C-U Biz-en-scène: 07.23.2011

“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:
Playing 52-Column Pick-Up

Happy Saturday, gang! This CUBiz edition marks one full year’s worth of our signature weekly column, offering you the movie news pertaining to Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond! Despite a few struggles issuing the Biz in a timely manner, we’re pretty happy with the format and would love to keep ‘em coming alongside our other C-U Blogfidential editorial, but we’ve decided to break from active blogging for a few weeks beginning Monday, August 1. Between now and then, we will assemble one additional Biz for you as well as a few bonus goodies including a new “Double Life of a Cinéaste” entry from contributor Tyler Tharpe, while afterwards we will either go completely silent (excepting brief bits of activity on Facebook and YouTube, so befriend us now) or concede to writing calendar-only Biz columns and a Clean Slate or two. Any which way, don’t think we’re taking a true breather! Your humble editor, along with guest writers and editors, will begin work on fresh CUBlog material as well as brand-new C-U Confidential print product! No later than Friday, September 15, you should watch for not one but several important announcements right here, kicking off a new flow of local movie wonderment! Now is a great time for the C-U semi-empire to experience an “evolution of expression” which always starts from within – the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters, of course! – so while we put a new spin on old Biz-ness, we ask you to read on, MacDuffs:

  • Just in time for yesterday’s nationwide release of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Dark Maze Studios of Champaign has unleashed yet another episode of its DEJA VIEW remakesploitation series, this one exploring the wild Turkish mash-up 3 DEV ADAM (1973) in which Cap and luchador superhero El Santo take on evil crime lord Spider-man (!);
  • Filming began this week in Terre Haute, IN, on the comedic feature THE DRUNK, loosely inspired by the life of labor activist Eugene V. Debs, and Tanoos Fleschner Productions as issued a call for a “wide range of background extras.” Read up on the indie right here and then send your name, age, and phone number to extras [at] thedrunkmovie [dot] com if you want in. THE DRUNK is scheduled to wrap August 13;
  • Johnny Robinson needs a last-minute presenter to anchor next week’s Champaign Movie Makers meeting which will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 7 p.m., at the Class Act Interactive/SODO Theatre space in downtown Champaign. Please write johnny [at] johnnyrobinson [dot] com if you might be interested in heading discussion about particular aspects of the filmmaking process;
  • Dreamscape Design of Champaign is looking for actors to appear in a television commercial campaign for a hearing aid manufacturer, to be produced during the next several weeks. Roles include a grandfather, age 55-75, his best friend, age 48-68, his wife, age 55-70, his grandson, age 8-13, and a female laboratory technician, age 20-30. Candidates may send contact information, potential scheduling conflicts, and one head shot/photograph to PA [at] dreamscape [dot] bz;
  • Sister company Dreamscape Cinema requires a digital artist to help complete post-production on their family sci-fi feature, MY DOG THE SPACE TRAVELER. Special effects work will include compositing, tracking, and rotoscoping; contact Robin Christian at (217) 359-8484 or Johnny Robinson at (217) 714-2748 for more information;
  • We’ve received a mini-barrage of messages reminding everyone that the final deadline to submit films for inclusion in the Independent Film Quarterly Film & New Media Festival of New York City is next Friday, July 29. This annual event, sponsored by the festival-friendly IFQ Magazine based in Santa Monica, CA, will take place November 10-13, 2011;
  • Finally, we send out a big drunken “Happy Birthday!” wish to our friend Colin Price, who turns a quarter-century old tomorrow, Sunday, July 24. Price is currently scripting the skin-crawling tales for an untitled thriller anthology film he intends to shoot soon in MICRO-FILM Country!

We also ask that you please read and heed this Call for Submissions proposed a few weeks ago on CUBlog; we would love nothing more than to learn about our dearest readers’ C-U movie lives in their own words during our break in the on-line action! Thank you in advance!

