1. A Fictional Cop And A Real-World Boy (Last Action Hero)
A huge satire of action films in general (and another entry on this list penned by Shane Black), Last Action Hero was Arnold Schwarzeneggers first film following the whirlwind success of Terminator 2. Ultimately, it would be something of a flop, both critically and commercially. Schwarzenegger stars as Jack Slater, a fictional police officer within a series of films-within-the-film. Austin OBrien plays Danny Madigan, a real-world boy and fan of the films who finds himself transported into Slaters latest cinematic outing, where he tries to convince the officer that his world isnt real, a fact he refuses to believe despite the presence of a cartoon cat, amongst other things. The two become drawn into a ridiculous plot that sees villainous fictional characters infiltrate the real world, which Danny and Slater must stop. Theres amusing moments, such as when the real Schwarzenegger is brought face-to-face with the fictional character he portrays, but ultimately the film is a somewhat disappointing pastiche. On a footnote, the film parodies the nature of the buddy cop movie, as this quote from a trip to the fictional Slaters police headquarters gives an insight into how fictional police officers are paired together - Kowalski, you get the rabbi. Jenkins, you have the animated cat this week