inmate profile: Jamie Thomas King

In Committed's final spotlight celebrating the creative talent behind The Asylum's next DVD release - Grimm's Snow White on March 13th - we look at actor Jamie Thomas King, who will be playing the role of Prince Alexander.

King started his career, as do many UK actors, with the illustrious BBC, before landing his first movie role in Tristan and Isolde, co-starring the lovely and talented Sophia Myles, and Shakespeare's worst nightmare, James Franco. 

From there King landed a 14-episode gig on the steamy historical Showtime series The Tudors, which lead to a trip across the pond and appearances in such notable American TV shows such as "Private Practice," "Mad Men" and "CSI: Miami."

King was most recently seen in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and can next be seen (after Grimm's Snow White of course) in Storage 24, a British horror/sci-fi film.

Dude looks princely to me, but let's find out for sure on March 13th, when Grimm's Snow White comes to town...

inmate reprofile: Naomi Selfman

Continuing my pledge to spotlight the creative forces behind the impending release of the promising Grimm's Snow White, here's another inmate profile, though shrouded in a tad bit of mystery. 

Naomi Selfman, the scribe behind this impending classic, has written eight films for The Asylum, yet there's virtually no information about her online. This picture is the best I could find, and I only found that when out of frustration I Googled "mystery woman." Could be that "Naomi Selfman" is a pen name for another writer, or it could be that Ms. Selfman is just a digitally private person? Either way, the only purported sighting of her is said to come in the making-of featurette for her first script for The Asylum, the horror film Evil Eyes, but I didn't have immediate access to that when I wrote this.

Whoever she is, Ms. Selfman has time and again illustrated her ability to work across genres - be it horror, comedy, sci-fi or creature features - and turn in compelling, convincing, empathetic and exciting stories every time out. 

After Evil Eyes, Ms. Selfman took a four-year hiatus from screenwriting before contributing the story for the Faith Films epic 2012: Doomsday. Since then, it's been full-steam ahead for Ms. Selfman, writing six scripts in three years: the other raucous sex comedies 18 Year-Old Virgin and #1 Cheerleader Camp, the two biggest creature features of the last year, Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus and Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, then Barely Legal, and now Grimm's Snow White.



I've got a lot of favorites when it comes to The Asylum - that should be annoying obvious by now - and the work of Ms. Selfman is among them. As a writer, I'm envious of her versatility; as an Asylum freak, I'm excited every time her name pops up. Team her up with a director like Rachel Goldenberg, and Grimm's Snow White is oozing with promise.

Get excited with me on March 13th, when Grimm's Snow White pops up on DVD.

inmate re-profile: Rachel Goldenberg

In honor of the DVD release of Grimm's Snow White on the 13th of March, Committed has been spotlighting the creative forces behind the film, and I thought the next inmate profiled should be the director, Rachel Goldenberg, whose resume with The Asylum is ridiculously impressive.

Besides the above-mentioned and forthcoming fairy-tale revamp, Ms. Goldenberg also helmed the well-received Princess and the Pony, the delightfully steampunk'd Sherlock Holmes and the strangely catchy Sunday School Musical. But beneath these three headlining gigs are a few years crammed to the hilt with production work for our favorite studio. Dig these credentials:


First Assistant Director on: 2012 Ice Age, The 7 Adventures of Sinbad, Princess of Mars, 2012 Supernova, Mega Fault, The Terminators, Monster, Alien vs. Hunter, I Am Omega


Line Producer on: Mega Fault, Dragonquest, Countdown:Jerusalem, 18 Year Old Virgin, Death Racers, Street Racer


And as though all this wasn't enough, she also wrote and edited two of her three directed-films for The Asylum, and over the last year or so has directed a handful of shorts for Funny or Die featuring the likes of Courteney Cox, Nia Vardelos, Bryan Cranston, Eric Stonestreet et al. Girl's got more hats than a Lids Store. If The Asylum put out Wheaties boxes (I know, work with me here), Rachel Goldenberg would for sure be one of the featured.

There's no doubt Ms. Goldenberg has a bright, bright, bright future ahead of her. My only hope is that she sticks around The Asylum long enough to make a few more films. I mean, it's a little late, but I'd line up for an Asylum Sherlock sequel; just sayin'...

