ArnoldSchwarzenegger Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Aww, yeah! Millenium Films and Lionsgate have debuted the first full trailer for Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables – you know, the movie starring just about EVERY awesome action star of the last few decades in some plot about overthrowing some dictator or another while amassing the biggest body count imaginable . In short: pure awesomeness captured on celluloid. What's that noise, you ask? Why yes, it is the sound of the entire internet experiencing what is known as a collective nerdgasm.

Now hurry up and watch the trailer so you can start integrating "Bring it, Happy Feet!" into your daily lexicon.

VIDEO REMOVED AT REQUEST OF STUDIO

[Update: Sorry, folks. We removed the video at the studio's request, but read on for a detailed description of the awesomeness that the Expendables trailer contains!]

A new journey to the world of Cimmeria has been in the works for eons, with a slew of delays, casting rumors, and rewrites keeping the project barely puttering. Just look here to freshen up. But now ... the new Conan the Barbarian may have been found. And he bares a striking resemblance to the last. (My emphasis of that word will make sense in a second.)

The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports that Lionsgate and Nu Image/Millennium are not interested in finding a fresh Conan, but grabbing an Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alike. They're in talks with Roland Kickinger -- a 41-year-old actor who, just like Arnie, is from Austria, is a body-builder-turned-actor, had a role as a T-800, and even played a Conan-era Arnie in See Arnold Run. Talk about the Schwarz being with you ... and about a lack of casting creativity!

Could this, perchance, be a little over-the-top? I mean, yay for Kickinger, who could finally make a huge mainstream-role out of his Arnold similarities and set out on the path for gubernatorial success. But as for the film and the rest of us -- this seems more over-the-top than a mirrored version of Psycho!

I don't think Schwarzenegger can say "I'll be back" anymore. It just doesn't have the same ring when there's a new Austrian to cover for him.

Go ahead and get that "AARGHHH!!!!" out of your system now. You'll feel better. (I have done so as well.) The remake that our own Eugene Novikov refused to believe a few short months ago is now moving forward. Total Recall will receive a "contemporized adaptation," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kurt Wimmer has been hired to write the script, which may or may not be based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," the Philip K. Dick story that inspired the original.

THR notes Wimmer's recent scripts for the upcoming thrillers Law Abiding Citizen and Salt, but the more pertinent credits are the ones he earned as writer / director of Equilibrium and Ultraviolet, which provided action thrills in science-fictional settings. If you harbor any hopes for this project, you can only dream that Wimmer can come up with something more closely resembling Equilibrium, a trashy yet entirely entertaining little surprise, rather than the flat, anemic, entirely incoherent Ultraviolet.

Beyond the "weird and scary and totally singular" elements that Eugene rhapsodized about previously, don't forget the juicy cast (Ah-nuld, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin). Then there's the whole go-for-broke / super-violent / cheesy-but-we-don't-care / 70s B-picture vibe that was infused by director Paul Verhoeven. In today's environment, that wouldn't fly. I shudder to think of of a rote, toothless, PG-13 action pic that has state-of-the-art special effects but abuses Dick's clever concept and ignores Verhoeven's funky / chic artistic aesthetic. However, to paraphrase Smokey the Bear, "only YOU can prevent remakes" by not going to see them.

Now that J.J. Abrams has reinvented, and especially, reinvigorated Star Trek for an all new generation of fake-pointy-eared fans, it would be unfair to let the filmmaker simply take time off to garden or crochet, much less celebrate the film's projected $72 million opening weekend. Especially since there are just so many other franchises and film series that deserve – or perhaps more accurately – need his golden touch. As such, we've thoughtfully assembled a short list of franchises that Abrams could and should take over, tackle, and reboot. And while we tailored our selections to suit the filmmaker's writing and directing strengths, we encourage you to leave your comments and suggestions which films and franchises you think might be better suited to Abrams' cinematic style.

In no particular order:

Usually, when an elaborate DVD set is released within the packaging of a character's skull (see: Planet of the Apes or Alien), they include multiple movies in a franchise. But not with Lionsgate! In an unsurprising effort to cash in on the anticipated release of Remember When Christian Bale Yelled at People Months Ago?, the studio is re-issuing their Blu-ray release two-fold... or should I say, six-fold? (Cue musicus dramaticus.)

The one-disc release will boast an 1080p presentation "with English lossless 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio for multiple versions including a theatrical and a special edition." (I haven't yet figured out the tech side of my Blu-rays, but I can't help but think that sounds like an improvement over the current $10 edition.)

The SIX-disc set will have that disc, the previous DVD editions (both cuts of which are technically included on the Blu-ray), and a digital copy, all wrapped up in a 14" T-800 Endoskull that lights up and makes noise every time you open your wallet.

We've included the promotional trailer below, and thanks to DVD Active for all the low-down. I'm digging through my couch cushions for change already...

I was just writing adoringly about Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it brought to mind the epic first chase scene from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which is just groooop schzzzzz ffffffffffffffsssst...

...

Sorry. It's just that my brain can barely process this much cinematic kick-assery, from a film that is certainly on my all-time top 10 list, and quite possibly top 5 (I really only have a vague list). Anyway, without trying to find words to encompass the overall awesomeness of these seven minutes, I can make the following barely more sober observations:

• James Cameron is the greatest action technician who's ever lived, period. There is not a cut or camera angle out of place in this entire incredible sequence.

• This is the part that cements Robert Patrick's implacable T-1000 as a legend among movie villains.

• Objectively I know the rest of the movie isn't pitched at this level of intensity, but whenever I watch it, it sure feels like it is.
  

• That red-haired kid at the beginning? That's Bobby Budnick (Danny Cooksey in real life) from Salute Your Shorts! Any other children of the '90s around here? Give it up!

• Every clip I could find on YouTube had embedding disabled, I'm guessing through some nefarious plan of Warner Bros. So go here to watch a tragically pan-and-scanned version of the full sequence, or here to watch it letterboxed but with the first two minutes trimmed away.

I don't want to believe; that's part of it. But really: Total Recall? Weird and scary and totally singular Total Recall? The one with the people being turned into mutants by cosmic rays and the villain who turns Martians into slaves by controlling the air supply? The one where that dude takes off his glove to reveal that holy crap, he's a mutant too? And the three boobs? Remember the three boobs?

Okay, I'm obviously working out some issues here, the main one being that I saw Total Recall as a very young boy and it scared and confused the ever-loving bejeezus out of me (in the best possible way, natch). But really, there's no way to remake Verhoeven's bizarro masterpiece, as I Am Legend (and Made of Honor!) producer Neal H. Moritz claims he's going to do. They might re-adapt the Philip K. Dick story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," but that's a different matter. Dick adaptations are a dime a dozen. So, Mr. Moritz, I don't believe you. Shouldn't you be busy getting The Green Hornet off the ground, anyway? Go wrangle Michel Gondry.

I note, also, that as best I can tell no Arnold Schwarzenegger movie has ever been remade. This may be because people have been physically afraid of him, in which case his advancing age, along with a distinguished civil service career that would make it unseemly for him to murder five men with his bare hands (and surely the man would never stoop to a contract job), may increase the odds of a Total Recall redo. Another possibility involves a combination of two factors: a) Arnold Schwarzenegger movies are always and forever Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and b) the notion of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie with some girly man who is not Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Arnold Schwarzenegger role is patently absurd. People would just laugh. Right? That's why this never went anywhere two years ago, right?

By now you may have already heard the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger will return to the big screen in a cameo role as himself in Sylvester Stallone's veteran-heavy action flick The Expendables. AICN broke the news last night, saying Arnie will play Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- that he'll be shooting for one day, and the Governor will have ties to Stallone's character, Barney Ross. Additionally, Latino Review adds that Danny Trejo has joined the flick, while AICN notes that Eric Roberts has replaced Ben Kingsley in a cast that already includes Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Sandra Bullock, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forest Whitaker. And I'm sorry, but if that retro badass cast can't churn out a fun flick, then I've lost all hope in humanity.

With the news out of the way, let's turn to the topic at hand. Obviously Arnold is itching to get back in front of the camera in some way, shape or form (we still don't know what version of the Governor we'll see in the next Terminator film), but do we, as fans, want to see him return to movies or should the guy stick to politics? Is the Schwarzenegger era over, or is there still room for the guy to make a highly successful flick?

What do you think?

Though he won't be appearing in the latest installment of the Terminator franchise, Arnold Schwarzenegger can still be considered involved, at least as an authority on the series. Unfortunately, as such an authority, he's apparently confused and underwhelmed by the early footage he's seen of Terminator Salvation. According to the Los Angeles Times, the "Governator" was recently given a private screening of scenes from the sequel -- either the same as or similar to the stuff shown at Comic-Con. In response, Schwarzenegger reportedly said: "They showed me some footage, but I don't have a feel for the movie. I didn't see enough. I wasn't sure who the Terminator was. I don't know if there is one or if he's the star or the hero. These are the things that determine the success and how strong the movie will be."

Well, that isn't so negative. Schwarzenegger is merely unsure of what's going on in the movie after seeing scattered sequences. Why nobody told him the basic plot is unclear, and it is strange he'd have no clue if any of the characters he was watching were Terminators or not. Still, that's not his fault nor a specific problem with the footage. However, the way he seemed to shrug it off and wish the filmmakers well is unfortunate. Meanwhile, he's claiming how much he loves Wanted and Will Ferrell movies, including Step Brothers and Semi-Pro and getting excited about this summer's box office numbers. But Terminator Salvation? He just says that if it's good it could break records and hopes it will make a lot of money, acting as if he might not even see it.

Despite the California governor's seemingly less-than-thrilled reaction, I remain excited about the fourth Terminator movie.

[via Rotten Tomatoes]

Why, an enormous Austrian bodybuilder. Obviously. Did you have to ask? What's wrong with you?

More specifically, it's Roland Kickinger, a really big dude who actually played a young Schwarzenegger in the 2005 TV movie biopic See Arnold Run. He's guest-starred on a slew of sitcoms, and had a part in Lethal Weapon 4. He will also play the Hulk in the anxiously awaited (by which I mean dreaded) parody Disaster Movie this Labor Day.

Kickinger will take over Schwarzenegger's T-800 character, an early model cyborg that was sent back in time in all three Terminator films -- first as the villain and then as a hero after being reprogrammed by the resistance. In the latter two films, he bonded with his human charges and sort of became the heart of the franchise, as well as its comic relief. It was definitely Schwarzenegger's greatest achievement as an actor, such as it was. I doubt they'll be trying to recreate that in Salvation, not least because the characters encounter the robot 20 years before the events of the earlier films. (Damn time travel.)

Some slightly spoilerish quotes from the Clinton News-Record article announcing Kickinger's involvement, after the jump.