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Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Kingdom of the Spiders
Posted By Matt Brunson on Wed, Oct 17, 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.)
KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS (1977). Like those Biblical epics of yore, here's a motion picture that can boast of literally presenting a cast of thousands. In this case, though, that number applies to the hordes of spiders seen crawling all over the place — 5,000 seems to be the accepted figure, although at least one crew member later stated that the number was anywhere up to 10,000. At any rate, arachnophobes are advised to steer clear of any TV set showing this effective horror yarn, which managed to produce a handsome return on its half-million-dollar budget during a period when most moviegoers were busy re-watching Star Wars for the umpteenth time. William Shatner, still a couple of years away from the Star Trek movie franchise that would resurrect his career, plays "Rack" Hansen, a small-town veterinarian who teams up with a big-city entomologist (Tiffany Bolling) to figure out what's killing animals in his Arizona community. It turns out that the area's spiders, affected by the pesticides that have been destroying their natural food supplies, have set their sights on larger prey — and before long, humans are finding themselves being attacked, bitten and cocooned. John "Bud" Cardos efficiently directs this entertaining picture that was clearly inspired by Jaws (right down to the blustery mayor worried that the intrusive presence of Mother Nature will ruin the town's upcoming holiday weekend), and the script by Richard Robinson and Alan Caillou is capped by a great ending.
News There's something in our water
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Duke University researchers released a report this week that makes me less than enthusiastic to gulp down eight glasses of water a day.
Apparently, there are high levels of arsenic, selium and other toxins in rivers and lakes downstream from coal-fired plants' settling ponds in North Carolina. Some of the highest levels were found in coal-ash pond effluents flowing to Mountain Island Lake, a primary water source for Charlotte, and the French Broad River in Asheville.
Arts New talk about the future of Carolina Theatre
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 10:36 AM
It’s often easy to brush renovations to certain spaces and sites under the table when money is involved and necessity is low. That’s what happened to Charlotte’s historic Carolina Theatre — an Uptown landmark that opened in 1927 and hosted renowned acts like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Guy Lombardo, Andy Griffith, Ethyl Barrymore and Tom Mix, among others, until its close in 1978 — for the past ... uh ... 34 years (yeah, we did the math).
In the process, the Q.C. has flourished with newer, high tech facilities, leaving the somewhat forgotten space at 230 N. Tryon St. to collect dust. But that’s all changing now that interest in the property’s renovation is growing. According to the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Theatre will eventually be reopening. City Council is currently examining key conditions pertaining to how interested developers would complete the theater’s restorations.
That the Carolina Theatre will reopen is now a sure thing. The city’s Economic Development Committee may decide as early as mid November which of the two options is best, but a City Council vote on that recommendation might not come until January, due to the holidays.Among the key points still to be settled: A clear definition and standards of what the city considers a “proper” renovation of the theater. That’s necessary, officials say, so there will be no debate over unmet expectations. Neither of the redevelopment plans promises to do a textbook historic restoration, because of the tremendous expense involved.
Foundation for the Carolinas wants to renovate the theater for civic meetings and put an office building in front for a mix of nonprofits and private companies. CMP Carolina Theatre LLC, which had a purchase agreement on the site between 2006 and 2011, says it will renovate the theater for public entertainment and put a building in front with commercial customers in mind.
City staff say it’s possible for either of the developers to re-create something close to the original appearance by using less expensive material now on the market. Council member Patsy Kinsey believes the developer with the best renovation plan will get the council’s support. This includes taking the pieces of the old facade and putting them back in place.
Read the full Observer story here.
News / Opinion Champion of the poor, Paul Ryan stops by homeless shelter to wash clean dishes
Posted By Erin Tracy-Blackwood on Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 9:41 AM
There’s a problem plaguing the poor in America - I mean besides that they are all just too lazy to work for a living. America’s soup kitchens are just not washing their dishes.
GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is not going to stand for it any longer. Last week, he and his family made a generous 15 minute stop at a homeless shelter in Ohio on their way to the airport. They didn’t serve any food to the homeless or clean up. Nay, those jobs are for losers who have nothing better to do than volunteer hours helping the dirty moochers of society.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 17, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Moonshine exhibit at Gaston County Museum
* The Luciferian Agenda at Snug Harbor
* Artist's Night Fundraiser at The Saloon
* Off the Record featuring Temperance League and Mike Strauss at The Evening Muse
* Imprisoned in Hitler's Europe: Holocaust Survivor Susan Cernyak-Spatz at Davidson College
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
News / Opinion Robert Pittenger breaks fundraising record
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 2:39 PM
Robert Pittenger proves you really can be your biggest fan.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the Republican has broken the $3 million fundraising mark for the first time in 9th District - and possibly North Carolina - congressional-race history. With about $3.05 million, Pittenger out-raised his Democrat opponent, Jennifer Roberts, who raised about $449,000 through September.
