C-U Blogfidential

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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THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U

A quarter of a century ago was one of the longest days of my professional career, working for a news outlet albeit a locally-based one. We at The Octopus went through the motions to finish the current issue that day as we also began to hash out how our alternative weekly was going to handle covering the disaster – we couldn’t not address it, despite the primary events happening in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia – as well as what it meant to the security and safety of our country’s residents and the political ramifications of our standing on the world stage. Heavy intellectual lifting would be had in the many days to come.

As production manager, the job was the only one I’ve had in my life where I could walk to and from the office. At home, the original Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters, I cleaned up and left like usual in the morning. I had internet but no inclination to check online before I went. I was still many years removed from having a cell phone stuck in my back pocket. And, to this very moment, I can’t shake how there was something quite off as I entered downtown Champaign. A pall hung over the terrain from West Side Park to the Lincoln Building. Wasn’t buzzing. Never crackling. We were just there, a neighborhood and a city with its citizens and guests, collectively awaiting any news or clarification about the acts of terrorism enacted on our soil. It impressed on me harshly enough, despite being far removed from the immediate rubble and pain, that I recounted all that had washed over me for an issue of my friend Aj Michel’s zine, low hug, a few months later.

America needs to always remember the fallen and respect the living who got into harm’s way, including those who’ve been harmed ever since with sickness and early mortality, to help and rescue where they could, as well as the family, friends, and communities of all these folks whose realities were shaken by this horrific fate. Americans also need to be wary of how our current administration might spin this in patronizing and grotesque fashion as they tend to do about nearly everything of gravity, whether it occurred well in the past or affects our nation and its populace in the present. That includes today.

The local film culture news is piling up, we’re aware. (That’s us in the banner for this week’s Calendar. Can’t you tell? We’ll stave off the kaboom best we can.) Because we have a pair of bonus features in the works for next week on CUBlog, and especially since Mr. JaPan is now in a mood upon serious reflection, we’re foregoing a ticker proper for one more week. Our movies will still be here. We apologize.

You can also lean on Chambana Film Society to keep you propped up with doings in the C-U via their online events calendar as well as a monthly e-newsletter. Nat Dykeman has our scene covered like a glove, and you should thank him for his efforts by attending CFS show #100 in two weeks. See below. Cheers.

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ The Literary, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club* presents “Film Fanatic Movie Nights” feat. DONNIE DARKO “director’s cut,” moderated by Sanford Hess (9/12, 10:30 p.m.) Information

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents a special 100th CFS show feat. MORRIS FROM AMERICA and filmmaker Chad Hartigan via Zoom (Thurs., 9/23, 7 p.m., free w/ticket reservation)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (9/16, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE FIX, HOPE (in Korean with English sub), OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER (music documentary), PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, RUNNER, SARDAR 2* (in Tamil with English sub) THE UPRISING, AKIRA* (animé re-release) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), BY ANY MEANS, BUDDY, CARS 20th anniversary* (animation re-release), COYOTE VS. ACME, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (9/11 on), THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (faith film) (9/11-9/17, 7 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (9/13-9/14, 7 p.m.), “MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments” feat. STING OF DEATH (9/13, 4:30 p.m.), RESIDENT EVIL, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE 40th anniversary (animation) (9/17 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE FIX, HOPE (in Korean with English sub), OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER (music documentary), PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, RUNNER, BY ANY MEANS, BUDDY, CARS 20th anniversary (animation re-release), COYOTE VS. ACME, THE END OF OAK STREET, FALL 2: DEADPOINT, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE ODYSSEY, ONSLAUGHT*, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA (9/11 on), THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (faith film) (9/11-9/17, 7 p.m.), TOM AND JERRY: THE FORBIDDEN COMPASS* (animation) (9/11-9/14), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (extended) (9/12-9/13, 9/16, 3 & 7 p.m.), .“MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments” feat. STING OF DEATH (9/13, 3 p.m.), JUAN GABRIEL: MI PREMIER BELLAS ARTES (concert film) (9/15-9/15, 7 p.m., in Spanish with English sub), RESIDENT EVIL, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE 40th anniversary (animation) (9/17 on) *single screenings daily

@ Courtyard Café, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2026 Weekend Films” feat. CARS (animation) (9/12-9/13, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

@ Spurlock Center for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
UI Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies presents “AsiaLENS” feat. OUR MR. MATSURA w/filmmaker Beth Harrington (9/14, 5:30 p.m., free)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Rewind 92.5 and Mix 94.5 present CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND “director’s cut” with a taped introduction by Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Edwards of the upcoming stage show premiere, “We Interrupt This Program” (9/12, 7:30 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 »

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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THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U

Did we mention the one (like, on Thursday) where we’ve added several listings to the Calendar? Well, whoops, we’ve done it again. Not only are the schedules for the Phoenix Savoy 16 and AMC Champaign 13 swamped with variety this week, the list of future dates has grown even longer with additions that include a pair of Film-Fanatic.Club boutique retro shows and the Virginia Theatre’s annual commitment to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. There’s also a bounty of Dolly Parton in the immediate future. Despite our claim a couple of nights ago, Mr. JaPan needs to plow through a certain segment of his belongings at the house on the edge of an American small town this long weekend – in other words, ha, labor – and we may not tick the Teletype with hard news until next week. To be determined, as they say, although we may also have a bonus post to share midweek as a peace offering. Keep checking back.

