Calendar: December 15-21, 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!
12/16: Lauren Laws (vlogger, Nyx Namor YouTube channel, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
12/21: Linda McElroy (volunteer, Route 66 Film Festival, Springfield, IL)
12/21: Max Libman (host, CU International Film Festival, Urbana, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Whereas last week’s Report focused on the film doings of instructors at our colleges, this one belongs to the cinematic achievers enrolled in higher learning. First, mentions in the schedule of the Normal Theater have alerted us to the existence of a student-run Film Society at Illinois State University, active since last year and demonstrating good taste in their viewing choices as evidenced at this Instagram account; led by senior Katia Savelyev, a major in Film and Digital Media at ISU, the club is a nice development on the Normal campus in light of this 2017 article from the Daily Vidette about how underclassmen interested in the movie arts were forced to patch together what they could to feed their dreams. One of the screenings that Film Society has supported outside of the Normal was for RED UNDER WRAPS, an hour-long thriller created by fellow ISU student Dan Bazan who has been quite prolific behind the camera while hitting the books as his YouTube channel demonstrates. Looking one pair of twin cities over and as we’ve remarked in the past, it’s harder in recent years to keep tabs on the Illini Film & Video club at the University of Illinois unless one checks the social media that is actually social like their YouTube and Instagram accounts; recently, the group partnered with the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies to present a “cult film night” back on Thursday, November 30, at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, and maybe that is a fruitful future pairing to help lift the profile of IFV leading into their 25th anniversary year. To close, we’d like to congratulate the 2023-24 Ebert Fellows, UI students who will receive mentorship from Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune and opportunities to grow their skills as journalists and make connections for their possible career paths: Hanna Brazas-Matta, Caroline Tadla, and IFV’s Stephanie Wayda. Write on!
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* mixer (12/18, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
WONKA, ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub), THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DIE HARD (re-release), GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, NAPOLEON, RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film), THE SHIFT (faith film), SILENT NIGHT, THANKSGIVING*, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation) (12/15 on), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/15-12/17, 2 & 7:30 p.m.), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT preview (12/17, 4 p.m.), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS (12/21 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
WONKA, THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), EILEEN, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE MARVELS, NAPOLEON, SALTBURN, THE SHIFT (faith film), THANKSGIVING, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), Waitress (filmed stage performance), WISH (animation) (12/15 on), RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé concert film) (12/15-12/17), “Christmas with THE CHOSEN: Holy Night” (12/15-12/17, 1, 4 & 7 p.m.), UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, more (mixed martial arts) (12/16, 9 p.m., simulcast), IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/17, 3 & 7 p.m.; 12/20, 7 p.m.), ANIMAL (in Hindi with English sub) (12/18-12/20, 2 p.m.), AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, MIGRATION (12/21 on)
@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
HAUL OUT THE HOLLY, THE HIGHEST OF STAKES, IMMEDIATE FAMILY, TAKE ME BACK FOR CHRISTMAS, more! (12/12 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” feat. THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG excerpt w/discussion (12/15, 7 p.m.), Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. DIE HARD (12/21, 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
WONKA, DIE HARD (re-release), TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation) (12/15-12/17)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
No movies this week!
@ The Legacy Theatre, Springfield, IL
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/15, 7 p.m.), WHITE CHRISTMAS (12/16, 7 p.m.)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and events
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/15, 12/17), IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE (12/15-12/16), WHITE CHRISTMAS (12/16-12/17), NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (12/16), ELF (12/17), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947) and A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938) (12/18), THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, THE SANTA CLAUSE (12/19), HOME ALONE (12/20), CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT, ELF (12/21)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (12/15-12/17)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (12/15-12/17)
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
3/2/24
CU International Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
4/4-4/11/24
26th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/4-4/14/24
34th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/17-4/20/24
24th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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