The Interview idiocies are raising questions that aren't so funny

The movie The Interview is a sad commentary on the idiocies of our troubled times. It should not have been made. It should disappear into oblivion for its poor quality and wretched taste. But it must be defended on the grounds of freedom of speech and expression, especially against a humourless, insecure tin-pot dictator.

Too many people have too many difficult questions to answer over the silly saga. In order of their appearance on the silver screen, should Sony Corporation be disbanded? After all, how can a modern electronics company survive if it cannot even protect its privacy against hacking?

Should US President Barack Obama have got involved, even if what he said was correct? The key quote: "We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States."

Were major US cinema chains so scared of anonymous groups' terrorist threats, for which we were told there was "no credible evidence", that they initially turned down what was supposed to be a major film by a major studio during the holiday season?

Can't anyone do anything to calm down Kim Jong-un to get a grip on life?

Is this the beginning of the end of Hollywood for even imagining that such a childish film could become a Christmas blockbuster?

Who are the Guardians of Peace who hacked and distributed the secrets of the Sony empire for the world to see? Official Washington is convinced that the hackers are North Korean, but in South Korea there is less certainty, with one view expressed that they may be a couple of bright disgruntled youths in a garage.