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents WINTER HYMNS feat. filmmaker Nathan Deming in person (Tues., 9/8, 6:30 p.m. $5), special 100th CFS show feat. MORRIS FROM AMERICA and filmmaker Chad Hartigan via Zoom (Thurs., 9/23, 7 p.m., free w/ticket reservation)

@ Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, Bloomington, IL
“B-Movie Bingo” hosted by Paul A. Brooks* feat. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, EVENT HORIZON (9/10, 7 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (9/9, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
AKIRA (animé re-release) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), BY ANY MEANS, CARS 20th anniversary (animation re-release), FALL 2: DEADPOINT, MIRZAPUR (in Hindi with English sub), ONSLAUGHT, THE SUN NEVER SETS, BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, THE END OF OAK STREET, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TONY (9/4 on), THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (9/4, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 (9/5, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 (9/6, 7 p.m.), and THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (9/7, 12:30 & 3:45 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (9/7, 7 p.m.), “MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments” feat. STING OF DEATH (9/9, 7 p.m.), HOPE (in Korean with English sub) (9/9 on), SARDAR 2 (in Tamil with English sub) (9/9 on), THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (faith film) (9/10-9/17, 7 p.m.), OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER (music documentary), PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, RUNNER, THE UPRISING (9/10 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BY ANY MEANS, CARS 20th anniversary (animation re-release), FALL 2: DEADPOINT, ONSLAUGHT, BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, THE END OF OAK STREET, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, MUTINY, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, TONY (9/4 on), TOM AND JERRY: THE FORBIDDEN COMPASS (animation) (9/4-9/8), Indian cinema: BETHLEHEM KUDUMBA UNIT* (in Malayalam with English sub; 9/4), ROMANCHAKAM* (in Telugu with English sub; 9/5, 9/8), and MIRZAPUR: THE MOVIE* (in Hindi with English sub; 9/6), Dolly Parton tribute series: JOYFUL NOISE (9/4, 3 p.m.; 9/5-9/6, 1:45 p.m.; 9/7-9/10, 3 p.m., STEEL MAGNOLIAS (9/4, 12 & 6 p.m.; 9/5-9/6, 11:15 a.m. & 7:15 p.m.; 9/7-9/10, 12 & 6 p.m.), and THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (9/4, 9 p.m.; 9/5-9/6, 4:30 & 10 p.m.; 9/7-9/10, 9 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (9/4, 12, 3 & 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 (9/5, 3 & 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 (9/6, 12, 3:30 & 7 p.m.), and THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (9/7, 12, 3:30 & 7 p.m.), PACIFIC RIM (9/6, 3 & 7 p.m.; 9/7-9/8, 7 p.m.), “MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments” feat. STING OF DEATH (9/9, 7 p.m.), HOPE (in Korean with English sub) (9/9 on), OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER sneak preview (music documentary) (9/9, 7:15 p.m., IMAX), THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (9/10-9/17, 7 p.m.), PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 (9/10 on) *single screenings daily

@ Courtyard Café, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2026 Weekend Films” feat. PROJECT HAIL MARY (9/5-9/6, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

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 »

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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THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U

We’ve added several listings to the Calendar, including the most current details for Chambana Film Society’s first-ever “Doctoberfest” series and their maiden voyage as a co-presenter during the Pygmalion festival later in September. Also added are this semester’s movies at the Illini Union for University of Illinois students (sorry, general public) and what little we could find for both the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, which includes a showing and discussion of Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE from 2001 (of course, released in that year) on Thursday, September 3, at the UI Spurlock Center for World Cultures, and the UI Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies’ “AsiaLENS” curated series. A lot has come to our attention otherwise in the last couple of months, so we’ll start taking stock of it all next week. Carry on, film friends.

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. RADIOHEART: THE DRIVE & TIMES OF DJ KEVIN COLE (documentary) (8/30, 2 p.m.)

