GRIMM'S SNOW WHITE on DVD Today!!!

Mirror mirror, on the wall, what the most awesome film on DVD today of all? 

A cumbersome opening, to be sure, but the long and short of it is, today, The Asylum's latest production introduces itself to the world via DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD: Grimm's Snow White.

Simply scroll down a few inches to find my notes on the film, which overall I thoroughly enjoyed as an intelligent, thrilling, fantastical twist on the fairy tale. GSW stars the lovely and talented Eliza Bennett as the titular princess, Jane March as her wicked and vain stepmother, and Jamie Thomas King as the charming Prince. 

Written by Naomi Selfman (Mega Python vs Gatoroid, 18 Year Old Virgin) and directed by Rachel Goldenberg (Sherlock Holmes, Princess and the Pony) - two of the Asylum's best, in my humble opinion - this one's a guaranteed good time, but don't take my word for it, I'm biased as hell, go see for yourself then spread the word!

observation notes: GRIMM'S SNOW WHITE

For their next release - Grimm's Snow White, on DVD this coming Tuesday - The Asylum has gotten their fingers on the classic fairy tale and given it their own personal twist, which naturally includes murder, mayhem and tremendous monsters. Dig the plot: 

When the King is killed by ferocious reptile beasts, his Queen takes control of the kingdom. She tries to kill her beautiful stepdaughter SNOW, but she escapes into the enchanted forest...

In my continuing effort to not spoil films when I review them, I won't go much deeper into the plot except to say that this ain't your little sister's Snow White, not by a long shot.

The film is anchored with vibrant performances from its leads, including Eliza Bennett as the titular princess, who tackles the role as potent yet naive, as beautiful and elegant as a princess should be, but with the hidden soul of a warrior. Jane March as the Wicked Queen is delightfully deceitful and eloquently two-faced; this lady enters a room, it goes stone cold. And Jamie Thomas in the role of the Prince is indeed charming, but more than that he is steadfast and honest, a true prince among knaves, not blinded by his privileged existence but rather impassioned by it, and eager to serve the world. 


The script, from Asylum vet Naomi Selfman, retains all the classic elements of the original story, only now with utterly-Asylum updates, most notably the inclusion of said ferocious reptile beasts, and an interesting take on the dwarfs. The result is an epic yet intimate fairy tale on steroids, its more horrifying points amped to the Nth degree. This is Snow White like you never imagined it, the antithesis to the raven-haired, doe-eyed heroine of your childhood; this is dark, brutal, and awesome.

The direction from Rachel Goldenberg, another Asylum vet, is sweeping and elegiac, as Goldenberg makes wonderful use of the beauty and inherent spookiness of the British countryside, formulating the perfect fairy tale setting. Her work, teamed with that of the VFX department - who have hit it out of the park yet again, as far as I'm concerned - creates a film perhaps best described as a period-piece creature-feature, a Merchant-Ivory flick with work from Ray Harryhausen, or The Princess Bride as written by H.P. Lovecraft.

Overall then, if you're looking for a fantastical, frightening twist on a beloved childhood treasure, this is the version for you. Check it out for yourself this coming Tuesday, the 13th, when Grimm's Snow White hits DVD.

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.

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.

First Stills From Grimm's Snow White!!!

There's been an array of info pertaining to new projects coming out of The Asylum these last several days, and today proved no exception: behold the first production stills from next year's Grimm's Snow White.

This is easily The Asylum film that I'm most looking forward to in 2012 (besides one I wrote), based solely on the talent behind the camera: director Rachel Goldenberg (Sherlock Holmes, The Princess and the Pony) and writer Naomi Selfman (Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus, Mega Python vs Gatoroid) Both of these people are among the best The Asylum employs, and rank high on my personal list of greats: Ms. Selfman's scripts are smart, funny, thrilling and rife with memorable moments, and Ms. Goldenberg's direction - as proved in spades from these stellar stills - is taut, atmospheric, fantastical and utterly captivating. These two talents working together, then, my expectations go through the roof for this one, and this first look at the production only strengthens that conviction.

Grimm's Snow White stars Jane March, Jamie Thomas King and Eliza Bennett (above) as Snow. Grab it on DVD March 13, 2012.

First Details on Grimm's Snow White!!!

It was only yesterday that word broke The Asylum was going to be entering production on a new flick Grimm's Snow White, and now today, we have cast and crew info!

First things first, the premise:

When the King is killed by ferocious reptile beasts, his Queen takes control of the kingdom. She tries to kill her beautiful stepdaughter SNOW, but she escapes into the enchanted forest...


Honestly, they had me at "ferocious reptile beasts." Score.


Now for the cast: it's uncertain who's playing who, but The Asylum has enlisted Jane March - best known for 1992's The Lover and most recently of Clash of the Titans, in which she played Hestia - Eliza Bennett - of Inkheart, Nanny McPhee and most recently the SyFy original Roadkill - and Jamie Thomas King, of "The Tudors" and the upcoming John Le Carre adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Conventional wisdom would tell us that March will be the Wicked Stepmother, Bennett Snow and King some version of the Huntsman. But again folks, this is The Asylum: who knows what kind of fable-bending tricks they have up their sleeves?


What gets me most excited for this one, however, is who's behind the scenes. The script is from the uber-talented Naomi Selfman (#1 Cheerleader Camp, Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus, Mega Python vs Gatoroid) and will be directed by Rachel Goldenberg, another inmate with talent to spare (Sherlock Holmes, Princess and the Pony). Both of these women are among my favorite contributors to The Asylum; if I had Selfman's filmography I'd make it into a t-shirt and Goldenberg has perhaps the most innovative, interesting and unique eye of all Asylum directors. With these two working together, we are guaranteed an intelligent, mesmerizing, action-packed and gorgeous film. 


Prepare your loved one now, because this bad boy drops Valentine's Day (2/14) of next year.