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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 11, 2012 at 1:18 PM
- Summit Entertainment
- Sinister
Argo - Ben Affleck, John Goodman
Here Comes the Boom - Kevin James, Salma Hayek
Seven Psychopaths - Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken
Sinister - Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Oct 11, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 11, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Opus at Duke Energy Theatre
* October Screams at Carolina Cinemas Crownpoint Stadium 12
* Bonnie Raitt at Ovens Auditorium
* The Maverick Madness Ride to The Haunted Mill
* Strokes of Compassion Art Show at Providence Plaza
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Film / Film News Ghosts haunt Charlotte Talks
Posted By Web Editor on Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Creative Loafing film critic Matt Brunson and Dr. Mark Pizzato of UNC Charlotte will discuss ghosts in cinema on the Thursday, Oct. 11, edition of Charlotte Talks, with Mike Collins, at 9 a.m. on WFAE 90.7 (the show will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m.). Among the titles that might be discussed are The Haunting, The Innocents and The Others (pictured).
Dr. Pizzato is Professor of Theatre and Film at UNC Charlotte and the author of Ghosts of Theatre and Cinema in the Brain (2006) and Inner Theatres of Good and Evil: The Mind’s Staging of Gods, Angels and Devils (2010). He is presently involved with Spirits Rise: A Ghost Film Series, a free screening-and-discussion program running through Nov. 17. (Go here or here for more info.)
For recommendations of ghost flicks and other terror tales appropriate for Halloween, be sure to check out CL's ongoing, online-only series Halloween Countdown.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: House of Wax
Posted By Matt Brunson on Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 2:00 PM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31.)
HOUSE OF WAX (1953). Far too many 3-D movies have relied on the novelty of the gimmick to cover up what would otherwise be a completely disposable motion picture, but what's unique about this box office smash (it was one of 1953’s top 10 grossers) — and the reason it has endured as one of the most popular of all older films originally shot in this format — is that on its own two-dimensional terms, it's a heckuva lot of fun. Vincent Price came into his own as a horror icon, portraying a sculptor whose latest creations seem remarkably lifelike, and there's an early appearance by Charles Bronson (still billed as Charles Buchinsky) as his mute assistant. For the record, the DVD released a few years ago by Warner Bros. doesn’t include the 3-D version (too bad; love that paddleball man!), but it does contain the first screen telling of this story: 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum, directed by Casablanca's Michael Curtiz and starring King Kong scream queen Fay Wray. And you really don’t need me to tell you to stay away from the atrocious 2005 version featuring Paris Hilton, do you? Didn’t think so.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 10, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Opening reception for Sandra Muss: What's Past is Prologue exhibit at New Gallery of Modern Art
* Get to Know the Show: Jekyll & Hyde at Booth Playhouse
* Open Mic at Kickstand
* Robot Johnson at Wine Up
* How I Learned to Drive at UNC Charlotte
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Arts LOL: Comedy in the Q.C.
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 2:57 PM
Listed below is a roundup of CL's top picks for comedy shows in Charlotte this week. Hopefully, they keep you entertained and, more importantly, laughing out loud.
Tom Green was only 15 when he started doing stand-up in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada. We're not gonna say he was mature beyond his years, but rather that he's always been a goofball. The comedian, who has served as talk-show host, stuntman, actor, writer, director, Juggalo-inspired rapper, and cow teat-sucking weirdo, stops in at The Comedy Zone Charlotte this week. Green's been known to make jabs at society's obsession with the Internet and social media: He says he appreciates the interconnectedness it's brought us, but longs for a sense of mystery — pretty deep, coming from the same guy who scored "Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)," isn't it? $20-$25. Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m. & 10:15 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 13, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. The Comedy Zone Charlotte at N.C. Music Factory, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. www.cltcomedyzone.com.
Dressing up in Star Trek gear is fitting for The Chuckleheads, a Charlotte-based improv troupe. Though the content of their shows isn't outerspace exclusive, the group does incorporate unexpected, spontaneous and, some might say, far-out material. The Chuckleheads, formed by Scott Pacitti, will celebrate their fifth anniversary at Theatre Charlotte on Oct. 13. Shows are normally structured around a mix of improv (similar to that of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Improv-a-ganza and Second City), music, game-show formats and audience participation. But for an extra touch, the group is adding a Broadway-style production number — the "Brotherhood of Man" song from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — to its upcoming gig. $10-$15. Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. 704-301-1564. www.planetimprov.com.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Willard
Posted By Matt Brunson on Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 2:00 PM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31.)
