Tag Archives: Cinema

Malaysia Officially Bans Thor: Love and Thunder!

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Malaysia just officially banned the release of Thor : Love and Thunder, likely over censorship requirements!

 

Earlier : Thor : Love and Thunder Postponed!

Thor : Love and Thunder was scheduled to be launched in Malaysia on July 7, in line with the global release (July 8 in the United States).

Cinemas had already opened up booking for the tickets, with many Malaysians purchasing them in advance.

However, on 1 July 2022 came the shocking announcement – the release date for Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia has been postponed for two weeks, to 21 July 2022!

Then, on 13 July 2022, Disney postponed the release of Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia indefinitely.

Read more : Why Thor: Love and Thunder Is Likely Banned In China!

 

Now : Thor : Love and Thunder Officially Cancelled

Unfortunately, on 28 July 2022, Disney announced that Thor : Love and Thunder would not be released in Malaysia.

This was announced by Malaysian cinema chain, GSC :

THOR: Love and Takde. Officially. ⚡️💔

Dear Valued Customers,

Please be informed that Disney has updated us that Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder will not be releasing in Malaysia after all.

We appreciate your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Please buy our merchandise ok.

We Malaysians all saw this coming, didn’t we?

 

Thor : Love and Thunder Faced Censorship Hurdles

It is currently unknown why the release date for Thor : Love and Thunder in Malaysia was banned from its cinematic release.

But Malaysians have long expected the film to be censored, especially the scene of Thor’s naked butt.  As director Taika Waititi shared, the movie will showcase Chris Hemsworth’s mighty cheeks in their full glory.

So it was possible that the earlier delay was to allow certain cuts or mosaicking to be made to the film to allay the delicate sensitivities of the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia. Unlike the brief LGBT kiss that got Lightyear banned in Malaysia and 14 other countries, it seems that Disney may be open to at least blurring Thor’s ass.

Read more : The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

There is also the “sensitive” issue of LGBTQ+ themes that have already gotten the movie banned in China. There are several short LGBTQ+ scenes in the movie.

But censoring them is likely a line too far for Disney / Marvel to cross.

  • Bisexual Asgardian King Valkyrie (Tessa Thomson) kisses a maiden’s hand
  • At two other scenes, characters reference and discuss King Valkyrie’s late girlfriend.
  • Korg (Taika Waititi) is shown to be gay.
  • Korg references having two dads.
  • Korg settles down with a fellow Korean named Dwayne.

It is likely that Malaysian film censors could not accept those short LGBTQ+ scenes either, and so Thor: Love and Thunder ended up banned from being shown in the cinemas, like in China.

 

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Did China Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military?!

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Did China order Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

Find out what’s going on, and what the facts really are!

 

Claim : China Edited Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military!

Some people, and an Indian website, are sharing an article about China ordering Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

The article is long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The Chinese government said in a statement on July 2 that they had to edit Marvel’s newest blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder themselves to suppress Thor’s lengthy, well-spoken monologue about why the United States shouldn’t be afraid of China’s powerless military.

“China is a feeble country that cannot support its people,” During an unrelated fight scene, Thor tells Korg. “They are weak-willed, sluggish people that the United States can easily trounce in combat. The only reason the U.S. allows them to live is out of pity and sorrow. China is a worthless, flaccid military regime that has poor and pathetic rulers asleep at the wheel. Communism does not work. Let’s go fight some more space pirates,” he added.

On why the speech was initially included, director Taika Waititi went into further detail.

“Marvel usually asks us to shoehorn in something for Chinese audiences,” Waititi said. “I thought it would be a fun wink to Chinese Thor fans if the Asgardian warrior stopped dead in his tracks, faced the camera, and broke down how China poses no threat to the United Nations and that their military is an empty threat that could easily be quashed. It’s Easter eggs like that that get the audience really feeling seen by your film.”

Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, voiced his bewilderment on China’s editing of the film.

“I’ll never understand why China makes seemingly nonsensical edits,” Feige said. “It’s just a fantasy movie about vikings, super heroes, and how China’s current missile silos couldn’t reach the West if they tried. I’ll never know why they take it so seriously, but whatever.”

Marvel revealed that China would also be removing a funny post-credits scene wherein Thor flies to Xi Jinping’s private mansion and chokes him on live television.

 

Truth : China Did Not Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created as “satire” to go viral, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Chinese Military Monologue In Thor: Love and Thunder

First, let’s start with the fact that there is no 20-minute monologue about the Chinese military in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Can you really, REALLY imagine Thor speaking for TWENTY MINUTES about the Chinese military in the movie? Whatever for???

Fact #2 : China Was Never Mentioned In Thor: Love And Thunder

China, and the Chinese military, were never mentioned in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Fact #3 : Thor: Love And Thunder Post Credit Scene Not About Xi Jinping

Thor obviously did not fly to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s private mansion to choke him on live television. There is no reference to any Chinese person in the entire movie.

In the mid-credits scene, a recuperating Zeus sends his son Hercules to kill Thor. In the post-credits scene, Foster arrives at the gates of Valhalla, where she is welcomed by Heimdall.

Read more : Why Thor: Love and Thunder Is Likely Banned In China!