That date again for the release of Ms. Goldenberg's latest film, Grimm's Snow White,  is March 13th. Add it to your cues now!

inmate profile: Jane March

Continuing Committed's spotlighting of the creative talent behind The Asylum's next release, Grimm's Snow White on March 13th, we turn now to the woman behind evil Queen Gwendolyn, actress Jane March.

Another native Englander (like Eliza Bennett), Ms. March first came to the attention of cinema-goers in a pair of scintillating films, The Lover and Color of Night, in the latter opposite Bruce Willis. She was the Jane to Casper Van Dien's Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City, starred opposite Harvey Keitel in The Stone Merchant, and sparred with Liam Neeson as Hestia in Clash of the Titans, not to mention her many genre films like Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula, Blood of Beasts and Stalker.

With a resume like that, it's no wonder The Asylum was quick to snatch Ms. March up for the role of Queen Gwendolyn. Find out just how far she knocks it out of the park on March 13th, when Grimm's Snow White is released nationwide.

Huzzah! First Stills From Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies!

Having just wrapped production in Savannah, Georgia on their latest masterpiece, Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, The Asylum was kind enough this evening to post the first stills from the film on their Flickr page. And in a sentiment, this looks fucking awesome.

That's Bill Oberst Jr (A Haunting in Salem) as the president in question, and from the looks of it, he was pretty smart casting. Watch these picture come to bloody life when Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies hits DVD on May 29th.

Snow White 2012: Who's the Fairest of Them All?

As I mentioned when profiling Eliza Bennett, titular star of The Asylum's next release, Grimm's Snow White, Miss Bennett is only one of four women portraying the beloved fairy tale heroine this year. Here's a look at all four, each in character. 

Eliza Bennett in Grimm's Snow White

Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror

Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman

Ginnifer Goodwin in "Once Upon a Time"

No real reason for this post, certainly not to compare The Asylum's Snow White to other folks'. I mean, there is no comparison, really. Lily Collins looks like the floor model of an animatronic domestic servant, Kristen Stewart - though this photo seems to indicate it's her best acting to date - is in armor for most of her flick like she was Snow of Arc, and Ginnifer Goodwin, bless her heart, looks like she thinks she's shooting an Herbal Essences campaign. While Eliza Bennett, on the other hand, stares into the camera with a pensive concern, as though she almost regrets the amount of whoop-ass she's going to have to unleash upon a horde of ferocious reptile creatures. No comparison, really.

Grimm's Snow White, on DVD March 13; the other ones, I'm not too sure...

inmate profile: Eliza Bennett

With The Asylum's next release, Grimm's Snow White, just around the corner, it's time we start taking a closer look at some of the creative personnel behind the film, and who better to start with than the actress portraying the titular character, Eliza Bennett.

A native of the United Kingdom, Miss Bennett made her silver screen debut in the Julia Stiles romantic comedy The Prince and Me when she was only 12 years old. This role was quickly followed by her turn as "Tora" in the smash family film Nanny McPhee starring two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson. After one more memorable performance in another family film, Inkheart with Brendan Frasier, Miss Bennett started taking roles in more horror/thriller-centric films like Perfect Life, F, the highly-enjoyable Roadkill and now, Grimm's Snow White. Next up on her dance card, the British thriller Confine. 

Miss Bennett is one of an amazing four Snow Whites on one screen or another this year: Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman, Lily Collins in Mirror Mirror, and Ginnifer Goodwin in ABC's "Once Upon a Time" being the other three. My bet, though, is that she's the only one who has to contend with an evil queen and "ferocious reptile beasts." See how she handles herself on March 13, when Grimm's Snow White lands on DVD.

A Closer Look at BIGFOOT...

What with those great pics released to Entertainment Weekly, the cat is out of the bag on The Asylum's upcoming SyFy original movie, Bigfoot. All there is to know about the plot is that some dudes are hunting Bigfoot, but thanks to IMDB we know a great deal about just who is involved, and it's pretty awesome:

Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch, MegaPiranha), Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati, Rubin and Ed, Head of the Class), rockers Alice Cooper and BIlly Idol, Andre Royo ("Bubbles" from The Wire, no shit!!!) as well as Bruce Davison (MegaFault, Titanic II), who's also directing the film from a script by Micho Rutare and Brian Brinkman, who together previously wrote Dragonquest and Meteor Apocalypse; Rutare also wrote the story for Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, while Brinkman has worked in the editorial department on a handful of Asylum films and has appeared as an actor in three. 

