So its been a few days since my last post because Chiaki and I were out of town. I had a few days off work so we took a drive to Hershey, PA. The real treasure however, was when Chiaki read about something entirely different in our tour book. It turned out to be the greatest thing ever. Now before I get into it let me tell you a little something. If I had to pick my favorite actors of all time, living or dead, the list would go like this: 3) Tom Cruise 2) Gary Oldman and finally, drum roll please.....1) James Stewart. So you can imagine my excitement when we stumble upon The Jimmy Stewart Museum.

The museum was housed on the 3rd floor of the public library in Indiana, PA, which was Stewart's hometown. To Chiaki and I this was like finding the Golden Ticket. I mean seriously when I walked in Chiaki said I couldn't stop smiling. I loved it. They also packed a little 50 seat movie theater in their which would play Jimmy Stewart documentaries. This month they were even screen several of his films each weekend. There was even a gift store inside which consisted of a lot of his films along with other cool little movie memorabilia. While there we had to pick up a few things: a Harvey mug, which when filled with a hot liquid makes Harvey appear on the mug, and a Harvey movie poster.

To the less fortuate who may not know what Harvey is, I supposed I can fill you in. Arguably Stewart greatest film, he plays a drunk, named Elwood, who's best friend just so happens to be a a 6-foot rabbit name Harvey , which of course no one else can see. Sounds kinda familiar doesn't. I am sure Richard Kelly aimed for an homage to the film with his own Donnie Darko's Frank. Anyways back to the film you really need to check it out even if you're not a fan of films made before you were born. I know there are a lot of you like that out there. Please give it a try. As far as the museum goes we really want to go back in a few years to see it again. Hopefully by that time they will add even more stuff.

So while that was our happy accident on the way home, our trip to Hershey also contained a little treat. While I was driving through Pittsburgh I saw a sign for Monroeville mall. Now, I myself, am not a mall guy. But this mall is no ordinary mall. Any horror film fan will know actually what mall this is. For all the rest of you out there I guess I will film you in. Monroeville mall is where George Romero filmed the original Dawn of the Dead. I had to stop just to say I was there. Yeah its 2006 and that was almost 20 years ago but still it was cool just to stop on by. Now that I know how to get there I may have to drag Chiaki to the horror convention I hear they have every year there with Romero normally in attendance. So yeah it turned out to be more of a movie trip (I didn't even mention that we passed Puxatuney where Groundhog Day takes place). To be honest, it was one of our best trips right behind our trips to New York and Japan of course.

So not only are the great films rolling in at the Cleveland Cinematheque with The Passenger, The Conformist, Once Upon a Time in the West, Fistful of Dynamite aka Duck, You Sucker, Three...Extremes, Once Upon a Time in America and the list goes on but else where other great films are in the mix. Another great place to go around these parts is the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Rarely do I get a chance to see a film there but they always play some great films. Not only do they play the films but they always seem to have a different visiting filmmaker ever several months. In February, the visiting filmmaker is Hong Sang-Soo, one of the new wave directors out of Korea. Now I have yet to see any of his films (even though I have copies of two of them sitting at our house), I have heard he is amazing director. Wexner Center was lucky enough to get there hands on all of his films and even get a hold of his latest film straight from last year's Cannes film festival entitled A Tale of Cinema, which Hong Sang-Soo will be there to introduce. I can't wait to watch some or all of them and I will most likely be finally sitting down to watch Woman is the Future of Man and The Day a Pig Fell into the Well the two Hong Sang-Soo films I have on dvd and let you know what I think.