King Kong Gets a Character Score of 59 from Discovery Journey

    /24-7PressRelease/ - AUSTIN, TX, March 28, 2006 - King Kong is now available on DVD and video and although it carries an MPAA: PG-13 rating with "frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images," parents may still wonder if it is appropriate to rent or purchase for their pre-teen or teenager's sleepover.

Discovery Journey takes the guess work out of these ratings by evaluating the content of children's books and movies for positive and negative examples of the following ten traits: self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, work, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty, and faith. The more strongly a book or movie presents these values-oriented messages, the higher it scores. Points are deducted for negative behavioral influences, such as violence, bad language, nudity, sexual content, scary elements, and the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The result is a Character Score, ranging from zero to 100 that parents can use to select media that have integral values messages.

The result of the recent movie review generated a Character Score of 59 as follows:

Character Traits
Self-Discipline: 4 Stars
Compassion: 5 Stars
Responsibility: 4 Stars
Friendship: 4 Stars
Work: 4 stars
Courage: 5 stars
Perseverance: 5 stars
Honesty: 2 stars
Loyalty: 4 stars
Faith: 3 stars

Absence of Influence
Violence: 0 stars
Language: 4 stars
Nudity: 6 stars
Sexual: 3 stars
Drugs/Alcohol: 0 stars
Scary: 1 star
Bad Behavior: 2 stars

Suggested Ages: Discovery Journey recommends this movie for mature viewers who are of age 14 and up.

Messages: This film explores the relationship, compassion, and the full range of emotions and behaviors between animal and humans. The film demonstrates, through the extreme actions of humans, that you cannot discount or assume the qualities of others without really knowing them.

Guide's Opinion: This movie was very graphic, violent, and scary. I would recommend it for viewers 14 years and older. This movie contained an emotional element that makes you feel empathy for King Kong. Be aware that this movie is three hours in length. My favorite lines were when Carl Denham says "The planes didn't kill the beast. Beauty killed the beast."

Subscribers to www.discoveryjourney.com join a community of concerned parents, sharing their perspective and experiences regarding the books, movies, and activities with each other:

Susan Sitton co-founded Discovery Journey with her husband, Brent. Today, Susan Sitton helps lead the Discovery Journey team of 12 caring, dedicated "guides" with a combined total of 172 years of classroom experience and 18 college degrees among them. Discovery Journey previews new books, reviews new movies, provides entertaining activities and ideas for a variety of situations, and offers general tips for quality family life - at the touch of a button day or night through www.discoveryjourney.com. Susan is a magna cum laude graduate of Texas Christian University. Her previous professional experience was as marketing and membership director for several trade associations. Susan is the mother of triplets and a toddler.

Discovery Journey offers a unique combination of ingredients creating the "recipes" for building character and values in families, schools, neighborhoods and more. In one site, Discovery Journey includes children's book reviews, movie reviews, and ideas for relaxation time with family and friends.

For Further information, contact us at (512) 809-2983.

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