Calendar: April 26-May 2, 2019
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!
4/28: John Isberg (writer/director, MAGNETIC FIELDS)
4/29: Sophie McMahan (pop culture artist, Sophie McMahan)
4/30: Matt Shivers (voice actor, WHY COWS CAN’T HAVE BIRTHDAYS, Pens to Lens 2018)
4/30: Eric Sizemore (actor, ALPHAVILLE: BEER FOR THE VAMPIRE)
5/1: Jodi Hahn (makeup effects designer, WEREWOLF CEMETERY)
CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
20 Years Ago … Monday, April 5, 1999: An invitation-only audience fills the Avon Theater in downtown Decatur, Illinois, for its first movie presentation in several years, the biographical epic ELIZABETH starring Cate Blanchett, to complete a lively week of pomp and circumstance, as reported in the Herald & Review. Gregarious businessman Skip Huston, who has been involved recently in both the “Flashback” fundraising efforts at the nearby Lincoln Square Theatre and the popular “Haunted Decatur” seasonal tours, is working with partners to develop the refurbished space into a venue that can handle live events, such as the Christian and blues-rock music concerts that led up to tonight’s show, and screenings of repertory and art films. Among Huston’s staff is his wife Susan Blake, daughter Melissa Huston, and projectionist Chris Barnett, while his allies on the programming side include Troy Taylor, a writer and publisher of crime and paranormal histories, and Gary Strong, the local puppeteer whose self-made marionette “Spunky the Squirrel” is set to star in an Avon “kids club.” Upcoming weekend shows will feature the science-fiction classic FORBIDDEN PLANET and current movies making the rounds such as A SIMPLE PLAN, GODS AND MONSTERS, and WAKING NED DEVINE.
LOCAL FILMS, ETC. | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Gregory Hall, UIUC, Urbana, IL
5th annual Illinifest Student Film Festival*, Gregory Theater (4/27, 5-8:30 p.m., free)
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
Central Illinois Film Commission* meeting, “Creative organization w/Dark Soul Studios” (5/2, 7 p.m., free)
@ Lincoln Hall, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Film & Video* meeting, Room 1022 (4/29, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL
AMAZING GRACE (4/26 on), Latin American Film Festival: BUY ME A GUN (4/27, 12:30 p.m.) and TODO EL ANO ES NAVIDAD (4/28, 7:30 p.m.), BREAD AND ROSES w/panel discussion (4/27, 3:30 p.m.), UNESCO International Jazz Day: “Women of Jazz: An Inside Look” (4/30, 5:30 p.m., free), Late Night: RUBBER (4/26-4/27, 9:30 p.m.)
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, DUMBO, KALANK, LITTLE, PENGUINS, SHAZAM!, US (4/26 on), THE INTRUDER, LONG SHOT, UGLYDOLLS (5/2 on)
@ Family Video, Champaign-Urbana, IL
ESCAPE ROOM, DESTROYER, PLEDGE, RUST CREEK, NO SURRENDER, SHAMELESS (s9), more! (4/23 on)
@ Goodrich Savoy 16, Savoy, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, DUMBO, LITTLE, MISSING LINK, PENGUINS, PET SEMATARY, SHAZAM!, US (4/26 on), HELLBOY (4/26-4/27, midnight), WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (4/28, 5/1), KINGDOM MEN RISING (4/29, 7 p.m.), 42nd Street: The Musical (5/1, 7 p.m., recorded)
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Weekend Films at the Union” feat. THE LEGO MOVIE 2, Pine Lounge (4/26-4/27, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Rewind 92.5 Film Series: THE AVENGERS (4/28, 2 p.m.)
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
@ AMC Classic Village Mall 6, Danville, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, PET SEMATARY, SHAZAM! (4/26 on)
@ AMC Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, DUMBO, PET SEMATARY, SHAZAM! (4/26 on)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, THE MUSTANG (4/26 on)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Screen 1), THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, PET SEMATARY (Screen 2) (4/26-4/28)
@ The Lincoln Family Theater & Community Center, Lincoln, IL
AFTER, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, BREAKTHROUGH, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, LITTLE, SHAZAM! (4/26 on), FINDING NORMAL (daily shows, free)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
WRESTLE (4/26-4/28)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
“Illinois State Night Live” comedy show (4/26, two shows), “Acafellaz Spring Concert” (4/27), Agnès Varda tribute: CLÈO FROM 5 TO 7 (4/28), Tuesday Night Classic: FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950; 4/30), THE WEDDING GUEST (5/2)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
MISSING LINK (4/26-4/28, 5/1)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
DUMBO (4/26-4/28), BEE MOVIE (4/27, 11 a.m., free)
@ Route 34 Drive-in, Earlville, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, CAPTAIN MARVEL (4/26-4/28)
@ Route 66 Twin Drive-in, Springfield, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ISN’T IT ROMATIC (Screen 1), AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ESCAPE ROOM (Screen 2) (4/26-4/27)
@ Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, DUMBO, LITTLE, MISSING LINK, PET SEMATARY, SHAZAM! (4/26 on)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Company Brewing & University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
6th Milwaukee Underground Film Festival (through 4/28)
@ Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL
18th annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival (through 5/2)
@ The Toby at Newfields, etc., Indianapolis, IN
16th Indy Film Festival (5/2-5/12)
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
NEW! 5/21
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting
@ Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m., free
6/5-6/9
26th Chicago Underground Film Festival, Chicago, IL
6/29
Laugh and Slash Film Festival
@ Garden Hotel, Urbana, IL
8/1-8/4
11th Gen Con Film Festival @ Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN
8/10
7th annual Pens to Lens Screenwriting Competition + Gala*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
9/19-29
37th Reeling LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
10/26
Dark History & Horror Con’s Screaming Mad Film Festival
@ The City Center, Champaign, IL, 1:30 p.m.
11/1-11/2
18th annual Route 66 Film Festival
@ Capital City Bar & Grill, Springfield, IL
11/1-11/2
3rd Dead in Decatur Film Festival
@ Decatur Area Arts Council, Decatur, IL
TBD
Issue release: C-U Confidential #10
+ Paper Opteryx, Champaign, IL
TBD
10th New Art Film Festival*, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Illini Union Board Presents “Weekend Films at the Union”
@ Pine Lounge, Main Level, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri., 7 & 10 p.m. Sat., free w/i-card
4/26, 4/27: THE LEGO MOVIE 2
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
5/25: THE THIN MAN; 6/22: ON THE WATERFRONT; 7/13: STAGE DOOR
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2019 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential