C-U Biz-en-scène: 12.09.2010

“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:
Stuff those Stockings with Shiny Movie Goodness

Regardless of our comments from the last CUBiz, we do encourage spreading the love by introducing your friends and family to the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond! In no particular order, we link to DVDs that you can easily order from the producers who can always use that extra cash to promote their current product or save up to create the next: Roselawn Productions of Danville (REVOLTING), Dark Maze Studios of Champaign (PRESS START, ROBOGIRL, etc.), Kill Vampire Lincoln Productions of Champaign (THE TRANSIENT), GladiusArts of Sidney (DOGHOUSE), Premonition Pictures of Los Angeles via Urbana (ONE FINE DAY, A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW), and CNGM Pictures of Palatine (NORMAL LIFE). There are several other titles of local origin released by traditional distributors that you can find on Amazon.com, such as THE SHOWDOWN, THE GARBAGE MAN, and the upcoming SHEEBA which we will revisit briefly tomorrow for “Images of the Week.” Supporting your local artists includes sparing coin for those engaging in possibly the most expensive and technically demanding of arts, the friendly neighborhood filmmakers, so please make an effort to encourage their peculiar activity in MICRO-FILM Country – you never know when the next flight of film fancy will become the Next Big Thing!

EVENTS

Festival director Linda McElroy announced yesterday on Facebook that advance passes for next year’s 10th annual Route 66 International Film Festival are now available through the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, IL. Passes gain the bearer admittance to all R66FF events and cost a mere $50 each from now to December 31. We bet they would make great gifts!

MEETINGS

Keep in mind that on Tuesday, December 14, 7 p.m., Champaign Movie Makers will meet at Class Act Interactive, 114 S. Neil St., Champaign, to afford area filmmakers and talent an opportunity to discuss and join forces in the making of independent cinema in the area. This month’s presentation by Cara Maurizi will explore the relationship between film directors and actors and what each should expect from the other while on the set. Additional topics are TBA. Feel free to contact Johnny Robinson at johnny [at] johnnyrobinson [dot] com for further information!

MEDIA LINKS

Seems we blew the proverbial wad last week with the linkage overload, so we’ll keep it simple by directing you to reviews by Mike Clark of Home Media Magazine and Jason Bailey of DVDTalk.com about the documentary HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST AND REBEL, released to disc this week by Phase 4 Films. As we know, the full history of Hef recounts that the founder of the Playboy empire began his once provocative dallying in the printed word (and pictures) while a student at the University of Illinois during the Forties. Instead of hightailing it for a Chicago mansion upon initial success like a certain smoking jacket-clad magnate, Jason Croft has continued the naughty-but-nice media tradition here in the C-U operating out of his own modest bachelor pad. Just released is his fourteenth issue of Fifties neo-culture activity, Bachelor Pad Magazine, while he spins the vintage space-age hits during the Bachelor Pad Radio Show on WEFT 90.1 FM in Champaign every Friday night starting at 10 p.m. The cool tunes have now made a segue to Yule tunes for the month of December, which we find pleasant listening at the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters if we find ourselves stuck indoors getting down to business. No, the other business as in the business we’re conducting right now. Perv.

PLAYING THIS WEEK

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: 127 HOURS (12/10 on), MACHETE (12/10, 12/11, 12/16, 10 p.m.), Love’s Labour’s Lost (12/11-12/12, 12 p.m., theater)

@ The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL: Pizza + Pitcher and Movie – NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION, ELF, BAD SANTA (12/12, 6 p.m.)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (12/9, 7 p.m., Free), THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, STONE, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST (12/10 on),

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: BACHELOR MOTHER (12/9-12/10, 7 p.m.), HOLIDAY INN (12/11-12/12, 7 p.m.)

