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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 1\/7: Steve Christopher (actor, HUNTING FOR THE HAG, Into the Night Motion Pictures, Normal, IL)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n With our holiday celebrations modest and in the books, we\u2019d be happy to kill a little more time in benign ways to mark the New Year<\/strong> with you before we all dig in our heels. How about a word association game that will last long enough to string together our first Report<\/strong> for 2024? Mr. JaPan<\/strong> will gladly start\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWinter,\u201d which finally hits central Illinois<\/strong> in earnest over the next week according to our forecast, is the opposite of \u201csummer,\u201d and our friend John Isberg<\/strong> at Front 76 Films<\/strong> has announced a trivia contest you can enter between right this very moment and 5 p.m.<\/strong> tomorrow, Saturday, January 6<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, in order to win a piece of FINAL SUMMER<\/strong> merchandise. The retro-styled slasher movie, promoted by their sweet swag, made its debut on Tubi<\/strong> last month<\/a><\/span> as did another horror the Front 76 camp worked on in the Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> area, John Pata<\/span><\/strong>\u2019s BLACK MOLD<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. Both writer\/directors are planning to expand the reach of their respective features later in the year with further streaming options and physical media release for the former and a DIY theatrical tour for the later, booked by our pal Jessie Seitz<\/strong> of Capricorn Rising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack mold\u201d is not-very-secret code for \u201cpossibility of filming shows in and around the former Octave Chanute Air Force Base<\/strong>,\u201d and we couldn\u2019t help but think of MOLD<\/strong>, which was<\/em> filmed there in early 2022, when learning the city of Rantoul<\/strong> had finally regained complete ownership of the Chanute grounds from the US military as of a ceremony held on Wednesday, October 25<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Despite the hushed discussions of recent times held in particular corners about turning one or more of the remaining structures into a fully-equipped production stage with competitive rates, the topic is curiously absent from the News-Gazette<\/span><\/strong>\u2019s article, although it does name-drop other businesses that have already claimed their real estate.<\/p>\n And, \u201ccommercial media production\u201d is symbiotic with \u201cavailable and trained work force,\u201d the latter of which would be necessary to accommodate the former on location and at establishments like a soundstage. This need for staffing is the focus of the Illinois Film Office<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cFilm & TV Production Training<\/strong>\u201d program that is sponsored locally by Shatterglass Studios<\/strong>. Wednesday, January 31<\/strong>, is the deadline to apply for classes to be held this February and March in Champaign County<\/strong>, so visit the official website and submit your information if this is of interest<\/a><\/span>. Good luck on getting your feet wet and MOLD<\/strong>-y!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area<\/strong><\/p>\n @ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong> @ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL<\/strong> @ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL<\/strong> Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional \u201cNow Playing\u201d and \u201cComing Soon\u201d listings appear after the jump!<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n @ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL<\/strong> @ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL<\/strong>
\nNIGHT SWIM, SHINING FOR ONE THING (in Mandarin with English sub), ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, WONKA (1\/5 on), THE BEEKEEPER preview (1\/6, 7 p.m.), AMC \u201cScreen Unseen\u201d (mystery movie) (1\/8, 7 p.m., PG-13), THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, HANU-MAN (in Telugu with English sub), MEAN GIRLS (1\/11 on)<\/p>\n
\nNIGHT SWIM, ANYONE BUT YOU, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, THE BOY AND THE HERON (anim\u00e9) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, THE COLOR PURPLE, FERRARI, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (in Japanese with English sub), THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, THE IRON CLAW, MIGRATION, POOR THINGS, TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (animation), WISH (animation), WONKA (1\/5 on), The Metropolitan Opera: Nabucco<\/span> (11\/12, 11:55 a.m., simulcast; 1\/10, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), THE BEEKEEPER preview (1\/6, 7 p.m.), AIRPLANE! (1\/7, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1\/10, 7 p.m.), THE BEEKEEPER, THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, MEAN GIRLS (1\/11 on)<\/p>\n
\nFollow the link to view seasonal favorites and the hottest new releases! (1\/2 on) Online rentals<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\nNo movies this week!<\/p>\n
\nNIGHT SWIM, MIGRATION, WONKA (1\/4-1\/7)<\/p>\n
\nTHE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (1\/5, 7 p.m.), FARGO (1\/6, 2 & 7 p.m.), ELVIS (1\/8, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n