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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span> <\/strong>and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 12\/6: Andy Due (producer\/performer, Rubber Chicken Films\/RL3 Productions, Charleston, IL) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n As promised, CUBlog<\/strong> has been marching through all the relevant movie-centric topics of Champaign, Urbana<\/strong>, and the cities beyond that are fit to post, so this week we might as well give in to Ye Ed<\/strong>\u2019s instincts, inspired by last week\u2019s oddball \u201cImages<\/strong>\u201d investigation, and file a Report<\/strong> that is all about the thrilling and chilling going on in our scene. So much of the original output engineered by our creators and producers has fallen under that catch-all category, in fact, that we could<\/em> publish a horror mag entirely dedicated to it (\u2026don\u2019t tempt us\u2026) but, for the moment, it\u2019s best if we keep the scary score right here!<\/p>\n To start, our friends Chase & Shep<\/strong> (Chase Todd<\/strong> and Aaron Sheppard<\/strong>) plan to celebrate their fifth anniversary of 217 grooviness this Sunday, December 7<\/strong>, with a livestream that will launch on Facebook<\/strong> starting at 7 p.m.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> Join them to revel in all things C&S including their music and comedy\/horror shorts, as well as Todd and Phil Hazen<\/strong>\u2019s more recent films and podcasts, which includes a surprise out of left field that made its internet debut on Friday, October 16<\/strong>, at Found TV<\/strong>, a haven for fans of found-footage entertainment we have cited a couple of times previously in our coverage. THE WITCH HOUSE<\/strong> is a short made by Ontario<\/strong> filmmaker and animator Ron Chevarie<\/strong> (OSMOSIS JONES, SPACE JAM<\/strong>), who plays a relic hunter setting out to locate \u201cEl Libro de Los Muertos,\u201d the cursed book from “Camp Chasenshep” that has wreaked havoc in several C&S movie joints to date. You can watch THE WITCH HOUSE<\/strong> right here<\/a><\/span> with a free or paid account, while Chevarie\u2019s other first-person excursions into the supernatural and paranormal, produced under his Haunted Lodge Productions<\/strong> label with his wife Jan<\/strong>, include a feature called THE WHO INCIDENT<\/strong>, also at Found TV<\/a><\/span>, and a new hour-long excursion, ALIEN BTS<\/strong>, which went live at the \u201cStash \u2013 Sci-Fi Cinema<\/strong>\u201d channel<\/a><\/span> on YouTube<\/strong> last week on Thursday, November 27<\/strong>, as well as on Found. Apparently, several guests from the found footage\/phenomena indie film scene make appearances in ALIEN BTS<\/strong>, so be sure to watch it all the way through with eyes wide open. Don\u2019t blink!<\/p>\n And then, if you\u2019re like us and believe that every day has the potential to bring a little Halloween<\/strong> cheer even though it\u2019s now December with a healthy covering of snow on the ground, you won\u2019t mind that we\u2019re finally getting around to sharing our next ghoulish ditty. Episode 29 of THE ANDY DUE SHOW<\/strong> went live with its deadpan undead humor the same day as did THE WITCH HOUSE<\/strong>, October 16<\/strong>, and finds our friend in humorous non sequitur and malapropism, Andy Due<\/strong> of Rubber Chicken Films<\/strong>, up to his trademark wit with a love letter to the ghoulden days of horror. Slashers of the Eighties, Frankenstein\u2019s monster, Vincent Price<\/strong>, and more receive a loving send-up and his lab assistants include the witchy Zoe Due<\/strong>, the vampy Kaity Bequette<\/strong>, the electrifying Austin Beaty<\/strong>, and the head-turning Gela<\/strong> and Dave Rediger<\/strong> from Camp Nostalgic Studios<\/strong>. Fright of frights, a solo upload of the Frankenstein sequence<\/a><\/span> set to the classic novelty single \u201cThe Monster Mash<\/strong>\u201d performed by Bobby \u201cBoris\u201d Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers<\/strong> \u2013 the in-episode version features an original take, recorded by Due, of the 1962 hit \u2013 has amassed more than twenty-seven thousand views! You can watch the full episode and much more<\/a><\/span> on YouTube.