Best Arnold Movie

[Natzo]

Pumping Iron?


Predator! without a doubt!

 

[Line]

Ha, it's funny. Pumping Iron might be the best movie Arnold's been in but, seeing how it was a documentary it was excluded. As an actor, Terminator, T2, and Predator are all acceptable answers. Man, he's been in a lot of shitty films though.

 

[tim290280]

^^ Actually what are your thoughts on this:
I don't think Arnie has much ability for acting or that he makes any good films. His best roles have come from directors achievements. What Arnie brings is more about charisma and presence that draws you into the film and keeps you watching. The same magnetism and charisma that made the BBing world love him. But is this ability acting or just personality that we connect with as an audience?


NB: This statement does not constitute my actual opinion on Arnie and his films.

 

[Line]

^^ Actually what are your thoughts on this:
I don't think Arnie has much ability for acting or that he makes any good films. His best roles have come from directors achievements. What Arnie brings is more about charisma and presence that draws you into the film and keeps you watching. The same magnetism and charisma that made the BBing world love him. But is this ability acting or just personality that we connect with as an audience?

I actually don't disagree with this. Arnold is a symbol, a brand, a marketing tactic. This is true of his career as a bodybuilder (the Weider's still make notable bank from his image alone) and as an actor. I'm not saying he's not talented or that the personified-product he's shilling is not his own; I'm fine with it either way. In a lot of ways I like Arnold and it seems unnecessary to really dwell on what I don't like about him. Still, Cameron is a better director in the sense of telling a story as is than really developing anything meaningful thematically; his forte is combining well-developed effects with fairly competent scripts. But regardless of Cameron's technical ability, films like T2 still wouldn't be possible without things like Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is more or less incomparable when it comes to depth. I'm not saying action films should set a master's masterpiece as a benchmark but obviously there are paralleled themes between the two. Even when looking at something like Predator, we can examine it by way of action and performance (I.E. Arnold's charisma) or we can examine it deeper -- a post-Vietnam era of American soliders fighting a guerrilla enemy within the disorienting confines of the jungle. Is it really fun to think about that though? No, not really. Predator isn't a bad movie, but it's depth is marginalized by Arnie's persona which is how it's intended to be enjoyed anyway. His films lack pretension in this regard because he, as a personality, is larger than life and most directors acknowledge and embrace that.

 

[tim290280]

His films lack pretension in this regard because he, as a personality, is larger than life and most directors acknowledge and embrace that.

Agree with your points. But this last point is probably key to why he also makes so many bad films. There is that fine line between larger than life and overblown where unless there is a satirical element (True Lies, Last Action Hero (which I actually don't mind)) the movie immediately sinks under its own self indulgence. Suddenly you have all the ingredients for a B-grade actioner without the depth and subtlety required for an A-grade film or at least the creative skill to craft an impacting film that allows you to ignore the flaws.

I remember someone once writing that for every great Arnold film there was the anti-Arnold or agonist of his good work. The use of his image and charisma have to managed with aplomb rather than stirred in with the filmic ingredients.

*waits for Duality to argue*

 

[thedon]

TWINS!

 

[Line]

I actually don't disagree with this. Arnold is a symbol, a brand, a marketing tactic.

I borrowed this from myself for my Terminator 2 BD review. It's more topical than specific though.