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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on 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 6\/27: Eric Spudic (owner, Spudic\u2019s Movie Empire, Los Angeles, CA) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk movie viewing in this Report<\/strong>, dearest readers. The Pens to Lens<\/strong> program<\/a><\/span>, devoted to guiding the youth in our community to explore and learn the craft of screen storytelling, has announced that tickets to their upcoming gala screening on Saturday, August 16<\/strong>, are now available for purchase at the Virginia Theatre<\/strong> website and box office<\/a><\/span>. Believe it or not, this brings the sum total film bookings on Park Street<\/strong> in 2025 to \u2026 five<\/em>: \u201cEbertfest<\/strong>\u201d and DROP<\/strong> in April, JAWS<\/strong> in May, THE SANDLOT<\/strong> a week from now on Saturday, July 5<\/strong>, and P2L, with no<\/em> other presentations in the ballpark listed as of this writing. Yes<\/em>, we remember the venue was closed from January to mid-April for upkeep and, whew<\/em>, at least they haven\u2019t completely cut out the screen entertainment like the Fischer Theatre<\/strong> of Danville<\/strong> so, hrm<\/em>, we know you know how to politely inquire and demonstrate renewed interest<\/a><\/span>. Sadly, this also implies the \u201cArthouse Experience<\/strong>\u201d promotion is likely over after a three-year run. We\u2019ll have to wait and see how the Virginia handles its screen offerings to come as they\u2019re clearly stressing live performances and events for now.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n In serious need of patronage and funding is the Chicago Underground Film Festival<\/strong>, one of the many arts organizations nationwide to have its National Endowment for the Arts<\/strong> funding cancelled in supremely knee-jerk fashion earlier this year; passes for the longest-running showcase of its kind in the United States<\/strong>, scheduled to hold court September 17-21<\/strong> at the ACX Harper Theater-Hyde Park<\/strong>, can be bought through their website<\/a><\/span> for a reasonable $50 while donations can also be made<\/a><\/span> to help their ongoing mission. We\u2019re voting hard for the Windy City and beyond to support the continued efforts of CUFF director Bryan Wendorf<\/strong> and his crew in the face of an administration that is hell-bent on making life as uncomfortable as possible for American artists and creatives \u2013 and, well, all of us<\/em> \u2013 who choose not to embrace their blinding white brand of \u201cpatriotism.\u201d Keep making, saying, doing, and being you<\/em>, friends.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Recently opening a call for entries is the Screaming Mad Film Festival<\/strong>, a welcome sideshow of the annual Dark History and Horror Con<\/strong> that will haunt the Orpheum Champaign<\/strong> on November 8-9<\/strong>, and the submission window is live through October 10<\/strong>; be aware there is an early bird deadline of Thursday, July 31<\/strong>, so you might want to visit their FilmFreeway<\/strong> account<\/a><\/span> and find out what the perks are for turning in your work sooner rather than later. And finally, we didn\u2019t preview or get to attend the Kevin Smith-Jason Mewes<\/strong> show at the Virginia this past Wednesday like a fair amount of our former neighbors did as evidenced on the socials, but it was nice to see these Indiewood favorites stop in the C-U<\/a><\/span> for their tour; we also really appreciated Smith\u2019s post-show nod to the late Roger Ebert<\/strong><\/a><\/span> while he sat out front with the popular bronze likeness, sculpted by the artist Rick Harney<\/strong> and installed in 2014. Good feels, man.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen<\/strong><\/p>\n Ye Ed<\/strong> has apparently decreed that Acrostar Productions, LLC<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, will figure into a month\u2019s worth of \u201cImages<\/strong>\u201d entries, and that is A-OK with us. Today\u2019s gallery also serves as a belated follow-up to a Report<\/strong> we filed in late April<\/a><\/span> where we went over several movies about to be released on physical media and elsewhere that happened to sport a Confidential pedigree. Since then, the whole bunch has been made available and what we didn\u2019t<\/em> manage to spit out fast enough was that, while skimming the online sites at the time to confirm details about those titles, we found several more<\/em> videos to tell you about. Gotta catch \u2018em all!<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin with the witchy horror-comedy, NIGHT OF THE DEAD SORORITY BABES<\/strong>, which the Acrostar team produced on the shores of Lake Decatur<\/strong> down in Macon County<\/strong> prior to launching both PERFECT SOUL<\/strong> and RETURN OF THE CORN ZOMBIES<\/strong>. Stacked with a gaggle of scream queens and a frisky sense of humor, BABES<\/strong> was released as a BD-R on March 25<\/strong> by BayView Entertainment<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>after the label had already found streaming homes for the ladies and their deadly pledging. Included on the disc is a few minutes\u2019 worth of behind-the-scenes smart phone footage and that\u2019s it for special features.