Every month we round up all the stories we can find about fun movie events like marathons, special screenings, and conventions and miscellaneous stuff like food and games. Let’s see what went down in the world of escapism and pop culture shenanigans in July 2014!
Our Escapist of the Month is Sun-Ray Cinema and all the lovely folks that turned out for their screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Gunnar Hansen!
I attended the screening and it was another one of Sun-Ray's really fun events. Leatherface himself (as in, a guy dressed as Leatherface, not Gunnar Hansen) greeted patrons at the door. The theater cooked up some really delicious Texas BBQ sliders, pictured below. Gunnar eventually introduced the film. It was the first time I'd heard him talk and he's somewhat soft-spoken. One of the funnier anecdotes he shared about the film was that the house that they filmed at had two acres of pot growing out back. He recounted being stoned out of his head one day after eating some pot brownies. Someone apparently found him on the house's porch muttering "Time has no meaning." When they started the film, Gunnar briefly sat next to me for a few minutes (there were a few empty seats in between us but, whatevs), which was kind of cool.
The film looks really great in all of its restored glory. Those Texas skies are so blue and really contrast with the ugly acts in the film. I ended up rewatching the Michael Bay produced remake recently and they got it really wrong. Gone are the blue skies, replaced with foggy woods (even in the daytime, for some reason). Jessica Biel is still as bouncy as I recall her, however, so it's not all bad.
I bought one of the posters that Sun-Ray produced for the screening. I already had the creepy candles.
After the screening Gunar stayed for a Q&A. I asked him if he preferred writing or acting, and he said he preferred the former because "acting is social". The only thing that kind of dampened the evening was the fact that Gunnar wanted $30 for autographs, which I think sort of miffed everyone involved. But it was still a fun experience!
Top Stories!
Speaking of Sun-Ray, they're set for their Twin Peaks marathon (yes, they're screening the entire series) on August 22nd! Ticket revenue will be going to the Hubbard House too.
LAMB Meetup
Earlier this month, the LAMB descended on Chicago, Illinois for the 3rd annual meetup. I couldn't go (FROWNY FACE) but quite a few folks turned out for the shindig. If you went to the meetup and did a write up, feel free to share it in the comments! I've already included a few just below.
Last month it was the Money Pit house, now Lara Palmer's house from Twin Peaks is up for grabs. - via The AV Club
There are some pretty cool Jaws easter eggs in the new Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios Orlando! - via Nerdist
The birth locations of various Marvel characters mapped out. - via The AV Club
Someone stole a bench from The Fault in our Stars. - via The AV Club
Marty McFly's hoverboard is up for sale! - via BuzzFeed
Speaking of Back to the Future, you can charge your phone in your car with a Flux Capacitor now! - via Geek Tyrant
The French Toast Sunday crew went to a fun looking Wayne's World screening.
The 4th Annual Lovely Soiree at the Bottle Rocket Motel, a celebration of Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, went down on Saturday the 26th! Regular readers here should be familiar with this event, as we've been reporting on it ever since the motel was in danger of closing back in 2011. I'm hoping to report more on this year's soiree in next month's Escape Artists.
Better Call Saul billboard with working phone number pops up in Albuquerque. - via The AV Club
Chicagoland event coverage: Terror in the Aisles presents Short Cuts. - via The Nightmare Gallery
Last month we reported that Robert Englund will be wearing the Freddy makeup one last time at Flashback Weekend. It still hasn't happened yet, but now you can see them prepping his makeup. - via Bloody Disgusting
Justin Gott from Man I Love Films went to Comic-Con! Check out his photo essay here.
There's a Firefly online game coming and there's a trailer for it! - via The AV Club
Escape via Food
A model named Christine McConnell bakes stuff like the facehugger cookie below. - via BuzzFeed
They're building an actual Krusty Krab...in Palestine. - via BuzzFeed
Do you want to eat BBQ ribs with Kevin Spacey on the set of House of Cards? Sure ya do. - via The AV Club
The beer from Jaws has made a return! - via Nerdist
Special shout-out to Lindsay from French Toast Sunday for making our sweet new Escapist of the Month graphic pictured above!!! Thanks for reading, everyone!
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.
Summer's in full swing, and in between our applications of sun block and flipping of burgers we wrote the following. That’s right, we wanted to share our favorite summer movies with YOU, dear reader. So read on. And tell us what summer movies you love the best!
Wet Hot American Summer follows the goofy, ridiculous, raunchy adventures of the counselors and campers at Camp Firewood. Drug use, young love, dancing, fridge humping, and crashing satellites ensue.
