May 11

Time to write about an unappreciated gem of a film, called "The Last Action Hero". Beyond its action film trappings, "Hero" is a meta-film, a movie about the collision of movies and reality (see: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Purple Rose of Cairo.) Schwartzeneggar assumes the role of one of his characters; while he's doing all the action hero things (catching bad guys, property damage), he deals with the absurdity of his existence alongside one of his fans. The movie was too pretentious for some action fans, too pedestrian for some critics; even though it made $200 million worldwide, it's considered a blemish on Schwarteneggar's career (I disagree; that honor goes to Jingle All The Way.)

I'm talking about 'Hero' because of co-star Austin O'Brien, a child actor that didn't tank a Schwartzeneggar film (again, Jingle All The Way.) As Danny Madigan, O'Brien was the perfect audience liason; after all, who was really worshipping Schwarzeneggar's R-rated spectacles at the time?
O'Brien had several choice roles as a child actor: Lawnmower Man, My Girl 2, the 3-season "Promised Land"... Now, he's transitioning out of ChildActorland. Next stop: bad guy in an indie film...

Helix Trailer from Windward Entertainment on Vimeo.

Here's hoping he's back in the big leagues soon...