This latest release from The Asylum is an apocalyptic, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller from the brilliant pens of Paul Sinor and Victoria Dadi, the team behind last year's Airline Disaster.
When a volcano in scenic Iceland goes kablooey, it collapses an ice shelf and releases a tremendous glacier that starts on a collision course with the East Coast of the United States, the harbinger of a new ice age that one family - lead by actors Julie McCullough ("Growing Pains") and Patrick Labyorteaux ("JAG") - must try to stay ahead of.
First off, in all fairness, I should admit my love for polar apocalypse films. I think the ice age is something we as modern humans have zero capacity to plan for or fight against, so to see characters accurately struggle against such odds is always fascinating, to me, at least. 2012 Ice Age does not fail; apocalyptic thriller, family drama, FX bonanza. The script is solid as ice, the direction by the mysterious "Travis Fort" is above par and the performances sell it all.
Patrick Labyorteuax as the father/scientist at the center of the film plays the role with a duality of dedication - half to his job, half to his family, each half greater than most men's wholes. He's undeniably likable, universally relatable and just plain fun to root for. I wasn't a "JAG" watcher, but I was a big fan of Labyorteaux's as a teen - he's in two of my favorite movies ever, Summer School and Heathers - so it was awesome to not only see him again, but to see that he's still as awesome as ever.
Julie McCullough, lovely as she was twenty years ago on "Growing Pains," as Labyorteaux's estranged wife and informed-thus-concerned mother is sassy, confident, concerned and coyly radiant. She's still got a smile that could charm a buzzard off a fresh kill, and she still knows how to use it. To see her in this dramatic setting was a revelation, and hopefully the start of great things to come.
Other notables include Nick Afanasiev and Katie Wilson as the couple's teenage children, and the great Gerald Webb as another traveler.
The real star here - not to take away from the human performers - is the film's visual FX; from the volcano eruption to the encroaching glacier to the polar ramifications, this is easily the best-looking Asylum film, FX-wise, to date. Bar none. I often speak of how The Asylum's production values have shot through the roof since Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, and this is the best representation of that hypothesis to date.
The script is sound, scientifically and emotionally. Sinor and Dadi - as they did with Airline Disaster - do a spectacular job of balancing the technical with the human, crafting a disaster epic with an intimate heart. I never felt for an instant that our response - militarily - to the impending ice age was far-fetched or contrived. The film's realism, in fact, is part of what endeared it to me so. When the science is sound, the enjoyability is infinite.
And as for the direction, by the mysterious Travis Fort, all I can say is the typing equivalent of one, lone man in a crowd of thousands standing up and starting the applause an entire crowd reverberates. This film is great looking, well paced, gripping, thrilling, frightening, and gut-wrenching, exactly as it should be. Whoever directed this, he directed his ass off, and has earned my sincere kudos.
Overall, whatever your disaster film peccadillo - ice age, alien invasion, pandemic, war, global warming etc - if you enjoy the struggle of American average-joes against impossible, cataclysmic scenarios, then there is absolutely nothing you won't love about 2012 Ice Age. No smoke-blowing, no ass-kissing, no-sycophanting: this is a rad film, no matter which studio made it; human, horrifying, spectacular and captivating. B-movie gold, as far as I'm concerned. Gold, I say!
2012 Ice Age is on DVD THIS VERY MOMENT in retail establishments, video stores (if u can find them), those lame kiosk things and, of course, Netflix. There's no reason you should still be reading this. Go get 2012 Ice Age right now. NOW!
"Let's melt this ice!"
Keeping the 2012 Ice Age profiles rolling, it's time to turn the spotlight on the film's male lead, accomplished actor Patrick Labyorteaux.
A native Los Angelean, Labyorteaux (that's LAB-or-TOE) started acting at the ripe young age of nine, with an uncredited role in Mel Brooks' comedy classic Blazing Saddles. Credited or not, that's a baller debut. PL's first big break came in 1977 when he landed the role of "Andy Garvey" on the strangely-popular TV series "Little House on the Prairie." After 43 episodes, Patrick took a brief hiatus from acting, presumably to finish high school, and then in 1987 he returned to acting, this time on the silver screen. His first real film of note? The undisputed comedy classic and staple of my childhood, Summer School. I shit you not, I've seen this movie more than 50 times; hell, I've seen it three times this year already. PL played "Kevin," the gentle-souled football player who falls for a pregnant Shawnee Smith.