This is a great spoof of summer camp movies with mastermind David Wain at the controls. It’s a fantastic comedy in general because it’s sort of that perfect blend of parody and tribute. They get some really good summer camp stuff in there as well. How do you make out with your hottie of a fellow camp counselor AND keep the campers from drowning? It can’t be done.
Friday the 13th is so beloved as a horror film that many people might overlook the fact that it’s a summer film as well. The flick spawned a series (damn near a genre) of summer camp slasher films. The original film may not quite fit the bill of that quote above (which is from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood), but the spirit is there. And, sure, the films don’t always revolve around Camp Crystal Lake (I’m looking at you Jason Takes Manhattan), but the spirit is there. Horny camp counselors getting picked off by Jason Voorhees - what’s more summer than that? In fact, if I’m being honest, these films make me want to rent a lakeside cabin for the summer.
Gym teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) is all ready for his summer vacation in Hawaii with his girlfriend Kim when weasley vice principal Phil Gills forces him to teach english for the summer. Under normal circumstances Shoop would turn down the request but he’s trying to make tenure.
What follows isn’t your typical “summer” movie. Sure there are visits to the beach, amusement park rides, and raging beach parties, but all of the fun-lovin’ teens involved are technically in summer school. The film ends with the class coming together to pass a big test, everyone learns to apply themselves, and to be happy with the best you can be, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Summer Days, Summer Days, Oh how I love these blistering hot days . . .
That’s right, kids, Summer 2013 has officially begun and we’re kicking it off proper here in the Hatch! Each one of us has chosen some specific movies to get things started right and my two selections come from the two opposite ends of the summer spectrum. I’ve chosen one old and one new, one scary and one funny . . . well, if I’m going to be completely honest, both are freaking hilarious.
I’ll jump out of the gate with my oldie, but goodie; 1983’s Sleepaway Camp, directed by Robert Hiltzik, who you’ve probably never heard of, and starring a bunch of people who I know you’ve never heard of. Released in November of ’83 and scoring a surprising 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, Sleepaway… tells the tale of young, shy, bullied Angela Baker and her cousin Ricky during a short shorts kind of summer at, you guessed it, summer camp. The movie is chock full of gay overtones (and undertones), the acting is lame, the dialogue is beyond ridiculous, and the characters are the penultimate definition of disturbing, most notably cousin Ricky’s mom, Aunt Dr. Martha Thomas. Aunt Martha sends our two protagonists to Camp Arawak for some typical fun in the sun, however, as soon as the duo arrive things start to go horribly awry. Turns out someone is knocking off the dirty, sexual deviant, camp counselors, the pederast cook, and all the young campers who are mean to poor Angela. Released when slasher flicks were at their peak, we get some nifty kills from our murdering madman, including deaths a la boat, bees, butcher knife, axe, hair straightener (you’ll have to see it to believe it), and an arrow to the throat. We’re never shown who the killer is, not even a shape, until the end of the movie, and it most assuredly is the end of the movie that warrants the 73% rating. It is far and away one of the most surprising movie endings I have ever seen. I rank the surprise better than the ends of The Sixth Sense, Memento, Identity, and Fight Club, just to name a few. Now don’t go spoiling it by reading the Wikipedia page, spend 90 minutes of your lives and be as surprised as Robert and I were the first time we saw it together. And thank your lucky stars that you’re no longer attending summer camp in the 1980s. “No, that wouldn’t do at all.”
Next, we find ourselves back in the modern day . . . well, again if I’m being completely honest, the setting takes place before Sleepaway Camp, 1965 to be exact. The movie comes from Hatch favorite Wes Anderson and the movie is his latest and nearly greatest, Moonrise Kingdom. This was easily one of my favorite movies from 2012 and I’m saddened that it didn’t get the recognition it deserved at the Oscars, but oh well, I’m not going to gripe here. Similar to Sleepaway…, we find our main protagonist at a summer camp, Camp Ivanhoe, for Khaki Scouts, and while there are no gay tones, it’s still one of the most delightful films ever made, and the ending, while not very surprising, is just as delightful as a warm summer Sunday evening. Our plot follows the adventures of two young lovers, Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop, as they weasel their way across the fictional island of New Penzance in the bright light of true young love. What ensues is the stuff dreams are made of. If you’ve seen the movie, then you know how easily this can fit into the “summer movie” collection and if not, give it a try and take notice of the summertime style of the plot and setting . . . camping, swimming, dancing, stormy weather, etc. Being still a relatively new film, this one hasn’t quite reached the cult status that Sleepaway… and other Wes Anderson films have, but I’m confident that it will soon get there. Each star actor, and there are a lot of ‘em, gives a great performance in their respective roles and the plot really is nothing short of an adventure through and through. If you were to ask me to rank Moonrise… among my favorite Wes Anderson films, I’d answer ‘two, because “once a frogman, always a frogman,”’ but that’s a discussion for another time. Have a great summer, kiddos!
