Critical Voices: Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Polyvinyl

Far be it from me to speculate on Kevin Barnes’ emotional state, but after listening to the latest Of Montreal release, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, I’d have to say he got burned, badly.

By Shira Hecht January 25, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Shins, Wincing the Night Away, Transgressive

James Mercer and the Shins had it good. Their surprisingly deep first album, Oh, Inverted World, took off in the wake of Zach Braff’s decision to include two of its strongest songs on the soundtrack to Garden State. Their sophomore release, Chutes Too Narrow, was a worthy successor, eliminating most of their psychedelia in favor of more traditional pop. With their newest release, Wincing the Night Away, however, the Shins are merely ‘good’, and stacked up against their first two albums, it just isn’t enough.

By Justin Hunter Scott January 25, 2007

Leisure

Abroad in your own backyard

Escape post-holiday boredom and traverse the Atlantic in one easy cab ride at one of the many foreign embassy events this February.

By Alysse Cohen January 25, 2007

Leisure

Bottoms Up, Wiseys!

The table is set, the romantic lasagna dinner is in the oven, and four noisy roommates have been hustled out the door of your Henle apartment. It’s five till eight and she’s on her way over; then it hits you.

By Chris Stanton January 25, 2007

Leisure

God gets bored with the Lost Boys

Either too much time has elapsed in the film industry since the last political rallying cry (An Inconvenient Truth) or Hollywood has more time on its hands than we thought.

By Traviss Cassidy January 18, 2007

Leisure

Cross-dressing witch adds charm to Macbeth

Synetic Theater, a group participating in Washington’s six monthlong Shakespeare festival, has accomplished what Cliff’s Notes and Hollywood have been trying to do for decades: it has given aggravated students Shakespeare without its most troubling component: Shakespeare.

By Ryan Maye Handy January 18, 2007

Leisure

The story behind Zoo Story

It is January 11th, roughly two weeks before opening night on Nomadic Theater’s production of Zoo Story. It’s down to the nitty-gritty now: the specifics of the noise a dog makes and how, exactly, the newspaper should be shoved under a bench.

By Shira Hecht January 18, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Clap Your Hands, Menomena

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Some Loud Thunder, Wichita Cease the clapping, cross the arms and brace yourself for the slump. Abandoning the upbeat, dancey formula of the band’s 2005... Read more

By Daniel Cook January 18, 2007

Leisure

You Taste Like a Burger: The Food Olympics

a bi-weekly column on food

By Kathryn Brand January 18, 2007

Leisure

Pan’s Labyrinth is a-maze-ing

For every child, the characters from fairy tales can creep from the pages of a book into the child’s bedroom and consciousness. No movie in recent memory conveys this message with as much skill and raw emotional power as Pan’s Labyrinth, opening in D.C. this Friday.

By Traviss Cassidy January 11, 2007

Leisure

The Poverty Chic Travel Guide: three days in New York

You’ve blown through your Christmas cash, your new job hasn’t started yet, and book buyback netted you a whopping $3.80.

By Sarah Harman January 11, 2007

Leisure

About town: your guide to January

Concerts Camera Obscura – Jan. 22 @ 9:30 Club Not to be confused with the California indie rock outfit of the same name, this Camera Obscura hail from the twee... Read more

By Chris Norton January 11, 2007

Leisure

Love and narcissism

Self-destructive mania has never been on my list of laughing matter. At least, not until I read Patricia Marx’s fiction debut “Him Her Him Again The End of Him”, a refreshingly bold and humorous take on the repercussions of fatal attraction that stands out from the chick-lit canon.

By Madeline Reidy January 11, 2007

Leisure

Restaurant Week

Ever dreamed of knowing the difference between a salad fork and an olive fork? Foodophiles take note the Washington Resaurant Week is back.

By Sarah Harman January 11, 2007

Leisure

Apocalypto a simple, brutal romp

Apocalypto, Mel Gibson’s latest film, comes at perhaps the most tumultuous, contentious moment of his career. You wouldn’t know it from the movie’s posters and advertisements, though, where it is prominently referred to as “Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.”

By Justin Hunter Scott December 7, 2006

Leisure

Diamond bleeds greed, blood

Charitable pretense can often spoil the integrity of such politically-charged films as Blood Diamond. I entered the theater with images in mind of Leonardo DiCaprio following the celebrity “trend” of performing seemingly vain acts of charity in Africa. However, upon viewing director Edward Zwick’s latest movie in all its graphic gore and compelling content, it appears that DiCaprio’s work may have been sincere after all.

By Kyle Fitzpatrick December 7, 2006

Leisure

Critical Voices: Ghostface Killah and The Clipse

Ghostface Killah, More Fish, and Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury

By Traviss Cassidy December 7, 2006

Leisure

Veggie porn and human tofu

You Taste Like a Burger: a bi-weekly column about food

By Kathryn Brand December 7, 2006

Leisure

Mazel Tov: Jewish Filmfest

Still feeling guilty about seeing Borat? Counting down the days until you can bust out the menorah? Do you just want to stick it to Mel Gibson? For all those who wish Hanukkah could start just a little bit sooner, the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center is presenting the 17th Annual Washington Jewish Film Festival, which runs through Dec. 10.

By Andy Martell December 7, 2006

Leisure

Nooks and Cramming: Top 4 Places to Study for Finals

Love Café on U St. will satisfy your sweet tooth, while Busboys and Poets, another U St. hotspot, will bring out the creative genius in you.

By Madeline Reidy December 7, 2006