Calendar: March 15-21, 2024

March 16th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

3/18: Joseph Muskin (co-author, The Art Theater, Champaign Urbana Theater History, Urbana, IL)
3/19: Andrew F. Gleason (associate director of video services, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

3/8: Mark Rubel, 65 (producer, MELVIN’S DISCONTENT, Pogo Studios, Champaign, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

In the interest of getting something out of this breezy weekend that doesn’t involve a computer, we’re drafting the easiest and peasiest Report that we can. To that end, we share this sole topic that reveals more layers than you’d expect. A bunch has been in the news lately about the EV start-up Rivian Automotive, which has a manufacturing plant in Normal at the location where George Henry Horton’s AI indie PROJECT DOROTHY was shot. (Rivian CEO R. J. Scaringe and DOROTHY producer Ryan Scaringe are clearly related, hence the filmmakers’ unfettered access to the former Mitsubishi complex.) The operation is being positioned as an answer or competitor to Elon Musk’s Tesla brand if they can get product out on the streets; the Normal facility is eliminating its third shift operations and transferring workers to the earlier shifts with allegedly improved means to produce their R1 vehicles more efficiently, and they just announced a new R2 make of SUV that can sport a host of accessories including a rooftop tent, dubbed the “treehouse,” with a built-in movie projector among the perks. Ye Ed is yelling at us to tell you that it’s A-OK to not be anywhere near a screen or the cinema for a time. Let it go. Let it … you know.

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting re: Pens to Lens 2024 (3/18, 7 p.m.)

@ Spurlock Museum for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
IN WHOSE HONOR?* documentary screening and panel discussion (3/18, 4 p.m., Knight Auditorium)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES, ARTHUR THE KING, KNOX GOES AWAY, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, ONE LIFE, YODHA (in Hindi with English sub), CABRINI (faith film), DUNE: PART TWO, IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), OPPENHEIMER, ORDINARY ANGELS, POOR THINGS*, YOLO (in Mandarin with English sub) (3/15 on), GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (3/21 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES, ARTHUR THE KING, KNOX GOES AWAY, ONE LIFE, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, CABRINI (faith film), DUNE: PART TWO, IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), MADAME WEB, MIGRATION (animation), ORDINARY ANGELS (3/15 on), LABYRINTH (3/17, 3 p.m.), JURASSIC PARK (3/17, 3 & 7 p.m.), THE ARK AND THE DARKNESS (religious documentary) (3/20-3/21, 7 p.m.), RAD (2/21, 7 p.m.), GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (3/21 on)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (3/15-3/16, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
Follow the link to view the hottest new releases! (3/12 on) Online rentals

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies and Women’s Resources Center present OVARIAN PSYCOS documentary screening (3/21, 7 p.m., Knight Auditorium)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (3/21, 7 p.m.)

@ Women’s Resources Center, UIUC, Champaign, IL
WRC and Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies present “Women Make Movies” discussion of OVARIAN PSYCOS documentary (3/22, 3 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: March 8-14, 2024

March 9th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

3/9: Jason Lindsey (commercial photographer, Jason Lindsey Photography, Champaign-Urbana, IL)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

2/29: David Bordwell, 76 (perennial guest, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, UIUC, Champaign-Urbana, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

“I’m late,” said the White Rabbit. “So am I,” replied Ye Ed. “I am so very unmerry,” sneered the Mad Hatter. It turns out you have to actually travel through the Looking Glass to get to the wondrous world of Champaign-Urbana and, with said “trip” thwarted yet again, we at CUBlog might as well serve up some carrots-for-thought for everyone to crunch on. To that end, we’re following up last week’s student-centric Report with another set of prompts connected to young people and the academic space.

First and most pertinent is this notice from WJBC radio in Bloomington about the effort by Illinois State University students involved with the campus television station, TV-10, to have studio equipment replaced and repaired; their goal is to apply $50,000 worth of upgrades in part to mark the 50th anniversary of the hands-on training outlet, which first hit the airwaves on March 4, 1974. Second and most poignant is this Guardian article, shared by Confidential agent DTz, in which the former Chicagoland high school basketball stars Arthur Agee and William Gates reflect on their lives and friendship on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of HOOP DREAMS, the telling documentary about them (and so much more) by Steve James, Peter Gilbert, and UIUC alum Frederick Marx. Of course, Roger Ebert famously championed it.

Third and most philanthropic, Confidential agent ESP submitted this interview segment on WGN-TV with comedian and writer Andy Richter, who was in Chicago last week to appear at an event in support of The H Foundation and cancer research; raised in Yorkville, maybe 40 miles away from MFHQ Deux, Richter subsequently left school in Urbana before he could also become a UIUC alum to try his hand in stand-up at The Second City and film production at Columbia College in the Windy City. Consistent work in the entertainment industry and late-night notoriety alongside Conan O’Brien followed, as we know, and it seems that success is also finding the younger talent Esther Povitsky, who grew up in Skokie. We caught her appearance this week on AFTER MIDNIGHT and learned through Google that, not unlike Richter, she makes podcasts, acts on screen, performs stage comedy, and has skipped out on UIUC early in her life; she’s quoted on the latter in a Wikipedia entry. DRUGSTORE JUNE is her new film.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
CABRINI (faith film), IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), YOLO (in Mandarin with English sub), ARTICLE 20* (in Mandarin with English sub), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DUNE: PART TWO, MADAME WEB, ORDINARY ANGELS (3/8 on), Oscar 2024 hopefuls: ANATOMY OF A FALL* (3/8), AMERICAN FICTION* (3/8), POOR THINGS* (3/8), OPPENHEIMER (3/9, 3/11-3/13), BARBIE* (3/9), THE ZONE OF INTEREST* (3/9), THE HOLDOVERS* (3/10), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON* (3/10), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (3/11, 7 p.m.), FORTY-SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS (faith film) (3/11-3/12, 3/14, 7 p.m.), THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES, ARTHUR THE KING, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, ONE LIFE (3/14 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
CABRINI (faith film), IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DUNE: PART TWO, MADAME WEB, MIGRATION (animation), ORDINARY ANGELS (3/8 on), WONKA (3/8-3/9, 3/11-3/12), The Metropolitan Opera: La Forza Del Destino (3/9, 11 a.m., simulcast; 3/13, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera, more (mixed martial arts) (3/9, 9 p.m., simulcast), LABYRINTH (3/10, 4 & 7 p.m.), THE QUIET MAN (3/10, 3 & 7 p.m.; 3/13, 7 p.m.), FORTY-SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS (faith film) (3/11-3/12, 3/14, 7 p.m.), ARTHUR THE KING (3/14 on)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. AMERICAN FICTION, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (3/8-3/9, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT, DOUBLE DOWN SOUTH, more! (3/5 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” feat. PAST LIVES (3/8, 7 p.m.), The News-Gazette Film Series presents THE SOUND OF MUSIC “sing-a-long” edition (3/9, 1 & 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: March 1-7, 2024

March 2nd, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

3/2: Anne Lukeman (“chief adventurist,” C-U Adventures in Time & Space escape room, Urbana, IL)
3/2: Kelly White (executive director, 40 North 88 West: Champaign County Arts Council, Champaign, IL)
3/5: James Treichler (producer/audio engineer, Wave Upon Wave, Champaign, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Wow, so, film culture announcements and revelations have erupted over the last week or so and we’re not prepared to dive into it all for this Report. We’ll just stick with the plan, then, which is to highlight student-centered doings. You’ll see listings and links immediately below for the second CU International Film Festival, an inspirational short film showcase from local high school senior Max Libman and company, at the UI Spurlock Museum this Saturday, March 2, starting at 7 p.m. with tickets available on-site starting at 6 p.m., as well as the animé celebration at the UI Illini Union, UI-CON, organized and hosted by University of Illinois students connected with a long-running RSO, the Japanese Animation Club, lasting all day Saturday and Sunday, March 3, and free to attend for the campus community and general public. We also finally spotted a submission deadline of Friday, April 12, for the enrolled UI populace to enter their work for possible inclusion in the next UIUC Student Film Festival, which is slated to take place two weeks later on Friday, April 26, at Knight Auditorium in Spurlock where the CUIFF is holding court tomorrow. There is also the Foxtail Film Festival, arranged by faculty and adjuncts over at Illinois State University for the second year running, which has a late deadline of next Friday, March 8, for accepting submissions from high school and college students in several categories as listed on FilmFreeway; Foxtail events are scheduled to run from Thursday, April 25, through Sunday, April 28, with the screenings at the Normal Theater in downtown Normal. We’ll all need a spring break after this. Whew!

 

CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

25 Years AgoWednesday, March 3, 1999: Operating out of a studio-office situated near downtown Champaign, Illinois, Opteryx Press puts its spin on independent film discourse to paper for the first time with the release of MICRO-FILM: The Warning Shot. The letter-size, 12-page ‘zine is a copy shop creation with a teal cover that serves as a low-budget teaser for the upcoming MICRO-FILM, “The Magazine of Personal Cinema in Action.” Novice self-publisher Jason Pankoke draws the content from his recent interactions with participants in the American “film festival circuit” as well as science-fiction and horror fandom; interview subjects include Scary Monsters Magazine publisher Dennis Druktenis from the Chicago suburb of Highwood, Oregon-based stop-motion animator Suzanne Twining, and filmmaker and photographer Brien Burroughs of San Francisco. Short subjects created by the latter two were introduced to a Champaign-Urbana audience during the first Freaky Film Festival in 1997. “Many of the films in MICRO-FILM will be raw and unpolished,” writes Pankoke in a “Save the Mirth” editorial. “Some will be experimental and abstract. Most will be far from perfect, at least according to the standards of mainstream critics and cinema historians. However, all belong to the century-old history of motion picture making, and this history deserves to be fleshed out by recording what is going on in the grassroots, the backyards, and the underground. In this case, size doesn’t matter. Your films do.” A second “stepping stone” issue to be called MICRO-FILM 101 is promoted in The Warning Shot but never comes to fruition. As reported on 3/7/09 at CUBlog. [R]

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Golden Corral, Springfield, IL
Central Illinois Film Commission* meeting (3/7, 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. meeting)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
UI Japanese Animation Club presents UI-CON* animation and comics convention (3/2-3/3) Information

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
CU International Film Festival* (3/2, 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. films, free w/ticket) Information

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DUNE: PART TWO, OPERATION VALENTINE (in Telugu with English sub), ARGYLLE, ARTICLE 20 (in Mandarin with English sub), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, MADAME WEB, ORDINARY ANGELS, PEGASUS 2 (in Mandarin with English sub) (3/1 on), Oscar 2024 hopefuls: BARBIE* (3/1, 3/7), THE HOLDOVERS* (3/1, 3/4), OPPENHEIMER* (3/1, 3/5), AMERICAN FICTION* (3/2, 3/5), POOR THINGS* (3/2, 3/7), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON* (3/2, 3/4), ANATOMY OF A FALL* (3/3, 3/6), THE ZONE OF INTEREST* (3/3, 3/6), and PAST LIVES* (3/3), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (3/4, 7 p.m.), CABRINI, IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation) (3/7 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ALL OF US STRANGERS, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DUNE: PART TWO, AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, MADAME WEB, MIGRATION (animation), ORDINARY ANGELS, POOR THINGS, WONKA (3/1 on), THE LAND BEFORE TIME (animation) (3/3, 3, 5 & 7 p.m.; 3/6, 5 & 7 p.m.), CABRINI, IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation) (3/7 on)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. TROLLS BAND TOGETHER, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (3/1-3/2, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
COLD MEAT, SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 SAMURAI, more! (2/27 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. KUNG FU PANDA 4 pre-release screening (3/5, 7 p.m., free)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: February 23-29, 2024

February 23rd, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

2/25: Josh Schafer (publisher, Lunchmeat VHS fanzine and label, Elmer, NJ)
2/26: Troy Michael (editor & publisher, Innocent Words website, Oakwood, IL)
2/29: Julia Megan Sullivan (actor, MONTH TO MONTH, Owko Films, Los Angeles, CA)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Is anyone down for even more C-U film news and pertinent dates? Well, then, we shall provide! To start, our buds Chase & Shep at Earth-217 Studios have shared over on the Champaign Movie Makers group that a new joint is heating up, the anthology program CAMPFIRE STORIES, and they are looking for filmmakers who might fill out episodes with their own segments including of the found footage variety; this will most likely debut in October, when the fellas love to unleash seasonal horror in legion, at their YouTube channel. Best bet is to contact them through Facebook since the C&S website is AWOL for the moment. Speaking of found footage, Joshua Brucker and Horror Dadz Productions are casting a handful of roles for a new project called UNTITLED FOOTAGE and looking for “local talent only” from “central Illinois” according to a notice on the director’s personal Facebook account, so presumably the action will be staged in a town or rural area near us. Actors can send in materials or questions to grayskypictures [at] gmail [dot] com if interested; FOOTAGE apparently serves as a sequel to “The Illinois Valley Murder Tapes” half of SPLIT SCREEN, one of several urban legend and Fortean titles the Horror Dadz have fathered in the last few years. Others include THE WOODMEN, released last month, and TAHOE JOE.

A few steps up on the budget scale, the renamed visitor’s bureau of Champaign County, Experience Champaign-Urbana, is taking renewed steps to endear their newly-dubbed film office, Film Champaign-Urbana, to the community at large and encourage its participation with visiting and C-U-based producers. This includes lending one’s property as a set, to be discussed next Tuesday, February 28, starting at 5 p.m. in the “A” room of the Robeson Pavilion in the Champaign Public Library. Members of Shatterglass Films and Chicago’s The Line Film Company will help present “So You Want to Be a Film Location?” with the office’s director, Mark Brown, and attendees are asked to visit the Experience C-U site and reserve their seats due to limited space; the News-Gazette reports this is the first of a series of informational events. And, even though next week’s Report is shaping up to be a “kids and education” outing, we need to plug Pens to Lens this week since their deadline for accepting child- and teen-written screenplays in their competition is next Thursday, February 29. Visit the revived program’s website for documentation and encourage the budding creatives in your life to write now like there’s no tomorrow!

