The Chatham News + Record

Becoming a teenager not just mark on calendar

My first-born grandchild, who happens to be the only guy out of a total of six folks in that category, entered the great unknown world of “teendom” last week. more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 1/18/19

I, and my car, need help

Some people, I believe, have a natural aptitude for auto mechanics, but I’m not one of them. more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 1/18/19

Armie Hammer stars as Marty Ginsburg and Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg star in Mimi Leder's ON THE BASIS OF SEX, a Focus Features release.

Rosy socio-political ‘On the Basis of Sex’is a feel-good drama, and not much else

On the Basis of Sex Grade: B – Director: Mimi Leder Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, and Sam Waterston MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, News + Record Critic | 1/14/19

On not losing any sleep over something I kinda stole

Some might consider it highway robbery to be asked to pay eight bucks for a small vial of tiny white pellets that are supposed to magically help you fall asleep. more

BY BILL HORNER III | 1/10/19

Looking both ways not same as two-faced

Around this time of year, many folks go to great lengths to make resolutions about things they will do or say or not do or say in the new year. For most of them, that change in behavior lasts somewhere around 10 or 15 minutes. more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 1/10/19

Critics aren’t the final word on worth of movies

In the late 1980s, while I was a reporter at a small daily newspaper in the Sandhills, the sports editor (a man improbably named Lance Spear) and I hatched a plan to break into the movies. more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 1/10/19

Regina King stars in the film based on the novel by James Baldwin.

Bleak odyssey of ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ has optimistic message

If Beale Street Could Talk Grade: B + Director: Barry Jenkins Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Michael Beach, and Brian Tyree Henry MPAA … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, News + Record Critic | 1/8/19

Words: know what you mean when you say them

In one way or another, throughout most of my life I’ve used words to make a living. Other than when I bagged groceries or was a soda jerk – not to be confused with being a regular jerk – or had a brief career as a house painter, words have been my thing. more

BY BOB WACHS | 1/3/19

Maybe we shouldn’t call them resolutions

Some people proudly, defiantly declare they do not make New Year’s resolutions, but I don’t believe them. more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE | 1/3/19

Sometimes, a picture can be downright criminal

I don’t take a lot of selfies. Check that – I don’t post a lot of selfies. more

BY BILL HORNER III | 1/3/19

Mixing days of old with ‘toys’ of today

Nobody has ever accused me of being in first place in the world of technology. Actually, I’m not much of a fan of it, except for the part that comes with medicine and doctors and such like the part that helped me out with heart surgery earlier this year. more

BY BOB WACHS | 12/27/18

Change is inevitable but not always easy

An ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus centuries ago observed, perhaps on a blustery day, that change is the only constant. more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE | 12/27/18

At the library with bin Laden and Garfunkel

I actually started AND finished a book last week while on vacation, and as we move into 2019 I’m once again adding “read more books” to my list of resolutions for the New Year. more

BY BILL HORNER III, News + Record Publisher & Editor | 12/27/18

Ryan Gosling stars in 'First Man,' critic Neil Morris' pick for best film of 2018.

The best and worst in film

Here are my best and worst films of 2018, along with the most unexpected surprises and disappointments this year. Most of the comments are drawn from my written reviews: Top 10 Best Film of … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 12/24/18

Leading a dog’s life not that ruff ... er, rough

There’s probably not another human being alive who loves a dog more than I do.Well, at least a good dog. more

By BOB WACHS | 12/20/18

Stringing Christmas lights a challenging tradition

When it comes to holiday traditions, we probably can’t help being influenced by how we were raised.My parents, for instance, while by no means anti-Christmas, were steadfast in their tradition of putting up Christmas decorations no sooner than one week before Christmas Day. more

By RANDALL RIGSBEE | 12/20/18

The Christmas tree code

Every year, since our kids were old enough to read, the presents have gone under our Christmas tree without tags.Instead, my wife Lee Ann and I came up with a code to identify which gift belongs to which child. We’d write the code – either a letter or a number, or a combination – on one corner of the gift. more

By BILL HORNER III | 12/20/18

Reverent 'Stan & Ollie' keeps narrative tension at a simmer

“Stan & Ollie” is a loving, heartfelt hagiography that’s as comfy and inoffensive as one of its titular duo’s comedic acts. Indeed, long stretches of the tidy 97-minute … more

BY NEIL MORRIS | 12/18/18

One man’s steak is another man’s potted meat

It’s been said of humanity that we are what we eat.If that’s true, I’m beginning to think I might be in trouble. more

By BOB WACHS | 12/13/18

‘Oh boy!’ or ‘Oh no!’ Either way, we had snow

Snow is like a Rorschach test. Some look at it – snow itself, and forecasts of it – and it brings them joy. Others – and if you’re in the first group, you may call them curmudgeons -- find snow not so much fun. more

By RANDALL RIGSBEE | 12/13/18