“THE HOBBIT'S” RICHARD ARMITAGE: OUT OF THE SHADOWS, “INTO THE STORM”

Richard Armitage stands at the eye of the storm in New Line Cinema's tornado-disaster thriller, “Into the Storm.” The British actor who gained international attention as “The Hobbit Trilogy”’s Dwarven warrior Thorin Oakenshield, literally flew to Michigan directly from the Trilogy’s set in Wellington, New Zealand to shoot the twister film. “Yes, I came straight from The Hobbit movies to do this—the flight was my break,” Armitage laughs.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

 

“It’s difficult to prepare for a film like this,” Armitage says. “Even after studying the script and doing your work, you walk on set and run into an unpredictable set of circumstances. The tornadoes in this film are extreme and the way they are creating the effects is extreme too. Just trying to stay on your feet and keep your eyes open isn’t easy. But I like that! I like walking into a scene thinking it’s going to be one thing and then seeing how it gets turned on its head. It becomes a bit of an endurance test, which is great.”

Armitage stars as Gary Morris, a vice principal and father of two teenage boys, who over the course of the story’s roughly eight-hour span has to fight to get his high school graduating class to safety and also find his son, who is trapped in the storm. “He’s an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances,” the actor describes, “someone who isn’t really a hero, but who has to step into the boots of a hero in the moment. I like to think that Gary is behaving in a way that he is not necessarily conscious of. It will probably take him some time to realize how close to death he has come.”

When asked if he thinks he’d react that way in the same situation, his answer is thoughtful. “I hope I would, but the truth is that you never know. Most guys think they would, but it’s a different thing to actually be in that situation. Would you run in or run away?” 

 

On the morning of what would become the most terrifying day of their lives, many of the younger citizens of Silverton were anticipating one of the best: their high school graduation. A seminal moment in everyone’s life, it’s generally marked by memories one hopes will last a lifetime. Such recollections are usually expected to be good ones, but that’s not what the kids, teachers and parents of Silverton will have.

 

As vice principal of Silverton High School, Gary is largely responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly at the ceremony. However, even before he leaves his house that morning, the weather report gives him pause.

Armitage notes, “On any given day, Gary has a lot on his plate. He’s a vice principal, an upstanding member of the community, prominent in the school and somebody that the kids look to for support, someone they rely on. And he’s the father of two teenage boys, Donnie and Trey, whose mother died, so he has to be both mom and dad to them.”

“Richard is a very charismatic actor,” director Steven Quale states. “He has a quiet but commanding presence, and he brought a lot of inner strength to the character who, because he’s not the top dog at work, has had to learn to be very diplomatic. He’s a caring father, too, and he’s trying to apply that diplomacy to his home situation. Of course it doesn’t necessarily always work as well with your own kids.”

Armitage, who originated the part of Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” most recently reprised his role in the second part of the Trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” and will appear in the final film, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” due out in December. 

His first film in the U.S. was the 2011 hit “Captain America: The First Avenger,” directed by Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans in the title role. Armitage played the super hero’s nemesis, Heinz Kruger, in the film.

 Into the Storm” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“THE WALKING DEAD'S” SARAH WAYNE CALLIES HEADS “INTO THE STORM”

Sarah Wayne Callies, who was last seen fleeing zombies in TV’s “The Walking Dead,” faces a different kind of menace in New Line Cinema's tornado-disaster thriller “Into the Storm.”

 

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Callies plays professor of climatology and meteorology Allison Stone, who is with the storm chasers as a scientist, not a thrill-seeker. “This is Allison’s first season studying what these guys chase year after year,” Callies explains. “So, she is on the fence as to whether or not they are doing something legit or are just mavericks. She also has a young daughter back home. This is the first time Allison has been away from her, and there’s a real risk that she won’t be coming back.”

Having grown up the with two college professors for parents, Callies is a born researcher and consumed as much information as she could about the field, including conversations with a meteorology professor at the nearby University of Michigan. But nothing could prepare her for experiencing what director Steven Quale had in store for the actors on set. “The first time they turned the wind machine on me, it blew me 20 feet off my mark. But that was part of the draw for me. I get to fly around and do wire work—it’s pure adrenaline, and really fun. How many times in your life do you get to work in a playground like this?”

Callies was also drawn in by the human story in the midst of this big tornado movie. “The tornado is the catalyst, but what happens to these characters is very simple and very moving. It’s about how people who are strangers can become almost family over the course of a single day, when that day threatens all their lives. I think Allison starts this journey very invested in science and ends up more invested in people, so for her, the big question becomes if she should stay with the storm chasers or help Richard Armitage's character, Gary, find his son.”

From New Line Cinema, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, comes the tornado disaster film “Into the Storm.” Steven Quale (“Final Destination 5”) directs the film, which is produced by Todd Garner (“Knight and Day”).

In the span of a single day, the small American town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot. 

Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, “Into the Storm” throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme.

