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Sony pulls 'The Interview'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30526406

Sony Pictures has cancelled the planned US release on 25 December of the film The Interview, after major cinema chains decided not to screen it.

The film is about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Hackers have already carried out a cyber attack on Sony and warned the public to stay away from cinemas screening the film



I can't believe how much overreaction there has been to a single anonymous threat which does not appear to be credible at all. I guess the hackers, whoever they are, got what they wanted - I wonder if this sets a precedent though and any anonymous future threats will also lead to cancellations.

The 'threat'

Warning
We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY
(edited 9 years ago)

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What a joke I was looking forward to the film as well absoloute cowards as if the bloody North Koreans were capable of pulling of anything dangerous against the U.S.
Probably a PR stunt.
Reply 3
pfffft... as if North Korea are capable of retaliating against the U.S. They should have released this movie in protest.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Bet the hacking group has nothing to do with NK and they're riding on it. After all its the same group which released Sony up-coming films last week.....yeah that's top of N.Korea's priorities list...:rolleyes:. NK won't deny it or say it was them, if it was them they'd be shoving it in the faces of us capitalist dogs.

Also gotta say I find it hilariously ironic how Obama and other world politicians (probably lap dog Cameron as well) are reacting, attack on free speech, we shall not bow to this terrorist type actions etc.

What absolute BS, Cos yeah, if Iran/China released a movie about an assassination attempt on David Cameron or Obama, took the piss out of them and their country and had them assassinated in the film, Obama/Cameron would definitely be 100% supportive of it called it a great polticial comedy and a proud moment for free speech. Like **** they would, they'd be sanctioning the country it was made it, demanding the company not show it/delete it, attacking them from every direction politically, calling it a disgusting and offense act and blah blah blah and banning the film from being shown over here.
Original post by joey11223
Bet the hacking group has nothing to do with NK and they're riding on it. After all its the same group which released Sony up-coming films last week.....yeah that's top of N.Korea's priorities list...:rolleyes:. NK won't deny it or say it was them, if it was them they'd be shoving it in the faces of us capitalist dogs.

Also gotta say I find it hilariously ironic how Obama and other world politicians (probably lap dog Cameron as well) are reacting, attack on free speech, we shall not bow to this terrorist type actions etc.

What absolute BS, Cos yeah, if Iran/China released a movie about an assassination attempt on David Cameron or Obama, took the piss out of them and their country and had them assassinated in the film, Obama/Cameron would definitely be 100% supportive of it called it a great polticial comedy and a proud moment for free speech. Like **** they would, they'd be sanctioning the country it was made it, demanding the company not show it/delete it, attacking them from every direction politically, calling it a disgusting and offense act and blah blah blah and banning the film from being shown over here.


Feeling aggrieved and making a publicly announced complaint is not the same as threatening to blow up cinemas 9/11 style, hacking private information and then blackmailing the company by threatening to publish it if Sony does not comply.

This is nothing less than an extortion and mass murder threat with the general public as the hostage and Sony's IP as the ransom.

Sony are acting in the same way as any blackmail target would act - to protect the hostages first and limit the damage. They (Sony) are worried that the legal fallout from potentially huge class-action and individual law suits (if the threat is prosecuted) and also the people they are in contract with (to protect artists and employee privacy amongst other things), could bring down the company.

This is no different to Somali pirates or airline hijackers or Islamic hostage takers.

Giving in sends the message to the hackers that they can cause havoc and get away with it.

Wait for the copycats.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 6
Just a quick point.

Whilst North Korea as a country (waaaaaaaaay over there) may not be deemed a threat. Anyone can walk into a packed cinema and detonate a home made explosive, or shoot/stab innocent people in a crowded area.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by DiddyDec
Probably a PR stunt.


Nope, all the major cinema chains have refused to show it.
Original post by james22
Nope, all the major cinema chains have refused to show it.


Well that sucks.
Reply 9
Ludicrous decision.


Some tin-pot dictatorship is influencing our freedom of speech and expression.


Mind you, we've been letting another nefarious influence take over our nations in the west - so why not the North Koreans too.
I highly doubt it is North Korea behind these hacks and threats. Surely they would want to take credit for it to show how weak the US is?
Original post by datpiff
pfffft... as if North Korea are capable of retaliating against the U.S.


No, but since Sony is a company who's headquarters are in Japan they might feel the heat a touch.

Doesn't excuse them and I don't personally agree with them, but it is a consideration.
Tbh it was a stupid decision to choose NK out of all presidents.... Yeah he's a **** but the stupid film is rightly abolished.
Original post by Drewski
No, but since Sony is a company who's headquarters are in Japan they might feel the heat a touch.

Doesn't excuse them and I don't personally agree with them, but it is a consideration.


I didn't think about Sony's HQ. I can imagine it definitely caused a lot of worry there. I can imagine that Sony Japan had a big say in the decision.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 14
A bigger news story would be the racist emails sent out by Sony.
Original post by bittr n swt
Tbh it was a stupid decision to choose NK out of all presidents.... Yeah he's a **** but the stupid film is rightly abolished.


the film is definitely not stupid... the trailer is just amazing and James Franco movies are always great! I am guessing the hackers were just sending out empty threats
A fictional plot to kill a famous leader will offend some people. If it was about killing David Cameron, Vladimir Putin or even Mr Obama himself, the hacking would be even more widespread and damaging
Original post by Paras Agarwal
the film is definitely not stupid... the trailer is just amazing and James Franco movies are always great! I am guessing the hackers were just sending out empty threats


Of course it's a stupid film, we all know how hostile NK can be and now you wanna make a film that can offend and seriously rub NK up the wrong way...threats or empty threats, I'm not on Sony's side
Reply 18
America is a paper tiger.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 19
Original post by bittr n swt
Of course it's a stupid film, we all know how hostile NK can be and now you wanna make a film that can offend and seriously rub NK up the wrong way...threats or empty threats, I'm not on Sony's side


They talk a big game, but they have never carried out their threats; countless times in the past they have issued warnings (i.e because of US/South Korea training excercises etc) and never carried out the threats.

That's even assuming NK is behind the hack, which I don't think it is - at least not wholly - for a start, Sony's systems were supposedly pretty weak and easy to hack - remember a few years ago, before 'the interview' was even a thought, their PS3 online systems were hacked, so there is a chance it was the same, or similar, groups. Secondly, NK usually issues such warnings officially, why would they do it anonymously - given how succesful the hack has been, surely taking full responsibility for it would confer on them a degree of international prestige.

I think, given that the hack started in November and the interview wasn't even mentioned, the original hackers had nothing to do with NK, they probably just wanted to cause a bit of havoc. Then we get this 'warning' which could easily be the hackers trying to cause more havoc by blaming NK and seeing if they can get some reaction out of Washington, or perhaps it was a group of (probably less sophisticated) NK hackers trying to piggyback on the hack by posting the warning.

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