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies welcome event and screening feat. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE introduced by Issac Feldberg (6 p.m. concessions, 7 p.m. program)

@ Watson’s Shack & Rail, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club presents OFFICE SPACE introduced by Chuck Koplinski (8/28, 9:30 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (9/2, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, IDIOTS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 35th anniversary, TONY, THE END OF OAK STREET, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th anniversary*, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, MUTINY, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA* (8/28 on), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (8/28-8/30), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/31, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES (9/3, 7 p.m.), BY ANY MEANS, ONSLAUGHT (9/3 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, IDIOTS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 35th anniversary, THE END OF OAK STREET, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE*, MUTINY, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPA WEEKEND, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, TONY (8/28 on), Indian cinema: BETHLEHEM KUDUMBA UNIT* (in Malayalam with English sub; 8/28-9/2), IRUMUDI* (in Telugu with English sub; 8/28-9/2), and TOXIC (in Kannada with English sub; 8/28-9/2), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (8/29, 7 p.m.; 8/30, 3 & 7 p.m.; 9/2, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES (9/3, 12, 3 & 7 p.m.), BY ANY MEANS (9/3 on) *single screenings daily

@ Courtyard Cafe, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2026 Weekend Films” feat. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (animation) (8/29-8/30, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)

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 »

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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LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. WE ARE FUGAZI FROM WASHINGTON D.C. (documentary) (8/23, 2 p.m.)

@ Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, Bloomington, IL
“B-Movie Bingo” hosted by Paul A. Brooks* feat. THEY LIVE, THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE (8/27, 7 p.m.)

@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Dance at Illinois presents Flatlands Dance Film Festival* feat. LAST DANCE AT THE SUNDANCE STOMPEDE (documentary) (8/27, 7 p.m., Knight Auditorium)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (8/26, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th anniversary, HOT SPOT, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE*, MUTINY, SPA WEEKEND, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, THE BRINK OF WAR*, THE END OF OAK STREET, THE ODYSSEY, ONE NIGHT ONLY*, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SIX: THE MUSICAL LIVE! (concert film), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TOY STORY 5* (animation) (8/21 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: CASTLE IN THE SKY (animé) (8/22, 4 p.m., 8/23, 7 p.m., English dub; 8/25, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), COYOTE VS. ACME sneak preview (8/23, 1 p.m.), AMC “Scream Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/24, 7 p.m.), AMERICAN MARTYR: THE STANLEY ROTHER STORY (religious documentary) (8/26, 7 p.m.), COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE 25th anniversary (8/27 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th anniversary, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, MUTINY, SPA WEEKEND, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, TONY, THE BRINK OF WAR*, THE END OF OAK STREET, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, SUPER TROOPERS 3, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (8/21 on), THE WRONG GIRLS (8/21-8/22, 9 p.m.), Indian cinema: BETHLEHEM KUDUMBA UNIT* (in Malayalam with English sub; 8/21-8/26), IRUMUDI* (in Telugu with English sub; 8/21-8/25), KHALFA* (in Malayalam with English sub; 8/21-8/24), and VISWANATH & SONS* (in Telugu with English sub; 8/21-8/23, 8/25), Studio Ghibli Fest: CASTLE IN THE SKY (animé) (8/22, 3 p.m., 8/23, 4 & 7 p.m., 8/26, 7 p.m., English dub; 8/24-8/25, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), AMERICAN MARTYR: THE STANLEY ROTHER STORY (religious documentary) (8/25-8/27, 7 p.m.), BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS (8/27 on) *single screenings daily

@ Courtyard Cafe, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (animation) (8/29-8/30, 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 »

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.

~~~~~

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

August 6: Peter Katsis, 69 (interviewee, WHERE IT BEGINS: 1977-2000, Swede Films, Urbana, IL)

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ The Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting (8/17, 7 p.m.)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. “Shorts: Music Documentary” (8/16, 2 p.m.)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
40 North, Champaign Movie Makers, CUDO, and Champaign Park District present the 10th Pens to Lens* short film gala (7/10, 3 p.m.) Information

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (8/19, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

@ WILL-TV, Urbana, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “Illinois Soul’s Block Party” feat. locally-produced documentaries: THE EVOLUTION OF THE BARBER: THE ART, THE CRAFT & THE CULTURE* (8/18, 8 p.m.), DON MOYER BOYS & GIRLS CLUB: FROM THE CLUB, FOR LIFE* (8/18, 9 p.m.), and CANDY FOSTER: A MUSICAL WITNESS* (8/18, 10 p.m.)

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE BRINK OF WAR, THE END OF OAK STREET, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SIX: THE MUSICAL LIVE! (concert film), THE WRONG GIRLS, THE ODYSSEY, ONE NIGHT ONLY, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, SUPER TROOPERS 3*, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (8/14 on), KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS (music concert documentary) (8/14-8/16, 7 p.m.), AMC “Scream Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/17, 7 p.m.), “Texas Chain Saw Day” feat. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) (8/18, 7 p.m.), THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th anniversary, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, MUTINY (8/20 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE BRINK OF WAR, THE END OF OAK STREET, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SIX: THE MUSICAL LIVE!* (concert film), VISHWANATH & SONS (in Telugu or Tamil with English sub), THE WRONG GIRLS, ICE CREAM MAN, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, ONE NIGHT ONLY, SUPER TROOPERS 3, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (8/14 on), UFC 330: Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry, more (mixed martial arts) (8/15, 8 p.m., simulcast), DIRTY DANCING (8/16, 3 & 7 p.m.; 8/19, 7 p.m.), POINT BREAK 35th anniversary (8/16, 4 & 7 p.m.; 8/19, 7 p.m.), “Texas Chain Saw Day” feat. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) (8/18, 7 p.m.), INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, MUTINY (8/20 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. JURASSIC PARK (8/20, 8:30 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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Read the rest of this entry »

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.

