Schwarztoberfest Part III: The Rising Star Years

Part three of Schwarztoberfest is the Rising Star Years.  The success Arnold had in these movies paved the way for many more successful (and unsuccessful) movies.

Predator
Release Date: June 12, 1987
Gross: $98 million (Worldwide)


This was the first Schwarzenegger film I saw in the theater and I haven’t missed one since.

I’ve got the disc in and the menu is playing music from the movie.  I’m getting excited to get this one started.  Stop jacking around and push play!

FAST FACTS: The original actor in the Predator suit was unhappy to appear as an uncredited special affect so he quit.  That actor soon went on to star in Bloodsport as the star, Frank Dukes.  His name, Jean-Claude Van Damme.

A friend told me that this Predator movie wouldn’t get made today.  He said it basically has no plot other than send a bunch of guys into the jungle to hunt an alien-- or rather stay alive while an alien hunted them.  It’s too basic of a plot and would have to be developed much more with back story if it were to be made today.  Not taking anything away from the movie, I tend to agree.  Although if they did make this, they could use the cast of The Expendables.

Arnold, Bill Duke, Carl Weathers, and Jesse “the Governor” Ventura.  This movie has everyone but Sven Ole-Thorsen-- no, wait, he’s in it too.

FACT FACTS: This movie features two governors (Arnold & Jessie) and another guy who ran for governor.  Sonny Landham, who portrayed Billy the American Indian, ran for governor of Kentucky in 2003.  Landham was also a 1970’s porn star.

“This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me.”  “I ain’t got time to bleed.”

So, Bill Duke pulls a scorpion off of Carl Weathers.  Later, the Predator picks up the scorpion and looks at it.  Was that all the “permission” he needed to go after the group, or was that foreshadowing how he would easily kill the group?  They say in the movie that it’s because they have weapons, but the Predator didn’t stop them earlier when they passed by.

FAST FACTS: Jesse Ventura was delighted to find out from the wardrobe department that his arms were 1" bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger's. He suggested to Schwarzenegger that they measure arms, with the winner getting a bottle of champagne. Ventura lost because Schwarzenegger had told the wardrobe department to tell Ventura that his arms were bigger.

Gotta love Bill Duke mowing down the jungle after he first sees the Predator.  Nerves of steel, he does not have.  Carl Weathers is a dick... his character that is.

So, another thing to add to the shopping cart: I’ll take the menacing look of Bill Duke.  So so far I have Bill Duke’s menacing look, Scatman’s voice, Arnold’s charisma, and the ability to play bass fiddle like a hill-billy.

I have to say that up to point in his career, this is Arnold’s best acting work.  He’s less wooden and more natural than in his previous parts.  Credit director John McTiernan for that I suppose.

“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”

Bill Duke loves to shave.  Ooh... Bill Duke had a harsh death.  Not to self: if I ever see laser dots on my arm, don’t look to see where they are coming from.

FAST FACTS: The filmmakers tried to get shots of the Predator swinging through the trees by putting a monkey in a Predator suit, but the monkey kept taking the suit off.

Billy’s laughs at Crocodile Dundee’s “knife”.  The Predator laughs at Billy’s final stand.

The final showdown commences and Arnold’s doing well.  He tracks the Predators blood (glow stick and KY jelly) into a cave and foolishly follows him into it.  As the Admiral would say, “It’s a trap!”.  The Predator can kill him at any time now, but doesn’t  He wants to show Arnold what he looks like.  “You one ugly mother-fucker!”

“Come on... Come on! Do it! Do it! Come on. Come on! Kill me! I'm here! Kill me! I'm here! Kill me! Come on! Kill me! I'm here! Come on! Do it now! Kill me! “ - Obviously this was Arnold ad-libbing.

FAST FACTS: The choppa pilot at the end of the film was the actor in the Predator suit.  Kevin Peter Hall, also starred in Predator 2 and Harry and the Hendersens, was 7’ 2” and died at age 35 in 1991.

Asses Arnold Kicked (AAK): 23
Cheese Factor: 3 of 10
WTF Moment: The Predators laugh going from deep and spooky to Vincent Price maniacal at the end of the movie.
Date Watched: March 13th
Overall Rating: 9.25 of 10


The Running Man
Release Date: November 13, 1987
Gross: $38 million (USA)


It’s hard for me to pick my favorite Arnold movies, but this one is definitely up there with Commando.  I can remember anticipating this movie because I had read the short story it was based on.  The story was written by Stephen King but it’s really nothing like the movie.  However, it’s freakin’ Arnold so it was awesome.  