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Now, we\u2019ll stitch together a few short notes. Southern Illinois<\/strong> resident Jed Brian<\/strong>, producer of the indie slasher UNLISTED OWNER<\/strong>, shared on Facebook two weeks ago his \u201cone million views\u201d plaque from YouTube, which he earned due to his writing and acting work in a myriad of horror film shorts posted to the channel of southern California<\/strong> filmmaker Alex Maga\u00f1a<\/strong>, ACMofficial<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. And Decatur<\/strong> area resident Jessie Seitz<\/strong>, the make-up effects artist and director, shared on Facebook that her long-gestating documentary on women in her creature-crafting field, MONSTER GIRLS<\/strong>, will have its world premiere tonight, December 5<\/strong>, as part of the \u201cLate Shift at the Grindhouse<\/strong>\u201d program at the FilmScene<\/strong> theater<\/a><\/span> in the Chauncey building<\/strong> of downtown Iowa City, Iowa<\/strong>. And Springfield<\/strong> area resident Ash Hamilton<\/strong>, editor of Horror-fix.com<\/strong> and the filmmaker behind HOLES IN THE SKY<\/strong> and FINAL DAYS<\/strong>, has begun production on his next found-footage feature called MANGLED: THE SHELBYVILLE TORTURE TAPES<\/strong>, a true crime docudrama that posits a notorious serial killer is still at large<\/a><\/span>. And Monticello<\/strong> resident Robert Christian<\/strong>, through his Champaign-based company Dreamscape Cinema<\/strong>, has finally released the middle chapter of his \u201cevil taxidermist\u201d trilogy, C.O.R.N. II: MIND HARVEST<\/strong>; featuring genre vet Jessica Morris<\/strong> and the returning Robert Donovan<\/strong>, his follow-up is being represented by Playa Media Group<\/strong> and can now be viewed on Tubi<\/strong> with its predecessor<\/a><\/span>. Christian attended the American Film Market<\/strong> in the Century City<\/strong> neighborhood of Los Angeles<\/strong> last month to hobnob and solicit support and sales for future projects.<\/p>\n To close on an exciting yet bummer note, we were<\/em> going to hype the improbable home video release by American Genre Film Archive<\/strong> of THE MOVIE ORGY<\/strong>, once thought untenable due to it being made up of several hours\u2019 worth of unlicensed clips. But, never say never? The Blu-ray edition was revealed this past Monday, December 1<\/strong>, on the Vinegar Syndrome<\/strong> website and the legendary mash-up, created by future Hollywood<\/strong> filmmakers Joe Dante<\/strong> and Jon Davison<\/strong>, has already sold out<\/a><\/span>. Toured to college campuses through the early Seventies and rarely seen since, THE MOVIE ORGY<\/strong> had one of its very first public play dates at the University of Illinois<\/strong> in May of 1971. You can read more about it in a prior Report<\/strong><\/a><\/span> and, hopefully, the folks at AGFA and VinSyn will consider a second run to give more folks a chance to get it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen<\/strong><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Relative to our Report<\/strong> in the arena of stranger things, we\u2019ve been meaning to share a few thoughts on a home video release that your humble editor had no clue about until he caught sight of it recently at the Deep Discount<\/strong> website<\/a><\/span>. LOVE, BLOOD, & AZTEC DEMONS<\/strong> is an anthology of the only remaining fragments from the unique genre features made by the Mexican-born director, Juan F. Moctezuma II<\/strong>, and the connoisseur of this obscure talent just happens to be our long-time friend, Alaric S. Rocha<\/strong>. He has put a lot of effort over the last decade-and-a-half into hunting down what he can and assembled his findings in the full-length documentary, WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA?<\/strong>, completed at long last by his company, Blue Bassoon Pictures<\/strong>. It received a world premiere presentation on Sunday, August 24<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, as part of the FrightFest London<\/strong> festival with himself and producer Rana-Joy Glickman<\/strong> in attendance, while everyone at CUBlog<\/span><\/strong> has been doing their best to avoid spoilers until we can see the findings for ourselves.