Calendar: May 30-June 5, 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.
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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!
5/31: Joshua Brucker (filmmaker, THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY FOUR, Horror Dadz Productions, Watseka, IL)
6/1: William Pace (faculty associate of digital media production, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ)
6/1: Bill Yauch (producer/cinematographer, AMBER ROSE, Shut Up and Do It Productions, Champaign, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Why not lift our Report embargo a couple of weeks early to allow for a full-on Savoy Lumière takeover? “Glad to oblige!” shouts Ye Ed from across the MFHQ office. Since we’ve been late in getting our festival coverage filed for your planning needs, dearest readers, we’re going to point you to a few other media sources where publicity for the event have already appeared. First, Smile Politely’s Amy Penne gives the Lumière a giant vote of confidence in her preview and interview with organizer Nat Dykeman and, if you don’t already realize the movies and local movie mavens hit a sweet spot for her, it is made very clear in this article. Also adding to the visibility of Lumière is this nice overview provided by Sam Rink at the IPM Newsroom in which he talks with Dykeman as well as Keenan Dailey and Trude Namara of BRIM (Thursday, May 29, 6 p.m.) and Chase Todd of AN AFFAIR AT THE END OF TIME (Sunday, June 1, 3:15 p.m.). WCIS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Springfield, ran this notice and it reads like a press release sent over by the Village of Savoy, which signed on as the first major sponsor of Lumière, as it directly quotes village president John Brown and trustee Larry Kanfer ahead of our man Dykeman. (In fact, it is a press release; we had to look on the Savoy municipal website to find a link to a PDF of it as it was not readily appearing in Google searches.) We know through the grapevine that at least a couple of radio segments were had at places like WEFT-FM and the Lumière is being name-checked by organizations who always have one eye on community activity that can translate into economic gains, such as the Champaign County Film Office and Experience Champaign-Urbana. All in all, a passable first-time showing for the C-U at large to afford the Lumière their time and attention in advance. They’ll get the hang of it…
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen
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Why not push back our archives photo series yet one more week to allow for a full-on Savoy Lumière takeover? “Sounds just dandy!” yells Ye Ed from across the MFHQ commissary. We’re taking the simple route with this department and dressing up the Calendar with one-sheet art for features playing this weekend at the Savoy 16 + IMAX as a part of Lumière: FREE LEONARD PELTIER (Saturday, May 31, 1:30 p.m.), NEVER NOT YOURS (Sunday, June 1, 5:30 p.m.), and INBETWEENING (Sunday, June 1, 7:30 p.m.). Let’s also mention the two animated films pictured here that will appear in the all-ages show, QUELM SALVA directly above and BIRD DRONE at the top (Saturday, May 31, 11 a.m.) Visit the festival subsite up at Chambana Film Society for more details about these and all the other films scheduled throughout the weekend. Please enjoy yourselves, take your friends, and share the good times online!
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LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents the 2025 Savoy Lumière* film festival (5/29-6/2) Information
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BRING HER BACK, KARATE KID: LEGENDS, TORNADO, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, FRIENDSHIP, THE LAST RODEO, LILO & STITCH, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, SINNERS, THUNDERBOLTS* (5/30 on), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/2, 7 p.m.), DANGEROUS ANIMALS sneak preview (6/3, 7 p.m.), BALLERINA sneak preview (6/4, 7 p.m.), BALLERINA, DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DOGMA 25th anniversary (re-release), THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (6/5 on)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BRING HER BACK, JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE, KARATE KID: LEGENDS, THE ACCOUNTANT 2*, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, FRIENDSHIP, THE LAST RODEO, LILO & STITCH, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, SINNERS, THUNDERBOLTS* (5/30 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (5/31, 12 p.m., simulcast; 6/4, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), GREASE (6/1, 3 & 7 p.m.; 6/4, 7 p.m.), BALLERINA (6/5 on) *single screenings daily (except for THUNDERBOLTS*)
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. THE UNBREAKABLE BOY (6/5, 9 p.m., free)
@ Prairie Farm/Centennial Park, Champaign, IL
Champaign Park District presents “Moo-vie Nights at Prairie Farm” feat. A BUG’S LIFE (5/30, 8 p.m., free)
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
@ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL
KARATE KID: LEGENDS, THE LAST RODEO, LILO & STITCH, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (5/30 on), THE LEGO MOVIE (animation) (5/3-5/4, 10 a.m., free)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
LILO & STITCH, KARATE KID: LEGENDS (Screen 1 & 2) (5/30-6/1)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
LILO & STITCH (5/30-6/1)
@ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL
BRING HER BACK, KARATE KID: LEGENDS, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, FRIENDSHIP, THE LAST RODEO, LILO & STITCH, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, SINNERS, THUNDERBOLTS* (5/30 on), Indian cinema: BHAIRAVAM (Telugu w/Eng sub, 5/30-6/4), KHALEJA* (Telugu w/Eng sub, 5/30-6/3), and THUG LIFE (Telugu or Tamil w/Eng sub, 6/4), “PEPPA PIG MEETS THE BABY Cinema Experience” (animated shorts) (5/30-6/4, all daytime shows), The Metropolitan Opera: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (5/31, 12 p.m., simulcast), JOHN WICK series marathon (5/31, 12 p.m.), “J-Hope ‘Hope on the Stage’ in Japan” music concert (5/31, 7 p.m., 6/1, 3 p.m.; simulcast), Marcus “Mystery Movie” (6/2, 7 p.m.), THE FACE OF JESUS (religious documentary) (6/3, 7 p.m.), BALLERINA sneak preview (6/4, 7 p.m.), DANGEROUS ANIMALS sneak preview (6/4, 9:50 p.m.), BALLERINA, DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DANGEROUS ANIMALS, DOGMA 25th anniversary (re-release), THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (6/5 on) *single screenings daily (except for THUNDERBOLTS*)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE GOONIES (5/30-5/31), NAN (6/1, closed to the general public), THE WILD ROBOT (animation) (6/2-6/3)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
LILO & STITCH (5/30-6/1)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
THE LAST RODEO (5/30-6/1)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
LILO & STITCH, KARATE KID: LEGENDS (Screen 1), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (Screen 2) (5/30-6/1, 6/3-6/4)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
KARATE KID: LEGENDS, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, THE LAST RODEO, LILO & STITCH, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (5/30 on), IF (6/4-6/5, 10 a.m.), BALLERINA (6/5 on)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema, Chicago, IL
Chicago Filmmakers and Goethe Institut Chicago present CITY OF LOST SOULS (5/30, 7 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. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read Reel Chicago and Screen Magazine.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
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
11/8-11/9
Dark History & Horror Con 2025
@ The Orpheum Theatre, Champaign, IL
NEW! 4/23-4/26, 2026
Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
NEW! Champaign Park District presents “Moo-vie Nights at Prairie Farm”
@ Prairie Farm/Centennial Park, Champaign, IL, 8 p.m., free
5/30: A BUG’S LIFE; 6/13: CHICKEN LITTLE; 6/27: OPEN SEASON; 7/11: BABE; 7/25: HOME ON THE RANGE; 8/8: CHARLOTTE’S WEB (2006)
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad”
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m. Thursdays, free
6/12: PADDINGTON IN PERU; 6/19: SNOW WHITE; 6/26: A MINECRAFT MOVIE; 7/3: THE PATRIOT; 7/10: THE WOMAN IN THE YARD; 7/17: THE LEGEND OF OCHI; 7/24: DROP; 7/31: THUNDERBOLTS*; 8/7: LILO & STITCH; 8/14: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2025 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
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