Calendar: June 7-13, 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!
6/10: Allen Richards (publisher, B-Independent.com)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
We’ve noticed a few things in recent weeks that we saved for our last Report until August or September. They fall in the camp of “old business is new business,” so let’s get down to business. N’est-ce pas?
First up, we shared with you recently about Ye Ed’s dalliances in shopping for non-US physical media of US (and as close to C-U as possible) productions and, right after he ordered STRANGE INVADERS and LET’S GET HARRY from Australia’s Imprint Films, parent company Via Vision Entertainment announced they would also be re-releasing GRANDVIEW, U.S.A. on Blu-ray and DVD. Sadly, it looks to be a movie-only edition just like the Kino Lorber Blu from a decade ago and the Paramount/CBS DVD from before that, never mind the C. Thomas Howell-Jamie Lee Curtis-Patrick Swayze vehicle will be reaching its 40th anniversary of theatrical release in August. This Hollywood flick is “the one filmed in Pontiac,” of course.
And then, the folks behind the scenes at the Fischer Theatre in downtown Danville have finally found a good opportunity to book THE BABE, a Universal Pictures biography of Babe Ruth as played by the great John Goodman. The Fischer will show the 1992 release tomorrow, Saturday, June 8, starting at 2 p.m. as a tie-in with that evening’s contest between the Danville Dans baseball club and the Champion City Kings of Springfield, Ohio, at Danville Stadium; Prospect League action will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Organizers are encouraging those who were present at the stadium as extras in 1991 – yes, this Hollywood flick is “the one partly filmed in Danville” – to attend and have their pictures taken for olde tyme’s sake. Play ball!
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On home turf, our friend Mike Trippiedi of Champaign recently worked with his long-time partner in video, Bill Yauch, to prepare and upload his second indie feature, AMBER ROSE, to YouTube for free viewing. Filmed in the late 2000s in the C-U, the movie – an adaptation of an original Trippiedi play that several stage troupes apparently passed on due to its touchy subject matter – appeared in film festivals in 2011-12 and briefly on Amazon Prime before being quietly pulled from public viewing. Written and directed by Trippiedi, the piece involves a young girl (Zöe Capps) who befriends an older neighbor (Steven Keen) and doesn’t realize his behavioral tendencies could put her at risk; Joe Dempsey, Carolyn Kodes, and Amy Stoch also appear in “the best thing I’ve ever written,” per Trippiedi on a recent Facebook post. During the last decade, he’s funneled his creative energy into writing fiction and his short story, “The Telemarketer,” appears in a brand-new anthology, Final Passenger (Above the Rain Collective).
Finally, out in the ether of distant memories made concrete, CUBlog friend Robert Cagle shared a vintage segment that aired on French television and featured the late University of Illinois professor and cinema scholar Edwin Jahiel. In the stream hosted online by L’INA, which unfortunately does not have subtitles, Jahiel appears in conversation with the film critic, author, and documentary producer Anne Andreu (ROMY SCHNEIDER, ÉTRANGE ÉTRANGÈRE) about the selections of the May 1978 edition of the Directors’ Fortnight, an event held parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. A long-time resident of Urbana, well past his retirement as the director of the former Unit for Cinema Studies at UIUC and until his death in 2010, Jahiel’s later writing can be enjoyed at this archive, much of it first published by the News-Gazette, while his legacy can be found in unlikely places such as student films and journals.
That’s what we have for you today, dearest readers. The Calendar listing will appear weekly over the next few months, maybe even on time, and Mr. JaPan has plans to update this and that on the site and socials. Also look for a handful of overdue articles and interviews to appear here on CUBlog if he can tear himself away from yard work, housework, and work-work. Be good and be productive, CUvians.
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, HOVERING BLADE (in Mandarin with English sub), THE WATCHERS, BABES, EZRA, THE FALL GUY, FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation), HAIKYU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE (animé), IF, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 (6/7 on), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (extended cut) (6/8, 4 & 7 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest: THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (animé) (6/9, 3 & 7 p.m., English dub; 6/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub) and WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 10th anniversary (animé) (6/10, 7 p.m., English dub; 6/12, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (extended cut) (6/9, 4 & 6 p.m.), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/10, 7 p.m.), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (extended cut) (6/10, 7 p.m.), THE RELENTLESS PATRIOT (documentary) (6/13, 8 p.m.), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation), TREASURE (6/13 on)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, THE WATCHERS, CHALLENGERS, CIVIL WAR, THE DEAD DON’T HURT, EZRA, THE FALL GUY, FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation), IF, IN A VIOLENT NATURE, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, SIGHT (faith film), THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1, SUMMER CAMP (6/7 on), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (extended cut) (6/8, 4 p.m.), FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (6/9, 3 & 7 p.m.; 6/12, 7 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest: THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (animé) (6/9, 3 & 7 p.m., English dub; 6/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub) ) and WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 10th anniversary (animé) (6/10, 7 p.m., English dub; 6/12, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (extended cut) (6/9, 4 p.m.), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (extended cut) (6/10, 7 p.m.), summer family films: PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE (animation) (6/11-6/13, 10 a.m.), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (6/13 on)
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. KUNG FU PANDA 4 (6/13, 9 p.m., free)
@ 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
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
JAWS (1975) (3-D), THE WATCHERS, THE DEAD DON’T HURT (6/7-6/9)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
LILO & STITCH (animation) (6/7, 7 p.m.), Danville Dans present “Community Day of Baseball” feat. THE BABE (6/8, 2 p.m., followed by DD vs. Champion City Kings @ Danville Stadium, 6:30 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, TWISTER (Screen 1), GREASE, DIRTY DANCING (Screen 2) (6/7-6/8), BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE (Screen 1), GREASE (Screen 2) (6/9-6/12), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (Screen 1), BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE (Screen 2) (6/7-6/8)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (6/7, 6/9), STARGATE (6/9), MONSTERS, INC. (6/10, 6/12), THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) (6/13)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation) (6/7-6/9)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
IF (6/7-6/9)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
THE GARFIELD MOVIE (animation), IF (Screen 1), BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (Screen 2) (6/7-6/9, 6/12-6/13)
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
8/31-9/1
10th anniversary Dark History & Horror Con*
@ Orpheum Champaign (The Orpheum Theater), Champaign, IL
10/16-10/27
60th Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
11/1-11/2
23rd Route 66 Film Festival*
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
4/23/-4/25/25
25th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Chambana Film Festival – Summer 2024 screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
6/30: “Funny Strange & Funny Haha: Comedic Short Films;” 7/28: OUT THERE: A NATIONAL PARKS STORY
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
6/27: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE*; 7/11: GREASE “sing-a-long” edition
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad”
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m. Thursdays, free
6/20: THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES; 6/27: THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE; 7/11: GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE; 7/18: CIVIL WAR; 7/25: THE FALL GUY; 8/1: GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE; 8/8: IF
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series”
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
6/21: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?; 7/5: STOP MAKING SENSE;
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
6/15: HARVEY; 7/13: ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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