@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL: TANGLED + T.B.A. (12/10 on)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: INCEPTION, RESTREPO, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, MADAMOISELLE CHAMBON, PATRIK AGE 1.5, more! (12/7 on)

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

COMING SOON

12/16: Central Illinois Film Commission meeting
@ Di Piero’s Sicilian Cucina, Springfield, IL, 7 p.m.

1/18, 2011: DVD release: SHEEBA*

2/11, 2011: DVD release: PRESS START 2 CONTINUE*

2/18-2/27, 2011: Big Muddy Film Festival
@ Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

3/22-3/27, 2011: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI

3/30-4/1, 2011: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI

4/27-5/1, 2011: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL

COMMUNITY FILM SERIES

“Real Vs. Reel” Movie Series
@ Danville Public Library, Danville, IL, 6:30 p.m.

12/13: ROCKY; 1/10/11: SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS; 2/14/11: HOOSIERS; 3/14/11: A PLACE IN THE SUN; 4/11/11: THE FUGITIVE

The News-Gazette Film Series 2011
@ The Virginia Theater, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.

1/22/11: TOP GUN; 2/5/11: SOME LIKE IT HOT; 3/12/11: THE MATRIX; 4/23/11: TOY STORY; 5/14/11: REAR WINDOW

WILL-TV/Independent Lens “Community Cinema” series
@ Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL, 6:30 p.m.

1/27/11: FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE

UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES

Global Lens 2010: International Films
@ Latzer Hall, University YMCA, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 5:30 p.m.

12/9: SHIRLEY ADAMS, South Africa

OUTRO

Not a creature was stirring the other night at MFHQ after a heavy-duty weekend of straightening up the joint, with fresh snow cover bouncing cool moonlight through our windows and casting oblong shadows (is that a UFO?) onto doors and walls. In the comforting hush after long days of work, we kept the television time to a minimum but soon it will be necessary to restore movie nights at HQ. We’re not talking any random movies, of course, but fresh visions and old favorites that will inform the MICRO-FILM and C-U Confidential we hope to have in store for you, dearest readers, throughout 2011. Check back with us for future updates and stick with us by showing your support – read what we’re writin’, comment about what we’re thinkin’, purchase what we’re producin’, and spread the word far and wide about what we’re perpetratin’. We thank you for your continued support but ask that you pledge to increase that support on all fronts as next year promises to be a boon if we all succeed … or a big bust if we’re left out back to dry. We know what we want. You will help determine if it’s worth the wild ride. Hang on!

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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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MF FIRE SALE!

We ask that you consider purchasing back issues of MICRO-FILM and C-U Confidential to help erase our outstanding print bill before we return to the printer with files for not only CUZine no.5 but our delayed special issues, C-U Confidential ’99 and MICRO-FILM 2000. You can order by using the “Donate” PayPal button here or sending cash/check/money order/cashier’s check to: Jason Pankoke, Editor, MICRO-FILM, 401 N. Prairie, Suite 3D, Champaign, IL, 61820. Documents should be made payable to “Jason Pankoke” and personal/business checks will have to sit 4-6 weeks to clear. The sale is good for MICRO-FILM issues 1-7 (do not use the old PayPal buttons if you want sale prices) and C-U Confidential issues 1-4 until further notice. For any single order: 1st copy MF, $5 ppd; 2nd copy MF, $4 ppd, 3rd copy MF, $3 ppd; 4th+ copy MF, $2 ppd each; 1st copy CUZine, $4 ppd; 2nd copy CUZine, $3 ppd, 3rd+ copy CUZine, $1 ppd each. If you have trouble figuring out a total price, simply write us at cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com for help. We need to nail this by the end of February 2011 or nefarious decisions will have to be made in the bowels of the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters. Thanks in advance for your support!

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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no. 20 © 2010 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

One Response to C-U Biz-en-scène: 12.09.2010

  1. Linda McElroy :

    Thanks for the plug about buying Route 66 International Film Festival passes in advance. For those who have never attended a film festival, our festival is a good place to meet new filmmakers and see some really original short and feature films. Try it, you’ll have a great time.