What a great interview with Mister Schwarzenegger. I've enjoyed a number of his movies, Terminator and T2 faves, along with Total Recall. Pumping Iron is still a great watch. Many of us were fans. Your choices will vary. Still think Conan The Barbarian is one of the worst movies ever made. The American Library Association poster they did featuring him as Conan The Librarian was and is still so much cooler than the flick.

[www.hollywoodreporter.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-27 09:31 by bv.

As overrated as Stallone is?
His best film was the 1st Terminator because he did not act one bit in it. He was just a body with monolithic reactions/acting style. And it suited him just fine.

"It goes back to Nietzsche"
Cmon Arnold...

Never cared much for his acting. Trashing his marriage to Maria Shriver by having an affair with his housekeeper was so cliche.

Hercules in New York is a must see.

True lies was very good. Twins was very funny.

I've met Arnold several times throughout the decades - nice guy, terrible actor.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I’ve always been a fan, myself. Even as a child, when I was too young to watch his films. Terminator, Commando, Predator, etc. They’re all good in my book!

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Hairball
I've met Arnold several times throughout the decades - nice guy, terrible actor.

Yes...but just the right kind of terrible actor for what he does.


The ridiculous can sometimes be the sublime.

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dcba
.. His best film was the 1st Terminator because he did not act one bit in it. He was just a body with monolithic reactions/acting style. And it suited him just fine...

Eggzactly! They put too much human emotion into him for T2, although that is a great movie nonetheless. But his role in T1 is just great! He explained that he based it off of Yul Brynner's robot role in Westworld movie from the 70s, and that was done w/ a similar "monolithic reactions/acting style" as you state above.

In general, Arnold movies were great, T1, T2, Total Recall ... someone mentioned Twins and True Lies, I agree, both very good films. As well as Commando and Kindergarten Cop!

I also think he's great in The Running Man! And a cheesy one, but always loved watching it w/ my kids over xmas time: Jingle All The Way

I guess the only film by him I've seen all the way through is "True Lies" (and that was due to Jamie Lee Curtis). I recall trying to watch some of those old action movies, Terminators or whatever, but after a twenty minutes or so, I needed to give up. Bored to death. Not my cup of coffee at all.

But that's just me. He is a legend, many like him and his movies, and that's just fine. I heard he is a great guy as well. Had he been American-born, who knows if he had made the office at White House. Supposedly there've been worse guys there.

I recall the story from late 80's or early 90's that Big Arnold wanted to Dylan to write a soundtrack for some of his films. He already sent a big check to Dylan. But Dylan just sent the money back, without commenting anything. And that was it. True or not, I don't know.

- Doxa

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Big Al
I’ve always been a fan, myself. Even as a child, when I was too young to watch his films. Terminator, Commando, Predator, etc. They’re all good in my book!

+1 .. I love art films and Arnold films pretty much equally.. Like I love quinoa and ice-cream equally.. I try and be well rounded

I don't get this bad actor talk. Is it possible to be a bad actor in cartoonish films like Robocop? Is it his accent?
Is he a bad actor because he has a German accent? I don't get it. And why do they pay "bad actors" millions of dollars?

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snoopy2

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Big Al
I’ve always been a fan, myself. Even as a child, when I was too young to watch his films. Terminator, Commando, Predator, etc. They’re all good in my book!

+1 .. I love art films and Arnold films pretty much equally.. Like I love quinoa and ice-cream equally.. I try and be well rounded

But isn't that dichotomy - art vs Arnold films - a bit constrained? There are so helluva lot different stuff and varities within the realm of so called art film and there are so many different kind of movies and genres that are not 'art movies' but neither having anything to do with Arnold movies... Damn, Steven Seagal movies make Arnold movies to look like art movies (but for some odd reason I've seen a couple of them and pervertly even have liked them)... Besides, one can find The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from the both realms (of art and non-art movies)... I guess there are differences in ice cream as well and the preference is up to one's taste..

I was thinking what is the opposite or alternative to 'art film' (a term I never liked that much to begin with)... commercial film?

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-30 21:07 by Doxa.

Regarding the reference by Doxa to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", it's considered one of the best Western movies ever made, up there with "The Searchers" and "The Wild Bunch". I've watched these three many a time. A somewhat overlooked film of Sergio Leone's Westerns is "Once Upon A Time In The West".