Calendar: May 2-8, 2025
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.
~~~~~
MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!
5/4: Andrew J. Rausch (author, Generation Tarantino: The Last Wave of Young Turks in Hollywood, Bloomsbury Publishing, New York, NY)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
The Report is on hiatus until June. Thank you for your readership, CUvians and Agents! You should pay attention to Smile Politely, The Daily Illini, Champaign Movie Makers, and Chambana Film Festival for breaking news and updates in our scene. CUBlog will also keep in step with our friends and share to Facebook when we come across things you would like. Keep reading!
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing My Old Scene on Your Screen
~~~~~
Sigh. Since we’re spending extra time away from our makeshift still life studio here at MFHQ Deux to write even more about the current movie events du C-U and to bring you a follow-up report on relevant home video releases, we have to postpone the start of our gallery series of local film goodies yet again. However, in the spirit of the beloved Detective Columbo, this gives us an opportunity to address just one more thing that we’ve thought about in recent days before we get started. Mrs. Columbo would approve.
As you’ve seen, we’ve gathered physical evidence of the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond that we intend to use as a storytelling vehicle in the coming weeks. Practically all of this material was brought directly to MFHQ Deux from the original MFHQ or acquired in the few years that your humble editor has been living here full time. However, as he digs deeper in the hallowed halls of Momkoke Manor, remnants of his movie life once shared with the late Ma JaPan have begun to reappear.
~~~~~
~~~~~
There are pieces in plain sight, like the tenth anniversary “Ebertfest” magnet on the refrigerator door that was formerly on display in the same location at MFHQ. There are other pieces tucked away for safe keeping, such as the memorial issue of the Chicago Sun-Times that marked the passing of Roger Ebert in 2013. And, there are the inadvertent discoveries as in the interview tape and CDs jammed in the back of the filing cabinet drawer that Ye Ed was cleaning; how they managed to not fall out while being moved from the covert MFHQ Annex in C-U to the house on the edge of an American small town, who knows?
~~~~~
~~~~~
It always pays to keep your eyes open as well as your ears, nose, mind, and heart. “You never know,” as Ma used to say, and that truism can apply across the board in our lives from sunup to sundown. It does feel sometimes like the pieces of the film culture puzzle pertaining to us are simply not a priority in the cultural space of Champaign-Urbana. Therefore, now is the time to start to put it all together. Onward.
~~~~~
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Parkland Theatre, Parkland College, Champaign, IL
Compass Casting “photo open call” (5/3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.)
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
UIUC College of Media presents MACS Illinois Student Film Festival* (5/2, doors 6 p.m., event 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE DUMPLING QUEEN (in Mandarin with English sub), RAID 2 (in Hindi with English sub), ROSARIO, THE SURFER, THUNDERBOLTS*, THE ACCOUNTANT 2, THE AMATEUR, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), THE LEGEND OF OCHI*, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN (5/2 on), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (5/5, 7 p.m.), Blumhouse 15th anniversary “Halfway to Halloween” feat. ANNABELLE (5/7, 7 & 9 p.m.), CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD sneak preview (5/7, 6:30 p.m.), CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD, FIGHT OR FLIGHT, JULIET & ROMEO, SHADOW FORCE (5/8 on) *single screenings daily (except for THUNDERBOLTS*)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE SURFER, THUNDERBOLTS*, THE ACCOUNTANT 2, THE AMATEUR, CHEECH & CHONG’S LAST MOVIE* (documentary), THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), THE LEGEND OF OCHI*, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN, WARFARE, THE WOMAN IN THE YARD (5/2 on), ON SWIFT HORSES* (5/2, 5/4-5/8), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 50th anniversary (5/4, 5/7, 4 & 7 p.m.), SCREAM (1996) (5/4, 3 & 7 p.m.; 5/7, 7 p.m.) *single screenings daily (except for THUNDERBOLTS*)
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (5/2-5/3, 7 p.m., free w/i-card), 5/4: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (5/4, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
@ 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!
~~~~~
NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL
THUNDERBOLTS*, THE ACCOUNTANT 2, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN (5/2 on)
@ Crescent Cinemas, Pontiac, IL
THUNDERBOLTS*, A MINECRAFT MOVIE (5/2 on)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
THUNDERBOLTS* (Screen 1), THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (Screen 2) (5/2-5/4)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
THUNDERBOLTS* (5/2-5/4)
@ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL
ROSARIO, THE SURFER, THUNDERBOLTS*, THE ACCOUNTANT 2, THE AMATEUR, DROP*, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN, WARFARE* (5/2 on), Indian cinema: RETRO* (Tamil w/Eng sub, 5/2-5/5, 5/7), HIT: THE THIRD CASE* (Telugu w/Eng sub, 5/2-5/7), and RAID 2* (Hindi w/Eng sub, 5/2-5/4, 5/6), WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (5/4, 4 p.m.; 5/5, 6 p.m., MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 50th anniversary (5/4, 3 p.m.; 5/7, 6:30 p.m.), Marcus “Mystery Movie” (5/5, 7 p.m.), CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD, FIGHT OR FLIGHT, SHADOW FORCE (5/8 on) *single screenings daily (except for THUNDERBOLTS*)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
STAR WARS (5/2-5/4), THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (5/3-5/4), RETURN OF THE JEDI (5/3-5/4), ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE (documentary) w/discussion (5/6, 7 p.m.)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
THUNDERBOLTS* (5/2-5/4)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation) (5/2-5/4)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
THE ACCOUNTANT 2, A MINECRAFT MOVIE (Screen 1), THUNDERBOLTS*, CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (Screen 2) (5/2-5/3)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
THUNDERBOLTS*, THE ACCOUNTANT 2, THE AMATEUR, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN (5/2 on), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 50th anniversary (5/4, 4 & 7 p.m.; 5/7, 7 p.m.)
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. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read Reel Chicago and Screen Magazine.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
5/29-6/2
Champaign Film Society presents
the first Savoy Lumierè* film festival
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
6/25
“Jay & Silent Bob Aural Sects Tour” starring Kevin Smith & Jay Mewes
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7:30 p.m.
9/21
Champaign Film Society presents
the first CineSonic* music film festival
@ TBA, Champaign-Urbana, IL
~~~~~
Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
~~~~~
“Calendar du C-U”
© 2025 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
[T −120]