# SONY pulls the movie.



## Buka

SONY has canceled the release of the comedy "The Interview", permanently.  

This is unprecedented in so many ways. As a crazed film buff, I'm seriously bummed. I try not get involved in world politics, but when you start messing with movies you go to far.

Just as bad - The United States has lost it's very first cyber-war. 

Anybody have any thoughts on this?


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## Tez3

Perhaps though it was a really bad film and this was the excuse they needed to cancel it without losing face. A comedy nobody laughed at would be terrible besides if they claim it was because of the cyber attack they may get insurance back on it.


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## Xue Sheng

Buka said:


> Just as bad - The United States has lost it's *very first cyber-war*.



Not even close....


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## Tez3

The film has had some bad reviews, so no surprised it's been pulled. This is the least of them.  The Interview Film Review Sony Hack James Franco Seth Rogen Star

this one doesn't mince his words lol.
*Scott Foundas, Variety*
"North Korea can rest easy: America comes off looking at least as bad as the DPRK in “The Interview,” an alleged satire that’s about as funny as a communist food shortage, and just as protracted. For all its pre-release hullabaloo – including two big thumbs down from Sony hackers the Guardians of Peace – this half-baked burlesque about a couple of cable-news bottom-feeders tasked with assassinating Korean dictator Kim Jong-un won’t bring global diplomacy to its knees, but should feel like a kind of terror attack to any audience with a limited tolerance for anal penetration jokes."


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## Xue Sheng

Tez3 said:


> The film has had some bad reviews, so no surprised it's been pulled. This is the least of them.  The Interview Film Review Sony Hack James Franco Seth Rogen Star
> 
> this one doesn't mince his words lol.
> *Scott Foundas, Variety*
> "North Korea can rest easy: America comes off looking at least as bad as the DPRK in “The Interview,” an alleged satire that’s about as funny as a communist food shortage, and just as protracted. For all its pre-release hullabaloo – including two big thumbs down from Sony hackers the Guardians of Peace – this half-baked burlesque about a couple of cable-news bottom-feeders tasked with assassinating Korean dictator Kim Jong-un won’t bring global diplomacy to its knees, but should feel like a kind of terror attack to any audience with a limited tolerance for anal penetration jokes."



Yes, but now that it has been "targeted" and it is thought of by the general public as "Banned" and taken out by "Communist" government hackers....now everyone wants to see it..... great PR move by SONY actually.....Great way to make up for the losses ($$$) they expected


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## Tez3

I think they will 'bravely' bring it out later in the year amongst plaudits for 'defying' the forces of evil lol. although if it puts the US in a bad light as suggested by that review I can't see it being popular in the US!


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## arnisador

Whether it's a good film or not, the "Guardians of Peace" threatened physical acts of violence at theaters showing it. Chains representing about half of all screens said they wouldn't show it--that forced Sony's hand. This really, really sucks, but Sony isn't to blame.


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## Tez3

How would have Americans and the American Establishment have felt/reacted if the film had been made by the North Koreans and it was the American president they were planning to kill? And a big Japanese company was going to back it's release throughout the world? I assume the threats wouldn't be so clumsy but all the same......?


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## arnisador

Well, there have been kill-the-president films made before...The Jackal was kill the First Lady, and it was high-profile (and OK, but the original is excellent); so, it's happened.


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## Tez3

arnisador said:


> Well, there have been kill-the-president films made before...The Jackal was kill the First Lady, and it was high-profile (and OK, but the original is excellent); so, it's happened.




Was the First Lady though named as the incumbent at the time though or a fictional one?


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## hussaf

Tez3 said:


> How would have Americans and the American Establishment have felt/reacted if the film had been made by the North Koreans and it was the American president they were planning to kill? And a big Japanese company was going to back it's release throughout the world? I assume the threats wouldn't be so clumsy but all the same......?


I would laugh and not give a ****


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## arnisador

Tez3 said:


> Was the First Lady though named as the incumbent at the time though or a fictional one?



Good point...I can't off-hand think of one about a sitting or even still-living  president.


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## Tez3

In the UK we are just as likely to make a film about bumping off our Prime Minister ourselves. I think we've already made films about bumping off the Queen. I think too it's always going to stir up bad feelings though when you film people of your country planning to assassinate the leader of another country no matter which countries are involved, especially if it's a bad taste comedy full of crude 'jokes' so I can see why North Koreans would be angry, it seems though the Department of Homeland Security rated the threats of violence as extremely unlikely.
It seems too that more than this film was 'hacked' so it could also have been commercial interests that did it rather than the North Koreans though I imagine they'd have been pleased all the same and quite likely to take the 'credit' for it lol. It will be interesting to see what the FBI comes up with when they finish investigating. Perhaps the CIA are behind it.....


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## arnisador

It sounds like the U.S. govt. is confirming that N. Korea (hired the people who actually) did it, but it is economic warfare of a sort whether that was the main goal or not.


