Multimedia Editor Erica Kelble reviews “The Interview” here.

On Dec. 23 Sony decided to release the film “The Interview” in some formats such as online, telecom providers, and rental through cable and satellite, on Christmas day according to USA Today. The film was a comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as two reporters who decided to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

On Dec. 17 Sony had decided not to release the film in theaters or in any other format after being hacked by a terrorist group allegedly affiliated with the North Korean government.

Some people were skeptical. “I think it’s fake and was used as a publicity stunt,” senior Annelise Lang said.

According to the New York Times, US officials believe the North Korean government was involved in the cyber attacks. The terrorist group also threatened 9/11-style attacks on movie theaters.

“I’m not that surprised actually. I feel like [North Korea] can be pretty uptight about that,” sophomore Kyle Baldauf said in response to North Korea’s being blamed for the hacking of Sony.

Several major theater chains dropped the film, including Regal Entertainment and AMC Entertainment. According to Oliver Lyttelton, a reporter for Indiewire.com, the fear wasn’t “that people would stay away from The Interview, it was that they would stay away from The Hobbit and all the other movies opening on Christmas Day.”

Sony eventually reconsidered and decided to release the film to some smaller theaters who were willing to screen it in other formats. The film has been downloaded or screened over 4.3 million times grossing over $31 million in sales as of Jan. 6, according to USA Today.

“I thought it was really sophomoric, and there was a lot of potty humor and sex humor that I wasn’t always comfortable with, but that’s how Seth Rogen rolls,” Film Club moderator and TV Production teacher Robert Schick said. “But buried beneath all the low brow humor are lots of kernels of truth about North Korea.”

Justin Hawkins is an Opinion Editor for the Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

The Patriot becomes finalist for Crown Award

The Patriot is a finalist for Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)’s Crown Award, which is “the highest recognition given by the CSPA to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence,” according to CSPA’s website.

The Patriot was one of 49 finalists in the hybrid media category, which is judged on both print and online publications. Since CSPA is an international association, the 230 finalists, including 39 collegiate finalists, came from all over the United States and from Korea and Mexico. Each of the finalists will receive either a gold or silver Crown Award on March 20 at the CSPA convention in New York City.

Kathy Deaver is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.