Translation: there are some seasoned pros at play in this one, promising an all-Asylum take on the ripe legend of Bigfoot. No air-date as of yet, but probably sometime in the next couple of months this one will grace TV screens nationwide. As soon as more details are available, I'll post 'em up. Until then, salivate along with me over the greatness to-be that is Bigfoot!

A Look at Upcoming Asylum Films

Even for someone who follows The Asylum as closely as I do, it can be tricky keeping up with what's coming out, especially seeing as 2012 promises to be the studio's most productive to date in its 15 year history. So what I thought I'd do is rundown a list of Asylum productions already scheduled for release in the coming months. I'm quite sure by the time I publish this it will already need updating.

Grimm's Snow White

written by Naomi Selfman (Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus, Mega Python vs Gatoroid)

directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Sherlock Holmes, Princess & the Pony)

starring Jane March, Eliza Bennett, Jamie Thomas King

on DVD March 13, 2012

Air Collision

written & directed by Liz Adams

starring Reginald VelJohnson, Jordan Ladd, Gerald Webb

on DVD March 27, 2012

Nazis at the Center of the Earth

written by Paul Bales (2010 Moby Dick, Legion of the Dead)

directed by Joseph Lawson

starring Dominique Swain, Jake Busey, Josh Allen

on DVD April 24, 2012

American Battleship

written & directed by Thunder Levin (script 200MPH)

starring Mario Van Peebles, Carl Weathers, JoHanna Watts

on DVD May 15, 2012

 
  

Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies 

story by Richard Schenkman and Karl Hirsch & Lauren Proctor; screenplay by Richard Schenkman   

directed by Richard Schenkman

starring Bill Oberst Jr.
























...plus at least 4 others films there have been whispers about; as soon as The Asylum drops official word on them, that word will be reprinted here, so keep coming back!

Two New Asylum Titles Announced

There are no details whatsoever to go along with these titles, only their appearance today in The Asylum's "Coming Soon" list, but I think the titles pretty much explain themselves: Bikini Spring Break and Shark Week.

As soon as more details are made public by The Asylum, you'll find them here...



;)

CELEBRITY SEX TAPE now on DVD!!!

The Asylum's scintillating and titillating valentine to us all - the hyper-sex-comedy Celebrity Sex Tape - is now on DVD everywhere.

Directed by MILF's Scott Wheeler, CST is bawdy, raunchy, gratuitous, crass and uncouth - in other words everything you want a sex comedy to be. So push away from the computer, my friends, and get thee to a DVD dispensary toot suite to procure yourself a copy. 

BIGFOOT Pics in Entertainment Weekly!

Been waiting on some official word on Bigfoot for a while now, and here it is, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, you know, the largest entertainment magazine on the planet?!

I'll let the article explain itself, but suffice it to say, 6 words capture my excitement for this film: "Danny Bonaduce, Barry Williams, Sherilyn Fenn." More details as they're available...

observation notes: Celebrity Sex Tape

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

2011 Loonies Winners!!!

The call went out to designate the favorite films and performances from last year's Asylum productions, and you, the die-hard fans, responded in record numbers. So, without further adieu, your 2011 Winners of Looney Awards for Excellence in Asylum Films:

BEST DIRECTOR: Jared Cohn, Born Bad

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Alex Yellen, 2012 Ice Age

BEST CREATURES: Zombies, Zombie Apocalypse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Battle of Los Angeles

BEST SCORE: Chris Ridenhour, Zombie Apocalypse

BEST SCREENPLAY: Jared Cohn, Born Bad

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: AnnaMaria DeMara, 200MPH

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Gerald Webb, 2012 Ice Age

BEST ACTRESS: Bonnie Dennison, Born Bad

BEST ACTOR: Michael Welch, Born Bad

BEST PICTURE: Born Bad

So there you have it, your 2011 Looney Award Winners. Born Bad was this year's big winner, and the first Big 5 winner in Looney history - director, screenplay, actor, actress and picture. Congrats to Cohn and crew, as well as all the other Looney winners and nominees. 2011 was the best Asylum year yet, and 2012 is promising to be even better, so as I see it, we're all winners. Huzzah!

