re: Clapping at movies...
When I saw Matrix Revolutions here in Paris, the audience did the same. I queried my fiancee about it (she's French) and she said it was quite normal when a new film opens. Sure enough, when we went to see Finding Nemo, the same thing.
I suppose that clapping is as much an emotional response as crying which happens all the time with movies.
That'll do donkey... that'll do...