14 DAY TRIAL // One theater chain from Texas had the perfect solution for not letting the terrorists win, following Sony Pictures’ decision to pull “The Interview” after the hackers from Guardians Of Peace threatened to bomb every cinema in the US screening it: they would run a 2004 animation instead, which would show to the world that America is free, and more importantly, that America is not afraid.
Called “Team America: World Police,” the animated comedy boasts to “put the F back in Freedom,” and it does so by having some of the biggest celebrities in the world get organized as a military group and take out dictators from remote countries that threaten America with total destruction.
Among these dictators is also Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il. Alamo Drafhouse Cinema, the chain in question, made it clear the other day that they would have screened “The Interview” despite the threats from the hackers and that they were disappointed to hear that Sony caved to their demands.
So they thought this comedy would be the best replacement possible, even if was a decade old: it was still relevant because America was still free and fearless, they said.
America might be that, but Paramount Pictures isn’t. Shortly after Alamo Drafthouse announced the special release, they pulled the film from its schedule. The theater chain has nothing else up its sleeve right now, nothing to show that artistic freedom should never be censored or dictated by hackers and / or dictatorial regimes like Kim Jong-un’s.
All Alamo Drafthouse has right now is refunds to make.
Perhaps the worst part about the entire Sony Hack and the case of the Alamo Drafthouse chain is the fact that it sets a very dangerous precedent, one that shows that with the right words and the right resources, one can decide which movies to have screening to the audiences.
As director Michael Moore said on Twitter the other day, the only way this can ever be acceptable if it’s used to prevent Michael Bay from making any more “Transformers” movies.
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
FOR THE RECORD: We were still going to show #TheInterviewMovie…
— Alamo Drafthouse DFW (@AlamoDFW) December 17, 2014
…but now we'll be showing TEAM AMERICA in it's place…for FREE(DOM). Because AMERICA, F YEAH. http://t.co/7A7p6ApIIE pic.twitter.com/U3EEqQU1Px
— Alamo Drafthouse DFW (@AlamoDFW) December 17, 2014