MEDIA LINKS

This week, we walk a somber path towards enriching your weekly reading. The News-Gazette reported Tuesday on an upcoming documentary by former WILL-TV producers Alison Davis Wood and Timothy Hartin about University of Illinois professor Nick Holonyak, Jr., inventor of LED technology; we ponder why the Big Ten Network would spare funding and air time for such a project – other than it makes one of its member schools look good – while the UI’s PBS affiliate struggles to survive even after cutting back tremendously on its original programming. The pinch is hardly unique to educational television as union members working at the WEEK-TV Channel 25 and WHOI-TV Channel 19 stations in Peoria launched a protest against corporate owners Granite Broadcasting to discourage the outsourcing of production, according to a Pantagraph story from last week. And then we have this curious wire story comparing the ongoing contract disputes between professional athletes and the National Football League/National Basketball Association with an adaptable Hollywood entertainment machine that has taken definitive steps to circumvent rifts with its own star power stable by relying more on branding than talent to drive sales. We’ll return to our regularly desired joy and happiness next time. Beer? Cigarette? Peanuts?

PLAYING THIS WEEK

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: BEGINNERS (7/22 on), PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (7/22, 10 p.m.; 7/23, Noon & 10 p.m.; 7/24, Noon; 7/28, 10 p.m.)

@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (7/23, 1 & 7 p.m.)

@ Class Act Interactive, Champaign, IL: Champaign Movie Makers meeting (7/26, 7 p.m.)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: HORRIBLE BOSSES, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2, LARRY CROWNE (7/22 on)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (7/21-7/22, 7 p.m.), THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (7/23-7/24, 7 p.m.)

@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (7/22 on)

@ Gemini Cinemas, Villa Grove, IL: SUPER 8, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (7/22 on)

@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (7/22-7/24)

@ Princess Theatre, LeRoy, IL: GREEN LANTERN (7/22-7/24)

@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (7/22 on)

@ Route 66 Drive-In, Springfield, IL: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2, GREEN LANTERN, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (7/22 on)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: RANGO, LIMITLESS, ARTHUR, TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT, UNCLE BOONMEE, DARK DAYS (Oscilloscope), THE MUSIC ROOM (Criterion), more! (7/19 on)

@ Centerbrook Drive-In, Martinsville, IN: ZOOKEEPER, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (7/22-7/28)

@ Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International Film Festival (through 7/24)

@ Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, Palatine, IL: Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival (through 7/24)

@ Big Ten Network: A BRILLIANT IDEA: NICK HOLONYAK AND THE LED* (7/28, 7 p.m. CST; 8/2, 4 p.m. CST)

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Locally produced movies and events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Go see ‘em!

COMING SOON

8/4-8/7: Gen Con (Gaming), Indianapolis, IN

NEW! 8/9, 8/11: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.

8/11-8/14: Wizard World Chicago (Comics & entertainment), Rosemont, IL

9/9: COPS and THE KID w/live accompaniment
@ Ellnora: the Guitar Festival, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 6:30 p.m.

9/10: THE GREAT FLOOD w/live accompaniment
@ Ellnora: the Guitar Festival, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 1:30 p.m.

9/13: DVD release: LEADING LADIES*
+ Wolfe Video, New Almaden, CA

9/15-9/17: IMC Film Festival
@ Independent Media Center, Urbana, 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: CHICAGO 8: Small Gauge Film Festival, Chicago, IL

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

4/18-4/22, 2012: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI

4/25-4/29, 2012: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL

COMMUNITY FILM SERIES

The New Classics: Great Books to Great Films from the Past 50 Years
@ Danville Public Library, Danville, IL, 6:30 p.m.

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

UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES

Global Lens 2011: International Films
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL

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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We welcome your virtual presence in the Confidential scheme!

307 awesome (but way too few) peeps dig our Facebook page, while 21 astounding (yet way way way too few) comrades keep a watchful eye on our YouTube channel, the C-U Confidential Revue! We’d place our bets in a heartbeat that many more would enjoy our social/video outreach if they knew about us! Have you joined us on-line? Will you be ambassadors for our indie film cause and send your recruits in our direction? The more attention we receive, the better we can serve the interests of local artists and the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond!

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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no.52 © 2011 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

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