Kim Jong-unbelievable (Sony, The Interview, etc.)

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:56 am

This is a serious question - for the Johnnies and boxcars of the world. Say this was a legitimate threat, but sony released the movie. So NorKor gets pissed and lauches a missile...what are the chances that hits a target before a) being a shitty missile and landing in the ocean or b) the US military takes it down?

I'm genuinely curious. How fast does something like that mobilize?

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:44 am

So I am reading Full Force And Effect (New Tom Clancy Jack Ryan/Jack Ryan Jr. Novel written by Mark Greaney). It is all about North Korea.

So
1.) Putnam/Penguin Publishing is much tougher than Sony?
2.) Even North Korea realizes nobody reads books any more?
3.) They actually did do something..I mean Clancy passed away in 2013 and the book publishing world just moves really slowly.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:49 am

Am I missing something or is the whole idea that Sony is a Japanese company getting missed here? Sony pulled the plug on this. Granted, some US theaters decided not to show it, likely from Sony pressure anyway. I don't think the real concern here is that NK can in any way attack US civilians on US soil. It's that they can start shit with Japan, and if the hacking claims are legitimate, Sony has a lot more dirty laundry on the internal side that they don't want the public to see.

Everything I see is spun so that NK took our freedoms away and the US bowed to the pressure. No we didn't. Several major companies made a decision involving their liability in releasing a move that 2 stoners made for 35 mil, which is next to nothing in the movie biz.

boxcar · Post by **boxcar** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:04 am

AB_skin_test wrote:This is a serious question - for the Johnnies and boxcars of the world. Say this was a legitimate threat, but sony released the movie. So NorKor gets pissed and lauches a missile...what are the chances that hits a target before a) being a shitty missile and landing in the ocean or b) the US military takes it down?

I'm genuinely curious. How fast does something like that mobilize?

a) 99 if it's aimed at us, maybe 75 if it's aimed at Japan
B) uhhhh... 20?

travzilla · Post by **travzilla** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:06 am

BSF21 wrote:Am I missing something or is the whole idea that Sony is a Japanese company getting missed here? Sony pulled the plug on this. Granted, some US theaters decided not to show it, likely from Sony pressure anyway. I don't think the real concern here is that NK can in any way attack US civilians on US soil. It's that they can start shit with Japan, and if the hacking claims are legitimate, Sony has a lot more dirty laundry on the internal side that they don't want the public to see.

Everything I see is spun so that NK took our freedoms away and the US bowed to the pressure. No we didn't. Several major companies made a decision involving their liability in releasing a move that 2 stoners made for 35 mil, which is next to nothing in the movie biz.

Never even thought of the Japanese angle, that makes more sense.
On the surface it just didn't make any sense to just flush away potentially up to $100 million dollars because of a threat that anyone could see made no sense. Seemed like maybe they had info from authorities that the threat had some legitimacy, but just doesn't seem possible. But retaliation against Sony in Japan at least seems a bit more realistic (or maybe it isn't, i dunno).

I also read the reason they're not releasing it Video-On-Demand is that they have insurance for cancelled movies, but it only pays out for total cancellation, not partial, so they can't release it all if they want to make that claim.

The Steve Carell movie getting shut down is just f'd up.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:49 am

What I feel is a real injustice is this thread might have more posts in it than the In Bruges thread in Ye Olde Swampe.

Just had to bring that up becuase holy fuck, was In Bruges a fantastic movie.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:20 pm

L-Jam3 wrote:What I feel is a real injustice is this thread might have more posts in it than the In Bruges thread in Ye Olde Swampe.

Just had to bring that up becuase holy fuck, was In Bruges a fantastic movie.

The profanity is fully called for - that was an absolutely great film.

Post by **brian** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:47 pm

If it was in danger of being shelved by a Belgian dictator it very well might have gotten more replies.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:52 pm

BSF21 wrote:…Sony has a lot more dirty laundry on the internal side that they don't want the public to see.

This. Plus

travzilla wrote:…they have insurance for cancelled movies(.)

This (I was unaware of such insurance, but they insure most other aspects of movie making.)

I also figure there is fear of corporate liability for a pipe bomb at a movie theater. This is the best explanation for Paramount's decision to pull Team America. That and their being ginormous pussies.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:09 pm

howard wrote:From a zerohedge article: Someone is Lying

And just for fun:

ETA: nearly forgot:

Post by **brian** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:18 pm

Even better, President Obama just called James Franco "James Flacco" and Twitter exploded.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:23 pm

Does that make James Franco elite?

