MrV
MrV
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December 19th, 2014 at 12:16:23 PM permalink
Most of us have probably seen ads on TV recently for an upcoming comedy from SONY called "The Interview," a farcical comedy involving a plot to assassinate Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The North Koreans saw it too, apparently, and per report they disliked it and feared its release so much that they engaged in massive cyber-hacking and threatening of SONY and some SONY employees.

SONY pulled the movie from scheduled release in response.

Wow, this is unique and unprecedented.

I agree with Obama on this one: "Do not get into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks. That's not who we are, that's not what America's about."

Then again, it's the Japanese who kow-towed to their long time hated enemy, the Koreans, on this one, not the Americans, so his opinion wasn't sought on the matter.

A massive "loss of face" for the Japanese.
"What, me worry?"
AxelWolf
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December 19th, 2014 at 12:23:35 PM permalink
They must have thought the threats were credible because this is a first.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
Boz
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December 19th, 2014 at 12:29:45 PM permalink
Then again, Sony is exactly Obama's favorite company after the Emails that were released between Execs there discussing Obama's favorite movies.

But everything is OK now, the Sony Exec met with the good Rev Al yesterday to understand how racist she is and what she needs to do to be better in the future. Then he will decide if she needs to quit or not.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-sharpton-stops-short-of-calling-on-sony-executive-to-resign-2014-12


Who the hell made him the judge and jury of white people? He is a total piece of sh*t. (I'll gladdly serve my suspension if Al is a member here)
chickenman
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December 19th, 2014 at 12:32:18 PM permalink
Quote: Boz

He is a total piece of sh*t. (I'll gladdly serve my suspension if Al is a member here)

I'll serve it for you.
vendman1
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December 19th, 2014 at 2:12:34 PM permalink
Well I guess the cyber terrorist win this round. I smell Lawyers here. Sony didn't want to be on the hook if god forbid there was an attack in a theater that was showing the film. The best PR move would have been for Sony to convince theater operators to show the movie half price, and donate the proceeds to charity.
freddie
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December 19th, 2014 at 2:32:49 PM permalink
What next ? A COMEDY about the JFK assassination.
MrV
MrV
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December 19th, 2014 at 4:10:16 PM permalink
THIS is what the fuss is all about.

So far the trailer is still up, but it may not be for much longer.
"What, me worry?"
98Clubs
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December 19th, 2014 at 4:40:00 PM permalink
Just because SONY decided to pull the movie from theaters, doesn't mean they necessarily lost face. There is a very large opening to sell DVD/D-L of the movie. The smart move would be DVD, keeping it off the social-media-network as much as possible.

Ya wanna watch it, buy the DVD or secure D-L. This aims not to be 2005. In fact this incident in general hammers another nail into the coffin that is movie theaters. THERE lies the reason for pulling the movie, theaters can become a bad place to be when a PO'ed indiividual with a S-A.W. walks in. The privacy of ones' home tends to be a bit safer.
Some people need to reimagine their thinking.
Daddydoc
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December 19th, 2014 at 4:52:09 PM permalink
Quote: vendman1

Well I guess the cyber terrorist win this round. I smell Lawyers here. Sony didn't want to be on the hook if god forbid there was an attack in a theater that was showing the film. The best PR move would have been for Sony to convince theater operators to show the movie half price, and donate the proceeds to charity.



That is a sad analysis, and one I hadn't considered (but I don't disagree with it). So it isn't really the terrorists that frightened Sony, but the lawyers. So Sony eats $40M, but maybe that pales in comparison to the potential for lawsuits in the event of an attack.
If government is the answer, it must have been a very stupid question.
98Clubs
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December 19th, 2014 at 5:08:32 PM permalink
Yup, the bean-counters see it that way. This is America, THE litigeous society.
Some people need to reimagine their thinking.
rxwine
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December 19th, 2014 at 5:13:53 PM permalink
Quote: AxelWolf

They must have thought the threats were credible because this is a first.



An alternate probability to Sony caved, is Sony being advised (for some reason) to say they are not releasing the movie.

Hey, it happens in other situations. You hire someone to kill someone, and the FBI sometimes ask that the crime appear to be carried out. They want to get more evidence, or money exchanging hands.

I seen it on the TV crime shows, you know.
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
DJTeddyBear
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December 19th, 2014 at 10:20:46 PM permalink
Ya gotta wonder if this whole thing would have been an issue at all if Sony Pictures had made the target a fake leader of a fake country.
I invented a few casino games. Info: http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ ————————————————————————————————————— Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
odiousgambit
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December 20th, 2014 at 6:22:42 AM permalink
I did have the "Hogan's Heroes" objection when I first heard about this film. That particular objection is that a comedy about Nazi concentration camp would be considered beyond the pale, and to make such a light one about a prisoner-of-war camp was quite dubious to a lot of people [this has been forgotten now]

To make light of the situation in North Korea did not sit well with me

Now, of course, it's even worse, with Sony bucking under
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
petroglyph
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December 21st, 2014 at 3:54:58 PM permalink
Anonymous convinced hack didn't come from NK,

