C-U Biz-en-scène: 06.11.2011
“C-U Biz-en-scène” appears every Thursday/Friday on C-U Blogfidential to give our readers a succinct snapshot of the cinema activity in and near Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA. Please support the artists and their work, attend screenings and events, and otherwise become active in our esoteric little world!
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MFHQ & YOU:
Even Filmmakers Started Small-Gauge
Our pint glass apparently runneth over with busy work this week, forcing a time shortage that didn’t allow us to compose a lengthier CUBiz than what appears below. We hope you receive enough nourishment from the bullet point kernels and we pledge a lot more pop for you in six days. Until then, it might be fulfilling to not only give J.J. Abrams’ SUPER 8 adventure movie a chance but to give the film medium that provides its title a three-minute whirl in a vintage camera near you, just for the thrill of seeing what develops. Maybe the results will make for good reporting right here on C-U Blogfidential, such as:
- Andrew Nygard, late of Illini Film & Video vice-presidency and University of Illinois undergraduate enrollment, is attempting to kick start a new film project, THE GIANT COMMUNIST, as all the hip kids do these days. Take a look at his Kickstarter page for a pitch and 1-minute “proof of concept” video featuring Andrew Stengele and Eric Sizemore in faux newsreel shenanigans of a droll Nygardian nature. Hearty souls can back COMMUNIST by pledging to its budget on-line or inquiring about cast and crew positions via GiantCommunist [at] gmail [dot] com. Nygard intends to make the short subject in the C-U later this year;
- Every so often, we spontaneously Web search in the hopes of discovering movement on various “lost” movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond. Such is the case with this freshly posted trailer for CHARLESTON THE MUSICAL, a tuneful micro-epic begun by Eastern Illinois University students and comrades back in 2006-7 that reportedly emerged in completed form for an April 8 premiere. While we confirm the details of its long gestating debut, you can watch various CHARLESTON clips on this YouTube channel managed by “Black Music Celebrity;”
- Our friend Kimberly Conner of Springfield, who created the AIDS short film drama THIS LIFE AIN’T PRETTY two years ago, will make a big leap with her first feature-length effort, JUMP IN. She describes it for CUBlog as “a romantic dramedy about taking risks, forgiveness, and appreciation for what we value most – family.” The new Predestined Arts & Entertainment project will most likely shoot in Springfield and Chicago. Conner invites prospective crew members of all disciplines to contact her through kimberosby [at] yahoo [dot] com to discuss needs on the show, while Windy City area talent can book an audition with her that will take place Thursday, July 14, at the Screen Actors Guild office on Erie Street in Chicago;
- We recently received word on two new incentives through the MICRO-FILM pipeline! First, the New York Television Festival has several contests it is sponsoring with the likes of MTV, IFC, and FX, while those into the reality television craze might zero in on the A&E “Unscripted Development Pipeline” which is accepting treatment submissions through Friday, July 15. Also, the Savannah Film Festival hosted by the Savannah (GA) College of Art and Design is accepting entries until Friday, July 1, via Withoutabox;
- To finish, Martha Zarate of Parkland College wrote CUBlog to confirm the “Conversation & Culture” summer course we wrote about last week has been cancelled.
As for those local feature productions about which we keep pledging to spill, stick with us to finally glean the goods including proper contact information. Thanks for your patience, dearest readers!
MEDIA LINKS
It’s three-and-out this series, folks, so let’s give ‘em the ol’ college try! This notice on DreadCentral.com announces the DVD release of low-budget thriller PARANOIA from Rochester’s Walkaway Entertainment; CUBiz will discuss next week the movie’s public unveiling on June 18 in the capital city. A bit higher on the Hollywood food chain, the UIUC National Center for Computing Applications (NCSA) drops the skinny about computer generated space simulations their Advanced Visualization Lab designed for Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE, the group’s first such work on a narrative feature film. Finally, we caught a rebroadcast on Urbana PBS affiliate WILL-TV of the half-hour documentary AMERICAN HORIZONS, originally commissioned by Indiana University-Bloomington as part of their retrospective on photographer Art Sinsabaugh (1924-1983), who taught at UIUC in the Sixties and captured Champaign County landscapes in his earliest panoramic series.
