Arnold Schwarzenegger is back!

The legendary action-star left Hollywood to become the Governor of California almost a decade ago and now finally returns to the big screen with The Last Stand, which opens in theaters on January 18th. 

The former-Governator appeared in a minor role in his friend Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables and The Expendables 2, respectively, but has not starred in a major movie since ‘2003s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. However, the actor has stayed very busy since resigning from politics having shot the upcoming film The Tomb, also co-starring Stallone, and toying with the idea of returning to two of his most successful franchises with new installments of Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, as well as Triplets, which is the proposed sequel to Twins co-starring Danny DeVito. 

But first Arnold can bee seen doing what he does best … kicking ass in The Last Stand. The new film, which was helmed by South Korean director Jee-Woon Kim (I Saw the Devil), stars Schwarzenegger as the Sheriff of a Mexican boarder town who must defend his community from a dangerous drug cartel leader (Eduardo Noriega) on the run from the FBI and trying to escape to Mexico. In addition to Schwarzenegger, the film also boasts an impressive cast of supporting actors including Johnny Knoxville (The Dukes of Hazzard), Rodrigo Santoro (There Be Dragons), Jaimie Alexander (Thor: The Dark World), Luis Guzman (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), Zach Gilford (Answers to Nothing), Peter Stormare (Dylan Dog: Dead of Night), Harry Dean Stanton (The Avengers), Genesis Rodriguez (Casa di Mi Padre), and Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker (A Dark Truth).   

I recently had the pleasure of attending a press conference for The Last Stand, along with several other members of the press, and had a chance to hear what Arnold Schwarzenegger had to say about his new film, his big screen comeback, leaving politics behind, doing action scenes at his age, working with director Jee-Woon Kim, the Newtown tragedy, and his advice to Congress. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a movie star. 

Actors disappear into their characters and the world of their films.  Riding their charisma, movie stars dictate both and are, to a certain extent, themselves onscreen.  The almost eight years Schwarzenegger spent as the improbable Governor of California meant that he was limited exclusively to brief cameo roles, but now that his gubernatorial tenure is over and he's kept his head low after a public scandal, Arnold Schwarzenegger is once again properly starring in action movies.

In The Last Stand, Schwarzenegger plays a small town sheriff who wrangles the town's eccentrics to stop a wanted drug lord from making it to the U.S./Mexico border.  IAR's Jami Philbrick participated in the movie's press conference, and we'll have plenty more The Last Stand goodies coming your way closer to its January 18th release.  Today, we're looking further into the future.  While promoting his first cinematic vehicle since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Schwarzenegger shed some light on his new Conan adventure, the Twins sequel Triplets, and even the possibility of teaming up with fellow muscle-mountain Dwayne Johnson.

The FX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League both prove in no uncertain terms just how funny amorality can be.  On the former, a group of bar-owning misanthropes gleefully and obliviously leave a trailer of destruction in the various imbecilic schemes, while the friends on the latter all go to absurd lengths to ensure victory in their fantasy football league.

Once again, the people of America have proven that we can drive to the multiplex and unironically enjoy a movie with an overtly environmental message from the comfort of air-conditioned movie theaters.  Any broader economic issues aside, the young year has consistently posted far bigger weekend numbers than the corresponding weekends last.  This was the case for the ninth consecutive weekend, with The Lorax posting the biggest opening of 2012 so far and the found footage comedy Project X contributed significantly in second place.

You will probably recognize former United States Marine turned actor/comedian Rob Riggle from his time as a correspondent on The Daily Show, and as a cast member of Saturday Night Live but he is quickly gaining attention for a string of roles in some of the most popular films in recent years. Riggle is best known from his role as Officer Franklin in one of the most successful comedies of all-time, The Hangover, but he’s also been featured in such high profile films as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, Going the Distance, The Other Guys, Larry Crowne, and most recently Big Miracle. In fact, the busy actor has not one, but two films opening this month including the big screen adaptation of the classic ‘80s TV series 21 Jump Street, and The Lorax, which opens on March 2^nd and is based on the popular children’s book by the legendary author Dr. Seuss.

