Things to Do

Culture Vulture

A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.

Monday, November 10
Tim Noah, husband of the late Washington Post and Vanity Fair writer Marjorie Williams, brings his wife’s second posthumous collection, Reputation: Portraits in Power, to Politics and Prose tonight at 7. Noah will be joined by Vanity Fair editor Todd Purdum and Post columnist Ruth Marcus. The book profiles some of the figures that dominated politics and the media during the final years of the 20th century.

Tuesday, November 11
Did you know that Native Americans, by percentage, have served more than any other ethnic group in the US military? Take a long lunch and head to the National Museum of the American Indian from 1 to 3 for a discussion with historian Herman Viola. His book, Warriors in Uniforms: The Legacy of American Indian Heroism, chronicles the American Indian’s military service from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. A book signing follows the event, which takes place in the museum’s Rasmuson Theater. 

Wednesday, November 12
The Washington Psychotronic Film Society presents Sextette at the Arlington Cinema ’N’ Drafthouse at 8:30. This 1978 comedy/musical features an 85-year-old Mae West in her final role. Drummer Keith Moon of the Who makes a cameo, along with Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, and Timothy Dalton, who sings a disco rendition of “Love Will Keep Us Together” with West. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is recommended.

Thursday, November 13
The Smithsonian American Art Museum will screen four shorts in the McEvoy Auditorium from 6 to 7. The films, ranging from comedy to tragedy, include William Wegman’s Reel 4 (1973-74), Leslie Thorton’s Peggy and Fred in Kansas (1987), Martha Rosler’s Semiotics of the Kitchen (1975), and Carolee Schneemann’s Viet Flakes (1965).

Friday, November 14
Sway, a murder mystery directed Miwa Nishikawa, will screen at the Freer and Sackler Galleries’ Meyer Auditorium at 7. The Japanese film focuses on two brothers, a Tokyo-based photographer and a gas-station manager, whose relationship becomes strained after the death of their mother. The movie is part of the “Presentation of Roads to the Interior: Another Side of Japanese Cinema” series. It’s in Japanese with English subtitles.

Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16
Miss the ocean? It’s too cold for swimming, but the National Museum of Natural History has the next best thing: an ocean-themed film series. On Saturday, resident film buff Dr. David Pawson will introduce the classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) at 12:30 and Swiss Family Robinson (1960) at 3. The films will screen in the fourth-floor conference room, but guests should meet in the first-floor lobby. On Sunday, the films will be shown in the Baird Auditorium, where Dr. Pawson will introduce Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) at 12:30 and Moby Dick (1956) at 3.

 

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