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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 5\/17: Nat Dykeman (founder, Lake County Film Festival, Grayslake, IL) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n Our new Report<\/strong> will be the next-to-last one for the academic recess, dearest readers, although the Calendar<\/strong> will continue. Your humble editor has a ton to do at MFHQ Deux<\/strong> now that Momkoke<\/strong>\u2019s estate is just about settled and work-for-hire needs to be restored to pre-pandemic, pre-weekly road trip levels. (If you don\u2019t know what I\u2019m referencing at this point, you haven\u2019t been picking up on all the hints and asides I\u2019ve been laying down on C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> over the last seven years and that\u2019s just fine. Somewhat.) For the moment, we\u2019d like to share a few stories that really didn\u2019t go with the windfall o\u2019 indie horror we dropped in your laps<\/a><\/span> last week. And yet, they\u2019re still kind of horrific in ways. There truly is no<\/em> escape.<\/p>\n We recently caught wind of a sideline taken up by the fellows behind the HorrorFix<\/span><\/strong> website, Ash Hamilton<\/strong> and James G. Chandler<\/strong>, and that is providing commentary tracks for the home video releases of Kino Lorber<\/strong>. (Chairman Richard Lorber<\/strong> talked to The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/strong> this week about their philosophy and durability in an ever-fickle marketplace<\/a><\/span> filled with theatrical, streaming, and physical media product.) The title catching the eye of Ye Ed<\/strong> is DEATH MACHINE<\/strong>, an early Nineties sci-fi effort directed by Stephen Norrington<\/strong> (BLADE<\/strong>) with Brad Dourif<\/strong> and Ely Pouget<\/strong> that is receiving a little two-disc Blu-ray love<\/a><\/span> from the company. It will be available as of Tuesday, June 4<\/strong>, and the central Illinois<\/strong> duo can also be heard on the just-announced Blu of UNDERGROUND ACES<\/strong> (1981) starring Dirk Benedict<\/strong> and Melanie Griffith<\/strong>, which is scheduled to street on Tuesday, July 23<\/strong>, and the exploitation action fests of PRISON GIRLS<\/strong> (1972) and SAVAGE SISTERS<\/strong> (1974), which Kino has uncaged in the last couple of years. Hamilton recently voiced on Facebook<\/strong> a desire to staff up Horror-Fix<\/span>.com<\/strong>; hit them up right here if interested<\/a><\/span>!<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Speaking of \u201cmovies\u201d and \u201crevivals,\u201d we are seemingly at the beginning of the strongest push in recent memory to establish filmmaking not only as a viable activity in Champaign-Urbana<\/strong>, but also \u2013 we\u2019ll see to what<\/em> effect in the near future \u2013 a viable business and money-making strategy in the milieu of Champaign County<\/strong> commerce and tourism. Following a call for local talent to be extras in upcoming shoots that was held on May 2<\/strong>, a pair of follow-up events will be held this weekend<\/a><\/span> and hosted by Rantoul<\/strong>\u2019s Flyover Film Studios<\/strong> and Bokeh Background Casting<\/strong>, an offshoot of the Chicago<\/strong>-based Compass Casting<\/strong>. Sessions will take place on Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.<\/strong>, at the Hampton Inn<\/strong> of Champaign, and Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.<\/strong>, at the Rantoul Business Center<\/strong> in Rantoul. Directions on how to prepare and what to otherwise do are available on the Bokeh website<\/a><\/span>. Shatterglass Films<\/strong> and The Line Film Co.<\/strong> are also partnering with Film Champaign-Urbana<\/strong>, the rebranded Champaign County film office<\/a><\/span>, to host an informational workshop for local businesses who trade in services and hospitality at Analog Wine Library<\/strong> in Urbana on Thursday, May 23, 5-6 p.m.<\/strong>, to learn how to be involved in upcoming movie shoots.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Weirdly enough, our remaining updates have to do with locally-based folks plying their trades elsewhere and, of course, it\u2019s for horror-themed material. Deadline<\/span><\/strong> and other news sites reported last week<\/a><\/span> that REVIVAL<\/strong>, a pet project of Flyover and Shatterglass\u2019 Luke Boyce<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, was ordered to series by SyFy<\/strong> and expected to air in 2025. Life and creative partner Keri Boyce<\/strong> shared on Facebook that her husband and a production team that includes Aaron B. Koontz<\/strong>, a producer on Shatterglass\u2019 REVEALER<\/strong> and other Shudder<\/strong> titles, will be stationed in Canada<\/strong> for five months to bring this \u201canti-zombie\u201d serial to life; the duo serves as executive producers, showrunners, and writers on REVIVAL<\/strong>, adapted from the hit Image Comics<\/strong> title<\/a><\/span> by writer Tim Seeley<\/strong> (REVEALER, Hack\/Slash<\/span><\/strong>) and artist Mike Norton<\/strong> (Shazam!