Calendar: December 6-12, 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!
12/6: Andy Due (producer/performer, Rubber Chicken Films/RL3 Productions, Charleston, IL)
12/8: Britten Traughber (photographer, Britten Traughber Photography, Tucson, AZ)
12/10: Sidney Taiko (editor/publisher, Storm Cellar, San Diego, CA)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
We at CUBlog plan to petition for this Friday to be designated as “Pankoke Comes Clean Day” and the only payment required is you lend us an ear! The Report is therefore turned over to him, for once, and if you listen very closely as you read, you might just hear our humble editor orating about a few recent activities he’s participated in apart from the Confidential. All MFHQ Deux and no play makes … well, you know.
At first, let’s flash back. The online Cultured Focus Magazine talked with our good friend Andrew J. Rausch in November about all things Quentin Tarantino and being a professional author on the occasion of his new book, Generation Tarantino: The Last Wave of Young Turks in Hollywood, being listed for release in mid-2025 by Rowman & Littlefield. As it seems to happen lately when Rausch is interviewed, the article inevitably leans into the topic of the famous filmmaker’s “lost first film” and the subject of a prior book, My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film, for which Mr. JaPan wrote an essay.
Last month, Ye Ed put on his festival cap outside of the late New Art Film Festival and the C-U for the first time in nearly 20 years at the service of the Lake County Film Festival in upstate Grayslake. He volunteered on a jury with veteran comedy writer Steve Young and documentary director Leslie McCleave to view and deliberate over the “Narrative Shorts” selections of the 2024 program; “Best Narrative Short Film” was awarded to AS EASY AS CLOSING YOUR EYES, an affecting drama with science fiction overtones about a grieving mother who turns to group therapy and more after losing her son. Nat Dykeman of the Chambana Film Festival organized the LCFF, which took place between October 31 and November 11.
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And just yesterday, Thursday, December 5, indie publisher Jason “Java” Croft of Champaign released the digital edition of the 70th issue of Bachelor Pad Magazine, a compact celebration of the Fifties and Sixties swingin’ lifestyle. It seems like only yesterday – well, 17 years ago, if we’re real about it – that Jason “Needs More Java” Pankoke designed the debut issue of the long-running quarterly and he moonlights today as a proofreader on all the regular and special issues. Breaking news: he might earn his first-ever byline in “The Digest of Atomic Age Culture” if a story prospect or two pan out. Sorry, but they’re top secret for now!
On Tuesday, December 3, boutique juggernaut Vinegar Syndrome launched their annual “Partners Only Month” during which they promote the wares of all the participating video labels who work with their OCR Distribution arm. This usually includes a raft of brand-new December releases for customers to feast upon and, in the POM Class of 2024, we have from Saturn’s Core Audio & Video of New Jersey the Blu-ray debut of Mike Trippiedi’s made-in-C-U-and-Sidney opus, DOGS IN QUICKSAND! We’ll comb through the details of this disc for you soon, but we can now reveal that Ye Ed had a slight hand in helping the eclectic video oeuvre of Trippiedi, Bill Yauch, and friends finally make it to the hi-def age.
In closing, we made mention a few weeks ago about Pankoke’s rare weekday trip to Champaign. It happened on a Tuesday and his main destination was the television studio lab for students at Parkland College. It seems that our Confidential associate Drea Aarons is taking a media production class or two per semester and she needed guests for a talk show concept, so myself and the effervescent Kaity Bequette joined her for some seasonal spooky discussion! It’s not intended to air on PCTV or online as it is for her class, but we can share the following sneak peek courtesy of Aarons.
In other words, what a timeline this has been! It almost feels like, dare we say it, old times.
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p.s. Although AS EASY AS CLOSING YOUR EYES had played in dozens of film festivals worldwide prior to appearing at LCFF, yours truly learned after the fact why this might have been a little more personal for some of the film’s key participants. It turns out that actress/co-producer Laura Coover, who plays the role of the mother “Lila,” and co-writer/co-producer/sound mixer Aaron Golden are both from Chicagoland and attended the University of Illinois in Urbana at roughly the same time. On the side during their UI studies, Coover played a minor role in the Mark Roberts movie of his play, WELCOME TO TOLONO, and Golden the lead part in the second dramatic short made by fellow underclassmen Chris Folkens, TOXIN. Assistant camera Chris Blim and executive producer Jon Michael Hill are also alumni of UI.
