Calendar: January 6-12, 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!
1/7: Steve Christopher (actor, BAKING UP LOVE, Gemelli Productions, Brookhaven, NY)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
With the unfortunate passing last week of Momkoke, your humble editor is saddened and shaken even though it was a peaceful transition for her. On the flip side, everything that will need to be addressed at the house on the edge of an American small town feels magnified a hundred times over right about now, but Ye Ed will take the punches as they’re thrown and figure out how to pull through. If it requires leaving the lights turned down at MFHQ Deux for a spell while he delves into the estate, so be it.
This week, we’re filing a Report on other horrible matters because horror film news cheers us up. Right? Filmmakers of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond have yet to produce a genre picture that ignites the national consciousness as did M3GAN, which opens today, but that doesn’t mean our efforts aren’t appreciated. For instance, columnist Paul Lé of Bloody Disgusting has cited REVEALER in his new list of 10 features that he felt were overlooked in 2022. Elsewhere, we’ve decided to reduce our weekly listings on the Calendar to the core battery of C-U and adjacent theaters our dearest viewers would most likely visit. One long-distance destination that might be a bit on the deadly side is the Eagle Theater in downstate Robinson if we’re to believe the creepy new horror short subject, NIGHT SHIFT, written by Jed Brian of nearby Sumner and directed by Alex C. Magaña of California; unleashed on YouTube last Friday, December 30, it stars Becky Rush who also appeared in a previous small-screen scare from the duo, NEVER HAVE I EVER. And, on the same day we finally received a first look at the high-profile sequel EVIL DEAD RISE, Fangoria revealed a trailer for the extremely modest and decades-later follow-up, MUTILATOR 2, which features the busy east central Illinois native Cody Renee Cameron in its cast. To close, we’re sharing the photo below as proof that it’s rare anymore when one walks past a marquee and is amused or surprised; who knew the VIP Roxy Cinema in downtown Ottawa had the confidence to book the one-night showing of WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY from bargain peddlers ITN Distribution and quickie UK house Jagged Edge Productions? Oh, bother. Why bother?
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NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
M3GAN, THE WHALE, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, BABYLON*, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, THE FABELMANS, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, VIOLENT NIGHT (1/6 on), SHIN ULTRAMAN (1/11, 7 p.m., subtitled; 1/12, 7 p.m., English dub), A MAN CALLED OTTO, PLANE (1/12 on) *single shows daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
A MAN CALLED OTTO, M3GAN, THE OLD WAY, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, BABYLON, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, THE FABELMANS, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (1/6 on), ELVIS: THAT’S THE WAY IT IS (concert film) (1/8, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1/11, 4 7 p.m.), SHIN ULTRAMAN (1/11, 7 p.m., subtitled; 1/12, 7 p.m., English dub)
@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
BLACK ADAM, ON THE LINE, PREY FOR THE DEVIL, THE SYSTEM, more! (1/3 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
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (1/6-1/8)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
Closed for the week. Box office reopens on January 4.
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and “Family Movie Packs” this week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE STRANGER (1/6-1/8), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1/7-1/8), THE LADY FROM SHANGAI (1/12)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (1/6-1/8)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
VIOLENT NIGHT (1/6-1/8)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, please visit the fine folks at Cine-File and subscribe to their definitive “Cine-List” weekly blast.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
3/30-4/2
33rd Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/13-4/20
25th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/19-4/22
23nd 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 and sponsored by Illinois Public Media
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
1/25: THE FRENCH DISPATCH; 2/8: MY OCTOPUS TEACHER; 3/8: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE; 4/26: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; 5/31: THE TWO POPES; 6/14: MULHOLLAND DRIVE; 7/12: BARAKA
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
1/19: SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE*; 2/2: TITANIC*; 3/16: DIRTY DANCING; 4/27: GHOSTBUSTERS (1984); 5/18: BEETLEJUICE; 6/29: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK; 7/27: TOP GUN
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
1/21: STAGE DOOR; 2/11: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS; 3/18: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA; 4/29: FANTASIA; 5/20: TOPPER; 6/17: ENTER THE DRAGON; 7/15: I LOVE LUCY: THE MOVIE
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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