Arnold Schwarzenegger

Pumping Iron (25th Anniversary Special Edition)
$5.98
rinse and repeat . this brilliant british activist and bodybuilder affected an austrian accent for the entirety of this fascinating after school special about gettin' buff . subsequently he embarked on a couple of "GONAD THE BARBARIAN" feature films before joining the superb team of hosts (FRAN TARKENTON , MARJOE GORTNER and ED McMAHON) on the scrappy and long running "THOSE REAL , AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE HUMAN ANIMALS" television hour . then he simply vanished *. currently residing in the (where are they now ?) file , lets hope he finds his footing and returns to programing such as this . * much thanks to WIKIPEDIA in writing this review .

Total Recall
$9.98
Paul Verhoeven pulls all stops in this non-stop action movie. TOTAL RECALL is a well produced and scripted story that takes you on a trip half way though our galaxy. The main characters memories have been wiped away and the viewer explores the fictional world and adventures of getting his memories back.

This film brings back memories of the late 80's in some of it's set designs and fashions. But all visual and special effects are very impressive and the making of is described in detail in the bonus feature section. The bonus features alone make this DVD a must own!

The soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith is very fitting and beautiful and can be considered one of cinemas greatest scores of all times!

This is one of those movies you can watch many times over- it actually gets better with age! It is fun to travel to the wonderfully strange world of Mars and relive a very breathless and exciting adventure!

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder
$14.00
I would highly recommend this book for anybody who has aspirations of getting into bodybuilding, getting into fantastic shape or learning about the mind of the man, when he was a bodybuilder. The amazing thing about this book is that every time I reread it, I seemed to pick up something new that I didn't recall before. That's to say, there are lots of lessons packed - how to overcome obstacles, how to overcome defeat, how to win, and how to be honest. It comes across as an honest story, with a bit of panache to make it a bit more exciting, ala Arnold. Classic Arnold. He's a pretty good writer, and its entertaining enough.

The book is split into two sections. The first section is the autobiography. The second is a fairly detailed explanation of putting together a training routine. Keep in mind, that this was written in the seventies. So you aren't going to get a modern overview of supplements. But what you will get, is an affordable way of putting together a training regimen, using basic principles. For example, there is a section which explains how you can work out at home, using chairs, a broomstick, and your own body weight. I like this explanation of training - which suggests that you can get in wonderful shape, without requiring too much supplementation or fancy gym equipment.

I personally thought it was definitely worth the money many times over.

Rejean
Canada

Collateral Damage / Eraser
$12.98
While neither of these movies compare to classics such as "Total Recall" or "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," they are still solid action films.

"Eraser" features Arnold as a CIA agent who has the job of erasing witnesses backgrounds in order to protect them. When Vanessa Williams is targeted by the villians, he must protect her in order to save the country. This is a good film with some great action scenes. This also features some of Arnold's better acting.

"Collateral Damage" is another entertaining film. Arnold stars as a fireman who goes to Columbia seeking revenge. The film was originally planned for an October 2001 release. However, the theme of terrorism took a different tone after September 11, 2001. Wisely the film was postponed for a while. I found Arnold's acting to be a little off in this film, especially toward the beginning where he has to communicate grief and loss. Once he gets to Columbia, the film picks up quite a bit and is a very good action film.

The DVD set is a flipper. "Collateral Damage" has a nice collection of special features. Both films are presented in widescreen.

When I originally saw "Eraser", I felt that maybe it was time for Arnold to retire (I like it more now than I did then). He continued to star in films, but the returns at the box office were diminishing. "Collateral Damage" faired poorly at the box office, although I think that had as much to do with bad timing than a loss of interest in Arnold's films. However, in the latter, the Austrian Oak seems a little tired of the whole genre. After the success of "Terminator 3" he would run for governor. With his term coming to a close, perhaps he will return to making movies.