Escape Artists: An Escapism Top 5 - January 2016

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's gone down lately in the world of escapism and pop culture shenanigans!

It's been a long time since we've looked at the wild and wonderful world of escapism and pop culture fandom. But we're bringing back Escape Artists, albeit in a more manageable way. It was becoming crazy impossible to write up an article every month on dozens of stories. So we've turned it into a Top 5. You can still check out all the escapist stuff we notice every month over at our Storify. But for now, here's January's Top 5 Escapist Stories. 

5. Wizard Pong - Wizard Pong via Nerdist

First up - Wizard Pong is a thing. It pretty much sounds like beer pong with obstacles in the way. Why no one (me?) didn't think of this while I was actually in college (Pottermania was in full swing then) is a shame.

Wizard Pong

When I initially noticed all this, it was called, you guessed it, Quidditch Pong, but it looks like they had to change it, for obvious reasons. The sets are sold out, but I'm betting we could just make one.

4. A "George Costanza" Themed Bar - SMH via GeekTyrant

It goes without saying that pop culture themed bars and restaurants are all the rage now. Remember that recent Will Ferrell bar? Well now we've got one themed after Mr. Costanza himself, located in Melbourne, Australia. I actually haven't seen a lot of Seinfeld, the show that birthed and featured the New York based ne'er-do-well, but I'd definitely check out this bar. Don't get me wrong, I think the show's awesome and I feel like it's always on in the background at my house, but I've never watched it all the way through. Find out more at georgesbar.com.au.

George's Bar on Facebook

3. Alan Rickman Memorial - Screen Crush via Nerdist

Our second Harry Potter themed entry, but this one is waaaaay sadder. Following the passing of Potter star Alan Rickman last month, fans turned Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station in London into a memorial for the actor.

A memorial at London Kings Cross to Alan Rickman at Platform 9 and 3/4 pic.twitter.com/3DFQHVkm7A

— Hogwarts Logic (@HogwartsLogics) January 17, 2016

Rickman's cause of death was pancreatic cancer. He was 69.

2. The Shining Virtual Reality Tour - Fran Boot via ShortList

Holy Jack Nicholson this sounds scary. This virtual tour of a "Shining-esque" hotel must be all kinds of awesome, the only catch is you need an Oculist Rift to get the full experience.  Virtual reality seems to be heating up again, with 360 degree videos on Facebook and YouTube and the Oculist Rift going on the market. This is only "inspired" by The Shining (it takes place at "The Overview"), so it's probably pretty different from our beloved film. Don't expect to be able to murder Scatman Crothers is all I'm saying.



1. Secret Cinema: The Empire Strikes Back - Future Shorts via GeekTyrant

Secret Cinema often comes up in these posts. They're kind of the ultimate escapists, taking a movie and making a living, breathing experience out of it. It looks like they pulled out all the stops for this Star Wars themed adventure over the summer. In it, you're part of the Rebel Alliance, getting transported offworld to a Tatooine looking environment. I'm honestly not really sure how Secret Cinema works. How immersive is it, do you actually even watch the movie that's featured, do the scenes get acted out while they're playing onscreen? Hopefully I'll get to go someday.



Thanks for tuning in! If you need more escapism and pop culture fandom shenanigans, head here to check out our running list of stuff happening this month. We'll pick our Top 5 in early March.

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, products or food anywhere? Let us know in the comments or by emailing us at totheescapehatch(at)gmail(dot)com.

Robert's 5 Biggest Disappointments of 2013

As with any year, 2013 was full of films that exceeded my expectations. You can check out my top 10 list here. Now for whatever reason - maybe my expectations were too high - quite a few of 2013's films really disappointed me, so much so that I felt compelled to come up with this list. I need to point out two things. First of all, this list really isn’t in any particular order. Secondly, I’m not necessarily saying these are bad films. They just let me down. Let's check 'em out.

5. Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim was my number one most anticipated film of last year. Number one. I even did a series of posts counting down to the film’s release. So imagine how embarrassed I am that it wound up here. What can I say? I didn’t hate the film. In fact, I gave it a positive review. It hasn’t set well with me, however. At the end of the day, parts of the story were really goofy and poorly thought out. And Charlie Hunnam kinda sucked.

Pacific Rim on Facebook

4. Room 237

I saw Room 237 - a documentary about the hidden meaning and secrets of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece The Shining - right after said masterpiece as part of a double feature. I was really stoked to see it, being a huge fan of Kubrick's film. The documentary was getting a lot of positive buzz as well. The problem, however, is that The Shining is an amazing film and Room 237...is not.

It’s not that I’m against the theories about the film, either. Some of the more interesting theories have been floating around for a while. Some of the "secrets" and "theories" in 237, however, are a little more...out there. For instance, one theory that pops up is that, if you pause the film at a certain point, it looks like one of the characters - Mr. Ullman - has an erection due to the way his body lines up with an object in his office. Another theory is that a cloud takes the shape of Kubrick’s face near the beginning of the film. In short, The Shining is rife for discussion and these guys ended up talking about dicks and clouds.

3. Upstream Color

I really enjoyed Shane Carruth’s first film, a twisty time travel tale called Primer. Nine long years passed. And then he announced his follow up film, Upstream Color, and I rejoiced and the world danced in anticipation. Then I watched it.

Let's go back a second. Despite initially being excited about the film, the only reason I finally watched it was because I was laid up in bed with a bad back. For some reason, I had pretty much lost all interest in it. But I finally watched it. And maybe I just didn’t “get” it, but it’s definitely not my cup of tea. I’m an escapist and I don’t really enjoy films with vague, meandering plots about worms and pigs and shit. I’m probably coming off as a Philistine but I just really didn’t enjoy this film. In my defense, I actually watched the movie a second time. I may have understood it even less the second go 'round.

Wikipedia

2. The ABCs of Death

This fucking film. What a waste of a premise. Remember how I said that the movies on this list aren’t necessarily bad films? THIS ONE IS. IT IS TERRIBLE. Skip this fucking piece of filth and instead check out V/H/S 2, another of 2013’s anthology horror films.

1. Man of Steel

Man of Steel. Yes. It really, really disappointed me. I was expecting a lot more. I was expecting unique, unforgettable action sequences. I (suppose) I was expecting a linear story, because those flashbacks sure got annoying. I won’t start to nitpick, because I wrote a full review for that sort of thing. Here’s the thing...I’ve seen Man of Steel a second time since writing that review. It’s not that bad. It really isn’t. But, man, it could have been better. And despite everything, I'm really excited for Man of Steel 2/Batman vs. Superman. Hopefully Zack Snyder and company get it together.

Man of Steel on Facebook

Favorite Scene Friday! The Shining: An Ominous Beginning

Sun-Ray Cinema here in Jacksonville is playing The Shining tonight at 7:00, followed by the Kubrick/Shining documentary Room 237. Kubrick's film about a family isolated at a Colorado hotel is one of our favorite movies. We've written multiple posts about the film in the past, including a previous FSF, a Music Video Monday!, and a review (that we wrote after going a little crazy).

Sun-Ray Cinema

To mark the occasion, I've highlighted the opening scene of the film, which is essentially Jack Torrance's (Jack Nicholson) initial trip to the Overlook Hotel. It's surely not the most thrilling scene from the movie, but, if you're like me, it fills you with a heavy sense of dread. The camera glides across still-as-death water, twisting roads, and beautiful, green trees, all to the sounds of a foreboding score ANDITCREEPSMEOUT.

The Steadicam shots later in the film are often singled out but I really think the camerawork in this opening scene is great. Sure, it's just scenic shots filmed from a helicopter but it's still pretty awesome, especially around 1:10 when the helicopter zooms up to the car and past it. This scene is a reminder that The Shining isn't just a great horror film, it's a work of art as well.



