North Korea Muzzles Sony

[Wilber]

We don't need to back down on anything. It's disappointing that you are OK with Kim Jong Un as your commissar of taste.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Wilber

[Michael Hardner]

At least the films provides substance and meaning and we don't need to back down. Let's take a stand and provide support to creative film makers and producers who dare to expose human degradations in NK and elsewhere around the world.

I know what you're saying, but I think we need to stand behind freedom of expression in any form when it's threatened. Even The Sun, believe it or not.

[Michael Hardner]

We don't need to back down on anything.

"We" didn't. SONY and the cinemas did. I'm sorry that they were afraid. Hopefully they will take a risk soon and find out the rewards of doing so.

[BubberMiley]

I know what you're saying, but I think we need to stand behind freedom of expression in any form when it's threatened. Even The Sun, believe it or not.

Awesome. After I call the bikers morons, I expect you there defending me while I run away.

[Wilber]

"We" didn't. SONY and the cinemas did. I'm sorry that they were afraid. Hopefully they will take a risk soon and find out the rewards of doing so.

I was responding to someone else who used the term.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Wilber

[Wilber]

Paramount has cancelled Team America. I guess Bubber will OK with that. Wonder when the six o'clock news will be the next to crater when it comes to reporting anything negative about Kim. I guess he will be good with that as well or will he finally give up his fixation with bikers and get his comprehension level past the school yard.

[Big Guy]

I was in Montreal when the FLQ problems were prevalent. Bombs were exploding in mail boxes. I avoided mail boxes.

In Toronto in 1985 (I think) there were rumors of problems with Armenians and somebody else. One morning I used the Subway to go to work and noticed a lot of policemen on the system. By noon that day, the police revealed that they had received a "serious" threat that a bomb would go off in one or more of the Subway stations during the 4:00 p.m. rush. They said that they had searched every station during the previous day and that morning and had found no bombs. They had decided that morning that they had a moral responsibility to tell the public about the threat.

Well, during the 4:00 p.m. rush, the subway system was almost empty of riders. A lot of folks were above on Bloor street hitchhiking their way home. I was one of them. Terrorism works.

I assume that there are some who decide to make a point of standing their ground and refusing to be cowed. When nothing happens they can crow, if they are wrong, they are dead.

In that latest standoff in Australia, that nutbar was carrying a shotgun and appeared to be nodding off. One of the hostages, the manager of the café, went for the gun and lost. He was shot dead as was another hostage and the nutbar.

If he was successful then he would have been a hero. I wonder if his family think that he should have acted as he did.

As to this particular case, I hope that somebody purchases this film and downloads it for free viewing to the Internet - Oh, and make sure a North Korean dubbed version is also available.

[guyser]

There is another angle out there.

Sony, under pressure from all the other studios and theatre owners releasing movies for christmas quietly implored Sony to drop this film......for the time being.

The Worry was they didnt want all the theatres to be empty since that is a very real possibility . Any 6 plex +/- would have many new features and the risk to all the others including Sony was strong.

It makes sense, and woiuld not surprise me if Sony gets kick back from the other studios.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Guyser2

[BubberMiley]

I guess he will be good with that as well or will he finally give up his fixation with bikers and get his comprehension level past the school yard.

Don't make insults because you feel bad that you couldn't explain why my biker analogy was different from this situation.

[Wilber]

Don't make insults because you feel bad that you couldn't explain why my biker analogy was different from this situation.

It wasn't intended as an insult.

[overthere]

In defence of Sony, they are scrambling just to keep their offices open without access to their usual internal networks.

They only recently restored voicemail and a basic email system since everything on their previous system is assumed to be compromised.

[BubberMiley]

It wasn't intended as an insult.

Then can you bring your comprehension level up to actually explain why the biker analogy fails? Edited December 19, 2014 by BubberMiley

[Wilber]

In defence of Sony, they are scrambling just to keep their offices open without access to their usual internal networks.

They only recently restored voicemail and a basic email system since everything on their previous system is assumed to be compromised.

They aren't cancelling anything else that I know of.

[BubberMiley]

They aren't cancelling anything else that I know of.

I didn't think so.

[TimG]

Sony, under pressure from all the other studios and theatre owners releasing movies for christmas quietly implored Sony to drop this film......for the time being.

An interesting trend in Hollywood movies is they are appearing to run out of bad guys as movie markets grow around the world. North Korea was the last "safe" bad guys even though it rendered the plots to some movies nonsensical given the extreme weakness of the NK economy. I guess we will see more mythical baddies like Hydra.

[TimG]

They aren't cancelling anything else that I know of.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/texas-movie-theater-replaces-the-interview-with-team-america#.lw5Wwk2LX

Paramount Orders Movie Theaters To Cancel “Team America” Screenings

[Wilber]

I didn't think so.

Paramount has.

[Wilber]

Paramount has.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/texas-movie-theater-replaces-the-interview-with-team-america#.lw5Wwk2LXParamount Orders Movie Theaters To Cancel “Team America” Screenings

I was referring to Sony but in fairness to them it seems to be an industry problem. The US doesn't negotiate with terrorists but its companies? No problem.

[BubberMiley]

The US doesn't negotiate with terrorists but its companies? No problem.

That's not negotiating with terrorists. That's being a grown-up and weighing risks over reward.

[Boges]

I fully concede that there's a strong chance that this is just some virgin in his mom's basement doing this for shits and giggles.

[Wilber]

That's not negotiating with terrorists. That's being a grown-up and weighing risks over reward.

I do agree that it is primarily about money. I don't think people's safety is much of a consideration. Unfotrunately, the movie industry has just made it clear that their freedom of expression is for sale.

[BubberMiley]

I do agree that it is primarily about money. I don't think people's safety is much of a consideration. Unfotrunately, the movie industry has just made it clear that their freedom of expression is for sale.

Why don't you think people's safety is a consideration? Just a hunch, like your hunch that the security threat was not credible?

But the movie industry still has its freedom of expression. They demonstrated that with their free choice to not show the movie. Sometimes it's wise to decide not to call the biker a moron if you determine the consequences aren't worth it.

[Wilber]

The police have already said they had no real concern about public safety. Sony and Paramount chose to be coerced. An industry that demands freedom of expression refuses to defend it as soon as they are confronted with a situation that can't be dealt with by lawyers.

[BubberMiley]

The police have already said they had no real concern about public safety.

What police?

[Wilber]

What police?

The LA police for one. Their chief was on the news saying as much. Although they take threats seriously and they would take extra precautions, they doubted whether Korea had the ability to make good on them.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Wilber