Up next for PL was a role in perhaps the only late-80's high-school film I've seen more than Summer School, Heathers, in which he played the lovably-dumb football-playing bully "Ram," who, thanks to an arranged double-suicide with his supposed lover spawned one of the greatest lines in cinema history: "I love my dead gay son!"
From there, PL performed in a number of notable films including Ski School (which re-teamed him with Summer School-alum Dean Cameron), Ghoulies 3 and 3 Ninjas, but it wasn't until a certain TV show came a'courting that PL finally got his well-deserved star-making turn.
For 10 years and 208 episodes PL portrayed Lt. Cmdr. Bud Roberts on the insanely popular Naval drama "JAG," on you grandpa's favorite network, alongside the erstwhile David James Elliott and the alluring Catherine Bell. "JAG" ended in 2005, and since then PL has continued to work steadily in television and film, including a role in the Jim Carrey vehicle Yes Man.
2012 Ice Age will mark the first time PL has anchored a disaster flick (though he did support in The Storm, a TV, James Van Der Beek thing), but if he can handle this genre as well as he's handled comedy, drama, action and horror in the past, I think come June 28th of this month we'll all be quite enthralled. Watch for yourself and find out.
Continuing COMMITTED's spotlight on the creative forces behind the next Asylum flick, 2012 Ice Age, out the 28th of this month, it's now time to move from behind the camera to in front of it, and where better to start than with the film's female lead, the lovely and vivacious Julie McCullough.
I'll admit that the majority of my exposure to Ms. McCullough's work has been more light-hearted, comedic fare, so I for one am very excited to see her in the decidedly dramatic 2012 Ice Age. If her brief appearances in the trailer are any indication, she's got the chops. Find out June 28th when the film drops on DVD.
As you well know, this month's Asylum release is the polar-apocalyptic 2012 Ice Age; as you may also know, in the weeks leading up to a new release I like to shine a little spotlight on the creative types behind the project. Earlier I profiled Ice Age writers Victoria Dadi and Paul Sinor, and now it's time to turn our attention to the man behind the curtain, the captain of the ship, el jefe himself, the film's director, Trey Stokes.
Not only is Mr. Stokes an accomplished director, he's also known for his puppeteering work on such films as the 1988 Blob remake with Kevin Dillon, Species, Robocop 2, Team America: World Police and James Cameron's only legit masterpiece (IMO), The Abyss, on which Mr. Stokes served as head puppeteer. Mr. Stokes has also worked in other realms of visual effects, including animation for Starship Troopers and My Favorite Martian, and most recently as the lead motion capture integrator for Robert Zemeckis' The Polar Express. Not to mention the guy's stints as an editor, cinematographer, camera operator, actor and even motion simulation programmer for two Universal Studios rides, The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera, and Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast!
As a director, Stokes first gained prominence with Pink Five, a Star Wars parody series that blew up online and eventually got the Lucas stamp of approval as the bearded-one's selection for fan film of the year in 2003. The next year, the sequel, Pink Five Strikes Back, won the audience award in the same competition. A final installment, Return of Pink Five, has been completed and is awaiting release. He is also the driving creative force behind the sci-fi webseries Ark.
But for Asylum fans, Mr. Stokes is best known for his amazing work directing last year's leviathan of a film (and my personal favorite of the 2010 Asylum offerings). 2010 Moby Dick. What does this mean for 2012 Ice Age? It means there's a proven director and visual effects wiz at the helm, and by what I can tell from the trailer, he's pulling out all the stops on this one.
2012 Ice Age drops on DVD June 28. Don't worry, I'll remind you.
2012 Ice Age is The Asylum film being released at this month, so inmate profiles over the next few weeks are going to be dedicated to members of that film's creative staff, starting with writing team extraordinaire, Paul Sinor and Victoria Dadi, also responsible for last year's highly-enjoyable Airline Disaster.
So, coming today out of The Asylum is new visual info on two upcoming projects, this month's 2012 Ice Age and September's Dragon Crusaders.
