Calendar: April 18-24, 2025
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!
4/18: Mike Trippiedi (filmmaker, DOGS IN QUICKSAND, Saturn’s Core Audio & Video, Bloomingdale, NJ)
4/21: Brian Paris (multimedia producer, City of Champaign administration department, Champaign, IL)
4/21: William Kephart (office administrator, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, UIUC, Urbana, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
We’ve decided to break our Report-ing sabbatical for a week, in part to give you some meat on the Calendar bones since we sort of wimped out in the Images department below, and also in part because the following lends itself as an up-to-the-minute counterpart to the “gallery of local film goodies kept at MFHQ Deux” series that we’re absolutely, positively, definitely going to embark on next week. Ye Ed was cruising the “coming soon” product listings on the merchant websites a few days ago and found several physical media things that look to us like they should be filed under “Confidential” at first opportunity…
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To start, Warner Brothers Entertainment released a UHD of THE INFORMANT! this past Tuesday, April 15, we suppose to tie in with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh’s recent theatrical one-two of BLACK BAG and PRESENCE? The corporate intrigue tale starring Matt Damon as the real-life Archer Daniels Midland executive and whistleblower, Mark Whitacre, has been available on home video formats since 2010 and, unless one was hankering for a hi-def edition of this movie or at least the location photography done in the Decatur region with local sights and folks in plain view, one wonders what the appeal will be at this late stage. Product descriptions online do not indicate any extras, but, the prior discs were pretty spare to begin with.
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A pair of “lost” indies from the late Nineties-early Aughts with a direct link to our past activities is about to resurface. MVD Rewind Collection and Smodcastle Cinema, both reissue labels of MVD Visual, will put out a Blu-ray “director’s cut” of A BETTER PLACE, one of the older non-Kevin Smith flicks from View Askew Productions, on Tuesday, May 27; Vincent Pereira’s story of an uneasy friendship between teens played by Eion Bailey and Robert DiPatri made the cover of MICRO-FILM 3 in late 2000. Also, the brain trust behind VHSHitfest (read that slowly and carefully) have rescued the crafty lo-fi sci-fi flick PROJECT OMICRON for a Blu-ray rebirth that will be available on the same date, May 27, through the Vinegar Syndrome/OCN Distribution machine; creator Jared Whitman was a whimsical treat to have on hand when he visited the C-U in support of his film’s screening at the 2000 Freaky Film Festival and, per the VS product page, his presence will be in full force on the disc. We’re giddy to see this again.
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Jake Rademacher’s documentary BROTHERS AFTER WAR, a follow-up to the 2009 feature BROTHERS AT WAR from Samuel Goldwyn Films and Summit Entertainment, was presented to servicemen and their guests at special events across the United States over the last year thanks to direct support from the Gary Sinise Foundation. AFTER WAR will make its DVD debut on (once again!) Tuesday, May 27, from Mill Creek Entertainment after a limited theatrical release in February through SDG Releasing; the films consecutively follow the experiences had by Rademacher’s two brothers and their fellow soldiers while fighting in the Iraq War and transitioning back out of service into civilian life. Sinise himself attended a showing of AT WAR at the Avon Theatre in Decatur, where the Rademacher family hails from, in 2008.
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As far as campus connections, The Criterion Collection announced its newest slate of upcoming releases and it includes a UHD upgrade for MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS; Paul Schrader’s biography, starring Ken Ogata as the Japanese artist and radical Yukio Mishima, will be on the shelves and in the warehouses as of Tuesday, June 3, and was featured at Roger Ebert’s Film Festival in 2008. Also, Kino Lorber’s current “March Madness” sale, which ends after next Monday, April 21, and offers several hundred titles from the studio’s catalog for a song, has a Blu-ray of the French-Algerian war drama THE OLIVE TREES OF JUSTICE marked down to a mere $6.99; photographed by the late University of Illinois professor Julius Rascheff and directed by the late award-winning documentarian James Blue, OLIVE TREES is long overdue a public retrospect at UI or as part of “Ebertfest” in Rascheff’s honor, so say we.
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To close, a surprise was found at the very end of the pre-order listings at e-tailer Deep Discount – DVD and Blu-ray product pages for the serial killer procedural TORTURE THE FLESH. We’ve talked about this a couple of times on CUBlog, most recently in late 2023, and apparently the long-gestating project from Cheevies Film Productions can finally be yours thanks to distributor Leomark Studios and the magic of MOD as of next Tuesday, April 22. But, wait, the Cheevies folks have already made their own Blu-ray available – we didn’t realize it until now – and their socials make no mention of the re-release as of yet. Pick your preferred TORTURE, we suppose, and support these prolific Chicagoland indies in every avenue! Most recently, filmmakers Derek Braasch and Nina Trader tabled at the Cinema Wasteland convention in Ohio and screened the film, which stars central Illinois actor Myles Valentine (FINAL SUMMER, AN AFFAIR AT THE END OF TIME) and busy veteran Lynn Lowry (NIGHT OF THE DEAD SORORITY BABES, SPIRIT RISER) as well as Joe DeBartolo, Darin Bowman, and Bobby Bozek.
The Report now goes back on hiatus until May. Thank you for your readership, CUvians and Agents! You should pay attention to Smile Politely, The Daily Illini, Champaign Movie Makers, and Chambana Film Festival for breaking news and updates in our scene. CUBlog will also keep in step with our friends and share to Facebook when we come across things you would like. Keep reading!
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing My Old Scene on Your Screen
Here’s two photos, giving you one last little peek for now at the waning hours of OG MFHQ. Your humble editor is prepping Momkoke Manor for a visit from the HVAC folks next week, so life at MFHQ Deux will suck hard until it’s done. We know you’ll understand, dearest homeowner readers and Damian Duffy Hates Everything podcast listeners. It’s absolutely the world we live in right now. Shhhhhhhhh-lup!
