January 16, 2019

See today’s new releases at SIU for free or very low prices

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — You can enjoy some of today’s latest movies at bargain basement prices, or even free, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

SIU’s Student Programming Council is offering a full line-up of first-run movies during the spring semester and community members as well as SIU students, faculty and staff, are welcome to attend.

Get tickets at the door

Tickets are $3 for the general public or $2 for SIU faculty and staff and for children ages 4-10. SIU students with valid ID and children ages three and younger get in free, although organizers encourage those attending to consider the rating of each movie; no children will be admitted to R-rated flicks.

Three of the movies are totally free for everyone.

All movies are shown in the Student Center Auditorium.

Seven films scheduled

The lineup this spring includes six current releases and a special award-winning Vietnam War documentary from SIU alumnus Ron Osgood.

Here’s the schedule, subject to change based on availability:

  • “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” – 7 and 9:30 p.m., Jan. 18. This PG-rated fantasy J.K. Rowling drama, running 134 minutes, follows Albus Dumbledore and New Scamander as they try to thwart the plans of Grindelwald to raise pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical creatures in the wizarding world.
  • “Ralph Breaks the Internet” – 5 p.m., Feb. 5. FREE. People of all ages are sure to enjoy this animated Disney film, rated PG and running 112 minutes. Six years after the popular “Wreck-It Ralph,” the sequel follows Ralph and Vanellope on a new World Wide Web adventure.
  • “The Green Book” – 7 p.m., Feb. 22. Inspired by a real friendship, this 130-minute comedy/drama, rated PG, highlights the bond that develops between African-American pianist Don Shirley and his tough-talking Bronx driver/bodyguard as they travel the segregated Deep South during a 1962 concert tour.
  • “RBG” – 7 p.m., March 20. FREE. Discover the intriguing life story and immense legal legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the U.S. Supreme Court Justice, in this biopic. It’s rated PG and runs 98 minutes.
  • “A Star is Born” – 7 and 9:30 p.m., March 22. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper star in this musical romantic drama about a seasoned musician who falls in love with a struggling artist. Carrying an R rating, it’s 136 minutes long.
  • “Just Like Me: Vietnam War Stories from All Sides” – 6 p.m., March 26. FREE. It’s a Ron Osgood production. Osgood, a longtime collegiate media faculty member and Vietnam War veteran, is a double alumnus of SIU, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in educational media.

While at SIU, he chaired the Student Government Activities Council Video Committee, which filmed numerous documentaries. His current production, a work that includes the Emmy-winning documentary along with an oral history website, (http://vietnamewarstories.org) is a transmedia project woven from some 150 stories of veterans and other people. The resulting mosaic connects people from America and Vietnam in a very human, cross-cultural experience.

  • “Aquaman” – 7 and 9:45 p.m., April 5. Dive into this science fiction fantasy adventure set in Atlantis as King Orm seeks to conquer the rest of the oceanic people and then the world while superhero Aquaman and his allies come to the rescue. Rated PG, it’s a 143 minute action-packed ride.

For additional details

To learn more about the SPC films, visit spc.rso.siu.edu or call 618/536-3393.