Calendar: September 22-28, 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!
9/26: Zelda Tindell (event director, Dead in Decatur International Film Festival, Decatur, IL)
9/27: Robert Hubbard (script supervisor, GOODLAND, Rockhaven Films, Kansas City, MO)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
We’ll make it a brief Report this week as something is better than nothing and we’re clearly behind on the area film news. C-U retro slasher FINAL SUMMER is commercially released on streaming sites and this LinkTree page will point you to all the locations; while you’re at it, hit their TeePublic account to snag some official FINAL merch with the lovely poster art by Creepy Duck Design embellished on it. And then, passion project documentary AFTERLIFE from Decatur’s Ben Harl and Silver Compass Studios receives its first look at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield as part of a Route 66 Film Festival promotion; the free screening begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 23, and will be followed by a formal premiere at the Avon Theatre in Decatur on Friday, November 10. Finally, the A. E. Staley documentary FIELDS OF GOLD attracted close to 1,000 attendees for its Midwest premiere at the Lincoln Square Theatre in downtown Decatur on September 16; five more showings are slated over the next eight days at the Lincoln, so scroll down for the dates and times when you can see this business success story as retold on the big screen by Springfield’s Spencer Films and Pollack Films of Los Angeles.
CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
15 Years Ago … Friday, August 29, 2008: Students roaming through the courtyard of the Illini Union at the University of Illinois receive quite the scare and several good laughs when they encounter the debut showing of THE TRANSIENT, courtesy of Illini Film & Video and Illinites. Created by recent graduate Chris Lukeman and UI senior Anne Shivers, while crewed by an unusual mix of undergraduates and community talents, the project pairs a case worker (Blake Stubbs) and self-appointed avenger of the streets (Dave Ruthenberg) as they aim to thwart a vampire Abraham Lincoln, played by professional Lincoln portrayer Michael Krebs. THE TRANSIENT is a shorter and more polished affair than the club’s previous monster opus, THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS VS. A MUMMY, qualities that soon boded well for its off-campus afterlife as did the imminent explosion of literary mash-ups in genre fiction and pop culture. This would include wire service coverage and a presence in non-traditional spaces for film like gaming and comic conventions – Gen Con, the massive role-playing gathering in Indianapolis, became an influential stop for the featurette’s makers – thanks to that novel premise. As reported on 8/2/07, 6/30/12 at CUBlog. [R]
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
GEORGE HARRISON: A BEATLE IN BENTON, ILLINOIS* 60th anniversary edition DVD Release: Tuesday, September 26, via MVD Visual, Pottstown, PA/Robert Bartel, Springfield, IL
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Route 66 Film Festival present “Get Your Flicks on Route 66” showcase (9/23, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., free) feat. premiere of documentary AFTERLIFE* from Silver Compass Studios (3 p.m.) and reprise of HOLES IN THE SKY* from HorrorFix Films (4:30 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
EXPEND4BLES, IT LIVES INSIDE, BARBIE, BLUE BEETLE, BOTTOMS, THE EQUALIZER 3, GRAN TURISMO, A HAUNTING IN VENICE, JAWAN (in Hindi with English sub), MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3, THE NUN II, OPPENHEIMER, THE RETIREMENT PLAN (9/22 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (animé) (9/23, 3 p.m., 9/26, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 9/24-9/25, 4 & 7 p.m., 9/27, 7 p.m., English dub), THE BLIND (faith film), THE CREATOR, DUMB MONEY, SAW X, STOP MAKING SENSE (re-release), THE VACCINE WAR (in Hindi with English sub) (9/28 on)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
EXPEND4BLES, IT LIVES INSIDE, STOP MAKING SENSE (IMAX re-release), BARBIE (IMAX), BLUE BEETLE, BOTTOMS, CAMP HIDEOUT, THE EQUALIZER 3, GRAN TURISMO, A HAUNTING IN VENICE, MEG 2: THE TRENCH, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3, THE NUN II, OPPENHEIMER, TALK TO ME, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (animation) (9/22 on), Studio Ghibli Fest: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (animé) (9/23, 3 p.m., 9/26, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 9/24, 4 & 7 p.m., 9/25, 7 p.m., 9/27, 7 p.m., English dub), LEGALLY BLONDE (9/24, 3 & 7 p.m.; 9/27, 7 p.m.), THE BLIND (faith film), THE CREATOR, SAW X (9/28 on)
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2023 Weekend Films” feat. BARBIE, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (9/22-9/23, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)
@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
BOTTOMS, FINAL SUMMER*, THE GOOD MOTHER, SHOTGUN WEDDING, TIL DEATH DO US PART, US OR THEM, more! (9/19 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY* “sing-a-long” edition (9/28, 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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NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
A HAUNTING IN VENICE, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3, SOUND OF FREEDOM (9/22-9/24)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (9/23, 2 & 7 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, MONSTER HOUSE (Screen 1), THE LOST BOYS, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (Screen 2) (9/22-9/23)
@ The Lincoln Square Theatre, Decatur, IL
FIELDS OF GOLD* exclusive run (documentary) (9/22, 7 p.m.; 9/24, 3 p.m.; 9/26, 9/28, 9/29, 7 p.m.)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and “Family Movie Packs”
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
OLDBOY (2003) (9/22-9/24), ISU Honors Program presents “Ethnogothic Film Series” feat. THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER (9/28)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
Closed for business until November.
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
HAUNTED MANSION (9/22-9/24)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
A HAUNTING IN VENICE, HAUNTED MANSION (Screen 1), EXPEND4BLES, THE NUN II (Screen 2) (9/22-9/23)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Music Box Theatre/Chicago Filmmakers/Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema, Chicago, IL
41st Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, Chicago, IL (through 10/8)
@ Gene Siskel Film Center, SAIC, Chicago, IL
Midwest Film Fest presents the annual “Advertising Community Night” (9/25, 6:30 p.m.)
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
NEW! 10/1
David Starwalt professional acting seminar
@ Shawnee Studios, Mt. Olive, IL, 11 a.m. doors, 12 p.m. program
10/2
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Live in Concert
@ State Farm Center, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
10/5-10/15
32nd Heartland International Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN
10/11-10/22
59th Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
NEW! 10/27-10/28
THE WOODMEN* local film premiere
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL, 7 p.m.
10/28
Small Press Fest 2023
@ Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana, IL, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
11/3-11/3
22nd Route 66 Film Festival, Springfield, IL (virtual)
11/9-11/19
32nd Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO
NEW! 11/10
AFTERLIFE* documentary world premiere
@ The Avon Theatre, Decatur, IL, 7 p.m.
12/2
Krampusnacht Freeky Film Festival*
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
3/2/24
CU International Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
4/17-4/20/24
24th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
10/5: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW; 11/16: PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES*, 12/21: DIE HARD
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series”
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
10/6: ROSENCRANZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD; 12/1: SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2023 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
9/29-9/30: OPPENHEIMER; 10/6-10/7: HAUNTED MANSION; 10/13-10/14: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM; 10/20-10/21: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING, PART ONE; 10/27-10/28: INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR; 11/3-11/4: GRAN TURISMO; 11/10-11/11: STRAYS: 11/17-11/18: BLUE BEETLE; 12/1-12/2: THE EQUALIZER 3
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
10/14: NORTH BY NORTHWEST; 11/25: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION; 12/2: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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