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/12/19/off-duty-stl-police-officer-shot/20665643/
EvenBob
EvenBob
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December 21st, 2014 at 4:03:53 PM permalink
Lots of Koreans and Japanese in Hawaii. They
get into lots of fights on the public buses, I
saw it all the time. They hate each other with
a passion seldom seen between two nations.
Long history of atrocities on both sides. You
want to die, mistake a Korean for a Jap, or
the other pay around.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
SanchoPanza
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December 21st, 2014 at 9:34:13 PM permalink
Quote: Boz

Everything is OK now, the Sony Exec met with the good Rev Al yesterday to understand how racist she is and what she needs to do to be better in the future. Then he will decide if she needs to quit or not. Who the hell made him the judge and jury of white people?

With more the 60 publicly tallied visits to the White House, it is clear that the national leadership regards quite highly an activist whose rally last week called for more dead police officers. And the camaraderie strengthens:

“Revved Up: How Al Sharpton became Obama’s go-to man on race,” by Glenn Thrush for Politico Magazine: “[T]the White House, as the crisis following Brown’s death seemed to flare out of control, worked extensively behind the scenes to maximize The Rev’s doing what he does, using him as both a source of information and a go-between. After huddling with Brown’s family and local community leaders, Sharpton connected directly with White House adviser and First Friend Valerie Jarrett, vacationing in her condo in the exclusive Oak Bluffs section of Martha’s Vineyard, not far from where President Obama and his family were staying. Obama was ‘horrified’ by the images he was seeing on TV, Jarrett told Sharpton, and proceeded to pepper him with questions as she collected information for the president …

“What brought them together, according to numerous sources I’ve spoken with about this over the years, is a shared commitment to racial justice, and a hardheaded pragmatism that has fueled their success. ‘He realized I wasn’t as irrational or as crazy as people thought,’ Sharpton told me in an interview this week, and indeed Sharpton not only visits the White House frequently, he often texts or emails with senior Obama officials such as Jarrett and Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African American to hold that job and who, like Sharpton, views the Ferguson crisis as a pivotal one in Obama’s presidency.” politico
rxwine
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December 22nd, 2014 at 1:20:25 AM permalink
Late night news has said the hacking group allegedly tied to N. Korea posted this message to the FBI with a link to a video.


"The result of investigation by FBI is so excellent that you might have seen what we were doing with your own eyes," the message posted on the file-sharing website Pastebin by a group calling itself GOP (Guardians of Peace)"

video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5BX4vFNyco

So, apparently N. Korea is a giant Internet troll about 10 years old.

Someone needs to rickroll them.


~
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
mickeycrimm
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December 22nd, 2014 at 6:51:41 AM permalink
Quote: Boz

Then again, Sony is exactly Obama's favorite company after the Emails that were released between Execs there discussing Obama's favorite movies.

But everything is OK now, the Sony Exec met with the good Rev Al yesterday to understand how racist she is and what she needs to do to be better in the future. Then he will decide if she needs to quit or not.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-sharpton-stops-short-of-calling-on-sony-executive-to-resign-2014-12


Who the hell made him the judge and jury of white people? He is a total piece of sh*t. (I'll gladdly serve my suspension if Al is a member here)



Whether he calls for her resignation or not will depend on how much she donates to his coffers, er, causes.
"Quit trying your luck and start trying your skill." Mickey Crimm
mickeycrimm
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December 22nd, 2014 at 7:48:52 AM permalink
Quote: freddie

What next ? A COMEDY about the JFK assassination.



freddie seems familiar. He must have seemed familiar to the mods too.
"Quit trying your luck and start trying your skill." Mickey Crimm
Gandler
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December 22nd, 2014 at 10:24:58 AM permalink
Quote: DJTeddyBear

Ya gotta wonder if this whole thing would have been an issue at all if Sony Pictures had made the target a fake leader of a fake country.



Of course not. North Korea is just furious that it paints them in a bad light.

They tried to get Die Another Day (2002). Bond film banned as well because of North Koreas depiction In it (even though it was about a rogue NK colonel, and in a way made the actual government look decent or at least reasonable). Luckily that was before Sony owned MGM so they were not successful.

But NK Is the best example of no free speech. Nobody is allowed to be even slightly critical of them even in a comedy.
ThatDonGuy
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December 22nd, 2014 at 11:02:02 AM permalink
Quote: freddie

What next ? A COMEDY about the JFK assassination.


Already done.
AceTwo
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December 22nd, 2014 at 1:21:20 PM permalink
I think the real story here is that if North Korea has that kind of capability in cyber-warfare, imagine what China, Russia and the US can do.
This high profile incident will trigger a lot of investment in cyber security in the US and accross the world.
Hacking has been in the past an issue of the lone Hacker.
It has progressed to Organised Crime.
And now the possibility of cyber warfare from other countries and terrorists is becoming an issue.
Such possibility has been until recently seen only in the sphere of movies.