What's funny about this scene is that outtakes were supposedly re-used by Ridley Scott for the happy ending of Blade Runner. I can't imagine this scene being used to convey anything happy.

If you're going to Sun-Ray tonight I hope you enjoy the film and Room 237. I've heard a lot about the latter recently and any documentary about Kubrick craziness has to be worth a watch. Happy Friday!

Batch o’ Hatch: Pop Culture Mysteries, Real Genius Screening/Popcorn Eating Contest, and to the escape hatch! Turns One

Since you’re probably coming down from an Avengers high, here’s a fresh Batch o’ Hatch to get the blood flowing!

Pop Culture Mysteries

*spoilers for Blade Runner, The Shining, Total Recall, The Thing and other films abound!*

The AV Club posted a great piece on pop culture mysteries last week. A few of the mysteries the site posted are ones I’ve wondered about myself, such as, is Deckard a replicant in Blade Runner and just what exactly happens in Kubrick’s The Shining?

If I were to list some other pop culture head scratchers, I’d probably throw out The Thing (I wrote a whole post about the ending of that movie here) and Total Recall. Was Quaid imagining the whole thing or was he really a secret agent?

I’d love to hear from you guys on this. Are there any pop culture mysteries you’ve always wondered about?

Real Genius Screening/Popcorn Eating Contest

Anybody who’s anybody knows that I love me some fun film-related events. Jacksonville’s own Sun-Ray Cinema is screening Real Genius at midnight on Saturday, June 2nd and they’re having a popcorn eating contest beforehand to boot. The winner gets free popcorn for life. LIFE.

Jerry's House of Popcorn
Real Genius — MOVIECLIPS.com

Some of you younger readers may not know that Val Kilmer used to have quite the svelte figure...

to the escape hatch! Turns One

And finally, I wanted to mention that today is our one year anniversary. One year ago today we posted this announcement and totheescapehatch.blogspot.com was born.

In the past year we’ve gained readers and followers and lost the “.blogspot”.

There are many bloggers and readers out there that we owe thanks to, but I wanted to single out a few. In no particular order:

Ruth from ...let’s be splendid about this...
Alex from And So It Begins...
CT and Jeeg from Nerd Lunch
Pax from Cavalcade of Awesome
Chris from moviesandsongs365
Markus and Sir Phobos from Green People Soup
Pete from I Love That Film
Rodders from The Reviewing Rodders
The Large Association of Movie Blogs

Thanks for making our first year a memorable one! Hopefully you’ll keep coming by. Don’t forget we’re on twitter now - @2theescapehatch.

Batch o’ Hatch: Natural Selection Trailer, Dr. Sleep, and Favorite Scene Friday News!

Natural Selection Trailer 

IMDb posted a trailer for Natural Selection and for some reason I really like it. Truthfully I thought it was a horror film at first, given the tone of the beginning of the preview, but it ends up being a great looking little dramedy. Who knew Rachael Harris – the bitchy girlfriend from The Hangover – would be getting high praise for a starring role in an indie film? 

Dr. Sleep

This is more literature news than film, but IMDb via Icons of Fright shared a recent clip of Stephen King at the Savannah Book Festival reading from Dr. Sleep, the sequel to his novel The Shining. The video isn’t great as it was recorded by someone pretty far from the stage where King was reading but it's cool all the same to know that this sequel exists. According to Wikipedia, Mr. King finished the first draft of the book this past November. Maybe I'll review the film someday?

Favorite Scene Friday!

If you need a little more Bill Murray in your life, you're in luck. Our FSF poll closed this morning with scenes featuring the actor as the winner, so every Friday in March we'll be bringing you a piece of Mr. Murray. Thanks to all who voted!

