Calendar: May 3-9, 2024
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!
5/4: Andrew J. Rausch (contributor, Screem Magazine, Wilkes Barre, PA)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Starting out, we’ll be adding to our roll call of end-of-semester showcases that promote the filmmaking efforts of our students; would you believe we didn’t find out about two more of them until after we filed the previous Report? One is already done and in the books; following the large-scale Foxtail Film Festival, the School of Theatre and Dance at Illinois State University presented “The Big Screen” program at the Normal Theater on Thursday, May 2, a compilation of collaborations between students who are studying performance disciplines and their peers enrolled in the school’s film and digital media classes.
The other takes place this coming Wednesday, May 8, and Thursday, May 9, also at the Normal and featuring even more work by the young people of Bloomington-Normal; the annual Heartland Hawk Film Festival, sponsored by Heartland Community College of Normal, will present pieces by current students and alumni on the Thursday date and the farming documentary GREENER PASTURES, directed by Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian and recently aired by PBS as a selection of INDEPENDENT LENS, on Wednesday. Both evenings begin at 6 p.m. and are free entry for the public. So, does this finally normalize the short subject as a legitimate activity for the underclassmen across our local campuses?
And, as higher learning makes the segue from classes to finals and graduation ceremonies, we’d like to share a few prompts about how students of all ages can learn from and learn to make media thanks to the educators who aren’t in the most likely of places. An article published by the Pantagraph in March tells of the route taken by Bloomington resident Mel Campbell to turn his love for performing and puppetry into a viable career; he recently joined the cast of PBS Kids’ DONKEY HODIE as “Cousin Hodie” and works on the set at WTTW in Chicago for Spiffy Pictures and Fred Rogers Productions. Clips from the official site make it clear the show is designed to teach values and lessons to small children in the PBS tradition established by SESAME STREET, MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD, and many others.
A Facebook share in the early spring let us know that AJ Christensen, a contributor to Pens to Lens films with a creative eye, is front and center in his role at the Advanced Visualization Lab of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. In recent activity, Christensen co-hosts with Kalina Borkiewicz a four-week video course, “3-D Data Visualization,” that instructs the viewer on how the translation of research into cinematic visuals can help give literal shape to the fruits of extensive research as well as engage the public in better picturing scientific concepts and theories. NCSA has been a leader in generating CGI renderings for documentaries, feature films, and television for some time now.
Promotional posts on the same remind us that area native Mark Roberts has been going to town with The Bad Mule Rag, an ongoing collection of wry and satiric poems that has so far inspired two print issues, two album recordings – the second release features contributions from Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s and actress Cathy Moriarty (NEIGHBORS) – and more than 10 short films he’s co-created with visual artists from across the United States; at least one video Rag is released every month on YouTube and they all incorporate a mix of handmade animation styles and puppetry as well as original music. Roberts is clearly taking a mentorship role in guiding along this film series and the overall project is flourishing.
To close, we’d like to appreciate the gift to the world that was our friend Mark Rubel, who passed away in his adopted home of Nashville a few weeks ago. The producers of PRAIRIE FIRE, the resurrected magazine show of downstate Illinois arts and culture that airs on WILL-TV of Urbana, posted a tribute to Rubel in which he touches on his long career as a recordist and educator at places like Pogo Studios in Champaign, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, and The Blackbird Academy audio engineering school in the Music City via archive footage. Rubel’s guidance and gentle wisdom will be missed. Adieu.
p.s. This Calendar features the 10th anniversary appearance of the Confidential Almanac. We actually had no intention of sounding short about the box office performance of WITH HONORS. That’s just the writing style we adopted to start out with, not knowing how involved some of the eventual Almanacs would become. Unfortunately, we’ve written only a few original Almanac entries in the last few years, so we’re working through our crib notes to see what historical highlights might be worth encapsulating in the near future. We’ll be updating our Almanac compilation, the “Plot Points du C-U” page, very soon.
p.s.2 This also means it’s the 30th anniversary of the first (and last?) time Champaign-Urbana would be pictured to any extent in a wide-release Hollywood film that was playing in a theater near you.
CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
30 Years Ago … Sunday, May 8, 1994: Feature drama WITH HONORS, partly filmed on University of Illinois campus, ends 2nd weekend of wide release through Warner Bros. as top-grossing movie in North America with $3.7 million. Fellow college-set comedy, PCU, takes 11th slot on box-office chart with just under $1 million gross, also in 2nd week wide through 20th Century Fox; co-producer is UIUC alum and American Film Institute faculty Barry Sabath. Box Office Mojo [R]
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Normal Theater, Normal, IL
Heartland Community College presents the Heartland Hawk Film Festival* (5/8-5/9, 6 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
DRAGONKEEPER (animation), THE FALL GUY, STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (re-release), TAROT, ABIGAIL, BOY KILLS WORLD, CHALLENGERS, CIVIL WAR, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, MONKEY MAN*, UNSUNG HERO (faith film) (5/3 on), MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: SEED FREEDOM (animé) (5/7, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 5/8, 7 p.m., English dub), KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, NOT ANOTHER CHURCH MOVIE (5/9 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE FALL GUY, STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (re-release), TAROT, ABIGAIL, BOY KILLS WORLD, CHALLENGERS, CIVIL WAR, DUNE: PART TWO, GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, MONKEY MAN, UNSUNG HERO (faith film) (5/3 on), JEANNE DU BARRY* (5/3-5/7), Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia, more (boxing) (5/4, 7 p.m., simulcast), UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg, more (mixed martial arts) (5/4, 9 p.m., simulcast), STEEL MAGNOLIAS 35th anniversary (5/5, 3 & 7 p.m.; 5/8, 7 p.m.), DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER (5/5, 3 & 7 p.m.; 5/8, 7 p.m.), MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: SEED FREEDOM (animé) (5/7, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 5/8, 7 p.m., English dub), KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (5/9 on) *single screenings daily
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. THE IRON CLAW, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (5/3-5/4, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)
@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
AMELIA’S CHILDREN, PHANTOM WARRIOR, RED RIGHT HAND, more! (4/30 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!
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
THE FALL GUY, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (5/2-5/5)
@ The Dixon Historic Theatre, Dixon, IL
STAR WARS (5/4, 7:30 p.m.)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (5/4, 7 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
THE FALL GUY (Screen 1), STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (re-release) (Screen 2) (5/3-5/5)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
MARS EXPRESS (animation) (5/3-5/5), Heartland Hawk Film Festival* 2024: GREENER PASTURES (farming documentary) (5/8, 6 p.m.), student/alumni program (5/9, 6 p.m.)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
UNSUNG HERO (faith film) (5/3-5/5)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (5/3-5/5)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
THE FALL GUY, FAST X (Screen 1), THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (Screen 2) (5/3-5/4)
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
8/31-9/1
10th anniversary Dark History & Horror Con
@ Orpheum Champaign (The Orpheum Theater), Champaign, IL
11/1-11/2
23rd Route 66 Film Festival*
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Chambana Film Festival – Spring 2024 screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
5/26: BIKE VESSEL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
5/23: FAME (1980); 6/27: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE*; 7/11: GREASE “sing-a-long” edition
UPDATE! Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series”
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
5/24: FREE SOLO; 6/21: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?; 7/5: STOP MAKING SENSE;
UPDATE! The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
5/25: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) with accompaniment by organist Jay Warren; 6/15: HARVEY; 7/13: ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2024 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
[This is post #1700 on CUBlog. Will we make it to post #2000?]