Unique Mega Shark T-Shirt Opportunity

Marco Brunello, one of our fellow faithfully-committed and the biggest Asylum fan in Italy (if not mainland Europe), was inspired so much by the films of our favorite independent studio that he created a couple of minimalist poster designs for Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus and Almighty Thor.

The story goes that Asylum partner David Michael Latt was so taken by the design for MSvGO, that he asked Marco to make it into a t-shirt. So that's just what Marco did, and they're available to us, the general public, right here.

Marco runs an excellent Asylum fanblog called Going to the Asylum, and while Google Translator isn't the best, it's still a great read.

Support the Asylum's legion of worldwide fans and their dedicated creativity! Buy a t-shirt! Kudos to Marco on art well-made!

 

observation notes: Ballistica

Another week, another Asylum release; we should always be this lucky. This week it’s the action flick that’s been on The Asylum’s schedule since late last year, and now at last the release is upon us: ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ballistica.

So here’s the set-up: “Ballistica,”  it seems, is more than just a fancy title - it’s a hybrid form of martial arts combining weapons training and hand-to-hand combat; think tai-chi with guns. CIA Operative Damien (Paul Logan), is the world’s foremost practitioner of this new fighting style, making him our government’s best defense against terrorism all sizes. When that terrorism turns towards something called “genetic implosion” - it’s as bad as it sounds - they’re going to need all the defense they can get.

What follows is a film that’s part political-thriller, part action-spectacle, part martial-arts display, and even bit of good, old-fashioned hero-worship-turned-impromptu-romance.

Paul Logan as Damien brings the fierce, angrily-confident capability we expect of him, plus an extra, hearty dose of badass. Mega Piranha is probably the closest to an all-out action flick as I’ve seen him in, but this one is even more all-out, and this guy is a bona fide star. He’s got everything an action hero requires: grizzled good lucks, a gruff exterior over a genuinely righteous heart, a voice that could grate stone, amazing physicality and like, 0% body fat.

Martin Kove as Damien’s “handler,” I guess, plays it calmer than I’m used to seeing him, but no less intense, which is only a testament to the actor’s power no matter what the emotion. His embroidered vest, however, I could have done without.

Robert Davi as the liaison between the Ballistica program and governmental higher-ups is also more restrained than usual, a cool, calm and calculating administrator, quietly honorable. The scenes with these two together were like the B-movie equivalent of the diner scene in Heat, but, you know, an actual payoff.

Other cast standouts include C.B. Spencer as “Alexa,” the beautiful scientist who never realized the dangers of her research now aiding in its destruction, Andrew Divoff (”LOST”) as “Dragomir,” the evil Russian mastermind - a respected character actor with a long history of greatness, this guy’s an evil chameleon; you give him the villain, he’ll knock it out of the part. Here is no exception. Also notable, the lovely, formidable and probably quite dangerous stunt woman/actress Lauren Mary Kim as “Fang.” Think Nia Peeples meets Morena Baccarin with the disposition of Jason Statham.

I’m hard-pressed at the moment to think of another straight-up government-oriented action-thriller in The Asylum’s catalog (that isn’t tinged with sci-fi, horror or disaster elements) and I, for one, hope Ballistica isn’t the last. Direct-to-DVD action films are practically as common as direct-to-DVD horror films, and as such, are pretty hit-and-miss. But this was upscale in my book - smart, intense, action-packed - and there should be more like it. The FX were plausible, the action sequences well-choreographed, the story intriguing, all adding up to a slick spectacle that barely gives you time to blink, let alone breathe. 

 

The action movie has changed a lot over the last few decades, to the point that most all these days come heavily loaded with political rhetoric; we live in a “Bourne” world, just guns and bad guys alone aren’t going to cut it anymore, but too often these films come imbalanced one way or the other - either there’s too many explosions and no story, or it’s all story with only a few action sequences. Ballistica, for my money, does a nice job of striking this balance, filling the space between its action sequences with just enough explanatory exposition to satisfy our instinctual need for narrative continuity. Hats off to director Gary Jones and writers Tony Kandah and Sean Rourke for pulling it off. When you figure in great acting and taut action sequences, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll be a fan of Ballistica.

inmate profile: Gary Jones

With the DVD release of The Asylum's next film, Ballistica less than a week away, I don't have a lot of time to spotlight the film's creative forces, so I have to move fast. Up first, the film's director, Gary Jones.