<\/span>, Battlepug<\/span><\/strong>). Closer to home, Midwest filmmaker Nathan Dalton<\/strong> shared with his Indiegogo<\/strong> patrons last week<\/a><\/span> a teaser trailer for his low-budget and crowd-funded culinary tale of terror, HAUNTED HOUSE OF PANCAKES<\/strong>, which features cinematography by our own John Isberg<\/strong> (FINAL SUMMER<\/strong>); co-written by Niki McElroy<\/strong> with Dalton and filmed in Ohio<\/strong> this February, the silly-as-it-sounds dish looks to be loaded with jokes, monsters, and practical effects<\/a><\/span>. At some point, Mr. JaPan<\/strong> will serve up his very minor contribution to the mayhem.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll conclude by voicing our perennial plea for you to do your part in supporting efforts in the cinema du C-U. Despite the focus by local media on developments with Flyover Film Studios, a film culture is not<\/em> solely dependent on or defined by the folks who choose to go big or go home. You can get familiar with our neighbors in film by attending events apart from the first-run multiplex dates and Disney\/Marvel<\/strong>\/CGI warm weather reruns for families, such as the monthly Champaign Movie Makers<\/strong> mixer. They return on Monday, May 20, 7 p.m.<\/strong>, to the Esquire Lounge<\/strong> in downtown Champaign where you can learn about the revitalized Pens to Lens<\/strong> program and other interesting projects. Be there<\/em> and contribute if you can<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers<\/strong><\/p>\n @ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL<\/strong> \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> @ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, 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> @ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL<\/strong> @ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL<\/strong> @ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL<\/strong>
\n5\/19: Gerry Kissell (co-host, Pop Culture Minefield<\/span> vidcast, Dangerous Nerds Media, Springfield, MO)
\n5\/21: Katherine Bokenkamp (actress, THE BATON ROUGE SERIAL KILLER, Meet Me at the Movies Productions, Springfield, IL)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nChampaign Movie Makers* mixer (5\/20, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nBACK TO BLACK, IF, THE LAST FRENZY (in Mandarin with English sub), THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1, CHALLENGERS, THE FALL GUY, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), TAROT, UNSUNG HERO (faith film) (5\/17 on), \u201cTransformers 40th Anniversary Event\u201d feat. TRANSFORMERS S1 Ep. 1-4 (5\/18-5\/19, 12 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest 2024: NAUSICA\u00c4 OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND 40th anniversary (anim\u00e9) (5\/19, 2 & 7 p.m., English dub; 5\/21, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), CASTLE IN THE SKY (anim\u00e9) (5\/20, 7 p.m., English dub; 5\/22, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), AMC \u201cScreen Unseen\u201d (mystery movie) (5\/20, 7 p.m.), FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation), SIGHT (5\/23 on)<\/p>\n
\nBACK TO BLACK, IF, THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1, CHALLENGERS, CIVIL WAR, THE FALL GUY, GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), TAROT, UNSUNG HERO (faith film) (5\/17 on), NOT ANOTHER CHURCH MOVIE (5\/18-5\/20, 5\/23, 11 a.m.), HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (5\/18, 7 p.m.; 5\/19, 3 & 7 p.m.; 5\/22, 7 p.m.), NORTH BY NORTHWEST 65th anniversary (5\/19, 1 & 7 p.m.; 5\/22, 7 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest 2024: NAUSICA\u00c4 OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND 40th anniversary (anim\u00e9) (5\/19, 3 & 7 p.m., English dub; 5\/21, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), CASTLE IN THE SKY (anim\u00e9) (5\/20, 7 p.m., English dub; 5\/22, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation) (5\/23 on)<\/p>\n
\nIllini Union Board presents \u201cSummer Films on the Quad\u201d feat. BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE (5\/23, 9 p.m., free)<\/p>\n
\nFollow the link to view the hottest new releases! (5\/14 on) Online rentals<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\nIllini Radio Group presents \u201cRewind 92.5 Movie Series\u201d feat. FAME (1980) (5\/23, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nJURASSIC PARK (3-D), THE FALL GUY, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (5\/17-5\/19)<\/p>\n
\nNo movies this week!<\/p>\n
\nIF, WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Screen 1), THE WIZARD OF OZ, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Screen 2) (5\/17-5\/19)<\/p>\n
\nFORREST GUMP (5\/18-5\/19), REALITY BITES (5\/19), AIRPLANE! (5\/23)<\/p>\n
\nIF (5\/17-5\/19)<\/p>\n