C-U Biz-en-scène: 06.16.2011

“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:
A Non-PC Vista Enhances Our Wide, Widescreen World

It seems the longer we cover our cinematic heritage, the more we value taking breaks from the 16×9 confines of said heritage and paying closer attention to the real world surrounding them. To wit, your humble editor stocked up on his non C-U viewing this past week while visiting with the Family JaPanGNOMEO & JULIET (cute!), KICK-ASS (entertaining, if violent!), DEAD SNOW (bloody cheeky and loving it!), THE MATRIX (yes, long long overdue!) – although it was the massive formations along the Illinois River within Starved Rock State Park of Utica which left the grandest impressions upon him by far. No high-definition composition can beat the humbling experience of scaling stairs by the hundreds to witness a green-brown valley accented by withering clouds and skittering birds opening up before him. It is this kind of tangible experience, blocking out our “fast paced society” and allowing one to appreciate the majestic details of planet Earth, which can fuel the sensibilities of artists who will instill what they see and feel within their work. After all, honest experience is what ultimately forms our electronic expression. Speaking of such activity:

  • Brett Hays of Shatterglass Studios in Champaign tells CUBlog he has accepted a production manager role on a low-budget political comedy titled THE DRUNK that is set to shoot in Terre Haute, IN, from mid-July to mid-August. Depicting the misadventures encountered by the fictional grandson of real-life labor leader and presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926), THE DRUNK will be produced and directed by Terre Haute natives Paul Fleschner and William Tanoos. Chicago cinematographer Peter Biagi and Baton Rouge, LA-based assistant director Anthony Cabral, who both worked on locally filmed indie LEADING LADIES in 2009, have signed on; casting is underway in Chicago and Los Angeles to fill primary roles, although Tanoos and Fleschner will play the grandson and his best friend/attorney, respectively. Hays will be hiring production assistants (PAs) shortly, so contact brett [at] shatterglassstudios [dot] com if interested;
  • Ryan Mitchelle of Walkaway Entertainment in Rochester will premiere his new full-length production PARANOIA in Theatre III of Springfield‘s Hoogland Center for the Arts this Saturday, June 18, starting at 8 p.m. Although Walkaway just released the movie on DVD – it features separate cast and filmmaker commentaries, a behind-the-scenes segment, a blooper reel, and a trailer – the Hoogland presentation will be the public debut for the psychological thriller. Springfield B-movie blogger Brad Jones wrote the script and plays the lead alongside Jillian Zurawski, Brian Irving, Brian Lewis, and Jake Norvell. Mitchelle, who earned a degree at Columbia College-Chicago and worked in Hollywood before returning to his native Illinois, also collaborated with Jones on the feature CHEAP and Webisode series, THE HOOKER WITH A HEART OF GOLD;
  • Chris Lukeman of Railsplitter Media in Champaign needs “neat men’s ‘70s clothing” of the summer short, Polo shirt, and suit coat varieties, as well as a prop gun reflecting World War II or Vietnam era weaponry, for a short film shoot beginning next week. (We already caught a Lukeman associate’s reference to something called “’73,” so we’ll let your imaginations run wild as to which recent lark this new project might be related.) Hit up Lukeman at chrislukeman [at] gmail [dot] com or (217) 637-0191 if you can abide with some threads or faux arms;
  • Thomas Nicol of Tangeant Films in Urbana has three nightly performances left with his brother Galen of the play Stones in His Pockets this Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, at Sleepy Creek Vineyards in Fairmount. While a bit off the path of our (un)usual coverage, the book by Marie Jones involves an American movie crew invading a small Irish village and stoking the fires of unrealistic dreams. We include Stones this week as an example of how the many C-U talents stretch their reach when the mood strikes them;
  • Brian Dolinar of the Independent Media Center in Urbana confirmed this week for CUBlog the IMC Film Festival, which first took place in February 2009 and 2010, will return in mid-September after being awarded a cash grant by the City of Urbana Arts Program. IMCFF fans can discuss with Dolinar via briandolinar [at] gmail [dot] com about volunteer opportunities;
  • Finally, our friend Laura Zinger returns to the neighborhood once again to accompany her inspirational documentary PROCEED AND BE BOLD!, which will show once on Saturday, June 18, 5:15 p.m., during the Art Theater’s newest Documentary Film Festival, for which you can find the entire schedule listed below! Highlights include the new Morgan Spurlock film, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, the prolific Werner Herzog’s maiden 3-D excursion (albeit in 2-D at the Art) CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, the return of Brazil street art exposé WASTE LAND, and the long-awaited C-U big-screen debut of ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, a heartfelt rock doc featuring a near-forgotten Eighties hair metal band and the founders’ stubborn fight to earn it long overdue recognition.