Jones began his career in Hollywood in Special Effects, and on some pretty, pretty, pretty awesome films: Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness and a certain bayou-centric JCVD film by the name of Hard Target, among others.

From FX Jones segued into second unit directing on a variety of iconic titles including "Xena," Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys and Man With The Screaming Brain.

Along the way, Jones threw his hat into almost every moviemaking ring there is: make-up effects, digital effect, camera operating, title designer, writing, producing, a little acting and, of course, directing.

Jones made his directorial debut in 1995 with the sci-fi creature feature Mosquito, starring Gunnar Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ('74)),. What followed were a handful of episodes of "Xena" and "Hercules" then a barrage of awesome B-movie gems: Spiders with a story by Asylum-esque producer extraordinaire Boaz Davidson, Crocodile 2: Death Swamp with Ballistica's Martin Kove, The Asylum's own Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter's Cove, Planet Raptor with Steven Bauer, Vanessa Angel and Ted Raimi, Ghouls, Boogeyman 3 and now Ballistica, out on DVD Tuesday, May 17th.

EXCLUSIVE Photos from the set of A Haunting in Salem!!!

This is not an exclusive picture; this is stock footage.

Courtesy of the very kind and amiable Kala Guess, Distribution Coordinator of The Asylum, I have for you this evening some EXCLUSIVE, behind-the-scenes photos from the set of A Haunting in Salem, the latest Asylum horror film, shooting now in sunny Southern California. Ms. Guess took these photos herself this last weekend.

Before the photos - just a reminder A Haunting in Salem stars Bill Oberst Jr, Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone, Nicholas Harsin, Carey Van Dyke and Gerald Webb, and is directed by Shane Van Dyke (Titanic II, 6 Guns) from a script I wrote.

First up, we have actress Courtney Abbiati (right), who plays "Carrie" in the film, looking a lot like another cinematic Carrie, being covered in stage blood by Key Makeup Artist Valerie K. Garcia, (left) who also worked as a makeup artist on Shane Van Dyke's last film, Titanic II, as well as 2012 Supernova. She also has a pretty awesome acting resume, character-wise, including playing a "Slave Girl" in Mark Atkins' Princess of Mars, a "Goth Dancer" in Twilight Vamps (non-Asylum) and the guitarist in Mickey Dolenz's Mega Python vs Gatoroid band. All of those sound pretty rad. And as if this wasn't enough, she's also been a costume designer, a unit production manager, a line producer on Almighty Thor and the second second assistant director of 6 Guns. Jeez. By the time you finish reading this sentence, Valerie K. Garcia's probably done, like, a dozen productive things.

A close-up of Ms. Garcia's work on a very focused and frightening Ms. Abbitati, who I think resembles a more-badass Minnie Driver, with a little Famke Janssen around the eyes.

And yet another actor covered in stage blood - I wrote in a lot of blood, if you couldn't tell by now - this time Jenna Stone, who plays "Ali," the family's teenage daughter. We've already seen one picture of Miss Stone in even more stage blood,so I bet by comparison this wasn't so bad.

 
And finally there's this one, which is my absolute favorite, an nice in-production shot featuring, if I'm right, director Shane Van Dyke on the far right, facing the camera, actress Courtney Abbiati under the light and to the left of her, first assistant director Christopher Ray, who the night before celebrated the SyFy premiere of his directorial effort Almighty Thor, which was rad (on DVD today; get it!!!). I don't know who the gentleman to Ray's left is, but I like his beard. Kudos, sir!

And there you have it, a few snippets behind the scenes of an Asylum production, the thrilling and chilling (I'm working on my William Castle) A Haunting in Salem, set to premiere on DVD August 23rd of this year, only three months and thirteen days from now. And oh yeah - in 3D!!!

Almighty Thor Now on DVD!!!