Considering the pro pedigree of the work on display in CLOSING YOUR EYES, the recurring lesson remains – we all start out somewhere, including the friendly corn-fed confines of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond, where we learn, experience, grow, move on, and repeat. Kudos to director Parker Croft and his team for crafting a completely realized and compelling portrait with this film. Try to see it when you can, dearest readers, for its success is well earned. You can learn more about the making of the film through the official website of Paper Horse Pictures.
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen
My primary contribution to the Blu-ray of DOGS IN QUICKSAND was to design the souvenir booklet included in the package. Although I did create a handful of jacket designs for DVD products in the mid-Aughts, this endeavor was on a different level and I relied on my professional training in publication layout to piece it all together. While you will need to purchase DOGS in order to enjoy the full spread in print, which includes a complementary essay on DOGS by Heather Drain and then-and-now interviews between myself and our long-time confidant in film, Mike Trippiedi, we’ve been given the thumb’s up from Ross Snyder at Saturn’s Core to exclusively tease the booklet right here on C-U Blogfidential! You can click on the graphics below to pull up larger versions for easier viewing, and the impressionistic collage of the DOGS cast that appears on the booklet front and the slipcase was created by the artist Nate Higley.
We hope you dig on DOGS once a copy is securely in your paws!
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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
15 Years Ago … Tuesday, December 1, 2009: On the occasion of World AIDS Day, a locally-made dramatic featurette called THIS LIFE AIN’T PRETTY has its world premiere at Brookens Auditorium on the University of Illinois campus in Springfield. It features Danielle Ward as the main character, Brittney, a heterosexual and seemingly healthy young woman and mother who is diagnosed with the virus that ultimately kills her, hitting her family and community hard with anguish and a test of their faith. A cautionary tale about the health concerns and stigma faced by African-American individuals who contract HIV, THIS LIFE AIN’T PRETTY is the first film release from Predestined Arts & Entertainment, an independent company that was established by sisters and Champaign natives Candice and Kimberly D. Conner to develop creative media by and for women and people of color. Kimberly, now a resident of the capital city, wore several hats as director, writer, editor, and a producer on the half-hour-long project, which also stars Kevin Craig West, Dingani Beza, Cheyenne Smith-Youngblood, Shirley Crawford, Irma Norris, and James Johnson in the supporting roles. THIS LIFE AIN’T PRETTY would soon play numerous festivals and educational events around the world, winning awards and leading to larger feature-length stories for Conner such as JUMP IN and BEFORE ‘I DO’. As reported on 12/1/09 at CUBlog. [R]
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
DOGS IN QUICKSAND* U.S. Blu-ray Release: Tuesday, 12/3, Limited via Vinegar Syndrome, Bridgeport, CT/Saturn’s Core Audio & Video, Bloomingdale, NJ
@ Lincoln Hall, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Film & Video* meeting (12/9, 7 p.m., Room 1002)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
FLOW (animation), GET AWAY, RAY* (re-release), SOLO LEVELING: REAWAKENING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), WEREWOLVES, Y2K, BONHOEFFER* (faith film), GLADIATOR II, MOANA 2 (animation), RED ONE, WICKED (12/6 on), RM: RIGHT PEOPLE, WRONG PLACE (music documentary; in Korean with English sub) (12/6-12/8), “For King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas Live” (faith concert recording) (12/6-12/9), Studio Ghibli Fest: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (animé) (12/8, 3 p.m., English dub; 12/9, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (12/9, 7 p.m.), AX Cinema Nights: BABYMETAL: LEGEND – 43 THE MOVIE (concert film) (12/11, 7:30 p.m., in Japanese with English sub), I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (religious documentary) (12/12, 7 p.m.), BLACK CHRISTMAS 50th anniversary (12/12, 7:30 p.m.), INTERSTELLA 5555: THE 5TORY OF THE 5ECRET 5TAR 5YSTEM (animé) (12/12, 7:30 p.m.), KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation) (12/12 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
THE ORDER, WEREWOLVES, Y2K, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (faith film), MOANA 2 (animation), GLADIATOR II, RED ONE, WICKED (12/12 on), “For King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas Live” (faith concert recording) (12/6-12/10), Studio Ghibli Fest: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (animé) (12/7, 3 p.m., 12/9, 12/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 12/8, 3 & 7 p.m., 12/10, 7 p.m., English dub), The Metropolitan Opera: Die Zauberflöte (12/7, 1 p.m., recorded), UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura, more (mixed martial arts) (12/7, 9 p.m., simulcast), BONHOEFFER (faith film) (12/8-12/10, 12/12), LOVE ACTUALLY 20th anniversary (12/8, 3 & 7 p.m., 12/11, 7 p.m.), “André Rieu Christmas Concert” (faith concert recording) (12/11, 7 p.m.), I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (religious documentary) (12/12, 4 & 7 p.m.), KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation) (12/12 on)
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) (12/6-12/7, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
The News-Gazette Film Series presents IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/7, 1 & 7 p.m.), “Holiday in Whoville 2024” feat. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966) (12/8, 12 p.m. doors, 1-4 p.m. cartoon (shown hourly))
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
GLADIATOR II, MOANA 2 (animation), WICKED (12/5-12/8)
@ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (faith film), GLADIATOR II, MOANA 2 (animation), RED ONE, WICKED (12/6 on), “For King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas Live” (faith concert recording) (12/6-12/9), THE POLAR EXPRESS (animation) (12/7, 12 p.m.), IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/10, 4 p.m.), BONHOEFFER (12/10, 7:05 p.m.; 12/11, 6:15 p.m.)