WILLARD (2003). For all its ickiness, Willard is actually that most exotic of movie creatures: a remake that handily bests the original. The 1971 version may have been a box office hit, but it's also an inert motion picture, taking itself far too seriously as it relates the supposedly poignant tale of a lonely young man (Bruce Davison) whose only friends are the rats that live in his basement. This stylish remake tosses out all pretensions and tackles the material as a pitch-black comedy, which, in retrospect, was clearly the only way to go. As before, Willard Stiles (a perfectly cast Crispin Glover, in a part turned down by both Joaquin Phoenix and Macaulay Culkin) is a mild-mannered introvert whose relationship with his rodents offers him a brief respite from the unpleasantries that otherwise inundate his existence. This was (not surprisingly) a major commercial flop, but darn if it doesn't deliver the goods for folks not averse to an unsettling satire that offers as many nyuks as yuks. And for those interested, here’s the surreal music video for Glover’s “Ben,” complete with buxom women rubbing rats all over their bodies.
Film / Arts EpiCentre Theaters screens Hot Coffee
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 10:54 AM
You may not remember Stella Liebeck’s name, but you surely haven’t forgotten the lawsuit she launched against McDonald’s after spilling hot coffee on herself and suffering second and third degree burns. The infamous case — resulting in a jury awarding her $2.86 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $800,000 and settled out of court) — stirred controversy and raised serious questions, if not anger, about America’s civil justice system.
- Docurama
- Karl Rove and George W. Bush vs. the little people, as seen in the documentary Hot Coffee
In Susan Saladoff’s HBO documentary Hot Coffee, you’ll learn the facts (not just the myths) about the case, as taken from a supportive stance toward Liebeck. Saladoff, a first-time filmmaker with a background as a representative of plaintiffs in personal injury and liability type cases, shares critical points in regards to tort reform (championed by corporate pigs like Karl Rove and George W. Bush) and the fight against “frivolous” lawsuits that have caused damage award caps and mandatory restrictions on what plaintiffs walk away with.
Saladoff presents other lesser-heard-of cases that are emotionally gripping. In the film, we see victims, not money hungry folks who are pushing bogus suing stunts. She doesn’t touch as much on the opposite end of the spectrum — folks who do abuse the system as well as the rights and protections that companies are entitled to for survival. In any case, the documentary offers a compelling viewpoint on one side of the heated grounds of the justice system, liability and civil liberties in our country.
To check it out, visit EpiCentre Theaters for a free screening and meet-and-greet with the director tomorrow. Free admission. Oct. 10, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. EpiCentre Theaters, 210 E. Trade St. 704-688-2400. www.epicentretheaters.com.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 9, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Giacometti: Memory and Presence at Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
* The Birth of Coffee exhibit at Discovery Place
* Nick Lowe at McGlohon Theatre
* Open Mic Poetry at Wine Up
* Many Backgrounds, One American Spirit exhibit at Pura Vida Worldly Art
Monday, October 8, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Piranha
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 2:00 PM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31.)
PIRANHA (1978). The years following the gargantuan success of 1975's Jaws found studios releasing an endless stream of copycat flicks of the "When Nature Strikes!" variety — ripoffs included Grizzly (dubbed Claws by industry wags) and the X-rated spoof Gums — but it's generally agreed that producer Roger Corman’s Piranha remains the best of the bunch; even Jaws director Steven Spielberg counts himself among the film's fans. The first screenwriting credit for future Oscar nominee John Sayles (Lone Star) as well as an early assignment for director Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), Piranha sports a sense of humor to go along with the grisly critter attacks, as a boozy woodsman (Bradford Dillman) and a private investigator (Heather Menzies) stumble across a crazed scientist (Kevin McCarthy) who's experimenting on a pool full of mutated piranha; along the way, the couple accidentally release the ferocious fish into a nearby river. This was remade in 2010; other variances in recent times include Piranha 3DD, MegaPiranha, Piranhaconda and Piranha-Man Vs. WereWolf-Man: Howl of the Piranha. Trivia note: The in-name-only sequel, 1981's poorly received Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, marked the directorial debut of no less than James Cameron.
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Question the Queen City: Hugh McManaway, the man behind the statue
It pays homage to a traffic director, friendly neighbor and one of Charlotte's most beloved local characters
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The Hangover Part II: Buzz kill 7
No use crying over spilt sequel.
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Longtime dancer to leave NC Dance Theatre 3
Mia Cunningham, a dancer who has spent 18 seasons performing with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, is set to retire.
