So it has been over 2 weeks (I know I suck...) since my last post so I have a lot to talk about.

To start with this weekend, Chiaki and I hit up a double feature and our local multiplex on Friday with a matinee of Ratatouille with my nephew Isaac and then a later showing of Sicko with just the two of us. I must say it was one hell of a film day. Ratatouille surprised the hell out of being and was a highly entertaining animated yarn from the fine folks at Pixar. I know a lot of people may not believe me but I found it to be the best film from the company since Toy Story 2 (yeah I know everyone loves The Incredibles, but oddly enough I was even more impressed with this one). Sicko, on the other hand, is Michael Moore's comeback film for me. I was highly disappointed with his previously way overrated collage known as Fahrenheit 9/11. Important film yada yada yada. I just didn't feel a connection with the last film. Half because I could give to shits about politics and the other half being I didn't feel Moore did enough hands on documentary shooting that I have grown to love from the man and instead relied on long lost footage of political eff ups. I don't know. Sicko, however, was the man back to his good ol' tricks. Covering something we all can connect with. Damn, was it entertaining. Go and see both Ratatouille and Sicko. Please.

So the Cleveland Cinematheque, as usual, as a very cools schedule lined up for the months of July and August. In July comes screenings of grindhouse classics Vanishing Point and Two-Lane Blacktop along with two early Spielberg films Duel and Sugarland Express. Also on the roster is the controversial doc Zoo, about a strange subject matter a bit awkward to discuss, and Allegro the follow up from the director of Reconstruction (a very cool flick from Denmark). August brings Lights in the Dusk from Germany's Aki Kaurismaki, The Boss of it All the latest from Lars Von Trier, Election and its sequel Election 2(renamed Triad Election here in the states) and Day Night Day Night a film which has been getting alot of acclaim and I am dying to see. Last but surely not least is a screening of Cordoba Nights as part of a series of local films from local filmmakers. The above mention film is by the Campbell brothers from Kent, one of which I had a few classes with in my college days at Kent State. They have grown from their days of over-the-top gore films and have settle down with a quirky road film set in Cleveland with this latest film which I hope sends their filmmaking in a whole new direction.

Speaking of up and coming filmmakers, everyone really ought to watch the film competition reality show now airing on Fox Tuesdays called On the Lot. It started off pretty lame but the show is weeding out all the crappy filmmakers and some really great shorts are finely showing through. A highly light from last week was two outstanding films one from director Zach Lipovsky entitled Die Hardly Working (the best of the bunch) and the other from female director Shalini Kantayya (who scores major brownie points from me by exclaiming her favorite filmmakers are Wong Kar Wai and Pedro Almodovar) called Dr. In -Law. Hands down there is something wrong if these two people are not fighting it out in the finale of the show. Please do yourself a favor and check out there shorts below:

Die Hardly Working

Dr. In-Law

Shalini has a knack for visuals and inventive cinematography while Zach is just a well round genius when it comes to clever and innovated film ideas. Big fan of both directors. Can't wait to see the rest of their stuff. They really impress me from film to film.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Chiaki and I are hitting the road for our annual trek to New York next weekend. We plan on catching a few films at the New York Asian Film Festival and hitting up our usual spots while in town. We are also catching a Neil LaBute play called In a Dark Dark House which we are extremely excited about and I plan on going more in depth on it and other things in my next post. Also expect some dvd reviews of the Polish film The Third Part of the Night and The Ear from the Czech Republic courtesy of the amazing UK dvd company Second Run.