The Two Towers
Spike Lee’s 25th Hour is by turns messy, unwieldy, overstuffed, ham-fisted, even overbearing — and one can’t imagine that Lee would have wanted it any other way.No one could ever accuse the director of Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X of either timidity or complacency — even when his movies misfire (Crooklyn, Bamboozled), there’s…
See & Do
JAN. 8WEDNESDAY The Charlotte 49ers play Louisville tonight at 7:30pm at Halton Arena. The Niners are having an up and down season, and Louisville is a perennial buttkicker, but UNCC fans hope for the best. Tickets range from $10-$20. For more information, call 704-687-6310 or visit online at www.charlotte49ers.com. (McKinney) JAN. 9 THURSDAY Best known…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY Movies begin this Friday at the Manor and continue the following Friday at Movies at Birkdale. Call 704-414-2355 for details. * THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING Earning a year-end mention here and there from a couple of the smaller critics’ groups (particularly for Alan Arkin’s strong performance), this is nevertheless…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: I’m a 24-year-old guy, and I have had the biggest crush on one of my really hot guy friends for years now. He’s straight, of course, (no question about it) and doesn’t know that I’m into guys. He’s also very shy about nudity. And all the times we’ve gone to the gym…
Home Theater
THE GOOD GIRL Jennifer Aniston is just right as Justine, a not especially bright 30-year-old working a dead-end job and married to a house painter (John C. Reilly) who spends his free time smoking pot with his hayseed of a best friend (Tim Blake Nelson). Justine sees an opportunity for escape through her affair with…
Stargazer
For All Signs Humans are a stubborn lot and we usually try to keep plugging forward, regardless of what the cosmos suggests. Therefore during Mercury retrograde periods we undergo a variety of nuisance obstacles and detours in our messages and schedules, transportation, and our ubiquitous paperwork. Mercury will go direct on Jan. 22.Aries You may…
Stolen Me
The letter that ruined my autumn came on a Wednesday in late September, hidden among credit card offers and utility bills. “YOU ARE HEREBY OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED,” the letter began, “that your license and/or privilege to operate any motor vehicle in the State of Georgia is suspended as shown hereon.” “Hereon” was described further down as…
Down, Boy
My favorite part of January is the few days of 70-degree weather we traditionally are blessed with every year. It’s a nice surprise to wake up to, especially if the natural event coincides conveniently with your days off from work. Those are the days when I like to harness up my Pug and take him…
Arena Opponents Never Say Die
The new NBA owner has come to town, deals have been made, plans have been laid, the daily paper and uptown businessmen have gushed. Despite all that, though, foes of the arena haven’t given up their fight to stop the city from breaking ground for an uptown sports facility. They’ve just changed tactics. Now they…
Wishful Thinking
Charlotte is a cultural backwater. Charlotte is the national poster child for sprawl. Charlotte is driven by money, not history.The Queen City sure catches a lot of flak. Deserved and undeserved. And everyone’s got a solution. So do I. Following is a wish list for the new year, 10 modest proposals for improving the cultural…
JOEY AND FRED’S FOOTSTEPS
Here’s a trivia question for you, and the answer is not a VIP from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: who visits 150 schools a year and puts out a positive message wherever he goes?In the lost tradition of famous former local kids’ TV hosts, WJZY/WWWB’s Jeff Johnson follows in the footsteps of the personalities that Charlotte-area boomers grew…
The Gang’s All Here
This latest installment of sparkling sports prose carries the ultimate imprimatur: the blessing of Rick Reilly, the Sports Illustrated columnist who makes more visits to Salisbury than Liddy Dole. Of course, Dole only comes to Salisbury to burnish her shaky Tar Heel State credentials. Reilly, on the other hand, collects kudos and plaques at the…
Twist and Shout
It’s some kind of warped annual media tradition. Every year around this time, the Justice Department releases its capital punishment report. Soon after, busy bee reporters opposed to the death penalty — are there any other kind? — begin twisting or selectively reporting the figures contained within it to paint a picture of vast racial…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Allan Rosenfeld This Charlotte Symphony clarinetist will present a series of solo recitals featuring the clarinet and bass clarinet. Concerts, all starting at 8pm, will be Jan. 15 at Dana Auditorium, Queens University; Jan. 19 at Tyler-Tallman Hall, Davidson College; and Jan. 22 at the Recital Hall, Winthrop University. Jan. 15, 19 &…
