DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: The 400 Blows Expect to see plenty of French New Wave retrospectives over the next year or so, as 2008 represents the movement's 50th anniversary. If Claude Chabrol's 1958 Le Beau Serge lit the fuse, François Truffaut's 400 Blows was the first in a subsequent series of cinematic explosions that announced France's new generation of... more ›

Meat and Potato, the low-fi theatre company devoted to reviving disused devices such as puppetry and masks, has taken on Rashomon as their latest experiment. Is this a good idea? No, it's a great idea, which makes it all the more disappointing that the show, despite the obvious care and labor that has gone into it, arrives half-formed. more ›

>> It's the annual Night of 1,000 Cakes at Fort Reno. Did we mention the Free Cake? Free Cake! (in the form of cupcakes). Also Aquarium, Benjy Ferree and Yell County. 7:15 p.m. >> Jammin' Java in Vienna is trying something different tonight with Porto Beat, a night of electronic music featuring four of the area's top DJ talents: Ross Lara, DJ Lantern, Ramiro and DJ Nexius. All ages show, $10 for under 21,... more ›

Puppets. Off-color humor. Off-color humor involving puppets. What could go wrong? Well, plenty, if BurleyQ is any indication. This exhaustingly awful entrant into the Capital Fringe Festival may appear to have a wacky, whimsical premise, but instead is the kind of show where you find yourself digging your nails into the knee of your theatergoing companion, eagerly waiting for the 50 minutes to pass. Think painfully bad jokes, laughably poor production value, frequently off-key singing,... more ›

Arena Stage's is so swollen with visual and musical marvels one might undervalue the performance of Karen Kandel, narrator of this hypnotic take on Peter Pan. She plays Wendy, along with every other speaking part, but this is no one-woman show. Sharing the stage are seven white-hooded puppeteers, and a company of dolls they bring to such astonishing life that it’s hard not to think of the performances of Peter Pan or Captain Hook as the work of a single actor. more ›

FRIDAY: >> It's going to be a stormy, steamy night in the District, so we'd recommend heading over to catch one of the Capital Fringe Festival's most buzzed-about plays, Rorschach's The Arabian Night, at the Sanctuary Theatre at Casa Del Pueblo. The space doesn't have air conditioning, so take a cue from our theater critic: "All in all, the dreamy, smoldering Arabian Night is worth every sweltering moment. But follow the cue of the play's... more ›

In its first weekend, the Capital Fringe Festival turned downtown D.C. into a moveable feast of performance, as show after show made its Fringe debut. As we enter Day Five of the festival, it’s now time to go get a second helping—a show you want to see again or a show your friends have told you is a must-see. Even still, a handful of shows will get their start today. At DCist, we’d love to... more ›

... to come to their 3rd Wednesday Happy Hours. And if you aren't yet as excited about the Capital Fringe Festival as we are, let it be known that the time to wave those freak flags high is nigh. more ›

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If you missed it at the local National Film Challenge screening at the Warehouse Theater or at Artomatic 2004, the hilarious (and perhaps a bit prophetic) mockumentary "Felt: Tearing the Fabric of America" is now available online. The short piece, produced by local groups Cavegirl Productions and Defectiv Films, was fully made over the course of one weekend and was recently named "Best Mockumentary" by the NFC. "Felt" was also named one of the top 10 films in the competition, which featured 151 entries from 35 states and D.C. At the Warehouse Theater screening, "Felt" had DCist -- and most of the audience -- in tears. We were especially impressed by the puppetry in the film, easily rivaling any episode of "Crank Yankers." more ›

Good morning, Washington. We're sure that with many of you off for Veterans Day yesterday, you may have taken today off as well. Enjoy your four-day weekend and a rainy Friday. more ›