The Interview (NOT Cancelled)

[Johnny Unusual]

Probably should actually spoiler that.

With a spoiler tag.

Like this.

Hey, never say never, man.

[JimJ]

I did it, but I think the fact that happens (maybe not specifically how it happens, but the fact that it happens) is pretty common knowledge now.

[MrTorso]

Maybe next time the hackers can keep the next Michael Bay atrocity or Adam Sandler "comedy" out of theaters....

[Scrivener]

Cowards.  Studio and theater chains alike.  Cowards.

There really is nothing more I can say.  I need to go be alone for a while.

[ScottotD]

A publicly traded company not wanting to risk having blood on their hands seems understandable to me, sets a pretty crazy precedent though.

[goflyblind]

the terrorists win the superbowl! the terrorists win the superbowl! the terrorists win the superbowl!

[Pak-Man]

I dunno. It's easy to shout out, "Free speech! We shouldn't cave in to their demands!" It's the American way to be. But I can't imagine it being an easy call if, say, I owned one of the theaters that was showing it, and was responsible for the safety and well-being of its employees and customers. I know if my workplace ever sent out a memo that said, "Terrorists have threatened violence upon you all if we release this product, we thought it over, and we're doing it anyway!" I'd be concerned...

[Quantum Vagina]

Yes, it sets a shitty precedent. It's not censorship though. Sony has the right to pull the picture, for whatever reason they choose. People pull the "You're letting the terrorists win!" Argument a lot. How is taking steps to prevent harm to yourself letting them win? Its like the people who decried the nail polish that changed colour around date rape drugs as having the victim being responsible for preventing rape. TakTaking steps to prevent harm to yourself is not a bad thing. Also, if Sony HAD released the movie, and something HAD happened, they'd have been called out on not taking the threats seriously. It was a no win situation, and this way they could assume that no one would be hard. Besides, North Korea would've claimed that they did it anyway, so it changes their actions in zero ways.

[Miku Fan]

Nothing deters terrorism like caving in to it.  :

[ScottotD]

If it was the US stopping a North Korean movie where (for example) Kim Jong killed Obama, I wonder if the projected reaction would be similar.  I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Sony pulling the movie either way but I just find the anger quite odd.

[JimJ]

Yes, it sets a shitty precedent. It's not censorship though. Sony has the right to pull the picture, for whatever reason they choose. People pull the "You're letting the terrorists win!" Argument a lot. How is taking steps to prevent harm to yourself letting them win? Its like the people who decried the nail polish that changed colour around date rape drugs as having the victim being responsible for preventing rape. TakTaking steps to prevent harm to yourself is not a bad thing. Also, if Sony HAD released the movie, and something HAD happened, they'd have been called out on not taking the threats seriously. It was a no win situation, and this way they could assume that no one would be hard. Besides, North Korea would've claimed that they did it anyway, so it changes their actions in zero ways.

The hackers had a stated goal of stopping The Interview from being released and, amazingly, they have achieved that.  Not only that but they also got another movie set in NK starring Steve Carell to be shelved as well, without even asking for it!  How is that not a huge win?  And it is censorship.  Sony is censoring their own movie.  Of course, they have the right to do that, but we also have the right to think it's the wrong decision.  I do agree with you that it was a tough call and that's why I can't be too pissed at them for making it.  I'm just fucking sad about the whole thing, to be honest.  Everybody lost in this except for the assholes behind the threats and hacks.

If it was the US stopping a North Korean movie where (for example) Kim Jong killed Obama, I wonder if the projected reaction would be similar.

I'd be pretty pissed if the US devoted any amount resources to stop a movie from being made or released.  There was a British film made about George W. Bush being assassinated while he was still the sitting president.  I remember a lot of grumbling about how it was in bad taste and some theaters refusing to show it, but mostly people didn't give a shit.

[RVR II]

For the few that got an early screening, did no one take a camcorder in with them and record a bootleg

And where's Anonymous at?? Why aren't they hacking North Korea?!

[Relaxing Dragon]

Yes, it sets a shitty precedent. It's not censorship though. Sony has the right to pull the picture, for whatever reason they choose. People pull the "You're letting the terrorists win!" Argument a lot. How is taking steps to prevent harm to yourself letting them win? Its like the people who decried the nail polish that changed colour around date rape drugs as having the victim being responsible for preventing rape. TakTaking steps to prevent harm to yourself is not a bad thing. Also, if Sony HAD released the movie, and something HAD happened, they'd have been called out on not taking the threats seriously. It was a no win situation, and this way they could assume that no one would be hard. Besides, North Korea would've claimed that they did it anyway, so it changes their actions in zero ways.

I do agree that it's not censorship. The motives, measures, and general attitude about it are entirely different. I have no doubt this film will eventually see the light of day in some format, likely in the original form as was always intended.

I do, however, think the studios and theaters were wrong to back down on this matter. It's become part of the national conscious in some way to buckle under the strain of crazed threats, and is that really a good thing? We've reached a point where we assume the blanket argument "Well it prevents something bad from happening" is a cover-all for every reduction of everything (see also: the abysmal failure and yet totally commonplace Zero Tolerance policies found in schools everywhere), and also gives more credence for random folks to scream and shout and make (always) empty threats to get their way. It's giving in to bullies, which, frankly, isn't a direction I want to see this country go down. Especially when things like this lead to a domino effect that ends with stuff like this happening.

[Compound]

And the fun continues.


Several theatres, such as The Alamo, had planned on replacing showings of The Interview with showings of Team America instead. Paramount has now ordered those theaters not to show the puppet movie either.


FYI, Team America is available on Netflix, at least for now.

[Darth Geek]

Spoilers, I guess:

Spoiler

It's been pulled down. What was it?