Calendar: March 17-23, 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!

3/18: Joseph Muskin (co-author, The Art Theater, Champaign Urbana Theater History, Urbana, IL)
3/18: Katrina Catizone (pop culture artist, Studio Art de Katrina, Champaign, IL)
3/19: Andrew F. Gleason (coordinator of video production, Public Affairs, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL)
3/22: JC Culp (multimedia artist, Unpopular Arts, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

 

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

3/8: Bert I. Gordon, 100 (producer/director, BEGINNING OF THE END, Republic Pictures Corporation, Los Angeles, CA)

 

FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said

Local-adjacent movies are cruising towards completion and distribution in this week’s Report. First, April Wright’s second exploration of the world of automotive filmgoing, BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN, has been acquired by Uncork’d Entertainment and released to video-on-demand outlets as of this past Tuesday, March 14; one of the 11 locations featured in this installment, which shares the stories of a drive-in landscape affected greatly by the pandemic, is the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in of Gibson City, which plans to open for the season next weekend with JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 and SCREAM VI.

And then, Champaign filmmaker John Isberg announced that his retro slasher hit FINAL SUMMER will continue its festival run at Panic Fest of Kansas City in April; the event will also host the world premiere of indie horror BLACK MOLD, which was filmed in Rantoul with a largely Chicago and downstate crew, as well as BROOKLYN ’45, a period supernatural drama from Ted Geoghegan (WE ARE STILL HERE) shot last year in the Windy City, and THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER duology, sporting practical make-up effects work by local artists Jessie Seitz and Marcus Koch. Of course, one year ago, Panic Fest provided the U.S. theatrical berth of Shatterglass Studios’ neon-soaked REVEALER, the C-U produced shocker set during an Eighties apocalypse and released to all platforms by RLJE Films and Shudder.

In closing, Chicago producer/director Stacey Carpenter reached out to CUBlog about a topical drama coming soon from her studio, Land of Misery Films, for which they are raising funds to continue production later in 2023. WE WOKE retells a true-life story about how a well-meaning theater troupe focused on teaching young students of color from the South and West neighborhoods of the city have to reckon with what it means to be inclusive and adaptable for the sake of everyone involved; readers can visit their website to learn more about the company and this project, which Carpenter developed with her partner Bradford S. Stevens as a vehicle to discuss racial strife and cancel culture in a creative manner, or visit their fiscal sponsor From the Heart Productions to donate towards their budgetary needs.

 

CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

25 Years AgoFriday, February 27, 1998: The Blind Pig Co. in downtown Champaign hosts the CD release party for the Hammerhead Records album Get a Load of This by the Funky Butt Drum Club, a sextet of seasoned local musicians including Josh Quirk, Josh Walden, Ian Shepherd, Jesse Brown, Peter Roubal, and charismatic singer Brandon T. Washington. Opening the show is fellow Hammerhead act The Vibe Tribe from Terre Haute, Indiana, providing a full-bodied rock sound in contrast to Funky Butt’s dance-groove anthems. Word on the street is the lyrics of the second track on Get a Load of This, “No Movie,” inspired the mantra of a certain independent film journal that would claim “this is not just movies, it’s our lives” in print for the first time nearly two years later. [R]

 

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN* U.S. streaming release: Tuesday, 3/14, nationwide via Uncork’d Entertainment, Flager Beach, FL/Going Attractions, Los Angeles, CA)

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
FULL RIVER RED (in Mandarin), SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS, 65, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, CHAMPIONS, COCAINE BEAR, CREED III, DEMON SLAYER: TO THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE (animé; Japanese or English language), EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, JESUS REVOLUTION, SCREAM VI (3/17 on), JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (3/23 on)

@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2023 Weekend Films” feat. BONES AND ALL (3/17-3/18, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS, A SNOWY DAY IN OAKLAND, 65, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER*, CHAMPIONS, COCAINE BEAR, CREED III, JESUS REVOLUTION, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, SCREAM VI (3/17 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Lohengrin (3/18, 11 a.m., simulcast; 3/22, 12 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), UFC 286: Leon Edwards vs. Karamu Usman, more (mixed martial arts; 3/18, 4 p.m., simulcast), SIXTEEN CANDLES (3/19, 3, 5 & 7 p.m.; 3/22, 7 p.m.), GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. (in Japanese w/English sub) (3/22, 7 p.m.), JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (3/23 on) *single shows daily

@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
LEGACY PEAK, A MAN CALLED OTTO, THE WHALE, more! (3/14 on) Online rentals

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
The News-Gazette Film Series presents A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (3/18, 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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NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
COCAINE BEAR, CHAMPIONS, SCREAM VI (3/17-3/19)

@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
BELFAST (3/17, 7 .m.)

@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and “Family Movie Packs” this week.

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (3/17-3/19), EXTRA ORDINARY. (3/17, 3/22), THE LOST KING (3/23)

@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
JESUS REVOLUTION (3/17-3/19)

@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (3/17-3/19)

 

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

4/27-4/30
Foxtail Film Festival (student films)*
@ Normal Theater, Normal, IL

5/6
DESPERATE SOULS* world premiere
@ The Princess Theater, LeRoy, IL, 4 p.m.

 

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.
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.
4/27: GHOSTBUSTERS (1984); 5/18: BEETLEJUICE; 6/29: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK; 7/27: TOP GUN

Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2023 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
3/24-3/25: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY; 3/31-4/1: BABYLON; 4/7-4/8: PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH; 4/14-4/15: KNOCK AT THE CABIN; 4/21-4/22: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA; 4/28-4/29: COCAINE BEAR

The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
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”
© 2023 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential

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