myself. Though, in retrospect, I wonder if his attitude now was caused by watching a swear-laden show at the age of 2? Hmmmmm......
Either way, eventually the taped VHS was replaced by the actual VHS. The VHS by the DVD (only after I found out there were additional scenes in the DVD), and, as of last year, the DVD by the Blu Ray (yup, with EVEN MORE additional scenes!).
So, in conclusion, not only did Terminator 2 play a pivotal part of my childhood...it also may have destroyed my brothers!
Wait...