Derek Eads

Music Video Monday! The Shining Edition: 30 Seconds to Mars & Slipknot

Good Monday to everyone! I’m going to start the week off by cheating a little. Don’t judge me, I’m doing it for your enjoyment. As you know, we here at the Hatch usually give you one music video on Monday, but in trying to stick with The Shining theme, I couldn’t decide between two music videos that give winks to Kubrick's legendary film. Since it’s 1980 release, The Shining has had a major influence on the horror movie genre, but as you’ll see in today’s selections, it has bled into the world of music videos as well.

The first is from the theatrical Jared Leto and his band 30 Seconds to Mars and the second comes from what used to be the creepiest and heaviest metal band from Iowa Slipknot. I hope you enjoy The Shining inspired videos and remember: AlL wOrk aNd NO PlAy, MAkEs JacK A dUll BoY. If you have nothing better to do on a slow Monday, let us know which band does a better job of capturing the pure creepiness of The Shining.

REDRUM: Not Just Your Average Caribbean Club Cocktail

Sorry about yesterday's post - just a little Halloween prank. Now here's the real deal.

The Shining: Nick's Take

So what’s the big deal about The Shining?  What sets it apart from other Stephen King movies or other horror movies for that matter?   Why are we honoring it this Halloween?  I can answer all three questions with one answer:  Because it is one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

Everything about The Shining makes you feel uneasy in some way.  Whether it be the godawful carpet of the haunted hotel or Jack Nicholson making out with a corpse – we’re talking full tongue, here – or the face of Shelley Duvall or the whatthefuck scene I posted a few Fridays ago, this movie has got it all and that’s why we, among countless other blogs, lists, people, ghosts, etc., are giving it the illustrious Open Hatch approval.  Which by now obviously means gold – opinionatingly speaking.  Anyone who’s both read the novel and seen the movie knows that the two stand apart in great respect.  I’m willing to bet that Kubrick was pissed once he finished reading the novel simply because he didn’t think of the idea first.  The similarities are without a doubt plain to see, but the differences are monumental comparatively speaking; an axe vs. a mallet, a maze vs. a zoo of animated animal hedges, the survival of the hotel vs. the burning down of the hotel (there are only two references to a basement boiler in the movie whereas the novel has it as a major plot point; so major in fact that the hotel burns down at novel’s end due to the overheating boiler  . . . I could go on and on.  I won’t say which I prefer because both are great in their own right.  I did however see The Shining for the first time when I was about 11 or 12 and have watched it many, many times since.  I didn’t read the book until I was in college, roughly 19, and I haven’t read it since, so I guess I’d have to admit that the movie does sort of hold a special little place in my warped mind.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

As I mentioned before, everything about this movie is creepy.  The collective beauty of the cast alone is enough to make you not want to waste your time.  Tiffany mentioned at one point that she thought Danny was a cute little boy and I bit my tongue.  The mop of hair on that poor boy is ridiculous.  I should mention though that the boy in the TV miniseries remake is even worse.  A bowl cut of bad acting is about as nice as I can be.  I also find it terribly amusing when we’re taken down to Scatman’s Miami hotel room . . . the naked afro’ed ladies on the walls are pure delight in a “Whoa!” kind of way.  A slew of scenes are merely images seen from Danny’s point of view of the various hotel ghosts fiddling about.  I hadn’t seen a haunted movie done so well until I watched Insidious.  Being released in 1980 meant Jack, Shelley, Scatman, and the rest of the cast were making their last ditch efforts to save '70s fashions so even the comforting thought of I’d look good in that escapes you entirely.  I think the fairy tale vomit of Shelley Duvall’s first outfit is top ringer for scariest Halloween costume ever.  You guys know what I’m talking about.  Being the younger brother of twins, I can fully attest that twins are odd and the scene(s) of Grady’s twin daughters only proves my point.[1]  The “Gimmie the bat!” scene is incredibly awesome on both a freaky level (Jack Nicholson) and a comedic level (Shelley Duvall) and I absolutely adore The Simpsons’ Tree House of Horror take on it.  Don’t be surprised if it winds up on a Favorite Scene Friday in the future.

