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!

outside the walls: November DVD Releases

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.

November 1st

11/11/11

written by Kiff Scholl & Keith Allan
directed by Keith Allan
















November 8th

Bedlam: Season One

Born Bad

written & directed by Jared Cohn
starring Michael Welch, Bonnie Dennison, Meredith Monroe & David Chokachi

Mortal Kombat: Legacy
















November 15th

Warriors of Virtue: The Return to Tao
















November 22nd

Carjacked

Conan the Barbarian

Helldriver

Night Crawlers
















November 29th

Chillerama

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil 

Born Bad on DVD Today!

Another Tuesday, another Asylum DVD release; fella could get used to this. This time around, it's Born Bad, a terrifying and scintillating thriller from writer director Jared Cohn and actors Michael Welch, Bonnie Dennison, Meredith Monroe, David Chokachi and more. Resplendent with action, intrigue, passion and horrors all-to-real, Born Bad is a perfect early winter film: creepy, suspenseful and chilling.

Besides being an intense and excellent flick, you're gonna want to cherish Born Bad for another reason: we have to wait a WHOLE MONTH for another Asylum release: found-footage frightener The Amityville Haunting comes out December 13th, and the DVD release of Zombie Apocalypse is a fortnight later on the 27th.  

Wanna rent Born Bad from Netflix? Go here.

RE-POST: observation notes: Born Bad

Though Born Bad made it's premiere back in March on the Lifetime Channel, it hasn't been available on DVD until this coming Tuesday, when a special UNCUT version of the film hits DVD. Until then, let's take another look at my original thoughts on the film, posted back in March.

Now, if you've read my notes before, you know I don't like to give away any spoilers; I'm not a journalist, I'm a fan, my point isn't to critique the film, it's to extol its virtues and make you want to see it even more than no doubt you already do. Therefore, I stay away from spoilers. This will be especially true in the case of Born Bad, as you're gonna have to wait a few months to get your hands on it. So the below impressions are general, and give nothing away whatsoever other than the basic plot. 

Let's get that plot out of the way: when a family moves to a new town, their sweet teenage daughter (Bonnie Dennison), falls for the WRONG guy (Twilight and All The Boys Love Mandy Lane''s Michael Welch), a psychopathic drifter with homicidal proclivities, resulting in a nightmare for her parents ("Baywatch"s David Chokachi and "Dawson's Creek"s Meredith Monroe). Ah, dating.

What we have here is a good, old-fashioned thriller - no monsters or creatures or anything paranormal at all, just a fascinating and frightening look at the depths of depravity to which can sink the most terrifying beast known to man: man. Jared Cohn's script paints a terrifying portrait of a family already at a crossroads in crisis. It's an all-too believable scenario which could conceivably befall any American family, allowing the horror it generates to resonate that much deeper.

But a script is only as good as the actors who bring it to life, so in this case, it's damn good. Michael Welch as "Denny" is fierce, and not in a co-opted Project Runway sense, but in the Webster's dictionary sense: "a) violently hostile or aggressive in temperament; b) given to fighting or killing." I mentioned in my profile of Mr. Welch that in the fine, fine film All The Boys Love Mandy Lane in which he played a similar type of character, that his brutally frightening potential hadn't yet been fully-tapped - it has been now. Welch electrifies every second he's on screen, deftly balancing the suave seductor and focused sociopath every good serial killer needs be. Dude rocked it, for real.

Bonnie Dennison ("Guiding Light") as doe-eyed daughter "Bonnie" manages a fine balancing act of her own, convincingly naive while never helpless. I'll admit to not being familiar with Ms. Dennison before this, but I thought she was right for the role of a good-girl just bad enough to get in major trouble; when her name turns up on DVD boxes in the future - as it's sure to do - I'll definitely check them out.

Meredith Monroe and David Chokachi as the parents at the center of this whirlwind also excelled, and in roles I for one wasn't used to seeing them play: Chokachi as the concerned parent almost helpless in the face of primal terror, and Monroe as an unsuspectingly powerful matriarch. So for me, at least, both really showed their range, and I liked what I saw. Aces.

Other cast standouts include Donnabella Mortel as "Dana," Gerald Webb (Battle of Los Angeles, 2012 Ice Age) as "Nate" and Bill Oberst Jr. (Princess and the Pony, upcoming A Haunting in Salem[!!!]) as "Gary." Sure, I could tell you more about the characters they play, but that might stray into the territory of spoilers. Or it might not. Either way, I'll say no more.

Overall, then, what you have here is a chilling psychological thriller that rings all too true and hits way too close to home, just as all great films of this sort should do. Cohn, who also directed, has crafted a film of frightening intimacy, one that draws you into both sides of this maniacal struggle and and squeezes your heart from the first frame to the last, thanks especially to the barrage of fine performances anchored by that of Michael Welch. He's up there with Mega Shark in my pantheon of greatest Asylum villains. 

Check it our for yourself this Tuesday when the UNCUT version of Born Bad erupts into being.

Born Bad Coming to DVD 11/8/2011 - Next Week!!!

Though it had it's world premiere on the Lifetime network back in March - a first for The Asylum - Jared Cohn's taut, edgy thriller Born Bad hasn't hit DVD as of yet, meaning - I'm willing to bet - that most if not all of you have yet to see it. I saw it on Lifetime. I've been hooked on the network ever since. They got some real crazy shit going on there. Have you seen "Dance Moms?" I digress.

The wait is over, is my point, because a mere 6 days from now, Born Bad will be released to the world on DVD!

Furthermore, this will be the "Uncut" version, a.k.a. the scarier, steamier, bloodier version of this brutally charming film. 

In celebration of this, I'll be re-posting some things I put out during Born Bad's premiere, including my exclusive interview with the film's writer/director Jared Cohn tomorrow, and Friday my spoiler-free notes on the film.

A tale of young love gone violently wrong, Born Bad stars Bonnie Dennison ("Guiding Light") as a beautiful teen in a lonely new town, Michael Welch (Twilight, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) as the predatory lothario who steals her heart, and David Chokachi ("Baywatch," 3 Musketeers) and Meredith Monroe ("Dawson's Creek") as the rightfully-concerned dad and step-mom.

For more details, check out the trailer, the IMDB page and the Asylum page. And of course, keep coming back here the rest of the week for extended Born Bad coverage.

Your Second Chance to See BORN BAD Comes This Weekend!

In case you missed it this last Monday, The Asylum's latest production - Jared Cohn's Born Bad starring Michael Welch, Bonnie Dennison, Meredith Monroe and David Chokachi - will be airing again this weekend, Saturday night, to be exact, at 9pm on the Lifetime Network. If you like gritty psychological thrillers with enough sex and violence to really make you sit up and notice, then you'll love Born Bad. If you miss it this time, you might not get another chance until the film's November DVD release, and while the wait is worth every minute, do yourself a favor and carve out a little time this weekend for Born Bad,

In the meantime, get acquainted with the cast and crew of the film through my Inmate Profiles: 

Michael Welch

Bonnie Dennison

Meredith Monroe & David Chokachi

Then, dig my exclusive interview with writer/director Jared Cohn.

And finally, to whet your appetite even more, check out my spoiler-free notes on the film.

Saturday. 9pm. Lifetime. Born Bad. Show The Asylum some love.

observation notes: Born Bad

Though Born Bad won't be on DVD until November, for those of us lucky enough to have Lifetime, the film made its World Premiere last night on the network.

Now, if you've read my notes before, you know I don't like to give away any spoilers; I'm not a journalist, I'm a fan, my point isn't to critique the film, it's to extol its virtues and make you want to see it even more than no doubt you already do. Therefore, I stay away from spoilers. This will be especially true in the case of Born Bad, as you're gonna have to wait a few months to get your hands on it. So the below impressions are general, and give nothing away whatsoever other than the basic plot. 