It has arrived, my fellow faithfully-committed, the day that was foretold to us neigh these six months past, the day that the son of Odin walks on Earth to help save humankind from the treacherous, mischievous, maniacal plans of his brother Loki.

In other words, Almighty Thor, The Asylum's latest release, the one that premiered on SyFy this last Saturday night to hopefully awesome, record-breaking numbers, is now available to rent or own at hundreds of thousands of retailers countrywide.

As you may or may not know, I've already seen this one - did the old live-blog event on Saturday night - and I gotta tell you, the last few films from The Asylum - specifically Mega Python vs Gatoroid, Battle of Los Angeles, 200mph and now this - have really seemed to be raising the bar in terms of not only writing and visual effects, but also in regards to acting and overall presentation. This is a slick film here, adventurous and exciting, well-played on all fronts and tied together by the contagious dynamism of the film's lead, never-unknown-again Cody Deal. Richard Grieco is also smoldering, and Patricia Velasquez displays some real chops.

Another smash hit for director Christopher Ray (Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus) as well as writer Eric Forsberg (Mega Piranha), the latter of whom scored his second SyFy hit in as many years. Color me neon green with envy. 

So check it out, love it, tell your friends, make sure they check it out, mention the uzi if you have to, just make sure everyone on every friend list you have knows this one's out and ready to enjoy. Then, enjoy!

First Few Details on Dragon Crusaders!

This image has nothing to do w/ the movie, but it's what you get when you Google "man-dragon"

So over at The Asylum site today, they've just put up the page for the upcoming action epic Dragon Crusaders. And though only a few details have been released, they're good ones. 

Firstly, and best-ly, this film is, as I hoped it would be, written, directed and photographed by the great Mark Atkins (Battle of Los Angeles, Haunting of Winchester House and two previous Asylum dragon flicks, Merlin and the War of the Dragons and Dragonquest.). This has to have been the film he referenced working on in his EXCLUSIVE COMMITTED INTERVIEW back in February. Atkins has proven himself time and again a great director and writer, and as this seems to be a genre of particular fancy for him, expect awesome things. 

And then there's the synopsis: "A group of fugitive Knights Templar attacks a pirate ship and they are cursed to turn into hideous monsters. To fight the curse and ultimately save they world, they must defeat the wizard-dragon who is determined to destroy it."

Knights Templar? Fugitive Knights Templar? That are turned into monsters? That have to then defeat another man-monster, this one a wizard? Awesome, awesome, awesome and awesome. I'm already salivating over the visual effects.


Summer just got a little longer, because this one doesn't street until September 27 of this year.

creature feature: The Pony from Princess and the Pony

Not so much a "creature" in The Asylum's sense, as it is an "animal," the pony featured in our favorite studio's first full-out family flick is still one of god's "creatures," so thus he/she has earned a spot here.

And I'll be honest with you, there's not a lot of info on this particular horse out there, other than his/her name - her, I'm hoping - which is Twinkle. Nice name for a horse. 

That's really all there is on Twinkle. And believe me, I looked. But the sheer madness that comes from poring through Google returns on the phrases "princess and pony horse," "twinkle princess and pony," and perhaps most disturbingly, "twinkle pony asylum," is enough to make you puke cotton candy.

However, being the resourceful blogger I am, I guessed at the type of horse Little Miss Twinkle is, and found info on that. Ha!

So then, if my image-comparison skills are adequate, Twinkle is some sort of Arabian Horse, which Wikipedia is quick to note are distinguishable by their distinctive head shape and "high tail carriage." Awesome. Furthermore, Arabians are like the Adam & Eve of horses, one of the oldest breeds still in existence, dating back some 4,500 years (holy cow!) and an element in the bloodlines of every major racing breed in the world (insert your own horse/Da Vinci Code joke here; i couldn't think of one).

And here's an interesting tidbit: seems the height distinction between a pony and a horse (not an age distinction, as I naively assumed) as laid out by the United States Equestrian Foundation states that a "pony" is any equine that stands 58 inches (or 14.2 "hands" in the lingo) or less; a "horse" is any equine that stands above 58 inches (still 14.2 "hands"). Arabians, like Twinkle I think, range between 57 and 61 inches, meaning that while technically she'll classified as a horse, Twinkle could stay a real pony for all her life.