I can’t list all of what is terrifying about The Shining, but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention what Jack Nicholson brings to the table.  Watching him speak to Lloyd (the bartender) about breaking Danny’s arm is alarming on a number of levels.  To get my meaning, I’d advise you to watch that scene over and over, each time paying full attention to a different aspect.  For example, at first focus directly on his eyebrows while he speaks and next time focus on his arms and next time the tone of his voice, etc. etc.  Absolutely incredible.  Another good one is the scene where he talks to Wendy from inside the walk-in pantry.  It’s like you can feel the madness breaching the locked door and striking Wendy in her big ‘ol bug-eyes.  When I read Stephen King’s idea of The Shining, I tried to place Jack Nicholson’s image into the “Jack Torrance” character as King wrote him.  Let’s just say I can see why Kubrick went the route that he did.  Nicholson makes a much creepier madman with an axe.  He’s off-kilter throughout the entire movie, to see him try to redeem himself by letting Danny escape (novel reference) just wouldn’t convey as well on screen.  That’s not to say I think Kubrick’s “Jack Torrance” is better.  King hits you on a much deeper level with his “Jack Torrance” because we read him as “under control (for the most part) to mad to ‘love over hate’ to full blown wickedness.”  It’s hard to convey that on screen.

This movie is on nearly every Top 50 Scariest Movies lists, but I don’t think it’s often listed as number one.  I’m not so sure I agree with that.                

[1] I wrote this on purpose to prove a point that my brothers don’t give a shit about reading the blog.  Thanks, guys.

The Shining: Robert's Take

If I can engage in understatement, The Shining is an excellent horror film. Nick points out that every aspect of the film is scary, and I completely agree. It might be the most unsettling flick I've ever seen. And is there anything scarier than someone you love losing their mind and trying to kill you?

I read something about The Shining once and it's always stuck with me. I can't remember where it comes from – a review I think – and for the life of me I can't find it online. If anyone can help me attribute this to the comments' originator I would appreciate it. It goes something like this – The Shining is a great horror film because it's every horror story rolled into one. The film has ghosts. It has a haunted house and a madman. It has zombies and even a werewolf in a way. Indian burial grounds, possession, poltergeists, skeletons – you name it.

I love this movie. I love the performances and the tone of the film. I love the unsettling beauty of the opening. I love the behind the scenes stories that I've heard over the years – the trademark obsession and intensity of director Stanley Kubrick, the dissatisfaction Stephen King – who wrote the novel the film is based on – felt with the finished product. I shudder to think of the borderline torture Kubrick put his cast and crew through, particularly Scatman Crothers and Shelley Duvall.

One of my new favorite things about the film is the debate about what actually happens to Jack Torrance. You might believe that Jack is continually reincarnated and drawn to the hotel, or you might think that he was pulled back through time and absorbed into the hotel's past at the end of the film. Whichever of the two theories you believe, the film provides evidence for both, and I think that's a great thing. I do, however, personally believe the reincarnation theory. At one point, Jack says, "When I came up here for my interview, it was as though I'd been here before." I also recall a scene where Jack tells Lloyd the ghost/imaginary bartender that it's good to be back.

The Shining is the type of film that really makes me think and I'm glad that the talented group of people behind it came together to produce such a great piece of art and entertainment. The effort obviously involved more work than play, but the finished product is anything but dull.

The Shining Shindig

We just started watching The Shining! In honor of the film, we're watching it in Jacksonville's historic Carling building, which has its fair share of ghost stories. We've been watching the movie for a little while now though, and nothing creepy so far.

Keep an eye out for our review/tribute tomorrow.

Favorite Scene Friday: An Ode of What's to Come . . .

WILD CARD!!!