Batman, The Dark Knight, and Some Menace

You probably know that the new Batman movie (The Dark Knight) comes out this Thursday.

But did you know that it's rated PG-13? You did? Well, did you look closer at the poster and see the explanation for the rating? Didn't think so.

The poster reads, "Rated PG-13 - For intense sequences of violence and some menace."

Not a little menace. Not a LOT of menace. But some menace.

How much menace is "some" menace?

To find out, you'll have to know a little bit about our ratings systems works. If you're like me, you won't want to actually do "research." Instead watch This Film Is Not Yet Rated. It's no Michael Moore documentary, but it's a good start.

Basically, a group of semi-conservative parents in the San Fernando Valley mixed with a handful of executives at the MPAA with close ties to the movie industry determine what your kids can or cannot see.

But the documentary doesn't explain the "menace." A little more investigating (going to www.mpaa.org) sheds some light on this dark...knight...rating.

Note: CARA stands for "Classification and Rating Administration" - those groups of parents and executives that get together to rate each movie.

"Every motion picture rated PG, PG-13, R or NC-17 will be assigned “rating reasons” by CARA at the time that the motion picture is rated. These rating reasons provide additional guidance concerning the specific content of the motion picture and also give a further explanation of why the motion picture has been rated in the category to which it is assigned. The rating reasons also include modifiers to give parents an indication of the strength of specific elements in the movie." (From www.mpaa.com - FAQs - Bold, my own.)

That's right, that "some" is no accident. That's what they call a "modifier."

Or was the "menace" the modifier?

And is that all the explanation they're going to give?

Answer: yes. They're a private organization and don't have to explain their ratings nor the process of deriving the ratings.

And so, parents: if you're okay with "some" menace, then by all means take your ten year old to see The Dark Knight this weekend.

If you're a good parent, however, you know what while a "little" menace never hurt anyone, "some" menace is the work of the devil. God save the MPAA.

-KV

Raw Footage of Africa - Part II - The Conclusion

This is the follow-up to Watching Raw Footage of My Parents' Trip to Africa While Using Their Wireless to Write This. It is the following night, and I am typing this on the couch, sitting next to my parents as we watch the last half of the raw footage from their trip to Africa.

There is a lot of down-time, and my parents don't mind me typing; though they sometimes they look over with a "how many freakin' emails is he going to write?" look. You know the one. -KV

Things Learned from the last half of the Africa Video:

-Hippos really are hungry hungry.

-Victoria Falls is loud.

-Putting the camera in a plastic sack sometimes doesn't prevent it from getting wet.

-Monkeys like hotels lawns.

-Cape Town is Disneyland with way more black people.

-Tourists like to watch dancing.

-When it's summer in California, it is winter in South Africa.

-It is easy to leave the camera on and not know it.

-Nelson Mandela spent some time in prison.

-Gondola's with VISA on the side look just like the ones in the VISA commercials.

-Animals NOT seen on safari are far less impressive.

-French people know a lot about wine and cheese (don't ask)

-For twenty dollars you can pet the baby cheetahs.

-It's going to take a computer with a large hard drive to edit this video.

-KV