Select movie listings for December 20-26, 2024 in Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond! Don’t forget to peruse this week’s Field Report! And, did you take a peek at the Images of the week?
Posted in Calendar du C-U, Chicago Stories, Cinema Discourse, Documentary, Images du C-U, Media Coverage, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Roger Ebert, Streaming Cinema, The Old School | 
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Select movie listings for July 26-August 1, 2024 in Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond! Did you take a peek at the Images of the week?
Posted in Advertising du C-U, Bittersweet Places, Calendar du C-U, Images du C-U, Ones That Got Away?, The Old School, Theatres & Venues | Comments Off on Calendar: July 26-Aug. 1, 2024
Select movie listings for July 19-25, 2024 in Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond! Did you take a peek at the Image of the week? And, have you memorized the Confidential Almanac for today?
Posted in Calendar du C-U, Confidential Almanac, Ones That Got Away?, The Old School, VHS is Best | Comments Off on Calendar: July 19-25, 2024
At one time, four indie television shows were being worked on simultaneously in downstate Illinois. Only PEORIA has persisted with little interruption. What happened to the rest? These are their stories.
Posted in Article du C-U, Bittersweet Places, Ones That Got Away?, Production Updates, Streaming Cinema | Comments Off on More than PEORIA made for TV
Wouldn’t be prudent for us to promote this weekend’s UIUC and ISU student film shows without honoring the 50th anniversary of the UI student-made ‘MaGuffin’ and SHOT as well. Get learned!
Posted in Alums Done Good, Area Festivals, Cinema Discourse, Competition du C-U, Education/Classes, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Print Matter du C-U, Public Events, Student Film, The Old School | Comments Off on ‘MacGuffin,’ SHOT hit 50th mark
Illinois native Shea VanLaningham tried to crack the indie horror market with DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE some 10 years ago. We thought it had been long buried. We were dead wrong.
Posted in Alums Done Good, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Streaming Cinema | Comments Off on Lost IL indie flays DEAD BODIES
Where have all the good times gone? That is one of several major understatements for today. Do your civic duty, C-Uvians, and then consider whether our film culture can rebuild after the drought.
Posted in Area Festivals, C-U Confidential Shows, JP Confidential, MICRO-FILM du C-U, Ones That Got Away?, Public Events, Sad Places, The Old School | Comments Off on NAFF still a no-show for October
Ye Ed is rooting for the film culture of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to rebound from the turbulence of recent years. Not everything will survive, such as the theaters he recently photographed.
Posted in Business Matters, Images du C-U, Media Coverage, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Sad Places, The Old School, Theatres & Venues | Comments Off on August and everything NAFFter
In a restructuring effort by new ownership, the Goodrich Quality Theaters chain has decided to let go of the Savoy 16 IMAX in Savoy, IL. It could reopen if another tenant-operator fills the void.
Posted in Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Sad Places, Theatres & Venues | Comments Off on It’s ‘The End’ for GQT at Savoy 16
Nationwide consensus is that small businesses and organizations will get raked over the coals before the pandemic is over. We look at how a first-run, mixed-use, and former movie theater are doing.
Posted in Business Matters, Education/Classes, How You Can Help, Media Coverage, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Public Events, Sad Places, The Old School, Theatres & Venues | Comments Off on Virus fells Orpheum, shorts Avon
Self-restriction has been lifted as your humble editor rockets out the gate with fresh words on important topics and miscellany as well as dear old Dad. He might mention a few filmy things on top of that.
Posted in C-U Confidential, How You Can Help, JP Confidential, Ones That Got Away?, The Old School | Comments Off on Don’t ever let the dust settle, C-U
Once upon a time, next to no one in our society knew how to make movies. Traveling impresarios of a century ago made sure to tease the average citizen with the possibilities in programs like ‘Making Movies.’
Posted in Advertising du C-U, Education/Classes, Gone Hollywood, Images du C-U, Ones That Got Away?, Print Matter du C-U, Public Events, The Old School, Theatres & Venues, VHS is Best | Comments Off on Let’s all go to the ‘Movies,’ C-U
The unused Lincoln Square Theatre in downtown Decatur, Illinois, is showing signs of disrepair on its exterior. Residents and officials may be at a tipping point in deciding the fate of the venue.
Posted in Images du C-U, Media Coverage, Ones That Got Away?, Preservation, Sad Places, Theatres & Venues, Videos du C-U | Comments Off on Odds sinking for Lincoln survival
Once again, the archives at MFHQ trigger your humble editor into remembering times of a different creative energy. Herein we have evidence of his stab at fashioning attire for a lost short film project.
Posted in Bittersweet Places, Images du C-U, JP Confidential, Ones That Got Away?, The Old School | Comments Off on Cicadas fashioned to fit allegory
The scenes from a film culture that we have been watching mostly from afar fill us with mild disenchantment instead of wonder. And then we were ordered to self-shelter and keep personal spaces to ourselves. Joy.
Posted in Area Festivals, Article du C-U, Business Matters, Education/Classes, JP Confidential, Local Meetings, Media Coverage, Ones That Got Away?, Public Events, Roger Ebert, Sad Places, Theatres & Venues | Comments Off on C-U cinema hits a slippery slope