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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM
- Fox
- Won't Back Down
Hotel Transylvania - Animated; voices of Adam Sandler, Kevin James
Looper - Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Pitch Perfect - Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
Won't Back Down - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 27, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* The Evolution of Black Gospel Music at Booth Playhouse
* Ben Sollee at Stage Door Theater
* Elissa Schappell at Park Road Books
* Crystal Castles at The Fillmore
* Stars at Visulite Theatre
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Arts Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 26, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Fiona Apple at The Fillmore
* God of Carnage at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
* Answer This at Knight Theater
* Micro Brews Cruise at U.S. National Whitewater Center
* Le Bang at Dharma Lounge
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 25, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* America Now exhibit at McColl Center for Visual Art
* Ignite Charlotte at Neighborhood Theatre
* Almost Famous Comedy Show at The Comedy Zone Charlotte
* Trivia at Al's Pizza
* Open Mic Poetry at Wine Up
Monday, September 24, 2012
Film / Film News / Film Reviews Modern Times at EpiCentre tonight
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 1:31 PM
By Matt Brunson
MODERN TIMES (1936)
****
DIRECTED BY Charles Chaplin
STARS Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard
The American Film Institute named Some Like It Hot as the best comedy of all time; the IMDb voters currently have Forrest Gump ranked as the best comedy; Rotten Tomatoes' critical mass holds Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb as the pinnacle of comedic perfection; four different British media outlets designated Monty Python's Life of Brian as best of the best; and this nation's frat boys would doubtless consider The Hangover the greatest comedy ever made. My pick? It has long been Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, although folks who cite either Chaplin's City Lights or The Gold Rush can certainly defend their choice.
Chaplin's works were always a blend of inspired comedy, unforced poignancy and sharp social commentary, and these elements were arguably best combined in this riotous satire in which Chaplin's Little Tramp — the last time he would ever play this beloved character — has trouble finding, and then retaining, employment. Hunger, homelessness and the uncaring attitude of the American workplace all figure in the proceedings, making Modern Times as topical today as when it was first released.
Yet for all its heavy subjects, this is a comedy first and foremost, and as such, it features some of Chaplin's most brilliant — and most hilarious — set pieces. The various factory (at the beginning) and restaurant (at the end) sequences are deservedly legendary, although I always laugh the hardest during the wonderfully staged skating segment.
(A 35mm presentation of Modern Times will be held at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Sept. 24, at EpiCentre Theatres, 210 E. Trade St. The screening is free for Charlotte Film Society members as part of the organization's 30th Anniversary celebration. Those who are not CFS members can sign up for membership at the event and receive two more free screenings this week — Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood Tuesday and Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry Wednesday — as well as other CFS benefits.)
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 24, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Jenna Weber at Barnes & Noble
* Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse
* Monday Night Allstars at Double Door Inn
* Open Mic at Jackalope Jacks
* Karaoke at Dixie's Tavern
Friday, September 21, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Weekend Film Reviews: Trouble with the Curve; The Master; Compliance
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 4:46 PM
- Magnolia Pictures
- Compliance
Click on the title to be taken directly to the review.
Arts The Color Purple: The Showstopper
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 10:00 AM
At last Saturday night’s performance of The Color Purple, I witnessed a phenomenon that, as far as I can remember, is unparalleled in my 25 years of covering the Charlotte theater scene. Her name is Keston Steele, and the electricity she created at Halton Theatre was unprecedented. Playing Celie in the Northwest School of the Arts production, Steele sparked a robust standing ovation during the musical based on Alice Walker’s beloved novel.
- Photo: Bridget Larkin
- Keston Steele (center) as Celie in NWSA's production of The Color Purple
The NWSA junior scorched her big Act 2 showcase, “What About Love?” signaling Celie’s full emotional and personal flowering — literally stopping the show as the crowd sprang collectively to its feet. My wife Sue, who knows better than to talk to me during a show, tossed the rules aside. “Have you ever seen anything like this?” she asked.
At that moment, I had multiple reasons to shake my head.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 21, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Charlotte Roller Girls at Grady Cole Center
* Opening reception for America Now exhibit at McColl Center for Visual Art
* Festival in the Park at Freedom Park
* Oktoberfest at Waldhorn Restaurant
* Boeing Boeing at Little Theater of Gastonia
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 1:00 PM
- Oscilloscope Pictures
- Samsara
Compliance - Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker
Dredd 3D - Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby
End of Watch - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena
House at the End of the Street - Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Shue
The Master - Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Samsara - Documentary
Searching for Sugar Man - Documentary
Trouble with the Curve - Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams
