Calendar: March 10-16, 2023
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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PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed
3/3: Tom Sizemore, 61 (actor, THE DRUNK, Green Apple Entertainment, Boca Raton, FL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Money is funny, but I take it seriously when I find out where it’s needed. First, the Huston family has launched a crowdsourcing campaign so they can replace much of the well-worn customer seating at the venerable Avon Theatre in downtown Decatur; follow this link if you can help a Head Honcho out!
And then, we’re seeing the social media outreach from two camps that are seeking outside support for their ventures. Naperville-based Acrostar Films needs finishing funds for their most recent low-budget romp called DESPERATE SOULS, a Gothic “horror romance” filmed mere weeks ago in downstate Paxton, which is scheduled to premiere mere weeks from now at the Princess Theater in downstate LeRoy on Sat., May 6. What can we say? Acrostar and creator S.J. Hermann work fast as their follow-up, ATTACK OF THE CORN ZOMBIES, is set to be filmed in May as well.
Also moving towards production after a very long gestation period is WITH CHILD, the next and certainly largest effort to date from Champaign-Urbana genre director and writer Jeff Kacmarynski (ESSENCE); his team has announced a “second trimester” campaign for $50,000 to afford production costs after completing a successful $10,000 “first trimester” push for funding to secure talent such as Eileen Deetz (THE EXORCIST 1973), Lynn Lowry (THE CRAZIES 1973), and Tamara Glynn (TERRIFIER 2). According to notes in the campaigns as well as on Facebook, WITH CHILD is intended to go before the cameras in Illinois this May. You can read a CUBlog interview with Kacmarynski from 2021 here.
To conclude on what feels like a losing cause for the long haul, news outlets reported the price of the Art Theater building in downtown Champaign has been reduced by Kraft Properties to just under $1 million from the original asking price of $1.5 million. Ugh. In a pair of Twin Cities filled to the brim with intelligent folks, avid movie lovers, and pro-local business mavens, the Art is apparently a Pandora’s box no one wants to try and reopen. What the fuck happened, C-U, other than what we think we already know?
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
65, CHAMPIONS, SCREAM VI, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, COCAINE BEAR, CREED III, DEMON SLAYER: TO THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE (animé; Japanese or English language), JESUS REVOLUTION, OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE* (3/10 on), Academy Awards contenders: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN* (3/10), WOMEN TALKING* (3/10), TRIANGLE OF SADNESS* (3/11), EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (3/11, 3/13-3/16), ELVIS* (3/11), TÁR* (3/12), THE FABELMANS* (3/12), and TOP GUN: MAVERICK* (3/12), SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (3/16 on) *single shows daily
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2023 Weekend Films” feat. STRANGE WORLD (3/10-3/11, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
65, CHAMPIONS, SCREAM VI, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, COCAINE BEAR, CREED III, DEMON SLAYER: TO THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE* (animé; Japanese or English language), JESUS REVOLUTION, OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (3/10 on), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990) (3/12, 3 & 7 p.m.; 3/15, 7 p.m.), COME OUT IN JESUS’ NAME (religious documentary) (3/13, 7 p.m.), SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (3/16 on) *single shows daily
@ Redbox, Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE RITUAL KILLER, more! (3/7 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series” feat. DIRTY DANCING (3/16, 7 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
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
CHAMPIONS, MAYBE I DO, SCREAM VI (3/10-3/12)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
2023 Academy Awards watch party (3/12, 5 p.m., limited seating)
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Private parties and “Family Movie Packs” this week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
The Oscar Nominated Shorts 2023: Live Action (3/10-3/12), Documentary (3/11), and Animation (3/11-3/12), EXTRA ORDINARY. (3/16)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
JESUS REVOLUTION (3/10-3/12)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE (3/10-3/12)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, 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
33rd Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/13-4/20
25th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/19-4/22
23nd Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
NEW! 4/27-4/30
Foxtail Film Festival (student films)*
@ Normal Theater, Normal, IL
NEW! 5/6
DESPERATE SOULS* world premiere
@ The Princess Theater, LeRoy, IL, 4 p.m.
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.
4/26: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; 5/31: THE TWO POPES; 6/14: MULHOLLAND DRIVE; 7/12: BARAKA
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
3/16: DIRTY DANCING; 4/27: GHOSTBUSTERS (1984); 5/18: BEETLEJUICE; 6/29: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK; 7/27: TOP GUN
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2023 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
3/17-3/18: BONES AND ALL; 3/24-3/25: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY; 3/31-4/1: BABYLON; 4/7-4/8: PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH; 4/14-4/15: KNOCK AT THE CABIN; 4/21-4/22: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA; 4/28-4/29: COCAINE BEAR
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
3/18: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA; 4/29: FANTASIA; 5/20: TOPPER; 6/17: ENTER THE DRAGON; 7/15: I LOVE LUCY: THE MOVIE
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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