Photo by yakfur.FRIDAY
KNITTING & MOVIES: Work on your latest knitting project while you watch Jurassic Park at Fibre Space’s (1219 King St., Alexandria, Va) Friday Knit at the Movies event tonight. 6-9 p.m. Free. — Lis Grant
PUNK KARAOKE: Belt out your favorite punk rock songs at the Black Cat’s (1811 14th St. NW) Punk Rock Karaoke tonight and help raise money for Ambassador Pit Bull Rescue. 9:30 p.m. $8. — Lis Grant
ORCHESTRA: As part of the NSO In Your Neighborhood series, an ensemble performance of The Last Stand Quartet, featuring NSO musicians Joel Fuller, Alexandra Osborne, Mahoko Eguchi, and Rachel Young, will take place at The Argonaut (1433 H Street NE) tonight from 7-8 p.m.
FILM: Director Jafar Panahi was arrested at a Tehran cemetery at the funeral for one of the protesters killed in the aftermath of the 2009 Iranian elections. The Iranian government sentenced Panahi to six years of house arrest and banned him from filmmaking for twenty years. But that hasn’t stopped him from working. The director made the autobiographical documentary This Is Not A Film in 2011 and returns with a work that the Freer calls “a self-reflexive, Pirandello-like consideration of his punishment’s effect on his psyche. Shot in Panahi’s beach house, Closed Curtain begins as the story of a man (codirector and actor Kambozia Partovi) hiding his adorable dog from Iran’s recent ban on dog-walking. He is joined by a neurotic young woman who takes shelter with them during a storm—but when Panahi himself appears on screen, it becomes obvious they are just figures from his imagination.” Part of the Freer’s 18th annual Iranian Film Festival. Screens Friday, January 10 at 7 pm and Sunday, January 12 at 2 pm at the Freer Gallery (1050 Independence Ave. SW. Free. — Pat Padua
SATURDAY
THEATER: The stage adaptation of the movie Flashdance (which is celebrating its 30th anniversary) comes to the Kennedy Center (2700 F Street NW) stage this month. Two performances are available this Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. $45-$150. — Lis Grant
COMEDY: The Capital City Showcase returns with its first show of 2014. Hosted by Christian Hunt, Saturday’s lineup features a diverse blend of comedians and musicians, including Sara Armour, Louisa Hall, Wes Martens, Paul Pfau, Max Rosenblum, and David Tveite. The showcase will be held at the D.C. Arts Center (2438 18th St. NW) and starts at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15.
SCIENCE: The National Capital Area Skeptics (yes, a real group) is hosting a free lecture on Saturday by a local forensic scientist and anthropologist. The lecture will cover basic existential questions like “where did we come from?” and “what does it all mean?” The event is free, but the inevitable therapy needed after you start questioning life will probably be expensive. The lecture takes place from 1:30-4 p.m. at GWU’s National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va. (corner of 9th N. St. and N. Stuart St.).
EDUCATION: The D.C. Education Festival is taking place on Saturday at the Washington Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The convention will showcase D.C.’s charter schools as well as DCPS middle and high schools, and private schools. The event is free. More info here.
SUNDAY
NO-PANTS RIDE: Pants? Who needs them?! Leave them at home for the 2014 No Pants Metro Ride this Sunday. Meet up at Hancock park (C Street and 7th Street SW) by L’Enfant Plaza Metro at 2:00 p.m. for a de-brief (he he) before you ride. — Lis Grant
MORE COMEDY: Tonic bar in Foggy Bottom is hosting an interactive comedy show featuring some of D.C.’s best local comics. The event will be hosted by Beau Troxclair and David Coulter, features comics performing in front of a large screen that displays anonymous texts from the audience. It’s like heckling without the awkward, fun part! Starts at 6:30 p.m., Tonic is located at 2036 G St. NW.
FILM: This weekend the National Gallery of Art presents the world premiere of Andrew Simpson’s orchestral score to Buster Keaton’s 1927 silent classic The General. Keaton performs his own stunts as a Civil War engineer whose locomotive is stolen by Union spies. Base on an actual incident in which a Union spy broke through enemy lines to hijack a train run by engineer William Pittenger, whose book inspired the film’s screenplay. Note: This screening will be a digital presentation. Starts 6:30 p.m. Free. — Pat Padua