Little girls, rejoice!

(Worth mentioning that "all her life" is, on average, 25-30 years. Seemed a macabre statistic to throw in at the end of that last paragraph.)

And so there you have it, an in-depth look at, if not Twinkle specifically, then the type of breed Twinkle may been, in this Creature Feature that's really just about an animal. 

Some days around here you gotta stretch a little farther.

Early Press on A Haunting in Salem

Three articles went up today for The Asylum's next horror film, the Shane Van Dyke-directed and me-scripted A Haunting in Salem, starring Bill Oberst Jr, Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone, Nicholas Harsin, Carey Van Dyke and Gerald Webb. Read and spread the good word!

28 Days Later

More Horror

McBastard's Mausoleum

Live Blog Fest: ALMIGHTY THOR SyFy PREMIERE!!!

 

Greetings and welcome one and all to yet another COMMITTED live blog fest, our third so far, and perhaps the biggest yet, celebrating what could well turn out to be the biggest night for The Asylum on SyFy to date. I'm talking of course - in case you live in a hole or came across this site looking for naked pictures of Debbie Gibson (sorry) - about the World (West Coast) Premiere of Almighty Thor, now a mere 15 minutes away, and a film with a real shot at becoming the highest-rated SyFy Saturday Original Movie ever. Only a trifling 3 million + viewers block Thor from destiny.

The film stars newcomer (and incredible self-publicist, the true champion of this film) Cody Deal as the titular God of Thunder, Richard "21 Jump Street" Grieco as Thor's brother, the mischievous and malevolent Loki, Kevin "Diesel" Nash as their father Odin, and Patricia "skimpy costume from the first Mummy movie" Velasquez as, well, I'm not sure yet, but chances are, a hot chick. 

But the talent in this one isn't just on-screen, it's also behind the scenes, as well: the film is directed by Christopher Ray, who recently helmed The Asylum's Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus and is currently serving as First Assistant Director on a certain 3D Asylum horror film in production as we speak (ahem...A Haunting in Salem, script by me; just had to get that in). Ray directed from a script by Eric Forsberg, the genius writer/director behind last year's pop-culture phenom and instant cult classic Mega Piranha. Furthermore, the score comes from Chris Ridenhour - resident Asylum Beethoven - and the cinematography is courtesy of Alex Yellin, another guy currently working on A Haunting in Salem.

But not only do we have the movie starting up in less than a quarter hour, we also got dinner, drinks, desert - themed, no less - witty commentary, embarrassing photos (like the one to the right of me all decked out in my in my Almighty accessories; thanks, Wal Mart), and all-around Asylum-geekery until 11 pm, when I've promised my wife I'll stop.

Until then, we're going full-throttle here at COMMITTED, so feel free to comment like crazy below as I update this same post minute-by-minute throughout the whole film. Simply refresh your browser for the latest drivel. That said, crack open a cold one, get comfortable and stay tuned for the start of festivities, only minutes away...


Oh yeah, and tell everyone you know on the West Coast to turn on their TVs to SyFy, right now.

First up, Richard GREEK-O pita-stuffed lamburgers, seasoned with salt and pepper, stuffed in a pita and adorned with goat cheese and red pepper spread, and a side of Kevin "Nashed" potatoes with feta cheese,


These were delicious, as delicious, say, as Thor's coming of age in a militaristic Asgardian family.

Less than three minutes to go, so it's time to pour the golden chalice. See, I thought a lot about the kind of cocktail to make for this event, but when it came down to it, Norse warriors drink ale, and so then, shall I, specifically the gods' own nectar, the champagne of beer, Miller High Life.

So then dinner...check. Drinks...check. Dessert...formulating...t -minus a few minutes so buckle in, my fellow, faithfully-committed, the show's about to start...


9:00 PM - this is where the party starts...

9:02 PM - beautiful FX right off the bat... 

9:03 PM - Richard Grieco rising... 

9:04 PM - already RG is a evil genius,,,here comes Kevin Nash and...CODY DEAL! Clean-shaven Thor works for me, adds an element of inexperience that makes the character more endearing, I think... 

9:06 PM - first creature sighting... Forsberg kicks ass as a screenwriter!

9:09 PM - Grieco's nonchalance, almost apathy, is strangely fitting for the role... 

9: 13 PM - awesome creature FX, and that cody can really swing a sword...kevin nash as odin brings a sort of stern authoritarianism to the role, a physical intimidation that i thin is quite necessary when dealing with a god of gods...ooh...odin/loki swordfight...

9: 17 PM loki is as bad as hamlet's dad... 

9:18 PM -  first commercial break, and so far, so excellent...Forsberg's take on the myth is very human and easily related to, Nash was exquisite as Odin and Grieco as Loki is a new breed of menacing. Deal as Thor brings a much-appreciated youth to the role, and displays an interesting take on a god as a fledgling, that is, an immortal, all-powerful being vulnerable enough to need breathing room. can't wait to see what happens next, now that shit's popping off...

9:24 PM - Purpose becomes clear...I've never seen a more emotional Kevin Nash performance...kudos, Diesel... 

9:26 PM - entre vous ... the lovely Patricia Velasquez...to Thor's aid...

9:30 PM 1/4th of the way through, and already this is more entertaining than I suspect Marvel's Thor is. There's a humanity to the characters here, a relatability that most polytheistic epics lack. deal as thor is fresh, naive and eager to prove himself, and grieco is a badass villain, so casual with his maliciousness, so comfortable in his evil...can't wait for the rest! 

9:35 PM - lots of slo-mo action sequences in this...verdict still out on this, though it does draw attention to some spectacular action choreography 

9:40 PM - and thus begins the training regiment...Patricia Velasquez is not nearly the eye candy i thought she'd be, and i mean that as a compliment, because whereas she is still very much a beautiful woman, her role here isn't dependent on her beauty, it is dependent on her emotional strength, which she has by the bucket. 

9:43 PM - onward to Earth...now shit gets really good... 

9:45 PM -  interesting use of color here by director Christopher Ray - sepia for Asgard, blue for Earth - makes for a distinctive division of acts and an adjustment we make along with the characters...nice...

9:52 PM -  just a note to say i really like the approach Forsberg took with this script. instead of tying in too heavily to the mythology, he gave us just enough, what we needed to know, then took the story and made it his own, a fish-out-of-water story, that fish just having, you know, god like strength and invulnerability. but overall, i think it makes the story more human.

plus the art direction and cinematography in LA are awesome so far, very gritty and un-mythic, giving even more humanity to the script. 

9:54 PM - it's like - and i swear i mean this in a good way - Wings of Desire meets Hercules in New York, a mythic foundation in an urban landscape, classical meets contemporary in a brutal clash of philosophies, the result of which is a sense of timeless struggle costumes and weaponry can't define, for it is immortal. 


or, you know, people beating each other up and blowing shit up.

9:58 PM - halfway through...thor going out on his own...thoughts from the audience? blow up that comments board! 

10:04 PM - holy shit! the sword play in this is excellent! i mean EXCELLENT! note to self: dont mess with cody deal...

and the rain...beautiful work by alex yellin...

10:07 PM -  thor as vulnerable...cody deal's performance is winning me over minute by minute. i like my gods human...

10:08 PM - is it just me, or when grieco is walking down the LA sidewalk, is that an andy dick impression? ;)

10:12 PM - dessert! and work with me on this one, but we're having: Chocolate Cody'd Deal-icious Ice Cream Cookie Sundaes! How desperate am I for tie-in food?


45 minutes to go!








10:19 PM - again, the use of color, the use of smoke, of sweeping cameras - the cinematography on this one is off the charts...it's a gorgeous movie...and now more swordplay!!!


10:21 PM -  graffiti and norse gods - what a combo!


10:22 PM - btw - chris ridenhour - if you read this, i want an mp3 copy of this score to write to...so subtly epic, so sweeping and expansive...i WANT it...


10:30 PM - Thor commercial during Almighty Thor presentation...synergy...


10:33 PM -  unleash the creatures on LA...do it!


