MovieChat Forums > Nazis at the Center of the Earth (2012) Discussion > Stop hating ASYLUM, they are serving a m...

Stop hating ASYLUM, they are serving a market need.

posted 12 years ago by Pseudoephedrine
13 replies | jump to latest

Please read the following before posting another "Screw Asylum" tirade.

Picture this: A mother with screaming kids, at a video rental store (still happens)
all copies of "Transformers" are rented out...but the kids still want to see "Robot movies"
and lo-behold: Mom grabs a copy of "Transmorphers" and thinks it's the same thing.

Picture this: You're on Netflix, and like most people: You've seen/watched all
the big hollywood blockbusters, yet it's a friday night and you just want to watch something
stupid/to fall asleep to. That's where "Nazis at the center of the earth" is your best best.

That's the goal of Asylum:

#1 - To cash in on the buzz of other movies, and to make sales on people 'mistaking' Asylum titles for other titles.

#2 - For people who are generally interested in some genre (like superhero movies now), Asylum can answer that with a slew of knockoffs.

At least Full Moon Video tried to make their own original franchises (Trancers/Puppetmaster/etc), but the fact is: What Asylum is doing is nothing new:

Smaller scale studios would oftentimes do it (Battle L.A./Skyline) and Roger Corman did it, and a whole host of others (Countless Bruce Lee knockoffs, Star Wars knockoffs, Terminator knockoffs, etc).

If you can't understand this (Asylum's marketing), and you keep trying to place it on the same level of other studios...then you really do belong in an asylum!

The only reason why Asylum makes these films is because there are people out
there who will (not necessarily want) to watch these films.

[–] Strazdamonas 12 years ago

@both of your examples. Pardon the Nazi in me for stupidity should not be rewarded.

---------------------------------------------
Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] mlknchz 12 years ago

There may be a NICHE, but there certainly isn't a NEED for this type of crap

[–] deheor 12 years ago

There may be a NICHE, but there certainly isn't a NEED for this type of crap

True enough but is there a need for any movie? They are made for entertainment, not for necessity. The asylum makes fun, stupid movies for people who don't take films too seriously. They are designed to be watched with a beer in your hand and a group of friends. You either dig this type of stuff or you don't.

"Now we are carrying so much hate and jade that we're not much better than you"

[–] sommert-507-32566 11 years ago

There's no NEED for movies altogether. Humanity got by for thousands of years without them and could do so again with no adverse affects.

As to Asylum movies, by most standards what they turn out is heralded as crappy by most, but the standards themselves are subjective, so it really comes down to personal taste. That's why there is no universally liked or despised movie. Just generalities. Generally, this movie is regarded as sucky but there are some people who like this sort of thing. Both viewpoints are equally valid.

Ultimately, every movie is just a movie.

[–] MalekTaus 11 years ago

But before movies there was storytelling, theaters and books, so there is a need

[–] ShadowAngelx 11 years ago

There may be a NICHE, but there certainly isn't a NEED for this type of crap

And who are you to judge, what's needed and what isn't? I mean, i dislike Tarantino and his crap movies, i dislike Michael Bay and his awful movies, yet i would never say "Nobody should watch this" or "There's no need for this" as certainly, both those "directors" have their fans.
Same with Asylum, there are people who enjoy *beep* movies and like Asylum.
I do, as they can be hilarious (Troll 2 for example or Turkish Star Wars) and while most Asylum movies (of those i've seen) are really bad and not enjoyable, some were funny in some way and if it's just to see some 'once famous' actors like Carl Weathers in "American Warships"

[–] danzeisen 12 years ago

Agreed, low budget films have a place. They cannot compete with big budget studios for production values, but they could at least try to come up with some clever scripts, well developed characters, good dialogue. These things don't cost much, and there is the potential for a huge payoff in actually having a decent movie in the end.

