5 best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Like Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger was once known as an actor. Granted, not a great actor, but still. He starred in a lot of movies.

And, like Sheen, Schwarzenegger is infamous these days for his off-camera antics. Revelations that the former California governor's 25-year marriage to Maria Shriver is ending and that he fathered a son with a member of his housekeeping staff have put him in the spotlight in a way even he probably never wanted.

So, like we did with Sheen, we're going to go back to a simpler, happier time and reflect on Schwarzenegger's five best films. And there actually are five:

• "True Lies" (1994): Schwarzenegger has always injected an element of humor into his action movies, a tongue-in-cheek recognition of his own outsized ridiculousness, for better and for worse. His puns, for example, can be painful. But this is the best example of his ability to blend laughs and gunfire, sight gags and explosions. Teaming up once again with "Terminator" director James Cameron in this remake of a French comedy, Schwarzenegger stars as a spy posing as a mild-mannered computer salesman. When he suspects his wife (a funny and sexy Jamie Lee Curtis) is having an affair, he uses all the gadgets and weapons at his disposal to win her back. A screwball blockbuster.

• "The Terminator" (1984): One of the definitive `80s action flicks and the movie that truly made Schwarzenegger a superstar. It features one of his classic and most-quoted lines — "I'll be back" — and allowed us all to put the suffix "-ator" at the end of any word to describe him in a corny way. Cameron also put himself on the map, as director and co-writer, with this sci-fi fable about an unstoppable cyborg sent back from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can give birth to ... well, you know what the "Terminator" series is about. Clever, intense and mind-bendy, filled with a dark mythology of biblical proportions and the kind of elaborate action sequences that would become one of Cameron's trademarks.

• "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991): A rare sequel that is as good as the original, if not better (are you listening, makers of the "Hangover" movies?). "T2" was super high-tech in its day, with seamless visual effects that allowed Robert Patrick's character, the even deadlier Terminator known as the T-1000, to shape-shift and heal itself instantly. Schwarzenegger is back as the original Terminator, who must now protect Sarah Connor's son. Of course, "T2" features yet another of his classic lines — "Hasta la vista, baby" — which he would use to cringe-inducing effect in various real-world circumstances.

• "Total Recall" (1990): Inspired by a Philip K. Dick short story and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this is a brisk, paranoid, violent and darkly funny adventure. Schwarzenegger stars as Doug Quaid, a construction worker living in the future who discovers that his entire existence has been a fabrication. His real identity (which has something to do with Mars) has been erased, but virtual reality trips help him unlock his own mysteries. This vision of an efficient future is meant to be startling in its soullessness, but "Total Recall" also features plenty of sleaze; this is, after all, from the man who would go on to direct "Basic Instinct." Speaking of which, a young and extremely cute Sharon Stone co-stars as Schwarzenegger's wife.

• "Predator" (1987): OK, I will admit that I am choosing this one in part because my husband loves it, and he has an uncanny knack for finding it on TV at any time of the day or night. (I also enjoy hearing him yell, "Get to the chopper!" in his bad Arnold accent.) An early film from action veteran John McTiernan, this sci-fi thriller is about a group of commandos who are trapped in a Central American jungle and hunted by an extraterrestrial monster. Schwarzenegger, as a special forces bad-ass named Dutch, is sent in to save them but he also must fight this creature with deadly camouflage abilities. If anyone could do it, it was Arnold at the height of his powers.

___

Think of any other examples? Share them with AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire.

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

5 best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Like Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger was once known as an actor. Granted, not a great actor, but still. He starred in a lot of movies.

And, like Sheen, Schwarzenegger is infamous these days for his off-camera antics. Revelations that the former California governor's 25-year marriage to Maria Shriver is ending and that he fathered a son with a member of his housekeeping staff have put him in the spotlight in a way even he probably never wanted.

So, like we did with Sheen, we're going to go back to a simpler, happier time and reflect on Schwarzenegger's five best films. And there actually are five:

• "True Lies" (1994): Schwarzenegger has always injected an element of humor into his action movies, a tongue-in-cheek recognition of his own outsized ridiculousness, for better and for worse. His puns, for example, can be painful. But this is the best example of his ability to blend laughs and gunfire, sight gags and explosions. Teaming up once again with "Terminator" director James Cameron in this remake of a French comedy, Schwarzenegger stars as a spy posing as a mild-mannered computer salesman. When he suspects his wife (a funny and sexy Jamie Lee Curtis) is having an affair, he uses all the gadgets and weapons at his disposal to win her back. A screwball blockbuster.

• "The Terminator" (1984): One of the definitive `80s action flicks and the movie that truly made Schwarzenegger a superstar. It features one of his classic and most-quoted lines — "I'll be back" — and allowed us all to put the suffix "-ator" at the end of any word to describe him in a corny way. Cameron also put himself on the map, as director and co-writer, with this sci-fi fable about an unstoppable cyborg sent back from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can give birth to ... well, you know what the "Terminator" series is about. Clever, intense and mind-bendy, filled with a dark mythology of biblical proportions and the kind of elaborate action sequences that would become one of Cameron's trademarks.

