Calendar: July 2-8, 2021
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!
7/3: Jorge Cazares (design specialist, Adept Content Solutions, Urbana, IL)
7/5: Paul Riismandel (cohost, Radio Survivor podcast, San Francisco, CA)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Alumni and almost-alumni of downstate Illinois colleges have made headlines recently in the industry press, so we’ve compiled links of that coverage for you. Deadline confirmed on Wednesday, June 30, that Nick Offerman will play the coach of the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches women’s baseball team in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, the reboot series being produced by Sony Pictures Television for Amazon. Famous in his role as “Ron Swanson” on PARKS AND RECREATION, Offerman earned a BFA degree at the University of Illinois and became involved in Chicago theater as an actor, fight choreographer, and carpenter after leaving Urbana-Champaign. A day before on Tuesday, June 29, The Wrap reported that Amazon had purchased first-run rights for the popular podcast SmartLess, hosted by comic actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, in a deal worth up to $80 million. Best known for playing “Jack” on WILL & GRACE, Hayes attended Illinois State University in the early 1990s and split Normal early to work as a pianist and music director in Chicago theater at roughly the same time Swanson was there. And on Thursday, June 24, the day TBS aired the finale of CONAN, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Conan O’Brien’s venerable sidekick Andy Richter about their history together and his plans. A short-lived UIUC student and a Columbia College Chicago graduate who started his career with improv training and commercial production in the Windy City, Richter has now spent a combined 19 years sitting next to O’Brien during the latter’s 28-year-long run hosting late-night television that spanned two networks, three programs, and many trips without borders. May the Midwest keep representing in popular culture!
We’ll also share a bonus item that we found recently. Adrian Pennington of RedShark discussed the future of filmmaking with Douglas Trumbull, the veteran Hollywood special effects wizard who is well known for his experimentation behind the scenes. He is a proponent of high frame rate (HFR) image capture and presentation, believing it will become viable once the distracting “unreal” sheen that is caused while projecting HFR with available technology can be solved. One of the few major directors to share enthusiasm for the format and is mentioned in the article is Ang Lee, whose last two features, BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK and GEMINI MAN, were attempts at creating HFR cinema that can fully immerse an audience in the storytelling. Lee, a 1980 BFA graduate of the UIUC theater program, has built a very distinguished film career and will hopefully conquer this perplexing challenge.
“My god,” you just muttered as you exhaled deeply, “this Field Report is full of stars.” Every now and then, dearest readers, it’s bound to happen. It’s also a lesson in not confining ourselves as we never know where the next steps will take us. That said, on the way out the door to your holiday weekend activities that you will observe carefully during the still-active pandemic we all live in, be sure to send a friendly wish skyward to misters Offerman and Hayes. They both turned 51 on Saturday, June 26. Hurrah!
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, SUMMER OF SOUL, ZOLA, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, CRUELLA, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, IN THE HEIGHTS, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, A QUIET PLACE PART II, SPIRIT UNTAMED (7/2 on), BLACK WIDOW (7/8 on)
@ Hessel Park, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL
“Friday Night Flix” feat. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (7/2, dusk)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, ZOLA, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, CRUELLA, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, IN THE HEIGHTS, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, A QUIET PLACE PART II (7/2 on), JAWS (7/4, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7/7, 7 p.m.), DOLITTLE, TROLLS WORLD TOUR (7/6-7/8, 10 a.m.), The Metropolitan Opera presents YANNICK: AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY (7/7, 1 & 6:30 p.m.), BLACK WIDOW (7/8 on)
@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
DEATH IN TEXAS, MEANDER, THE PAPER TIGERS, ROCK DOG 2, more! (6/29 on) Online rentals
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
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, A QUIET PLACE PART II (7/2 on)
@ AMC Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
Closed for remodeling.
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
12 MIGHTY ORPHANS, THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, F9: THE FAST SAGA (7/2-7/4)
@ The Devon G. Buffett Amphitheater, Decatur, IL
Decatur Park District and Scott State Bank present “Movies in the Park” feat. GREASE (6/26, sunset)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
FORREST GUMP (7/2, 7 p.m.), E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (7/8, 7 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY (Screen 1), F9: THE FAST SAGA, TOP GUN (Screen 2) (7/2-7/3), THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS (Screen 1), F9: THE FAST SAGA (Screen 2) (7/4-7/7), BLACK WIDOW (Screen 1), THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS (Screen 2) (7/8)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private rentals for the week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (7/2-7/4)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
Closed for the week.
@ Route 34 Drive-in, Earlville, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, F9: THE FAST SAGA (7/2-7/4)
@ Route 66 Twin Drive-in, Springfield, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, F9: THE FAST SAGA (Screen 1), THE FOREVER PURGE, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD (Screen 2) (7/2 on)
@ Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, CRUELLA, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY (7/2 on)
@ Streator Eagle 6, Streator, IL
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY (7/2 on), PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (7/6-7/7, 10 a.m.), BLACK WIDOW (7/8 on)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, as well as cancellations and postponements due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, please visit the fine folks at Cine-File and subscribe to their definitive “Cine-List” weekly blast.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
9/8-9/11
22nd Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
10/22-10/23
Dark History and Horror Convention’s Screaming Mad Film Festival 2.1
@ I Hotel and Conference Center, UIUC, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Illini Union Board Presents “Summer Quad Film Series”
@ Anniversary Plaza, Main Quad, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m., free
8/5: GODZILLA VS. KONG
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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