Faced yesterday with a dreary. blustery, wet afternoon, my husband and I picked a film we wanted to see (The Town — very good if rather depressing) and headed to the theater. We settled into our seats just in time to catch the coming attractions, our interest mildly piqued by a few; others led us to mentally check off “wait for it on DVD” or “won’t waste a minute on this one.” Next appeared a scene with a very glamourous woman played by Angelina Jolie striking up a conversation on a train with a rumpled, ordinary-looking tourist played by Johnny Depp. Hmmm, might be an amusing picture, but nothing I had yet seen really drew me in. The next several frames, however, immediately grabbed my attention. Aerial images of terra-cotta tiled roofs, piazzas, canals — VENICE! My three-day visit to that entrancing city a year-and-a-half ago allowed me just a short introduction, but it was enough for me to fall in love with its visual feast. I’m not sure when I will have the opportunity to visit again, but my desire to do so is strong. Now this upcoming film (The Tourist, billed as a comedy-thriller) may provide me with a vicarious visit on the big screen. I’m not sure I would choose to see it otherwise, although it appears to have a promising plot and interesting characters. The setting, however, has put it in my “gotta see this” column, if only so that I might relive moments of my own travels through Venice’s canals and streets. Some movies may entice you to visit somewhere you’ve never been and perhaps never even considered going until you saw it on screen. Others might take you back to a favorite spot and refresh your mental images. Have any favorite “travel” titles you’d like to share? — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor