It’s been just over a decade since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last major film role, but after dusting off the cobwebs in last year’s “The Expendables 2,” it’s hard to imagine a more perfect comeback vehicle than “The Last Stand.” Directed by Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, the movie not only reintroduces Schwarzenegger as an older, wiser action hero, but it harkens back to earlier films like “Commando,” when you could get away with being silly as long as it was fun. The first half is a pretty slow burn as Kim patiently builds up to the climactic showdown between Arnie’s band of small-town cops and the bad guys, and though there are some entertaining set pieces along the way, the movie would have benefited from a stronger sense of urgency. Once the film arrives at its big standoff, however, “The Last Stand” is given a much-needed adrenaline shot that cranks up the intensity and violence, more than earning its R rating with some cool gunplay. The movie is far from Jee-woon’s best work, but it’s a mostly enjoyable U.S. debut that will hopefully inspire audiences to track down some of his previous films. It also serves as a welcome return for Schwarzenegger, because no matter how you feel about the man, Hollywood just hasn’t been the same without him.

Blu-ray Highlight: None of the extras are particularly memorable on their own, but Lionsgate has provided a solid collection that includes a behind the scenes look at making the movie, a short weapons featurette, and an in-depth breakdown of the cornfield chase sequence.

It’s a little upsetting to think that “Side Effects” could be Steven Soderbergh’s directorial swan song, because he’s proven over the last few years that while not every one of his movies is a success, his ability to jump between genres with ease makes him one of the more exciting filmmakers in Hollywood. In addition to reteaming the director with past stars like Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum, the film reunites Soderbergh with “Contagion” screenwriter Scott Z. Burns for another medical-themed thriller that strikes a similar chord of paranoia and Hitchcockian suspense. Though it’s not nearly as great as it could’ve been due to a slow first act, once the mystery at the center of the story is revealed, the movie eventually hits its stride, even if that means suspending your disbelief at times. Law, who’s always been a surprisingly underrated actor, delivers another solid performance as the hard-done psychiatrist, while Rooney Mara proves that “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” wasn’t a fluke. It’s hardly one of Soderbergh’s more memorable movies, but “Side Effects” is an enjoyably old school thriller that serves as a worthy bookend to an impressive career cut far too short.

Blu-ray Highlight: There’s a faux behind the scenes featurette that’s good for a few laughs and a pair of fictional drug commercials, but unfortunately, that’s it.

With the exception of a few movies on his resume, director Taylor Hackford has generally been a pretty disappointing filmmaker, so it’s not at all surprising to find that his latest effort follows in those footsteps. Though “Parker” marks the first time that author Donald E. Westlake’s famous hard-boiled criminal (whose adventures have been adapted for the big screen several times before) is referred to by his real name, it doesn’t change the fact that the movie fails on numerous levels. Jason Statham is an incredibly likeable action hero, but his brooding presence just doesn’t feel right for the title character, while Jennifer Lopez is terribly miscast in a part that serves little purpose to the overall story. The rest of the cast is comprised of great character actors like Nick Nolte, Michael Chiklis and Clifton Collins Jr., but their talents are wasted in throwaway roles. Having never read any of the books in the Parker series, it’s hard to say whether the film lives up to the source material, but as a fan of Mel Gibson’s turn as the antihero in “Payback,” it pales in comparison.

Blu-ray Highlight: Director Taylor Hackford provides an informative audio commentary about making the movie, including an interesting recount of the on-the-fly creativity required to capture the opening heist sequence at the Ohio State Fair, but the rest of the bonus material is about as generic as it comes.

It may seem lazy to draw such comparisons, but “Beautiful Creatures” is about as close to a “Twilight” clone that Hollywood has produced, trading vampires and werewolves for witches, and although the film shows more promise than its spiritual predecessor in the early stages, its overdependence on the main love story prevents “Beautiful Creatures” from distinguishing itself as anything other than a “Twilight” wannabe. Of course, one thing the movie has that the vampire saga didn’t is a pair of likeable leads, and that’s credit to authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s source material, as well as newcomers Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert for bringing them to life. The film also benefits greatly from the prestige that Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis bring to the project (particularly Thompson, who’s clearly having a ball hamming it up as the villain), although that doesn’t save the film from its own inadequacies. Characters drop in and out of the story with no explanation and there’s so much babble about destinies, curses and rules that it becomes a jumbled mess of boring exposition. The movie’s unexpectedly goofy sense of humor helps to keep things light, but “Beautiful Creatures” doesn’t feel like it was made by a studio that loved the books, but rather the idea of success that a film adaptation might bring – all business and no soul.

Blu-ray Highlight: The two-disc combo pack includes a collection of mini-featurettes on everything from adapting the book for the big screen, to costumes and special effects, but they’re packed with so much filler that the bonus material feels like an afterthought.

It’s hard to decide what the worst part about January is – the cold weather or the crappy movies – but at least with the winter chill, you can always add extra layers to help stay warm. There’s not a lot you can do to make a bad film more tolerable, and unfortunately, the turn of the year is typically brimming with cinematic duds. Though there are a few potential surprises in the cards this January from some heavy hitters, it’s best to keep your expectations low, because even the biggest stars are due a stinker every once in a while, and if there was ever a good time to release it, this would be the month to do it.