~~~~~

PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed

July 22: Chuck Russell, 74 (actor, SHOT, Cinemaguild, The University of Illinois, Urbana, IL)
July 24: Rick Orr, 83 (founder/artistic director, The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre, Urbana, IL)
July 26: Michael Harroun, 69 (former owner, Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL)

THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U

We had intended to resume the Teletype in this Calendar, but Ye Ed is not particularly up for it after the last few weeks of domestication halfassedry, so the plan is to start piling on the deets for your local culture edification in seven days when he promises to emerge from the weeds. At this moment, let’s take the time to remember the folks connected with the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond whom we’ve recently lost; it’s extremely rare for us to experience the central Illinois equivalent of the “group of three” passings when it involves luminaries in media arts and performance who are forever connected to the C-U. This obituary at Legacy.com and an outpouring of loving thoughts collected by The News-Gazette remind us well of Rick Orr, the celebrated florist and a vital force for many years in curating a community stage where high-quality and forward-thinking theatrical performance would be the norm. This report from WCIA-TV provides the briefest of insight into the eclectic life of Mike Harroun, one of two partners who rescued and reopened the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in at the end of the Eighties and lived to see his sons take over the business operations as stewards to his legacy. And, this career recap by The Hollywood Reporter is one of a good number appearing online for Chuck Russell, the Illinois native and University of Illinois graduate who engineered a solid Hollywood livelihood for two decades that included features like ERASER, THE SCORPION KING, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 3, the remake of THE BLOB, and Jim Carrey’s THE MASK. May they all rest in peace, and CUBlog needs to pay our respects to a good number of talented folks who’ve left us since we last evoked ‘Thirty.’ Cheers.

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. BROTHER VERSUS BROTHER (documentary) (8/9, 2 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (8/12, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ICE CREAM MAN, ONE NIGHT ONLY, SUPER TROOPERS 3, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), THE ODYSSEY, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (8/7 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: TALES FROM EARTHSEA 20th anniversary (animé) (8/8, 4 p.m., English dub) and ONLY YESTERDAY 35th anniversary (animé) (8/9, 4 & 7 p.m., English dub; 8/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), Fan Faves: MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND (8/10, 8/12, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/10, 7 p.m.), PRACTICAL MAGIC (8/11, 7:30 p.m.), KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS (music concert documentary) (8/12-8/13, 7 p.m.), THE BRINK OF WAR, THE END OF OAK STREET, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation) (8/13 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ICE CREAM MAN, ONE NIGHT ONLY, SUPER TROOPERS 3, HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (8/7 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: TALES FROM EARTHSEA 20th anniversary (animé) (8/8, 3 p.m., English dub; 8/10, 7 pm., in Japanese with English sub) and ONLY YESTERDAY 35th anniversary (animé) (8/9, 4 & 7 p.m., English dub; 8/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), THE GOONIES (8/9, 3 & 7 p.m.; 8/12, 7 p.m.), THE END OF OAK STREET, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation) (8/13 on)

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (8/13, 9 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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Read the rest of this entry »

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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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

30 Years Ago … Thursday, July 25, 1996: James R. Velde, a former Hollywood executive, passes away at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA, at age 82, according to an obituary published by the Los Angeles Daily News. Velde spent his entire career in the motion picture industry apart from serving in the United States army during World War II, starting at a regional shipping office of Paramount Pictures in the mid-1930s and eventually retiring in 1977 as a senior vice president of United Artists after nearly 30 years with that studio. He is well regarded in the industry for his innovations in film distribution and marketing as well as philanthropy. A native of Bloomington, IL, Velde joined Paramount after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University, per a 1976 Boxoffice magazine article. [R]

