City Lights
City Lights
If you’re a D.C. resident looking to relieve your anxiety by envisioning the worst-case scenario, look no further than Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Contrary to what you may assume from the title, The Division 2 is a third-person shooter role-playing game. In a post-pandemic Washington D.C., law and order have collapsed and the District has been divided by competing militias. You play as a customizable member of “The Division,” a group of American sleeper agents that are activated to keep order. Yes, the American military fantasy knows no bounds, but it can be entertaining. The game is an open world, meaning you can wander through various D.C. landmarks while playing through the main story or tagging along with friends. For those wondering what this has to do with Mr. Clancy, the noted spy novelist founded Red Storm Entertainment, named for Clancy’s Red Storm Rising, way back in 1996; that company released a series of video games with his name on it and gaming giant Ubisoft purchased it in 2000. Since Red Storm’s founding, there have been over 45 video games marketed under the “Tom Clancy’s” name. The author’s 2013 death did nothing to stop the stream of Tom Clancy material, with The Division 2 being one of the latest—and most prescient—updates. The Division 2 is available for XBOX One, PS4, Stadia, PC, and UPLAY+ at store.ubi.com. $6.99–$79.99. —Tristan Jung
This week’s streaming movie openings include a newly restored version of a 40-year old Hungarian drama that is as relevant as ever. Set in pre-World War II Germany, Mephisto revolves around the magnetic Klaus Maria Brandauer, who plays stage actor Hendrik Höfgen, a rising star defined by his portrayal of Mephistopheles in a stage production of Doctor Faustus. But Höfgen is at a creative crossroads: The Nazi party is gaining control of Germany, and while he and his black girlfriend (Karin Boyd) are disgusted by the political climate, the actor ends up making a Faustian bargain himself, ingratiating himself with Nazi leaders for the sake of his career. But as he sells out his own convictions in the name of success, what becomes of his soul? Director István Szabó navigates a swooning historical landscape that threatens to consume his central figure, who turns in one of the great screen performances of all time. Brandauer, who went on to play a Bond villain in Never Say Never Again, here embodies the tortured artist through a wildly vivid range that careens from hammy, operatic full-body gestures to the most subtle changes of expression at eyeballlevel. Mephisto won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1981, and is now available through Kino Marquee’s virtual cinema, with proceeds to help JxJ, the multidisciplinary arts project that encompasses the Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Washington Jewish Music Festival. The film can be screened at kinonow.com. $12. —Pat Padua
City Lights
City Lights
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
“DMV Covid-19 Social Distance Art Sale” Facebook group Galleries in D.C. may be closed, but as with so much else these days, arts commerce is quickly shifting online. Just 10 days after its April 4 launch, a public Facebook group called “DMV Covid19 Social Distance Art Sale” had passed 1,500 members. It’s a mix of artists, gallerists, and other D.C.-area arts aficionados, including such prominent figures as Lenny Campello, Cynthia Connolly, Mary Early, Muriel Hasbun, Philippa P.B. Hughes, Andrea Pollan, and Tim Tate. The group, founded by Arlington-based photographer Jason Horowitz and managed by Leslie Holt, codirector of Red Dirt Studio in Hyattsville, offers artists a place to network and sell their wares. “I started the group out of a sense of personal isolation,” Horowitz says. “Many artists in the area and all around the country are essentially out of work. Some artists are locked out of their group studios but still expected to pay rent. Many artists are freelancers with little or no health insurance.” Some artists are using the site directly to sell their work, while others are posting links to their websites or to other outlets such as Etsy. Horowitz’s hope for the group is to create “a community of supporters and artists that mutually reinforce each other.” Join the group and check out the affordable offerings on Facebook. Prices vary. —Louis Jacobson
Mephisto
City Lights
Warming Waters As bars, restaurants, and museums remain closed, Mother Nature is one of the few things we still have to enjoy—at least until we’re barred inside due to overcrowding. But even a short walk to pick up groceries and enjoy the sun or marvel at your neighbor’s tulips is a welcome reprieve from staring at screens all day. Coincidentally, it’s also seasonally appropriate to show your appreciation for the planet and celebrate environmental protection. On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Storytelling with Saris, “a multi-layered collaborative art and advocacy” group, had planned to celebrate the holiday by debuting its public art installation Warming Waters above the C&O Canal. Blue and white saris would be draped above the water, featuring handwritten climate pledges from residents of D.C. and Katakhali Village, Bangladesh. But like we have had to adapt to an atmosphere full of greenhouse gases, the artists behind Warming Waters, Monica Jahan Bose and Robin Bell, adapted their opening day to an online format, a Facebook Live event now available on their page. The preview of the installation featured insights from the workshops and messages from local government offices, environmental protection groups, and the artists. And, if you missed the livestream, you can still catch the rescheduled launch of Warming Waters in July 2020. The livestream is available on Storytelling with Saris’ Facebook page. Free. —Katie Malone
City Lights
“Lonely Vibes”
In the Loop’s concert scene Released in 2009, In the Loop is a British satire known for its razor-sharp dialogue. If The West Wing suggested beautiful speeches can heal political divides, In the Loop demonstrates an opposing theory: Spin is the start of destruction, rippling from interpersonal clashes into worldwide events. Half an hour into the movie, there’s a brief scene that I can’t stop thinking about. Two characters meet at an unnamed venue, where they pretend to listen to death metal and mostly survey the crowd. It’s a stylish backdrop, unimportant to the plot—but it’s enough to make me feel homesick for all the shows I wish I could have seen this spring. I miss cramped, sweaty house venues and being jostled by strangers. I miss obsessively checking my earplugs and eating midnight toast when I finally straggle back home at night. Still, the scene has a line that makes it all come crashing down: “You see this mosh pit?” one of the characters asks. “Well, they’re mostly House staffers, Senators’ interns.” Surely there are plenty of music fans roaming the halls of Congress—but they’re far from the only people in D.C. Fuckitybye! You can rent In the Loop on Google Play, iTunes, or Amazon. $2.99. —Michelle Delgado
27-year-old Southeast D.C. rapper Shy Glizzy is back with a new single and video, “Lonely Vibes,” though it’s not about COVID-19—it’s about the ongoing issue of gun violence. Glizzy, whose own father was shot and killed before Glizzy turned 1, was incarcerated for robbery in his teens, and has been rapping about the life on record since 2011. His video for his 2018 single “Do You Understand?” has earned over 5 million views. “Lonely Vibes,” like prior Glizzy tracks such as “Funeral,” mixes sorrow with trap rap bravado. But rather than using gospel, as “Funeral” did, “Vibes” conveys the message with help from a minimalistic, mournful programmed rhythm. The song starts somber, with Glizzy enunciating in a dreary monotone over the lush instrumental bottom: “Feel like the realest of ‘em all, I’m on my lonely vibes.” The paranoia and stress of this life is conveyed in the video via the use of a gun scope focused on Glizzy, who just exhales smoke and stares sadly at burning candles. The video is available on YouTube. Free. —Steve Kiviat
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