 

CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

18 Years Ago … Saturday, February 25, 2006: After the seventh issue of the Champaign film journal MICRO-FILM is published, Opteryx Press adapts its “C-U Confidential” local-zine section into a new internet variation, C-U Blogfidential. The first entry written by editor and publisher Jason Pankoke, dated 8:57 p.m., describes an intention of “[making] a minor splash creating a community history through cinema, one that we can definitely call our own,” with CUBlog as its potential epicenter. Topics to be covered in the following months include the Danville fantasy-comedy SHOW; Dreamscape Cinema’s first features, CRAB ORCHARD and DISCONNECTED; the fan- and convention-favorite spoof of video game tropes, PRESS START, from Dark Maze Studios of Champaign; the second episodes of BrainSmart ProductionsWEREWOLF CEMETERY and THE ADVENTURES OF THE SCREAMING APE, directed by Jason Butler; the infamous UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS VS. A MUMMY and lesser-known ROBOTMAN, made by the UIUC students of Illini Film & Video and directed by Chris Lukeman; a video adaptation of Antigone by the Creative Dramatics Workshop and its director, Robert Picklesimer; an empowering documentary called AN UPHILL CLIMB from Callan Films of Effingham; Blue Bassoon Pictures’ darkly funny crime spoof MERRY CHRISTMAS!; visits from UI alumni working in professional media like Fred Rubin and Michael Wiese; and numerous community and campus screenings such as a run of MICRO-FILM Movie Shows at the beloved bar Mike ‘n Molly’s in downtown Champaign. As of January 2024, CUBlog has published content keyed in to the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond in every single month since its launch over more than 1,600 postings. [REV]

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Arlee Theater, Mason City, IL
2024 Short Film Fest* w/awards presentation (2/23, 7 p.m., admission w/ donation)

@ Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL
Champaign County Film Office*, Shatterglass Films*, and The Line Film Co. present “So You Want to Be a Film Location?” w/discussion (2/28, 5-6 p.m., Robeson Room A)

@ Foellinger Auditorium, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 5:30 p.m.
EGSA presents the 41st annual Insect Fear Film Festival* feat. THE ANT BULLY, ANT-MAN (2/24, 5:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. films)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ARTICLE 20 (in Mandarin with English sub), DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, ORDINARY ANGELS, STOPMOTION, ARGYLLE, THE BEEKEEPER, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 4-6 (faith programming), LAND OF BAD, LISA FRANKENSTEIN, MADAME WEB, PEGASUS 2 (in Mandarin with English sub), SOUL (animation) (first US release) (2/23 on), ORIGIN with Ava DuVernay interview (2/28, 7 p.m.), DUNE: PART TWO (2/29 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, ORDINARY ANGELS, AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 4-6 (faith programming), LAND OF BAD*, MADAME WEB, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), POOR THINGS, WONKA (2/23 on), DUNE: PART TWO preview screening (2/25, 7 p.m., IMAX), TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (2/28, 7 p.m.), THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DUNE: PART TWO (2/29 on) *single screenings daily

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. THE MARVELS, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (2/23-2/24, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
Follow the link to view the hottest new releases! (2/20 on) Online rentals

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, College of Media, presents TRAIN TO BUSAN (2/29, 7 p.m., Knight Auditorium)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: February 16-22, 2024

February 16th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

2/21: Eric Benson (co-host, Damian Duffy Hates Everything podcast, DD Media Empire, Champaign, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Is anyone down for some local film news and pertinent dates? If so, we sure do have local film news and pertinent dates! First, let’s go over when projects are scheduled to make their streaming debut. You will be able to watch the Silver Compass Studios documentary AFTERLIFE, which we talked about here, starting on Tuesday, February 27, at IndiePix Unlimited and other services that carry titles from BayView Entertainment; you can join in on HUNTING FOR THE HAG with Into the Night Motion Pictures, which we talked about here, starting on Tuesday, April 2, on services to be announced; and, you shall make nice with Acrostar ProductionsSORORITY BABES, which we talked about here, in a short film that is a prelude to their upcoming feature to be unveiled on Thursday, March 7. And then, as we suspected, the concept teaser trailer and corresponding fundraising campaign for Front 76 FilmsFINAL SUMMER PART II arrives on Sunday, March 24; take a peek at the feedback-laden clip posted to Facebook by the filmmakers for their fans this past Valentine’s Day. Finally, for those who want to get involved on the set, we have casting prompts and submission deadlines for two indie productions. UIUC graduate Keenan Dailey, whose provocative film efforts we’ve discussed before, is hiring for the second entry in a three-part series that dramatizes “racial tension surrounding the 1994 crime bill;” visit their Facebook page and find the February 14 post with character breakdowns and contact information for HEAR NO EVIL if you’re interested. And, Peoria-based actor Steve Christopher shared on the socials that extras are being sought to populate scenes for the Warr Brothers’ period film AMERICAN CRIMINALS, both this coming Thursday and Friday, February 22-23, in Peoria as well as on Saturday and Sunday, February 24-25, in Joliet according to the official Facebook page; your best bet is to write them for details on all their upcoming talent needs. We thereby end scene on the film scene du C-U and beyond for another week!



LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* 48 hr film contest (2/16, 7 p.m., through 2/18, 7 p.m.)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* presents 48 hr film festival (2/19, 7 p.m.)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 4-6 (faith programming), LAND OF BAD, MADAME WEB, THE TASTE OF THINGS, ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, THE BEEKEEPER, THE COLOR PURPLE, LISA FRANKENSTEIN, OUT OF DARKNESS (with English sub)*, PEGASUS 2 (in Mandarin with English sub), TURNING RED (animation) (first US release), WONKA, THE ZONE OF INTEREST (in German with English sub) (2/16 on), DUNE (1984) 40th anniversary (2/18, 4 & 8 p.m.; 2/19, 7:30 p.m.), ORIGIN (2/18, 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (2/19, 7 p.m.), AMERICAN FICTION (2/20, 2 & 8 p.m.), DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé), DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, ORDINARY ANGELS (2/22 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 4-6 (faith programming), LAND OF BAD, MADAME WEB, AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, LISA FRANKENSTEIN, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM*, POOR THINGS, WONKA (2/16 on), UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topurvia, more (mixed martial arts) (2/17, 9 p.m., simulcast), DUNE (1984) 40th anniversary (2/18, 4 & 7 p.m.; 2/19, 7 p.m.), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2/18, 3 & 7 p.m.; 2/21, 7 p.m.), FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN COMPLETE (CGI animé) (2/21, 7 p.m., English dub; 2/22, in Japanese with English sub), DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé), ORDINARY ANGELS (2/22 on) *single screenings daily

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (2/16-2/17, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE WEDDING CONTRACT, more! (2/13 on) Online rentals

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, College of Media, presents POOR THINGS (2/22, 7 p.m., Knight Auditorium)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media and Illinois Soul 101.0 FM present “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” GOSPEL: WHERE SONG AND SERMON MEET excerpt w/discussion (2/16, 7 p.m., free), The News-Gazette Film Series presents SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (2/17, 1 & 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: February 9-15, 2024

February 11th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

2/12: Gela Rediger (producer, Camp Nostalgic Studios, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
2/13: Steven Bentz (director, The Virginia Theatre, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Since PROJECT DOROTHY arrived at MFHQ Deux in the mail today, it is logical that our newest Report will buck the recent trend of horror film coverage and instead focus on science fiction arcana. Oddity number one: we didn’t realize until following a few algorithm-driven links appearing in our feeds due to the fictional January “birthday” of the HAL-9000 computer from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY that Urbana was once home to a company named HAL Communications Corp., founded in 1966 by University of Illinois graduate students as HAL Devices for the purpose of making amateur radio gear. Now owned by the Australian company Barrett Communications and headquartered in New York state, HAL develops modem technology along with related software and, yes, has relied on legal means to untangle confusion due to the coincidental acronym as told by co-founder Bill Henry in this article; the last-known local address for HAL, according to Google, is 1201 W. Kenyon Road in north Urbana, currently the location of Campus Ink Printing, and the “almost the same” street number is not lost on us. Hmmmmmmm.

