Texas Theater Cancels Plans to Show ‘Team America’ instead of ‘The Interview’
That time the terrorists won
Welcome to the United States of America where cyber terrorists pick what we get to watch while munching on over-priced, tepid pop corn.
You’ve probably heard a bit about The Interview and how a cyber terrorist attack prompted Sony Pictures to cancel plans to release the film on December 25 as originally intended.
Here’s the trailer to The Interview (language and content warning):
According to the New York Times, “American officials have concluded that North Korea was “centrally involved” in the hacking of Sony Picture,” however unlikely that may seem. But as David Auerbach at Slate points out, the hack is indeed cyber terrorism and incredibly concerning.
Enter Texas.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a fine Texan establishment, is not content to let North Korea, cyber terrorists, or whomever is actually responsible for widespread censorship, off the hook so easily. Not only can you eat chicken tenders, drink beer, and watch a movie in peace and quiet at Alamo Drafthouse (they’re notorious for enforcing their “no cell phones during movies” policy), but you would have been able to watch Team America as a substitute for The Interview.
According to The Hollywood Reporter:
After Sony canceled the release of the North Korea assassination comedy The Interview, a Texas theater said it would swap the film with Paramount’s 2004 film Team America: World Police for one free screening.
“We’re just trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation,” James Wallace, creative manager and programmer at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Dallas/Fort Worth location, tells The Hollywood Reporter.
American flags and other patriotic items will be given out by theater employees, Wallace says.
The plot of Team America, co-written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, revolves around Kim Jong Il, the father of current North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The posters promoting the R-rated movie in 2004 included the tagline, “Putting the ‘F’ Back in Freedom.”
If you’re not familiar with Team America, it’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s about as anti-PC, “stick it to the commies” a film ever made.
That was the plan at least until this afternoon. For a yet to be disclosed reason, Alamo Drafthouse backed out of their plans to show Team America:
Due to to circumstances beyond our control, the TEAM AMERICA 12/27 screening has been cancelled. We apologize & will provide refunds today.
— Alamo Drafthouse DFW (@AlamoDFW) December 18, 2014
Evidently, Paramount Pictures is forbidding Team America’s silver screen re-appearance:
Please note: Our Late Shift screening of Team America: World Police has been canceled by Paramount Pictures. pic.twitter.com/TlPVzIeICW
— Capitol Theatre (@CapitolW65th) December 18, 2014
WOW.. Breaking: Paramount bans theaters from showing 'Team America' pic.twitter.com/iIu4DWji5F
— Silver Surfer (@RobPulseNews) December 18, 2014
If Hollywood has taught us anything it’s that Harrison Ford, were he president, would have the best advice in this situation:
The decision to place the feelings of tyrannical dictators and cyber terrorists over our right to be entertained by terrible acting and stoner plots is deplorable to say the least.
I never thought I’d live to see the day that America willingly kowtowed to a dude that once overdosed on cheese. CHEESE.
I suppose new Hollywood didn’t get the “these colors don’t run” memo. You win this round dictators, you win, because apparently, we’re a nation of cowards.
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Comments
I have little sympathy for the studios. They are just too cheap to invest in security, and run like little girls from a real threat.
The late Fred Allen said it best: “If you took all the compassion in Hollywood and stuffed in the navel of a gnat, you would still have room for three pomegranate seeds and a producer’s heart.”
I suspect that the hackers found the home addresses of senior studio execs, and privately threatened their families. That would explain why they won’t release the move even in video or pay-per-view.
Team America is a good movie, if you can stomach the South-Park-style humor. They mock people who really deserve it (mostly high-profile lib actors).
I also noticed that the event was first described as a free showing, but the cancellation tweet offered full refunds. Will the refund for the free showing be in cash, or in the form of a pass to the next free showing of a movie?
South Park style humor is the best!
“Nor’ Korea, Bes’ Korea!”
I believe in the general, basic soundness of tort law.
I see its development as running concurrently with the evolution of market economics, and an democratically-based adjunct to markets.
And, sure, we can find perverse examples, like we can for any essentially good thing in our society.
But I think this is right, and not really surprising, since our enemies will always use our strengths to attacks us…
http://patterico.com/2014/12/18/tort-law-one-major-reason-north-korea-can-dictate-what-movies-we-watch-in-the-united-states/
My first thought when I heard about this was the legal and insurance people were behind this.
I have this vision of being required to sign a waiver as one purchases tickets at the box office to satisfy these types.
Maybe we should start an “everybody draw a cartoon of Kim Jong Un on the internet.” Maybe our government could get some balls and use a stealth bomber to drop ten thousand copies of the movie on the NK capitol along with another bomber dropping a ten thousand pound bag of dog shit on Kim’s presidential palace. Then laughingly deny we did it.
Like the plan but …. “drop ten thousand copies of the movie on the NK capitol along with another bomber dropping a ten thousand pound bag of dog shit on Kim’s presidential palace” … given Hollywood’s standards these days, how will the North Koreans be able to distinguish between the two drops?
OK, now that’s funny.
I’m hearing that The Interview can be found on pirate sites. It’s NOT on Pirate Bay, yet, but apparently SAG evaluation versions were copied and are out there. (It has that tag in the upper left hand corner of the frame every few minutes.)
Just sayin’…
If the theater offered a free screening, could they still be legally stopped from showing the movie?
They’d probably have to cancel all forms of retail including the food and beverages where they make most of their money.
I’d say, “Yes. Even a free screening would invite liability for most commercial exhibitors if there was an attack. You couldn’t even rent a venue for this purpose”.
Plus, any outfit that was insured would have its carriers screaming bloody murder.
The one exception I can think of offhand is ballsy outfits like the VFW.
Alamo Drafthouse is pretty ballsy
Check this out
http://drafthouse.com/blog/entry/she_texted._we_kicked_her_out
Some gazillionaire needs to buy the rights and offer it FREE, without commercial interruption, to every broadcast and cable outlet on Earth for a simulcast at dozen different times over a two-week period.
I know this is a not to the Obama/Holder admin. idiocy, however, IMHO it should correctly read:
FIFY. 🙂
[sniff] [sniff]
I smell a steeeeeenkin’ lawyer. (present company accepted, of course)
I’ll wager that Alamo’s lawyer freaked out when he heard that the company was going to effectively be spitting in Kim Jong Bowl-Cut’s eye!
“excepted” of course… of course!!!
Freudian slip, anyone? 😆
I understand that Paramont has withdrawn the movie from ANY showing.
Of course, there are a bazillion copies in circulation, just not theatrical versions.
I have the DVD. Just let them try to stop me.
To quote the inimitable and irreplaceable Iowahawk:
Dear Hollywood: spare another fucking boast about how “courageous” you are.
“spare us another”
Sorry, Dave.
I’m both sad and glad.
sad that its happening in this country.
glad that its happening to dbags that hate America as much as Kim Junk fluck face.
Seriously guys, I think Kim Jong-un is having a Barbara Streisand moment. Now I really want to see this movie!
Did anyone for a brief moment even consider that anyone in Hollywood had any spine whatsoever?
Thank goodness they aren’t making fun of that guy with the funny turban from Arabia, his followers actually cut peoples heads off.