Mobile
Friday, October 5, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Weekend Film Reviews: Frankenweenie; Hotel Transylvania; Looper; Butter
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 5:21 PM
- Sony
- Looper
Click on the link to be taken directly to the review.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Cat People
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Oct 5, 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.)
CAT PEOPLE (1942). The first of producer Val Lewton's series of acclaimed horror films from the 1940s, Cat People remains a small masterpiece of the genre: No less than Martin Scorsese has stated that the movie is "as important as Citizen Kane in the maturation of the American cinema." It was a commercial bonanza for RKO, earning a whopping $4 million return on its $134,000 shooting budget and paving the way for Lewton to retain creative control on his followups. The alluring Simone Simon stars as Irena, an Eastern European immigrant who meets and marries an American architect (Kent Smith). Forced to remain celibate because of an ancestral curse that will turn her into a panther if her emotions are aroused, she grows jealous of her frustrated husband's attention toward a pretty co-worker (Jane Randolph); this in turn leads to the movie's two classic set pieces, one involving Randolph's walk down a dark city street, the other focusing on her nocturnal swim at an indoor pool that's surrounded by menacing shadows and an even more menacing growl. Simon's Irena makes for one of the most tragic heroines ever seen on screen — a woman who, through no fault of her own, is deprived of the love she hungrily seeks. The movie's strong sexual currents and adult subject matter (when you get down to it, this is a film about impotence), amplified by ace director Jacques Tourneur and scripter DeWitt Bodeen, further lift it above the realm of the usual spook show.
Arts Theater review: Godspell
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 10:42 AM
Written originally as a Master’s thesis when the spirit of Woodstock and hippie flower power were as fresh in the air as jasmine incense, Godspell took six years before evolving into a 1976 Broadway musical, with an epic off-Broadway run in between. What catapulted John-Michael Tebelak’s concept from obscurity to fame was the addition of Stephen Schwartz’s music, including such confections as “Prepare Ye,” and “We Beseech Thee.”
Yet the evolution of the piece hasn’t diluted the flavor of the original inspiration, as the current CPCC Theatre production, directed by Stephen and Susan Gundersheim, vividly demonstrates. It’s as if one stoned hippie said to another, between inhalations of hash, “Hey, man. Why don’t we write a musical about the Bible? Only instead of everybody looking like Jesus and the Apostles, they’ll all look and dress like us!”
Far out! Taking the Gospel According to Matthew, Tebelak and Schwartz effectively removed nearly all the sacerdotal pomposity in telling the story of Jesus’ revolutionary doctrines, his devoted following, his betrayal, and crucifixion. Or they do in Act 2. What we see in Act 1 seems to be coming from a truly stoned creative team, already putting their ideas down on paper before they’ve come down from their high. With Jesus illustrating his parables through clowning and parlor magic — to an audience of disciples with the intellectual and emotional depth of Sesame Street enthusiasts — I find Act 1 of Godspell more crushingly silly, goofy, and tedious each time I see it.
Arts New exhibit at Lark & Key
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Charlotte artist Kendra Baird's "A Misty Rain" is nothing like French impressionist Gustave Caillebotte's "Paris: A Rainy Day." But there is one thing they have in common: umbrellas. Since Baird paints hers in yellow — as opposed to black — they convey a sense of optimism in contrast to the neutral-colored tones, representative of the rain's dreariness.
Her bio states, "The rain scenes portray both discomfort and sadness, and the awareness that we are protected from those emotions because of what the umbrellas represent." Baird, who draws inspiration from nature, the weather and the world around her, often sees visions of her paintings when meditating and dreaming. Her art — comparable to the enchanting works of Lark & Key gallery co-owner Duy Huynh — creates a sense of balance between melancholy and glee.
The exhibit also featuring pottery by Mark Knott. Opening reception on Oct. 5, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Exhibit continues through Nov. 24. Lark & Key Gallery and Boutique, 128 E. Park Ave., Suite B. 704-334-4616. www.larkandkey.com.