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## Tez3

Well I'm sure the government will reciprocate.
FBI demands new powers to hack into computers and carry out surveillance US news The Guardian


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## Dirty Dog

Personally, I wasn't all that interested in seeing the film before, but I'd go see it now just as a "love off" to the North Koreans.
I do agree that it wasn't real bright to make a film about assassinating a nations leader. It would have been smarter (and wouldn't have affected the plot at all) to invent a country and leader.


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## arnisador

True. Although as my son pointed out--if you can't make fun of N. Korea, who can you make fun of? We made real cartoons/comics about Hitler in WW2.


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## Tez3

arnisador said:


> True. Although as my son pointed out--if you can't make fun of N. Korea, who can you make fun of? We made real cartoons/comics about Hitler in WW2.




Very true but people shouldn't be surprised when said leaders get upset though lol.


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## Dirty Dog

arnisador said:


> True. Although as my son pointed out--if you can't make fun of N. Korea, who can you make fun of? We made real cartoons/comics about Hitler in WW2.



Last time I checked, we weren't at war with North Korea... significant difference...


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## Tez3

Dirty Dog said:


> Last time I checked, we weren't at war with North Korea... significant difference...




Isn't there that thing that you are actually at war as no peace agreement has been signed but there is an armistice?


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## Dirty Dog

Tez3 said:


> Isn't there that thing that you are actually at war as no peace agreement has been signed but there is an armistice?



We were never at war with North Korea. That was a UN action that the US, as members of the UN, supported.


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## Tez3

Dirty Dog said:


> We were never at war with North Korea. That was a UN action that the US, as members of the UN, supported.




Ah cheers for that,  it probably means we are all still at war with the whole of Korea....that could be tricky!


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## Xue Sheng

Couple things worth mentioning here; The US Government said they saw no evidence of an actual threat so SONY pulled this all by themselves and I am guessing it had more to do with publicity than actual fear or concern for its possible viewing audience.

As for US intelligence hacking into and carry out surveillance of computers throughout the US and around the world; There is pretty much not a single country, that has the capability, that isn't doing the exact same thing, including China, Russia, England, Germany, etc. It is just the US got exposed by Snowden. However the fact that virtually everyone is doing it is not a justification and it does not make it right but the reality is the US ain't alone in this... but we are one of the 3 biggest dogs out there (cyberspace) at the moment

IMHO the whole premise for this film is silly and ill-timed if for nothing else the current world situation and the number of conflicts around the planet not to mention tensions with North Korea and some of our allies that are in close proximity to North Korea as well as the current political climate of North Korea's largest, and somewhat reluctant allies


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## Tez3

I'm positive England isn't hacking anyone, the UK however may be.


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## arnisador

True!


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## K-man

Tez3 said:


> Isn't there that thing that you are actually at war as no peace agreement has been signed but there is an armistice?


Not sure that technically the US was at war. Although 90% of foreign troops fighting for the South were US, I think it was a UN force if my memory serves me right. So the war is still there but just between the North and the South.


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## Cirdan




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## Carol

Wow.  Blaming the North Koreans to save face for the fact that too many corners were cut out of an IT budget, resulting in an underdesigned network.  This is exciting.  I hardly ever get to say "That's a new one on me."  

Does North Korea even have an ISP -- let alone enough fuel to keep the damn thing online?  Oh sorry. I shouldn't let logic that get in the way of a truly epic excuse for an utterly embarassing, and undoubtedly preventable situation.


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## Touch Of Death

Xue Sheng said:


> Couple things worth mentioning here; The US Government said they saw no evidence of an actual threat so SONY pulled this all by themselves and I am guessing it had more to do with publicity than actual fear or concern for its possible viewing audience.
> 
> As for US intelligence hacking into and carry out surveillance of computers throughout the US and around the world; There is pretty much not a single country, that has the capability, that isn't doing the exact same thing, including China, Russia, England, Germany, etc. It is just the US got exposed by Snowden. However the fact that virtually everyone is doing it is not a justification and it does not make it right but the reality is the US ain't alone in this... but we are one of the 3 biggest dogs out there (cyberspace) at the moment
> 
> IMHO the whole premise for this film is silly and ill-timed if for nothing else the current world situation and the number of conflicts around the planet not to mention tensions with North Korea and some of our allies that are in close proximity to North Korea as well as the current political climate of North Korea's largest, and somewhat reluctant allies


I almost doubt North Korea made the threat. I think we got "Sonied".


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## arnisador

Carol said:


> Wow.  Blaming the North Koreans to save face for the fact that too many corners were cut out of an IT budget, resulting in an underdesigned network.



The FBI has confirmed that it was N. Korea and that it was a govt.-level incursion--beyond what one might reasonably expect to face.


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## Carol

arnisador said:


> The FBI has confirmed that it was N. Korea and that it was a govt.-level incursion--beyond what one might reasonably expect to face.



That might be the most interesting thing to come from the feds since the NTSB reported that the names of the pilots on board the Asiana Airlines flight that crashed at SFO were “Sum Ting Wong,” “Wi Tu Lo,” “Ho Lee Fuk,” and “Bang Ding Ow.”