But here's the kicker:
Arts LOL: Comedy in the Q.C.
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 2:21 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.
Joking about race can be a dicey affair. It's a sensitive topic, a hotbed for bigotry; jokes can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted. Is the comic perpetuating a stereotype or turning the stereotype on its head? But what if it weren't so complicated? What if we could just simply laugh at our own cultural differences and share them in a compelling way that unites us instead of dividing us? That's where The Most Races Show on Earth! comes in. The traveling event, launched in Canada in 2005, consists of comedians of various backgrounds — all of whom poke fun at their heritages without taking heat for it. Starring Neil Bansil (a Filipino-Canadian-American), Noah Gardenswartz (Jewish-American), Viet Huynh (Vietnamese-American), Landry (Jamaican-Canadian), and Trixx (Ghanaian-Canadian). Read the full story here. $10. Tue., Oct. 16, 8:30 p.m. Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. 704-765-2466. www.chopshopnoda.com.
Back when Amy Schumer’s stand-up special, Mostly Sex Stuff premiered on Comedy Central, we realized you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Schumer may not look like the type of girl to kiss and tell, but she does. In her act she gets personal (maybe a little too personal), touching on everything from her own sexual experiences to observations about porn and more. $15-$20. Thu., Oct. 18; Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m. & 10:15 p.m.; Oct. 20, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. The Comedy Zone, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 980-321-4702. www.cltcomedyzone.com.
Local sketch troupe Robot Johnson has moved its weekly shows to Wine Up. For rowdy Rated-R, laugh your ass off or confusedly look away humor, check out their comedy gig. For more information on Robot Johnson, visit www.robotjohnson.com. $10. Fri., Oct. 19 & Sat., Oct. 20, 10 p.m. Wine Up, 3306 N. Davidson St., Suite C. 704-430-4821. www.wine-up.com.
Just because Charlotte comedy troupe OTC Improv is straying from its usual shows of Single vs. Married Life doesn't mean it is dropping the subject of relationships. In the group's upcoming performance, E.L. James' popular erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey will be the main focus. Does this mean we can expect jokes about characters Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey's vomit-worthy swooning and the nation's obsession with mediocre writing? Probably. $10. Sat., Oct. 20, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, 650 E. Stonewall St. 704-618-4203. www.otcimprov.com.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: I Walked with a Zombie
Posted By Matt Brunson on Tue, Oct 16, 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.)
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943). This classic chiller has the distinction of being one of the best movies ever saddled with one of the worst titles. As it had done with Cat People, RKO chose a moniker around which Val Lewton had to build a movie. But the producer wasn't about to let the name hamper his commitment to excellence: Teaming again with Cat People director Jacques Tourneur and bringing Curt Siodmak (The Wolf Man) and Ardel Wray aboard as scripters, the gang meshed together an article by Inez Wallace with no less than Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre! Frances Dee plays the nurse who journeys to Haiti to look after the ailing wife (Christine Gordon) of a brooding plantation owner (Tom Conway). But as she becomes familiar with the locals and their customs, she begins to wonder if there's any merit to their belief that the wife is one of the undead. The nighttime march through the sugar cane fields is incredibly atmospheric, the high point in a film that's as poetic and dreamlike as it is suspenseful.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 16, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* The Most Races Show On Earth! at The Chop Shop
* Open Mic Poetry at Wine Up
* Langhorne Slim at Visulite Theatre
* Art Beyond Sight at Charlotte Art League
* Open Mic at Ed's Tavern
Monday, October 15, 2012
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: The Host
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Oct 15, 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 HOST (2006). Just as the original 1954 Japanese cut of Godzilla warned against the evils of nuclear proliferation, this Korean import (a blockbuster in its homeland) similarly rails against a host of societal ills, including humankind's disregard for nature, the ability of America to force its will on the rest of the globe, the false front provided by governments declaring bogus "terror alerts," and media insensitivity. Yet these themes only simmer in the background, and even the creature feature often takes back seat to a sturdy and even touching comedy-drama about the importance of familial fortitude. The central character is Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), a dimwitted food-stand vendor and unlikely father to bright young Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung). When an enormous mutant emerges from the Han River, munches on a few humans and then takes Hyun-seo back to his lair, it's up to Gang-du and other family members to rescue the girl, battling military personnel every step of the way. Full of memorable imagery (amusing sight gags easily commingle with more brutal shots) and anchored by the human story at its center, The Host is only harmed by the varying quality of its special effects. Still, given that the movie works best when focusing on the people rather than the predator, that amounts to a minor quibble: This is a monster movie for those who like a little meat on the genre's bones.
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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.