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (8/5, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
I WANT YOUR SEX, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, SRINIVSA MANGAPURAM (in Telugu with English sub), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (7/31 on), Fan Faves: THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (animation) (8/3, 8/5, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Scream Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/3, 7 p.m.), ICE CREAM MAN, SUPER TROOPERS 3 (8/6 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
I WANT YOUR SEX, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, EVIL DEAD BURN, HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), THE INVITE*, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, MOTOR CITY*, OBSESSION, THE ODYSSEY, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/31 on), WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 55th anniversary (8/2, 3 & 7 p.m.; 8/5, 7 p.m.), THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (8/2, 3 & 7 p.m.; 8/5, 7 p.m.), The Metropolitan Opera encore: Aida (8/5, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), “DCI ’26: Big, Loud & Live” (Drum Corps International championships) (8/6, 5:30 p.m., simulcast) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. PROJECT HAIL MARY (8/6, 9 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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Read the rest of this entry »

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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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

50 Years Ago … Thursday, July 15, 1976: Beverly Hills, CA-based distributor Crown International Pictures opens the film DEATH RIDERS on 100 screens in the Kansas City-Omaha region of the Midwest, according to the exhibition trade magazine Boxoffice. One of the only non-fiction titles in the company’s catalog and the rare documentary to play the drive-in circuit, DEATH RIDERS is directed by James Wilson of Hallmark Entertainment and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Death Riders Motorcycle Thrill Show, a traveling stunt team founded in the early Seventies by Floyd Reed, Sr., and featuring his teenage son Danny as “Mr. T.N.T.” Two weeks prior to this roll out, the film’s world premiere took place at the North Drive-In of Terre Haute, IN, on Friday, July 2, a live Death Riders exhibition providing additional impact at the start of the show. Booking agent T.N.T. Productions is based in the Reed family’s hometown of Danville, IL, while the crew’s practice stadium is 25 miles away in Cayuga, IN; a memorable scene in DEATH RIDERS finds Danny’s grandmother Clara fainting in the Cayuga grandstand after watching him crash in front of the hometown crowd. Additional thrills performed for camera by the Death Riders would appear a year later in the fictional action-comedy DEATH DRIVER, produced and self-distributed by prolific North Carolina independent filmmaker Earl Owensby. [R]

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ The Literary, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club presents AMERICAN PSYCHO (7/25,10:30 p.m.)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. JACK JOHNSON: SURFILMUSIC (documentary) (7/26, 2 p.m.), “Art House Theater Day” presentation of SORRY TO BOTHER YOU w/introduction by director Boots Riley (7/30, 7 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (7/29, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
CHENNAI LOVE STORY* (in Telugu with English sub), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), HER PRIVATE HELL, JANA NAYAGAN* (in Tamil with English sub), MOTOR CITY, EVIL DEAD BURN, THE INVITE, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON* (faith film) (7/24 on), Fan Faves: THE BAD GUYS 2 (animation) (7/27, 7/29, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (7/27, 7 p.m.), I WANT YOUR SEX, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (7/30 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
CHENNAI LOVE STORY (in Telugu with English sub), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), HER PRIVATE HELL, JANA NAYAGAN (in Tamil with English sub), MOTOR CITY, BACKROOMS extended cut, DISCLOSURE DAY*, EVIL DEAD BURN, THE INVITE, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, OBSESSION, THE ODYSSEY, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/17 on), BAD COUNSELORS (7/24-7/27, 7 p.m.), THE FIFTH ELEMENT (7/26, 4 & 7 p.m.; 7/27, 7 p.m.), TREMORS (7/26, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7/29, 7 p.m.), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (7/30 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. POWER BALLAD (7/30, 9 p.m., free)