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## Xue Sheng

Carol said:


> Wow.  Blaming the North Koreans to save face for the fact that too many corners were cut out of an IT budget, resulting in an underdesigned network.  This is exciting.  I hardly ever get to say "That's a new one on me."
> 
> Does North Korea even have an ISP -- let alone enough fuel to keep the damn thing online?  Oh sorry. I shouldn't let logic that get in the way of a truly epic excuse for an utterly embarassing, and undoubtedly preventable situation.



North Korea does have Cyber warfare capabilities (it is just not one of the big 3) and it has a hacker university too. But most of its operations are run out of a hotel on mainland China (I kid you not). And the reason for that is you are right, North Korea does not really have the infrastructure in it's own country. So it is very possible that N Korea is responsible for the SONY hack, and to be honest I would not be surprised if it really was..


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## Tames D

It amazes me how uninformed some people are, and how they jump to conclusons.


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## Tames D

Carol said:


> Wow.  *Blaming the North Koreans to save face for the fact that too many corners were cut out of an IT budget, resulting in an underdesigned network.*  This is exciting.  I hardly ever get to say "That's a new one on me."
> 
> Does North Korea even have an ISP -- let alone enough fuel to keep the damn thing online?  Oh sorry. I shouldn't let logic that get in the way of a truly epic excuse for an utterly embarassing, and undoubtedly preventable situation.


I love you carol, but you're not even close.


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## drop bear

Tez3 said:


> Perhaps though it was a really bad film and this was the excuse they needed to cancel it without losing face. A comedy nobody laughed at would be terrible besides if they claim it was because of the cyber attack they may get insurance back on it.



in which case Adam Sandler would have stopped five movies ago.


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## drop bear

Dirty Dog said:


> Personally, I wasn't all that interested in seeing the film before, but I'd go see it now just as a "**** off" to the North Koreans.
> I do agree that it wasn't real bright to make a film about assassinating a nations leader. It would have been smarter (and wouldn't have affected the plot at all) to invent a country and leader.



did they kill Kim jong ill. (pretend i spelled that right) in team America.


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## Dirty Dog

drop bear said:


> did they kill Kim jong ill. (pretend i spelled that right) in team America.


 
Apparently so, or at least tried to (I had never heard of the movie until today) but I think there's an obvious difference between a small-time flick that grossed less than 33 million total in the US and a movie that might be expected to gross more than that in the first weekend.

In other words, if they've never heard of it, they're not going to squak about it.


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## Tez3

drop bear said:


> in which case Adam Sandler would have stopped five movies ago.



Who?


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## Xue Sheng

Tez3 said:


> Who?




Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler IMDB


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## Tez3

Xue Sheng said:


> Adam Sandler
> 
> Adam Sandler IMDB



Cheers, I've not seen him before. I don't think I watch the same films as others lol.


Does anyone think that the Koreans may have also been upset because Sony is a Japanese company, knowing how Koreans both North and South feel about the Japanese?


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## Carol

Tames D said:


> I love you carol, but you're not even close.



Love you right back.  Totally OK about being wrong on this one if that turns out to be the case.


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## Buka

Touch Of Death said:


> I almost doubt North Korea made the threat. I think we got "Sonied".



I've been talking to a lot of guys I used to work with, I'm starting to believe that as well. 

As for what the F.B.I says, I always take that with a grain of salt. Usually this much..


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## arnisador

They're having a limited release on Xmas Day.


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## Tez3

Nothing to do with you lot then? 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/w...-as-north-korean-internet-collapses.html?_r=0


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## arnisador




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## ballen0351

Greatest Marketing plan EVER


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## Buka

ballen0351 said:


> Greatest Marketing plan EVER



If that's true.....that would be SO the balls!


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## ballen0351

Buka said:


> If that's true.....that would be SO the balls!


I dont know if its true or not but all over my facebook page people are saying we need to make it the highest grossing movie ever "to teach the commies a lesson"  Seems to me it was a great marketing job


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## Xue Sheng

I don't doubt the US could bring down North Korea's internet, but if SONY was hacked by the Korean Govt it originated from Mainland China so bringing down North Korea's internet does little and going after Mainland China's internet would be a VERY bad thing. If it was hacked by some lone North Korean hacker it might have come from North Korea and bringing down their internet stops the hackers (for a minute), and angers the govt..

But I also would not doubt that this could also be a big publicity stunt that might have been used as an excuse to show them naughty North Koreans whose the boss in Cyberspace.

Of course all of that is speculation it also could be exactly what they want us to believe it is...


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## Buka

Tez3 said:


> I'm positive England isn't hacking anyone, the UK however may be.



Do you mean anyone in England, or the government of England?


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## Tez3

Buka said:


> Do you mean anyone in England, or the government of England?




We don't have a government of England which is my point.


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## K-man

Tez3 said:


> We don't have a government of England which is my point.


You very nearly did!


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## Tez3

K-man said:


> You very nearly did!



I know, damn Scots voted no so we are stuck with them still! We can't get rid of any of them.....


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## Steve

Robert the Bruce rolled in his grave.   

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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