Washington City Paper

The New Naked Gun Has No Clothes Fourth verse, same as the first: The Naked Gun returns with Liam Neeson at the helm and it’s just as funny, thank goodness.

The Naked Gun returns 31 years later in a “high-velocity gag-o-rama” with a pitch-perfect cast. Chris Klimek reviews the comeback comedy.

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington between the monuments.

We’ve got a fresh drop of Postcards From Home. As he nears 40 years with WCP, @darrow-m.bsky.social is digging into his archive for a look at how much D.C. has changed.

The Cast of Twin Peaks Wants to Talk With You “David’s stuff seems to be ahead of its time”: Thirty-five years after its 1990 premiere, the people behind the cult series discuss its enduring popularity.

“David’s stuff seems to be ahead of its time”: The cast of Twin Peaks is hitting the road to revisit the cult classic with fans. We caught up with them ahead of their Aug. 4 at Capital One Hall in Tysons.

Bad Moves Move On After 10 Years on “The Verge” At their final show at Black Cat, the D.C. power-pop band passed the torch back to the music scene they love and that has loved them back.

Bad Moves said goodbye at the Black Cat on Saturday. Contributor Taylor Ruckle looks back at the D.C. pop-power band’s legacy as they pass the torch to the scene they love—and that loves them back.

Beats Me Returns With New Music From Pretty Bitter, Flowers for the Dead, and Alfred Yun And more music from Stephen Redhead, Alecia Renece, S Y Z Y G Y X, Aunt Katrina, Cautious Clay, and SEXFACE.

White-sand vibes from Stephen Redhead. A captivating DIY album from Alecia Renece. Meditations on time from Cautious Clay. Our music writers round up the latest from local acts:

Visionaries of the Creative Arts and Deaf Austin Theatre Put a New Twist on A Strange Loop Running through Aug. 10 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, this production boosts the themes of the original story by centering deafness.

A Strange Loop returns to D.C. with deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing performers. The accessible staging deepens this story of identity and self-love. “A triumph,” writes Stephanie Rudig.

From GWAR to Grace: The Shocking, Friendly, and Wholesome Story of Motherfuckers JMB & Co. In the wake of the pandemic, three music veterans came together at high school events and birthday parties to create the Motherfuckers.

A GWAR alum, a Deadhead hurdy-gurdy player, and a high school assistant principal make up Motherfuckers JMB & CO, one of D.C.’s most unexpected new bands. Pat Padua covers their origin story, debut album, and July 31 show at Byrdland.

Synetic’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sleeps on Shakespeare at Olney The magic of this Midsummer Night’s Dream is in the small beats that are as fleeting as the pixie dust Puck sprinkles on the lovers.

Synetic’s movement-centered Midsummer is engaging, precise, and evocative. But does it capture the spontaneity at the heart of the Bard’s comedy? D.R. Lewis reviews.

This Week’s Page Three Photo @wcp.bsky.social

We’ve always believed that D.C. deserves journalism that’s tough, honest, and fair.

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Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington between the monuments.

@darrow-m.bsky.social has been photographing D.C. for decades. These shots from an unpublished book span his intern days at City Paper in the ‘80s through the early 2000s. More on the project here:

Cinema Hearts Want to Be the Next Big Thing From beauty pageants to Cinema Hearts rock shows, Caroline Weinroth always wanted to be a star, but now she’s doing it on her own terms.

Caroline Weinroth isn’t your typical rock star but she’s always wanted to be a star. The former pageant queen turned punk bandleader talks trad wives, self-doubt, and Cinema Hearts’ Aug. 1 show at Pie Shop.

Help us keep doing what we’ve done since 1981: hold power to account, highlight the arts, and chronicle D.C. history in real time.

Reader support makes our work possible. Chip in to our summer campaign today: buff.ly/g8MpIaX

D.C.’s ‘Two-Tiered Justice System’: How the RENTAL Act Threatens Black Tenants A new racial equity assessment sounds the alarm on D.C.’s RENTAL Act, warning that it could disproportionately displace Black residents.

A new racial equity report says Mayor Bowser’s RENTAL Act will deepen housing inequality and disproportionately harm Black D.C. residents. Contributor Suzie Amanuel breaks it down:

Oh, Hi! Tries to Say Something About Modern Dating, But Chooses Safety Over a Safe Word Oh, Hi!, about a weekend getaway gone awry, starts promisingly, but can’t commit to its tonal shift, squandering any chance of real tension.

When a new couple finds a closet full of S&M gear on their first getaway, Sophie Brooks’ rom-com flirts with danger. What starts to feel like a thriller backs away into something safer. The review:

MPD Recommended Termination for a Cop Convicted of Murder. Chief Pamela Smith Gave Him a Suspension With Back Pay Instead. Chief Smith did not read her own department’s investigative report before rejecting an official recommendation for termination and awarding the pardoned officers back pay, according to a report from…

MPD Chief Pamela Smith rejected a recommendation to fire the two cops convicted in the vehicle pursuit that killed Karon Hylton–Brown. Instead, one was suspended and the other was allowed to retire after paying a fine. Both received back pay.

