Sony Caves to North Korea

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Sony Caves to North Korea

Sony Cancels Theatrical Release for ‘The Interview’ on Christmas
by Brent Lang
December 17, 2014
Variety

America just lost it's first cyberattack battle with a foreign government.

From the article:

With theater chains defecting en masse, Sony Pictures Entertainment has pulled the planned Christmas Day release of “The Interview.”

. . .

The comedy centers on a hapless television host who is recruited to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. The country has condemned the film and some cyber-security experts believe that it played a role in the hacking attack on the studio. North Korea has denied involvement in the attacks.

Seth Rogen and James Franco star in the picture, which cost $42 million to produce.

Sony has been reeling for weeks since hackers broke into the studio’s computer system in November and stole internal documents, email messages, film budgets, spreadsheets detailing top executive salaries and the social security numbers of thousands of employees. The documents and records were subsequently leaked online, setting off a firestorm of media coverage.

Tuesday’s message accompanied another data dump. It threatened violence on theaters that showed “The Interview” and people who attend screenings.

Maybe Sony can replace the showing with a rerun of The Mouse that Roared.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Also, why doesn't Sony just hire Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt Damon, Chuck Norris, and maybe on the female side throw in Sigourney Weaver, Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lawrence and Rooney Mara and send them on a hunt and kill mission to North Korea, at least to dismantle the cyber-army?

Maybe take out North Korea's nukes while they're at it?

Michael

[Selene]

Also, why doesn't Sony just hire Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt Damon, Chuck Norris, and maybe on the female side throw in Sigourney Weaver, Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lawrence and Rooney Mara and send them on a hunt and kill mission to North Korea, at least to dismantle the cyber-army?

Maybe take out North Korea's nukes while they're at it?

Michael

LOL

Someone called a talk show this morning and said that SONY could have achieved a bonanza had they arranged to stream the movie for free.

It would get the movie to everyone in the safety of their home, office, or, device.

I thought that was brilliant.

SONY could still pull that off.

A...

[BaalChatzaf]

Here is what worries me. A lot of companies seeing Sony hacked royally may be scared into beefing up their cyber security. But that means hiring a lot of programmers. You can better some of the programmers will be sleeper agents for Guardians of Peace and will build in back doors and Trojan Horses into the systems they are "beefing up". What then?

[Selene]

Here is what worries me. A lot of companies seeing Sony hacked royally may be scared into beefing up their cyber security. But that means hiring a lot of programmers. You can better some of the programmers will be sleeper agents for Guardians of Peace and will build in back doors and Trojan Horses into the systems they are "beefing up". What then?

That is why water boarding will be part of the interview.

Also, spending a weekend in a cell listening to loud Barack O'bama speeches.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Sony just came out and said it was not going to release the movie anywhere. Ever.

This sounds like they are being advised by Obama's people. That's his way of fighting.

Everything by stealth and deception.

Even when a gesture of heroism for public morale is warranted.

Michael

[zantonavitch]

This whole business of appeasing evil and surrendering free speech to the world's ultra-weak foreign dictators began with Salman Rushdie and his novel The Satanic Verses in 1989. The almost militarily-defenseless tyranny of Iran dared to issue open death threats to Rushdie [ironic name!], and Britain and America did essentially nothing to punish this outrage. Since then the Muslims have done a lot more censorship, such as the t'v' show South Park blanking out of Mohammad's image in 2010, and those highly-threatened Danish cartoons of Mohammad in 2006. Regarding this last, most U.S. newspapers were too cowardly to run them, including The New York Times. This is all an open invitation to enslavement.

Now the communists of North Korea are getting into the act. They even dared to steal millions of dollars of movie property, as well as a trove of private email communications. How soon before the far more powerful Russians and Chinese realize how pathetic and vulnerable America and the West really are?

This will never end. It's simply not possible to abandon principle and appease evil enough. No matter how submissive and pathetic we are -- no matter how much we surrender all our honor, pride, and self-esteem -- the demands for censorship will continue on to infinity. Either America and the West stand up for ourselves at some point, or all of our freedom of speech -- and much more -- will get surrendered to the forces of tyranny and evil.

[tmj]

When does Sony think NKorean sleeper cell agents were placed here, and since there's food , why would they stay loyal to the Dear Leader anyway?

