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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 CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History<\/strong><\/p>\n 50 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026 Thursday, July 15, 1976:<\/em> Beverly Hills, CA<\/strong>-based distributor Crown International Pictures<\/strong> opens the film DEATH RIDERS<\/strong> on 100 screens in the Kansas City-Omaha<\/strong> region of the Midwest, according to the exhibition trade magazine Boxoffice<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>. One of the only non-fiction titles in the company\u2019s catalog and the rare documentary to play the drive-in circuit, DEATH RIDERS<\/strong> is directed by James Wilson<\/strong> of Hallmark Entertainment<\/strong> and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Death Riders Motorcycle Thrill Show<\/strong>, a traveling stunt team founded in the early Seventies by Floyd Reed, Sr.<\/strong>, and featuring his teenage son Danny<\/strong> as \u201cMr. T.N.T.\u201d Two weeks prior to this roll out, the film\u2019s world premiere took place at the North Drive-In<\/strong> of Terre Haute, IN<\/strong>, on Friday, July 2<\/strong>, a live Death Riders exhibition providing additional impact at the start of the show. Booking agent T.N.T. Productions<\/strong> is based in the Reed family\u2019s hometown of Danville, IL<\/strong>, while the crew\u2019s practice stadium is 25 miles away in Cayuga, IN<\/strong>; a memorable scene in DEATH RIDERS<\/strong> finds Danny\u2019s grandmother Clara<\/strong> fainting in the Cayuga grandstand after watching him crash in front of the hometown crowd. Additional thrills performed for camera by the Death Riders would appear a year later in the fictional action-comedy DEATH DRIVER<\/strong>, produced and self-distributed by prolific North Carolina<\/strong> independent filmmaker Earl Owensby<\/strong>. [R]<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers<\/strong><\/p>\n @ The Literary, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong> @ WEFT 90.1 FM, 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> 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 Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL<\/strong> @ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL<\/strong> @ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL<\/strong> @ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL<\/strong> @ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Midwest<\/strong><\/p>\n @ Living Room Theaters\/Indy Arts Center, etc., Indianapolis, IN<\/strong>
\nFilm-Fanatic.Club presents AMERICAN PSYCHO (7\/25,10:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nChambana Film Society presents \u201c2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival\u201d feat. JACK JOHNSON: SURFILMUSIC (documentary) (7\/26, 2 p.m.), \u201cArt House Theater Day\u201d presentation of SORRY TO BOTHER YOU w\/introduction by director Boots Riley (7\/30, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\n\u201cFrame Noise\u201d film music program hosted by Przemek (7\/29, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming<\/a><\/span> | Archive<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\nCHENNAI LOVE STORY* (in Telugu with English sub), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), HER PRIVATE HELL, JANA NAYAGAN* (in Tamil with English sub), MOTOR CITY, EVIL DEAD BURN, THE INVITE, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, THE ODYSSEY, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON* (faith film) (7\/17 on), Fan Faves: THE BAD GUYS 2 (animation) (7\/27, 7\/29, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.), AMC \u201cScreen Unseen\u201d (mystery movie) (7\/27, 7 p.m.), I WANT YOUR SEX, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (7\/30 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nCHENNAI LOVE STORY (in Telugu with English sub), HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL (filmed stage musical), HER PRIVATE HELL, JANA NAYAGAN (in Tamil with English sub), MOTOR CITY, BACKROOMS extended cut, DISCLOSURE DAY*, EVIL DEAD BURN, THE INVITE, MINIONS & MONSTERS (animation), MOANA, OBSESSION, THE ODYSSEY, SUPERGIRL, TOY STORY 5 (animation), YOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7\/17 on), BAD COUNSELORS (7\/24-7\/27, 7 p.m.), THE FIFTH ELEMENT (7\/26, 4 & 7 p.m.; 7\/27, 7 p.m.), TREMORS (7\/26, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7\/29, 7 p.m.), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (7\/30 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nIllini Union Board presents \u201cSummer Films on the Quad\u201d feat. POWER BALLAD (7\/30, 9 p.m., free)<\/p>\n
\nJURASSIC PARK (Screen 1), THE ODYSSEY (Screen 2) (7\/24-7\/29), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (Screen 1), THE ODYSSEY (Screen 2) (7\/30)<\/p>\n
\nMOANA (7\/24-7\/26), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (7\/30 on)<\/p>\n
\nTHE WILD BUNCH (7\/24, 7\/26, 7 p.m.; 7\/25, 3 p.m.), TOMBSTONE (7\/25, 7 p.m.; 7\/26, 3 p.m.), ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (7\/27, 1 p.m.; 7\/29, 7 p.m.), I SAW THE TV GLOW (7\/28, 7 p.m.), THE BIG CHILL (7\/30, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nYOUNG WASHINGTON (faith film) (7\/24-7\/26)<\/p>\n
\nTHE ODYSSEY (Screen 1), MOANA, TOY STORY 5 (animation) (Screen 2) (7\/24-7\/26, 7\/29-7\/30)<\/p>\n
\nHeartland Film and TQL Wealth Management present
\n9th Indy Shorts Film Festival (through 7\/26) Information<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n