PLAYING THIS WEEK
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: EVERYTHING MUST GO (6/10, 6/12 on), CLOVERFIELD (6/10, 10 p.m.; 6/12, 12:30 p.m.; 6/15-6/16, 10 p.m.), LGBTQA Film Festival (6/11, 1 p.m.-12 a.m., see schedule below!)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: SUPER 8, BRIDESMAIDS, THE HANGOVER PART II (6/10 on)
@ Danville Public Library, Danville, IL: FIELD OF DREAMS (6/13, 6:30 p.m.)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: RABBIT HOLE (6/9-6/12)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL: THE HANGOVER PART II, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (6/10 on)
@ Gemini Cinemas, Villa Grove, IL: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, KUNG FU PANDA 2 (6/10 on)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL: KUNG FU PANDA 2 (6/10-6/12, 6/15)
@ Princess Theatre, LeRoy, IL: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (6/10-6/12)
@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: KUNG FU PANDA 2, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (6/10 on)
@ Route 66 Drive-In, Springfield, IL: KUNG FU PANDA 2, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, THE HANGOVER PART II, BRIDESMAIDS (6/10 on)
@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: TRUE GRIT, ANOTHER YEAR, JUST GO WITH IT, THE HOUSEMAID, RUBBER, THE COMPANY MEN, SANCTUM, BURN NOTICE (s4), more! (6/7 on)
@ Centerbrook Drive-In, Martinsville, IN: KUNG FU PANDA 2, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (6/10-6/15)
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Locally produced movies and events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Go see ‘em!
COMING SOON
6/18: PARANOIA* local movie premiere w/filmmakers
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL, 8 p.m.
6/23-6/26: Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival, Chicago, IL
NEW! 7/8: THE ST. FRANCISVILLE EXPERIMENT w/Troy Taylor
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL, 10:30 p.m.
7/14-7/24: Indianapolis International Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN
7/15-7/17: G-Fest XVIII (Japanese pop culture), Rosemont, IL
7/19-7/24: Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival, Palatine, IL
8/4-8/7: Gen Con (Gaming), Indianapolis, IN
8/11-8/14: Wizard World Chicago (Comics & entertainment), Rosemont, IL
9/16-9/18: Route 66 International Film Festival
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
9/23-9/25: B Movie Celebration, Franklin, IN
10/6-10/20: Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
10/13-10/22: Heartland Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN
10/21-10/23: Dark Carnival Film Festival, Bloomington, IN
10/28-10/30: Freeky Creek Short Film Festival
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL
11/3-11/12: Reeling Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
11/4-11/5: Drunken Zombie Film Festival
@ Peoria Theater, Peoria, IL
11/10-11/12: Embarras Valley Film Festival
@ EIU campus/Will Rogers Theater/etc., Charleston, IL
11/11-11/13: HorrorHound Weekend (Horror culture), Cincinnati, OH
11/10-11/20: St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO
COMMUNITY FILM SERIES
2nd Annual LGBTQA Film Festival sponsored by UP Center of Champaign County
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 6/11
1 p.m.: YOU SHOULD MEET MY SON; 3 p.m.: TWO SPIRITS (free), 5:30 p.m.: CAMP OUT; 7:30 p.m.: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT; 9:45 p.m.: BIG GAY MUSICAL
The New Classics: Great Books to Great Films from the Past 50 Years
@ Danville Public Library, Danville, IL, 6:30 p.m.
6/13: FIELD OF DREAMS; 7/11: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK; 8/8: INTO THE WILD; 9/12: TRUE GRIT (2010); 10/10: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; 11/14: ORDINARY PEOPLE; 12/12: FAIL SAFE 1964); 1/9/12: NEVER CRY WOLF; 2/13/12: AWAKENINGS; 3/12/12: ADAPTATION; 4/9/12: UP IN THE AIR
The News-Gazette Film Series 2011
@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
7/23: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S; 8/6: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE; 9/10: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; 10/8: THE EXORCIST; 11/5: THE GODFATHER; 12/3: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
WILL-TV/Independent Lens “Community Cinema” series
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 3 p.m.
6/11: TWO SPIRITS
UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES
Global Lens 2011: International Films
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL
7/21: SOUL OF SAND, India; 8/18: STREET DAYS, Georgia; 9/15: THE TENANTS, Brazil; 10/20: A USEFUL LIFE, Uruguay; 11/17: WHITE MEADOWS, Iran
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That’s it for the “business of our scene” this week!
If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CUBiz, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.
Compiled by Jason Pankoke
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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no.46 © 2011 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.