Our second oddity is a postscript we didn’t have room to share in our previous Report where we told you about relevant movies available to watch on Tubi. Web searches have simply confirmed what we suspected – Bert I. Gordon’s giant locust thriller BEGINNING OF THE END, the one filmed in California that fakes Illinois to endearingly funny effect, is not officially available “as is” on streaming or physical media at all. You can either chortle through the infamous END-isode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, search for bootlegs on YouTube and Daily Motion, or buy (sometimes pricey) copies on eBay. Considering that Olive Films and Kino Lorber have licensed Republic Pictures titles by the bucketload from Paramount in recent times, how did END fall through the cracks? The answer is on the back sleeves of old VHS and DVD copies – Republic only distributed the flick, so its chain of ownership leads elsewhere. As we detailed in our Almanac entry, an independent outfit named AB-PT Pictures made END and its double-bill partner, THE UNEARTHLY, and the rights for both have rested for decades with the Peter Rodgers Organization, a distributor of vintage films and programs to syndication and home video. If you need more magnified big bug in your high-definition viewing diet, encourage your favorite labels to contact PRO. If acridid clarity is not a concern, then feel free to dig on this Groovie Movie right here.

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The final oddity in this Report concerns a more plausible end-of-the-world scenario. Wishful-thinking headlines have been appearing on numerous entertainment sites for the last year-and-a-half that are bent on speculating if or when a Kathryn Bigelow film called AURORA will go into production for Netflix. Thinking it might be a gun violence drama due to Bigelow’s last effort, DETROIT, and that “Aurora” is possibly Aurora, Illinois, location of a senseless killing spree at a manufacturing plant in 2019, we looked into it. (Coincidental to the timing of this post, the five-year anniversary of that tragedy is on this coming Thursday, February 15. Please think of them.) AURORA is written by the Hollywood veteran David Koepp, who has scripted, produced, and/or directed dozens of features, and based on his second novel that was published in 2022 by HarperCollins; it instead depicts the aftermath of a solar storm that knocks out electricity worldwide. A single mother and her son living in Aurora, which seems to have been chosen by Koepp as an archetypal Midwestern city and little else, venture out west to confront her estranged brother, a billionaire recluse who could make a difference for many in the chaos. We’ll believe AURORA is burning brightly when we read the casting and production launch reports in the legitimate trades.

Want a few bonus talking points to impress your friends and neighbors with? In the background, Ye Ed has been selectively building his physical media collection for future viewing and reviewing, including titles that are now part of our archives du C-U. This will soon include a pair of Blu-rays coming from the Australia-based label Imprint Films, a division of Via Vision Entertainment. One is STRANGE INVADERS, the Michael Laughlin/Bill Condon sci-fi homage from 1983 that is set in Illinois but filmed in Canada, which stars Paul Le Mat and Nancy Allen as a college professor and tabloid reporter who investigate a forgotten rural town that is inhabited by extraterrestrials in human disguise; this disc of the Orion Pictures cult favorite is different from the movie-only Blu issued in the US only last month by Sandpiper Pictures. The other is LET’S GET HARRY, a “let’s rescue our friend from a drug cartel in South America” yarn that was partly filmed in Aurora at a manufacturing plant (hrm) while yours truly was in his freshman year of high school on the other side of town, which stars Mark Harmon, Gary Busey, Glenn Frey, Robert Duvall, and Rick Rossovich. Barely released in 1986 by TriStar Pictures and directed by the immortal “Alan Smithee” (in this case, Stuart Rosenberg), it has been equally barely available in the US since the VHS and LaserDisc era. Improbably, Imprint will make both of these films available in their home country on the same day, Wednesday, March 27, but if one knows exactly where to look on this side of the globe…

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
DUNE (re-release), LISA FRANKENSTEIN, OUT OF DARKNESS (with English sub), PEGASUS 2 (in Mandarin with English sub), TURNING RED (animation) (first US release), ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, THE BEEKEEPER, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming), MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (animation), WONKA, THE ZONE OF INTEREST (in German with English sub) (2/9 on), THE MOVIE EMPEROR (with English and Chinese subtitles) (2/10 on), AX Cinema Nights: PAPRIKA (animé) (2/11, 2:30 p.m., English dub), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, MADAME WEB, THE TASTE OF THINGS (2/14 on), THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 4-6 (faith programming), LAND OF BAD (2/15 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
DUNE (re-release, IMAX), LISA FRANKENSTEIN, AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, ARGYLLE, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming), MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM, POOR THINGS, WONKA (2/9 on), AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE IRON CLAW*, OPPENHEIMER* (2/9-2/13), CASABLANCA (2/11, 12, 3 & 7 p.m.; 2/17, 7 p.m.), GLORIA GAYNOR: I WILL SURVIVE (music documentary) (2/13, 4 & 7 p.m.), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, MADAME WEB, (2/14 on) *single screenings daily

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (2/9-2/10, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
HERE FOR BLOOD, more! (2/6 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »

Calendar: February 2-8, 2024

February 3rd, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

2/8: Robin Christian (producer/director, A FARGO CHRISTMAS STORY, Dreamscape Cinema, Champaign, IL)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

1/13: Larry Williams, forever “Lonesome Larry” (co-founder, “The Whip” (WWHP 98.3 FM), Farmer City, IL)
1/20: Sean Michael “Mike” Unland, 50 (owner, Mike Unland Photography and Videography, Springfield, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Our Report is flush with screening news for you! First comes a press release for the annual Insect Fear Film Festival, which will be put on for its 41st year by the Entomology Graduate Student Association at the University of Illinois on the last Saturday of the month, February 24, at the UI Foellinger Auditorium. With a theme of “Ant-Men” this year, the presentation will couple the animated film, THE ANT BULLY, and the partly-animated-by-CGI hit, Marvel’s ANT-MAN, with the traditional science displays and kids’ activities in the foyer; doors open at 5:30 p.m., the movies will be introduced at 7:30 p.m., and entry is free for all. Then, we’re reminded by implicit hints via Facebook that the Arlee Theater of Mason City, located halfway between Peoria and Springfield and just off of Route 10, is sponsoring the Short Film Fest and accepting entries until February 10 that run 15 minutes or less and are family friendly; visit their website for more details on the event, which is scheduled for Friday, February 23. To close, Confidential agent C-Day let us know there is a film series, curated by the prolific pop culture author Marc Eliot, which is playing every Friday and Sunday between this weekend and March 10 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Giant Screen Theater; starring some of Hollywood’s giants and informed by Eliot’s biographies on them, the showings began today, Friday, February 2, with Dennis Hopper in EASY RIDER and will continue weekly with CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (Jack Nicholson), THE CHINA SYNDROME (Michael Douglas), ROMANCING THE STONE (also Douglas), A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (Clint Eastwood), and UNFORGIVEN (also Eastwood). Billed as the “largest film society screen in the country,” the Giant Screen Theater recently received a $350,000 grant for upgrades to the screen, sound system, and projection capabilities.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ANATOMY OF A FALL, ARGYLLE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming), THE ZONE OF INTEREST (in German with English sub), AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, THE BEEKEEPER, THE EQUALIZER 3, FIGHTER (in Hindi with English sub), MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), POOR THINGS, WONKA (2/2 on), AMC “Scream Unseen” (mystery horror movie) (2/5, 7 p.m.), AX Cinema Nights: PAPRIKA (animé) (2/7, 7:30 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 2/8, 7:30 p.m., English dub), LISA FRANKENSTEIN, OUT OF DARKNESS (2/8 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ARGYLLE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming), AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE IRON CLAW, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM, OPPENHEIMER, POOR THINGS, WONKA (2/2 on), MY FAIR LADY 60th anniversary (2/4, 1 & 7 p.m.; 2/5, 7 p.m.), ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (2/4, 3 & 7 p.m.; 2/7, 7 p.m.), LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2/8 on)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. WISH, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (2/2-2/3, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
DARK PARASITE, A PICTURE OF HER, THEY CALL HER HEADHUNTER, TROLLS WORLD TOUR, WELCOME TO VALENTINE, more! (1/30 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. THE BLUES BROTHERS (2/8, 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2024