Before the Loonies are Announced, My Favorites of 2011

With the Loonies being announced tomorrow, I thought before we find out what your favorite Asylum movies and performances of 2011 were, I'd share my personal favorites. Some of these might not be too surprising (anything Salem related), and some might (anything not Salem related), but nevertheless, here we go:

Favorite Director: Jared Cohn

Born Bad was just a different kind of Asylum movie, a more realistic thriller with no skimping on the sex, violence or suspense. The brainchild of Cohn, he shoulders the credit for this taut thriller.

Favorite Cinematography: Alexander Yellen, Born Bad

This was maybe the closest category for me, as Dragon Crusaders was one of the more epically beautiful direct-to-DVD films I saw last year, but there's just something about the look to Born Bad that really made it stand out.

Favorite Creature: Witch Ghosts, A Haunting in Salem

  I don't need to explain my decision here, do I? I mean, I made these guys up. Witches who are ghosts, ghosts who are witches; can't go wrong. Just sayin'...

 Favorite VFX: 2012 Ice Age

This was the big category this year, in my opinion, as 2011 was a year in which we saw Asylum VFX really kick it up a notch. But when all is said and done, it was the ice-swept devastation of 2012 Ice Age that blew me away the most.

Favorite Score: Chris Ridenhour, A Haunting in Salem

Another on I probably don't have to explain, but this isn't pure favoritism. In every review I read of Salem, whether positive or negative, they all raved about Ridenhour's beautifully brutal score.

Favorite Script: Craig Engler & Zombie Apocalypse

I think zombie movies ar epretty hard to pull off at this point, as they've been done - pardon the pun - to death. But Zombie Apocalypse felt fresh yet faithful to the genre.

Favorite Supporting Actress: Jenna Stone, A Haunting in Salem

  Another no-brainer. Miss Stone sold this performance so well I hope I never meet her, because it will freak me out. Scariest performance of the year, certainly scarier than I wrote it. Awesomeness.

Favorite Supporting Actor: Gerald Webb, Battle of Los Angeles

2011 was Webb's year over at The Asylum, but of his various role, it was his work in Battle of Los Angeles that really stood out, mostly because that's the film in which we got to see the most of him.

Favorite Actress: Courtney Abbiati, A Haunting in Salem

Another no-brainer, but Ms. Abbiati's work here was out-of-the-park.

Favorite Actor: Bill Oberst Jr., A Haunting in Salem

 Yet another, I know, but come on, you have to admit Bill got under your skin. Impassioned, creepy and capable of anything makes for an awesome anti-hero.

Favorite Documentary Feature: Anneliese the Exorcist Tapes

Devil-shit freaks me out. And this discovered-footage freak-fest was so intimidating to me I had to watch it in the afternoon, no joke. Frightening, frightening stuff.

Favorite Film: A Haunting in Salem

Duh. But really, how could any other film be my favorite. 3 Musketeers was a fun, hip action flick, Mega Python vs Gatoroid  was campy-creature brilliance, Dragon Crusaders gave me a new appreciation for fantasy and Born Bad nailed it, but for me, the screenwriter of said-haunted-house movie, it just had ot be my favorite. Forgive me.

And don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what you guys chose as the best Asylum films of 2011. 

Lovely Ladies of the Asylum: CELEBRITY SEX TAPE Edition

In celebration of The Asylum's latest release, Celebrity Sex Tape, on DVD as of Valentine's Day, this time around the Lovely Ladies of The Asylum is dedicated to the talented women featured in this raunchy romp, including some familiar faces. You're welcome.

Julie Barzman - "Kim"

Amanda Ward - "Melony"

Born Bad, Invasion of the Pod People, Freakshow

King of the Lost World, Halloween Night  et al 

Jamie Bernadette

"Goth Chick"

MILF

Tammy Klein

"Born Again Actress"

MILF

Jenny Lin - "Gina"

Christine Nguyen - "Julian"

MILF

and Penthouse cover girl 

Emily Addison as