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n UNTITLED FOOTAGE<\/strong>, the full-length sequel to the \u201cIllinois Valley Murder Tapes<\/strong>\u201d portion of Horror Dadz Productions<\/strong>\u2019 duology, SPLIT SCREEN<\/strong>, has also been assigned to haunt BD-R as of April 29<\/strong>. Joshua Brucker<\/strong>\u2019s follow-up was filmed in the Watseka<\/strong> area like the original and involves the sister of one of the original characters who attempts to learn what really<\/em> happened with the Claw Hammer Killer and unwittingly walks right into danger. 105ive Films<\/strong> handled the release of FOOTAGE<\/strong><\/span><\/a> as they did another Horror Dadz adventure, THE WOODMEN<\/strong>, and the intense flick can also be watched on a brand-new service devoted to first-person genre films and shows, Found TV<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Brucker announced on social media that his group\u2019s latest found-footage horror, THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY FOUR<\/strong>, has wrapped on the East Coast as of this week; a werewolf tangles with mere mortals as well as Joe Bob Briggs<\/strong> in the Connecticut<\/strong> woods!<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n We have reason to bring up LGBTQ+ themed indies as well. Specialist label Wolfe Video<\/strong>, which used to count the C-U produced \u201cdance family\u201d comedy LEADING LADIES<\/strong> among its roster, seems to be winding down its in-house wares in favor of streaming if one looks carefully at their website.<\/a><\/span> However, they have<\/em> been re-releasing through merchants some of their titles in the DVD-R format such as the 2010 lesbian drama BLOOMINGTON<\/strong><\/a><\/span>; originally filmed on location in Bloomington, Indiana<\/strong>, the trade headlines about its production at the time kept throwing off Ye Ed since it wasn\u2019t in reference to Bloomington, Illinois<\/strong>. The feature, directed by the veteran television editor Fernanda Cardoso<\/strong>, is a story of student-professor romance in a sleepy Midwest college town with Sarah Stouffer<\/strong> and Alison McAtee<\/strong> in the leads.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n And, made available as a DVD-R<\/a><\/span> just two weeks ago by Freestyle Digital Media<\/strong> is the feature SPARK<\/strong>, directed by Nicholas Giuricich<\/strong> and starring the talented Theo Germaine<\/strong> as Aaron, who must navigate a recurring time loop and transforming relationships with an intimately close friend, Dani (Vico Ortiz<\/strong>), and a desirable fling who becomes something more, Trevor (Danell Leyva<\/strong>). Germane talked about their performance in this film and in another challenging work, DESIRE LINES<\/strong>, along with efforts by the separate productions to portray nonbinary and transmasculine characters with a compelling focus, in early 2024 via the online magazine Xtra<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Formerly a resident of the C-U and a welcome participant in our arts scene, Germaine has received a good amount of critical notice since making the segue from stage to screen in projects like the Peacock<\/strong> thriller THEY\/THEM<\/strong> and television series like THE POLITICIAN<\/strong> on Netflix<\/strong> and WORK IN PROGRESS<\/strong> on Apple TV<\/strong>. We certainly wish them continued success and a full recovery in their health<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History<\/strong><\/p>\n 40 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026 Saturday, June 1, 1985:<\/em> Geoff Merritt<\/strong> opens the Campustown<\/strong> media rental store, That\u2019s Rentertainment<\/strong>, in Johnstown Center<\/strong>, at first stressing a large library of music LPs and CDs before changing course to concentrate on home video. The comprehensive offerings on their shelves, inviting and helpful \u201cRentarians\u201d behind the front counter, customer-friendly memberships and \u201cRenter Blocks,\u201d a willingness to quickly incorporate the progression of products from VHS to DVD to LaserDisc to Blu-ray, and a personal touch scattered throughout in the form of decorative ephemera, hand-drawn section markers, and more would endear the shop to movie lovers far and wide. After bouncing around the building for their first decade, Rentertainment ultimately settled on the location at 512 E. John Street<\/strong> in Champaign<\/strong>. A second location would open in 1998 next to Caffe Paradiso<\/strong> in Urbana<\/strong> and only last a few years. Facebook<\/a> <\/span>[R] [Rev. 6\/29\/25]<\/strong><\/p>\n 10 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026 Monday, June 1, 2015:<\/em> Owner and local small business advocate Geoff Merritt<\/strong> announces that his Campustown<\/strong> staple, That\u2019s Rentertainment<\/strong>, will immediately start selling off its inventory in anticipation of closing down<\/a><\/span>. Thousands of home videos and miscellany would be adopted by loyal customers and community members, hundreds more titles would be integrated into the holdings of the University of Illinois Library<\/strong> system, and the remaining thousands would migrate over to the \u201crec room\u201d of Merritt\u2019s other location, hidden on Griggs Street<\/strong> in downtown Urbana<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, which houses the Parasol Label Group<\/strong> and the Itty Bitty Bike Shop<\/strong>. Their flagship location at the corner of John<\/strong> and Sixth<\/strong> streets in Champaign<\/strong> eventually had its front door locked for good at the end of Sunday, August 16<\/strong>.