Offbeat, Way Offbeat

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 12, 2005 8:22PM

How far can you stretch an art form until it snaps under the stress? Is there such a thing as being “too indie?” The organizers of the Chicago Underground Film Festival are asking for your answers to these and other imponderables. Submissions for the fest in August the fest are being accepted now through June 1st. The entry fee is $35 or $30 if your entry is postmarked by May 1st. Check their site for full details.

Not quite ready to make your directorial debut? Do you think a “Dutch Tilt” is something out of the Kama Sutra? Then why not sign up for a class at Chicago Filmmakers. Their Film Production and Digital Moviemaking classes are still open. And if you know of any junior-grade Kubricks they’ve got a Digital Moviemaking Summer Camp For Kids. (But if the little tyke is making noise about becoming the next Michael Bay then do us all a favor and sign him up for softball, OK?)

And speaking of crap filmmaking, Richard Roeper will be at the W Hotel tomorrow night at 6:30 for cocktails and a discussion of his recent book Schlock Value: Hollywood at Its Worst. The book is a collection lists and essays that detail the movie industry’s biggest hypes and over-indulgences. We’re just wondering if Tara Reid gets her own chapter or if she’ll be forced to share space with LiLo.

By the way, Chicagoist is willing to pay $5 to anyone who gets Roeper drunk enough to belt out a few bars of his favorite rock and roll song (audio proof required).