Who: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone and Nick Nolte
What: A crew of LAPD enforcers team up to take down vicious mobster Mickey Cohen.
When: January 11th
Why: After getting bumped from its September release date to accommodate reshoots following the Aurora, Colorado tragedy (particularly a scene involving machine guns in a movie theater), it’s a little sad to see Ruben Fleischer’s police drama land in the dregs of January, because it deserves better than that. Loosely based on the LAPD’s war against organized crime during the late 40s and early 50s, the film’s cast is packed with enough talent – from its major stars to supporting players like Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena and Robert Patrick – to rival any of the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies. Though I was disappointed by Fleischer’s last effort, the crime comedy “30 Minutes or Less,” it’ll be interesting to see how the “Zombieland” director handles more serious material, and whether his unique visual style clashes with the particular look of that era.

Who: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Nick Swardson and David Koechner
What: When Malcolm and Keisha learn that a demon resides in their dream home, Malcolm turns to a priest, a psychic, and a team of ghostbusters for help.
When: January 11th
Why: Unless you’re a fan of the “Scary Movie” franchise, which Marlon Wayans helped launch over a decade ago, it’s hard to imagine you’ll have any sort of interest in his new horror comedy, which parodies found footage films like “Paranormal Activity” and “The Devil Inside.” But if those awful spoof movies by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer taught us anything, it’s that there’s definitely a market for this brand of lowbrow idiocy, although you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone to actually admit it. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but even for a spoof movie, “A Haunted House” looks embarrassingly bad for everyone involved, including those dumb enough to waste their time and money.

Who: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker and Luis Guzman
What: The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.
When: January 18th
Why: Between the English-language debuts of Kim Ji-woon and Park Chan-wook, and Spike Lee’s upcoming remake of the cult classic “Oldboy,” the Korean invasion is in full swing, and deservedly so, because they’re making some of the best movies at the moment. Kim Ji-woon’s revenge thriller “I Saw the Devil” was one of my favorite films of 2011, so it’s not surprising that his fans have been drooling over the prospect of his Hollywood debut, and the fact that it also happens to be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first starring role in a decade will probably bring it even more attention. That could end up hurting the movie more than it helps it if expectations are set too high, but the script didn’t earn a place on the Black List for nothing, and if it’s anything like Kim’s oddball Western “The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” then U.S. audiences could be in for a fun treat.

Who: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kyle Chandler
What: A former cop hired to trail the adulterous wife of New York City’s mayor finds himself caught up in a much larger scandal.
When: January 18th
Why: It’s hard to believe that a film starring the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones is being released in January, which leads me to believe one of two things: either the studio has zero confidence in the movie, or they’re hoping to cash in against much weaker competition. Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t really get me excited about the film, even with the talent involved, and that’s because we’ve all seen a variation of this film several times before. Though there’s always the chance that Allen Hughes’ first solo effort without brother Albert (who’s off making his own movie with Mickey Rourke) will bring something fresh to the genre, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Who: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Megan Charpentier
What: Annabelle and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his two nieces that disappeared into the woods five years ago, but the girls might not be alone.
When: January 18th
Why: Horror movies aren’t usually my thing, but even I’m somewhat intrigued by first-time director Andres Muschietti’s “Mama,” which is based on his 2008 short film of the same name. Though having Guillermo del Toro attached to the movie as an executive producer certainly lends some credibility to the project, it’s the involvement of Jessica Chastain that really perks my interest, because the Oscar-nominated actress could do just about anything she wants at the moment, so she must have saw something really special in the script to agree to do a horror film at this stage in her career. Then again, this wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve gotten my hopes up about a movie opening in January only to get burned, so here’s hoping that Muschietti and Co. prove me wrong.

Who: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Peter Stormare and Famke Janssen
What: In this dark spin on the famous fairy tale, siblings Hansel and Gretel have grown up to become bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.
When: January 25th
Why: I’ve lost count of how many times “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” has been delayed over the last few years, but now that it’s finally coming to theaters, will anyone even care? Filmed long before Jeremy Renner became a household name, the studio is clearly hoping to exploit his recent success, but you have to feel bad for the actor, because this looks like the kind of low-rent action movie you make before becoming a big star. Much like director Tommy Wirkola’s zombie Nazi comedy “Dead Snow,” the concept sounds like a lot of fun, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s going to be too campy for its own good, especially when none of the actors appear to be in on the joke.

Who: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Bobby Cannavale and Nick Nolte
What: After being double-crossed and left for dead, a thief forms an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside to hijack his crew’s latest score.
When: January 25th
Why: If you’ve seen one Jason Statham movie, you’ve pretty much seen them all, but with Taylor Hackford behind the camera, you’d expect this to at least fall on the better end of his action film oeuvre. Though I don’t know much about the series of books that it’s based on, this isn’t the first time that author Donald Westlake’s antihero has been transported to the big screen, perhaps most notably in the underrated Mel Gisbon film “Payback.” However, this is the first time that the Parker name has been allowed to be used, so you can bet that the plan is to jumpstart a franchise using a similar strategy as “Jack Reacher.” Fans of the novels probably shouldn’t get their hopes up, but even though it may not be franchise material, action movies starring The Stath are rarely dull.

Who: Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Emma Stone and Elizabeth Banks
What: An outrageous ensemble comedy intertwining different tales and starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
When: January 25th
Why: The idea of enlisting some of the most famous actors in the movie business to take part in an anthology of lewd and politically incorrect vignettes directed by guys like Peter Farrelly, Brett Ratner and James Gunn sounds pretty funny on paper. Whether or not “Movie 43” manages to fulfill that comic potential, however, is a completely different story, especially when some audiences might not like the thought of seeing Hollywood darlings such as Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet sink to that level. There’s definitely a spoof movie vibe to it, which also means that there’s plenty of room for disappointment, but with this much talent packed into one film, it’s hard not to be at least a little curious.