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New Year’s Eve Guide
Every New Year’s Eve people rush to figure out what they want to do. Usually the choice is between doing it big out on the town or staying indoors — preferably at a house party. No matter what you choose, just remember to drink responsibly (if you do at all). It’s ok to go into…
How will you ring in the new year?
That annoying question you need an answer for.
Walker, Charlotte Ranger aims to end Charlotte’s NBA All Star drought
If the Hornets can’t host the All Star Game, they’ll be sure to send a representative
The Magnificent Seven, Southside With You, Sully among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) ADAM SANDLER’S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS (2002). Basically a frat-house version of Charles Dickens’ venerable A Christmas Carol, Eight Crazy Nights, an animated feature for which Adam Sandler co-wrote the script, served as a…
Assassin’s Creed : Rocky and Wretched
ASSASSIN’S CREED * (out of four) DIRECTED BY Justin Kurzel STARS Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard The search for a worthy video-game adaptation continues to rank up there with the search for the Holy Grail — good luck finding either — and Assassin’s Creed ensures that the hunt will go on for at least a little…
Swing for the Fences
FENCES ***1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Denzel Washington STARS Denzel Washington, Viola Davis Stage-to-screen adaptations often fail to expand in ways that take advantage of cinema’s limitless potential, meaning viewers are often left with what’s little more than a filmed play. For the most part, Fences, based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, falls…
Passengers: A Space Idiocy
PASSENGERS ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Morten Tyldum STARS Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt It becomes clear before long that the futuristic sci-fi outing Passengers, aka Grab ‘Em By the Pussy: The Movie, could only have been written by a man. The picture stars Chris Pratt as Jim Preston, one of the 5,000 hibernating passengers…
In Short: Why Him?, Sing, Lion
WHY HIM? *1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY John Hamburg STARS James Franco, Bryan Cranston Bryan Cranston earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for headlining last year’s superb biopic Trumbo, so it’s a bit disconcerting seeing him sitting on a toilet with no paper at his disposal in a scene from the new comedy Why Him?.…
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Having fun in the Q.C. without diving deep into your pockets
If you consume social media regularly you’ve probably come across your fair share of memes with a caption along the lines of, “When you check your bank account on Sunday after partying all weekend…” And if you’re anything like me you chuckle and repost as you reflect on your most recent ‘How-much-did-I-spend-last-night’ anxiety attack. I…
Mark Kemp returns to Creative Loafing as editor-in-chief
Back on familiar ground
Council holds new vote on nondiscrimination ordinance, awaits action from state
Council members skeptical as state legislature convenes new special session
Joy to Amigo
Charlotte-based trio Amigo — comprised of Slade Baird (vocals, guitar), Adam Phillips (drums) and Thomas Alverson (bass) — always has a “wish list.” But the group’s list is filled with North Carolina-based musicians. Following the release of the band’s upcoming album, they can cross some of those names off the list. The album, slated for…
A patio seat in winter
There are many benefits to living in Charlotte; the booming brewery scene, being in between the beach and the mountains for easy access road trips, Bojangles’. But maybe one of my favorite Charlotte perks is brunching on a patio in late November. While it sometimes seems that we have practically skipped fall at this point…
Surprise vote to rescind non-discrimination ordinance leaves bitter taste among trans community
There was a time when December was a slow news month locally. But as with many precedents and preconceived notions, that idea has been put to rest in North Carolina in 2016. On the morning of Dec. 19, following a week in which the North Carolina General Assembly stripped the incoming governor of much of…
Popbar franchisees have been patiently waiting for the right spot, and they’ve got it
After the first three hours of Popbar’s soft opening on Dec. 15, during which employees handed out free gelato and sorbet pops to as many as 30 or 40 people at a time who were flooding their tiny shop for frozen treats on the cold winter day, franchisee Kia Lyons needed to regroup. She hung…
Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (Dec. 22)
Return to Receiver A 62-year-old woman filed a police report after someone stole a package from her south Charlotte porch then had a change of heart. The woman told officers that the suspect made off with an unopened package, which contained a Pokémon book and a breast cancer awareness calendar, or the worst type of…
Charles Latham’s Little Me Time
Durham-based singer/songwriter has penned a new album upon his return to North Carolina, following years of travel both in the U.S. and across the pond (England). His music, which falls into antifolk territory, is a mix of alt-country, folk-fused melodies. For Little Me Time, he’s teamed up with other Triangle-area musicians, including Catherine Edgerton who…
Mike Strauss Band’s Lone Sweetheart
There’s a reason why Mike Strauss Band had garnered wins in categories like “Best Local Band” and “Best Local Songwriter” in past CL Best Of Charlotte editions. The band is made up of strong musicianship that lends to fun, rollicking tunes. For the band’s latest, self-released album, Lone Sweetheart, they’ve also got a stellar lineup…