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:04 pm

Saw today that the costs for making and marketing "The Interview" push the total investment to $90 million. This still isn't that huge a deal for Sony, but getting insurance for all of that helps fill in the craters their shitty movies make in their budgets.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:32 pm

I presume Rogen and Franco are racing to complete the script for their thinly fictionalized version of this story. They will flip a coin to see who gets to play the leaders of Sony and North Korea. The movie will be the hit of Sundance 2015, then picked up by the new Samsung Films division for wide release. The box office will be boffo.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 4:56 am

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:53 pm

Friend of mine who moved to Charleston a few years back owns a theatre will be one of the few showing "The Interview."

He's supposed to be on CNN tonight. His name is Paul Brown, and yes, he's a Bengals fan.

http://www.terracetheater.com/

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Sat Dec 27, 2014 11:57 am

So does anyone actually believe that this isn't either a) complete bullshit or b) Sony/US Government* capitalizing on what would otherwise be a laughable "threat"?

(*A valid argument can be made that Americans would accept more gub'ment restrictions on our internet privacy and freedomz if our entertainment sources were being threatened.)

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sat Dec 27, 2014 1:17 pm

P.D.X. wrote:So does anyone actually believe that this isn't either a) complete bullshit or b) Sony/US Government* capitalizing on what would otherwise be a laughable "threat"?

(*A valid argument can be made that Americans would accept more gub'ment restrictions on our internet privacy and freedomz if our entertainment sources were being threatened.)

I am not a conspiracy guy - but the fact the the government stuck its nose in is kind of odd.

I lean towards the "complete bullshit" line of reasoning. If North Korea had wanted to unleash terrorism on the USA, it would have done so already. Interfering with the release of a movie, and some corporate sabotage doesn't exactly place the public in jeopardy.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 5:08 pm

P.D.X. wrote:So does anyone actually believe that this isn't either a) complete bullshit or b) Sony/US Government* capitalizing on what would otherwise be a laughable "threat"?

(*A valid argument can be made that Americans would accept more gub'ment restrictions on our internet privacy and freedomz if our entertainment sources were being threatened.)

Looking less like North Korea, and more like an inside job.

TheHumanComa · Post by **TheHumanComa** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:38 am

So the fact that Sony's network was hacked and put offline all day Xmas doesn't convince you of the Hacker's power? The movie was released on the 24th online, next morning no one could get online. They shut down all of ps3/4's and xbox's servers the next day.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue May 12, 2015 8:48 pm

North Korea executes Defense Chief for dozing at meeting attended by Kim Jong Un

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 12, 2015 8:57 pm

"Boy, is he strict!"

ETA:

Han told the committee that Hyon was executed with anti-aircraft fire – a method cited in various unconfirmed reports as being reserved for senior officials of whom the leadership wishes to make examples.

was there anything left to bury?

howard · Post by **howard** » Mon May 18, 2015 9:48 pm

So, this turned out to be bullshit, propaganda from the South Korea spy service to goose justification for budget increases. Dude wasn't even executed, much less torn to bits by an AA gun.This is typically the case, they do this shit quite often. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/ ... 431522581/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Worthy of mention only because this bullshit was repeated by our esteemed sec of state John Kerry. Two days after the story was refuted and newspapers printed retractions. Two days later. That didn't stop Kerry. Fuck I hate these fuckers, they lie in our name to promote war, and they face zero accountability.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue May 19, 2015 5:54 am

howard wrote:So, this turned out to be bullshit, propaganda from the South Korea spy service to goose justification for budget increases. Dude wasn't even executed, much less torn to bits by an AA gun.This is typically the case, they do this shit quite often. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/ ... 431522581/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Worthy of mention only because this bullshit was repeated by our esteemed sec of state John Kerry. Two days after the story was refuted and newspapers printed retractions. Two days later. That didn't stop Kerry. Fuck I hate these fuckers, they lie in our name to promote war, and they face zero accountability.

pisses me off that I - usually a cynical person who is circumspect in these things - repeated this story many times.

If I had heard it coming out of Kerry's mouth, I would have called bullshit, but sometimes you believe things because you want to believe them.

But even though the cited article is a clarification, it includes this strangely constructed passage:

By late afternoon, the spy agency revised its statement, saying Hyon was purged, but maybe not executed.