Pat
One Crazy Summer (1986)
Hoops McCann (John Cusack) needs to get away from his life so he heads to Nantucket with his friend George (Joel Murray). On the way to the island, they save Cassandra (Demi Moore), a rocker damsel in distress. With the help of George’s friends, Ack Ack (Curtis Armstrong), a.k.a. Booger and the Stork twins (Bobcat Goldthwait and Tom Villard), they're able to help Cassandra save her grandfather’s house. Meanwhile, George’s Uncle Frank (Bruce Wagner) spends the entire summer trying to win a radio contest. Let’s just say it’s an explosive ending.
Grease (1978)
Summer love at it’s best. This is probably a shocker to my Hatch mates but I genuinely think that Grease is one of the best musical movies of all time. Just in case you haven’t seen it, Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) have a summer fling but when Danny returns to his “normal” life, he’s nothing like the boy Sandy fell in love with. Sandy, who is from Australia, enrolls at Rydell High instead of returning home. It doesn’t take long before she finds out who Danny really is. Fellas if you think that you're too manly to watch this movie let me try to persuade you with these six words: Sandy in skin-tight black pants.
The Sandlot (1993)
Being a kid that grew up playing baseball all summer long with my friends, The Sandlot had to make my short list of favorite summer movies. Set in 1962, The Sandlot tells the story of the new kid in town, Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), hanging out with the neighborhood kids and through America’s past time making friends for life. I don’t care if you like baseball or not, there's something for everyone in this movie, including Squints’ (Chauncey Leopardi) first kiss with the sexy lifeguard, Wendy Peffercorn (Marley Shelton). If you pass on this one, all I can say to you is, “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
Tiff
Jaws (1975)
I don't remember exactly how old I was the first time I saw Jaws - I'm guessing around eight or so - but I know it only took seeing it once for me to never be the same (hell, was anyone?). To provide some background on this life-changing moment, I was a beach baby. My mom was a beach baby. Our summers were spent at.the.beach. In the water. We splashed, we played, we dove into waves, we boogie-boarded all the way back to shore, never once thinking about what evil, monstrous beast with never ending rows of teeth might be in the water with us.
Then, Jaws happened. Not only did I stop enjoying swimming in the ocean, I stopped going in the ocean. Over the years I built up the courage to go back in, but I now maintain a waist-deep limit (and believe me, even then I'm staring at the water around me the entire time for that menacing gray fin to surface).
Oh hai.
So why is Jaws an awesome summer movie? Well...it taps into something that's a part of most of our lives and memories - summer vacation. July 4th weekend. Independence Day. Family fun. And it makes it all slightly terrifying…and more than a little exciting.
Aside from that, Jaws has all the trappings of a summer movie - sun, sand, babes in bikinis, and a handsome police chief, Martin Brody, who just wants to keep the citizens and vacationers of Amity Island safe, gotdammit! Once the beast of a shark has killed enough people to convince local officials that they really won't make many tourism dollars if their tourists are being eaten, the hunt for the killer begins. So Chief Brody, along with Hooper (lovable hippie-rich kid-marine biologist) and Quint (old battle axe-shark hunter) set out for the fight of their lives, complete with booze, a late-night sailor's serenade and a cat-and-mouse game between man and shark where we really don't know who is hunting whom. The movie ends with the shark exploding in a very gory, satisfying way, but not before Quint is chewed up and swallowed by it (and really, was there a more fitting death for that old bastard?).
But the main reason Jaws is a definitive summer movie is that it lives in us. It lives in my brain...and in your brain. In that place where we experience extreme fear. Don't believe me? Head on out to the beach this summer. Swim out in that cool blue water. Feel the waves move over you. Lay back…relax. Until that feeling hits you. You’re in dark, deep water. You can’t see your legs. Hell, you can’t see anything. The people on the shore look awfully small. No one else is around. It’s just you…and that giant, bloodthirsty, man-eating beast that is undoubtedly swimming up toward your dangling feet.