The world economy has collaped.  Food, natural resources and oil are in short supply.  A police state rules with an iron hand.  The movie takes place in 2017, only five short years away.

Ben Richards (Uncle Arnie) is ordered to attack 1500 unarmed civilians who just want some food.  He refuses, a fight breaks out, he’s detained, and the people are slaughtered anyway.  Richards is framed for the slaughter and sent to prison where he grows a giant beard and carries around a steel girder.

FAST FACTS: Patrick Swayze and Don Johnson were considered for the part of Ben Richards.  Christopher Reeve and Dolph Lungren were interested in starring in the movie.

Like the A-Team, Arnold and some freedom fighters escape from a maximum security prison to the underground.  Chico doesn’t make it.  Arnold heads to his brother Edward’s apartment, but Edward has been taken away for re-education.  Maria Conchita Alonso lives there now.

FAST FACTS: Two governors and two musicians.  That’s Mic Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, who removes Arnold’s collar and Dweezil Zappa of Frank Zappa’s loin, who plays Stevie, one of the underground fighters.

Arnold is soon caught and forced to be on The Running Man, a TV show where contestants basically run for their lives as they are hunted down.  Franco Columbu appears as a phone operator at the show.

FAST FACTS: The first stalker, Sub-Zero (aka Big Ed Cuddly), is played by ex-wrestler, Professor Toru Tanaka.  Tanaka is an 11-year US army veteran and 3 time WWF tag-team champion.

“Here is Sub-Zero!  Now, just plain zero!”  “What a pain in the neck.”

Maria Conchita Alonso experiences some karma payback for turning in Arnold and is sent into the game bringing the total to four runners (two of Arnie’s co-escapee’s are with them.)  

Buzzsaw and Dynamo are attacking now.  Buzzsaw is the Texas chainsaw murderer on a dirt bike while Dynamo is a man in a lights-it driving around in Batman’s Cylon tumbler.  Arnold and Buzzsaw fight, but then Buzzsaw “had to split.”

Dynamo can shoot electricity at his enemies while singing opera, but his tumbler takes a tumble and Arnold spares his life.

FAST FACTS: The actor who plays Dynamo, Erland van Lidth, also starred as Terror in The Wanderers.  He was an amateur wrestler, a bass-baritone Opera singer who performed in New York, and owned his own computer business.

James Brown’s number is called next, and the ex-NFL running back straps on his his fire-shooter jetpack and soon meets up with Arnold and Maria.  “How ‘bout a light?”  “What a hot head.”

Jesse the Governor Ventura is up next as Captain Freedom.  He’s all mad about the garbage they want to make him wear and talks about the code of the gladiators.  Standing next to him is Sven Ole Thorsen who played the gladiator Tigris, in Gladiator.  I think Captain Freedom quit over this because he’s not seen again

Arnold and the underground fighters storm the studio and it’s Arnold versus Killian, host of The Running Man.  Uh oh, here comes Sven Ole Thorsen who chooses to let Killian get his just desserts.  “I’ve got to score some steroids,” he says before walking off the stage.

I always thought that Sven was going to be revealed as Arnold’s brother.  Arnold’s brother was taken away, while Sven’s character has a similar accent to Arnold, has a bodybuilders body, has a haircut similar to Arnold, and doesn’t fight Arnold at the end.  The never say it’s his brother, but I like to think it was.

Speaking of Killian, Richard Dawson was perfectly cast in this role.  Most people know Dawson from Family Feud, but he was an actor before that in Hogan’s Heroes, tv appearances, and a few movies.

Asses Arnold Kicked (AAK): 13
Cheese Factor: 5 of 10
WTF Moment: Dynamo tries to rape Maria in the studio hallway while the assault is going on.
Date Watched: March 14th
Overall Rating: 8.1 of 10


Red Heat
Release Date: June 17, 1988
Gross: $34.9 million (USA)


I remember seeing this in the theater and I may have seen it once since then, but I don’t remember too much about it.  I know there is some comedy, but my impression of it was that it’s somewhat boring.  I think this movie wanted to be like 48 hours.  This was Arnold’ first attempt at a comedy and it opened the door for Twins.

Russian bathhouse.  Sven Ole Thorsen appears right away and fights with Arnold (Ivan Danko) with another guy in their towels/thongs out in the snow.  I thought I remembered that opening scene being longer.  Perhaps it just felt longer since it was a bunch of nearly nude men.

FAST FACTS:  Arnold spent three months learning to speak Russian for this film.

Ah, I was combining the sauna with the Russian bar scene.  A shootout ensues and Arnold’s partner is killed.  The Russian bad guy, played by Ed O’Ross really looks the part, but he was born in Pittsburgh... to Czechoslovakian parents.