10:35 PM -  again, pleasantly surprised at the amount of screen time Patricia Velasquez is getting. until tonight, i only thought of her as a pretty face. she's got a juliette binoche quality to her, i see now, and is quite a deft actress. biggest and most pleasant surprise of the night..

10:36 PM - UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


10:38 PM -  yo - that uzi scene is even more awesome than the trailer lead us to believe...


10:40 PM - so with less than 20 minutes to go, im'ma cut on the scene by scene stuff, to spare spoilers, but give me a few minutes to collect my final impressions (and watch the creature MADNESS) and i'll get right back  to you...


11:00 PM - so, still marinating on this one - my final thoughts will accompany the DVD release post on Tuesday - but for now, swimming in the moment, I have to say that overall I was impressed. The performances by all leads took this one out of the typical context, made it more human, though haughtier, almost like a shakesperean gangster flick. Grieco brought a decadent nonchalance to Loki, Cody Deal an intense vulnerability to Thor - I want to say how thrilled I was to be as taken by his performance as I hoped I would; this guy's got some big things in his future - and Patricia Velasquez an unforeseen and, quite frankly, unsuspected depth. 

Kudos as well to director Christopher Ray and cinematographer Alex Yellin for a beautiful, elegiac, sweeping visual feast, and screenwriter Eric Forsberg for another SyFy classic - action-packed, emotional and epic; in all honesty, if I could write like that guy, I'd never leave the house. Hats off to the visual FX team for baller creature and lava work. And what else is there to say? Almighty Thor met all my expectations as a fast-paced, action-centric thrill-ride. Here's hoping it met yours, and here's hoping when the ratings come out next week, we'll have ourselves a new SyFy Original Movie champion on our hands. 


Thanks for dropping by/tuning in/logging on/whatever the kids are calling it these days. As usual, I had an awesome time. Buy/rent/queue the DVD for Tuesday!

Holy Crap!!! A Haunting in Salem Gets a Poster and First Stills!

Man oh man oh man oh man...here I am so in the midst of preparing for tonight's Almighty Thor blog that I almost missed this...The Asylum has put up the first stills and the poster for A Haunting in Salem 3D!!!

The poster is above and the stills can be seen here, and from the looks of everything, director Shane Van Dyke and principle cast members Bill Oberst Jr, Nicholas Harsin, jenna Stone and Courtney Abbiati are doing an awesome job! The image on the poster I want tattooed, full-color on my back, and the stills from this scare the shit out of me, and I wrote the script!

A Haunting in Salem drops on DVD August 23rd, aka the Best Day Ever.

Other Places I Can Be Found (online, that is)

If there ever comes a time when you're reading COMMITTED and you find yourself saying, "Man, I just can't get enough of this guy's snarky, pseudo-journalistic ramblings, I wish there was more," then brother, have I got good news for you.

I can also be found - spouting more Asylum propaganda, shamelessly self-promoting my other writing, commenting on films outside these familiar walls, and generally drunk-posting - on the titan of social media they call Twitter.

That's right, two paragraphs just to tell you (again, actually) that I have a Twitter account. You know you want more.

REMINDER: Live Blog Event During Almighty Thor

Just a reminder post here that this Saturday, May 7th, at 9pm PST I'll be sitting down - hopefully with millions of others of you, to watch the SyFy premiere of the latest Asylum masterpiece, Almighty Thor.

For those of you unfamiliar with my live blog events - which I've done in the past for the SyFy premieres of Mega Python vs Gatoroid and Battle of Los Angeles - mostly they involve me commenting live here as I watch the film, as well as sharing some embarrassing photos of myself and my lucky wife enjoying the festivities with food, cocktails and some sort of grossly exaggerated desert.

On the menu for this event? Richard Greek-o Goat Cheese Lamburgers, w/ Kevin Nash-ed Potatoes, and for desert? Chocolate Cody'd Deal-icious Ice Cream Sundaes.


I shit you not, true-believers, Im'ma eat this stuff.


