Mistress of Spices was a beautiful film that really attacks all the senses. You can almost smell the spices in the air, feel the grains as they flow through their hands, hear the voices of the spices, and see the brilliant colours.
It was based on a book by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
This is one movie that I decided to see after just looking at the photo. It was really captivating and the main characters were both gorgeous.
I loved the warm tones and how the store was made to be so comfortable and welcoming. You felt that the spices were also characters in the movie, especially that red chilli pepper.

What I liked best about this movie: The magical quality of the spices and they way that you felt that they really were communicating with Tilo.

What I liked least about this movie: That there was a scene with a needle and I didn't have someone to tell me when it was safe to look since I saw this one by myself.

What I learned: The writer gained inspiration from several Indian folk tales and stories to build the concept of the Mistress of Spices.

My second movie, The Quiet was a very interesting drama.
It is all about a deaf/dumb girl who has recently been orphaned, and goes to live with a new family. She learns everyone else's secrets, and in the end reveals her own secret. I won't tell you what, since that would spoil the movie.
The main "secret" that she discovers is very disturbing, and the movie would be really difficult to watch, except there are occasional bits of humour that provide some relief. The writer said that the comedy was not planned, but that it just evolved from the characters as he was writing.
I found it interesting how the relationship changed between the two girls throughout the movie. Nina is a real bitch towards Dot when she arrives, but in the end they have a bond, which I wouldn't describe as friendship, but almost like sisters.

What I liked best about this movie: It makes you think

What I liked least about this movie: The whole "secret" thing was disgusting

What I learned: That using smoke can help make digital movies look more like film.

This was my first Toronto Film Fest movie this year and I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. It was a violent action movie which is not what I usually go for, but I wanted some sci-fi in my movies.
This one takes place in Paris in 2010, in a world where violence has escalated to the point where Paris has walled off the housing projects to protect the taxpayers. (When will governments learn that walls do not solve problems)
The movie starts off with a great chase scene and the audience really got into the "ouches" of the bad guys and the amazing leaps over buildings. Especially since before the movie started, we were told that all the action was real. No wires were used.
There are two main male characters leads and I like the way they work together, especially since they were so different from each other.

What I liked best about this movie: the movement of the characters

What I liked least about this movie: that it didn't finish until 2 in the morning and I was sleepy

What I learned: I learned about Parkour, the art of moving from one place to another

Jen