Calendar: Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2021
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!
11/27: Jake Jackson (special effects make-up, ALCHEMY OF THE SPIRIT, Dikenga Films, Los Angeles, CA)
11/28: Ryan Mitchelle (editor, MEGALODON RISING, The Asylum, Burbank, CA)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Enjoy your ‘givings and do what you can to give those who can’t gather, celebrate, or avoid work during this weekend a lift. That said, the bare bones do not stop at whatever is left of your turkey carvings. I’m spent. I could have skipped this week’s Calendar. Luckily, the gods of ‘blog have smiled upon us with repeats of a pair of Almanac entries. Instant kontent’s going to get you … and we all read on. Peace.
CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
25 Years Ago … Tuesday, November 19, 1996: The Normal Theater in downtown Normal, IL, offers two shows of the Italian drama IL POSTINO (THE POSTMAN), directed by Michael Radford and nominated for the “Best Picture” Academy Award earlier in the year. IL POSTINO is the first Normal presentation sponsored by Beyond Normal Films, a month-old society founded by Colleen Farlee and Charline Watts that plans to actively select and screen quality international cinema for the Bloomington-Normal public. A “BNF pick” has played the Normal nearly every month since, while the Farlee Film Festival provides audiences with a three-week-long fix of notable imports once every few months. The non-profit organization also hosts member-only gatherings and supports movie-related community projects. [R]
105 Years Ago … Friday, November 24, 1916: Forrest James Ackerman is born in Los Angeles, CA, to William and Carroll Ackerman. Apart from working odd jobs, attending college in Berkeley, and serving in the army during World War II, he would spend decades at the forefront of science fiction and Golden Age Hollywood fandom with his seminal contribution coming over a quarter century (1958-1983) as creator and editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. After final years filled with health and legal issues, Ackerman passed away in his Los Angeles apartment on Thursday, December 4, 2008, at age 92, preceded by his wife and companion Wendayne in 1990. Although no overt connection between “Forry” and Champaign-Urbana, IL, has been identified, his sense of wonder and innate love for divulging pop culture arcana did heavily inspire a budding Champaign writer to begin publishing his own titles. [R]
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Gregory Hall, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Film & Video* meeting, Room 100 (11/29, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ANTIM: THE FINAL TRUTH, BELFAST, ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, RAILWAY HEROES, RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, DUNE, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on), NO TIME TO DIE (11/26-11/28), CHRISTMAS WITH ‘THE CHOSEN’: THE MESSENGERS (12/1-12/2), AKHANDA (12/2 on)
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2021 Weekend Films” feat. JUNGLE CRUISE, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (11/26-11/27, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, BELFAST, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, DUNE, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD, NO TIME TO DIE, VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (11/26 on), THE FRENCH DISPATCH (11/27 on), SING 2 early access screening (11/27, 5 p.m.), Turner Classic Movies presents WEST SIDE STORY 60th anniversary (11/28, 3 & 7 p.m.; 12/1, 7 p.m.), THE POLAR EXPRESS (11/28, 3 & 7 p. m.; 12/1, 7 p.m.), CHRISTMAS WITH ‘THE CHOSEN’: THE MESSENGERS (12/1-12/2, 7 p.m.)
@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
AMERICAN NIGHT, APACHE JUNCTION, JUNGLE CRUISE, RAGING FIRE, more! (11/23 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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NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ AMC Classic Village Mall 6, Danville, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on)
@ AMC Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
BELFAST, ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI (11/26-11/28)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
RUDY (11/26, 2 & 7 p.m.), FROZEN II (11/27, 2 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
“Hot Chocolate and Holiday Movie Weekend” feat. ELF (Screen 1), THE POLAR EXPRESS (Screen 2) (11/26-11/27)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private rentals for the week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE FRENCH DISPATCH (11/26-11/28), HOME ALONE (11/26), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947) (11/27), THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (11/28), ELF (12/1), WHITE CHRISTMAS (12/2)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (11/26-11/28)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
DUNE (11/26-11/28)
@ Streator Eagle 6, Streator, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on)
@ VIP Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
ENCANTO, HOUSE OF GUCCI, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, ETERNALS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD (11/26 on)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, as well as cancellations and postponements due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, please visit the fine folks at Cine-File and subscribe to their definitive “Cine-List” weekly blast.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
12/4
Kramupusnacht Freeky Film Festival
@ Champaign, IL (virtual event)
4/7-4/17, 2022
24th annual Wisconsin Film Festival
@ University of Wisconsin, etc., Madison, WI
4/8-4/10, 2022
Dead in Decatur presents “The Art of Fear”
@ Heroic Age Art Center, Mt. Zion, IL
4/20-4/23, 2022
22nd Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
“The Arthouse Experience Film Series” curated by Sanford Hess
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
12/6: COLD WAR; 1/19/22: WILD TALES; 2/23/22: ADAPTATION; 3/23/22: THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS; 4/6/22: BIG NIGHT; 5/25/22: EIGHTH GRADE; 6/1/22: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI: to be rescheduled: THE ARTIST
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Film Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
12/5: THE PRINCESS BRIDE; 1/13/22: CLUELESS*; 1/20/22: SAY ANYTHING; 2/2/22: GROUNDHOG DAY; 3/21/22: ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK; 4/4/22: FACE/OFF; 5/23/22: MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME; 6/30/22: WAYNE’S WORLD; 7/14/22: STARSHIP TROOPERS
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2021 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
12/3-12/4: JUNGLE CRUISE
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
12/11: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE; 1/22/22: ALL ABOUT EVE; 2/19/22: IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT; 4/30/22: DUCK SOUP; 6/25/22: HIGH NOON; 7/29/22: TOP HAT
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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