January 27th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

1/10: Peter Crombie, a.k.a. “‘Crazy’ Joe Davola,” 71 (camera operator, SHOT, Cinemaguild, UIUC, Urbana, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Teasing to please is the game in this week’s Report. All we’re going to do is direct your dearest peepers to the socials of local film producers who have revealed peeks at their upcoming endeavors over the last week. First, C-U filmmaker John Isberg posted an enigmatic image on Facebook tonight, just as we were compiling the Calendar, of the skull-masked creeper from FINAL SUMMER in a setting that clearly is not the campground from the first film, so it must be taken from the teaser that his team filmed recently for FINAL SUMMER 2; the March 22 date alongside the screen grab is presumably when the preview will be unleashed and a new fundraising campaign launched. And then, producer Ann Myrna and her cast and crew lovelies have been sharing nonstop from the set of SORORITY BABES, the none-too-shy horror short coming soon from Acrostar Films; a condensation of the full-length version to be made by creator S. J. Hermann and friends in the spring, BABES was brought to fruition in an undisclosed Decatur location by first-time solo director Angel Nichole Bradford and a nearly all-women staff. Third in this terror triptych is the teaser for a larger production filmed in Decatur as well, THE BATON ROUGE SERIAL KILLER: DERRICK TODD LEE, which premiered on the official Facebook page earlier today. Retired professional wrestler and in-demand character actor Bishop Stevens is directing and starring in this dramatization of the real-life murder spree perpetuated by Lee, who died from heart failure in 2016 after being sentenced and placed on death row, in the fall of last year with a pick-up shoot planned for this spring; the Soy Capital stands in for Louisiana to depict the crime story and familiar names can be seen in the credits list found on the Internet Movie Database. Watch their respective spaces to know when the films can be seen!

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Golden Corral, Springfield, IL
Central Illinois Film Commission* meeting (2/1, 6 p.m.)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
FIGHTER (in Hindi with English sub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR (in Japanese with English sub), ROB N ROLL (in Cantonese with English sub), THE STORM (animé) (in Mandarin with English sub), ALL OF US STRANGERS, AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, THE BEEKEEPER, THE HOLDOVERS*, I.S.S., KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), PAST LIVES, POOR THINGS, WONKA (1/26 on), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (1/29, 7 p.m.), ARGYLLE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming), THE ZONE OF INTEREST (in German with English sub) (2/1 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
AMERICAN FICTION, GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR (in Japanese with English sub), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE*, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE IRON CLAW, I.S.S., MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM, OPPENHEIMER* (2-D IMAX), POOR THINGS, QUEEN ROCK MONTREAL (concert film, IMAX), WONKA (1/26 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Carmen (1/27, 11:55 a.m., simulcast; 1/31, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), THE WIZARD OF OZ 85th anniversary (1/28, 1 & 7 p.m.; 1/29, 1/31, 7 p.m.), TITANIC (1/28, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1/31, 7 p.m.), ARGYLLE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 1-3 (faith programming) (2/1 on) *single screenings daily

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. DUMB MONEY, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (1/26-1/27, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
BAD HOMBRES, PLANETQUAKE, THE SEEDING, more! (1/23 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »

Calendar: January 19-25, 2024

January 20th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

1/16: Zoe Southlynn-Savage (special events manager, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL)
1/18: Michelle Kaffko Ebner (owner, Organic Headshots, Chicago, IL)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

1/11: Dave King, the “Duke of Uke,” 58 (actor, WEREWOLF CEMETERY, Brainsmart Productions, Champaign, IL/Portland, OR)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Ye Ed will be writing this Report with his Captain Obvious hat on, cocked at a weird angle that allows enough oxygen to come and go, and finishing it up after a run of days spent almost completely at MFHQ Deux where he’s been badgered by weird and sad dreams. We won’t attempt to analyze the root causes.

That said, we’ll happily spell out for you a mini-splurge of local film activity that will enliven our cities over the next several days. You can find it all listed in the Calendar below, but the convenient confluence provides an introduction to our scene in brief strokes for those not familiar with the C-U and beyond. We have a locally-produced event in the Flatlands Dance Film Festival, the newer second-semester leg that is devoted to short films, playing tonight, Friday, January 19, 7 p.m., at Knight Auditorium inside of the UIUC Spurlock Museum of Urbana. We have a locally-filmed sci-fi spoof, THEY CAME BACK FROM SOMEWHERE from the Chicago suburban crew at Acrostar Films, premiering on Sunday, January 21, 7 p.m., at the Clinton location of Eagle Theaters, a mom-and-pop chain that operates three venues in downstate Illinois. We have local networking during the monthly mixer of Champaign Movie Makers at the Esquire Lounge in downtown Champaign on Monday, January 22, 7 p.m. And, we have the physical media premiere of PROJECT DOROTHY, the third and final of the newer “visiting film crew” projects that we told you about over the summer, seeing commercial release in North America on Tuesday, January 23, one week after it debuted on streaming platforms like Apple+, Vudu, and Amazon Prime on Tuesday, January 16. The super low-budget AI techno-thriller was photographed a few years ago on the grounds of what is now the Rivian electric vehicle manufacturing plant on the far west end of Normal.

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Not very far from Rivian is the non-AMC multiplex of the nearby Twin Cities, Marcus Theatres, and it brings us to our postscript. For years, we’ve compiled the weekly itinerary of the Beverly (now AMC) in north Champaign and Goodrich (now Phoenix) in Savoy, considering their fare a good snapshot of what plays at all multiplexes in our immediate region. For those who are not averse to putting a few extra miles on their vehicles to go see a film they really want to see, don’t be shy about skimming the listings not incorporated here. For instance, at the aforementioned Marcus Bloomington Galaxy 14, they’ve booked Indian cinema that we haven’t seen yet in C-U cinemas – MISSION: CHAPTER 1, MAIN ATAL HOUN – as well as the Anthony Hopkins period film FREUD’S LAST SESSION, although the Avon Theater in Decatur has us covered on the latter. FREUD is also playing at the AMC Classic 14 on the north end of Normal along with yet another modern slasher with a holiday hook, FOUNDER’S DAY, which has yet to take a stab at the C-U following the likes of THANKSGIVING and IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE.

You can also enjoy the fruits of local labor at a ‘plex if you look carefully. The AMC Classic 12 of Springfield is home to the annual Molly Schlich Independent | International Film Series, the only true “art house film” program of its kind in the area, which will present the Sony Pictures Classics release TURN EVERY PAGE, about an aging history author and his equally aging editor as they attempt to finish one last major collaboration, this Sunday, January 21, at 1 and 4 p.m., and Tuesday, January 23, at 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Springfield Art Association and several other Capital City businesses and donors, the weekly screening series continues through March 5 and was launched by its namesake, a chef and world traveler who wanted to watch movies like these theatrically in her adopted home of Springfield but had to create her own avenue to do so. You can learn more about Schlich, who passed at age 93 in 2021, from this State Journal-Register article and read about the upcoming 2024 picks, the ticket sales from which will be donated to help fund the SAA’s Michael Victor II Art Library, by visiting this webpage.

Local friends in film have also taken up the ‘plexes to do special events, primarily the Savoy 16 + IMAX, including Thomas Nicol’s recent Krampusnacht Freeky Film Festival and showings of FINAL SUMMER from Front 76 Films and REVEALER from Shatterglass Films. They’re a possible resource to use if the timing and price point jive with everyone’s goals. Watch CUBlog to see what comes next in this realm.