Believe it or not, we have at least one more upcoming feature film to tell you about that will be photographed in our immediate region. Look for the artful reveal in an upcoming CUBiz column, along with a steady trickle of additional news that you simply can’t afford to miss!

MEDIA LINKS

In this CUBiz we’re being a bit lazy since all our links relate to bullet points above, yet by separating them out we hope they won’t get lost in the ruckus! We start with Brad Jones’ The Cinema Snob Weblog, through which you will find all sorts of B-to-Z grade cinema reviews as well as a mini-network of like-minded pop culture forums and indie movie makers including Champaign’s very own Dark Maze Studios. Then, we have a pair of Terre Haute Tribune Star pieces about THE DRUNK posted earlier this morning. To finish, we direct your attention to this printable Art Theater Documentary Film Festival schedule assembled by none other than your humble editor; anyone in need of similar design/layout services should contact him right now!

PLAYING THIS WEEK

PARANOIA* premiere w/filmmakers: Saturday, 6/18, 8 p.m., Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: WASTE LAND (6/17, 5:30 p.m.; 6/21, 7:30 p.m.), THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD (6/17, 7:30 p.m.; 6/19, 3:30 p.m., 6/22, 7:30 p.m.), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (6/17, 10 p.m.; 6/18, 1:30 & 10 p.m.; 6/19, 1:30 p.m.; 6/23, 10 p.m.), RACING DREAMS (6/18, 3:30 p.m.; 6/20, 7:30 p.m.), PROCEED AND BE BOLD! (6/18, 5:15 p.m., w/filmmaker), CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (6/18, 7:30 p.m.; 6/19, 5:30 p.m.; 6/23, 7:30 p.m.), BILL CUNNINGHAM, NEW YORK (6/19, 7:30 p.m., 6/20, 9:30 p.m.), ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (6/21, 9:30 p.m.; 6/22, 9:30 p.m.)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: GREEN LANTERN, SUPER 8, BRIDESMAIDS (6/17 on)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: STAGECOACH (6/16-6/17), THE SEARCHERS (6/18-6/19)

NEW! @ Lake Pointe Grille, Springfield, IL: Central Illinois Film Commission meeting (6/16, 7 p.m.)

@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL: GREEN LANTERN, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (6/17 on)

@ Gemini Cinemas, Villa Grove, IL: MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS, FAST FIVE (6/17 on)

@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (6/17-6/19, 6/22)

@ Princess Theatre, LeRoy, IL: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (6/17-6/19)

@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: GREEN LANTERN, KUNG FU PANDA 2 (6/17 on)

@ Route 66 Drive-In, Springfield, IL: MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, THE HANGOVER PART II, BRIDESMAIDS (6/17 on)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, RED RIDING HOOD, KILL THE IRISHMAN, HALL PASS, JACKASS 3.5, MONOGAMY, INSIGNIFICANCE (Criterion), more! (6/14 on)

@ Centerbrook Drive-In, Martinsville, IN: GREEN LANTERN, THE HANGOVER PART II (6/17-6/22)

@ Gene Siskel Film Center + Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL: Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival (6/23-6/26)

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

COMING SOON

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

NEW! 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: 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

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

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

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.47 © 2011 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

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