Getting to Know the Palestinian American Father-Daughter Duo Behind Quartertonez Music Since 2019, Fuad and Fairouz Foty’s Arabic music school has created space to build community and decolonize music education.

At Quartertonez, Fuad and Fairouz Foty are decolonizing music education and creating space for cultural celebration. “The main thing about what Quartertonez does is to connect all marginalized people, and to do that through music,” Fairouz says.

Spot LIT: Zach Powers Takes Over at the Writer’s Center The local author's goal is to make writers sit up, take notice, and say, “Now, I haven’t seen that before!” Plus July releases and events.

Columnist Hannah Grieco chats with the Writing Center’s new executive director about his vision for the nonprofit, his next book, and the local authors to watch. Plus, her July event picks.

The Inaugural This Could Go Boom! Festival Wants to Bridge Communities The weeklong festival culminates with a free day of music headlined by Speedy Ortiz, Crys Matthews, and River Shook.

A new festival takes over the Maryland burbs July 21—26, celebrating gender diversity and creative community with a week of poetry, art, and a free waterfront showcase of the DMV’s music scene.

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington between the monuments.

@darrow-m.bsky.social is re-editing his unpublished book as he shares it, finding new ways the photos are in dialogue with each other and the project as a whole. See the latest installment:

Best of D.C. 2025! Welcome to this year’s Best Of D.C. Here are some of your (and our) favorite people, places, eats, drinks, and things across the D.C. region!

The people have spoken: You picked your favorites, and so did we. Here’s the Best of D.C. 2025—where to drink beer, shop for books, get your car serviced, and everything in between.

Swing Beat: D.C. Artists Have Made Some of the Year’s Best Jazz Albums Fans of DMV jazz will find many local names and noteworthy albums on two recently released international critics polls.

D.C. jazz is everywhere in this year’s major critics polls. Columnist Michael J. West rounds up the local artists making noise.

Ruby Ibarra Arrives With Her 2025 Tiny Desk Contest Win The Filipina rapper is committed to making space for more Filipino American artists. Ibarra plays Howard Theatre on Saturday.

Filipina rapper Ruby Ibarra uses hip-hop to tell authentic stories of the immigrant experience. Catch the NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner at Howard Theatre this weekend.

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington between the monuments.

Photographer @darrow-m.bsky.social started at City Paper as an intern in 1986. Now, as he nears his 40th anniversary, he’s revisiting an unpublished book of D.C. photos spanning two decades. Take a look back ⬇️

Brimming with pride after @wcp.bsky.social took home some hardware at this year's Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards!

Our Inside Voices columns written by Askia Afrika-Ber won the Billy Manes Award (best column).

And Suzie Amanuel won the David Carr Award (best investigative reporting).

A Georgetown Professor and Lawyer Faces Domestic Violence Charges. His Wife, the Victim, Was Compelled To Testify Against Him. Shon Hopwood previously served 11 years in prison for robbing banks. The life he rebuilt as a lawyer and professor could unravel with these new charges.

Shon Hopwood rebuilt his life as a professor and lawyer after serving time for bank robbery. Now domestic violence charges could unravel it all—and his wife, the victim, has been forced to testify against him.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Is More Than a Typical Celebrity Documentary With Not Alone Anymore, Deaf director Shoshannah Stern has made a film that’s equal parts gripping and formally innovative.

“Not Alone Anymore is not just a new kind of accommodation, but an intuitive form of advocacy.” Critic Alan Zilberman reviews Shoshannah Stern’s powerful documentary about Marlee Matlin.

Without a Councilmember, Ward 8 Residents Have No Voice in the Major Tenant Rights Bill Moving Through the Council Tens of thousands of Ward 8 tenants stand to lose long-held protections under Mayor Bowser’s RENTAL Act. Who will speak for them?

Mayor Bowser’s RENTAL Act could strip key tenant protections from tens of thousands of Ward 8 residents—just as the ward is left without a councilmember to fight for them. Here's what's at stake:

Eric Hilton Has Found His Forever Music Home Thievery Corporation’s co-founder Eric Hilton has a new solo album that celebrates his new D.C. recording studio.

Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton turned a Georgetown space into his musical sanctuary. He spoke with contributor Christina Smart about his new studio, solo album, and what’s next.

Heads of State Is Far More Fun Than a Prime Video Original Has Any Right To Be All the President’s Prime Ministers: John Cena and Idris Elba test their nations’ “special relationship” in Heads of State.

John Cena plays a movie-star-turned-president in Amazon’s “astonishingly un-terrible” original action comedy. Chris Klimek reviews Heads of State.