Where for Thou Art House?
Since the death of Visions, the District has been sorely lacking in genuine art house cinema fare. But a brief sweep of the summer film landscape has turned up a much more eclectic and inviting set of mid-week options than we would have guessed, from well chosen special screenings at familiar venues to intriguing, less obvious options. Get it while the gettin's good: art houses everywhere seem to be going the way of the gray wolf.
TUESDAY >>Two of this country's greatest film actors and one of its most celebrated directors come together to make, this, well, pretty darn good, if not great film. Its failure to become a box office success upon release in 1962 is probably why you never saw it, but "Days of Wine and Roses" is more than worth a look. Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon star as a young couple who have trouble hanging on to love when they can't find it at the bottom of a gin bottle. This was director Blake Edwards' more serious dramatic venture in between huge blockbusters "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "The Pink Panther." At the American City Diner & Cinema Cafe on Connecticut Ave. NW, 8:30 pm. Call (202) 244-1949.
WEDNESDAY >> The Battle of Algiers is one of those films over which every IR geek in college got their panties in a twist, this DCist included. And with every passing day of the Iraq war, the lessons to be found in it seem all the more haunting. Director Gillo Pontecorvo's semi-fictional history of France's occupation of Algieria is not to be missed. At The International Spy Museum, with a special discussion led by CIA veteran Burton L. Gerber. 6:30 pm, $15.
THURSDAY >> One of the most startlingly beautiful films of last year was Argentinian director Lucretia Martel's Lolita-esque dreamscape "The Holy Girl." Though it had little to no discernable story, "The Holy Girl" was a deeply affecting look at sexual awakening and redemption that relied more on subtle visual cues and motifs than heavy-handed plot points. So we suggest hurrying to catch what looks like it could be the final screening of Martel's previous film, "La Cienaga." At the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. 7 pm.
Other film events to note: "Doom Generation" director Gregg Araki is apparently all-grows up with "Mysterious Skin" at the E Street Cinema, female hip-hop pioneers get their due in Rachel Raimist's "Nobody Knows My Name" at Provisions Library, and Slapsticon, a weekend-long tribute to physical comedies, gives D.C. and Arlington a generous helping of pie in the face.