Word on the net is that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself has confirmed his involvement with the latest Terminator film.  While there is no official confirmation as of yet, Schwarzenegger was said to announce his appearance in Terminator 5 during a recent press day for The Last Stand.  The Kim Jee-woon actioner was intended to be Schwarzenegger’s big return to a leading role in action, but the opening weekend’s box office was a huge disappointment.  Perhaps returning to one of his signature franchises would help return the living legend to his former glory.  Terminator production has been ramping up behind the scenes as of late, so we’ll have to wait and see how all of this plays out.  Hit the jump for more.

Here’s something you don’t hear very often: “It was a good week for strong women at the box office.” Up against two new, male-driven action movies, actress Jessica Chastain claimed first and second place with Mama and Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain’s fellow Golden Globe winner, Jennifer Lawrence, took third with Silver Linings Playbook – ahead of Gangster Squad and the big name boys that launched debuts on Friday. Both Broken City (with Mark Wahlberg) and The Last Stand (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) were disappointments – though, fittingly, Arnold’s was on a much more epic scale.

This time last week I was two movies into the triple feature I teased the last time we met. While I can’t say I was overly impressed by Gangster Squad, both Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained made their respective cases as qualified Best Picture nominees. Of the two, Zero Dark‘s unrelenting final act not only made it my top pick of the day but also provided some of the most sustained tension I can remember experiencing in a movie theater. Having now seen it for myself, I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with those who have voiced their disbelief at Kathryn Bigelow‘s Best Director Oscar snub.

Zero Dark Thirty praise aside, on tap in this week’s Top 5 are The Last Stand interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, and more, a live-action remake of Toy Story, a new trailer for Primer writer/director/star/almost literally everything else Shane Carruth‘s Upstream Color, Mama interviews with Guillermo del Toro and more, and all of our Sundance 2013 coverage to date. For your reading pleasure, a recap and link to each awaits after the jump.

Two films starring newly-minted Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain topped Friday’s box office. Zero Dark Thirty, the film that brought Chastain her Best Actress win on Sunday, was expected to run neck-and-neck with Mama, the new PG-13 horror feature, at this weekend’s box office. Instead, with a better-than expected $10 million estimate from 2,647 locations on Friday, Mama should easily claim the MLK weekend title with over $25 million. Zero Dark Thirty, last weekend’s number one film, will take second with around $15 million through Sunday. Chastain’s one-two sweep upstaged the weekend’s R-rated action debuts: Broken City and The Last Stand. Both underwhelmed – though with its estimate of $3 million from 2,620 locations, Broken City at least made it into Friday’s top five. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Last Stand was not so lucky. With just $2 million from 2,913 locations, The Last Stand will finish the weekend near the bottom of the top ten. Finally, Silver Linings Playbook expanded into 2,523 locations on Friday, propelling the R-rated Oscar nominee into the top five on its tenth weekend in theatres. Check back tomorrow for full details.

The unexpected pairing of comedy star Johnny Knoxville with action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger works surprisingly well in Kim Jee-woon’s The Last Stand.  Schwarzenegger stars as small-town sheriff Ray Owens who needs access to the weapons kept by resident military history buff, Lewis Dinkum (Knoxville).  Their on-screen chemistry provides some of the best light moments in the movie. I recently had a chance to talk to them about their experience working with each other, as well as finding out their favorite weapons and sequences to film in The Last Stand.  For more on the film, watch the red band trailer and all our previous coverage.

Also starring Luis Guzman, Eduardo Noriega, Rodrigo Santoro, Jaimie Alexander, Peter Stormare and Forest Whitaker, The Last Stand opens on January 18th.  Hit the jump to watch the video interview with Knoxville and Schwarzenegger.

Some days you write about Studio Ghibli Zippo lighters and some days you’re invited out to ride along with Arnold Schwarzenegger on his own personal tank; such is the nature of the business.  I joined my fellow film journalists in a press event held at Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio, a locale that is home to such Western-styled projects as Gunsmoke, Deadwood and even Django Unchained.  It also happens to be the home of Schwarzenegger’s 50-ton M47 Patton tank, the very machine he drove as a youth in the Austrian Army.  We spent the morning being driven around by Schwarzenegger in the tank, learned some amazing anecdotes about his time in the army, watched him crush a car and even talked about The Last Stand, featuring the former Governor’s return to a lead action role, which opens January 18th.  Hit the jump for a recap of the event along with a bunch of insane images. 

Although he’s made an appearance in The Expendables movies, Kim Jee-woon’s The Last Stand marks Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s true return to the big screen. Schwarzenegger plays a retired LAPD officer who now works as a border town sheriff.  When a notorious cartel leader escapes from FBI custody, the sheriff and his ragtag group are all that stand between the criminals and the Mexican border.  Lionsgate has released a new clip that shows while Schwarzenegger may be old, henchmen are still terrible shots.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny Knoxville, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford and Genesis Rodriguez.  The Last Stand opens January 18th.

Director David Ayer’s (End of Watch) upcoming action thriller Ten just nabbed a release date, but those itching to get a look at the film anytime soon will be sorely disappointed.  Open Road Films announced today that Ten will be released on January 24, 2014, which for you mathematicians out there is about 13 months away.  The film is loosely based on Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Ten Little Indians, as it centers on a DEA task force who heists a drug cartel safe house, only to start getting picked off one-by-one by an unknown assassin.  The impressive ensemble cast is lead by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Josh Holloway, Max Martini (Revenge), Olivia Williams (Anna Karenina), and Mireille Enos (The Killing) rounding things out.

