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President Bush signed the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act into law last week. The decision is a victory for the makers of ClearPlay DVD machines and other film-editing devices intended for use in the home. But it could be a setback for companies like CleanFilms and others who edit copyrighted films to make them more "family-friendly"—and then market them to that target audience.

But that matter may yet be settled in the courts. According to a congressional statement on the new legislation, "There are a variety of services currently in litigation that distribute actual copies of altered movies. This type of activity is not covered by the section 110(11) exemption created by the Family Movie Act. There is a basic distinction between a viewer choosing to alter what is visible or audible when viewing a film, the focus of this legislation, and a separate entity choosing to create and distribute a single, altered version to members of the public. The section 110(11) exemption only applies to viewer directed changes to the viewing experience, and not the making or distribution of actual altered copies of the motion picture."

The new law also makes it illegal to record a film on your camcorder in a movie theater—with sentences up to three years for a first offense. So leave those camcorders at home, folks.

You can read more about this landmark decision at the Call Center CRM News Blog, at the Infothought blog, at The Hollywood Reporter, and at Public Knowledge.

As for the home-editing machines, we addressed that issue last year with a "pro" and "con" on the topic: Why This Is a Good Idea, by Lisa Espinoza Johnson, and Why This Is a Bad Idea, by … me.

"Christian Right" protesting Kingdom of Heaven (TimesOnline)
Note: The article only specifically mentions one Christian film critic who panned it.

Panel explores the media's portrayal of Muslims (DailyTrojan)
Is Kingdom of Heaven biased against Christians?

NarniaWeb reports on Biola's unveiling of the Narnia trailer (NarniaWeb)
And then there's a follow-up with more details here.

Conflicting reports: Disney says diet disqualified Bryan Cox as Aslan's voice (NarniaWeb)
But Cox's publicist says that's not true.

Millions helps bring in "8 million pennies" for WaterAid (BusinessWire)
"$80,000 has been raised for clean water for the people of developing countries."

Horses are dying on the set of Flicka (IMDB)
Two horses have died in two weeks on the set, prompting an investigation.

Maria Schell Dead at 79 (IMDB)
Actress was best known for her role in The Brothers Karamazov.

Doug Cummings underwhelmed by the SF International Film Festival (FilmJourney.org)
But he liked Pin Boy. Darren Hughes also underwhelmed (Long Pauses).

Star Wars marathon coming to the U.K. (Yahoo! News)
Could you sit through all six?

Terry Mattingly muses about Darth Vader (GetReligion)
Is Anakin a "fallen angel"?

Are M. Night Shyamalan's films all about the same thing? (Metaphilm)
Signs, The Village, and fear.

Another Dogme film (Times Online)
This one's about a priest who finds a miracle worker in a women's prison.

Steven D. Greydanus gets a glimpse of The Ninth Day (Looking Closer Journal)
A film with an uncharacteristic focus on the Catholic Church during the Holocaust.

The trailer for Batman Begins (official site)
See him again, for the first time.

Firefly fan alert! The trailer for Serenity! (Apple trailer site)
The cult-classic television series finally comes to the big screen.

Lord of War to explore world of gun-running
Starring a Hawke and a Cage.

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