Let's get that plot out of the way: when a family moves to a new town, their sweet teenage daughter (Bonnie Dennison), falls for the WRONG guy (Twilight and All The Boys Love Mandy Lane''s Michael Welch), a psychopathic drifter with homicidal proclivities, resulting in a nightmare for her parents ("Baywatch"s David Chokachi and "Dawson's Creek"s Meredith Monroe). Ah, dating.

What we have here is a good, old-fashioned thriller - no monsters or creatures or anything paranormal at all, just a fascinating and frightening look at the depths of depravity to which can sink the most terrifying beast known to man: man. Jared Cohn's script paints a terrifying portrait of a family already at a crossroads in crisis. It's an all-too believable scenario which could conceivably befall any American family, allowing the horror it generates to resonate that much deeper.

But a script is only as good as the actors who bring it to life, so in this case, it's damn good. Michael Welch as "Denny" is fierce, and not in a co-opted Project Runway sense, but in the Webster's dictionary sense: "a) violently hostile or aggressive in temperament; b) given to fighting or killing." I mentioned in my profile of Mr. Welch that in the fine, fine film All The Boys Love Mandy Lane in which he played a similar type of character, that his brutally frightening potential hadn't yet been fully-tapped - it has been now. Welch electrifies every second he's on screen, deftly balancing the suave seductor and focused sociopath every good serial killer needs be. Dude rocked it, for real.

Bonnie Dennison ("Guiding Light") as doe-eyed daughter "Bonnie" manages a fine balancing act of her own, convincingly naive while never helpless. I'll admit to not being familiar with Ms. Dennison before this, but I thought she was right for the role of a good-girl just bad enough to get in major trouble; when her name turns up on DVD boxes in the future - as it's sure to do - I'll definitely check them out.

Meredith Monroe and David Chokachi as the parents at the center of this whirlwind also excelled, and in roles I for one wasn't used to seeing them play: Chokachi as the concerned parent almost helpless in the face of primal terror, and Monroe as an unsuspectingly powerful matriarch. So for me, at least, both really showed their range, and I liked what I saw. Aces.

Other cast standouts include Donnabella Mortel as "Dana," Gerald Webb (Battle of Los Angeles, 2012 Ice Age) as "Nate" and Bill Oberst Jr. (Princess and the Pony, upcoming A Haunting in Salem[!!!]) as "Gary." Sure, I could tell you more about the characters they play, but that might stray into the territory of spoilers. Or it might not. Either way, I'll say no more.

Overall, then, what you have here is a chilling psychological thriller that rings all too true and hits way too close to home, just as all great films of this sort should do. Cohn, who also directed, has crafted a film of frightening intimacy, one that draws you into both sides of this maniacal struggle and and squeezes your heart from the first frame to the last, thanks especially to the barrage of fine performances anchored by that of Michael Welch. He's up there with Mega Shark in my pantheon of greatest Asylum villains. 

No word yet if Lifetime will be rerunning this one any time soon (I'll keep you posted, no worries), but even if you have to wait until November and the film's DVD release, trust me: it'll be worth every second.     

Born Bad Gets a Promo! Film Airs Monday Night!

The latest Asylum offering, Born Bad, may not be on DVD until November, but this coming Monday, July 11th at 8pm on the Lifetime Network, it's getting its World Premiere, and the network just put out the first promo, a.k.a. our very first look at Michael Welch, Bonnie Dennison, Meredith Monroe and David Chokachi, the stars of Born Bad. Dig this clip, then tune in Monday night, 8pm, Lifetime, for the real deal.

inmate profile: Bonnie Dennison

Continuing to shine the Committed spotlight on the creative talent behind Born Bad, premiering on Lifetime Monday, July 11th at 9p.m., today we take a look at actress Bonnie Dennison, the female lead who falls for a guy born bad, thus subjecting her entire family to a wave of terror.

Actress of film, television and stage, Miss Dennison is most-recognized for her work as a series regular on NBC's paramedic-drama Third Watch on which she appeared in 43 episodes, and the CBS soap opera Guiding Light, on which she played "Daisy Lemay" for 286 episodes.

As far as the silver screen is concerned, Miss Dennison has appeared in such films as Black Irish with Melissa Leo, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Angarano and Emily VanCamp, and the upcoming Stake Land with neo-scream-queen Danielle Harris and Kelly McGillis.

Born Bad marks Miss Dennison's first work with the Asylum, and seems to continue her transition towards more mature roles. I'll admit I'm not too familiar with her work - I'm a General Hospital kind of guy - but Stake Land looks like it could be fun, and Born Bad should serve as a fine showcase for her acting chops; boy-crazy teens in love terrorized by said love offer a broad emotional spectrum. My bet is, Miss Dennison knocks it out of the park. 

Tune in Monday, July 11th, on the Lifetime Network at 9p.m. and see if I'm right.

At Long Last - Born Bad Details! Plus Another New Title!!!

Big news from The Asylum today on two new titles. I'm just gonna jump right in:

So this one's been on The Asylum's coming soon list for a long time, and now, finally, we have some details on the movie that will be...Born Bad.

The film is written and directed by Jared Cohn (left), a 4-time Asylum acting veteran - Alien Abduction, Way of the Vampire, Legion of the Dead and Halloween Night. This will be Mr. Cohn's first stint behind the camera for The Asylum. 

The plot is described as such:

"When a rebellious girl from a good family falls for the town drifter, she unwittingly brings a psychopath into her loving home."

It's a classic tale - good girl falls for the bad boy that tears her world apart - and I can't wait to see what The Asylum's take on it will be.

Furthermore, some of the cast was revealed, and there look to be a couple of big names there: Meredith Monroe ("Andy McPhee" from "Dawson's Creek) and David Chokachi ("Cody" [not "Hobie"] from "Baywatch") look to be our leads, supported by Bonnie Dennison of "Guiding Light" - most likely as the "rebellious girl" - and Michael Welch, who if I'm pegging the right Michael Welch, has starred in all the Twilight movies, but I best remember him as either the geeky brother in "Joan of Arcadia," or as the outsider love interest in the wonderful and horrifically under-appreciated (to the point it has no DVD release) All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. He's most likely playing the "town drifter," which I find quite intriguing. This is, in my opinion, is a pretty strong cast, and one of the more interesting Asylum ensembles of late. And the fact that this looks to be a straight-up thriller - no supernatural evil, no creatures, no robots or aliens - is also intriguing to me. We haven't seen one of these from The Asylum since - by their own classification - 2008's Evil. It's a while before this one streets - November 8 - but all indications are it'll be well worth the wait.

UPDATE: via Twitter I just learned that Bill Oberst Jr - the nasty carnival owner from Princess and the Pony - has secured a role in the film. This only sweetens the deal for me, as he was my favorite part of P&P.

And then as though this wasn't enough, the fine folks over at The Asylum have set up another page for another new title: Barely Legal. Quite obviously a sex comedy, there's not a lot of info on this one as of yet - no cast or director known - but we do know it's written by the amazingly versatile and talented Naomi Selfman, whose writing credits for The Asylum thus far include not only The 18 Year Old Virgin and #1 Cheerleader Camp, but also Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus and Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. Ms. Selfman seems to be the all-star in The Asylum's writing stable right now - she's kinda like Will Rogers: she never met a script she couldn't write - so even with a limited glimpse at the plot - "Sue, Cheryl, and Lexi--all freshman in college--have been friends forever (their moms met in the hospital). Every year, they do something special to celebrate their birthday, and this year, on their eighteenth, they're determined to lose their virginity" - you already know from the presence of Ms. Selfman that this one's going to be titillating and hilarious. No release date as of yet, but, as you know by now, as soon as I learn something, you learn something.