Into the Storm” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

REALISTIC FX BRINGS VIEWERS INSIDE TORNADOES IN “INTO THE STORM”

Towering over and around the human characters of New Line Cinema's tornado disaster film “Into the Storm” is its intimidating main character—the storm itself. “I think it’ll be exciting for the audience to go inside this massive tornado with its horrific power of destruction and, at the same time, see its beauty,” director Steven Quale says. “With advances in sound and visual effects, it’s now possible to do that in an incredibly visceral and realistic way.” 

 

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Quale’s a firm believer in the notion that “sound is 50% of the moviegoing experience” and enlisted Oscar®-winning sound editor Per Hallberg (“Skyfall”) to give the storms their concussive power. The visuals were hatched on hundreds of computers spread across among leading visual effects houses, all working from high def video references and a detailed previsualization (“previs”) Quale put together with VFX producer Randall Starr. 

Effects have come a long way since the 1996 tornado thriller “Twister,” and Quale has been on the frontlines of their evolution, so he knew going in that the realism and detail he wanted for this film was achievable. “In our film, you’ll see four different, unique tornadoes, and the tension escalates until you see this giant, two-mile-wide tornado coming straight at you like some massive, unstoppable beast,” Quale describes. “These are probably some of the most difficult visual effects to accomplish because this is not a science fiction movie where you can create your own universe to have a unique particle effect and special rays that cause destruction. Everybody knows what clouds and trees blowing in the wind look like. So we had to create these tornadoes and these digital cloud formations with total realism on every level, but also make sure that everything we shot in live action would match those dark, stormy skies exactly.

Hence the darkened silk screens, wind machines and rain towers that have been a constant on set. “You just have to keep track of what the storm is doing at that moment in the film,” Quale adds, “and constantly remind everybody that there is a big tornado in the background.”

Green screens are no problem for “The Hobbit” movie veteran Richard Armitage who plays the lead role. “Oh, I’m very used to that,” he laughs. “And Steven has a very strong image of what kind of a monster this storm will be and how the characters are scaled against it.”

 

Even though the storm is the film’s main event, Quale sees the characters as its heart. “We can use sound and visual effects to put you inside the storm, but what really brings you into the experience is the characters themselves,” he reflects. “We’re taking this journey with them, and experiencing this terrifying event through their eyes. So for us, true realism comes down to the performances, and Richard, Sarah Wayne Callies and all the actors are bringing so much real emotion to the film, which will make the experience of this giant, terrifying storm all the more visceral and real.” 

From New Line Cinema, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, comes the tornado disaster film “Into the Storm.” Steven Quale (“Final Destination 5”) directs the film, which is produced by Todd Garner (“Knight and Day”).

In the span of a single day, the small American town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, “Into the Storm” throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme.

“Into the Storm” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Into The Storm movie review

It was not long ago when this movie was first got my attention via trailers online and at the cinema. Just coincidentally that last year, we were affected by the devatation of Typhoon Hainan(locally known as Yolanda). So here's what I have to say about the movie.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The story set in U.S. and the Americans is no stranger to hurricanes and tornadoes. The Philippines have shares of devastation which is still fresh in the minds those who are affected in the Visayan region. I see no reason why Filipinos should see this movie because we were not prepared for that tragedy that affects the whole nation. In this manner, we can get tips from the people who are used to hurricanes and tornadoes. 

My basis of comparison is the movie Twister which was shown more than a decade ago. Both have similar theme and types of characters.There is no love interests among the characters except for a high school crush of one of the characters. Instead, it is more family concerned.

Although they used movie cameras, it was made to look like a documentary made behind the scenes. But the best part of watching Into The Storm was the digital sound. The of ATMOS cinema makes the movie thrilling. The sound of a ATMOS Dolby Digital goes around the audience. For example. If there is a sound of an F/A-18 Hornet, it's jet engine goes around you as if it circling to its target.

Richard Armitage(Thorin Oakenshield of The Hobbit trilogy) plays vice principal Gary Morris. Although he appears to be a major character but there is a shared spotlight among all the characters. It is also good to see Mr. Armitage out of his dwarven self in The Hobbit.

I highly recommend this movie especially it's stormy season for us in the tropics. For more reviews, interviews, updates, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

DISASTER FILM'S MAIN TRAILER, POSTER GET “INTO THE STORM”

New Line Cinema has just released the main poster and trailer of its upcoming tornado disaster film “Into the Storm” starring Richard Armitage (Thorin in “The Hobbit” films). 

In the film, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes in the span of a single day. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, “Into the Storm” throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme.

Steven Quale (“Final Destination 5”) directed the film from a screenplay by John Swetnam.

Joining Richard Armitage in the cast are Sarah Wayne Callies (TV’s “The Walking Dead”), Matt Walsh (“Ted”), Alycia Debnam-Carey (“Where the Devil Hides”), Arlen Escarpeta (“Final Destination 5”), Nathan Kress (TV’s “iCarly”), Jon Reep (“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”) and Jeremy Sumpter (“Soul Surfer,” TV’s “Friday Night Lights”).

Opening across the Philippines in August 07, 2014, “Into the Storm” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.