Calendar: May 10-16, 2019

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 April 21-25, 1999: The famed Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and television personality, Roger Ebert, hosts the inaugural Overlooked Film Festival at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL, sponsored by the College of Communications at the University of Illinois. Ten films selected by Ebert, a native of neighboring Urbana and UI graduate in journalism, are shown between Thursday, April 22, and Saturday, April 24, to respectably-sized crowds at the 1,400-seat Virginia, which will receive a portion of the “Ebertfest” proceeds for its renovation needs. “There are countless festivals devoted to the premieres of new films,” writes Ebert in a welcome address that appears in the program, “but none dedicated to taking a second look at wonderful films that for one reason or another haven’t yet found the audiences they deserve.” For instance, the first movie shown is DANCE ME TO MY SONG, a recent Australian production with no American distributor that is being lauded for the uplifting and complex role played by Heather Rose, who wrote the screenplay with director Rolf de Heer and does not shy away from working her real-life cerebral palsy into the unconventional love triangle at its heart. Other picks in succession are AUTUMN TALE, SURRENDER DOROTHY, HAMSUN, MOBOROSI, HOUSEHOLD SAINTS, SHILOH, and THIRTEEN, while two well-known pieces represent forms as well as function: Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark epic BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, a silent film and a progenitor of modern editing techniques, and Steven Lisberger’s science fantasy TRON, the de facto debut of extensive computer graphics in a Hollywood feature to be shown in the uncommon 70mm format, although it has been replaced by a crisp 35mm print at the last moment. Panels on campus, discussions after each screening, casual access to guests including Ebert himself, and private parties round out this novel experience for local residents and visiting film fans alike. “Eberfest” is directed by fellow UI alum Nate Kohn, produced by Nancy Casey, and dedicated to Ebert’s longtime friend and contemporary in the Chicago media, Gene Siskel, who passed away two months ago at age 53. The on-line movie critic James Berardinelli, another Ebert colleague and “Ebertfest” guest, predicts this show will go on for years to come.

 

NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL
RAFIKI (5/10 on), MARY MAGDELENE (5/10-5/12, 5/14-5/16), KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE (5/11, 2:30 p.m., free), AN AMERICAN HOME w/filmmaker Thomas Desch (5/13, 7 p.m., free),

@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE HUSTLE, POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, POMS, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE INTRUDER, LONG SHOT, SHAZAM!, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on), A DOG’S JOURNEY, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM (5/16 on)

@ Family Video, Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART, WHAT MEN WANT, THE PRODIGY, EVERYBODY KNOWS, ROOM FOR RENT, VIKING BLOOD, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE: DÉJÀ VU, IMPOSSIBLE MISSION, BETTER CALL SAUL (s4), MR. MERCEDES (s1), more! (5/7 on)

@ Goodrich Savoy 16, Savoy, IL
THE CHAPERONE, THE HUSTLE, POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, POMS, TOLKIEN, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE INTRUDER, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Dialogues des Carmélites (5/11, 11 a.m., simulcast; 5/15, 6:30 p.m., recorded), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (5/12, 5/15), WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND: LOOKING BACK AT ‘STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE’ (5/13, 7 p.m.), SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL: THE MOVIE (5/16, 7:30 p.m.)

@ Main Quad, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board Presents “Summer Quad Cinema Series” feat. FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY, Anniversary Plaza (5/16, 9 p.m., free, rain location: Pine Lounge (1st floor), Illini Union)

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
THE HUSTLE, POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on)

@ AMC Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
THE HUSTLE, POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, POMS, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, TOLKIEN, AVENGERS: ENDGAME (5/10 on)

@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU (Screen 1), AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Screen 2) (5/10-5/12)

@ The Lincoln Family Theater & Community Center, Lincoln, IL
THE HUSTLE, POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, POMS, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on)

@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART (5/10-5/12)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
AMAZING GRACE (5/10-5/12, 5/16), Tuesday Night Classic: BOYZ N THE HOOD (5/14)

@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU (5/10-5/12, 5/15)

@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
UGLYDOLLS (5/10-5/12), STORKS (5/11, 11 a.m., free)

@ Route 34 Drive-in, Earlville, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, CAPTAIN MARVEL (5/10-5/12)

@ Route 66 Twin Drive-in, Springfield, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ESCAPE ROOM (Screen 1), POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, SHAZAM! (Screen 2) (5/10-5/11)

@ Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU, POMS, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/10 on)

 

NOW PLAYING | Midwest

@ The Toby at Newfields, etc., Indianapolis, IN
16th Indy Film Festival (through 5/12)

 

COMING SOON | Area-wide Events

5/21
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting
@ Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m., free

6/5-6/9
26th Chicago Underground Film Festival, Chicago, IL

6/29
Laugh and Slash Film Festival
@ Garden Hotel, Urbana, IL

8/1-8/4
11th Gen Con Film Festival @ Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN

8/10
7th annual Pens to Lens Screenwriting Competition + Gala*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL

9/19-29
37th Reeling LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

10/26
Dark History & Horror Con’s Screaming Mad Film Festival
@ The City Center, Champaign, IL, 1:30 p.m.

11/1-11/2
18th annual Route 66 Film Festival
@ Capital City Bar & Grill, Springfield, IL

11/1-11/2
3rd Dead in Decatur Film Festival
@ Decatur Area Arts Council, Decatur, IL

TBD
Issue release: C-U Confidential #10
+ Paper Opteryx, Champaign, IL

TBD
10th New Art Film Festival*, Champaign, IL

 

COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area

NEW! Illini Union Board Presents “Summer Quad Cinema Series”
@ Anniversary Plaza, Main Quad, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m., free
Rain Location: Pine Lounge (1st floor), Illini Union
5/16: FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY; 5/23: WONDER PARK; 5/30: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD; 6/6: CAPTAIN MARVEL; 6/13: DUMBO; 6/20: SHAZAM!; 6/27: LITTLE; 7/11: THE BEST OF ENEMIES; 7/25: THE HUSTLE; 8/1: A DOG’S JOURNEY; 8/8: ALADDIN; 8/15: POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU; 8/24: AVENGERS: ENDGAME @ Memorial Stadium

The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
5/25: THE THIN MAN; 6/22: ON THE WATERFRONT; 7/13: STAGE DOOR

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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.

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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2019 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential

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