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Calendar: What a Week to Talk About ‘This Town’

Washington, the capital city that attracts so many student council presidents and public servants, has shown its ugly side these past few weeks, showing how far pique can extend a government shutdown and the frustrations of a public it allegedly serves.

It’s unlikely that Mark Leibovich, author of “This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral — Plus Plenty of Valet Parking — in America’s Gilded Capital” is surprised. The national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine chronicled the outsized egos and petty conflicts that define so much of official Washington’s landed gentry. In the process, the term “this town” has taken on a life of its own, one that now elicits much eye-rolling.

So it’s an interesting time to check out Leibovich as he makes his way to Hill Center on Wednesday as part of its Talk of the Hill with Bill Press series. Free, in Hill Center’s Abraham Lincoln Hall at 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. To register, go here.

How about a little music that has nothing to do with politics? Rock and Roll Hotel on Thursday has a double bill of Lucius and Alpenglow, a trippy little two-off that can take your mind off a lost recess week. Doors open at 1353 H St. NE at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. $14 in advance or at the door.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pk_2dVPjms

The Boston Red Sox are back to their winning ways, which makes one think about Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting,” the 1997 film that launched the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who won an Oscar for their screenplay. Robin Williams won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as well. And the Red Sox run through the movie, particularly flashes to the 1975 World Series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM-gZintWDc

Yeah, yeah. The accents and Boston-ness of it all, as well as the mugging of Affleck and Damon, make it ripe for ribbing. But watch it with an open mind and it’s not so bad a movie. This is all by way of saying that Union Market’s DC Drive-In will show “Good Will Hunting” on Friday as part of its continuing series of end-of-the-week night flicks shown on the wall at 1309 Fifth St. NE. The show starts at dusk, which keeps arriving earlier and earlier.

Halloween is approaching, and while our elected officials have done their best to scare the bejesus out of the financial markets, the rest of us might need a little more conventional spookiness. If you’d like to get some chills while also getting a little run in, check out Congressional Cemetery’s Dead Man’s Run 5K on Saturday. It’s hard not to like a race that takes place in a graveyard and where costumes are encouraged. It’s from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. See if you can guess which runner is your Roll Call After Dark columnist.

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