But I'm not the only online event going down during the premiere; I'm not even the most legit: Cody Deal, Almighty Thor himself, will be live Tweeting during the film's East Coast showing (that's 6-8 our time, Westies). This guy's been doing an amazing job getting the word out there, drawing some unprecedented publicity for the film. We Asylum fanatics have a very real chance of trumping Lake Placid 3' reigning ratings-record for SyFy Saturday Originals (3 million viewers).


So while you're spreading the word and getting everyone you know to watch, used these links for supplemental materials:


from Media Blvd.


from LIVE with USC's CU@USC: Part 1  Part 2


from Adrenaline Radio 1680 AM on the Acting Up Show with Steve & Skyler

from me

Another Salemite Revealed

Courtesy of A Haunting in Salem's IMDB page, another cast member of the upcoming Asylum ghost story has been revealed. The film already stars Bill Oberst Jr, Nicholas Harsin, Courtney Abbiati, Gerald Webb and Jenna Stone, and now, at last, the identity of the last major character, "Mike," deputy to Mr. Oberst's sheriff, is out in the open: none other than Carey Van Dyke.

Carey is the older brother of Salem director Shane Van Dyke, son of Barry (6 Guns), and is best known - to me, at least - for his awesome work in Mega Python vs Gatoroid as Tiffany's intended, Justin. Dude had a great (SPOILER) death scene in that one. He also appeared in notable roles in both films Shane directed last year for the Asylum - Titanic II and 6 Guns.


Having a little insight to the character - as, if you didn't already know from my incessant mentioning of it, I wrote this script - I think CVD is an excellent choice for the character I consider the most likable of the film. Another score for the Asylum casting department.


A Haunting in Salem is filming now in Pasadena, CA for an August 23, 2011 release. Rest assured I'll remind you. Constantly.

inmate profile: Kevin Nash

This week the Committed spotlight is shining on the cast and crew of the next Asylum release, Almighty Thor, which debuts this Saturday night on SyFy at 9pm. Next on stage is wrestler-turned actor Kevin Nash, best known to wrestling fans as Diesel.

Nash started transitioning into acting in 1997, but it wasn't until 2004 that his career really began to take off, initiated by a sizable role in The Punisher (the Thomas Jane/John Travolta version). From there Nash went on to other roles of note in The Longest Yard alongside Chris Rock and Adam Sandler, Grandma's Boy from Sandler's Happy Madison production company, and the video game adaptation D.O.A., as well as keeping up his activities in the ring.

Nash's latest role, as you might have guessed, is in The Asylum's Almighty Thor, in which he plays Odin, Thor's father and king of the Norse gods. And judging from the photo on the right, dude might just be the most aptly cast Odin going (sorry, Sir Anthony, but, c'mon...).

Nash brings a certain...formidability to the role, as, you know, he could literally kick the ass of everyone on set. Not individually mind you, but "everyone," as in all at once. Should be interesting to see him pull it off. 

Tune in this Saturday night, May 7th, at 9pm on SyFy to see. And if you're on the West Coast, drop by here for my live blog event during the premiere. There's gonna be booze!

Barely Legal Gets a Poster!

After Almighty Thor, then Ballistica, then 2012: Ice Age, The Asylum's next film will be the super sexy comedy Barely Legal, starring relative newcomers Jeneta St. Clair, Melissa Johnson and Lisa Younger, and directed by Jose Montesinos from a script by Naomi Selfman (#1 Cheerleader Camp, 18 Year-Old Virgin).

The film concerns three lifelong female BFFs (played by the above-mentioned triumvirate of hotties) who attempt to do the impossible: lose their virginity.

Anywho, this certain laugh-riot finally got its poster, and here it is:

 

Love that tag line. If you can't read it, it says: "Presents Aren't The Only Thing They're Unwrapping." I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I think the other thing these scantily-clad women are meant to be unwrapping are prophylactics. If so, kudos: there's nothing sexier than being safe.

Find out if these three social misfits can pop their collective cherry this summer, July 26th, to be precise, when Barely Legal delights your DVD player.

Check Out My 2 New Favorite IMDB Pages

This is a just a personal thrill for me, but as it's my blog, my personal thrills are allowed to constitute posts. check out these two links:

this one

then this one

Huzzah! Now that you've seen them, tell everyone you know and give them mad hits!

outside the walls: May 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.