First off, the official trailer for Ice Age has dropped at The Asylum site, and while I don't want to jump to any conclusions, this looks to be THE BEST EVER POLAR APOCALYPSE MOVIE. The effects looking nothing short of rad, and coming at the direction of 2010 Moby Dick's Trey Stokes, who would expect anything less? 2012 Ice Age streets on the 28th of this month. I, for one (and as expected), can't wait.
Furthermore, as though the above wasn't enough, The Asylum also graced we committed with the first round of production stills from Mark Atkins' eagerly awaited Dragon Crusader. There aren't any dragons, of course, but what we can see looks a combination of epic and creepy, two of my favorite qualities in a movie. And oh yeah, they put out the poster as well...
A dragon breathing fire down on a shielded Knight Templar. If my wife ever caves and allows me to squander our meager savings on a 70's era van, I'm totally getting this airbrushed on the side. I mean, really: nobody fucks with dragonvan. I digress...
Dragon Crusaders drops on September 27th.
Man, as awesome as the first half of 2011 has been in terms of Asylum releases, it looks like the second half is going to be even better (and I say that as only a little biased)(A Haunting in Salem on DVD and Blu-Ray 8/23/11, available now for pre-order at Amazon. Just sayin'.)
I recognize that not all great films are made exclusively by The Asylum and that, in fact, there's a whole world of film outside these walls, some of which might actually interest Asylum fans - when they're not watching or re-watching Asylum films, of course. And, being as I'm only looking out for your viewing well-being, here's a peek at some other DVD releases this month which might satiate you between Asylum releases. But remember, as always, Sweet n' Low ain't sugar.
June 7th
Exorcismus
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Rubber
Slices of Life
Tortured
Universal Squadron
June 14th
Battle: Los Angeles
Chained
Chatroom
Fall Down Dead
Hall Pass
Kill the Irishman
Red Riding Hood
June 21st
Black Rat
Mega Python vs Gatoroid (!!!!!)
June 28th
2012 Ice Age
starring Patrick Labyorteaux & Julie McCullough
written by Victoria Dadi & Paul SInor
directed by Trey Stokes
Dawning
Norwegian Ninja
Sucker Punch
Warehouse 13: Season 2
Enjoy!
So basically, what I mean by that convoluted title is that the purpose of this post is to recap the films The Asylum has released thus far in 2011, as well as look ahead at the rest of their slate. I figure it being June, midway through the year, now was a good time to refresh our memories on the various projects of our favorite independent film studio.
By my count, there are 14 films being released by The Asylum this year, making 2011 - if I'm not mistaken - their most prolific year to date, in regards to original productions.
The Asylum started 2011 off with a bang, releasing two films in January. The first was their foray in child-centric filmmaking, Rachel Lee Goldenberg's fun family film The Princess and the Pony, and the second was the SyFy Saturday Night premiere of Mega Python vs Gatoroid from director Mary Lambert and scribe Naomi Selfman, and starring the year's favorite duo, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. From the disparaging themes of these two films, you just knew 2011 was going to be a fun year, and profitable: more than two million viewers tuned in for the latter's debut, and in the six months since its release, buzz has only been building. MPvG hits DVD at long last on June 21st, less than a month from now. I'm predicting a revival of enthusiasm for this one.
And as if all this wasn't more than enough, The Asylum plans to end the year, most likely, with the release of their third shark epic, the awesomely titled 2 Headed Shark Attack. No details to put out there on this one just yet, but with a title like that, what do you really need to know? It's gonna be awesome.
So there you have it, The Asylum's 2011 slate in a nutshell. It's been a rad year so far, but every indication is that the second half of the year is gonna be even better. God, this shit is rad.
An exciting day here at Committed, as I'm just pleased as punch to see the creative details emerge for The Asylum's next project, 2012 Ice Age.
According to the link above, the film is to be written by Paul Sinor and Victoria Dadi, the same dynamic duo responsible for the wildly-popular Airline Disaster, and will be directed by none other than the captain of 2010 Moby Dick, the great Trey Stokes. Moby Dick, as faithful readers might recall, was my pick for best Asylum film of 2010, and as far as directors went, Stokes was a coin toss for me with Rachel Lee Goldenberg.