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CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
25 Years Ago … April 26-30, 2000: The second edition of Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL, becomes the perfect vehicle to debut the second edition of MICRO-FILM journal released by Opteryx Press of Champaign. Mere blocks from their office, editor Jason Pankoke tables at “Ebertfest” for the first time in the main lobby next to Wisconsin filmmaker Mark Borchardt, whose fabled genre short COVEN and star-making documentary AMERICAN MOVIE play the night of Thursday, April 27. Articles in MICRO-FILM 2 feature interviews with filmmakers Kevin DiNovis on “Ebertfest” 1999 selection SURRENDER DOROTHY, Jay Rosenstein on the hotly debated IN WHOSE HONOR?, Mark Pirro on COLOR-BLINDED and his micro-budget output, and Chris Smith on AMERICAN MOVIE, as well as discussion of the distinguished film artists Maya Deren and Bill Viola. This issue receives the largest press run in the publication’s history based on the positive feedback to MF 1 and potential for newsstand distribution in the United States. [R]
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting (4/21, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND, SINNERS, SNEAKS (animation), THE TEACHER, THE UGLY STEPSISTER (in Norwegian with English sub), THE WEDDING BANQUET, THE AMATEUR, THE CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER Part 3* (faith film), DROP, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SNOW WHITE, WARFARE, THE WOMAN IN THE YARD*, A WORKING MAN* (4/18 on), COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: A MIKU WHO CAN’T SING* (animé) (in Japanese with English sub) (4/18-4/20), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (4/21, 7 p.m.), THE ACCOUNTANT 2, THE LEGEND OF OCHI, ON SWIFT HORSES, STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (re-release), UNTIL DAWN (4/24 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
SINNERS, SNEAKS (animation), THE WEDDING BANQUET, THE AMATEUR, THE CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER Part 3 (faith film), DROP, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), MICKEY 17, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, WARFARE, THE WOMAN IN THE YARD, A WORKING MAN (4/18 on), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 20th anniversary (4/20, 3 & 7 p.m.; 4/23, 7 p.m.), The Cinema Foundation “Sneak Peek Showcase” (compilation) (4/22, 4/24, 6 p.m.), THE ACCOUNTANT 2, STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (re-release) (4/24 on)
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (4/18-4/19, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
@ Spurlock Center for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies* event series: Ebert Symposium screening: HER (4/22, 7 p.m., Knight Auditorium, free), Ebert Symposium keynote and roundtables: “Artificial Intelligence Imagined and Realized” (4/23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Knight Auditorium, free)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
The College of Media at Illinois presents the 25th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival* (4/23-4/26) Schedule
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
@ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL
SINNERS, THE AMATEUR, DROP, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/18 on)
@ Crescent Cinemas, Pontiac, IL
THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/18 on)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
A MINECRAFT MOVIE (Screen 1), THE KING OF KINGS (animation) (Screen 2) (4/18-4/19)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/18-4/20), STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (re-release) (4/24 on)
@ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 20th anniversary (re-release), SINNERS, SNEAKS (animation), THE WEDDING BANQUET, THE AMATEUR, THE CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER Parts 1 and 3* (faith film), DROP, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SNOW WHITE, WARFARE, A WORKING MAN* (4/18 on), THE WOMAN IN THE YARD (4/18-4/19), COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: A MIKU WHO CAN’T SING* (animé) (in Japanese with English sub) (4/18-4/20), HOP! (animation) (4/19, 11 a.m.), THE WILD ROBOT (animation) (4/19, 11 a.m.), THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy marathon (4/19, 11:30 a.m. & 12 p.m.), TITANIC (4/20, 4 p.m.; 4/21, 7:30 p.m.), The Cinema Foundation “Sneak Peek Showcase” (compilation) (4/22, 4/24, 6 p.m.), PINK FLOYD AT POMPEII: MCMLXXII (music documentary) (4/24, 7 p.m.), THE ACCOUNTANT 2, CHEECH & CHONG’S LAST MOVIE (documentary), THE LEGEND OF OCHI, STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (re-release), UNTIL DAWN (4/24 on) *single screenings daily
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
“Films that Inspired Star Wars” series: JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (4/18), THX 1138 (4/18, 4/20), BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (4/19), and LOST HORIZION (1937) (4/29), SRPR Lucia Getz Poetry Reading feat. Victoria Chang, Ali Beheler (4/23, 7 p.m.), Foxtail Film Festival 2025* (4/24-4/26, Schedule)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation) (4/18-4/20)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/17-4/19)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
A WORKING MAN, THE AMATEUR (Screen 1), THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE (Screen 2) (4/18-4/19)
@ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL
SINNERS, SNEAKS (animation), THE AMATEUR, THE CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER Parts 1-3* (faith film), DROP, THE KING OF KINGS (faith animation), A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/18 on) *single screenings daily
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. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read Reel Chicago and Screen Magazine.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
5/2
Illinois Student Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
5/29-6/2
Champaign Film Society presents
the first Savoy Lumierè* film festival
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
NEW! 6/25
“Jay & Silent Bob Aural Sects Tour” starring Kevin Smith & Jay Mewes
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7:30 p.m.
9/21
Champaign Film Society presents
the first CineSonic* music film festival
@ TBA, Champaign-Urbana, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Chambana Film Society* screening series
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 4 p.m.
4/27: SLICE OF LIFE (documentary)
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
4/25-4/26: THE WILD ROBOT (animation); 5/2-5/3: CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD; 5/4: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2025 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
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