Calendar: March 8-14, 2024
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!
3/9: Jason Lindsey (commercial photographer, Jason Lindsey Photography, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed
2/29: David Bordwell, 76 (perennial guest, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, UIUC, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
“I’m late,” said the White Rabbit. “So am I,” replied Ye Ed. “I am so very unmerry,” sneered the Mad Hatter. It turns out you have to actually travel through the Looking Glass to get to the wondrous world of Champaign-Urbana and, with said “trip” thwarted yet again, we at CUBlog might as well serve up some carrots-for-thought for everyone to crunch on. To that end, we’re following up last week’s student-centric Report with another set of prompts connected to young people and the academic space.
First and most pertinent is this notice from WJBC radio in Bloomington about the effort by Illinois State University students involved with the campus television station, TV-10, to have studio equipment replaced and repaired; their goal is to apply $50,000 worth of upgrades in part to mark the 50th anniversary of the hands-on training outlet, which first hit the airwaves on March 4, 1974. Second and most poignant is this Guardian article, shared by Confidential agent DTz, in which the former Chicagoland high school basketball stars Arthur Agee and William Gates reflect on their lives and friendship on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of HOOP DREAMS, the telling documentary about them (and so much more) by Steve James, Peter Gilbert, and UIUC alum Frederick Marx. Of course, Roger Ebert famously championed it.
Third and most philanthropic, Confidential agent ESP submitted this interview segment on WGN-TV with comedian and writer Andy Richter, who was in Chicago last week to appear at an event in support of The H Foundation and cancer research; raised in Yorkville, maybe 40 miles away from MFHQ Deux, Richter subsequently left school in Urbana before he could also become a UIUC alum to try his hand in stand-up at The Second City and film production at Columbia College in the Windy City. Consistent work in the entertainment industry and late-night notoriety alongside Conan O’Brien followed, as we know, and it seems that success is also finding the younger talent Esther Povitsky, who grew up in Skokie. We caught her appearance this week on AFTER MIDNIGHT and learned through Google that, not unlike Richter, she makes podcasts, acts on screen, performs stage comedy, and has skipped out on UIUC early in her life; she’s quoted on the latter in a Wikipedia entry. DRUGSTORE JUNE is her new film.
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
CABRINI (faith film), IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), YOLO (in Mandarin with English sub), ARTICLE 20* (in Mandarin with English sub), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DUNE: PART TWO, MADAME WEB, ORDINARY ANGELS (3/8 on), Oscar 2024 hopefuls: ANATOMY OF A FALL* (3/8), AMERICAN FICTION* (3/8), POOR THINGS* (3/8), OPPENHEIMER (3/9, 3/11-3/13), BARBIE* (3/9), THE ZONE OF INTEREST* (3/9), THE HOLDOVERS* (3/10), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON* (3/10), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (3/11, 7 p.m.), FORTY-SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS (faith film) (3/11-3/12, 3/14, 7 p.m.), THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES, ARTHUR THE KING, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, ONE LIFE (3/14 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
CABRINI (faith film), IMAGINARY, KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE CHOSEN: S4, Ep. 7-8 (faith programming), DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – TO THE HASHIRA TRAINING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), DUNE: PART TWO, MADAME WEB, MIGRATION (animation), ORDINARY ANGELS (3/8 on), WONKA (3/8-3/9, 3/11-3/12), The Metropolitan Opera: La Forza Del Destino (3/9, 11 a.m., simulcast; 3/13, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera, more (mixed martial arts) (3/9, 9 p.m., simulcast), LABYRINTH (3/10, 4 & 7 p.m.), THE QUIET MAN (3/10, 3 & 7 p.m.; 3/13, 7 p.m.), FORTY-SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS (faith film) (3/11-3/12, 3/14, 7 p.m.), ARTHUR THE KING (3/14 on)
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films” feat. AMERICAN FICTION, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (3/8-3/9, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)
@ Redbox (streaming), Champaign-Urbana, IL
THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT, DOUBLE DOWN SOUTH, more! (3/5 on) Online rentals
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series” feat. PAST LIVES (3/8, 7 p.m.), The News-Gazette Film Series presents THE SOUND OF MUSIC “sing-a-long” edition (3/9, 1 & 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
CABRINI (faith film), KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation), DUNE: PART TWO (3/8-3/10)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
2nd annual “Oscar Sunday Special Event” (viewing party) (3/10, 5 p.m. doors)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (3/8-3/9), The Oscar Nominated Shorts 2024: Animated (3/8-3/10), Documentary (3/9), and Live Action (3/9-3/10), THERE WILL BE BLOOD (3/12)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
KUNG FU PANDA 4 (animation) (3/8-3/10)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (3/8-3/10)
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
3/18
IN WHOSE HONOR?* documentary screening
@ Spurlock Museum for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 4 p.m.
4/4-4/11
26th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/4-4/14
34th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/5
“Friday Forum” feat. Prof. Jay Rosenstein about IN WHOSE HONOR?
@ University YMCA, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 12 p.m.
4/17-4/20
24th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival* (25th anniversary edition)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
NEW! 4/25-4/28
2nd annual Foxtail Film Festival*
@ Normal Theater, etc., Normal, IL
4/26
UIUC Student Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
NEW! 8/31-9/1
10th anniversary Dark History & Horror Con
@ Orpheum Champaign (The Orpheum Theater), Champaign, IL
11/1-11/2
23rd Route 66 Film Festival*
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Chambana Film Spring 2024 screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
3/31: QWERTY (free); 4/28: TRAPPED BALLOON; 5/26: BIKE VESSEL
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
3/21: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL; 4/25: PITCH PERFECT*; 5/23: FAME (1980); 6/27: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE*; 7/11: GREASE “sing-a-long” edition
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series”
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
4/26: AMÉLIE; 5/24: FREE SOLO; 7/5: STOP MAKING SENSE
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2024 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
3/15-3/16: AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM; 3/22-3/23: ANYONE BUT YOU; 3/29-3/30: THE COLOR PURPLE; 4/5-4/6: FERRARI; 4/12-4/13: THE BOYS IN THE BOAT; 4/19-4/20: WONKA; 4/26-4/27: THE BOOK OF CLARENCE; 5/3-5/4: THE IRON CLAW
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
4/13: THE THIRD MAN
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies events
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. (unless noted otherwise)
3/21: OVARIAN PSYCOS documentary screening; 3/22: “Women Make Movies” discussion of OVARIAN PSYCOS @ UI Women’s Resources Center, Champaign, 3 p.m.; 4/4: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE screening curated by Ebert Fellows; 4/16-4/17: Roger Ebert Symposium, “Representations and Their Critics”
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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