Washington City Paper: Contents for Apr. 23

Hocus Focus
Lost the magic? Filmfest DC waves the wand.

Cover Story

Do you believe in magic realism? Filmfest DC does, as it demonstrates this year by presenting movies in which God and a fisherman wander Brazil seeking a fill-in deity, the lives and identities of a Korean monk and his novice change with the seasons, and a 10-year-old girl learns to alter reality while hiding from her parents on a farm in the Polish countryside.

This isn’t exactly a brave new world for Filmfest, which has imported a steady supply of movies from Latin America throughout its 18-year existence. And this year’s featured country is Argentina, whose cinematic output has hardly been ignored in previous fests. The other motifs are also perennials: “Politics in Film” (last year’s official theme) and “Global Rhythms,” as well as the customary programs for kids and seniors.

Traditionally, the Washington City Paper has been skeptical of Filmfest’s worldview, which yields some movies that are of more anthropological than aesthetic interest. Yet our reviewers always find plenty of films to recommend. In fact, each of the three films described above—God Is Brazilian, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, and Squint Your Eyes—was endorsed by one of our reviewers.

As always, Filmfest includes entries from such filmmaking powers as France, Britain, Germany, Iran, Japan, and China, as well a few from Canada and the United States. The selection also features several movies from the Arab world—to which the programmers dedicate another, smaller fest every fall—but this year none made in India or Hong Kong, both countries whose cinemas have provided many of Filmfest’s finest hours-and-a-half.... Continued

Issue of Apr. 23 - 29, 2004

News and Features

Hocus Focus
Lost the magic? Filmfest DC waves the wand.
Cover Story By Chris HaganHuan HsuMark JenkinsJosh Levin, Tricia Olszewski and Matthew Summers-Sparks
Home Defense
Fortified row house casts shadow on Shaw.
The City By Dave Jamieson
Steed Bumps
District horse cops feel growing pains.
The City By Bidisha Banerjee
Celebrating the District's Real-Estate Boom
Price Pick of the Week
The City By Chris Shott
Pop-O-Meter
The City By Tom Scocca
Yellow Dog
The Mail By Patricia Yates
Remedial Work
The Mail By Curtis Byer
Log Cabin Republican?
The Mail By Neil Scott

Columns

Numerology for Dummies
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
Corrections, Revised
City Desk By David Morton
Closed Campus
City Desk By Mike DeBonis
Boogie Rights
Loose Lips By Elissa Silverman

Eats

Pie in the Sky
Young & Hungry By Todd Kliman

Movies

The Spoiled of War
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Nothing Remains
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski
Eat This New York
Film Review By Todd Kliman

Music

Hype and Glory
Music Review By Brent Burton

Theater

Reduce, Revise, Recycle
Theater Review By Bob Mondello
Mafia Hit
Theater Review By Trey Graham

Arts and Events

One Man's Cache
Everybody wanted Boris Rabkin to get rid of his 50 years' worth of physician's detritus. But when a museum took some of it, Rabkin was left with just regrets.
Arts By Robert Lalasz
Duct and Uncover
Artifacts By Bidisha Banerjee
Heel on Wheels
Artifacts By Chris Shott