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

PROJECT DOROTHY* U.S. Blu-ray/DVD Release: Tuesday, January 23, via Gravitas Ventures, Cleveland, OH/Taylor & Dodge-Liberty Atlantic Studios-Kinogo Pictures, Los Angeles/N. Hollywood, CA-Normal, IL

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Department of Dance, FAA, presents Flatlands Dance Film Festival 2024 shorts competition program (1/19, 7 p.m.)

@ Clintonia Eagle Theaters, Clinton, IL
Acrostar Films presents THEY CAME BACK FROM SOMEWHERE* world premiere (1/21, 7 p.m.)

@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* mixer (1/22, 7 p.m.)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ALL OF US STRANGERS, I.S.S., MERRY CHRISTMAS (in Telugu with English sub), AMERICAN FICTION, ANYONE BUT YOU, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, GUNTAR KAARAM (in Telugu with English sub) HANU-MAN (in Telugu with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES*, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM, SOUL* (animation) (first US theatrical release), SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE* (animation), WONKA (1/19 on), AX Cinema Nights: COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (animé) (1/21, 2:30 p.m., 1/22, 7:30 p.m., English dub; 1/21, 7:30 p.m., 1/23, 8 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY ARE STARS (animé) (1/23, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 1/24, 7 p.m., English dub), FIGHTER (in Hindi with English sub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR (in Japanese with English sub) (1/25 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
I.S.S., QUEEN ROCK MONTREAL (concert film, IMAX), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE IRON CLAW, MEAN GIRLS, MIGRATION (animation), NIGHT SWIM, OPPENHEIMER* (2-D IMAX), POOR THINGS, SOUL* (animation) (first US theatrical release), SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE* (animation), TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WONKA (1/19 on), UFC 297: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis, more (mixed martial arts) (1/20, 9 p.m., simulcast), INTERSTELLAR (1/21, 1/24, 3 & 7 p.m.), GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY ARE STARS (animé) (1/23, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 1/24, 7 p.m., English dub), A CASE FOR LOVE (religious documentary) (1/23, 4 & 7 p.m.), BEAUTIFUL WEDDING (1/24-1/25, 7 p.m.) *single screenings daily

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. DICKS: THE MUSICAL, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (1/19-1/20, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
Follow the link to view the hottest new releases! (1/16 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” feat. PASSING (1/19, 7 p.m.), The News-Gazette Film Series presents THE WIZARD OF OZ (1/20, 1 & 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »

Calendar: January 12-18, 2024

January 13th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

1/12: Damian Duffy (co-host, Damian Duffy Hates Everything podcast, DD Media Empire, Champaign, IL)
1/12: HAL-9000 (onboard computer, USS Discovery One, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, MGM/Warner Bros., Burbank, CA)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond may be wet and rainy today, but the terrain of MFHQ Deux up north is enveloped by snow and slickness. Exercising caution while this front moves through the Midwest is a given, and we suppose a Report encouraging you, you, and you to support their neighborhood theaters is not unreasonable for when you can safely get thee to a location of thy choice.

In this region, the stylish Egyptian Theatre of DeKalb has announced they are hosting sessions to train volunteers, which is as good a prompt as any for our dearest readers to consider doing the same at places like the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, the Fischer Theater in Danville, and the Normal Theater in Normal where they could always use a hand with ushers, ticket sellers, concession servers, and the like. That said, be sure to subscribe to their newsletters or follow their socials to find out what is playing soon; none of these facilities are broadcasting their schedules far in advance and, unlike in past years, the Champaign Park District hasn’t released a big PR ballyhoo about their spring events, which have simply materialized on the Virginia’s event calendar with little notice. We can also give the Harroun families props for keeping their fans engaged on Facebook even though the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In of Gibson City is closed for the season; hardtops should wake up from their hibernation in March and April.

And then, we enjoyed a series of articles about the early years of movie exhibition in the state capital at a website, SangamonLink, dedicated to the history of Springfield and Sangamon County. The most recent piece, which was published on December 10, goes through a list of early houses in the city while this piece talks about a seminal venue, the Lyric, and another post identifies the first venues to show films.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
AMERICAN FICTION, THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, HANU-MAN (in Telugu with English sub), IF YOU ARE THE ONE III (in Mandarin with English sub), MEAN GIRLS, SOUL (animation) (first US theatrical release), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE COLOR PURPLE, MIGRATION, NIGHT SWIM, RENAISSANCE* (Beyoncé concert film), WONKA (1/12 on), GUNTAR KAARAM* (in Telugu with English sub) (1/12-1/13), GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: CHILDHOOD’S END (animé) (in Japanese with English sub) (1/16-1/17, 7 p.m.) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, MEAN GIRLS, SOUL (animation) (first US theatrical release), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), MIGRATION, NIGHT SWIM, POOR THINGS, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WONKA (1/12 on), THE IRON CLAW (1/12-1/15, 1/18), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (1/14, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1/17, 7 p.m.), GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: CHILDHOOD’S END (animé) (in Japanese with English sub) (1/16-1/17, 7 p.m.)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
UNDERGROUND, WINDIGO, more! (1/9 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. RETURN OF THE JEDI (1/18, 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: January 5-11, 2024

January 5th, 2024

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

1/7: Steve Christopher (actor, HUNTING FOR THE HAG, Into the Night Motion Pictures, Normal, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

With our holiday celebrations modest and in the books, we’d be happy to kill a little more time in benign ways to mark the New Year with you before we all dig in our heels. How about a word association game that will last long enough to string together our first Report for 2024? Mr. JaPan will gladly start…

“Winter,” which finally hits central Illinois in earnest over the next week according to our forecast, is the opposite of “summer,” and our friend John Isberg at Front 76 Films has announced a trivia contest you can enter between right this very moment and 5 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, January 6, in order to win a piece of FINAL SUMMER merchandise. The retro-styled slasher movie, promoted by their sweet swag, made its debut on Tubi last month as did another horror the Front 76 camp worked on in the Champaign-Urbana area, John Pata’s BLACK MOLD. Both writer/directors are planning to expand the reach of their respective features later in the year with further streaming options and physical media release for the former and a DIY theatrical tour for the later, booked by our pal Jessie Seitz of Capricorn Rising.

“Black mold” is not-very-secret code for “possibility of filming shows in and around the former Octave Chanute Air Force Base,” and we couldn’t help but think of MOLD, which was filmed there in early 2022, when learning the city of Rantoul had finally regained complete ownership of the Chanute grounds from the US military as of a ceremony held on Wednesday, October 25. Despite the hushed discussions of recent times held in particular corners about turning one or more of the remaining structures into a fully-equipped production stage with competitive rates, the topic is curiously absent from the News-Gazette’s article, although it does name-drop other businesses that have already claimed their real estate.

And, “commercial media production” is symbiotic with “available and trained work force,” the latter of which would be necessary to accommodate the former on location and at establishments like a soundstage. This need for staffing is the focus of the Illinois Film Office’s “Film & TV Production Training” program that is sponsored locally by Shatterglass Studios. Wednesday, January 31, is the deadline to apply for classes to be held this February and March in Champaign County, so visit the official website and submit your information if this is of interest. Good luck on getting your feet wet and MOLD-y!

