ONGOING: Turkey's location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa makes for a somewhat hairy political situation — but on the plus side, you get some great cross-cultural art.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts highlights women's contributions to the Turkish scene in "A Dream ... But Not Yours."
» National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW; through May 16, $8-$10; 703-584-8459. (Metro Center)
CORRUPTION KNOWS NO bounds in the "Red Riding" trilogy. Based on David Peace's novels, the films — aired as a series on English television — explore darkness deep in the hearts of powerful men. Each movie has a different director, and each one works as a stand-alone. In a recent interview, director Anand Tucker ("Leap Year," "Shopgirl") weighed in on "In the Year of Our Lord 1983," the final installment of the series.
» EXPRESS: Did you have to deal with any consistency issues?
» TUCKER: That was one of the other reasons I did the project, actually. They were three separate films: You could watch "1983" without seeing the other two, and it would work. When I saw all three films together, they became this fantastic meditation on memory. They were about how we remember, and how we struggle to make truth out of different interpretations of past events.
Continue Reading "Evil Lurking: Anand Tucker, 'In the Year of Our Lord 1983'" »
WHEN THE JAMES Beard Foundation announced its restaurant and chef award semifinalists last month, Washington's J&G Steakhouse found itself among the nominees for best new restaurant.
As the foundation prepares to announce the names of finalists March 22, J&G General Manager Peter Smith spoke about how the latest location in chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's expanding dominion has progressed since it opened its doors at the W Hotel on July 8.
» EXPRESS: What was your reaction to the James Beard nomination?
» SMITH: It's a great recognition among great restaurants. Obviously, we're thrilled. It's the top award you can win as a restaurateur, so we're really happy to be in the running. We're still a little shocked. We just opened, so it's just great.
SUNDAY: How did it get to be Oscar time again? Seriously, did another year go by already? Whatever. Let's talk the Oscar viewing party at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
You know you want to judge the gowns and trash-talk co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. The question is: why would you leave your living room to do it? Let's make a list:
1. This party is "Academy-sanctioned" and black tie.
2. There's an open bar, and the money from your ticket benefits the Red Cross.
3. The voices told you you shouldn't be alone.
» National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW; Sun., March 7, 7 p.m., $100-$175; 703-584-8459. (Metro Center)
Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
IF YOU ONLY see one steampunk animated short film from Poland this year, make it "The Kinematograph."
Now playing at the E Street Cinema as part of the Oscar-nominated short animated films program, "The Kinematograph" (which wasn't nominated; it comes "highly commended") tells the story of a man who struggles to invent movies, right before the Lumiere brothers did. But with color and sound.
Director Tomek Baginsky's main point is that movies aren't just about film — they're about living, even if it's living a life you missed the first time around.
CULTURES, TRADITIONS AND political priorities may differ, but Olympic fever is universal. For a different take on what lengths a nation will go to in order to look like winners in time for the games, see Philipp Stoltz's "North Face," opening on Friday. The film is a fictionalized re-creation of a horrific actual event — the doomed 1936 Alpine climb up a flank charmingly called "The Murder Wall" by Bavarian climbers and an ambitious photographer. To say that things do not go well would be an understatement. To point out that the climbers' dramatic struggle was played out before guests at a luxury hotel with a fine view of the peaks would just be cruel.
» E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; opens Fri. Feb. 26; 202-452-7672. (Metro Center)
ON "HELL'S KITCHEN," irascible chef Gordon Ramsay once said that a sure way to size up a chef is to taste his or her risotto. If you've ever stirred up a batch of the creamy Italian dish, you'd understand why. Risotto isn't difficult to make, but like Ramsay, the rice concoction demands constant attention.
"You can't really turn your back on it," says Nicholas Stefanelli, executive chef at Bibiana (1100 New York Ave. NW; 202-216-9550). "For one-pot cooking, it's great, but you have to properly care for it."
The secret to risotto's gooey goodness: the alchemy that occurs when short-grain rice's natural starches dissolve during cooking, creating a creamy texture that binds the rice while preserving its al-dente-ness. But the time you must spend coaxing out that effect means relentlessly stirring (typically about 20 minutes), which has given risotto a risky rap.
Continue Reading "Cause a Big Stir: Risotto Tips and Tricks" »
WEDNESDAY: They sound manufactured for music-loving hipsters: Canadian twin sisters who write folk-pop music!
But Tegan and Sara aren't just popular because their story sells well: It's also because their music is awesome. Not what we'd call rousing, but lovely and memorable.
» Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW; Wed., Feb. 17, 8 p.m., $35-$38; 202-783-4000. (Metro Center)
Photo courtesy WEA
SURE, YOU COULD slush down to the multiplex and pay a fortune to see what critics seem to agree is another lackluster contemporary romantic comedy called "When in Rome." Or you could get thee to AFI Silver, which for a few magical weeks a year is transformed into the most romantic place in the area, and see "Roman Holiday." The 1953 swooner starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn had wit, charm, Vespas and royalty. Skip the flowers and take your honey to this; she will almost certainly be "very happy." (The movie will fill in the rest of that little inside joke.)
» AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; Fri. & Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; "Screen Valentines: Great Movie Romances" runs through March 10; 301-495-6700. (Silver Spring)
DANIEL ELLSBERG'S HISTORICAL decision to leak the Pentagon Papers to American newspapers in 1971 has been immortalized in textbooks and lecture halls. But while Ellsberg has gotten used to the impact of his whistle-blowing, he never expected to get nominated for an Academy Award for it.
"I think it could encourage people to do more leaking," Ellsberg said of the film about him, ”The Most Dangerous Man in America," which will compete in the Best Documentary category at the Academy Awards.
"I don't benefit financially or personally from [the film], but I am happy about the nomination because I think we need more examples in front of people. ... I think it's good for people to see that it is possible for humans and citizens and patriotic citizens to act this way."
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