<\/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> @ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL<\/strong> @ Prairie Farm\/Centennial Park, 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 @ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL<\/strong> @ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL<\/strong> @ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL<\/strong> @ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL<\/strong> @ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL<\/strong> @ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL<\/strong> @ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL<\/strong> @ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL<\/strong> @ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Midwest<\/strong><\/p>\n For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, please visit the fine folks at<\/em> Cine-File<\/strong> and subscribe to their definitive \u201cCine-List\u201d weekly blast<\/a><\/span>. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read<\/em> Reel Chicago<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> and<\/em> Screen Magazine<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n COMING SOON | Area-wide Events<\/strong><\/p>\n 8\/16<\/strong> 9\/20-9\/22<\/strong> 11\/8-11\/9<\/strong> 4\/23-4\/26, 2026<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
\n6\/27: Joe Sherlock (writer\/director, THE HAUNTING OF HEATHER BLACK, Skullface Astronaut, Corvallis, OR)
\n6\/30: Drea Aarons (fine artist, Drea Aarons Art, Champaign, IL)
\n7\/1: Michael Juvinall (editor, Horror Patch<\/span> website, Channahon, IL)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nF1 THE MOVIE, HOT MILK*, ME3AN 2.0, 28 YEARS LATER, BRIDE HARD*, ELIO (animation), BALLERINA, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LILO & STITCH, MATERIALISTS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE \u2013 THE FINAL RECKONING (6\/27 on), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (7\/2 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nF1 THE MOVIE, ME3AN 2.0, 28 YEARS LATER, BRIDE HARD*, ELIO (animation), BALLERINA, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LILO & STITCH, MATERIALISTS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE \u2013 THE FINAL RECKONING, THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, SINNERS (6\/27 on), UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliviera, more (mixed martial arts) (6\/28, 9 p.m., simulcast), GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) (6\/28, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; 6\/29, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7\/2, 7 p.m.), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (7\/2 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nIllini Union Board presents \u201cSummer Films on the Quad\u201d feat. THE PATRIOT (7\/3, 9 p.m., free)<\/p>\n
\nChampaign Park District presents \u201cMoo-vie Nights at Prairie Farm\u201d feat. OPEN SEASON; (6\/27, 8 p.m., free)<\/p>\n
\nF1 THE MOVIE, ME3AN 2.0, 28 YEARS LATER, ELIO (animation), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, (6\/27 on), THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE (animation) (7\/1-7\/2, 10 a.m., free)<\/p>\n
\nELIO (animation), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Screen 1), 28 YEARS LATER, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (Screen 2) (6\/27-6\/29), ELIO (animation), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Screen 1), ELIO (animation), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (Screen 2) (6\/30-7\/1), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (Screen 1), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Screen 2) (7\/2), ELIO (animation), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (Screen 1), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LILO & STITCH (Screen 2) (7\/3)<\/p>\n
\n28 YEARS LATER (6\/27-6\/29), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (7\/2 on)<\/p>\n
\nF1 THE MOVIE, ME3AN 2.0, 28 YEARS LATER, ELIO (animation), BALLERINA, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES*, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LILO & STITCH, MATERIALISTS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE \u2013 THE FINAL RECKONING (6\/27 on), Indian cinema: KANNAPPA (Telegu w\/Eng sub, 6\/27-), MAA (Hindi w\/Eng sub, 6\/27-), and KUBERRA (Telugu w\/Eng sub, 6\/27-), SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (6\/29-7\/3, 11 a.m.), CLUELESS 30th anniversary (6\/29, 4 p.m.; 6\/30, 7 p.m.), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (7\/2 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nI AM Woman presents DREAM, GIRL (documentary) w\/discussion (6\/27, 7 p.m.), DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (6\/28-6\/29), THE BORROWERS (6\/30, 7\/2), NATIONAL TREASURE (7\/3)<\/p>\n
\nClosed for the week.<\/p>\n
\nHOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (6\/27-6\/29)<\/p>\n
\nHOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, ME3AN 2.0 (Screen 1), ELIO (animation), LILO & STITCH (Screen 2) (6\/27-6\/29, 7\/2-7\/3)<\/p>\n
\nF1 THE MOVIE, ME3AN 2.0, 28 YEARS LATER, ELIO (animation), HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LILO & STITCH (6\/27 on), JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH (7\/2 on)<\/p>\n
\nPens to Lens Gala 2025*
\n@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
\nChampaign Film Society presents
\nthe first CineSonic* music film festival
\n@ TBA, Champaign-Urbana, IL<\/p>\n
\nDark History & Horror Con 2025
\n@ The Orpheum Theatre, Champaign, IL<\/p>\n
\nRoger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival*
\n@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL<\/p>\n