Hey, friendos. I hope you’re having a good July! Let’s catch up over a new Batch.
News
Doctor Strange
Early last week, JoBlo (via Latino-Review and comicbookmovie.com) reported that Marvel may want Doctor Strange to serve as their new Iron Man franchise. I’m all for this. Doctor Stephen Strange makes for a compelling character. He’s got a great origin story (he’s a gifted but arrogant surgeon who breaks his hands and ends up learning magic as a way to heal himself) and the tone is a little different from Iron Man (or any Marvel film) so it will surely be fresh.
Breaking Bad is coming to an end soon, and what better way to say goodbye than to drink some beer inspired by the show? This AV Club article points out that, unfortunately, folks outside of the Albuquerque area may not be able to get their hands on the Marble Brewery beer. But it would go so well with these blue meth cupcakes that I’m planning on making!
4th of Jaws-ly
What are your 4th of July plans? Ours involve the beach but Jaws on the big screen is also on the agenda. Yes, Sun-Ray Cinema, everyone’s favorite indie theater, is showing the flick this Thursday, complete with a slice of apple pie. Because if there’s anything more American than Roy Scheider 'sploding a great white shark, it’s apple pie.
Nick brought to my attention that Universal Studios Orlando is using The Cabin in the Woods as their source of horror for Halloween Horror Nights this year. I wanna go!
Cabin turned out to be one of the most original horror movies in recent memory, so this year’s HHN should be awesome. Fingers crossed for a merman.
Another trailer for The Conjuring? Sure. This one’s even creepier than the last few because it really sells the fact that the film is based on a true story. I honestly kind of forgot that this was coming out this month, so I’m pretty stoked.
This trailer paints the movie as a solid action flick. It looks like it has a little more brains than the films Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have been in lately. Why couldn’t Arnie and Sly have made this 20 years ago, though?
And how did 50 Cent get in this? This thing is being released in the theaters, right?
Tweets
LOTTA great tweets for this Batch.
Shyamalan says he's "getting close" to making an Unbreakable sequel. Say what you will about his last few films, but I'd see that.
— Alex Withrow (@shiftingPersona) May 30, 2013
At this point, this is probably the only Shyamalan film I would ever go to the theater for.
Maybe Predator was just angry and violent because he couldn't see well.
— Hummingbird Heart ♥ (@Tiff0728) June 1, 2013
Good point!
To anyone trying to sell your TV: when someone comes to buy it, put the Blu-Ray of DRIVE on. They can't not buy it.
— Alex Withrow (@shiftingPersona) June 4, 2013
I'll have to keep this in mind!
I miss Quantum Leap
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) June 8, 2013
Man of Stealing My Time and Money
— Hummingbird Heart ♥ (@Tiff0728) June 15, 2013
Exactly.
Argo fuck yourself. NOW I GET IT.
— George Bell (@CallMeSirPhobos) June 16, 2013
OHHHHH.
Get ready. In July: it's the 2nd Annual TAG Network Crossover. 6 shows. 13 Podcasters. 1 giant event! #Podcasthttp://t.co/QUhk8a7jky
— TAG Network (@TAGNetwork) June 18, 2013
Fantastic image. Get excited for the @TAGNetwork crossover later this summer. Stay tuned to theatomicgeeks.com!
For the past few days I've been misreading that "Paula Deen: Fired" headline as "Paula Deen: Fried" (which would be a fitting end actually).
— CT (from Nerd Lunch) (@nerdlunch) June 25, 2013
There’s something to be said about films involving small towns that encounter big disruptions. Maybe it’s the inherent action or drama as a result of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Maybe it's the fact that I myself grew up in a very small town and always hoped an alien invasion or natural disaster of cinematic proportions would spice things up. Here are ten films that feature small towns facing big problems.
Slither (2006)
Small Town: Wheelsy, South Carolina
Big Thing: Hive-Mind Alien Slugs
It all starts with a simple meteorite but before you know it, the whole town is overrun by alien slugs that can turn people into zombies. Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) is the first to get infected and he ends up mutating into an alien monster capable of controlling the rest of the slugs and slug zombies. A lot of stuff gets destroyed, including Grant Grant’s marriage.
Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) rides into the small town of Bomont in his VW Beetle and brings trouble with him. Ren butts heads with Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow) when he learns that dancing is outlawed and tries to change the town's ways. NOBODY stops Kevin Bacon from dancing.
