Escape Artists: September & October 2014

Greetings, Hatchlings!

Every month we round up all the stories we can find about fun movie events like marathons, special screenings, and conventions and miscellaneous film-life stuff like food and games. Let’s see what went down in the world of escapism and pop culture shenanigans in September and October of 2014!

Apologies that this is so galdurn late! I had every intention of posting a September Escape Artists but it just didn't happen. But now I've got a supersized post for September and October. Not only that, but I have an awesome Escapist of the Month for you guys. Our Escapist(s) of the Month(s) are...

...the French Toast Sunday crew members for all the shit they got up to these past two months, including, but not limited to, the Toronto International Film Festival, their local Comic-Con, and visiting lil' ol' me here in Jacksonville for my annual Halloween party!

The gang is awesome at the whole traveling thing, and it looks like they had a lot of fun at TIFF. You can read more about that trip here.

A few members of the crew went to the Baltimore Comic Con again this year. Check out their coverage here.

Of course, a highlight for me was their visit to Jacksonville...

Lindsay and me enjoying some breakfast at Maple Street Biscuit Company.

FTS Grand Poobah Lindsay and her boyfriend Jason got into town the night before the party. The next morning we checked out one of my favorite breakfast places, Maple Street Biscuit Company. After that we did some party shopping.

Speaking of, the party was awesome!

Can you guess all of our Halloween costumes? pic.twitter.com/O3BXA70DQg
— French Toast Sunday (@FTStweets) November 1, 2014

Hangin' at Aardwolf. Yes, I shaved off my beard, and yes I regret it every day.

We did a bunch of rando' stuff the day after the party. One of our activities was dropping by Aardwolf, one of Jax's local breweries. We followed that up with a donut run to Edgewood Bakery and finished the night with dinner and...a movie. What else are movie bloggers gonna do? 

So thanks for visiting, guys, and thanks for being awesome escape artists!

Top Stories!

The Shawshank Tour

Have you ever wanted to go to prison? My neither, unless it's one of those fancy Danish ones. Anyway, my point is, you will soon be able to tour the Shawshank Redemption prison. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Film School Rejects and Cinema Blend) reports that they'll be open for tours next year. So get busy livin' or get busy visitin' this prison.

Dismember the Alamo

The Alamo did an awesome thing called Dismember the Alamo! It was basically a crazy horror marathon throughout October at all of their locations. Oh, and guess who attended that as well? Head to Badass Digest to read more.

Lebowski Wedding

There was a The Big Lebowski themed wedding, dudes! Read all about it over at Omaha.com (via Lebowski Fest's Facebook).

Other Links

• The Lord of the Rings is getting in on the live orchestra thing. - The New York Times via The Verge
• MAC Cosmetics is launching a Rocky Horror Picture Show line of makeup. - MAC Cosmetics via Nerdist
• Speaking of Rocky Horror, Sun-Ray and The Florida Theater both did fun audience participation showings of the flick.

Post by Sun-Ray Cinema.

• Den of Geek did a really fun birthday celebration for Breaking Bad's Walter White.
• Buzzfeed got an inside look at that Friends Central Perk shop in New York. 
• Would you like to text Groot? Ricky Robinett via TechCrunch and comicbook.com
• September 22nd was Hobbit Day! 
• September 23rd was David Bowie day in Chicago. Consequence of Sound via The AV Club
• The Cinematic Katzenjammer wrote about six filming locations you can visit. 
• There's a university offering a Marvel Movies course. Screen Crush via Geek Tyrant
• 50 Fictional Destinations You Can Actually Visit. Just The Flight via ShortList
• A log cabin company (the hell?) is selling a zombie fortification cabin. Tiger Log Cabins via Den of Geek
• Andrew and Sarah from Two Tickets For visited the Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta!
• Entertainment Weekly reports that Back to the Future will be getting some live orchestra screenings in honor of it's 30th next year.
• Speaking of Back to the Future, BuzzFeed examines the Back to the Future inspired Hendo Hoverboard.
• BuzzFeed also took a look at that Harry Potter-themed hotel, the Georgian House.
• Friend of The Hatch Daniel Lackey went to the 24 hour horror-thon "The Massacre."

Escape via Food

• Check out these awesome Groot cupcakes! - My Recipes via Buzzfeed

• Food off of a David Bowie-themed menu, anyone? - Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago via The AV Club
• Dr. Who donuts!

DOCTOR WHO Inspired Donuts with TARDIS, Weeping Angels, and More http://t.co/MMji22YbaP pic.twitter.com/SMVnBmP80G
— GeekTyrant (@GeekTyrant) September 11, 2014

• These are the Batman chips and salsa we deserve. Nerdist
• Shawn from Branded in the 80s tried those Ghosbusters donuts. 
• As did CT from Nerd Lunch! 

I ain't afraid of no ghosts. Finally got the new #Ghostbuster donuts from @krispykreme. #Ectolicious pic.twitter.com/brdZtRLfX6
— CT from Nerd Lunch (@nerdlunch) September 30, 2014

Did I miss anything? What fun movie or pop culture stuff did you do in September and October? What are you doing this month? Lemme know!

Do you go to fun escapist events like movie marathons, festivals, movie-themed parties, or concerts? Are you planning on checking out any fun movie fan destinations? Have you seen any cool pop culture themed games or food anywhere? Let us know in the comments or by emailing us at totheescapehatch(at)gmail(dot)com.

Batch o’ Hatch - Escapism Edition: The Wright Stuff III, Alamo Drafthouse Home Alone Screenings, and Lebowski Fest Orlando

Here we are with another Batch o’ Hatch, and I’m focusing on three upcoming film events that – in my opinion – are great examples of escapism at its best.

The Wright Stuff III

While perusing JoBlo the other day, I discovered that Edgar Wright, aka director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz aka bringer of joy to millions, is hosting his third film festival at the New Beverly in Los Angeles, Californee December 9^th through the 16^th. This time around the director is screening films that he's never seen before, which clearly we shouldn't care about because, if Edgar Wright hasn't seen 'em they're obviously not important.

But in all seriousness, I'd love to go to this festival, and I salute anyone lucky enough to attend. If you’ll be there, let me know, I'd love to hear from you about the event. Read more about The Wright Stuff III at Mr. Wright's blog.

Home Alone Screenings at Alamo

This is a pretty simple concept but it still tickles my fancy. All you can eat cheese pizza at screenings of Home Alone! Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in Austin, TX are throwing the pizza parties throughout December.

Lebowski Fest Orlando

A Lebowski Fest will grace the sweet land of Florida on February 10^th and 11^th and you can bet your pee-stained rug that we’ll be there. I really can’t wait to meet up with other Achievers, watch the flick, and drink some White Russians. In terms of events revolving around and/or tied to films, Lebowski Fest is way up there. It’s a two day fest of drinking, watching the film, and of course, bowling.

So what, people? Would you go to any of these? ARE you? Let me know!