[Francisco Ferrer]

No country which calls the leader of the greatest, noblest nation on earth a “wicked black monkey,” should be allowed to get away with that. It makes me want to force other people to spend their money on bombing the inhabitants of that slave state.

[Jules Troy]

Just mass spam youtube with The f33rless fat little despot taking it up the ass by Ron Jeremy ?

[Brant Gaede]

This whole business of appeasing evil and surrendering free speech to the world's ultra-weak foreign dictators began with Salman Rushdie and his novel The Satanic Verses in 1989. The almost militarily-defenseless tyranny of Iran dared to issue open death threats to Rushdie [ironic name!], and Britain and America did essentially nothing to punish this outrage. Since then the Muslims have done a lot more censorship, such as the t'v' show South Park blanking out of Mohammad's image in 2010, and those highly-threatened Danish cartoons of Mohammad in 2006. Regarding this last, most U.S. newspapers were too cowardly to run them, including The New York Times. This is all an open invitation to enslavement.

Now the communists of North Korea are getting into the act. They even dared to steal millions of dollars of movie property, as well as a trove of private email communications. How soon before the far more powerful Russians and Chinese realize how pathetic and vulnerable America and the West really are?

This will never end. It's simply not possible to abandon principle and appease evil enough. No matter how submissive and pathetic we are -- no matter how much we surrender all our honor, pride, and self-esteem -- the demands for censorship will continue on to infinity. Either America and the West stand up for ourselves at some point, or all of our freedom of speech -- and much more -- will get surrendered to the forces of tyranny and evil.

If it "will never end" then nothing will get "surrendered" to any end state.

--Brant

then there's that greatest appeaser of all--John Galt

[Robert Campbell]

If the North Koreans got help with their hacking from the Russians or the Chinese or the Iranians, much more will be hitting the fan shortly.

What is so remarkably stupid, as well as craven, about Sony's reaction is the total lack of evidence for any North Korean agents in the United States, ready to blow up or shoot up a 10plex somewhere.

Kim the Third's threat to nuke us would have more credibility.

Robert Campbell

[Robert Campbell]

A 2004 movie that makes fun of North Korea and the Kim Dynasty has now been pulled as well:

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/227592-theaters-cancel-team-america-showings

Robert Campbell

[Brant Gaede]

This Sony trouble appears to be from Russia. (ToThePointNews.com [$] 12-19-14 HFR)

--Brant

[Robert Campbell]

Good op ed today by Flemming Rose:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/20/opinion/sony-caved-to-terror-no-one-else-should.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Robert Campbell

[Robert Campbell]

Damn. The capitulations just keep coming.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/12/18/steve-carell-movie-set-in-north-korea-nixed/20597831/

Obviously, no one thinks President Obama is going to protect them.

Robert Campbell

[Brant Gaede]

Cowardice is why America is going down the tubes. When it hits bottom it will bounce for cowardice will be out of work.

--Brant

but how high?

[zantonavitch]

Hollywood is evidently populated by nothing but amoral unprincipled surrender monkeys: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/george-clooney-talks-sony-hack-north-korea-cannot-tell-us-what-to-do-20141912.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Somebody on Alex Jones's site wonders if this whole thing might not be a gigantic publicity scam since the movie will now be showing on Christmas day. And this speculation hit the top-left headline portion of Drudge (right above the main big headline).

If it was a publicity stunt, this will be the mother of them all.

It even got the President of the USA involved.

But somehow I don't think it was.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

It's too much. Way too much.

--Brant

[Robert Campbell]

Limited release now on "The Interview."

When the Steve Carrell movie is uncanceled I'll take Hollywood's resolve seriously.

Robert Campbell

[BaalChatzaf]

Limited release now on "The Interview."

When the Steve Carrell movie is uncanceled I'll take Hollywood's resolve seriously.

Robert Campbell

Which move is that?

[Selene]

Limited release now on "The Interview."

When the Steve Carrell movie is uncanceled I'll take Hollywood's resolve seriously.

Robert Campbell

Which move is that?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/steve-carell-north-korea-movie_n_6344520.html<<<< I think this one Bob

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Robert referenced it here:

Damn. The capitulations just keep coming.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/12/18/steve-carell-movie-set-in-north-korea-nixed/20597831/

Obviously, no one thinks President Obama is going to protect them.

Robert Campbell

I got caught, too, because I didn't click on the link at the time.

Michael