In the film, Zac Efron plays Ted, an idealistic twelve year-old boy that lives in “Thneed-Ville,” a city that is completely artificial. He eventually embarks on a journey to find the one thing that will win him the heart of the girl of his dreams, Audrey (Taylor Swift), who only wants to see a real tree. While searching for a tree, he discovers that their city has been closed off from the outside world, and meets the reclusive Once-ler (Ed Helms), who recounts the story of how he met the Lorax (Danny DeVito), a grumpy yet charming creature who serves as guardian of the land. But when a young businessman introduces a revolutionary invention from the native Truffula Tree’s tufts, it tragically spirals into a mass overproduction leading to the depletion of the forest, and the creation and isolation of Ted’s town. With the Once-ler’s blessing, and the last Truffula Seed, Ted sets out to remind his town of the importance of nature. Riggle plays O’Hare, the evil mayor of Thneed-Ville and the head of the O’Hare Air Company, which supplies fresh air to Thneed-Ville residents and has no intention of leaving any traces of the Lorax’s world behind.

I recently had a chance to sit down with the absolutely hilarious Rob Riggle to discuss his voiceover work in The Lorax. The comedic actor talked about the new film, his evil character, creating the right voice, working with the directors, Dr. Seuss, the film’s environmental themes, comparisons between his character’s appearance and a certain fellow cast member, singing and “not telling jokes when the whales are dying.”

Had he not passed away in 1991, this Friday, March 2nd would mark the 104st birthday of Theodor Geisel.  More popularly known as Dr. Seuss, Geisel wrote and illustrated children's books that were not simply inventive, whimsical diversions for kids. Be they stories of holiday-hating imps, magical felines in stovepipe hats, or butter-based ideological battles, the books of Dr. Seuss work from universal emotions or surprisingly allegorical commentaries.

To coincide with what would be Dr. Seuss' birthday this Friday, Universal is releasing The Lorax, an animated 3D adaptation of Seuss' 1971 environmental fable that depicts the differences between the titular creature, who defends the trees of a typically Seussian setting against the Once-ler, who devastates nature for his own ends.  Previously made into an animated short in 1972, this new The Lorax from Illumination Entertainment expands the story to feature length.

In the film, co-directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, Zac Efron voices an adventurous and romantic 12 year old whose search for a tree to gift to his crush, voiced by Taylor Swift, leads him to meet and join forces with the Lorax.  No less recognizable and actor than Danny DeVito voices the the Lorax, while Ed Helms brings life to a more substantial version of the Once-ler, who is never seen in full in Seuss' text.  At the Los Angeles press conference for The Lorax, Efron, DeVito, and Helms discussed the experience of voicing their characters, recognizing themselves in animated form, different languages, and the environmental themes of the story.

Remember the trailer for Girl Walks Into A Bar, the feature length movie set to debut online, free of charge?  If you don't recall, it's directed by Sebastian Gutierrez the cast includes Carla Gugino, Rosario Dawson, Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Alexis Bledel, Robert Forster, and Josh Hartnett.  Well, what is being touting as "The First Major Motion Picture Made for The Internet" premiered online today, in ten easy-to-watch sections.  What are you waiting for?  Get a taste of Girl Walks Into A Bar right here. 

For your viewing pleasure, I humbly present the first ten minutes of Girl Walks Into A Bar:

Would you believe that a movie starring Carla Gugino, Zachary Quinto, Rosario Dawson, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Robert Forster, and Alexis Bledel was set debut not in theaters, but free online courtesy of YouTube and Lexus, as the car company looks for a novel means to promote its new CT 200h Hybrid vehicle?  What if there was a new trailer to confirm that the film, Girl Walks into a Bar, does, in fact, exist?  Go ahead, give it a watch and read on.

USA Today provided a first glimpse of the upcoming Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, a forthcoming project manned by the team behind Despicable Me and Horton Hears A Who.

Along with the first image comes a bit of casting news as well. Danny DeVito has been tapped to voice The Lorax in the upcoming 3D film, while the pictures antagonists will be voiced by Ed Helms of The Office and comedian Rob Riggle.