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

~~~~~

Read the rest of this entry »

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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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

20 Years Ago … Saturday, June 17, 2006: Champaign movie studio Dreamscape Cinema follows up the successful local debut of their flagship title SHEEBA in March with the world premiere of sophomore release DISCONNECT. The time travel drama starring Steffany Huckaby, Michael Muhney, Amanda Troop, Holmes Osbourne, Eddie Jones, and Tami Erin makes its 7 p.m. debut at Foellinger Auditorium on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana. DISCONNECT would closely follow its predecessor into the United States entertainment marketplace by a few weeks in early 2011 as a DVD edition issued by Osiris Entertainment. Dreamscape founder Robin Christian served as writer and director for this offering. As reported on 6/6/06, 2/19/11 at CUBlog. [R]

35 Years Ago … July 1-15, 1991: Location shooting for the big-screen biography of legendary baseball player George “Babe” Ruth, aptly titled THE BABE, takes place at Danville Stadium on the south end of Danville, IL. Led by director Arthur Hiller, the production crew redresses the home of the Danville Dans club to alternately resemble Fenway Park of Boston and the defunct Forbes Field of Pittsburgh for scenes in the film; some shots are eventually augmented with early CGI effects to extend the upper decks and fill the stands not populated with flesh-and-blood extras recruited from the immediate area. Hollywood actors who are on hand to perform include Bruce Boxleitner, Kelly McGillis, and star John Goodman. Universal Pictures would release THE BABE on Friday, April 17, 1992, to more than 1,500 screens in North America. News-Gazette article [R]

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ The Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting (7/20, 7 p.m.)

@ The Literary, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club presents AMERICAN PSYCHO (7/25,10:30 p.m.)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. RESYNATOR (documentary) (7/19, 2 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (7/22, 7-8 p.m.) Live Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE ODYSSEY, DISCLOSURE DAY*, EVIL DEAD BURN, THE INVITE, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, OBSESSION, SUPERGIRL*, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/17 on), THE NEVERENDING STORY (7/19, 3 & 7 p.m.), Fan Faves: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (7/20, 7/22, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (7/20, 7 p.m.), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical) (7/23 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE ODYSSEY, BACKROOMS extended cut, DISCLOSURE DAY, EVIL DEAD BURN, GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS*, THE INVITE, JACKASS: BEST AND LAST* (mockumentary), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, OBSESSION, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/17 on), The Metropolitan Opera encore: The Merry Widow starring Renée Fleming (7/22, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), THE NEVERENDING STORY (7/22, 7 p.m.), BAD COUNSELORS (7/23, 7 p.m.) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. COCO (animation) (7/23, 9 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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Read the rest of this entry »

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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THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U

We apologize for being incognito the last few weeks, even though we’ve otherwise been filling out the Calendar without fail, because we’ve had to let Ye Ed off the leash to hunt down a few solutions to various life issues that have begun to plague him in territories far away from east central Illinois. His on-and-off presence at MFHQ Deux may have to become a regular thing into next year, so we’ll work with it as best as we can while in the throes of delivering the content you come here to enjoy, dearest readers. Since he is back in-house and pent up at his desk in the CUBlog news room, we can summarize a good number of things in the current film culture du C-U over the month of July before we cut him loose again.

Starting with happenings that might already be in the past if you’re reading this admittedly late report, our Local Films & Events category is unusually stacked for a midsummer filing, isn’t it? As much as we try to bring you the pertinent dates and doings in advance, sometimes we don’t quite get it done and it’s a lesson that, for anything of interest you might read about in our postings, you should always be cross-checking with direct sources so that you can be effectively reminded of what is happening when. Luckily, every single item that we’ve mentioned below will or should be taking place again in the near future.

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So, what exactly do our friends and neighbors have in store? Under “film appreciation,” Chambana Film Society has returned to host a series of music-related feature films and shorts that will dovetail into their first-ever program as part of Pygmalion in September, while the team behind the 25th anniversary Route 66 International Film Festival in Springfield look to be organizing a string of public appearances in order to promote the milestone and recruit volunteers for putting on the show in November. Under “film history,” Perry C. Morris is teaching a new “theaters of Champaign-Urbana” class through the OLLI program at the University of Illinois with a multi-session version coming soon in the fall, while Paul A. Brooks tests your B-movie knowledge every other week with screenings and funsies in downtown Bloomington. Under “film production,” we heard that Bloomington-Normal actress Kat Johns has a desire to launch a movie and online media group for local creatives, while casting agent Sarah Cayce reached out and let CUBlog know the latest call for background talent was being held in Rantoul near Flyover Film Studios. And under “film music,” Przemek has been the airshifter for “Frame Noise” at WEFT 90.1 FM in Champaign since the program’s debut in 2023 and continues to share his love for cinematic music composition each week.

Then, what else do our friends and neighbors have in store? We’re alerting you in advance that Champaign Movie Makers will have their next meeting in a week on Monday, July 20, the last before Pens to Lens returns to the Virginia Theatre and gathers back its strength to pre-pandemic heights. We’re also suggesting that you keep an eye on your socials, especially if you’re friendly with Springfield folk, as there seems to be an attempt to revive the Central Illinois Film Commission a few months after the passing of its founder, Dean Williams. Our intent is to go over a handful of film business headlines from the last few months, discuss a batch of recent updates at the area movie houses, and pull a few rabbits and local-film tidbits out of our collective hat before we take another break with the Teletype. Cheers.

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Bloomington Public Library, Bloomington, IL
Filmmaking group meeting* hosted by Kat Johns (7/11, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)

@ Cozy Dog Drive In, Springfield, IL
Route 66 International Film Festival* meet-up (7/10, 7-8 p.m.)

@ The Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting (7/20, 7 p.m.)

@ Forge Film Acting*, Rantoul Business Center, Rantoul, IL
Bokeh Background Casting* open call (7/11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.) Information

@ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, UIUC, Urbana, IL
“Champaign-Urbana’s Rich Theatrical History” class taught by Perry C. Morris (7/14, 12-1:30 p.m.) Register

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. LIFERS: A LOCAL H MOVIE (documentary) (7/12, 2 p.m.)

@ Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, Bloomington, IL
“B-Movie Bingo” hosted by Paul A. Brooks* feat. SLEEPAWAY CAMP, BLAIR WITCH (7/16, 7 p.m.)

@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (7/15, 7-8 p.m.) Live Streaming | Archive

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
EVIL DEAD BURN, GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS, THE INVITE, MOANA, NIGHT NURSE, BACKROOMS extended cut, DISCLOSURE DAY, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), OBSESSION, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/10 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (animé) (7/11, 4 p.m., 7/12, 7/15, 4 & 7 p.m., English dub; 7/13-7/14, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), Fan Faves: THE LEGO MOVIE (animation) (7/13, 7/15, 2 p.m.), THE ODYSSEY (7/16 on)

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
EVIL DEAD BURN, GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS, THE INVITE, LENIN* (in Telugu with English sub), MOANA, BACKROOMS extended cut, DISCLOSURE DAY, JACKASS: BEST AND LAST* (mockumentary), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), OBSESSION, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/10 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (animé) (7/11, 4 p.m., 7/12, 4 & 7 p.m., 7/15, 7/15, English dub; 7/13-7/14, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), UFC 329: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway, more (mixed martial arts) (7/11, 8 p.m. simulcast), MAMMA MIA! (7/12, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7/15, 7 p.m.), THE ODYSSEY (7/16 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. WICKED (7/16, 9 p.m., free)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Champaign Park District and the Virginia present “Teens Only! CU Around the District” feat. GOOD BURGER (7/10, 6:30 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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Read the rest of this entry »

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.