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
NIGHT SWIM, SHINING FOR ONE THING (in Mandarin with English sub), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, WONKA (1/5 on), THE BEEKEEPER preview (1/6, 7 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (1/8, 7 p.m., PG-13), THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, HANU-MAN (in Telugu with English sub), MEAN GIRLS (1/11 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
NIGHT SWIM, ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation), WONKA (1/5 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Nabucco (11/12, 11:55 a.m., simulcast; 1/10, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), THE BEEKEEPER preview (1/6, 7 p.m.), AIRPLANE! (1/7, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1/10, 7 p.m.), THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, MEAN GIRLS (1/11 on)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
Follow the link to view seasonal favorites and the hottest new releases! (1/2 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: Dec. 29, ’23–Jan. 4, ‘24

December 28th, 2023

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

12/27: Matthew Gladney (co-host, Mashley at the Movies podcast, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
12/30: Paul Benson (grip, FINAL SUMMER, Front 76 Films/The Line Film Co., Champaign/Chicago, IL)
12/30: Jason Pankoke (editor/publisher, C-U Blogfidential, Champaign-by-way-of-Mendota, IL)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

12/26/22: Patricia Ann Pellow, 78 (matron saint to our arts, C-U Confidential, Champaign, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Is it too late to mull over Christmas movies, dearest revelers? This peculiar genre of seasonal television programming that is designed to besiege basic cable packages in the months of November and December with manufactured warm fuzzies and cheer is finally infiltrating the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond. If the A- and B-list likes of Kristin Chenoweth, Bruce Campbell, Teri Hatcher, Christopher Lloyd, and Fred Olen Ray can go there, then so can we. If we have to. We guess.

On a higher budget level and very peripherally related is the new Disney streaming release DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW, directed by Tim Story (THE BLACKENING), which stars Chicago native Lil Rel Howrey as Santa Claus and Champaign native Ludacris as a social worker who resists enjoying the spirit of the season. On pocket change in comparison and much closer to home, we have the as-yet-unconfirmed feature – was anybody as highly amused as us by this WCIA-TV report that couldn’t bother (or, weren’t allowed) to identify the producer they interviewed and called the film I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, a title as over-used and subject to change as it comes? – filmed on location in Champaign County between March and May of this year; sites chosen to help tell the tale, about a snowstorm that forces a holiday layover for the main characters, include the UI Willard Airport of Savoy and Church Street in downtown Champaign with, sigh, the dormant Art Theater as a backdrop. Presumably, this action was brought to the C-U by locally-based Shatterglass Films, the Champaign County Film Office, or both.

And then we have A FARGO CHRISTMAS STORY, the latest from Dreamscape Cinema of Champaign, which received an online bow back on Friday, December 1, through a YouTube channel billed as “Empress Movies.” Directed by company head Robin Christian, the drama stars Cynthia Strahan (THE OFFER) as an assistant in a development firm from Minnesota who is sent to the eponymous North Dakota city to oversee a construction project and is met with very mixed reactions from the townsfolk, never mind the shady overtures from the mayor, played by Robert Donovan, and her boss, played by Douglas Wilson. Complications of all sorts threaten her return home for Christmas with her family and, you betcha, it takes a community who grows to care for her to aid in setting things right.

Filmed in early 2020 on location in the aforementioned states as well as at Geschenk Coffee, Café, & Gifts of St. Joseph, located 10 miles east of the C-U, FARGO also features Sadie Katz (BLOOD FEAST), Nico Zahniser (THE RELIANT), Richard Riehle (BARRY), Maxwell Caulfield (GREASE 2), and Gary Houston, who appeared in both the FARGO show on FX and the classic Coen Brothers film from 1996. Wilson and Donovan previously acted for Dreamscape in the studio’s C.O.R.N. horror trilogy, the second and third entries of which are still unavailable to see, and the late great Edward Asner, who appeared in Dreamscape’s first commercial release SHEEBA, cameos as a dispenser of sage small-town advice named “Popcorn Bud.” Upcoming features that filmmaker Christian will be pitching to potential financiers and distributors include his own pet projects like JOY TO THE WORLD, about young people who attend Woodstock, and THE LEACH OF LIVERPOOL, about an early manager of The Beatles. A spinoff of Christian’s multimedia firm Dreamscape Design, the company marked its 25th anniversary in 2022.

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A FARGO CHRISTMAS STORY is a Dreamscape Cinema (Champaign-Urbana/St. Joseph, IL-Fargo, ND-Moorehead, MN) production that is written, produced, and directed by Robin Christian with cinematography by Daniel Clarke, art direction by Jiovanie Velazquez, editing by Skye Marcía, sound design by Jim Parker, makeup and costume design by Krystal Depew, and visual effects by Jacob Kuhne. First assistant director is Alison Lecouris, gaffer is Tommy Garrett, key grip is Sean Nielsen, sound recordists are Scott Murphy and Matt Wheeler, and music composer is David Stahl. Executive producer is James Lenz, associate producer is Jeff Trainer, and the film stars Cynthia Strahan, Nico Zahniser, Sadie Katz, Maxwell Caulfield, Richard Riehle, Robert Donovan, Gary Houston, Douglas Wilson, and Edward Asner. It is a 2023 release via Empress Movies on YouTube and runs 97 minutes.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, SALAAR PART 1: CEASEFIRE (in Hindi or Telugu with English sub), TROLLS BAND TOGETHER* (animation), WONKA (12/29 on), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (1/3, 7 p.m.), NIGHT SWIM, SHINING FOR ONE THING (in Mandarin with English sub) (1/4 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, NAPOLEON*, POOR THINGS, SALTBURN*, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER* (animation), WISH (animation), WONKA (12/29 on), NIGHT SWIM (1/4 on) *single screenings daily

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
Follow the link to view seasonal favorites and the hottest new releases! (12/26 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »

Calendar: December 22-28, 2023

December 22nd, 2023

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

12/25: Shea Kelly (producer/host, FILMWAR! YouTube channel, A Thousand Yard Stare Productions, Decatur, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

We’ve decided to remain studious for one more week and fill today’s Report with musings about alumni from downstate Illinois colleges whom we’ve recently seen referenced. Last month on an episode of the SATURDAY MORNING news magazine, aired by CBS-TV, author and ScreenCrush editor Matt Singer was interviewed about his new book on the professional and personal relationship between Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, Opposable Thumbs, published in October by G. P. Putnam’s Sons; segment host Dana Jacobson visited with Singer in Chicago about the late film critics and their undeniable influence on pop culture media that arguably persists to this day. And last week, Liam Gaughan of Collider filed a top-ten listicle that suggests the best screen roles of Richard Jenkins, the well-respected actor often cited by reviewers and journalists as a most valuable player in ensemble casts; Oscar-nominated for his lead performance in THE VISITORS from 2008 as well as his supporting role in THE SHAPE OF WATER from 2017, Jenkins is probably the highest-profile graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in the film business other than Bill Damaschke, who accepted a top position at Warner Bros. over the summer after a long career with DreamWorks Animation. Ye Ed will never reach these heights as a fellow IWU Titan.

Also last week, Mr. JaPan looked at the website for Michael Wiese Productions to see if they had posted anything in regards to founder Michael Wiese, who passed away in March due to complications from Parkinson’s disease; loving words for the Urbana native, University of Illinois alumnus, student contemporary of Ebert, and film producer are offered in his memory by Ken Lee, Alexander Ward, and Geraldine Overton, Wiese’s wife, who will be stewards of the MWP and Divine Arts imprints as the company moves onward and upward. And, just last night, CUBlog friend Jenny Southlynn shared on the socials that UI graduate, Sioux Nation artist and educator, and Native American activist Charlene Teters will be returning to campus on March 21 in the new year for an award ceremony at Temple Buell Hall and a reception at the Link Gallery, both hosted by the School of Art & Design; her efforts to publicly counter the fictional narrative cast over Champaign-Urbana by the former UI sports mascot, a composite Indian persona used for surface-level pageantry and merchandising, were chronicled in the 1998 documentary IN WHOSE HONOR? directed by the now-retired UI professor Jay Rosenstein. His film’s needful look at all sides of the representation issue is still relevant, even as the good fight draws ever so slowly to a conclusion, and Teters’ lecture on the 21st is certain to speak volumes on all fronts. Listen to them.