[–] sean-cowan1 11 years ago

Asylum makes *beep* b-movies, and sometimes I am in the mood for that, something so bad that its good sort of thing - good in that its hilarious to watch the badness. Some people just don't get the appeal of that type of a film and if they don't then they don't have to watch them.

You're a troll.

[–] Roddenhyzer 11 years ago

I don't think you're bringing up anything that isn't already common knowledge among those who dislike The Asylum anyway. In fact, I get the impression that this is precisely why many people dislike them in the first place. Not quite sure what your argument is supposed to be.

[–] libra113 11 years ago

I would agree with Pseudoephedrine's first scenario (the mother with the kids) expect every Asylum movie I have seen has so much sex, gore and tits that no mother in her right mind would let their little kids watch.

Now the second scenario has much, much more merit and if you go into it expecting crap and with no expiations then it just might be a good way to kill some time or have something going in the background or, like my friends and I, to mock for fun and laughs.

I'm a little bothered by the whole trickery aspect of it though but then I think if people who got tricked and took a few minutes to really look at the information and the title you wouldn't be fooled and I feel a little less worried about it. :)

[–] Pseudoephedrine 11 years ago

I would agree with Pseudoephedrine's first scenario (the mother with the kids) expect every Asylum movie I have seen has so much sex, gore and tits that no mother in her right mind would let their little kids watch.

Parental guide for Transmorphers says it's good for young teens:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0960835/parentalguide

I'm a little bothered by the whole trickery aspect of it though but then I think if people who got tricked and took a few minutes to really look at the information and the title you wouldn't be fooled and I feel a little less worried about it. :)

are you saying there should be WARNING labels on these vids?

[–] libra113 11 years ago

I didn't know that, most of their movies I've seen are pretty graphic which is fine by me just not for kids.

Naw, if you can't take the five minutes to realize that "Transmorphers" isn't "Transformers" that's their own fault. Of course I'm generally against warning labels in general as it helps weed out the stupid to leave them off. :)

[–] AceRoccola 11 years ago

It could be argued (and has been) that all manner of pathological elements, from disease to crime, are a functional part of life. Should we stop washing our hands, stop visiting doctors and stop taking medicine? Should we stop throwing murderers and rapists into jail? After all, they exist to serve a purpose. Just because we can observe a function, does not mean we can't react to a phenomenon.

Asylum makes crap movies. The fact that they are in the business of making those crap movies look like other movies so people will watch them accidentally or out of pure apathy/boredom does not make them immune to criticism. To be sure, any company that would employ Jake Busey must be criticized and shunned to the fullest extent which we can muster.

It's asinine to suggest they are impervious to any criticism just because you've concocted some hypothetical situations in which their shlock can be used for something. I could also use one of their dvds to prevent a wobbly end table from moving every time I place a drink on it. That doesn't mean I can't say the movie sucked. It's especially lame to suggest that these films are only being criticized because the audience is comparing them to triple A hollywood blockbusters. Many avid fans of b-movies have a distaste for Asylum films, myself included. It's not because we don't understand what constraints low budget movies are working with. It's because they aren't any good. Even by the standard of a B-movie, Asylum makes crap films. It's that simple.

And you're right, they aren't alone. Roger Corman made his name and his living largely from producing cheap ripoff films (e.g. Jaws comes out, Corman produces Piranha). But there are essential differences here. First, Corman occasionally gave us something worth watching. He was behind some real duds, but also some b-movie classics. And yet still, despite finding them rather entertaining, fans of b-movies don't pretend that every film with "produced by Roger Corman" in the credits is beyond reproach. Second, Corman actually had a penchant for enlisting directors who were passionate and talented, but were not being given an opportunity to work in film by anyone else. From Joe Dante to James Cameron to Martin Scorsese, Corman's production enterprise brought a lot of people into the business and gave them an opportunity to make movies. Whether you want to credit this to Corman, or just luck and the time period he was working in, Asylum can't claim the same. For these reasons, among others, Corman's legacy will always be greater.