~~~~~

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ALPHA* (in Hindi with English sub), BACKROOMS extended cut, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), RAO BAHADUR* (in Telugu with English sub), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film), BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – THE CALAMITY (animé, Episodes 1-3; in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DISCLOSURE DAY, JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), OBSESSION, SCARY MOVIE*, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (7/3 on), Fan Faves: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025) (7/6, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), EVIL DEAD BURN, GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS, MOANA (7/9 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BACKROOMS extended cut, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film), DISCLOSURE DAY, JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), LUCKY STRIKE*, OBSESSION, SCARY MOVIE, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, SUPERGIRL,TOY STORY 5 (animation) (7/3 on), JAWS 50th anniversary (7/4, 12:30, 3:15, 6 & 9 p.m.; 7/5, 3, 7 & 9:45 p.m.; 7/8, 7 p.m.), CITIZEN KANE 85th anniversary (7/5, 4 & 7 p.m.; 7/8, 7 p.m.), MOANA (7/9 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. MICHAEL (7/9, 9 p.m., free)

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

~~~~~

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

~~~~~

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Old Tiernan Hall, Urbana, IL
Arthouse 217 presents “Homage to Cinema” feat. Georges Méliès shorts w/live accompaniment by Nu Orbit Ensemble, local arts showcase (6/26, 5:30 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show)

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – THE CALAMITY (animé, Episodes 1-3; in Japanese with English sub or English dub), JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), LUCKY STRIKE*, SUPERGIRL, BACKROOMS, THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD*, DISCLOSURE DAY, LEVITICUS*, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, OBSESSION, SCARY MOVIE, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (6/26 on), Fan Faves: DAVID (faith animation) (6/29, 7/1, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/29, 7 p.m.), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation) (7/1 on), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7/2 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – THE CALAMITY (animé, Episodes 1-3; in Japanese with English sub or English dub), JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), LUCKY STRIKE, SUPERGIRL, BACKROOMS, THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD*, DISCLOSURE DAY, LEVITICUS*, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, MICHAEL*, OBSESSION, PROJECT HAIL MARY*, SCARY MOVIE, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (6/26 on), SPACEBALLS (6/27, 3, 5, 7 & 9 p.m.; 6/28, 3, 5 & 7 p.m.; 7/1, 7 p.m.), TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (6/28, 6/30, 5:15 p.m.; 7/1, 4:15 p.m.), MINIONS & MONSTERS sneak preview (6/29, 6 p.m.), MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation) (7/1 on), *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. GREASE (7/2, 9 p.m., free)

@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
The News-Gazette Film Series presents YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (6/28, 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 »

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

6/12: Gene Shalit, 100 (film critic, TODAY, NBC-TV, New York, NY, retired)

CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History

30 Years Ago … June 14-27, 1996: After celebrating a grand opening in March and establishing a business model of serving alcohol and pizza with second-run Hollywood fare, the operators of the Brew & View at the Thunderbird team with The Octopus alternative weekly to develop signature events. Their inaugural show, “The 1st Annual Octopus Sci Fi Film Festival,” presents several science fiction classics and favorites across a two-week summer stretch at Urbana’s Thunderbird Theater, touted in its previous first-run era as having the largest movie screen in Champaign-Urbana. Selected by Octopus publisher Paul Young with assistance from his staff, including future New Art Film Festival program director Jason Pankoke, the marathon pairs episodes from the 1940 serial incarnation of pulp hero “The Shadow” with a choice roster: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), DR. STRANGELOVE, INVADERS FROM MARS (1953), THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, THE ROAD WARRIOR, THE TERMINATOR, and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953). All films are projected from 35 and 16 mm prints rented through various agencies from all over the United States. Similar shows of a more esoteric bent would follow the well-received “Sci Fi” experience over the next year, ceasing in mid-1997 after the Brew & View’s closure. [R]

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD, LEVITICUS, TOY STORY 5 (animation), BACKROOMS, DISCLOSURE DAY, THE FURIOUS, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, MICHAEL, OBSESSION, SCARY MOVIE, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU*, STOP! THAT! TRAIN!* (6/19 on), Fan Faves: PADDINGTON IN PERU (6/22, 6/24, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/22, 7 p.m.), SUPERGIRL sneak preview (6/24, 7 p.m.), BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – THE CALAMITY (animé, Episodes 1-3; in Japanese with English sub or English dub), JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), SUPERGIRL (6/25 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD, LEVITICUS, TOY STORY 5 (animation), BACKROOMS, DISCLOSURE DAY, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, MICHAEL, OBSESSION, PROJECT HAIL MARY*, SCARY MOVIE, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, STOP! THAT! TRAIN!* (6/19 on), OCEAN’S ELEVEN 25th anniversary (6/21, 4 & 7 p.m.; 6/24, 7 p.m.), RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (6/21, 12:15, 3 & 7 p.m.; 6/24, 7 p.m.), SUPERGIRL sneak preview (6/24, 7 p.m.), BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – THE CALAMITY (animé, Episodes 1-3; in Japanese with English sub or English dub), JACKASS: BEST AND LAST (mockumentary), SUPERGIRL (6/25 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. JAWS (6/25, 9 p.m., free)

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

~~~~~

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

~~~~~

LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers

@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting (6/15, 7 p.m.)

@ Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, Bloomington, IL
“B-Movie Bingo” hosted by Paul A. Brooks* feat. DAY OF THE DEAD, FIDO (6/18, 7 p.m.)

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
DISCLOSURE DAY, THE FURIOUS, STOP! THAT! TRAIN!, THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, MICHAEL, OBSESSION, POWER BALLAD*, SCARY MOVIE, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (6/12 on), “Studio Ghibli Fest” feat. PONYO (animé) (6/13, 6/17, 7 p.m., English dub; 6/15-6/16, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), SACRED HEART: HIS REIGN HAS NO END (faith film) (6/14, 4 p.m., in French with English sub), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/15, 7 p.m.), THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD, LEVITICUS, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (6/18 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
DISCLOSURE DAY, STOP! THAT! TRAIN!, THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, MICHAEL, OBSESSION, PEDDI* (in Telugu with English sub), POWER BALLAD, PRESSURE, PROJECT HAIL MARY, SCARY MOVIE, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (6/12 on), UFC “Freedom 250” feat. Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, more (mixed martial arts) (6/14, 7 p.m., simulcast), “Studio Ghibli Fest” feat. PONYO (animé) (6/14, 3 & 6 p.m., 6/17, 7 p.m., English dub; 6/15-6/16, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN (6/14, 3, 5 & 7 p.m.; 6/17, 7 p.m.), TOY STORY 5 (animation) (6/18 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. ZOOTOPIA 2 (6/18, 9 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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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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NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, POWER BALLAD, SCARY MOVIE, BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2*, MICHAEL*, OBSESSION, PRESSURE, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (6/5 on), SACRED HEART: HIS REIGN HAS NO END (faith film) (6/9, 7 p.m., in French with English sub), DISCLOSURE DAY, STOP! THAT! TRAIN! (6/11 on) *single screenings daily

@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, PEDDI (in Telugu with English sub), POWER BALLAD, SCARY MOVIE, BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, , THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, I LOVE BOOSTERS*, MICHAEL, OBSESSION, PRESSURE, PROJECT HAIL MARY*, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (6/5 on), HAI JAWANI TOH ISHQ HONA HAI* (6/7, 11 a.m., in Hindi with English sub), THE BIRDCAGE 30th anniversary (6/7, 4 & 7 p.m.; 6/10, 7 p.m.), CLUELESS (6/7, 3 & 7 p.m.; 6/10, 7 p.m.), DISCLOSURE DAY (6/11 on) *single screenings daily

@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. JURASSIC PARK (6/11, 9 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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