Currently no other film is slated for that same weekend in January 2014, but Open Road has also released a slightly new image from the film.  It’s incredibly similar to the first image of Schwarzenegger that was previously released, but this photo shows the actor striking a different (though no less intimidating) pose.  Hit the jump to read the press release and to take a look at the new image.

Lionsgate has released a new one-minute trailer for director Kim Jee-woon’s action film The Last Stand.  The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a retired LAPD officer who now works as a border town sheriff.  When a notorious cartel leader escapes from FBI custody, the sheriff and his ragtag group are all that stand between the criminals and the Mexican border.  This trailer still walks the confusing line between gritty actioner and slapstick comedy, and it’ll be interesting to see if modern audiences are game for a film with this kind of 80s action comedy tone.  Also, is it just me or has Schwarzenegger’s accent actually gotten worse since his tenure as Governator?

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny Knoxville, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford and Genesis Rodriguez.  The Last Stand opens on January 18, 2013.

We owe our thanks to screenwriter/producer Chris Morgan (Wanted), whose passion for bringing Conan the Barbarian back to the big screen also managed to convince Arnold Schwarzenegger to reprise the role. In the end, it was Morgan’s description of The Legend of Conan, as more of a “cultural catch-up” than a reboot, that got the 65-year-old Schwarzenegger interested in the project. The veteran action star has already appeared in both The Expendables films after leaving office and will next star in Kim Jee-woon’s actioner The Last Stand, followed by David Ayer’s drug enforcement flick, Ten; but The Legend of Conan offers something more than just a return to his former action-hero glory. Hit the jump to see what Morgan has in store for The Legend of Conan.

Fans of the original action hero mash-up The Expendables are in for higher stakes, twice the explosions and more grizzled cast members in The Expendables 2, now available on Blu-ray. While the sequel managed to top the experience of the first film, the Blu-ray has plenty of extras to keep fans busy, including a commentary track by director Simon West (Con Air) that provides a lot of behind-the-scenes info. Want to know what weapons the Expendables used? Want to know how much bigger the sequel could have been? Want to see the real life Expendables the movie characters referenced? Well then hit the jump for my review of The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray. 

It looks as if that Twins sequel is moving forward.  Deadline reports that The Book of Mormon star Josh Gad and Ryan Dixon have been tapped to pen the treatment for Triplets, with Dixon handling the script.  The follow-up has Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reprising their roles from the 1988 comedy as mismatched siblings.  As previously reported, the follow-up will find them getting in touch with a third brother played by Eddie Murphy.  Hit the jump to see what Schwarzenegger told us about the sequel when we spoke to him on the set of the upcoming actioner The Last Stand.

There’s no better action movie combo than Arnold Schwarzenegger and big guns, so it’s great news that The Last Stand has both in spades. Making his return to the lead role of a big, bold action film, Schwarzenegger stars as retired LAPD officer turned border town sheriff, Ray Owens. When a notorious cartel leaders escapes from FBI custody, only Owens and his patchwork band of lawbringers stand between the criminals and the Mexican border. Adding a bit of fun alongside Schwarzenegger’s brawn is Johnny Knoxville, who provides a necessary service to the department as well as his unique brand of humor.

I had the privilege of checking out The Last Stand on a set visit last year and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen. Be sure to check out our set visit interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger, director Kim Jee-woon, Eduardo Noriega and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Hit the jump to see the final poster for the film, which opens January 18th, 2013.

Last night I uncovered a gem from 2011 for the first time and my only regret is that I didn’t take the time to seek it out sooner. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s dramedy Win Win is not only consistently funny but also chock full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The performances are terrific all-around, the script is strong albeit somewhat easy to telegraph, and the wrestling scenes are even surprisingly intense at times (I mean, it was nominated for a prestigious ESPY for “Best Sports Film” after all). Matt gave the film his full endorsement when he reviewed it at Sundance 2011 and I’m doing the same here today.

Movie recommendations aside, in what was yet another busy week around these parts, the five standouts include our Skyfall interviews with Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, director Sam Mendes and more, a Beautiful Creatures set visit recap, the first trailer for Brad Pitt‘s World War Z, even more set visit goodness from Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, and ongoing development news for the next Star Wars trilogy. Keep reading for brief recaps and links to all of the above.

The sheriff of a small border town stands in front of a notorious drug cartel leader, blocking his path across the bridge that will take him safely out of the country.  Wanting to avoid a physical confrontation with the much larger man, the cartel leader attempts to buy him off. The sheriff responds by discarding his gun belt and shedding his jacket, dropping it to the ground.  The men rush each other.  They trade blows, neither getting the upper hand until the sheriff lifts the man into the air and prepares to slam him to the asphalt.  Director Kim Jee-Woon calls cut and sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) slowly lowers cartel leader Gabriel Cortes (Eduardo Noriega) to the ground with the assistance of the actor’s stunt wires.

It’s late October 2011 and we’re on set of The Last Stand, Schwarzenegger’s first starring role since leaving the governorship of California and his triumphant return to the big screen.  While we’ll have interviews with the cast and crew of the film later on this week, you can hit the jump right now to view our “20 Things to Know” for The Last Stand.  Also starring Forest Whitaker, Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny Knoxville, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford and Genesis Rodriguez, The Last Stand opens January 18th, 2013.