Red Dawn (1984)
Small Town: Calumet, Colorado
Big Thing: The Soviet Union
Calumet is under attack as the Soviets Invade America! And it’s up to Patrick Swayze and the WOLVERINES!!! to stop ‘em. Families are destroyed and a once peaceful town is ravaged by the Reds in the process.
This is what happens when you build your town next to a volcano! Even if it’s just a mountain. Who knows when those things could blow?
So yeah, the whole town is pretty much destroyed from within. Roads flood, lakes turn to acid, ash and lava run rampant. The entire town basically explodes towards the end of the film thanks to a pyroclastic cloud belched out by the volcano. Good thing Agent 007 turned volcanologist Pierce Brosnan is there to help.
First Blood (1982)
Small Town: Hope, Washington
Big Thing: John Rambo
John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), fresh out of Vietnam and just trying to mind his own business, ends up getting arrested by asshole-cop-in-residence Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) and chased into the forest surrounding Hope. He ends up returning to town and pretty much destroys it. He also makes the sheriff cry at one point. Suck it, Teasle.
The Blob (1988)
Small Town: Arborville, California
Big Thing: Gelatinous Alien Organism
Arborville is a peaceful California town (except for Kevin Dillon and a transient or two) until The Blob comes a blobbin’ in. A ton of people and a good chunk of the town meet unsavory fates before the alien is literally put on ice.
Super 8 (2011)
Small Town: Lillian, Ohio
Big Thing: Alien Beastie
Young Joe Lamb is reeling over the loss of his mother when an alien creature escapes from the military in his hometown. A train is derailed, a lot of people are eaten (or are they?), and the town’s water tower gets destroyed. Bummer!
The Monster Squad (1987)
Small Town: ?*
Big Thing: A Butt Ton of Monsters
A small group of friends known as The Monster Squad don’t have many monsters to fight in their small town. That is, until Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Gill-man and The Mummy stop by. Dracula and his cohorts have big plans for the squad’s small town and it’s up to the gang to take ‘em out. The Count and his crew of monsters do a ton of damage before getting sucked into a space/time portal.
Rockwell is your average 1950s American town. But then The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel) drops in, befriends a young boy named Hogarth (Eli Marienthal) and beenemys (?) a government agent named Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald). Power stations are destroyed, trains are derailed, and lakes (and tearducts) are drained.
Jaws (1975)
Small Town: Amity Island
Big Thing: Great White Shark
This might be the quintessential “big thing/small town” movie. Amity Island is a sleepy little town so dependant on summer tourism dollars that the Mayor tries to pretend that a Great White Shark isn’t cruising the waters just off shore. Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) moves to town just in time to see everything go to shit. Jaws (or Bruce if you’d prefer) ends up eating a ton of Amity Island citizens and a few boats in the process.
So there's the list! If you live in a small town, keep an eye out for any of these. If for no other reason than to let me join in on the action!
*I have no idea where The Monster Squad takes place. IMDb lists "Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - 900 Exposition Boulevard, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA" as the only filming location (and that doesn't necessarily mean it took place in Los Angeles County). CT from Nerd Lunch mentioned an internet source claiming the film takes place in Portland, Oregon. While Portland is indeed an awesome city, CT and I agree that TMS seems to take place in a smaller town. There's a good chance the location is revealed in the film at some point - maybe even prominently so - but my quick re-watch of bits of the movie didn't help. If anyone could shed some light on this I'd be forever grateful.
Robert here with a fresh Batch o’ Hatch to get you through
these cold December days.
Farewell, Jaws
Ride: Part 2
Last week I wrote about the planned closure of the Jaws ride
at Universal Studios Orlando. I got to visit the park last weekend for my birthday
and experience the ride one last time.
It’s still pretty cool walking up to the attraction’s
entrance and seeing Bruce hung up on display. I wonder if they’ll leave him up
there.
While waiting in line I noticed little things that I hadn’t
on past trips. The attention to detail in all of the park’s attractions is very
good and Jaws is no exception. Maybe it’s because I won’t wait in line for this
ride ever again, but I really appreciated little things like these signs.
The ride itself has always been a little hokey, especially the
tour guide aspect and the “grenades” that your guide “shoots”. It’s still a fun
ride, however, and the part where you stop in the creaky, dark boat house is probably my
favorite.
The ending of the ride is great as well, and the reactions
some people have to Bruce charging the ship one final time is
priceless.
I’ve heard that Jaws is making way for more Harry Potter
attractions, and that’s not such a bad thing. I got to check out Harry’s
section of the park and it’s pretty impressive.