• "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991): A rare sequel that is as good as the original, if not better (are you listening, makers of the "Hangover" movies?). "T2" was super high-tech in its day, with seamless visual effects that allowed Robert Patrick's character, the even deadlier Terminator known as the T-1000, to shape-shift and heal itself instantly. Schwarzenegger is back as the original Terminator, who must now protect Sarah Connor's son. Of course, "T2" features yet another of his classic lines — "Hasta la vista, baby" — which he would use to cringe-inducing effect in various real-world circumstances.

• "Total Recall" (1990): Inspired by a Philip K. Dick short story and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this is a brisk, paranoid, violent and darkly funny adventure. Schwarzenegger stars as Doug Quaid, a construction worker living in the future who discovers that his entire existence has been a fabrication. His real identity (which has something to do with Mars) has been erased, but virtual reality trips help him unlock his own mysteries. This vision of an efficient future is meant to be startling in its soullessness, but "Total Recall" also features plenty of sleaze; this is, after all, from the man who would go on to direct "Basic Instinct." Speaking of which, a young and extremely cute Sharon Stone co-stars as Schwarzenegger's wife.

• "Predator" (1987): OK, I will admit that I am choosing this one in part because my husband loves it, and he has an uncanny knack for finding it on TV at any time of the day or night. (I also enjoy hearing him yell, "Get to the chopper!" in his bad Arnold accent.) An early film from action veteran John McTiernan, this sci-fi thriller is about a group of commandos who are trapped in a Central American jungle and hunted by an extraterrestrial monster. Schwarzenegger, as a special forces bad-ass named Dutch, is sent in to save them but he also must fight this creature with deadly camouflage abilities. If anyone could do it, it was Arnold at the height of his powers.

___

Think of any other examples? Share them with AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire.

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, wife Maria Shriver separate (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced on Monday that they were separating.

The surprise statement came four months after Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born former bodybuilder turned Hollywood action star, left office in January after serving two terms as governor.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," Schwarzenegger, 63, and Shriver, 55, said in the statement, which was issued jointly. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together."

The couple, who met at a charity tennis tournament in 1977 and married in 1986, did not indicate whether they would seek a divorce, but said they were living separately "while we work on the future of our relationship."

"We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives," they said in the statement. "We consider this a private matter, and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment. We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public."

The couple maintained their home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles during his two terms as governor, with Schwarzenegger commuting by jet to the state capitol in Sacramento.

Schwarzenegger said in February that he was ready to make movies again and announced recently that he is developing a television show and comic book based on his political nickname "The Governator."

An industry source told Reuters last month that Schwarzenegger was likely to star in a new "Terminator" movie that would reprise his most famous screen role as the virtually indestructible cyborg from the future.

Shriver, an author and former journalist for NBC, is active with a number of volunteer organizations.

Her mother was the sister of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy and her father, Sargent Shriver, was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 1972. Sargent Shriver died in January at the age of 95.

Though a lifelong Democrat, Shriver campaigned for her Republican husband when he sought to recall and replace then-Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, in 2003.

She took to the stump to help Schwarzenegger win reelection in 2006.

(Additional reporting by Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis. Editing by Peter Bohan)

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Arnold Schwarzenegger picks drama for comeback (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Arnold Schwarzenegger has zeroed in on the film that will mark his return to the big screen: "Cry Macho," a drama about a down-on-his-luck horse trainer who is hired to kidnap a 9-year-old boy.

Filming is set to begin in September. Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") will direct. Producer Al Ruddy, an Oscar winner for both "The Godfather" and "Million Dollar Baby," has been nurturing the project for years.

"I guarantee that you'll get another look at Arnold Schwarzenegger in this movie," Ruddy said. "Arnold always plays these big muscular guys, but there's a sweetness to Arnold in real life, and we want to bring that sweetness to the screen. Now that Brad's met with Arnold, he's convinced there's an accessibility and vulnerability there that he wants to bring out."

The project's financier, QED International, will begin offering it to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival next week.

Schwarzenegger's deal calls for the actor to receive $12.5 million plus 25% of gross ticket sales from the first dollar. Ruddy and Schwarzenegger also will end up co-owning the negative on the film.

While the former governor also is attached to a "Terminator" package that is being offered to studios, with "Macho," he is opting for a movie that is more a character study than a full-blown action piece -- although some action elements have been added to accommodate the star.

The film is based on the 1975 novel, "Cry Macho," by N. Richard Nash, who also wrote the play The Rainmaker. Nash, who died in 2000, wrote the screenplay, which Ruddy has re-optioned over the years.

"I just would never let go of this one," Ruddy, 81, said. Actors ranging from Burt Lancaster to Pierce Brosnan expressed interest in the lead role. And at one point, it looked as if Clint Eastwood might star in and direct.

Because he didn't want to lose control of the property, Ruddy said, he never took it to a studio but continued to look for ways to package it independently.

Schwarzenegger, 63, will play Mike, a horse trainer whose wife and son have died. His former boss makes him an over he can't refuse: $400,000 to kidnap the boss' trust-fund son, who is living with the man's ex-wife in Mexico. But when Mike locates the boy, a real troublemaker, the ex-wife doesn't want the kid. But as Mike and the boy head back to the states, with the Federales on their trail, they develop a father-son bond.

"If it works, and I think it will," Ruddy said, "this could be a classic. There's an emotional line to the story that really works. At the end of the movie, I'm hoping audiences will be laughing and crying at the same time."

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.