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Until then, we have the LOVE, BLOOD<\/strong> precursor issued as a bare-bones DVD-R by Leomark Studios<\/strong> in September of last year. Ye Ed<\/strong> ordered it, of course, because he really wanted to get a sense of Rocha\u2019s exhaustive research. (For the DVD adverse, it is also available to stream<\/a><\/span> on several ad-supported services.) Our neighbors in Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> who joined us for the New Art Film Festival<\/strong> during its run at the Art Theater<\/strong> may have seen the preliminary restorations of Moctezuma\u2019s work that we chose to feed your curiosity \u2013 namely, the segments of UNA MUJER SIN PRECIO<\/strong> (A PRICELESS WOMAN<\/strong>) from 1961 and LAS FIERAS<\/strong> (THE BEASTS<\/strong>) from 1969 that were included in the sixth NAFF in 2015<\/a><\/span>. Rocha appears onscreen as our guide and lends context to these clips as well as other existent material from the filmography \u2013 TIEMPO DE MORIR<\/strong> (TIME TO DIE<\/strong>) from 1959, DEMONOID<\/strong> from 1971, and the sole American effort, 1000 PATHS OF DEATH<\/strong> from 1977. We\u2019re given insight as to why the film elements are in tatters and how the main thrust of this maligned artist\u2019s efforts was really<\/em> directed at wooing the love of his life, actress Lisa de la Luna<\/strong>, and spurning naysayers, including the luchador<\/em> star El Escorpi\u00f3n<\/strong>. It\u2019s a wild tale that is fleshed out in the documentary proper, from what little we can tell.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Taking in the slim volume of evidence presented here by Rocha, it\u2019s clear there is something charming and a touch romantic baked into the hokey exploitation trappings of what was accomplished by Moctezuma, who moved north after DEMONOID<\/strong> and parlayed his experience into roles on the sets of comparable B-level fare in the United States<\/strong> prior to filming 1000 PATHS<\/strong>. With limited means back in Mexico<\/strong>, he employed science fiction conceits in stage-bound sagas to explore lost loves, be it time travel in TIEMPO DE MORIR<\/strong> or robotic reincarnation in UNA MUJER<\/strong>, and more supernatural shocks in grainy hand-held melodramas, either to reflect on political strife in LAS FIERAS<\/strong> or the trespass of contemporary ignorance on ancient cultures in DEMONOID<\/strong>. Moctezuma seemed to be swinging for the fences with 1000 PATHS<\/strong>, interjecting an \u201cEl Topo\u201d or \u201cMan with No Name\u201d type wanderer into a lush, yet frozen, tundra haunted by marauders and half-living zombies; what Western audiences were to make of such an unorthodox riff on the \u201cfuture wasteland\u201d adventure, a Hollywood<\/strong> staple in that moment with the likes of THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR, DAMNATION ALLEY<\/strong>, and A BOY AND HIS DOG<\/strong>, is baffling to consider.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n It is probably moot to compare the wide range in Moctezuma\u2019s precious few features and the previous films of Rocha himself, who had also explored storytelling and genre in several modest efforts before peering into this rabbit hole. A producer, director, writer, and visualist in his own right, Rocha hails from Mount Carroll<\/strong> and Decatur, Illinois<\/strong>, studied music theory and composition at Lawrence University<\/strong> in Wisconsin<\/strong>, attended film school at DePaul University<\/strong> in Chicago<\/strong>, and worked for a spell in Champaign at the former Prairie Production Group<\/strong>. From there, he\u2019s been a filmmaking and film history instructor at DePaul, the Los Angeles Film School, Tecnol\u00f3gico Monterrey in Mexico<\/strong>, and now Ithaca College<\/strong> in New York<\/strong>. His shorts, several of them made or photographed in our area, include a violent dark comedy (MERRY CHRISTMAS!