I am pretty sure all of the major countries (say US, China, Russia, Germany etc) hack each other and all the rest but now they just do it to collect information.
It is not a far fetched scenario that cyber warfare could come into play, say for example in an escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
And of course such countries could much better hide their activities, so it will be nearly impossible to say who was behind a cyber attack.
rxwine
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December 22nd, 2014 at 1:36:40 PM permalink
Quote: AceTwo

This high profile incident will trigger a lot of investment in cyber security in the US and accross the world.



Probably for another thread, but sometimes I wonder why it is so hard to prevent. Like I set up my digital camera to take video of my HDTv and nothing passes between them that is dangerous. AFAIK.

Yet no one can figure out a protection system that has a successful "moat" as it were.
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
DrawingDead
DrawingDead
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December 22nd, 2014 at 1:40:54 PM permalink
Quote: ThatDonGuy

Already done.

I enjoyed the old South Park episodes involving Satan's unhappy love triangle with his abusive boyfriend, His Excellency the Exalted Ruler and President of the sovereign nation of Iraq, otherwise known as Saddam Hussein.

http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/Saddam_Hussein

EDIT: Ooops, Iraq is not Persian. They hate each other.
Suck dope, watch TV, make up stuff, be somebody on the internet.
coilman
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December 22nd, 2014 at 4:15:56 PM permalink
Quote: AceTwo

I think the real story here is that if North Korea has that kind of capability in cyber-warfare, imagine what China, Russia and the US can do.




Not much ... just turn back the clocks to pre internet days in North Korea


Hey where did my internet go?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/22/world/asia/north-korea-internet/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
djatc
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December 22nd, 2014 at 5:19:14 PM permalink
I will be watching Team America to protest. Join me because I will be so ronery.
"Man Babes" #AxelFabulous
MrV
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December 23rd, 2014 at 3:41:38 PM permalink
I just saw that SONY has reconsidered their position and will release "The Interview" in theaters on xmas day.

Good.

F*** those No. Koreans!
"What, me worry?"
EvenBob
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December 23rd, 2014 at 4:04:26 PM permalink
Quote: MrV

I just saw that SONY has reconsidered their position and will release "The Interview" in theaters on xmas day.
!



In a few theaters, not many.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
ThatDonGuy
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December 23rd, 2014 at 4:11:26 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

In a few theaters, not many.


Just as long as one of them is in Los Angeles County, so it is eligible for this year's Oscars. I wouldn't be surprised if they find a way to at least nominate it in one of the "why is this category on the Oscars if the broadcast takes too long?" categories as a political message.
djatc
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December 23rd, 2014 at 5:01:58 PM permalink
On imdb.com its got a 9.9 rating. Now I can't wait to see it. Looks likes its not showing in Nevada however.
"Man Babes" #AxelFabulous
Tanko
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December 23rd, 2014 at 5:09:56 PM permalink
Norse Corp. specializes in live cyber attack intellegence.

A Norse rep appearing on NBC News this evening with David Muir said the Sony attack was from within and traced to an emloyee he called 'Lina' who left Sony in May.

It remains to be seen whether NK had anything at all to do with the attack.

For what it's worth: GotNews

This is a link to the Norse Corp. real time cyber attack map. (Try Firefox if you can't see it): Map

This is a video of the map in action:

SanchoPanza
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December 23rd, 2014 at 11:03:50 PM permalink
Quote: djatc

On imdb.com its got a 9.9 rating. Now I can't wait to see it. Looks likes its not showing in Nevada however.

There are really hardly any independent art house in the valley to speak of.
Gandler
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December 25th, 2014 at 4:43:22 PM permalink
Just watched the interview. It was pretty OK at best. Not very funny or clever to be honest.

I have a feeling it will be successful purely because of the controversy, but it's not worth watching as a comedy. The only reason it's worth watching is out of curiosity, to see what the controversy is about.

It would not suprises me if SONY played into the threats in order to draw publicity since they knew it would be not so great, but that's just my conspiracy theory.

-it might be worth adding, I don't really like comedies (and have a very high standard for jokes), so others may feel differently than me.
beachbumbabs
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December 28th, 2014 at 6:01:38 PM permalink
Quote: Gandler

Just watched the interview. It was pretty OK at best. Not very funny or clever to be honest.

I have a feeling it will be successful purely because of the controversy, but it's not worth watching as a comedy. The only reason it's worth watching is out of curiosity, to see what the controversy is about.

It would not suprises me if SONY played into the threats in order to draw publicity since they knew it would be not so great, but that's just my conspiracy theory.

-it might be worth adding, I don't really like comedies (and have a very high standard for jokes), so others may feel differently than me.



The reviews leading up to the banning were mediocre at best. I think they would have been lucky to make their money back until all this happened, and now I bet they make 200M or more on the release, including downloads. But who knows.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
EvenBob
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January 25th, 2015 at 11:38:18 AM permalink
The Interview is on Netflix already, lol.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
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