Jul 22-28, 2015

Jul 22-28, 2015 / Vol. 29 / No. 22

Cover Story

Bright cast partly saves flimsy Paper Towns

PAPER TOWNS ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Jake Schreier STARS Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne With characters who are often as intricate and three-dimensional as an origami figure but a script that remains hopelessly paper-thin, Paper Towns is a disappointment coming on the heels of last summer’s lovely weepie, The Fault in Our Stars. The…

Matt Brunson

Pixels not worth a plugged quarter

PIXELS *1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Chris Columbus STARS Adam Sandler, Kevin James Love the premise, hate the execution. That’s the takeaway from Pixels, which might have made for a decent summer popcorn picture had it not been co-opted by Team Sandler and turned into a piece of junk aimed primarily at unemployable open-mouth…

Matt Brunson

Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (July 23)

Soiled: A 47-year-old man came home to his apartment recently to find that his roommate had soured on their relationship, to say the least. The man told officers his roommate kicked a hole through the front of his $4,500 flat-screen television. But wait, there’s more! The victim also had a bin of laundry sitting near…

Ryan Pitkin

Weekly horoscope (July 23-29)

For All Signs: Venus, goddess of love, is on a retrograde pattern through November 20. Many of us will be pressured to encounter ourselves and our personal behavior within the framework of our relationships. Those in shaky attachments may withdraw altogether. Dormant issues may resurface for attention. We have a tendency to return to previous…

Vivian Carol

Today’s Top 5: Wednesday

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, July 22, 2015 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Back Alley Film Series screening We Are Still Here at Carolina Cinemas Stadium 12 • Party in the Park at Romare Bearden Park • Beer Tastings at Common…

Anita Overcash

Part One: 2015 Broadway reviews

It’s that time again. The time when Perry Tannenbaum, CL’s longtime theater critic reports on his New York City adventures after watching the latest productions on Broadway and off. Here’s what he saw and how they rate: Something Rotten! (***1/2 out of 4) — There have been a couple of musicals in the new millennium…

Perry Tannenbaum

Elevator Jay, Nighthawks release new music

Something happens to hip-hop fans when the sun is shining and temperatures creep into the 90s: They start looking for this year’s summer jams. Summer jams are those smooth songs you ride to with the windows down and the volume up, when the whip is fresh from the car wash. You blast them at the…

Erin Tracy-Blackwood

Popular Carowinds roller coaster gives its final ride

On May 23, Carowinds management announced the end of the road for Thunder Road, a rollercoaster that’s been a part of the park for 39 years. Thunder Road was named after a 1959 Robert Mitchum movie about an illegal moonshining business, and over the years it ran more than 40 million times back and forth…

Ryan Pitkin

The new guard steps up in today’s battle for civil rights

I have, on several occasions, been queried for my response to the removal of South Carolina’s Confederate flag, which has been a symbol of hate for some, while simultaneously representing a symbol of heritage for other folks. In 1961, this flag flew alongside the state flag in South Carolina mostly to show resistance to ending…

Charles Easley

Getting crafty at bottle shops

Let’s face it, the walk down the beer aisle is more intimidating than it’s ever been. With so many beverage options available, how do you know if what you’re buying will appeal to you? Sure, you could play Russian beer roulette and just buy things at random, but who really has time for such a…

Jonathan Wells

Monster Mash in the Q.C.

Monsters were on the loose across the Queen City over the weekend, ravishing women in Transylvania, slaughtering warriors in Denmark and sparking panic among their peoples. Fortunately, Mel Brooks and an anonymous 11th Century poet have provided heroes to combat these scourges, making it safe for the rest of us mere mortals to venture into…

Perry Tannenbaum

Recent

See all

Gift this article