<\/strong>), a dreamlike chain gang drama shot with black-and-white 8mm stock (WINTER<\/strong>), a sexy noir<\/em> involving tango dancers (DEADLY EMBRACE<\/strong>), a romantic comedy hinging on a sticky situation (PICKING A WINNER<\/strong>), a moody fantasy involving a spirit (OREAD<\/strong>), and a tense Pandora\u2019s box unlocked by a gifted musician (THE TONE OF EMMA ZAHN\u2019S VIOLA<\/strong>). Are there parallels in ambition here? Possibly. Is it coincidence, irony, or fate that Rocha\u2019s first feature film is about a fellow creator whose own feature films are veritable specters? Decide for yourselves, dearest armchair investigators.<\/p>\n As we await our opportunity to learn what answers might ultimately satisfy the question, WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA?<\/strong>, we simply hope that Team Rocha has done justice in preserving the legacy of Juan F. Moctezuma II* for modern-day cineastes, scholars, and exploitation-savvy audiences. The best bets on getting started with this topic are to watch LOVE, BLOOD, & AZTEC DEMONS<\/strong> and check out the JUAN MOCTEZUMA<\/strong> trailer<\/a><\/span>. You can also look through his profile at Internet Movie Database<\/strong><\/a><\/span> as well as this older fan website that is loaded with juicy hot takes<\/a><\/span> on his career. If more comes to light, we\u2019ll be sure to share it with the class on CUBlog<\/span><\/strong>. Bully to Blue Bassoon Pictures<\/a><\/span> for even piecing together this<\/em> much.<\/p>\n LOVE, BLOOD, & AZTEC DEMONS: THE LOST FILMS OF JUAN F. MOCTEZUMA II<\/strong> is written, produced, and directed by Alairc S. Rocha. Development producer is Stephanie Salvy<\/strong>. It features Rocha and stars, via archive materials, Juan Roberto, Lisandra Tena<\/strong>, and Miguel N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/strong> (TIEMPO DE MORIR<\/strong>), Alec Torres, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, Ben David Garza<\/strong>, N\u00fa\u00f1ez, Tena, and El Escorpi\u00f3n (UNA MUJER SIN PRECIO<\/strong>), Gabriela Mayorga<\/strong> and Dagoberto Zolio Soto<\/strong> (LAS FIERAS<\/strong>), Antonio Monroi, Jorge Karl\u00f3z, Elisa Dei, Adrian Rodriguez, Mayorga<\/strong>, and Tena (DEMONOID<\/strong>), Javier Lopez, Alexandria McKinley, Peyton Cherry<\/strong>, and Tanner Huff<\/strong> (1000 PATHS OF DEATH<\/strong>). 2024, color\/black & white, 74 minutes, English and Spanish with subtitles.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n *If you noticed the asterisk and hunted down this footnote, then we\u2019ll preface it by saying that we pride ourselves at CUBlog<\/span><\/strong> in doing our best to get the details right and use good judgment in characterizing what we write about. It is rare that we play along covertly with how any film group or studio wishes to promote their own work, but we\u2019ve made a brief exception here with WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is primarily to honor Rocha\u2019s commitment to the bit in embellishing upon a Moctezuma hagiography that [SPOILER<\/strong>] is of his own creation, What the filmmaker and his collaborators, many of them students from his teaching assignments, have established on a lean budget and over more than ten years is admirable: clever and era-specific details in the film excerpts, hilarious faux anecdotes on the circa 2007 fan site, slightly suspect IMDb credits added to the profiles of legitimate productions, a mock-up page in the 1976 LOGAN\u2019S RUN<\/strong> issue of Cinefantastique<\/span><\/strong> magazine with Moctezuma coverage, and much more. Overall, it\u2019s an elaborate construct that is also an appreciation for the rich history of Mexican cinema and folklore, which Rocha is now openly admitting in interviews<\/a><\/span>, and we tip our hat to the world they\u2019ve built. An extra bow goes to Lisandra Tena<\/strong> (FEAR THE WALKING DEAD<\/strong>), who appears as the reluctant love interest “Lisa de la Luna” in various guises throughout the project, for sticking it out as well. [END SPOILER<\/strong>]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History<\/strong><\/p>\n 55 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026
\n12\/8: Britten Traughber (photographer, Britten Traughber Photography, Tucson, AZ)
\n12\/10: Sidney Taiko (editor\/publisher, Storm Cellar<\/span>, San Diego, CA)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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