Calendar: July 12-18, 2024
Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.
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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!
7/9: Ben Harroun (co-owner, Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL)
7/15: Jill Van Voorst (owner, LIX, Savoy, IL)
7/17: Derek Huey (cinematographer, TIN ROOF, Subfolders Studios, Indianapolis, IN)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
The Report is on hiatus until August or September. Thank you for your readership, CUvians and Agents!
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen
A kick of your humble editor’s is to find television episodes or movies that set scenes in Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond even if they are filmed far away from central Illinois; we talked about a few examples of this in a Report we filed last summer. Recently, Ye Ed happened to find a streaming channel that was marathoning the humorous SyFy action series Z NATION overnight and, tra la, the first episode to begin during his watch started out with the show’s heroes battling a caucus of undead Abraham Lincoln impersonators in our alive-and-well state capital of Springfield. Looking far older than four score and seven years when we meet them due to the virus plague at the crux of the show’s storyline, the Abes’ campaign falls short at the hands of the well-armed survivors played by Kellita Smith, Keith Allan, Anastasia Baranova, Russell Hodgkinson, Pisay Pao, Nat Zang, and Matt Cedeño. This second-season episode, “Zombie Baby Daddy,” first aired on October 16, 2015 and was directed by Abram Cox and written by Z NATION co-creator Craig Engler. The pop-culture skewing of historical figures is not news to our film scene, being from the Land of Lincoln and Lukemans, but we’re amused to share this one anyway.
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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
15 Years Ago … Weekend of Friday, June 5, 2009: Hairy monsters and human combatants tear up the neighborhood at both Meadowbrook Park and Caffe Paradiso in Urbana during the final round of location shooting for WEREWOLF CEMETERY Episode 4. Since relocating to Portland, Oregon, with his life partner Ann Fitzgerald, co-creator Jason Butler has flied back periodically to the area in order to film the remaining scenes for the sprawling comedy-horror series with familiar locations and friendly faces at his disposal. This included an informal residence at the former Orpheum Theatre in downtown Champaign last fall to stage a giant battle in the partly gutted auditorium, redressed to stand in for the werewolves’ lair, during off hours when the adjacent Orpheum Children’s Science Museum was closed. Returning regulars such as Steve Ucherek, Bob Henne, Bill Turner, Lacie Ucherek, Barney Joyce, Aaron Davidson, Owen Anderson, Mark Peaslee, Devin Atkins, Frank Peters, Jodi Hahn, Fitzgerald, and Butler could be seen filing in and out of the Orpheum’s rear entrance throughout September and October, while several of them are involved in the current activity. C-U Blogfidential editor Jason Pankoke has served as a set photographer and extra during this penultimate stretch. Other than random effects shots and an explanatory scene involving Butler’s character “Dixon,” the producer will turn his attentions to editing together the finale in what promises to upstage Episode 3 by far. A debut is planned for next year at Mike ‘n Molly’s as well as a homemade DVD release to be entrusted to close friends of the cause. As reported on 5/26/09, 6/5/09 at CUBlog. [R]
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
FLY ME TO THE MOON, INDIAN 2 (in Tamil, Hindi, or Telegu with English sub), THE LION KING (animation) (re-release), LONGLEGS, BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation), HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1, INSIDE OUT 2 (animation), KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES*, MAXXXINE, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (7/5 on), SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT (faith film) (7/12 on), ROBOT DREAMS (animation) (7/14, 2 p.m.; 7/17, 7 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest: PRINCESS MONONOKE (7/14, 7/16, 3 & 7 p.m., English sub; 7/15, 7/17, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (7/15, 7 p.m.), DISCIPLES IN THE MOONLIGHT (faith film) (7/17 on), NATIONAL ANTHEM, TWISTERS (7/18 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
FLY ME TO THE MOON, THE LION KING (animation) (re-release), LONGLEGS, BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation), HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1, INSIDE OUT 2 (animation), KINDS OF KINDNESS, MAXXXINE, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (7/5 on), SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT (faith film) (7/12 on), THE BIKERIDERS (7/12-7/17, 12:15 p.m.), Studio Ghibli Fest: PRINCESS MONONOKE (animé) (7/14, 3 & 7 p.m., English sub; 7/15-7/17, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), THE GOONIES (7/14, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7/17, 7 p.m.), DISCIPLES IN THE MOONLIGHT (faith film) (7/17 on), TWISTERS (7/18 on)
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. CIVIL WAR (7/18, 9 p.m., free)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
The News-Gazette Film Series presents ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (7/13, 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
THE WIZARD OF OZ (3-D), DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation) (2-D & 3-D), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (7/11-7/14)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
ENCANTO “sing-a-long” edition (animation) (7/17, 11 a.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
70th anniversary weekend: DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (Screen 1), THE LION KING (animation; re-release), INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (Screen 2) (7/12-7/14), DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation) (Screen 1), THE LION KING (animation; re-release) (Screen 2) (7/15-7/17), TWISTERS (Screen 1), DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation) (Screen 2) (7/18)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
GHOSTLIGHT (7/12-7/14), THE PARENT TRAP (1961) (7/15, 7/17), MOONRAKER (7/18)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation) (7/12-7/14)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE (7/12-7/14)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
DESPICABLE ME 4 (animation) INSIDE OUT 2 (animation) (Screen 1), MAXXXINE, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (Screen 2) (7/12-7/14, 7/17-7/18)
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
UPDATE! Chambana Film Festival* – Summer 2024 screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
7/28: OUT THERE: A NATIONAL PARKS STORY; 8/25: THE WINGWALKER; 9/29: A TIME APART
Illini Radio Group presents “Rewind 92.5 Movie Series”/“Mix 94.5 Throwback Thursdays”*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
8/29: BACK TO THE FUTURE; 9/26: OFFICE SPACE*, 10/17: FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980); 11/20: THE BOY AND THE HERON (animé); 12/5: FRIDAY*
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad”
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m. Thursdays, free
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.
8/16: THE FAVOURITE; 9/6: HOOP DREAMS* (documentary); 10/18: TO LESLIE; 11/22: RUSHMORE
The News-Gazette Film Series
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 1 & 7 p.m.
8/24: IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD; 9/21: THE LONG GOODBYE; 10/19: REAR WINDOW; 11/30: THE WIZARD OF OZ; 12/7: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2024 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential