Hello and welcome to The Carnival of Cinema. Every week you can look to this carnival for the best in movie reviews, film commentary and industry advice.

Thanks to Julie D. the HAPPY CATHOLIC for taking over hosting duties last week.


This week we begin with a look at the Coen Brother's new film Burn After Reading. This looks like it's more Raising Arizona than No Country for Old Men. For more on this movie head over to NEWMAN'S OWN MOVIE CORNER and see what Newman has to say.


The next new release we have for you this week is Don Cheadle's not all Muslims are terrorists or at least not all terrorists are Muslim film Traitor. Lindsey of ZEE SAYS=FILM ADDICT+TEEN LIBRARIAN has seen the film and offers up her opinion on the production.


Next, MANNY THE MOVIE reviews Ghost Town, a comedy about a dispisable dentist who begins to see dead people. Does this Greg Kinnear/Ricky Gervais flick stink? Check out Manny's review to find out.


Nigel Beal returns this week with his thoughts on the documentary Man on Wire. He thinks it "could have benefitted from a bit of editing but is still rivetting." Does he have anything else to say about it? Sure, click over to NOTA BENE BOOK to read every last syllable.


Christina Rau of LIVIN' THE DREAM (ONE LOSER AT A TIME) comes in this week with a look at Dark Knight, oh yes, that's right the guy in the rubber suit. Turns out tickets to see this at IMAX aren't exactly laying around and it's taken some time for her to see the film. Wanna know what she thought? You wanna head over to her site.


Christina says in her post "The movie started and I almost puked "

I know how you feel, the same thing happens to me when I sit through a Julia Roberts movie. The lights go down, the music swells and there's Julia with her unwarranted smugness and that reptilian smile - time to dump out the popcorn bucket and faceplant while the dry heaves work their magic.


Moving from the cinema to DVD, the Forbidden Kingdom is available to bore you in the comfort of your own home. Trench of 7 MILES DOWN - MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN ON A LITTLE ISLAND PARADISE tackles the Jackie Chan/Jet Li let's flip around and kick each other while defying physics and mumbling every dang line movie.

Trench also provides an opinion on Starship Troopers 3: Maurader, which has gone straight to DVD...cuz y'know, some movies are so completely awesome they bypass all of that big release, wasting time in the cinema nonsense and get right down to business populating the bargain bins at WalMart.


C'mon, who doesn't just love direct-to-DVD movies? Well, actually David Constance doesn't. In particular, he's so upset with Disney direct-to-DVD movies that he's posted about it at his site MOUSE CHRONICLES.


Is Death Race still lingering at your local multiplex and you can't quite decide if you should shell out ten bucks to see it? CHAOSGONE has some questions for you:

Will you like the movie?

- Did you see the original movie, Death Race 2000?
- Did you like the main character, David Carradine, in Death Race 2000?
- Did you like Tyrese Gibson's character in 2 Fast 2 Furious?
- Did you like Joan Allen’s character in The Borne Supremacy?
- Did you like Jason Statham in the Transporter movies?
- Do you like movies of car race, and gun battles?

What do these questions have to do with Death Race? Click on over to find out for yourself. BTW, the answers are yes, no, heck no, nope, nein, and yeah duh.

CHAOSGONE also takes a look at Star Wars: The Clone Wars.


Next up, Gracchi of WESTMINSTER WISDOM has a review of Gone with the Wind and says "I would encourage anyone who reads it to read the comments as well where Stacy one of my regular readers picks up on several points and corrects my misjudgements and has some good ideas about what the film is about."


Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the latest Wood Allen effort. How does this outing stack up? Go ask Jonathan Pacheco of BOHEMIANCINEMA. He's seen it and gives the lowdown on his site.

He starts his post by saying "Ahh, the Spain of my dreams: passionate artists, tragic poets, beautiful countryside homes, and couples fighting in the streets." This sounds better than the where I live which is filled with fighting graffitti artists and rap poets, tragic homes and "couples" getting passonate in the streets.


Moving away from the movie reviews, we now turn to Matthew Needleman who wants to invite you to enjoy a trailer for his Film School for Video Podcasters over at his site CREATING LIFELONG LEARNERS.


GrrlScientist has the third, and last, part of her Harry Potter film sites of London photoessays. As her featured image for this photoessay, she uses an image of the London Zoo that was used in a scene in the first Harry Potter film where Harry was at the Little Whinging Zoo with his cousin, Dudley. Don't believe me? First, you need to be more trusting of the world, second, you can go see for yourself over at LIVING THE SCIENTIFIC LIFE.


The next item that is completely unrealted to anything else in this week's edition comes from Missy Frye from OBSERVATIONS FROM MISSY'S WINDOW. Missy ponders the lawsuit claiming "Disturbia" is essentually the same story as "Rear Window".


Let's tackle that - according to IMDb Disurbia's plot is...

"A teen living under house arrest becomes convinced his neighbor is a serial killer."

Rear Widnow's plot is...

"A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder."

What's the problem? They seem complete different to me. One has a kid the other a guy with a bum leg. To quote the McKenzie Brothers "lawyers are for sucks".


Since we're comparing things, Joe from INTERMISSION AT WORK wants to know, can you tell the difference between the various theatre chains? Well, can you? Head on over to his site and you can also vote on your favorite. This leads to a drawing for free ads for blog owners that vote.


On the site ENTERTAINMENT BUFF this week Brian Lohan discusses the upside to movie spoilers and ruining movies for yourself before seeing the flicks.


Drifting on to another subject, that Nicole Kidman sure makes some cruddy movies. Honestly, her resume stinks more than the business end of a pug that's finished eating yesterday's egg salad from the high school cafeteria. For actual proof this woman is the kiss of death for any film investor head to MY SIMPLE TRADING SYSTEM. There Praveen leaves no doubt the absolutely disaster Kidman's career has become.

The dope made Bewitched for crying out loud.


Concluding the posts this week Darrell the SOUTHERN CONSERVATIVE responds to my request to post a movie meme. The meme is five simple questions:

1. Which actor do you think hasn't gotten the attention he/she deserves?
2. What is your favorite movie line?
3. What is the absolute worst movies you've ever seen?
4. Is there a movie you hated when you first saw it and then later had to admit you were wrong?
5. What is your biggest guilty pleasure movie - the one you're ashamed you enjoy?

And for everyone who made the cut and is included in this week's post, how's about you do the meme too?





Have an opinion or article about the film industry? Have you reviewed a film or DVD? Have any tips on breaking into the biz? Send submissions HERE!




Previous Carnival editions:
Carnival of Cinema: Episode II
Carnival of Cinema: Episode VIII
Carnival of Cinema: Episode XIII
Carnival of Cinema: Episode XVII

Labels: Carnival of Cinema, links