Jun 30 – Jul 6, 2016

Jun 30 - Jul 6, 2016 / Vol. 30 / No. 19

Cover Story

The Legend of Tarzan: Hollywood & Vine

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN **1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY David Yates STARS Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson In my youth, I used to mainline Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan novels as if I were Al Pacino snorting up all that cocaine in Scarface. My habit extended to the filmic versions, including all 12 Johnny Weissmuller…

Matt Brunson

Swiss Army Man stinks on ice

SWISS ARMY MAN * (out of four) DIRECTED BY Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert STARS Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe Here’s the thing: Contemporary cinema is so starved for fresh ideas and offbeat approaches that it becomes easy to gravitate toward anything that looks different, toward anything that looks as if it could be as uncompromising,…

Matt Brunson

The BFG comes up short

THE BFG ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Steven Spielberg STARS Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill An adaptation of the beloved book by Roald Dahl, The BFG reminded me of the scene in (of all things) History of the World: Part I in which a bored Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) is presented with a wooden bathtub…

Matt Brunson

Independence Day: Resurgence: Holiday Weakened

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE *1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Roland Emmerich STARS Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum The first inanity in Independence Day: Resurgence — and what is this sequel to the 1996 smash Independence Day if not an endless stream of inanities? — arrives when it’s revealed that the entire global community felt so connected…

Matt Brunson

Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (June 30)

Flash Your Wrist A CMPD officer came out of an altercation with a suspect on South Boulevard last week with only half of the equipment he started with, while the suspect made off with a new pair of shiny bracelets. According to the report, an officer was taking a man into custody and had one…

Ryan Pitkin

Nellie takes on the spotlight at Jonas-owned Belmont eatery

The Jonas name has topped Billboard charts, but when Kevin Jonas Sr. returned to the famous family’s nesting grounds in Belmont, North Carolina, he wanted to honor a different Jonas legacy: his grandmother, Nellie. Born into humble beginnings, Nellie Jonas worked in the textile mills and earned a reputation around small-town Belmont for her soulful…

Madeline Lemieux

CD review: Rapper Shane’s Too Busy To Be This Broke

CD review: Rapper Shane’s Too Busy To Be This Broke Deep Fried Family; Release date: June 17 In October of last year, Creative Loafing wrapped up a profile on Rapper Shane with a quote regarding how the hard-working local rapper felt about the amount he was getting back for all his efforts: “I’m too busy…

Ryan Pitkin

Charlie King and the Queen City

Charlie King is in love with his hometown of Charlotte. As a folk-country singer-songwriter in a bustling concrete jungle that’s unable to sustain a large crop of folk musicians, he must love this place in order to stay here. But right now, the ebb and flow of Charlotte’s music scene has left little space for…

Courtney Mihocik

Coffee and cigarettes with one of Charlotte’s forgotten souls

As I sat in a Starbucks in Uptown Charlotte recently typing away at my computer, I noticed many people walking back to work. Lunch hour was over and I could tell by their collective expressions that the work anxiety was building. These thoughts were interrupted by a coupon being slid on the table next to…

Lara Americo

The Independence Day list to end all Independence Day lists

Events in Charlotte 4th of July Celebration at U.S. National Whitewater Center The two-day celebration features outdoor activities, firework displays and live music. July 3: Fireside Collective at 4 p.m.; The Congress at 6 p.m.; The Wood Brothers at 8 p.m.; July 4: Ancient Cities at 4 p.m.; Hollis Brown at 6 p.m.; Dr. Dog…

Anita Overcash

Weekly horoscope (June 30-July 6)

For All Signs: The planet Mars, ancient god of war, turns direct today after a long retrograde period that began in April. During the retrograde cycle we are often detoured from taking significant external action. Though we may experience the delays as frustrating, the purpose of the time is to struggle with inner boundaries before…

Vivian Carol

Three questions for Nate Cerbelli, co-founder of the 7-Day Meal Plan

In 2015, the United State Department of Agriculture reported that there were approximately 45.7 million people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. But even though SNAP helps folks with food insecurity, it often falls short on providing access to and information about more nourishing food options. That’s where Nate…

Courtney Mihocik

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