James Franco and Randall Park as Kim Jong-un in The Interview (Sony Pictures)
Posted on 12/18/2014 7:02:22 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Seth Rogen and James Franco give every indication of being in life something very much like the loveable dopes they play in the movies, and that they should be central figures in a matter of international importance is unlikely indeed. But that is nonetheless where we find ourselves: Hackers working on behalf of the regime of Kim Jong-un, the third-generation dictator of North Korea, stole a trove of documents from Sony Pictures and released them to the public to punish the entertainment concern for commissioning The Interview, a Rogen-Franco comedy in which a celebrity journalist secures an interview with Kim and is tasked by the CIA with assassinating him.
Subsequent terrorist threats — that theaters showing the film would be attacked — have persuaded many cinema operators to refuse to show the film, and Sony has canceled the film’s theatrical release, though bits of it already have turned up on the Internet. Spokesmen for the Kim regime, who do not as a rule have much of a sense of humor, have called the comedy “an act of terrorism” and threatened “merciless” retaliation.
Sony et al. should not have knuckled under to the demands of terrorists, but options remain: The most obvious course of action is for Sony to make the film widely available online through services such as iTunes and Netflix. If that proves impossible, then Sony should go ahead and write off the ticket sales, the loss of which it already is contemplating, and simply post the film online in its entirety at any of the many sites hosting user-generated content. Some hosts may take it down in response to threats, but once it is out there it will be out there forever. Sony will lose some money that it probably is going to lose in any case, but it will establish a desirable precedent.
On the subject of precedents, the news media have established a poisonous standard in this matter. The occasions upon which we find ourselves in agreement with the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin are rare, but he is correct in arguing that news media mining stolen e-mails for their gossip columns are “giving material aid to criminals,” specifically to terrorists working in the service of a Stalinist prison state notorious for having reduced its people to occasional bouts of cannibalism. That is a high price to pay for a couple of column inches about a studio chief characterizing Angelina Jolie as a “spoiled brat.” It has been a shameful spectacle. The media here are trafficking in stolen property in furtherance of a propaganda project undertaken by a dictatorship almost unique in its repressiveness. There are times when publishing such information serves a legitimate public interest; it is very difficult to take seriously the proposition that this is one of them.
Public and private institutions both require a general hardening of their information infrastructures, and this presents technical challenges that are new and unfamiliar. But even in this brave new world, some things never change: Giving in to terrorism only invites more terrorism, even the most walled off of dictatorships cannot be ignored away, and free societies can defend themselves and their institutions only when they have the courage of the conviction that doing so is worthwhile.
Hey, Kim, fruck you!
At this point, I’d say Sony is finished. They probably will stick to cowboy westerns, Shakespeare epics, and re-makes of King Kong.
I would say this...the hype to watch The Interview....is now hitting absolute maximum. I’d probably pay $20 to see the movie right now.
Maybe it should go to some kind of pay per view.
Even a couple of dollars a shot would be worth millions.
And a good poke in the eye to that dick-tator.
What is so amazing to watch is how cowardly Hollywood is. If they attack Christians or Republicans they spare nothing at that. they are relentless because they know there will be no consequences. If they are doing some environmental protest they are all out there being important, but when the threats become real they run like cowards.
What an interesting turn of events.
Here’s the delicious irony:
The film will be leaked and distributed via the usual dodgy avenues with interested heightened due to publicity and the notion that to own or view the film subverts North Korea, Hollywood and/or the Establishment, as well as the meaningless but undeniable thrill of Reddit types claiming to have watched it.
Sony will be unable to control said distribution just as they are unable to to control the titles already being shared.
Through its cowardice, Sony will cost itself any revenue from legitimate ticket sales, DVDs etc.
It’s lose, lose and lose again for Sony.
Yet assassination videos of POTUS get no mention or concern from the NORKS or ChiComs.
The US media is -flat out- a tool of international communism.
Sony and the vapid actors have demonstrated to the world their vile and cowardly true character.
Great idea!
Good point about the cowardliness of Hollywood and the libs.
Seth Rogen said that if Sony shuts down the movie, the Norks have won.
He’s right.
They almost wiped out Sony as a viable multibillion dollar business.
If I was Sony, I’d be working on the sequel to The Interview.
It is not only Hollywood that can be intimidated and forced into self-censorship. Our government and the MSM react the same way when it comes to Islam and the war on Christians. Fear of reprisal forces self-censorship. It is everywhere around us on a whole host of subjects.
I think Sony should invite Dennis Rodman to the Premier.
Ah, Hollwood - never afraid to stand up for freedom for speech as long as Muslims or North Koreans don’t tell them to shut up.
Don’t worry Sony ,the Obama Admin has your back , LOL ,NOT
I agree that they should post it free or go straight to DVD/ppv if they are gong to be cowards.
However, I think there may be 2 other financial issues at play.
First, I wonder if insurers are saying “we won’t cover anything that happens at a theater because you have been warned and could have taken action to prevent it.” This would mean sony and the theater chains are liable for everything.
Second, if Sony can prove that sales are harmed by a terrorist act (theaters won’t show it), maybe they get a payout from an insurer.
They will not post it for free, they will at least go to DVD where it will make record sales or rentals.
It may be possible that as much as the regime in Washington despises ‘big business’, we may find their fingerprints are all over this disaster plaguing Sony.
Per FoxNews, the ending segment has already been ‘leaked’ to the Internet.
Movie Kim didn’t fare too well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.