The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) named No Country for Old Men the Best Picture of 2007 in its 16th year of voting. The powerful crime thriller, based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, earned a total of four awards, its other victories coming in the categories of Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Adapted Screenplay […]
Search Results for: out of sight
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Happy valley
Twenty minutes northwest of Asheville, Highway 63 winds up a series of switchbacks, surmounts a ridge and dips down the other side. Views open up as the Walnut and Newfound mountains loom blue in the distance. In season, the fields lining the roadside are thick with tomatoes, rank stands of burley tobacco, feed corn and […]
Lock and load
On the bottom floor of the Asheville Police Department, Evidence Manager Lee Smith wheels out a large mail cart full of guns. He follows that with two restaurant-size trash cans. All three have dozens of rifle muzzles protruding from them. What a sight: APD Evidence Manager Lee Smith holds one of the more valuable weapons […]
British evasion
“My mama always said that I was a little bit cheeky,” explains British vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mark Casson. Mama said it, so the admonishment became the tongue-in-cheek name of the band Casson fronts with his wife, Shannon Hines Casson. Cheeky monkeys: The Cheeksters bring plenty of energy and fun to their music. The Cassons, who […]
A word to the wise
Every December, I take a little time to try to apply the lessons I’ve learned as an observer of local politics over the past 12 years. The goal is to try to give some useful gifts to people who are in the spotlight in our community, to help them reach their full potential in the […]
Just picture this
Let’s get a few things straight: I don’t mind the little expenses that come with being a parent, such as the field trips, book orders and activities, but the child portrait tends to get under my skin. Let me clarify. The thing that really gets me is that you are required to pay for the […]
Cleaning up that footprint
Parrish Rhodes [“Be Careful Where You Step,” Letters, Dec. 12] correctly observes that we all have a carbon footprint from our activities. She also says to reduce [greenhouse gas emissions] first, [and] concludes by suggesting people consider carbon offsets: paying for reduction in emissions elsewhere to compensate for [those] you cannot eliminate. She names Terrapass […]
Juno
The Story: A teenage girl finds she's pregnant and makes arrangements to give her baby to a childless couple. The Lowdown: Avoiding the pitfalls of indie hipness, Juno emerges as a warm, witty film with terrific characters and performances.
P.S. I Love You
The Story: A young widow receives letters from her late husband telling her how to get on with life. The Lowdown: A preposterous concept that's given an even more preposterous -- and amazingly overlong -- treatment, not helped by a miscast lead.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
The Story: A spoof of biopics, following the life of fictional rock star Dewey Cox. The Lowdown: A spoof with an OK concept that feels more like a really bad Saturday Night Live skit that never wants to end, rather than an actual movie.
Weekly Asheville Disclaimer Page: 12/26/07
• Medford scandal raises troubling questions
• A conspiracy, not 80 pounds of dynamite, brought down the Enka Towers
• No-Knock Career Opportunities
• Kid Care with Arnold
• Asheville Alibi
High stakes
Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford and three of his officers were arrested Dec. 13 and charged with extorting money from illegal video-poker operations, among other crimes. Jailhouse blues: Former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford was arrested on multiple federal charges on Dec. 13. Photo by Jonathan Welch Arrested along with Medford were former reserve […]
Asheville City Council
The Asheville City Council’s Dec. 11 meeting—the last one in 2007—saw some shuffling of seats as the newly elected Bill Russell replaced outgoing Council member Bryan Freeborn, and incumbent Jan Davis got the nod as vice mayor. This seat taken? New Council member Bill Russell (right) takes a seat vacated by Bryan Freeborn as re-elected […]
A tear in our beer
Most of us don’t pay attention to the vagaries of global agricultural production, but perhaps we should: After all, they’re finding a way into our favorite drink. Beer, if you hadn’t noticed, is getting more expensive. Drought in Australia, the weakness of the dollar against the Euro, crop-disease problems in Europe and shifting markets in […]
Joy for the holidays
A few weeks ago I was privileged to attend “Our Daily Bread,” a convocation at Duke Divinity School that focused on sustainability. Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, two of the most insightful and respected thinkers and authors on a proper earth economy, were inspiring both in their presentations and in conversation. Jackson used the word […]
I Am Legend
The Story: Will Smith plays the "last man on earth" in this postapocalyptic zombie yarn. The Lowdown: Uneven special effects, a clunky structure and a lack of any real focus undermine this third attempt at filming this story.
Music review: Warren Haynes Christmas Pre-Jam
The Warren Haynes Pre-Jam, held at the Orange Peel was everything you’d expect, and more. It was also a love letter to the great soul music of yesteryear.
Edgy Mama: Kids giveth and kids taketh away
My book club, along with every other book club in America, recently read Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. When we discussed the story, one of my book-club buddies noted Gilbert’s courage in venturing off on a yearlong spiritual search for self. But, she added, for those of us with kids, that amount of time and space for self is fricking impossible (OK, she didn’t say “fricking” — I did).
Outdoor Journal
Carcass, shmarcass?: The N.C. Wildlife Commission is reminding us that proper disposal of deer and other game carcasses is a vital last step to any hunting trip—and also helps avoid acts that could be considered at least unsightly and, at worst, illegal. “Recent reports of illegally discarded deer carcasses give a negative image of hunting […]
Heave Holt
The Holt Bill: The media rarely mention it; you’ve maybe never heard of it. Yet, it may be the most important bill in Congress this year. The Holt Bill was about election reform. The Holt Bill now disenfranchises us. It was supposed to fix the problems of the 2000 and 2004 elections. It started out […]
Asheville City Council
At its Nov. 27 meeting, the Asheville City Council unanimously approved a budget change to help fund the initial stages of a proposed renovation and expansion of the W.C. Reid Center for Creative Arts. Parks and Recreation Director Roderick Simmons said the move would enable the center’s “Raise the Roof at the Reid” capital campaign […]