Sometimes when I'm choosing what films to write about for the upcoming week, I'm reminded that one of the beautiful things about film in Toronto is that we treat it as something more than simply popcorn entertainment.

The film medium has been used by activists and explorers, scholars and dictators throughout it's entire lifespan, and in this city we really know how to appreciate a compelling story with a dose of reality to it, or a documentary that will change your perspective on things and give you something to sink your teeth into.

These are the types of films I recommend this week. Well, that and a free suspense film, and some Japanese short films too.

This October, there will be gardening, butchering, pop star idoling, porn star ogling and chainsaw maids a-chaining... basically a little bit of everything thanks to the Toronto Japanese Short Film Festival. Now in its 6th year of programming fantastic short selections from the land of the rising sun, the festival has screened over 130 films to over 5000 audience members with hopefully many more to come.

Divided into five programs, (all named after fruits!) the festival runs from October 7th-10th with every program screening twice, giving you more than enough chance to see all the films.

This week in film really kicks it up a notch, with yet another fantastic Free Friday Film, one last film screening under the stars, a documentary about who controls your food and what they do with it, a festival of films that are short and sweet, classic cinema offerings you have to see, for the first or dozenth time... and did I mention a funky forest?

The first week in film after the Toronto International Film Festival has an eerie, ghost-town quality to it. Basically it's quiet, a little too quiet. Some of the festival flicks are out already, such as Burn After Reading or The Duchess, but some of the best will probably be a long while to come. There are no other festivals to really speak of this week, and the local cinemas are keeping fairly quiet. Still, there are things to see, as always, in a city where the movie-goers keep prowling and the projectors never really stop rolling.

It's been a few days since the Toronto International Film Festival packed up and already the city has returned, somewhat, to normalcy. The red carpets have been rolled up, the stars have left town, the schedule guides which littered the streets around Bay & Bloor, Yonge & Dundas and by Roy Thomson Hall have disappeared, and all we have left is our memories, and maybe a complaint or two. While we've reviewed many of the films at TIFF this year, why not review the major complaints and changes at this year's festival?

Just to make things clear, this isn't exactly breaking news for the Dead Pool, as this closure occurred over two weeks ago and to a franchise with other locations, but here goes! It seems that after a disagreement with landlords over issues such as the overall cleanliness of the market and, oh, heating, the St. Patrick's Market location of Sandwich Box, has been forced to close up shop. Here's the notice they left for their customers: