D.C.-area nightlife, events and dining

ParaNorman is one for the kids — and the adults. The 3D stop-motion comedy thriller opens today. (LAIKA, Inc.)A couple new family-friendly options hit theaters this week, thanks to the spooky, funny “ParaNorman” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” Also on the big screen: Whitney Houston’s final role, in “Sparkle.”

“ParaNorman”(PG) “ParaNorman” [is] a colorfully macabre stop-motion animation comedy that embraces the sociopolitical allegories of George A. Romero’s zombie pictures and reworks them into a feature-length episode of ‘Scooby-Doo.’” — Sean O’Connell

“Sparkle” (PG) A re-make of the beloved 1976 musical starring Irene Cara (and, not incidentally, featuring the music of Curtis Mayfield), the updated version will forever be known as the final screen appearance of Whitney Houston, who died in February during post-production.” — Ann Hornaday

“The Odd Life of Timothy Green” (PG) “Directed with an appropriately light touch by Peter (‘Pieces of April’) Hedges — who also wrote the screenplay, based on a story idea by producer Ahmet Zappa — the movie goes down easily enough, considering its far-fetched premise.” — Michael O’Sullivan

“Dark Horse” (PG) “For its welcome whiffs of poignancy and compassion, there’s an inescapable sense in ‘Dark Horse’ that Solondz is as arrested as his protagonist, going back to the same well — of middle-class entitlement, artifice and pathology — and bringing back the same bitter water.” — Ann Hornaday

“2 Days in New York” (R) “Take ‘2 Days in Paris,’ swap Goldberg for Chris Rock, corral the whole clan in New York instead of Paris and you’ve essentially got the formula for ‘2 Days in New York,’ a manic and funny, if ultimately frustrating, sequel.” — Jess Righthand

“Oslo, August 31st” (Not rated) “‘Oslo, August 31st’ manages to thread that slim needle, as both a minimalist, small-canvas study and a broader portrait of a city and culture in the throes of a transition every bit as tumultuous as the lead character’s.” — Ann Hornaday

“The Awakening” (R) “‘The Awakening’ is nonsense, but with its posh British cast and colors drained to near-gray, it’s very solemn nonsense.” — Mark Jenkins

“Supercapitalist” (Not rated) “How much subtlety can one expect from a movie that spells its title with a dollar sign in place of the capital S? The corporate thriller ‘Supercapitalist’ (or ‘$upercapitalist,’ for purists) has the answer. Plagued by caricatures and culminating in a Scooby-Doo-caliber finale, the film lands in theaters with all of the nuance of an Acme anvil.” — Stephanie Merry

The Gurus love to write about restaurant and bar redesigns, and today, we’re announcing one of our own. Search for a restaurant by name and click on any of the Going Out Guide’s hundreds of restaurant reviews to see our new look, pictured above.

You told us you wanted restaurant menus, so we added them. Now you can read our review, browse the menu and make a reservation, all on the same page.

The new pages feature a larger map so you can find nearby restaurants, bars, movie theaters and Metro stations at a glance. We’ve also added bigger photos — including 360-degree interior and street views — to help you check out the scene before you go.

Inspired by that review of the latest hot spot? We’ve made it easier to share what you’re reading with your friends and to see the Going Out Guide stories your Facebook friends have highlighted. And we give you suggestions for other places to try: Every page features the newest restaurant reviews and editors’ picks for the best restaurants and bars in dozens of categories.

So dive in and start exploring our new look, and let us know what you think — every page has an improved Talk to Us section, too.

The leather-bound cocktail menus at TNT Bar include a mix of original cocktails — including the rum-heavy It Doesn't Remind Me Of Anything — and “greatest hits” from bartenders across America. (Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post)The TNT Bar and PX lounge were both created by award-winning bartender Todd Thrasher. Both share an address with a Irish-style fish-and-chip shop called Eamonn’s. Both serve seriously good cocktails. And that’s about where the comparisons stop.

TNT, which made its debut on Monday on Columbia Pike in Arlington, feels worlds away from the classy, speakeasy-influenced PX. Sign number one: Thrasher is behind the bar in a tight black Jagermeister t-shirt, fiddling with the music playing from his iPod. He eventually settles on Metallica. (Thankfully, no one at the bar blinks.)

This 20-seat bar, named TNT after Thrasher’s son Trystan Noah Thrasher, is tucked into the back of the Eamonn’s restaurant; just keep walking until you see a large square marble-topped counter and walls graffitied with enough winged-hearts and gothic-style letters to cover an Ed Hardy store. (The hallway by the bathroom is wallpapered with Kiss, AC/DC and Pearl Jam concert posters.)

The bar itself is designed to be a “stage” where customers can watch their cocktails being made, from the huge central ice chest to the racks of bitters and infused liqueurs around the edges. It’s definitely eye-catching, and most eyes in the room were fixated on bartenders stirring drinks in large cut-glass jars and straining the cocktails into fancy coupe glasses.

Jeff Hancock and the brewers at DC Brau will unveil new beers this weekend as part of D.C. Beer Week. (Bill O'Leary/The Post) We’ve compiled a list of the best things going on in D.C. this weekend for your perusal. It includes a concert on Chuck Brown Day and the arrival of three new DC Brau beers as part of D.C. Beer Week.

Chuck Brown’s annual birthday concerts were sweaty, hours-long shows featuring the Godfather of Go-Go and a who’s who of go-go stars paying homage. Brown’s passing earlier this year leaves a huge void, but his longtime backing band, the Original Soul Searchers, and an all-star lineup of go-go groups, including Trouble Funk, Hot Cold Sweat, E.U., Backyard Band, Junkyard Bard and Suttle Thoughts, are sure to get the party going in Chuck’s honor at the Chuck Brown Day Concert.

D.C. Beer Week has a multitude of events for lovers of craft beer. Locally, none are as exciting as the arrival of three new beers from DC Brau, the local brewery which became one of the first to open up shop in the District in more than 50 years after opening its doors in 2011. This weekend, they’ll be unveiling three new brews: the Fight Club Anti-Gravity Lager and Embers of the Deceased. Each will have its own tapping party.

And in yet another celebration of a local institution, head to National Harbor for the Chesapeake Crab and Beer Festival, which features — you guessed — all-you-can eat crabs, beer tastings, live music and arts and crafts.

Liverpool supporter Sally Kirkness watching a match at the Queen Vic on H Street last season. (Matt McClain/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) Saturday: The day a certain segment of sports fans have been eyeing for months ... and one first-shift bartenders have been dreading. It’s the beginning of European soccer season!

The English Premier League is the most popular soccer league in the world, with the new season kicking off Saturday at 10 a.m. here on the East Coast. Think that’s too early to post at a sports bar for a game being played 3,600 miles away? Then pity the bartender who has to open at Fado when the 7:45 a.m. ET matches start in a few weeks.

We’re often asked for recommendations, so we put together a list of the city’s best soccer bars where you can sip on a pint while watching your favorite team.