Here’s my last thought on the Jaws ride and then I’ll shut
up about it. There’s a great big lake section in the middle of the park. Why
not have some sort of robotic Jaws set up in there that surfaces and cruises
around every now and then? The music comes on, maybe an actor runs around
screaming or something. You could make it like a show or something. Are you
listening, Universal? Anyway…later, Bruce.
Special Screening
of Event Horizon
Arrow in the Head (via Collider)
reported that Toronto residents will be treated to a special screening of Event Horizon tomorrow. Why is the screening so special? Well, a Q&A is scheduled for before the film with none other than director Paul W.S. Anderson!
I’d probably attend this if I could (it’s only $10!) as Event Horizon is a pretty good horror
flick in my opinion. It's disturbing and creepy and I love that certain ‘90s je ne sais quoi that it has. Plus
the references to Hellraiser.
The event starts at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow at Toronto Underground Cinema.
A Christmas
Confection
Last but not least I just wanted to share a little something
I thought was cool. A friend of the blog is very involved in her community theatre and they’ve been doing a production of A Christmas Story.
I got to check out the play a few nights ago and everyone involved did a
great job. Anyway, my friend cooked up a little batch of something for the play earlier in the week and shared one with me...
The
Florida Times-Union has an article up about the opening of Sun-Ray
Cinema this week in Jacksonville. Tim Massett – a Jacksonville native – and Shana
David-Massett are behind the new theatre, which will feature a new screen, a
kitchen, and other improvements in general.
I’m
immensely excited about the new theater opening this week, especially with the
potential lineup of initial films we’d get – Melancholia, Martha Marcy May
Marlene, The Descendants, The Human Centipede 2 (probably be
skipping that one – I got enough centipede shenanigans from the first one),and
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The
theater space used to be home to the 5 Points Theatre, which was a great place
for indie movie and film event lovers (which definitely included us – two of
our posts about films at 5 Points are here and here). The theater has been closed since Halloween,
so I’ve definitely been jonesing for independent cinema. I’ve got high hopes
for Sun-Ray, especially for their special events, like screenings of The Walking Dead on Sundays.
On that
note, I probably won’t even be able to check out the theater until early next
week. Sun-Ray isn’t really scheduled to open until Friday, and I’ll be out of
town. And even if it opens on Thursday (the article mentions the theater could
open “a day or two earlier if renovations go well”) I can’t attend, as it’s my
birthday and I’ve already got plans. Although that would be an awesome birthday
present. I guess there’s always tomorrow.
Anyway,
the reason I’ll be out of town is that I’m going to Orlando to visit Universal
Studios for my aforementioned birthday. Normally I probably wouldn’t blog about
visiting a theme park – even one that revolves around movies – but I figured
this was a special occasion since THEJAWSRIDEISCLOSING!!??
The news
comes from JoBlo (can you tell I get most of my movie news from them?) via the Universal Orlando Resort Facebook page, and their post explains that
the 20+ year-old ride is getting the axe because Universal is putting in
something “new, innovative & amazing”.
I’m glad
I get to experience the ride one last time because a) I haven’t been to
Universal Studios in years and b) I missed riding on the Back to the Future attraction one last time before it was converted
into The Simpsons ride. Not this
time, uncaring Universal Studios Florida executives. Not this time.
I’ll
post something next week about my last experience with the ride.
The Cabin in the
Woods Trailer
In other
news, courtesy of – wait for it…JoBlo (via Yahoo!
Movies), we finally have a trailer for The Cabin
in the Woods, a horror/sci-fi flick directed by Drew Goddard (writer of
Cloverfield) produced by Joss Whedon, and co-written by both of them. According
to Wikipedia, Cabin has been delayed for about two years now. Itwas filmed before Chris Hemsworth did Thor, look at how puny he looks!
Nope, still more than capable of kicking my ass
To tell
you the truth, I’m puzzled by this trailer. I was expecting an Evil Dead knockoff and I got…well I
don’t even know. Check it out:
In the 1975 masterpiece that made Discovery's SharkWeek what it is today, we have a scene more terrifying than Jaws itself. Quint telling an old war story that laughs in the face of OpenWater. Listening to him tiptoe through the tale brings chills to my spine and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if I were in Chief Brody's pants, I'd be a soiled insomniac. As this is the Hatch's 100th post, I felt this was the perfect scene to encapsulate what the Hatch is all about. Stories to help us escape the present moment. Even if that escape is a terrifing one. Happy Friday, hope it was a good one. Here's to you Quint, 'Ol Buddy, thanks for the Scary Story. Cheers!
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