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

BLACK MOLD* U.S. Streaming Release: Thursday, December 7, exclusively on Tubi via Raven Banner Entertainment, Toronto, ON/The Line Film Company-Shatterglass Films-Head Trauma Productions, Rantoul/Champaign/Chicago, IL-Oshkosh, WI

@ The Lincoln Square Theatre, Decatur, IL
FIELDS OF GOLD* exclusive run (documentary) (12/26, 3 p.m.)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, SALAAR PART 1: CEASEFIRE (in Hindi or Telugu with English sub), THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WONKA (12/22 on), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (12/24 on), THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI (12/25 on),

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, NAPOLEON, SALTBURN, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (12/22 on), IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/24, 1, 4 & 7 p.m.), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, FERRARI (12/24 on), THE COLOR PURPLE (12/25 on)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
AMERICA IS SINKING, FAST CHARLIE, LIZARD PEOPLE (kiosk), more! (12/19 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »

Calendar: December 15-21, 2023

December 16th, 2023

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

12/16: Lauren Laws (vlogger, Nyx Namor YouTube channel, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
12/21: Linda McElroy (volunteer, Route 66 Film Festival, Springfield, IL)
12/21: Max Libman (host, CU International Film Festival, Urbana, IL)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Whereas last week’s Report focused on the film doings of instructors at our colleges, this one belongs to the cinematic achievers enrolled in higher learning. First, mentions in the schedule of the Normal Theater have alerted us to the existence of a student-run Film Society at Illinois State University, active since last year and demonstrating good taste in their viewing choices as evidenced at this Instagram account; led by senior Katia Savelyev, a major in Film and Digital Media at ISU, the club is a nice development on the Normal campus in light of this 2017 article from the Daily Vidette about how underclassmen interested in the movie arts were forced to patch together what they could to feed their dreams. One of the screenings that Film Society has supported outside of the Normal was for RED UNDER WRAPS, an hour-long thriller created by fellow ISU student Dan Bazan who has been quite prolific behind the camera while hitting the books as his YouTube channel demonstrates. Looking one pair of twin cities over and as we’ve remarked in the past, it’s harder in recent years to keep tabs on the Illini Film & Video club at the University of Illinois unless one checks the social media that is actually social like their YouTube and Instagram accounts; recently, the group partnered with the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies to present a “cult film night” back on Thursday, November 30, at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, and maybe that is a fruitful future pairing to help lift the profile of IFV leading into their 25th anniversary year. To close, we’d like to congratulate the 2023-24 Ebert Fellows, UI students who will receive mentorship from Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune and opportunities to grow their skills as journalists and make connections for their possible career paths: Hanna Brazas-Matta, Caroline Tadla, and IFV’s Stephanie Wayda. Write on!

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* mixer (12/18, 7 p.m.)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
WONKA, ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub), THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DIE HARD (re-release), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, NAPOLEON, RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film), THE SHIFT (faith film), SILENT NIGHT, THANKSGIVING*, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation) (12/15 on), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/15-12/17, 2 & 7:30 p.m.), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT preview (12/17, 4 p.m.), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS (12/21 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
WONKA, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), EILEEN, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE MARVELS, NAPOLEON, SALTBURN, THE SHIFT (faith film), THANKSGIVING, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), Waitress (filmed stage performance), WISH (animation) (12/15 on), RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film) (12/15-12/17), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/15-12/17, 1, 4 & 7 p.m.), UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, more (mixed martial arts) (12/16, 9 p.m., simulcast), IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/17, 3 & 7 p.m.; 12/20, 7 p.m.), ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub) (12/18-12/20, 2 p.m.), AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, MIGRATION (12/21 on)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
HAUL OUT THE HOLLY, THE HIGHEST OF STAKES, IMMEDIATE FAMILY, TAKE ME BACK FOR CHRISTMAS, more! (12/12 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” feat. THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG excerpt w/discussion (12/15, 7 p.m.), Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. DIE HARD (12/21, 7 p.m.)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Calendar: December 8-14, 2023

December 9th, 2023

Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.

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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!

12/8: CJay Wallace (cohost, Robots Don’t Age! podcast, Champaign, IL)
12/8: Britten Traughber (photographer, Britten Traughber Photography, Tucson, AZ)
12/10: Sidney Taiko (editor/publisher, Storm Cellar, San Diego, CA)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

With a monotone Ben Stein utterance of “Report” under our collective breath, CUBlog presents the first of two entries on film and media doings at our academic institutions, just in time for fall semester to conclude and college kids to cram their damnedest while studying. Item one, the College of Media at UIUC posted about a “film poem” made by faculty members Victor Font and Cristobal Bianchi, FACTORIES AT SEA, being selected for several film festivals internationally and showcased during a function of the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies in October. Item two, Illinois State University professor John McHale and Normal resident Xavier Jackson, a registered nurse, talked with Lauren Warnecke of WGLT radio last month about the award received by their joint screenplay, “Nurses Versus the Virus,” which draws from Jackson’s experiences during the pandemic as a medical professional and African-American man. Item three, theater instructor and film producer Tom Quinn has seriously upgraded the status of Illinois Wesleyan University as a viable option for students who wish to learn or refine their visual storytelling skills; the liberal arts institution in Bloomington reported that several underclassmen projects have once again won awards through the online Top Shorts Film Festival. Among the shorts cited earlier in the fall are SUSPICIONS, written by Stephen Nickisch and winner of five categories, and HAND ME DOWN, written by Ethan Smith and co-directed by IWU graduate Justin Piotrowski, which nabbed a “Best Horror” nod and separately bowed at the Days of the Dead Chicago horror convention a couple of weeks ago.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DIE HARD (re-release), ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE MARVELS, NAPOLEON, OPPENHEIMER, THE SHIFT (faith film), SILENT NIGHT, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation) (12/8 on), RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film) (12/8-12/10, 12/14), THANKSGIVING (12/8-12/9), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (12/11, 7 p.m.), AX Cinema Nights: TOKYO GODFATHERS 20th anniversary (animé) (12/11, 12/13, 7:30 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 12/12, 7:30 p.m., English dub), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/12-12/14, 2 & 7:30 p.m.), TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR (concert film) (12/13, 4:30 p.m.), WONKA (12/14 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub), THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE CELLO, EILEEN, THE OATH, DREAM SCENARIO*, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE MARVELS, NAPOLEON, SALTBURN, THE SHIFT (faith film), SILENT NIGHT, THANKSGIVING, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation) (12/8 on), RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film) (12/8-12/10), Waitress* (filmed stage performance) (12/8-12/11), OPPENHEIMER* (12/8-12/12), The Metropolitan Opera: Florencia en el Amazonas (12/9, 11:55 a.m., simulcast; 12/13, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), A CHRISTMAS STORY 40th anniversary (12/10, 4 & 7 p.m.; 12/13, 7 p.m.), Flashback Cinema: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (12/10, 3 & 7 p.m.; 12/13, 7 p.m.), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/12-12/14, 2 & 7:30 p.m.), WONKA (12/14 on)

@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE DOG LOVER’S GUIDE TO DATING, LORD OF MISRULE, UNIT 262, WAIKIKI, more! (12/5 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
“Holiday in Whoville 2023” feat. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966) (12/10, 1-4 p.m., hourly)

Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!

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Read the rest of this entry »