Calendar: December 23-29, 2022
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!
12/29: Patricia Ann Pellow (matron saint to our arts, C-U Confidential, Champaign, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Thanks to the Arctic air, it’s horribly cold outside as we Report to you, dearest readers. No thanks to life circumstances beyond our control, it soon will be horribly cold inside at MFHQ Deux. Please pardon us if CUBlog skips a few beats in the coming weeks as your humble editor looks after his Momkoke with all the love he can muster. We presume he’ll eventually warm up again to his editorial post. Eventually.
Also, we haven’t plunked down a MICRO-FILM round-up in a while, so why don’t we give the gift of indie film flashbacks this Xmas? First, Mr. JaPan received a nifty token of appreciation from a friend of our flagship mag, View Askew associate Vincent Pereira, who recently appeared in the belated Kevin Smith sequel, CLERKS III. Arriving in our mailbox back in August, the set of 16mm clippings originated from a print of Pereira’s debut feature, A BETTER PLACE, which made the cover of MICRO-FILM 3 eons ago in 2000; the filmmaker has been busy with a high-definition restoration of that film to be released in 2023 as well as writing the screenplay for his next effort, THE BACK SCRATCHER. Second, after we discovered the existence of a no-budget camcorder sequel to the late Michael Laughlin’s DEAD KIDS (or STRANGE BEHAVIOR), we looked hard for internet evidence in regards to DEAD KIDS 2 and found next to none, save for a review in the same 1999 issue of Shock Cinema magazine that also featured a review of Mike Trippiedi’s all-star C-U movie, DOGS IN QUICKSAND. Third, upon the conclusion of “BruceFest” at the Stanley Hotel of Estes Park, Colorado, wherein all things Bruce Campbell were celebrated by hundreds of fans and emceed by The Chin himself, we’re inspired to remind you of the Synapse Films Blu-ray release from last year of RUNNING TIME. It’s the black-and-white crime caper that made the cover of MICRO-FILM 1 even more eons ago in 1999, and the disc’s extras include Ye Ed’s fabled Hi-8 footage of director Josh Becker and star Campbell at the first Freaky Film Festival in C-U. (1997 is now considered vintage, right?) Coincidentally, Synapse handled the original DVD release of A BETTER PLACE in 2001.
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
[Closed Friday 12/23 due to weather.]
18 PAGES (in Telugu), BABYLON, CIRKUS (in Hindi), THE FABELMANS, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, THE MENU*, STRANGE WORLD*, VIOLENT NIGHT (12/23 on) *single shows daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
[Closed Friday 12/23 due to weather.]
BABYLON, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, THE FABELMANS, THE MENU, STRANGE WORLD*, VIOLENT NIGHT (12/23 on)
@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE LONELIEST BOY IN THE WORLD, PARADISE CITY, SAVAGE SALVATION, SECRET HEADQUARTERS, more! (12/20 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
No movies this week!
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 Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
BABYLON, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, STRANGE WORLD, VIOLENT NIGHT (12/23 on)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (12/23-12/25)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and “Family Movie Packs” this week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
[Closed Friday 12/23 due to weather.]
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, WHITE CHRISTMAS (12/24)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (12/21-12/25)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
STRANGE WORLD (12/23-12/24)
@ Streator Eagle 6, Streator, IL
BABYLON, THE FABELMANS, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (12/23 on)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
BABYLON, THE GRINCH*, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, VIOLENT NIGHT (12/23 on) *single shows daily
@ VIP Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
BABYLON, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, SPIRITED, VIOLENT NIGHT (12/23 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
3/30-4/2, 2023
33rd Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/13-4/20, 2023
25th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/19-4/22, 2023
23nd Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
“The Arthouse Experience Film Series” curated by Sanford Hess and sponsored by Illinois Public Media
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
1/25/23: THE FRENCH DISPATCH; 2/8/23: MY OCTOPUS TEACHER; 3/8/23: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE; 4/26/23: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; 5/31/23: THE TWO POPES; 6/14/23: MULHOLLAND DRIVE; 7/12/23: BARAKA
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
1/19/23: SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE*; 2/2/23: TITANIC*; 3/16/23: DIRTY DANCING; 4/27/23: GHOSTBUSTERS (1984); 5/18/23: BEETLEJUICE; 6/29/23: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK; 7/27/23: TOP GUN
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
1/21/23: STAGE DOOR; 2/11/23: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS; 3/18/23: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA; 4/29/23: FANTASIA; 5/20/23: TOPPER; 6/17/23: ENTER THE DRAGON; 7/15/23: I LOVE LUCY: THE MOVIE
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2022 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential