C-U Film Leader: 11.29.2012
The C-U Film Leader
November 29, 2012
Featuring: SCARY NORMAL, QuantumCat Animation & more!
The C-U Film Leader appears Thursdays on C-U Blogfidential to point our readers towards interesting cinema activity relevant to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and the surrounding area. Please support the artists and their work, attend screenings and events, and otherwise become active in our wondrous little world!
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Will the third Lead be the charm, dearest readers? Here is a final “beta mode” edition of our revised news column, the C-U Film Leader, for you to look through before we head into our break. We still would love to glean your thoughts about CULead, so why not respond in the Comments field below or send a note to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com while you’re here? Thanks and cheers to you this holiday season!
5 :: UPCOMING C-U FILM “SCARY NORMAL”
TO PREMIERE NEXT FEBRUARY IN MICHIGAN
In 2013, two independent features produced in Champaign and Vermillion counties will begin making the rounds. One of them is SCARY NORMAL, the directorial debut of Jennifer Bechtel (LEADING LADIES) starring Laura Anne Welle, April Cleveland, Mike Trippiedi, and Chris Taber, scheduled to take its first bow February 9 during the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference, hosted this year by Michigan State University in Lansing, MI. Outwardly the more lighthearted of the two, SCARY NORMAL concerns a teen protagonist who discovers feelings for another young woman as her chaotic family life plays out in the background. We’re sure Bechtel will let us know when the film first plays the C-U so we can invite you all to see it; LGBT friendly groups might consider her just-announced program through which they can raise funding for their own work by screening SCARY NORMAL at no cost!
4 :: MIKE BOEDICKER READIES THIRD FEATURE,
PROFILED IN NEWS-GAZETTE Q&A
Several weeks ago, your humble editor attended a rough cut screening of HAUNTINGS directed by Mike Boedicker of Roselawn Productions in Danville. The dramatic feature tells the story of a couple played by Joi Hoffsommer and Bill Kephart who move into a mansion saddled with a murky history involving mysticism and murder. Once the post-production team finishes refining the edit and Boedicker chooses a release title, we’ll hopefully join each and every one of you when this well-acted follow-up to Roselawn’s REVOLTING (2010) and SHOW (2006) plays the C-U as well! Until then, enjoy this recent News-Gazette “Getting Personal” feature for which Boedicker candidly answered questions about himself, as well as his own Web tribute to Danville-raised movie legend Gene Hackman (HOOSIERS).
3 :: ESSAY BY RICHARD LESKOSKY GIVES PROPS
TO “FILM-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY”
Why yes, Champaign-Urbana, he would be talking about Champaign-Urbana! The current entry in a biweekly News-Gazette series by retired University of Illinois professor Richard J. Leskosky singles out several movie lovers’ resources he is thankful for, most of them located in the C-U including the Art Theater Co-op, That’s Rentertainment, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, the Insect Fear Film Festival, and … C-U Confidential! (He did generously write for our last issue, but let’s not digress.) We sincerely thank Leskosky for the nod as well as for complementing C-U film culture; you can read the piece right here and pull up his previous articles with a name search. We’re lucky to have such a high caliber of original film writing in a small city newspaper between him, Chuck Koplinski, and syndicated Roger Ebert.
2 :: MICRO-PRODUCER THOMAS NICOL LAUNCHES
WEB SITE; 40 NORTH REVISES THEIR OWN
The most intriguing daredevil to emerge in our scene might be Thomas Nicol, the Hobbyist Without Fear. Not content to simply oversee Champaign Movie Makers, advise the C-U Film Society, and make his own damn movies, Nicol recently launched the info-blog QuantumCat Animation which details his adventures in filmmaking – particularly from a craft standpoint – as well as comment on movie subjects at large. Elsewhere, those wanting to expand their own reach might visit the brand-new Web site for the 40 North 88 West arts council of Champaign County, which invites area artists to add information to their on-line directory for free. This includes you, media-making types! As of this writing, we don’t see any usual CUBlog suspects in the listing so it’s time for everyone to step on it and make our presence known!
:::: BEEP! ::::
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That’s it for this and the next few weeks, gang. The Leader has spoken!
If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CULead, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.
Compiled by Jason Pankoke
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“The C-U Film Leader” no.83 © 2012 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.