MAY 3

Bound by Blood: Wendigo

Ninjas vs. Vampires

Sinister










MAY 10

Almighty Thor

Cody Deal
Richard Grieco
Kevin Nash

written by Eric Forsberg
directed by Christopher Ray

Black Death

Cougars, Inc.

Dahmer vs. Gacy

The Hit List

I Saw the Devil

The Violent Kind










MAY 17

Ballistica

Paul Logan
Martin Kove
Robert Davi

The Blood Shed

The Mechanic

The Rite

Takedown

Vanishing on 7th Street










MAY 24

The Big Bang

Death Hunter: Werewolves vs Vampires

inmate profile: Richard Grieco

In continuing the spotlighting of the cast and crew of The Asylum's next release, Almighty Thor, debuting this Saturday night, May 7th, at 9pm everywhere on SyFy, I thought we'd delve a little into the career of the film's biggest name, the nuanced and charmingly pensive Richard Grieco.

Grieco burst onto the entertainment scene in 1986 with his role as Rick Gardner on ABC's long-running (and recently-canceled) "One Life to Live." As soon as female fans laid their eyes on him, his star went supernova. A year later he was cast in Fox's super-cool and now iconic (plus being remade as a feature film) "21 Jump Street," alongside fellow-heartthrob Johnny Depp. But Grieco's star was too big to shine in another's galaxy, so Fox wisely - and quickly - gave him his very own spinoff, Booker. 

From there Grieco took his craft to the cinema, making his silver screen debut in the spy-gadget-action-comedy If Looks Could Kill, incidentally one of my favorite films as a young teenager as well as my introduction to all that is fine and wonderful about Gabrielle Anwar; but I digress.

Since then, Grieco has continued to work steadily in film, including titles like Mobsters, The Demolitionist, A Night at the Roxbury, Webs, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and now, Almighty Thor, in which he plays Thor's older, more mischievous and malevolent brother, Loki. 

From what I've been able to discern from stills and the trailer, Grieco looks to be approaching the role with more menace than this trickster god has been typically presented, but when Thor's packing an uzi,you gotta bring a little something extra to the table.

Find out just how awesome Grieco is as Loki this Saturday night, 9pm, on the one and only SyFy. There's a great chance this could be the film to trump that fiend Sharktopus and nab the all-time SyFy Original Movie ratings champion title, but only if you and all your friends tune in. Tweet away!

This is the House Haunted in Salem

Courtesy of a twitpic by actor Nicholas Harsin, I give you the house that is haunted in "Salem," aka Pasadena, California:

Beautiful property, and creepy, to say the least. Whoever scouts locations for The Asylum, my cap's off to you.

Also courtesy of Twitter, this time from actress Jenna Stone, "Ali," in the movie, this hint at a pivotal scene:

Jenna Stone: Best. Sport. Ever. I won't give anything away about the scene this is for, but I knew when I wrote it someone would have to pull it off, and by all accounts, Miss Stone pulled it off with aplomb.

A Haunting in Salem wraps production in a couple weeks for an August 23rd DVD release. The great and powerful Shane Van Dyke directs. And oh yeah...it's in 3D.

A Haunting In Salem (3D) Enters Production

Yesterday in lovely and creepy Pasadena, California, The Asylum entered production on their latest film, A Haunting in Salem, a ghost story set in the titular Massachusetts town renowned for its witchy ways.

Salem stars Bill Oberst Jr. (Princess and the Pony) as a new Salem sheriff who inherits a very old curse. Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone and Nicholas Hardsin play his beleaguered family, and Gerald Webb (Titanic II, Battle of Los Angeles) also appears as Mayor Collins.

The film is being directed (in 3D) by Shane Van Dyke (Titanic II, 6 Guns) from a script written by H. Perry Horton, your truly.

Salem is scheduled for a two week shoot, meaning hopefully we'll get stills from the set by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The DVD comes out August 23rd.


Anything else I could tell you about this one? Besides tell everyone you know to watch it? Twice? Oh yeah:

It's in 3D.