'The Interview' release marked by capacity crowds

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Faux News-AP

NEW YORK – Critics and early viewers agree that "The Interview" is less than a masterpiece. But thanks to threats from hackers that nearly derailed its release, it has become an event.

Hundreds of theaters Thursday, from The Edge 8 in Greenville, Alabama, to Michael Moore's Bijou by the Bay in Traverse City, Michigan, made special holiday arrangements for the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Sony Pictures had initially called off the release after major theater chains dropped the movie that was to have opened on as many as 3,000 screens.

But with President Obama among others criticizing the decision, Sony officials changed their minds. "The Interview" became available on a variety of digital platforms Wednesday afternoon, including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft's Xbox Video and a separate Sony website. Meanwhile, Sony and independent theaters agreed to release it in over 300 venues on Christmas.

"We are taking a stand for freedom," said theater manager Lee Peterson of the Cinema Village East in Manhattan, where most of Thursday's seven screenings had sold out by early afternoon. "We want to show the world that Americans will not be told what we can or cannot watch. Personally, I am not afraid."

FULL story at link.

Video: http://video.foxnews.com/v/3959885831001



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/12/25/interview-release-marked-by-capacity-crowds/

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

1. "Personally, I am not afraid."

But I bet, Mr. Peterson, you'll still take your shoes off at the airport and continue to support torture.

The sheer amount of disconnect about this most likely piece of shit movie is astounding.

[cosmicone]

2. A childish, stupid and boring movie

full of poo, pee, erection and other childish jokes.

[bemildred]

8. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

At least here in the indispensible nation. I can remember when this sort of thing would get you thrown in jail here.

Much as I hate censorship in all its forms, it's hard for me to defend this sort of empty shock film, which has a long and sordid history here, and now it seems to be one of our go to film genres.

But nobody would watch them without the marketing. If you go to them, you see lots of walkouts. I'd be one.

Great film marketing effort for it though, got those theaters full for this piece of shit.

[jakeXT]

12. The Wall Street reviewer writes about the marketing aspect

So how did such a turkey ever escape the studio lot? A significant part of the answer lies in the dumbing-down of the audience that began decades ago, when studios discovered that kids would turn out to see almost any piece of junk on any weekend provided the marketing departments did their jobs. Movies weren’t the only coarseners of pop culture, but they led the way, with the eager assent of the paying public. The dumbing-downers were so successful for so many years—and became so beholden to a small coterie of popular stars—that they dumbed themselves down to a level of trivialization where reality and reckless fantasy were no longer readily distinguishable. As Hollywood spectaculars go, “The Interview” was long in the making.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-interview-review-misguided-missile-1418937682?tesla=y

[Adrahil]

19. Yep. Terrible movie. I saw it anyway because Freedom!

Fuck Kin Jong Un

[yeoman6987]

26. Good for you

I can't believe we even gave the dictator a thought.

[Archae]

3. This entire "threat from N Korea" is starting to stink more and more of a big publicity stunt.

A rinky-dink "comedy" movie suddenly gets all sorts of free publicity.

This same thing has happened before, remember "Last Temptation Of Christ?"
That was another shit movie (I saw it on video, and fell asleep partway through).

They tried the "patriotic" angle with "Heaven's Gate" too.

[Triana]

7. That's sort of what I think. But was gov't in on it?

They insisted N. Korea was responsible for Sony hack. (I'm not even convinced of that, either)

[bemildred]

9. I think the NHK terrorist hackers stories are more or less bullshit.

But I think all the terrorist hackers stories are more or less bullshit. Not that they don't do real harm.

NHK may well have fallen for it too, they take themselves very seriously, just like we do.

They could end it all in an instant by taking important things off the public internet, half a dozen ways to do it, but they don't want to, they like empty threats they can rail against. I mean TOR is out there, and VPNs, and other things, the government can do it too, and probably do, the smart ones. If they can't see your stuff, they can't try to hack in.

And also, with a secure internet, we'd not have to spend all this money on buggy ineffective "security software", which is no doubt a big help to the spooks and hackers. There'd be nothing to worry about but our privacy, whether people get to browse through our computer files or not, and such things. But your money would be safe.

They make more money, lots more money, ignoring the problem and selling fixes. Software quality costs a lot of money, and it takes time and skills to find all those bugs. I can remember when US corps cared about quality, now all they care about is money.

[cosmicone]

16. Well said. +1,000,000 n/t

[wheniwasincongress]

11. but what about

those emails between Sony's heads, trashing their top stars who they have business contracts with, and the racist exchange about Obama?

[bemildred]

18. They came from Sony, right, and Sony is raking in the bucks now, right?

You have to learn how to think about these things.

[Adrahil]

20. LOL.... really?

You think they'd trash their own reputation so hard to promote a cheap ass fart joke movie?

What kind of drugs are you on?

[Orsino]

29. Oh. You meant the movie.

Thought for a second you were referring to a decade of Axis of Evil crap.

[PSPS]

4. Dumb target demo + fake publicity stunt + free advertising + "patriotism" = "capacity crowds"

[uppityperson]

5. the media really bought into the publicity stunt, didn't they?

[freshwest]

13. No, they sold it. They thrive on publicity stunts. If one isn't happening, they'll make one up...

[Tom Ripley]

23. +1

[Ykcutnek]

6. Good.

Glad to hear it.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. I saw it in November

So I don't know that the version we saw was the absolute final cut, but they easily could have cut half an hour out of it and lost nothing. It was about what I expected.

[mimi85]

14. If I never heard the title again, I'd be delirious. Screw it.

[jtuck004]

15. Patriotism -and- an aisle seat for $20 or so? Must be Christmas. n/t

[Tom Ripley]

17. One large popcorn with extra jingoism, please

[Adrahil]

21. It was bad, but not jingoistic...

It was more a sophomoric parody of foreign relations. The US was not particularly glorious in this film.

[Tom Ripley]

22. I was referring to the rush to see the movie driven by good ol' Amurrikan pride "If I can't put...

a boot in their ass, I'll put my ass in a seat!"

[Adrahil]

24. I dunno... I saw it to support free speech.

I had no plans to see it before some tin pot dictator decided I couldn't.

[heaven05]

25. what a unique PR campaign!!!!

absolutely brilliant.

[Historic NY]

27. Its like a car accident or train wreck...

people want to see it. I think that was the entire purpose of the controversy surrounding this.