If MD's any indication, he's got a great eye, a masterful pacing ability and a real sense of story that should elevate this above other SyFy fare. I was hoping we'd get to see him helm another Asylum film, and I'm two-fold glad: one, that he's back so soon, and two, that it's a project I've been eagerly anticipating since it was announced at the end of last year. I'm a sucker for an awesome disaster film, and now that we're learning some of the talent involved, I think that's what we can expect. Dig the logline:
"When a volcanic eruption in Iceland sends a glacier hurtling toward North America, a family struggles to escape the onslaught of the coming ice age."
I like that they've tied it in to real events, the volcano in Iceland. Airline Disaster, you may recall, also had its ending rooted in real events, so it's nice to see Sinor and Dadi continue in that vein.
And as far as on-screen talent is concerned, The Asylum has managed to snag another couple of my favorites: Patrick Labyorteux of Heathers, Summer School and "JAG," fame (the films were two of my favorites growing up and the latter I would catch on occasion, though only hoping for a glimpse of Catherine Bell), and Julie McCullough, most-famous for "Growing Pains," and posing for a certain gentleman's magazine. Julie - I swear to god - I just wrote up in a Should-Stars I was going to post later this week. It was seeing her on the red carpet at the Mega Python vs Gatoroid premiere that jogged my memory; apparently her appearance there was not coincidental.
2012 Ice Age hits the streets June 28, 2011. Keep one eye glued here for any production updates, further casting information or stills!
Now that we're a little ways into the new year, we have a more definitive idea of the release dates for the first batch of 2011 Asylum films. Here's what we know:
Battle of Los Angeles
starring Kel Mitchell, Nia Peeples
written and directed by Mark Atkins
SyFy Premiere March 12
on DVD March 22
200mph
starring Jaz Martin, AnnaMaria DeMara
written by Thunder Levin
directed by Cole McKay
on DVD April 26
Almighty Thor (not final poster)
starring Cody Deal, Richard Grieco, Kevin Nash
written by Eric Forsberg
directed by Christopher Ray
on DVD May 10
Ballistica (note the tweaked poster)
starring Paul Logan, Martin Kove, Robert Davi
written by Tony Kandah and Sean Rourke
directed by Gary Jones
on DVD May 17
And that's what we have so far. Still on the docket are 2012 Ice Age, Born Bad and 2 Headed Shark Attack - all of which there's no info on right now besides the titles - but I think we can assume those are the summer/early fall films we can look forward to. And beyond that, there's bound to be another comedy, maybe a horror film for October, who knows? Rest assured I keep my eyes peeled for this stuff, and as soon as I spy details, I'll post 'em up.
Though her acting career only lasted two brief years, 2006 and 2007, Erica Roby left an indelible impression on Asylum fans. All eight films Ms. Roby made were with the Asylum, making her, percentage-wise, the company's most faithful, non-founding employee. From her titular debut in Exorcism: the Possession of Gail Bowers up until her final on-screen appearance in Invasion of the Pod People, Ms. Roby was poised to become a 21st Century scream queen of the highest order - the sort that not only has no problem with nudity, but nor with contrived lesbian scenes* - before bowing out of the limelight and stepping behind the cameras.
Since leaving The Asylum in 2007, Ms. Roby has worked as a story editor on episodes of "Denise Richards: It's Complicated," and "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," and most notably as an associate producer on the last season of "The Amazing Race."
So, unfortunately for her fans, it seems as though things in Ms. Roby's non-acting, professional life are going just fine, making it a likely foregone conclusion that she shan't be returning to the direct-to-DVD market anytime soon. To assuage yourselves, take a look a Ms. Roby's most-impressive and completely-Asylum filmography:
Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers...Gail Bowers
Hillside Cannibals...Rhian
Dracula's Curse...Christina Lockheart
The 9/11 Commission Report...Melinda
Halloween Night...Angela
The Hitchhiker...Lindsey
The Apocalypse...Laura
Invasion of the Pod People...Melissa
And who knows? Perhaps if we her fans get riled up enough, start one of them Facebook petitions the kids are so fond of these days, we might be able to finagle a cameo at least in 2012: Ice Age. Stranger things have been forced to happen because of the internet.
