What should Sony do with The Interview?

!

 

This type of thing happened before, before the internet existed and you could only buy books from book shops. I'm referring to The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie back in '88. The book was published in the UK and soon had sections of the Muslim world go ballistic. Initially, no publisher in the US wanted to publish this book because of the death threats and terrorism threats. However, there was a major public outcry about freedom of speech and censorship, etc, which eventually helped to change the publishers' minds and the book did get published (to no ill effect, except for Salman Rushdie).

The current situation is uncannily similar with the difference being that now we have universal and instant communications, which each other, the media and business. These pressures tend to accelerate developments and we are already beginning to see some revisionism coming out of Sony, who have left the door open to releasing the movie in some form.

 

The movie should NOT be released in any form until it is edited to reflect the magnificence of the Dear Leader more accurately. Do the right thing, Sony.

 

I am sad Sony decided to pull it.
I don't think people should respond to threats, it will just encourage more threats.. but that is me..

Just because a work of art MIGHT offend someone is not a reason to suppress it, the cartoons of Mohammed may have been scandalous to certain people, but they don't get to tell the rest of us what to do.
It isn't their world, and we are wrong to give them that power.

A little off subject, but I think it is a very bad idea to ever let blasphemy law trump free speech, and this subject comes up from time to time.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/28/which-countries-still-outlaw-apostasy-and-blasphemy/

 

Sorry to rebump - but the independent theaters I referenced are now getting vocal (Atlanta, Austin..) about stating they WILL show The Interview if allowed by the Studio.

Stay tuned - let's hear if these respectable independent theaters get loud enough to show Sony "what they should do with The Interview" ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

Well, looks like as I'm writing this Sony WILL do basically as I wrote above!

http://www.thewrap.com/sony-set-to-announce-the-interview-theatrical-vod-release-exclusive/

Jeff

EDIT: Just heard it from Tim League at The Alamo Drafthouse... it's ON. Tim is, and always has been as far as I've known him, been a great Champion of classic films/"cult films" and making a stand for indie cinema, too (he showed my picture last year to a packed house with a Q&A last year in Austin). Now it seems the tables have turned and he's going to show a STUDIO picture while others have backed down. Go TIM!

 

I thought the movie was a stinkah from day 1. Another buddy comedy like Due Date, The Internship, or 22 Jump Street. Seth Rogan is painfully unfunny and smug. More power to independent movie theaters for wanting to show it though.

 

To me, it doesn't matter if it was Cabin Boy 2 or a romantic comedy starring Mel Gibson and Mia Farrow.

I completely agree with your last statement, and IMO it doesn't matter if I, or anyone else, agrees with your first line or not regarding this matter..

Jeff, who hasn't seen Neighbors, This is The End or any of the three movies you mentioned!

 

All this has done is blow the movie's profile up (no pun intended). Anyone who had little to no interest in this movie will now see it solely due to this situation now.

 

I want one!

 

By the way folks, it's Seth Rogen, not Rogan. Thank you. Carry on.

 

This is when I said adios to Cat Stevens once and for all.

 

Unless IMDb figures out how to handle their Top 250 highest-rated films now, The Interview will usurp Shawshank/The Godfather(s) as the Highest Rated film of all time.

It is now at a very comfortable and unanimous 10 rating on IMDb. Unprecedented waters indeed...

Jeff

 

This smells more and more like a publicity stunt. I believe the hacking of Sony may well be legitimate, but the attempt to censor The Interview reeks of something else.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30589472
Sony screens film

 

Except for North Korea was on record decrying the potential release of The Interview months ago, long before Sony or the general public knew of the hacking.

This whole thing would be far too complex and risky for a publicity stunt.

 

Theater list to carry the picture as of 2PM Pacific, 12/23/14:

• The Alamo Drafthouse — Multiple locations, TBD
• The Plaza Atlanta — Atlanta, Ga.
• Merril’s Roxy — Burlington, Vt.
• MX Movies — St. Louis, Mo.
• The Fox Theater — Dallas, Oregon.
• Riverdale 10 — Little Rock, Ark.
• Southside Works Cinema — Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Tower City Cinema — Cleveland, Ohio.

 

It's incredible that some people still think so.

It reeks of incompetence and knee-jerk a** covering. Sony's response was clearly an evolutionary process which responded to developing events as they happened. To attribute this chaotic process to some king of master plan is really stretching credulity.

 

No, no. You are thinking of a different actor, it is indeed Seth Rogan playing alongside James Flacco.

 

You're right. That was my knee-jerk reaction to the on-again/off-again nature of this. What a bunch of shenanigans, eh?

 

Isn't he a Quarterback...?

 

Actually his nickname is Jimmy Football, which is unfortunate if you can't play very well.

 

If possible hack into North Koreas TV network and show it prime time.

 

I'm not sure there is a prime time in North Korea.


...probably no happy hour either.

 

I would guess most of them don't even have a TV yet.

 

Show the whole thing everywhere unedited, uncensored and with some director cut outtakes.