By DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor Halloween is fast approaching, and because the scariest day of the year was inconsiderate enough to fall mid-week this year, much of the drunken pin the rib on the skeleton madness begins next weekend. But the District has very few true costume shops. If you've sorted through your closet and still haven't found a winner for this year's costume, we thought we'd offer a few suggestions as to where to... more ›

In light of this momentous weekend in movie history, we here at DCist would like to take a brief look back at some of the seminal events in moving pictures. Ever since the dawn of the 20th century, the transmission of images on celluloid has captivated people around the world. Silent films, such as Georges Melies' Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin and Charlie Chaplin's varied oeuvre pioneered many of the elements that are integral to today's big budget extravaganzas -- special effects, tracking shots, jump cuts, and more. With the advent of talking films, both directors and politicians began to see films' value as a tool of propaganda. As World War II dawned, Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will portrayed Adolf Hitler and the German troops in a positive light, while across the ocean, American filmmakers struck back with their own allegory of the struggle between good and evil, the 1942 classic film, Star Wars. more ›

(With this post, DCist starts featuring guest music
reviews from our readers. The first one is from DCist contributor Jake Wolman.)




• "They're pretty mellow--great music to study to."
  
  
• "They play fun alt-country indie rock."
  
  
• "Don't miss this show."
  
  
• "They're a great live band."
  
  
• "I make sure to see them whenever they come through DC."

We weren't sure exactly what to expect from Clem Snide, but given the enthusiastic recommendations we got from a number of our good friends, we were definitely excited to see them do their thing.

The first opening band was Marbles. Marbles is the solo project of Rob Schneider, frontman of the terrific Apples in Stereo. Schneider may be accustomed to playing with bandmates, but on Friday he made do with a stereo system not unlike the one we had on our bookshelf in college. Wearing big blocky sunglasses, a shiny silver cape and matching flip-flops, with an unplugged electric guitar hanging from his neck, Schneider didn't exactly exude staid professionalism. Adding to the effect was his backing troupe: cardboard cutouts of the robot from Lost in Space and Darth Vader (with shoulder-strapped keyboard, circa 1986). He gesticulated dramatically, at times looking like a karaoke version of a glam rock diva, swinging his guitar around and generally strutting like the cock of the walk. His antics, however, couldn't completely distract from the simple appeal of his quirky songs--despite the bizarre accoutrements and goofy dramatics, Schneider's performance was quite enjoyable. The combination of simple, harmonic guitar, soft drums, and glitchy synth effects melded well with his high, melodic voice, and while the presentation may not have tickled everyone in the audience it's hard to complain about the music or Schneider's energy--this was an excellent beginning to the evening.

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DC Art News alerted us to this posting from grammar.police about a most unusal sclupture at the National Cathedral. That's right, it's Darth Vader from the Star Wars saga. Does this mean that fallen Jedi warriors are held in high regard by the Episcopalian church? more ›