Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2017
Farmer’s “Market Watch”
Cover Story
Celebrate July 4th at This Summer’s Choice Farmer’s Markets
The height of summer is the perfect time to declare your independence from boring food. Set yourself free from weeks-old produce and bland, sodium-pumped meats by visiting one of Charlotte’s many farmers’ markets, where fresh and flavorful ingredients await. We have been blessed with a recent surge in new and expanding markets, so you’re forgiven…
Baby Driver: Zoom to grow
BABY DRIVER *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Edgar Wright STARS Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey Guaranteed to reign as the hipster fave of 2017, Baby Driver comes tearing off the starting line and leads the summer-movie field for the duration of the ride. Only when it hits the final stretch does it become clear that…
The Beguiled gets lost in translation
THE BEGUILED ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Sofia Coppola STARS Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman Based on Thomas Cullinan’s novel, Don Siegel’s 1971 drama The Beguiled cast Clint Eastwood as John McBurney, a wounded Union soldier who gets nursed back to health at a remote all-girls school in the South during the Civil War. All…
Despicable Me 3: Bad to the bone
DESPICABLE ME 3 *1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Kyle Balda & Pierre Coffin STARS Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig A constantly ka-chinging cash register disguised as a major motion picture, the utterly banal and utterly boring Despicable Me 3 is largely the animated equivalent of the current Transformers: The Last Knight. While it may not…
I Met a Dog in Charlotte and It Wasn’t a Guy
“Fill the box,” someone yelled as half the Trolley Pub Charlotte riders piled into the “waiting” area at Dog Bar in Noda. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I mean, it’s the textbook moment for, “That’s what she said!” I turned to my friend and co-worker and said, “That should’ve been our team name.”…
Power Rangers, Straw Dogs, T2 Trainspotting among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) THE APPLE (1980). A string of big-budget bombs in the 1960s and early 70s all but crippled the movie musical, and while John Travolta briefly brought it back to life with the…
The Blotter: Burn Notice
Extra Grease Police responded to the Shannon Green apartments in the College Downs neighborhood last week after a sibling rivalry took a violent turn. A 20-year-old man told officers he was lounging around in his apartment at 9 p.m., completely unaware that his relaxing night was about to end horribly. The man said his sister…
New TJ Reddy Exhibit Examines a Lifetime of Creativity
TJ Reddy says society can become a prison — a cell forged by the pursuit of wealth and status at the expense of peace, justice and the environment. He should know, as an artist and activist he sought to transform society, and he paid the price by going to jail. “I’m still here,” says the…
If the Panthers Knew What They Were Doing, They’d Give Colin Kaepernick a Chance
The Carolina Panthers should sign Colin Kaepernick to back up Cam Newton for this upcoming season. There, I said it. For many reasons, many of them political, the Panthers front office will never consider doing so, the main reason being Kaepernick’s choice to carry out a peaceful protest in which he kneels during the national…
New Report Details Mistreatment of Charlotte Construction Workers
Regardless of where you look in Charlotte, one thing is apparent, growth is occurring, and occurring rapidly. Depending on whom you ask, between 40 and 80 people are streaming into the city every day, and those people need homes, hangouts and other havens. But the folks tasked with building the city’s expanding infrastructure are too…
Another Look at Why We Cover Charlotte Art Exclusively
In earlier years at Creative Loafing, our music and arts sections would include some coverage of local artists, but you’d be more likely to read lengthier pieces about a New York artist exhibiting at the Mint Museum or Gwen Stefani playing at the arena than full feature stories on a legendary Charlotte activist artist like…
Weekly Horoscope (June 29-July 5)
For All Signs Many people will be on edge, mouthy, and cranky this week. Try not to join them because it will only generate ill will and few will listen. Drive very carefully because the accelerator foot will be itchy, whether that be yours or others. If you feel compelled to say your piece, make…
Family Ties Inspire Singer-Songwriter Autumn Rainwater to Branch Out
If only it were autumn. That’s what I’m thinking on a recent drizzly afternoon in June, when I meet up with Charlotte singer-songwriter Autumn Millner, who performs and records as Autumn Rainwater. Alas, it is summer, and somehow Summer Rainwater just doesn’t reflect the moody complexity of Autumn Rainwater’s remarkably eclectic mix of rainy-day R&B…