Add speaking Russian to my shopping list. (Speak Russian, Bill Duke’s menacing look, Scatman’s voice, Arnold’s charisma, and the ability to play bass fiddle like a hill-billy.)

FAST FACTS: The night clerk at the hotel Arnold stays at is Otis from The Walking Dead.  He is much thinner and has hair.

Jim Belushi, Peter Boyle, and Lawrence Fishburne are in this film.  Belushi looks thin, but the director actually had him gain ten pounds.  Fishburne looks extremely thin.

“You look like Marvin Hagler to me.  I LOST MONEY ON HAGLER!”

FAST FACTS:  In order to capture the essense of the character, director Walter Hill (Aliens, Alien3, 48 Hours) asked Arnold to watch Ninotchtka and emulate Greta Garbo’s character.  Arnold did and Hill said Arnold picked up the character right away.  Personally, I think Arnold seemed pretty natural in this role.

Arnold and Fishburne both have a Strahan tooth gap as does one of the blond Russian henchmen.

Gina Gershon is looking good in this movie.  I think this is before she had her fish lips implant procedure.

FAST FACTS: The waitress who wants to give Belushi more coffee would become his wife two years later... for only two years.

The Clean Heads have a poor lack of direction.  They watched Arnold from outside through his window, but when they go inside, Viktor says that he’s in 302 which would be across the hall on the other side of the hotel.

The “John” that was blown away with four our five bullets through his chest, can be seen breathing as he lies dead on the bathroom floor.

“Time to feed parakeet.”  “I do not want to touch his ass.”  “I’m not shitting on you.”

Ouch, Arnold gets clocked with a bus door.  Bus chase!

Okay, this was actually a pretty good action movie and light on the comedy.  I think the action wasn’t over the top, which for an Arnold movie tends to make it boring, which is a shame.  I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel made to this one if they could get Belushi back.  Maybe the follow the Rush Hour formula and send Belushi to Moscow.

Asses Arnold Kicked (AAK): 12
Cheese Factor: 2 of 10
WTF Moment: Arnold’s ass in a string thong.
Date Watched: March 17th
Overall Rating: 6.5 of 10


Twins
Release Date: December 9, 1988
Gross: $216.6 million (worldwide)


So obviously, this isn’t a movie where the music is going to get me excited to see it.  That’s not a knock though, because I’ve always enjoyed this movie.  I had it on VHS and I bought the soundtrack as well (I’ve always been a big soundtrack guy).  I guess when you think of Arnold, you think of action movies and you just don’t get as up for a comedy.  It’s a decent comedy for it’s time.  It’s nothing like what we have today.

FAST FACTS: Schwarzenegger and DeVito were given the choice to do Twins or Suburban Commando.  Had they chosen to do Suburban Commando, Hulk Hogan and Christopher Lloyd would have starred in Twins.  I think they made the right choice.

Wow, Danny DeVito looks really young here.  He’s 44 playing 35... he doesn’t look that young.

Ha ha... They show a shot of Arnold coming out of the airport soooo much taller than everyone else, but then everyone in front of him is Asian.

FAST FACTS:  The mother of Julius and Vincent Benedict in the flashback, anyone?  Anyone?  Heather Graham.  The guy in the car park who tells DeVito which cars to steal, anyone?  Anyone?  David Caruso.

I always loved Arnold scoffing at Stallone’s muscles in the movie theater poster.

Dr. Traven is a dick, but also it’s out of character that he’s such an asshole to Vincent all these years later for no reason.

Sven Ole Thorsen makes his appearance as one of the Klane brothers.

Kelly Preston, aka Mrs. Travolta, looks pretty good here, but I think she may look better today.  Never mind, she flashed some cheeks and then I got a good close-up on her face.  I think the dated hair was hiding how good she looks.

FAST FACTS: Webster, the bad guy who wants the five million dollars Vincent stole, would later star with Arnold in Total Recall as the guy who Kuato lives in.

It never occurred to me how odd it was that DeVito was playing a ladies man...

Why is there a lever that releases every bit of chain in Houston?

Hmmm... I guess I didn’t have too much to say about the actual movie here.

Asses Arnold Kicked (AAK): 5
Cheese Factor: 6 of 10
WTF Moment: The guy’s name is Beetroot McKinley.  Beetroot?
Date Watched: March 19th
Overall Rating: 7.1 of 10


With these movies, Arnold started to attract a wider range of fans which led a wider range of movies he could star in.  The star has risen and it’s about to get bright.


I'd love to have your feedback:  Which of these movies do you like?  Which are your favorites?  What are some memorable moments?  Which have you never seen?