@ Crescent Cinemas, Pontiac, IL
MOANA 2 (animation), WICKED (12/6 on)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (12/7, 2 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
Closed until the 2025 season.
@ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL
SOLO LEVELING: REAWAKENING (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), Y2K, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (faith film), GLADIATOR II, MOANA 2 (animation), PUSHPA 2: THE RULE (in Telugu with English sub) (12/6 on), Christmas movies: CANDY CANE LANE, ELF, THE GRINCH (animation), and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/6-12/11, daily), “Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl” (concert film) (12/6, 7 p.m., 12/8, 3 p.m., IMAX), RM: RIGHT PEOPLE, WRONG PLACE (music documentary; in Korean with English sub) (12/6-12/8), “For King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas Live” (faith concert recording) (12/6-12/10), Studio Ghibli Fest: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (animé) (12/7, 3 p.m., 12/9, 12/11, 7 p.m., in Japanese with English sub; 12/8, 3 & 7 p.m., 12/9, 3:30 & 7 p.m., 12/10, 7 & 10:20 p.m., 12/11, 5 p.m., English dub), The Metropolitan Opera: The Magic Flute (12/7, 1 p.m., recorded), Marcus “Mystery Movie” (12/9, 7 p.m.), A24 x IMAX present THE GREEN KNIGHT (12/11, 7 p.m., IMAX), “NCT Dream: Mystery Lab – Dream( )Scape” (concert film) (12/11, 6:30 p.m., Korean w/Eng sub), “André Rieu Christmas Concert” (faith concert recording) (12/11, 7 p.m.), I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (religious documentary) (12/12, 7 p.m.), INTERSTELLA 5555: THE 5TORY OF THE 5ECRET 5TAR 5YSTEM (animé) (12/12, 7:20 p.m.), KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation) (12/12 on) *single screenings daily
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
ELF, SANTA CLAWS (12/6), CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12/7), HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (12/7, 12/10), THE GRINCH (animation), WHITE CHRISTMAS, THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (12/8), THE BISHOP’S WIFE (12/9), A CHRISTMAS STORY (12/11), HOME ALONE (12/12)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
MOANA 2 (animation) (12/6-12/8)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
RED ONE (12/6-12/8)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
“For King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas Live” (faith concert recording), THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (faith film), GLADIATOR II, MOANA 2 (animation), RED ONE, WICKED (12/6 on), ELF (12/6-12/8, 10 a.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema, Chicago, IL
Chicago Filmmakers, Nightingale Cinema, and Goethe-Institut Chicago present “Kafkaesque: Experimental Short Films from Germany & the U.S.” (12/6, 7 p.m.)
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. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read Reel Chicago and Screen Magazine.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
12/14
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin “Ultimate Anthology” tour (film music of Argento, Romero, etc.)
@ The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show
2/15/25
3rd annual CU International Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
3/27-3/29/25
2025 Big Muddy Film Festival*
@ The Varsity Center, Carbondale, IL
4/3-4/13/25
35th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/3-4/10/25
27th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/23/-4/25/25
25th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
5/29-6/2/25
The Chambana Film Festival
@ TBA, Champaign-Urbana, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
UPDATE! Chambana Film Festival* screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
12/29: documentary shorts incl. FACING THE FALLS; 1/26/25: AFTER THE FALL: TWO GENERATIONS OF THE VIETNAM CONFLICT; 2/2/25: The IRLMovieClub Screening: TBA
Illinois Public Media presents “The Arthouse Experience Film Series”
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
12/14: ROBOT DREAMS (animation)
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
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