Out today from The Asylum, 500 MPH Storm, a hypercane-disaster flick from director Daniel Lusko and screenwriter Hank Woon, Jr.
I watched this one myself over the weekend, and I have to say, it packs a punch. It also rocks a pretty great cast, headed by the always-excellent Casper Van Dien, as well as Asylum-mainstay Sarah Lieving, and Third Watch's Michael Beach. Lots of harrowing escapes from nature gone amok in this one, which makes for a thrilling 90 minutes.
So stop what you're doing and get the to a DVD/Blu-Ray dispensary and procure the latest treasure from the fine folks at The Asylum. Now. Go. Hurry!
The next disaster flick from The Asylum - 500 MPH Storm - isn't due to street for another month, but today we got ourselves a look at the poster for the windy shindig, and it's typically awesome. Behold:
What'd I tell you? My favorite part is the single car flying through the air off to the left. There's always one dolt who tries to out-drive the hypercane.
500 MPH Storm stars the one and only Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow, Python), Michael Beach ( ER, Third Watch), and - yes Asylum fans - the inimitable Sarah Lieving, veteran of more Asylum films than any other actor living or deceased. This marks Ms. Lieving's 14th time in front of Asylum cameras, the last being, of course, 2011's Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus. So if for nothing else, respect demands you see this film at least three times.
500 MPH Storm is directed by documentarian Daniel Lusko, and scripted by Hank Woon Jr., the pen behind another upcoming Asylum film, Age of Dinosaurs.
We can expect a trailer in a few weeks or so to further whet our appetite, but after that we'll have to wait all the way until February 26th to see the whole thing.
Up on The Asylum page today there's a new title in the "Coming Soon" section, Jack the Giant Killer. Dig the synopsis:
"A giant beanstalk brings Jack to a land in
the clouds filled with snarling, evil beasts. When the creatures make
their way to the ground, Jack must figure out how to get back down
before they destroy earth and everyone in it."
Well that just sounds fucking spectacular. It gets even better when you realize that the film is written and directed by one of The Asylum's most prolific talents, Mark Atkins. This will mark Atkins' (pun definitely intended) 11th turn as director for the studio - 11th - behind such classics as Halloween Night, Haunting of Winchester House, Princess of Mars, Battle of Los Angeles, Dragon Crusaders and Alien Origin. This guy is, as the kids say, the bee's knees.
The film is set to star Jane March, who earlier this year played the Wicked Queen in Grimm's Snow White, and Ben Cross, best known for playing Barnabus Collins in the 90's "Dark Shadows" relaunch, and Spock's dad in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie.
The film drops March 12, 2013, 10 days after Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant SLAYER hits theaters. And in case you're thinking "lawsuit," nope, there was another film called Jack the Giant Killer made back in 1962, and there are similarly-themed fairy tales in Cornish, Welsh, and Norse cultures, among others. Boo-ya!
But wait, there's more - 500 MPH Storm: "When an energy experiment goes haywire, a
rash of massive hurricanes rips across North America. A high school
science teacher must get his family to safety before the hurricanes
merge, creating a "hypercane" with the power to wipe the US off the map."
This one's from director Daniel Lusko and writer Hank Woon Jr., and stars...wait for it...CASPER VAN DIEN! That's right, Johnny Rico himself has FINALLY graced an Asylum flick! Also starring is Michael Beach, best known for "Third Watch." The film streets February 26th.
Also announced, a DVD date for Abducted (aka Layover), the studio's latest Lifetime Movie: January 8th. The film stars Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber, Picket Fences), Kaylee DeFer (Gossip Girl) and Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Meteor Apocalypse); it was written by the always-excellent Naomi Selfman (Mega Python vs Gatoroid, Grimm's Snow White) and directed by R.D. Braunstein.
Whew! Happy Early New Year, Asylum-style.
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.
This one coming from Moviehole, a nice little website that covers moive whatnots and et cetera. Just a quick interview here, but some interesting tidbits about SyFy, the directing Rays, Mandy Moore and other assorted goodies from the Asylum's scream queen. My only beef? The interviewer comparing her to Casper Van Dien. Ms. Lieving seems much more sane and less religously fundamental than that pretty-boy prince, nt to mention ginormously more talented. Did you see Starship Troopers 3: Marauders? Between the boobs and the prayers, I didn't know what to believe. But I digress. Check out the interview here, and show some love on the comment boards to let Ms. Lieving and the world know Asylum fans support their own!