Unresolved Resolutions
December 31, 2002 11:52pm I sit in the rocking chair, baby at my breast, and find that, for once, it’s the middle of the night and I’m as wide awake as the baby. They say the longer you live with someone the more you come to resemble that person, and I guess it’s true in…
Matthews’ Dolce Vita
Even though the year is new, life seems to default to a drab winter routine after the glittery holidays. One way to jolt your taste buds into 2003 is to resolve to visit one of Charlotte’s unique food stores each month. Besides, this is the easiest way to sample colorful cuisines from distant places without…
Letters
Out On A Limb In response to “Just Waiting To Happen Again” (by Tara Servatius, Dec. 18): The recent ice storm and power outages has at least one positive side; it gives editorial writers employment so they can chastise Duke Power for not cutting down all the trees near power lines. According to their editorials…
And In This Corner
Judging from the success of World Wrestling Federation’s Smackdown, fights are a growing pleasure filled with guilt. These days, in the ring are two competing factions in the wine world. In one corner, wearing plaid pants and a staid necktie is the old world (France, Spain, Germany, Italy); in the opposite corner, wearing DKNY and…
The Blotter
Stormy Relations After the recent ice storm, two neighbors got into a dispute over what to do with a tree, located on the dividing property line, that had fallen over as a result of the storm. The disagreement escalated into a heated argument, which prompted one neighbor to pull a gun on the other, scratching…
Good Eats
Dilworth/Southend 300 East, 300 East Blvd., 704-332-6507. Locals have long gathered at this casual neighborhood bistro in a vintage house featuring an eclectic menu. L, D $$$ Berrybrook Farms Natural Foods, 1257 East Blvd., 704-334-6528. Homemade soups, herbed tofu sandwiches, bean burritos, and freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices found in a natural food shop.…
News of the Weird
His own “Head Start” program: A 7-year-old Minneapolis boy stole an SUV on Dec. 6 and crashed into several things, and then, after attempts by the police and his guardian to explain to him why stealing cars was wrong, he stole another one on Dec. 17 and hit another vehicle, injuring a boy riding with…
Rock & Roll Radio
Whether known as Little Steven, Silvio or just plain “Steve,” Steven Van Zandt is one of those guys who manages to be imminently recognizable to folks, even when they’re not quite sure where they know him from.It’s not that he’s hard to find: Currently, he’s still entrenched in his main gig, as guitar player for…
Friendly Fire Over Charlotte
Paul Hewson, better known as Bono Vox, lead singer of the Irish supergroup U2, once opined that “nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” Hogwash. The college football bowl games get exponentially better, for one. And, if one partied like it was 1999 the previous evening, the way their head feels changes, too. New Year’s Eve…
Retro Grades
Rod StewartReason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings Mercury Rod Stewart didn’t always suck. From 1969-1975, the lad was right good. He was an odd juxtaposition: Brit glam-boy with a rooster-tail “do whose music coalesced American blues, R&B, rock & roll, folk and country. At this stage, the guy was a singer first, rock…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 1.8 The Lowdown Travelers — The side project of Lance Wille, perhaps better known in these parts for his work with the band The Unholy Trio (another UT member, Dave Gay, is doing his thing with the band Freakwater), the Lowdown Travelers bring the honk in an unfettered, old-fashioned style that nods its collective…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Jan. 8 Amos’ Southend Y’allternative Rock Fest w/ Sckapegoat, Extra Medium, Fall Too Far, Gruv Union & Ultracyde Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Charleston Chops, Cornelius Kent Steel Coach’s Sports Bar Brandon O’Brien The Meeting House Restaurant John Alexander Trio Midtown 51 Swizzlelink Mojo Restaurant & Spirits Lowdown Travelers Pewter Rose Tom Billotto,…
Meryl’s Choice
A lot of people marveled about the audacious originality of Being John Malkovich (1999), the first collaboration between director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Those who held the minority opinion that Malkovich was overly idiosyncratic for what was basically just a one-joke movie can now take comfort in knowing they’re in good company: None…
