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Friday, October 26, 2012
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Oct 26, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 26, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Opening reception for Illusions and Realities at Women Centered Art
* Charlotte Horror Fest at EpiCentre Theaters
* Shaquille O'Neal Presents All-Star Comedy Jam at Ovens Auditorium
* 7th Annual Halloween Howler Costume Contest Bar Crawl
* RumbaWeen at Phoenix
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: The Howling
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 25, 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.)
THE HOWLING (1981). The best of the three werewolf pictures released in the same year — the others (both good) were An American Werewolf In London and Wolfen — The Howling is one of those rare horror flicks that successfully manages to integrate some humor into the proceedings without detracting from the terror elements. For that, we can thank director Joe Dante and scripter John Sayles, who both tweak the genre while still maintaining an obvious reverence; E.T. mom Dee Wallace, who delivers an excellent performance as a TV news reporter who unwittingly ends up at a resort populated by a werewolf colony; and makeup artist Rob Bottin, responsible for the astonishing transformation scenes. Made for $1 million, this grossed $18 million and led to seven schlock sequels, none of which had anything to do with this class act. A top-notch werewolf flick on its own, this offers added appeal to film buffs, who will catch the brief appearances by horror-movie mainstays (including John Carradine, Dick Miller and Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J Ackerman) and the fact that most of the characters are named after directors of previous wolfman pictures.
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 10:00 AM
- Abramorama; photo courtesy of Samuel Cullman
- The House I Live In
Chasing Mavericks - Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue
Cloud Atlas - Tom Hanks, Halle Berry
Fun Size - Victoria Justice, Chelsea Handler
The House I Live In - Documentary about the War on Drugs
Middle of Nowhere - Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lorraine Toussaint
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D - Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 25, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* V/H/S at Carolina Cinemas Crownpoint Stadium 12
* Zombie Nation at Phoenix
* Jonathan Kite at The Comedy Zone
* Weedeater at Tremont Music Hall
* STS9 at The Fillmore
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
News / Opinion Super PACs lay heavy hand on state Supreme Court race
Posted By Mike Cooper on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 2:13 PM
The contest between Paul Newby and Sam J. Ervin IV for a spot on North Carolina's Supreme Court is one of the most important — overlooked — races on the ballot.
“With the exception of the governor’s race, it’s the most important political campaign in North Carolina this year,” says Tom Fetzer, former head of the state Republican Party.
Officially the court is nonpartisan. So are the elections that decide its makeup. But don’t tell that to Fetzer, who runs N.C. Judicial Coalition, a Super PAC dedicated to re-electing the incumbent Newby.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: The Descent
Posted By Matt Brunson on Wed, Oct 24, 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.)
THE DESCENT (2006). Not only did writer-director Neil Marshall's The Descent make my “10 Best” list for 2006, it also continues to rank as one of the finest horror flicks of the new millennium. The story follows six outdoor enthusiasts — all female — as they embark on a spelunking expedition deep in the Appalachian mountains. The competitive Juno (Natalie Mendoza) leads the outfit while Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) tries to overcome a recent tragedy in her life; along with the others, they descend deep into a cavern that's frightening even before its cannibalistic occupants (who look like Gollum's cousins) show up and start tearing into human flesh. The Descent is is so expertly made that it more than holds its own as a full-throttle horror flick, yet it's Marshall's decision to provide it with a psychological bent that puts it firmly over the top. Guilt — or, more specifically, survivor's guilt — is rarely addressed in movies of this kind, yet from its opening tragedy to a shocking incident that occurs halfway through the film (you won't see this coming), the film imbues its female protagonists with messy moral dilemmas that allow them to alternate between heroine and villain, survivor and victim, wallflower and warrior. In fact, there's so much baggage attached to two members of the group that we occasionally forget the other, more immediate menace on hand. But then the teeth start gnashing and the blood starts flowing, and in an instant, we remember all too well.
News U.S. sues Bank of America over the "hustle"
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Federal prosecutors sued Bank of America on Wednesday, claiming that the Charlotte-based bank carried a mortgage scheme on from Countrywide Financial that defrauded the government through the depths of the financial crisis.
According to the New York Times, Countrywide, which Bank of America acquired in 2008, began a home-loan program known as the "hustle" in 2007 "that was designed to churn out mortgages at a rapid pace without proper checks on wrongdoing." Bank of America continued the program through 2009 and sold the “defective” loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled housing giants, which were stuck with hefty losses and foreclosed properties. According to the Times:
“The fraudulent conduct alleged in today’s complaint was spectacularly brazen in scope,” Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement. Mr. Bharara brought the case with the inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the government watchdog for the bank bailout program.The case is the latest legal headache for Bank of America over its acquisition spree during the crisis. The bank in September paid $2.4 billion to settle a securities class-action lawsuit that it misled investors about the takeover of Merrill Lynch.
Read the Times' story here.
News / Opinion Third-party candidates candidly debate political funding, prison system
Posted By Erin Tracy-Blackwood on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 10:45 AM
After watching the third-party debate Tuesday night, I find the two-party debates contrived and unauthentic. It's as if the third party candidates are Radiohead and I’ve been listening to Obama and Romney sing Nickelback for the last year.
The third-party candidates spoke candidly about issues facing our country that the two major-party candidates pretend don’t exist: the never-ending drug war, the prison industrial complex, domestic spying and the National Defense Authorization Act, the militarization of police forces, climate change, marraiage equality, poverty and corporate control of elections, just to name a few.
But who cares about stuff like indefinite detention of U.S. citizens? Let’s talk about what Americans really care about, which is ... Libya?
News Creative Loafing Atlanta announces new editor in chief
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Debbie Michaud has been named editor in chief of Creative Loafing Atlanta, the largest altweekly in the Southeast, the paper announced this week.
- Joeff Davis
- Michaud
Michaud joined CL Atlanta in 2006 as the events editor. She has since been promoted to arts and culture editor and senior editor, according to the Association of Alternative Newsmedia's website.
Thomas Wheatley, former CL Atlanta staff writer, was promoted to news editor.
“I’m so proud to be able to promote from within for these two positions,” Publisher Sharry Smith said. “I am confident in the leadership Debbie and Thomas have proven in their time here at Creative Loafing. The different perspectives they have on Atlanta, in culture and news, and the commitment Debbie and Thomas have given to CL reflect what they have in store for the paper.”
Read more about Michaud and Wheatley here.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 24, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Opening of Allison Luce: The Serpent Tree exhibit at CPCC's Ross Gallery
* The Tontons at Evening Muse
* The Laramie Project at Winthrop University's Johnson Theatre
* Opus at Duke Energy Theater
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Blogger Will Folks on alleged Haley affair: 'Nikki climbed on top of me, rubbing her crotch back and forth' 12
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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.
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The Hangover Part II: Buzz kill 7
No use crying over spilt sequel.