"We do have intelligence information that he had been killed by gunfire but that is yet to be verified," a spy agency spokesman told ABC.

But analysts in South Korea said confirmed executions inside North Korea were indicative of diminished loyalty toward North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

So, the original story was a fabrication, but the guy could be dead - because the original source (which lied the first time) now says that they've herd rumours to that effect. And as you know - says another agenda-driven source - the execution of government officials would indicate that the regime is in trouble. What bullshit.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 19, 2015 10:06 am

This episode very aptly sums up and reflects the American approach to events in the Ukraine over the past 18 months.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:19 pm

Such cynicism. You probably doubt that Russians shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane.

The US no doubt had every possible surveillance device monitoring everything in the air that was bigger than a sparrow. So any day now they will reveal the air-tight evidence that allowed them to immediately inform us that the Russians were responsible for the brutal massacre of civilians. The delay is no doubt so they don't reveal to the Russians that they have satellites and planes in the air that can do surveillance in hot spots like this. Can't give away state secrets.

Obama has shown remarkable restraint in not escalating the Ukrainian situation after the Russian-trained Ukrainian agents killed all those people at the Boston Marathon. They will stoop to anything.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:34 pm

The really weird thing is Kerry made some downright conciliatory statements during his recent trip to Sochi. He even publicly cautioned our Ukrainian puppet to stop breaking the cease fire. This is while there are several hundred US Army soldiers in Ukraine, training their soldiers and militias. I'm skeptical of Kerry's turnabout, but I welcome the change of policy if it pans out.

Ukraine is set to default on its IMF debt very soon. This is not a surprise, except a year ago I wouldn't have thought Ukraine would default before Greece (but it's gonna be close, although again the Obama Administration has turned 180˚ on financial support for Greece, these clowns do keep you guessing.)

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:43 pm

I'm waiting for France to become Greece Lite.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:02 pm

That is much more likely than folks realize. It won't be tomorrow or next year, but it's coming. The weakening of the Euro (in no small part because of Greece) has boosted France's exports, staving off the inevitable for a bit.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:31 pm

I'm thinking the Arc de Triomphe would look good in the backyard. Also, Toulouse.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:41 pm

Let's make a private equity fund, borrow at 0%, and buy some artwork. Or the Louvre.

cerrano · Post by **cerrano** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 1:05 pm

Bump...

So when should I buy my Euro's for the trip to Ireland (August)? The best exchange rate I saw was maybe 3 weeks at $1.08. Now it is $1.12, but Greece is voting on the bailouts on 7/5 and that's when shit may get real.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:39 pm

Acknowledge your good fortune and don't try to time your currency buy. What is known is priced into the exchange rates. No one here and very few elsewhere can reliably make money in these trades. So do it any time.

Slight tangent. I recall when exchange rates cased a pitcher of good english beer to be worth under $1 US. I was drinking at a London dive one Friday night after a week of business. A loud jazz-rock band was hammering away, on the occasion of the band breaking up. I was at a table in the corner where I found the only empty chair in the place. The other guy at the table bought a pitcher and poured me some glasses. I tried to buy the next one during a band break, and he told me that as a proper Englishman he couldn't allow it. He was a draftsman in the shipping industry, and typically worked half a year or so and then went on the dole for a half year. He made about 90% of his wages when he was on the dole, as he was at this time. So he figured he should be the one buying for the visiting Yankee, even though I claimed that the beer was almost free from my point of view, due to the dollar's strength.

It was an odd experience for good beer to be almost free. Odder still that I wasn't the one buying that night.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:40 pm

Hillary said, "you can do that? Cool."

North Korea bans sarcastic comments about Kim Jong Un's regime

(anybody remember when every hacking attack was blamed on North Korea? Or on China? Funny how those evil countries stopped hacking us, and Putin took over the franchise.)

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:21 pm

Weird timing for a bump but apparently they did another Nuke test.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:26 pm

My timing can be likened to the proverbial broken clock. But, nailed it!

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:31 pm

Oh, we're all really impressed Howard.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:23 am

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/905578467173027840

https://twitter.com/sethrogen/status/905604728603545600

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:36 am

WikiLeaks?

How the mighty have fallen.

Post by **brian** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:41 am

Not the first or last reputation totally torn to shreds by worshipping at the altar of Trump.