*
two films - not one but two - contain said scenes. for real. have fun discovering which ones!
2010 MOBY DICK Drops on DVD in T-Minus 12 Days!!!
In just a dozen short days the next Asylum production hits DVD stores nationwide. 2010 Moby Dick (for an explanation on why the 2010, check here) is an update on the classic book by Herman Melville, considered by many (present company included) to be the greatest novel ever penned by an American. In The Asylum's take, the setting has been shifted from a clipper ship in the Nineteenth Century to a "high tech submarine" in the modern era. Our captain is still Ahab, played here by Barry Bostwick, and he's still in maniacal pursuit of the vicious leviathan which maimed him. Ishmael in this version, however, has been transformed into the lovely vision that is Renee O'Connor - you know, Xena's babe - here named "Michelle Herman," a nice nod to both Ishmael and the original author. From all early looks, this one should be pretty awesome; the whale's been aggro-ed out, and Bostwick looks as though he's firing on all cylinders. Head over the the site, linked above, and check out the trailer, then get your place in line at your local, independent video store. This one's gonna move!
American Film Market Reveals Upcoming Asylum Projects
In case you missed my earlier post, the American Film Market recently held their annual conference in which three new Asylum titles and posters were revealed. Okay, so, two are brand new, one is the first poster there on the left for the upcoming Mega Python vs Gatoroid, which I mention pretty frequently. The other two, however, are totally new and as yet have no names of any sort publicly attached to them.
The first is an obvious tie-in to the upcoming Kenneth Branaugh Marvel Comic flick Thor, and is called The Almighty Thor. No IMDB page or mention of this one on The Asylum's site, and I can't tell who the fella in the poster is, so there's still a lot to learn about this one, but you can bet there's gonna be a lot of smashin' based on the looks of that hammer. Check out a brief synopsis: When the demon god Loki destroys the fortress of Valhalla and steals the Hammer of Invincibility, only the young hero Thor can protect earth from Armageddon. Mmm-hmm; smashin'.
Then there's 2012: Ice Age (see Numbers explanation above), which nothing at all is known about except the plot: The eruption of Mt Fuji--a “Supervolcano”--covers the earth in choking clouds. Humanity hurtles toward extinction as a group of scientists fight to break the grip of the new ice age. For my money, I'd like to see either Eric Forsberg (Mega Piranha) or Griff Furst (100 Million B.C.) helm this one. Both have worked in creature disasters, but it would be nice to see either take on a sweeping environmental epic. That said, I'm also envisioning David Michael Latt's work on Megafault and wondering if he isn't considering it for himself. Time will tell.
Another title, Born Bad, has appeared under the coming soon section in the bottom right hand corner of The Asylum's homepage, but there's absolutely no info on this one other than the title. I can only hope, though, given that title, it's being written by Geoff Meed for himself, or Paul Logan, or, god please, both.
And we're still waiting on a poster for 1st Furry Valentine as well as a trailer for Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, the latter of which should hopefully debut in the next week or so, as the release is almost a month away, and once Moby Dick drops, they're going to need a new trailer to run on the site. As soon as either of these things are released, rest assured I'm on 'em.
Jeez I'm getting run ragged this week with breaking Asylum news. But, really, who am I to complain? I love this fucking stuff.
Which means I especially love this report from Killer Film about the recent American Film Market conference at which our favorite movie studio released three posters for upcoming films not listed anywhere on their website. The first is the well-known and frequently referenced (here) Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, the poster of which can be seen in the post before. But beyond this, the article also reveals two new projects I've heard nothing about, and provides no information whatsoever besides the posters. One is The Almighty Thor, an obvious tie-in to the impending Marvel pic, not to be confused with SyFy original "Hammer of the Gods," in which the follically-gifted son of Odin was portrayed by Tim Allen's oldest boy Brad from "Home Improvement." The other film noted is called 2012 Ice Age, the third film with that prefix (behind Doomsday and Apocalypse).
IMDB has nothing for either of these, nor does the trusty intraweb other than more references to this same story. But some news is still good news, especially when it's about new Asylum flicks coming down the pipe.