Film / Arts Clips of Faith screens shorts
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Clips of Faith, a traveling showcase of short films — and a beer-drinking worthy cause (it's sponsored by New Belgium Brewing) — features titles like The Canning Queen of the Desert: Classie Parker. The flim is about an NYC woman who turns a weedy, abandoned lot into a beautiful garden and teaches her community how to can fresh food. Another short on the roster is Malcolm Sangster’s action-packed ski flick, JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.).
At the event, you'll find a good selection of brews available, but try and stay sober for the screenings of possible short gems. Proceeds raised from this stop on the tour benefit the U.S. National Whitewater Center, which happens to be a nonprofit (in case you didn't know). Free admission. Oct. 5, 7 p.m. Independence Park, 300 Hawthorne Lane.
Arts Exhibit honors photog Chris Radok
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 9:48 AM
In January 2011, when the first murder of the new year in Charlotte turned out to be a beloved longtime Creative Loafing photographer, we were more than shocked. We were devastated. Chris Radok was a colleague who worked as both a freelancer and full-time photo editor between 1994 and 2006. He was murdered in his home after stumbling on an armed invader. Police charged Antoine Young with the crime. More than a year later, on Oct. 18, Young is slated for arraignment at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.
The announcement on the Chris Radok Memorial Page on Facebook comes with news of a series of related events celebrating Radok's life and work: Those include Tar & Nicotine: Photographs of Chris Radok, a Baku Gallery showcase of works by Radok, who fancied fish-eye-lens shots and had a talent for snapping creative and compelling photographs of everything under the sun — or in some grungy music hall. The exhibit opens with a reception on Oct. 5 and runs through Oct. 31. Prints of Radok's works will be available for purchase. More importantly, they'll be on view for all to see as we remember a talent taken away from us too soon. Opening reception on Oct. 5, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Exhibit continues through Oct. 31. Baku Gallery, 3200 N. Davidsion St.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 5, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Grace Potter & The Nocturnals at Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
* Giving A Voice To The Faces: Exploring Persona in Poetry and Music at Movement Dialogues Studio
* NoDa's Bi-Annual Studio Tour
* Meet Market at Suite
* Oktoberfest at Waldhorn Restaurant
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Count Dracula
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 4, 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.)
COUNT DRACULA (1970). While far from the upper echelons of the numerous Dracula films, I’m including it as a tribute to character actor Herbert Lom, who passed away last Thursday (Sept. 27) at the age of 95. In some respects one of the more faithful screen adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula, this English-language co-production of Spain, Italy and West Germany finds the prolific Jess Franco (with nearly 200 directing credits to his name) toning down his commonplace sex 'n' gore to present a stately version of the vampire classic. It's a good effort by all, even if it does fall short of complete success. Christopher Lee, who spent many years playing Dracula in Hammer Studios' successful franchise, here forsakes the animal magnetism and portrays the Count as a stuffy aristocrat who becomes visibly younger the more he drinks the blood of innocents. Franco provides an appropriately somber atmosphere for the proceedings, but an obvious low budget (the pack of wolves patrolling the terrain outside Dracula's castle is played by a pack of German shepherds) and wretched performances by the no-name actors in the supporting ranks seriously damage the picture's pedigree. Lom, best known as the twitching Chief Inspector Dreyfus in The Pink Panther series, was an interesting choice to play Professor Van Helsing (Franco originally tried to snag Vincent Price), while it's amusing to see Klaus Kinski as the insect-munching Renfield, nine years before he graduated to the role of bloodsucker in Werner Herzog's Nosferatu remake.
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 10:00 AM
- The Weinstein Company
- Butter
Butter - Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde
Chicken with Plums - Mathieu Amalric, Maria de Medeiros
Frankenweenie - Animated; voices of Martin Landau, Winona Ryder
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Logan Lerman, Emma Watson
Taken 2 - Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 4, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Silent Movie Night screening The General at Petra's Piano Bar & Cabaret
* White Rabbits at Visulite Theatre
* Taste of the World at the VanLandingham Estate
* Godspell at CPCC's Pease Auditorium
* Artist to Artist at McColl Center for Visual Art
-
5 Reasons To Buy Home Insurance Policy
-
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
-
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.
