This is disappointing. 25 years ago, the Ayatollah issued his fatwa against Salman Rushdie, but bookstores kept "The Satanic Verses" on their shelves anyway, and nothing happened. (There were threats against bookstores too, since Rushdie went into hiding.) This threat is empty, because even that young dingleberry running N. Korea knows there's too much to risk by attacking American soil. But we kowtow anyway. Way to stand up for freedom.
Such a clusterfuck. The movie has been online for anyone to download ever since the hack... thanks to the hackers, *more* people will see this film, not less. Spoiler alert: it's terrible.
I see why Sony did this. Sony is on the ropes. They are facing a couple dozen law suits since the hack.
Every single one of their lawyers is telling them that in the off-chance some dip shit shoots up a theater, and little Johnny watching Penguins at the multi-plex screen next door so much as scuffs his knee, Sony will be sued out of existence by every parent in the country.
So they did the smart thing in making the screening optional. After Aurora theaters aren't going to take a chance.
BTW. This pile of shit movie is nothing like "The Satanic Verses." That book didn't set out to portray the assassination of Khomeini.
Think about it. If some right wingers made a movie with the central theme being the protagonists murdering Obama I have a feeling a great deal of Americans would be a little disturbed. There would be boycotts, I bet.
Look. This is'n't some film exposing the horrors of North Korea or taking a political stand. It's a lazy satire using an actual person as a cartoon villain. The North Korea is predictably over-reacting. This is their schtick now. It's all they have.
Rogan and Sony should've seen this coming a mile away. Rogan could've written the script with a made up leader or country (and still based it all on North Korea) and saved the North Koreans a little face. It's satire so it wouldn't matter. But they didn't. Months ago North Korea said they were going to something. And Rogan said bring it and it would be great PR. Well. Guess what? They did.
And it turns out neither Sony, theater owners, nor Rogan are willing die on the hill for what they know is a shitty, shitty movie.
Think about it. If some right wingers made a movie with the central theme being the protagonists murdering Obama I have a feeling a great deal of American would be a little disturbed. There would be boycotts, I bet.
Are you comparing boycotts to threats of terrorism? That's nowhere near the same thing.
The real comparison is not the subject matter of this movie and "The Satanic Verses," it's that the dictators of countries with which we have no diplomatic relations hating something enough to threaten violence against its creators and those involved in its distribution.
If someone made a movie in the vein you proposed, perhaps some jackass somewhere would threaten violence. But Obama himself would not. That's the difference.
BTW, I just read that Sony is now withdrawing the movie altogether. Not that they have much choice, but it's official now that they won't try distributing to smaller chains like Landmark.
Are you comparing boycotts to threats of terrorism?
No. I'm illustrating the why this movie is in not similar to Satanic Verses. Which apparently in your usual zeal to over react, you don't understand.
Satanic Verses had no reason what so ever to draw the ire of the mullahs of Iran. In fact it was a mistaken interpretation of what the book was about in the first place.
This subject matter of this movie is making a central theme and joke of the assassination of the leader of the country that objected to it. It was DESIGNED to offend them. Satanic verses was not.
I'm saying Sony and Rogan anticipated this for that fact alone - counting on it to publicize the film. But...ooops. Looks like somebody called their bluff, doesn't it?
I'm not condoning the (possible) NK reaction nor the subsequent hacker extortion or threats. But they were totally predictable.
And of course, unlike Iran, none of the threats, hacks, or extortions has been officially made by the North Korean government.
I'm also saying you comparing this corporate dreck, this piece of shit that WANTED NK to overreact as part of it's PR campaign (and it backfired) to a work of literature by an individual author is absurd.
@ 23, what's absurd is using a critic's comparison as a basis for saying these are dissimilar events. What matters is that foreign powers are using threats of violence to censor Western art and entertainment. The merits and intentions behind these creations are immaterial.
It's also absurd to denigrate my disagreement with your analysis as an inability to see your point. I saw it perfectly, and answered accordingly. Good work.
odd wording there.
Every single one of their lawyers is telling them that in the off-chance some dip shit shoots up a theater, and little Johnny watching Penguins at the multi-plex screen next door so much as scuffs his knee, Sony will be sued out of existence by every parent in the country.
So they did the smart thing in making the screening optional. After Aurora theaters aren't going to take a chance.
BTW. This pile of shit movie is nothing like "The Satanic Verses." That book didn't set out to portray the assassination of Khomeini.
Think about it. If some right wingers made a movie with the central theme being the protagonists murdering Obama I have a feeling a great deal of Americans would be a little disturbed. There would be boycotts, I bet.
Look. This is'n't some film exposing the horrors of North Korea or taking a political stand. It's a lazy satire using an actual person as a cartoon villain. The North Korea is predictably over-reacting. This is their schtick now. It's all they have.
Rogan and Sony should've seen this coming a mile away. Rogan could've written the script with a made up leader or country (and still based it all on North Korea) and saved the North Koreans a little face. It's satire so it wouldn't matter. But they didn't. Months ago North Korea said they were going to something. And Rogan said bring it and it would be great PR. Well. Guess what? They did.
And it turns out neither Sony, theater owners, nor Rogan are willing die on the hill for what they know is a shitty, shitty movie.
Are you comparing boycotts to threats of terrorism? That's nowhere near the same thing.
The real comparison is not the subject matter of this movie and "The Satanic Verses," it's that the dictators of countries with which we have no diplomatic relations hating something enough to threaten violence against its creators and those involved in its distribution.
If someone made a movie in the vein you proposed, perhaps some jackass somewhere would threaten violence. But Obama himself would not. That's the difference.
No. I'm illustrating the why this movie is in not similar to Satanic Verses. Which apparently in your usual zeal to over react, you don't understand.
Satanic Verses had no reason what so ever to draw the ire of the mullahs of Iran. In fact it was a mistaken interpretation of what the book was about in the first place.
This subject matter of this movie is making a central theme and joke of the assassination of the leader of the country that objected to it. It was DESIGNED to offend them. Satanic verses was not.
I'm saying Sony and Rogan anticipated this for that fact alone - counting on it to publicize the film. But...ooops. Looks like somebody called their bluff, doesn't it?
I'm not condoning the (possible) NK reaction nor the subsequent hacker extortion or threats. But they were totally predictable.
And of course, unlike Iran, none of the threats, hacks, or extortions has been officially made by the North Korean government.
I'm also saying you comparing this corporate dreck, this piece of shit that WANTED NK to overreact as part of it's PR campaign (and it backfired) to a work of literature by an individual author is absurd.
It's also absurd to denigrate my disagreement with your analysis as an inability to see your point. I saw it perfectly, and answered accordingly. Good work.
HAH. Well. That is entirely a matter of opinion.