Dec 23-30, 2014

Dec 23-30, 2014 / Vol. 28 / No. 44

Weekly horoscope (Dec. 24-30)

For All Signs: Direct translations of the biblical Gospel of Matthew identify the “three wise men” as astrologers. Though the story of the three astrologers’ literal visit to Bethlehem may be mythical, it is probable that the educated priest/astrologers of the time were predicting a very important birth. The middle conjunction of September 7 occurred…

Vivian Carol

Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (Dec. 24)

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch: A friend of a 41-year-old south Charlotte resident went into her attic and stole $2,000 worth of Kenwood radio equipment, two large CD storage cases containing roughly 300 CDs each and a Coogi jacket. While the suspect was up there, he/she intentionally damaged a Dell laptop and a 4-foot-long…

Jeff Hahne

Into the Woods and out with mixed results

INTO THE WOODS**1/2DIRECTED BY Rob MarshallSTARS Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt It’s telling that the first two actors director Rob Marshall cast in the screen version of the stage smash Into the Woods were Meryl Streep as the Witch and Johnny Depp as the Wolf. Subscribing to the Ridley Scott mantra that global superstars are more…

Matt Brunson

The Gambler doesn’t know when to fold ’em

THE GAMBLER**1/2DIRECTED BY Rupert WyattSTARS Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange The thought of Mark Wahlberg sharing character DNA with Kenny Rogers is enough to give one pause, but let’s back up for a second. In the new film The Gambler, Wahlberg isn’t playing that gambler, the one made famous by Rogers in a country song and…

Matt Brunson

The Imitation Game: Accept no substitutes

THE IMITATION GAME***1/2DIRECTED BY Morten TyldumSTARS Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley We’re initially amused, nodding our heads knowingly at the screen. Here’s Benedict Cumberbatch playing a socially awkward genius who’s not only smarter than everyone around him but who makes damn sure they all recognize his vast superiority and, by extension, their own humbling inferiority. Hey,…

Matt Brunson

Big Eyes wide shut

BIG EYES***DIRECTED BY Tim BurtonSTARS Amy Adams, Christophe Waltz Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are the gents who wrote the script for director Tim Burton’s excellent 1994 feature Ed Wood — not to mention Milos Forman’s 1996 controversy The People vs. Larry Flynt and his underrated 1999 effort Man on the Moon — so they…

Matt Brunson

Unbroken: Angelina at war

UNBROKEN***DIRECTED BY Angelina JolieSTARS Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson Scott Rudin may inarguably be a great producer, but he’s just as unequivocally a POS as a human being (for starters, he’s notorious for firing over 120 assistants in a five-year stretch, including one who brought him the wrong type of muffin). But Hollywood insiders (and many…

Matt Brunson

Caroling for clean energy

Carolers are headed to the Duke Energy building in Uptown today to serenade the corporation, part of an action organized by the state’s Moms Clean Air Force.

Emiene Wright

The Equalizer, The Good Lie, Tootsie 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.) THE EQUALIZER (2014). Running for four seasons (1985-1989), TV’s The Equalizer found British actor Edward Woodward essaying the role of Robert McCall, a former government agent employing his impressive skills to help out…

Matt Brunson

Go on and be racist

Friends and enemies, sisters and brothers, I have a confession. I started out outraged, but now I’m tired. I’m tired of Eric Garner. I’m tired of Michael Brown. I’m tired of John Crawford, Ezell Ford, Yvette Smith, Eleanor Bumpurs, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Tarika Wilson and the host of invisible victims who didn’t get the national spotlight…

Emiene Wright

Check your Self at New Gallery of Modern Art

As heady and immersive as Maja Godlewska’s art is, her current exhibit at the New Gallery of Modern Art is also a bit damning. Titled Self, the collection of 18 oil and mixed media canvases showcase various gorgeous natural and historical locations through the eyes — and lenses — of travelers and tourists. With its…

Emiene Wright

Three questions with Setarra Deveaux of Happy Apple Juicery

At the start of 2014, one of my best friends declared to me that her New Year’s resolution was to start juicing daily. It’s now almost 2015, and her pricey juicer has been collecting dust on a shelf in her kitchen for months. That’s because juicing the right way can be timely and tedious. Luckily,…

Anita Overcash

The year’s wins and losses in local hip-hop

“You win some, lose some. They run the gamut from hilarious to gruesome” — Brother Ali think it’s important at the end of every year to take stock of what went right and what went wrong. So does your employer. You ready for that annual performance review, homie? Yeah, me neither. Let’s just talk about…

Erin Tracy-Blackwood

Economic mobility task force hampered by N.C. law

In January, a new Mecklenburg County task force is supposed to start finding ways to help poor residents climb out of poverty. However, because of North Carolina’s oddball rules of governance, the task force will not be able to propose one of the most promising tools currently being used by some American cities to combat…

John Grooms

How having a baby can change your bff

I’m making a baby quilt. Again. It’s my third this year. The making of baby quilts is a salve I apply when I’m hurt that my best friends have moved on and embarked on the mysterious journey of motherhood. It’s an antidote for loneliness, a spell that protects me from envy and self-pity. It’s also…

Erica Ciccarone

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