So it's Christmas eve and we've eaten the Chinese food and are on our way to the movies... don't ask it's a family tradition.

anyway - we decide on King Kong. I've been afraid of this film - since i have a pretty strong anti-remake policy. (still haven't seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

But to my point. With two kids - one just 8 - we figured we could handle the pg 13 rating and close his eyes for some of the really scary stuff...

We were right - sort of .

What we couldn't skip were the trailers. A collection of some of the most violent, disturbing, sexually explicit, and downright troubling stuff i've seen in a while. My little one ended up hiding under his coat for almost all of them... and - once again- i found myself thinking about the DVD alternative.

Why? Because Hollywood didn't think about the fact that King Kong would be a family movie? That promoting adults (R) films in a PG 13 theatre wasn't going to enhance the family moviegoing experience?

And then there were the 8 minutes of long form ads that left me feeling like a sucker for sitting through ads and paying 10.50 for a ticket.

Oh, btw - King Kong was really good. Kind of amazing actually. Jack Black as the sleazy movie director... the girl, the ape, the whole thing. it's been a long time since a big hollywood movie actually drew me in... but this one did. It's a shame the theatre did so much to ruin the experience....

In my living room. I saw it. Rocketboom. Full Screen. On my Flatscreen TV. On my Tivo.

Now, before you shrug it off. This isn't some homebrew, geek, open-source software solution that i've cobbled together with scotch tape and bailing wire (though i've done that in the past).

What's so impressive - and a bit mysterious - is exactly how the Rocketboom file gets from their Vlog file to a high-quality, tv sized file that's waiting for me when i get home.

Here's the scoop:

Signing up was easy - i just put my email address in this LINK and Kaboom. it's done.

Then, it shows up in my now playing cue.

So just think what this means for the growing vlog revolution and ipod video world. All of a sudden, the link between the desktop and the tv is made.

It's soo cool. Now i want to start subscribing to all kinds of things.

BTW - i found this as i added my Yahoo to my Tivo subscription. This has all kinds of goodies built in, traffic, photo's, weather, even games and now you can program you Tivo from your Yahoo account.

I'm not sure why this hasn't gotten more press - it's so cool.

Last night i screened Munich at a PGA industry screening.

This film is extraordinary in so many ways. It's not of this time. It's not a 'tent pole' or an 'action movie' or a 'holiday movie' or an 'issue movie' - it's simply a film. It's deeply engaging... thoughtful...disturbing...and brave. And what is clear after watching it is that the images and questions raised by it won't go away quickly. A film about the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians that doesn't take sides, or promote a particular ideology is hard to find. But Spielberg uses the events of the Munich Olympics and the retribution that follows as a parable for a larger series of questions about violence, revenge, and what in hindsight we can now recognize as a patter of ever escalating violence.

But don't let any of that scare you away. It's a meticulously crafted, boldly performed film that downplays the violence that is the drumbeat of the movie. In fact the pattern of the assassinations that drive the movie become quickly secondary, as the deteriorating inner-life of the characters draws emotional fire. Lynn Cohen's portrayal of Golda Meir is haunting... and I'm not sure why. I don't have any memories of her to compare to the performance, yet i can't quite get it out of my mind.

Without giving anything away, the film has a remarkable way to feel very much like a crafted period piece that is at the same time modern and necessary. Perhaps most importantly, Spielberg could well have chosen to rest on his laurels after Schindler's List (1993) - instead decides to take on a topic that will surely win him no fans within the deeply divided conflict between Palestine and Israel. For that alone - he deserves credit. But the film stands on its own merits - and no one who sees it will leave without something to say.

Pat Aufderheide is of those people who is a fixture at every film festival and important indie film event. I'm not quite sure how she does it. But whe she told me a few months back that she was going to try to organize the best thinking about Fair Use, i knew she would make something important. Well, sure enough... it is:

http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fairuse.htm
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/rock/backgrounddocs/bestpractices.pdf