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THE TIMES KEEP changing in Kansas. The onetime blood-drenched Civil War border state has seen the rise of occasional radicals and an evolution into a staunch home of conservatism. "What's the Matter With Kansas?" traces the state's political and ideological waves through the eyes of two conservative families and one very non-traditional farmer. Don't expect a Michael Moore polemic, though, as director Joe Winston takes Thomas Frank's best-selling book and lets the characters speak for themselves, without editorial comment. Rated one of the top 10 documentaries of 2009 by Roger Ebert, "Kansas" shows at E Street Cinema this weekend with Winston and Frank appearing at the 7:30 & 10 p.m. shows on Friday.
» E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; $10; 202-452-7672. (Metro Center)
SUNDAY: The Environmental Film Festival is full of gems every year, but we have to admit that we've stoked for "Home" not because of any allegiance to the planet, but because we love Isabelle Huppert with a fiery passion worthy of how very French she is.
The movie, which screens at the National Gallery this weekend, tells the story of a family who lives beside a deserted highway. We hesitate to call it a road movie, but roads do figure prominently.
» National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW ; Sun., March 21, 4:30 p.m., free; 202-342-2564. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Jerome Prebois
TUESDAY: Hey, guys, the Smithsonian is doing something trendy!
They're hosting a panel discussion that mixes a Jane Austen scholar with the authors of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters," those bizarre yet self-explanatory reimaginings of Austen classics. We're hoping for a literary rumble.
» Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW; Tue., March 9, 6:45p.m., $45; 202-633-3030. (Smithsonian)
Image courtesy Quirk Classics
FORGET PERFUME AND cologne for Valentine's Day. The sexiest scent of all is sweat (it's those pheromones!), so celebrate the holiday as a dynamic duo with one of these fitness activities.
TAKES TWO
Instead of going to a restaurant thinking about what to eat, at Meze (2437 18th St. NW; 202-797-0017) you have to think about what to do with your feet — at the $10 tango classes offered every Monday night. Beginners can show up at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. for an hour-long intro to the footwork, holds and turns. And although it's a notoriously difficult dance to master, native Argentinean instructor Pablo Fontana assures that the teaching technique makes it accessible to anyone. "These are not just memorized steps, so little by little the body will remember how to move without any effort," he says. More seasoned students show off what they can do during the advanced class at 9 p.m. The dance floor opens to all for a candlelight milonga at 10 p.m.
LOVE MATCH
You're guaranteed to get hit on at the East Potomac Tennis Center (1090 Ohio Drive SW; 202-554-5567). The indoor facilities at Hains Point are open to the public. Call up to a week in advance to reserve a court ($28.50-$38 per hour), or press your luck and just show up. Don't have a racquet? They sell them on-site, along with balls, strings and other accessories. To serve up an even more romantic day, warm up by taking a stroll around the monuments and Tidal Basin on your way from the Smithsonian Metro stop.
Continue Reading "Get Some Action: Exercise Date Ideas For Valentine's Day" »
IF IT WALKS and talks like a "Sexy Beast," it's from the same writer. The British import "44-Inch Chest," opening on Friday, stars Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and John Hurt, so you can guess there's kitchen-sink atmosphere, crimejinks and lots and lots of cursing.
» E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; opens Fri., 202-452-7672. (Metro Center)
SATURDAY: If you're a regular newsletter reader, you know we like Anton Chekhov. And since his work is so understated — yet hilarious! yet moving! yet farcical! yet tragic! — it translates well to film. The National Gallery has been showing filmed version of his plays and short stories for more than a week, but they're just now getting to "The Seagull," our favorite Chekhov play.
Don't let the fact that it's in Russian stop you. Chekhov was the greatest playwright who ever wrote, except that other guy.
» National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; Sat, Jan. 30, 2:30 p.m., free; 202-737-4215. (Smithsonian)
TUESDAY: "For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots" may be only 40 minutes long, but this excerpt from an upcoming PBS documentary will be as information-packed as it is inspiring.
The world premiere is presented by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
» American History Museum, 12th Street & Constitution Avenue NW; Tue., Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m., free; 202-633-1000.
THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL always gets a lot of buzz for its excellent restaurant CityZen, but new, more casual concept Sou'Wester has been getting plenty of ink since it opened in September.
The meaning behind the restaurant's name is twofold. The restaurant is in Southwest D.C., and "sou'wester" means strong winds from the southwest. As chef de cuisine Rachael Harriman explains, "It's like a nor'easter, but it comes in from the southwest. It's something coming in that's going to change things."
Changing things is the plan for Sou'Wester, which is a replacement for Asian-inspired Cafe MoZU. The restaurant has a warm, earthy feel, like you just stopped by a farm and were invited in for dinner.
CityZen executive chef Eric Ziebold, a James Beard Award winner, headlines Sou'Wester, but Harriman executes the American comfort dishes. The two chefs worked together for three years at City-Zen, and before that at the French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York.
WITH HIS FILMS "After Life" and "Nobody Knows," Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda has proven his talent for wringing maximum drama and emotion from a quiet camera, minimalist dialogue and serenely devastating scenarios. In "Still Walking," screening on Wednesday at the Japan Information and Culture Center, depicts three generations of a family who come together for a tragic reunion. Bitterness, resentment and grief bubble up as if from a poisonous underground river, exposing the cracks in the family's polite facade.
» Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, 1155 21st St. NW; Wed., Jan. 20, free with reservations; jiccrsvp@embjapan.org. (Dupont Circle)
Witness to a Pilgrimage
About 3 million Muslims make the Hajj from all corners of the world, but most non-Muslims have no idea what this journey of the faithful entails or what it looks like at the end. Now, film fans can accompany a great explorer on his pilgrimage to Mecca before planes, trains and automobiles helped smooth the path. "Journey to Mecca," opening at the Smithsonian's Johnson Theater on Thursday, re-creates the 1325 trek made by geographer Ibn Battuta, who set out from Tangiers and endured physical hardship for great spiritual rewards.
» Johnson Theater, Natural History Museum, 10th Street & Constitution Avenue NW; through March 3; $8.75.
Photo courtesy IFC Films
ONGOING: Remember all those gorgeous art books at the Freer that you never buy because they're hilariously expensive? Yeah, here's your chance. Swoop down on the Freer's yearly attic sale, where they sell all their gift shop goodies for lower prices than you'll usually see.
» Freer Gallery, Jefferson and 12th streets NW; through Jan. 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free; 202-633-1000. (Smithsonian)
Photo courtesy Freer Gallery of Art
Addison Road