Jun 6-12, 2018
The state of cannabis, introduction to Carolina Cannabis Now; Tombstone Betty; Family First at the Gantt Center; Bach Fest; House of Pizza
Hayley Kiyoko brings a party to The Underground
Sold-out venue parties like it’s Friday night.
Japanese Breakfast thrills sold-out Neighborhood Theatre
Faye, Doll Hands get the night started on the right rhythm.
Charlotte Talks about summer movies
Local film critics Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing and Sean O’Connell of CinemaBlend.com will discuss summer movies on Charlotte Talks, with Mike Collins, airing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 13, on WFAE. The two Charlotte reviewers will offer their takes on the seasonal flicks they’ve already seen, such as Avengers: Infinity War, Solo: A Star…
Ocean’s 8 is enough
OCEAN’S 8 **1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Gary Ross STARS Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett During the first decade of the 21st century, filmgoers could count on Steven Soderbergh gifting them a new Ocean’s flick every few years. The behind-the-scenes gist was presumably the same for all three pictures — basically, a bunch of movie…
First Reformed: Holy Recommended
FIRST REFORMED ***1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY Paul Schrader STARS Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried Like Martin Scorsese with religion and Clint Eastwood with gun culture, Paul Schrader has spent a huge chuck of his career as writer and/or director examining the omniscient specter of violence — how it’s triggered, how it manifests itself, and…
Hereditary: Family Afear
HEREDITARY *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Ari Aster STARS Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne Newbie writer-director Ari Aster makes a startling film debut with Hereditary, the sort of slow-burn horror yarn that gets under the skin with needlepoint precision. Toni Collette delivers a bravura performance as Annie Graham, an artist whose mother has just passed…
Cold Turkey, Gringo, The Hurricane Heist 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.) COLD TURKEY (1971). Norman Lear may have been responsible for the creation of countless classic TV shows, but when it came to motion pictures, his name only graced a handful as screenwriter…
The Blotter: Heads Up
Off With Their Head It’s a normal occurrence for folks to steal hair from beauty boutiques in Charlotte, but they usually leave the mannequins modeling the wigs alone, for God’s sake. Such was not the case at Material Girl Boutique on North Tryon Street last week, when an unknown suspect walked out of the store…
Listen Up: Lisa De Novo Triggers ‘The Big Bang’ on ‘Local Vibes’
One of Charlotte’s most popular singer/songwriters, Lisa De Novo has been working the open mic scene in the city for five years. Now you could say she runs that scene. She dropped in to chat about her newly released album, The Big Bang, her involvement with Girls Rock CLT and how her communications degree helped…
It’s High Time for a Cannabis Column
[Image-1] It was a typical beginning to a routine column by Chris Roberts in 2015. “To meet California’s most electric politician last Friday, the entrepreneurs and workers in the heartland of the country’s fastest-growing industry donned Carhartt work jeans and wide-brimmed sun hats, in some cases still dirty from the morning’s work in the family…
Bach in a Hard Place
Bach celebrations aren’t totally alien to the Queen City. Charlotte Symphony played with the idea for a few years at Knight Theater with Bachtoberfest, pairing Bach and beer, preferably bock. BachFests have bloomed annually — if only for a day — at St. Alban’s Episcopal in nearby Davidson, and last March, the North Carolina Bach…
Gantt Center Workshop Series Introduces Kids to Arts and Technology
With about 30 minutes left until beginning her “All About Animation” workshop at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture on a recent Saturday morning, Jackie Black finished prepping the clay and utensils she would need to lead the class, then wondered exactly how she was going to pull it off. The…
Beloved East Charlotte Italian Joint Re-opens After 10-Month Renovation
Even before Samantha Kakavitsas, 29, was spending 15-hour days managing to-go orders in the kitchen at House of Pizza, the restaurant was like a second home to her. “It was my daycare before it was my first job,” she says. Kakavitsas’ aunt and House of Pizza co-owner Maria Kakavitsas has kept the business in the…
Is North Carolina Ready to Take Marijuana Reform Seriously?
Since taking his oath of office in 2009, N.C. Rep. Kelly Alexander, Jr. has filed a marijuana-related bill in the North Carolina General Assembly six times — and six times those bills have languished in committee, failing to make it to the House floor for a debate, much less a vote. That count includes Alexander’s…
Tombstone Betty’s Front Woman Reclaims Her Time in Southern Rock
[Image-3] A few years ago Adrienne Nixon Basco was hanging out at a music festival with her former band, the Charlotte Southern rock outfit Swamp da Wamp, when a guy approached her with a curious but sincere look on his face. “He got really quiet and said, ‘Let me ask you a question: Is it…
