Is this the moving picture ship?

Weeks ago, our movie of the week from my home collection was the original 1933 King Kong, forever one of my favorites.

This weekend, we watch Peter Jackson's excellent 2005 remake -- spectacular, flawlessly researched, and deeply respectful of its trailblazing ancestor. Afterward, I ask the guys which they prefer, expecting the stunning computer graphics and much longer action sequences of the newer version to eclipse the crude old black-and-white original. But all three of them say that, much as they enjoyed the new movie, they still liked the classic better.

Throughout the viewing, Tertius's running commentary refers to Kong as a "monkey." I explain that Kong, being a giant gorilla, is actually an ape. Never one to pass up the opportunity for a little pedagogy, I follow up with some zoological basics.

"What does a monkey have that an ape doesn't?" I quiz him.

He thinks for a second. "A banana," he replies.