Fact #4 : Thor: Love And Thunder Still Not Approved In China

Thor: Love and Thunder was never approved in China, and will remained banned because of LGBTQ+ themes in the movie.

Fact #5 : It Is Up To Disney To Edit The Movie

The Chinese government may require edits for a movie to be approved for screening in China, but it is ultimately up to the distributor to comply with the requests, or reject them.

In this case, the Chinese government may request for the LGBTQ+ scenes to be edited out of Thor: Love and Thunder; but it is up to Disney to either comply with their requests, or reject them.

Rejecting the edits will naturally prevent the movie from receiving screening approval, but it is still Disney’s choice, not the Chinese government.

Read more : Malaysia Postpones Thor: Love and Thunder Indefinitely!

Fact #6 : It Was Just Satire

I traced the origin of this fake story to Hard-Drive – a satire website.

Even though there are no disclaimers on the entire website, or the article itself; their website appears to consist entirely of satirical content, and the article itself is clearly satirical.

However, it appears that some people actually thought that the story was genuine and reposted it on social media.

Times Now, which is part of the Times Group in India, even reposted the story on their online news portal, as if it’s genuine news!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Why Thor: Love and Thunder Is Likely Banned In China!

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Here’s why Thor: Love and Thunder will likely remain banned in China forever and ever…

 

Thor: Love and Thunder Has Not Been Approved In China!

Film regulators in China do not explain or comment publicly why they refuse to approve any movie, but anyone with more two neurons in their brains will be able to connect the dots.

Just like how Lightyear got banned for a brief kiss between two female characters, it seems that Chinese censors have no love for LGBT themes in Thor: Love and Thunder.

This was confirmed by two The Hollywood Reporter sources in China who said that Thor: Love and Thunder will likely remain banned because of LGBTQ+ themes in the movie.

Sources at two major cinema chains in China tell The Hollywood Reporter that they expect Thor 4 will face the same fate as Pixar’s Lightyear: denied censorship approval because of fleeting moments in the movie involving LGBTQ characters.

Read more : The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

 

What LGTBQ+ Scenes In Thor: Love and Thunder Concern China?

Thor: Love and Thunder was already postponed in Malaysia, allegedly over Thor’s butt cheeks. Perhaps this is also an issue for Chinese censors, but they are more concerned about its LGBTQ+ scenes.

Just how many LGBTQ+ scenes are there really? And how controversial are these scenes?

  • Bisexual Asgardian King Valkyrie (Tessa Thomson) kisses a maiden’s hand
  • At two other scenes, characters reference and discuss King Valkyrie’s late girlfriend.
  • Korg (Taika Waititi) is shown to be gay.
  • Korg references having two dads.
  • Korg settles down with a fellow Korean named Dwayne.

Read more : Thor : Love and Thunder Postponed, May Be Censored!

 

Thor: Love and Thunder Is 6th MCU Movie To Be Banned In China

Thor: Love and Thunder will just join a rather long list of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies banned in China.

Black Widow : It was released in May 2021, during the Chinese summer movie season, when there is usually a blackout of foreign movies.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings : It was not approved in China, after 2017 comments by actor Simu Liu resurfaced, in which he called China a “third world” country.

Eternals : It was apparently not approved, after a 2013 interview with China-born director Chloé Zhao resurfaced, in which she said that “there are lies everywhere” in the country.

Spider-Man: No Way Home : Hilariously, Chinese censors wanted Sony to remove the Statue of Liberty from the movie. Perhaps they should have asked David Copperfield instead…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness : It was not approved because of a scene in which a newspaper kiosk appeared with the Epoch Times visible.

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Gentleminions TikTok Craze : The Good, The Bad + The Ban!

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The Gentleminions craze is driving tickets sales to Minions: The Rise of Gru, but some parents are really pissed at this new TikTok trend!

Find out what the heck is the Gentleminions trend all about, and why some cinemas have banned it!

 

Gentleminions TikTok Craze : What Is It?

Minions: The Rise of Gru – the latest instalment of the wildly popular Despicable Me movie franchise – was released on July 1, 2022.

It quickly topped the box office, with a four day total of $122.5 million in the US and Canada alone, thanks in part to the Gentleminions TikTok craze.

The Despicable Me movie franchise has been a family favourite with kids and their parents who can’t get enough of cute banana-yellow Minions – Kevin, Stuart and Bob, and friends.

But cinemas are seeing hordes of teenagers – mostly male, all dressed in smart suits and some “armed” with yellow bananas, lining up for the new Minions movie.

They would record themselves swarming the theatre, sitting together in a group to watch the movie and mimic Gru or the minions – all to post on TikTok, and other social media – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

 

Gentleminions TikTok Craze : The Good, The Bad + The Ban!

Many Gentleminions dressed up in the spirit of good humour, as part of a fun night at the movies with friends after 2+ years of the pandemic.

Universal Pictures was no doubt pleased as punch – these teenagers (and some adults) were boosting the box office numbers, which is why they gave a hat tip to those who participated.

Unfortunately, some Gentleminions were not really “gentleminions”. They would clap, shout and wave their hands, or even stand up during the movie, disrupting the experience for everyone else.

Some even threw the bananas they brought at the screen, while others turned on their smartphones’ torchlight to wave in the dark cinema.

When cinema ushers asked them to stop and settle down, some verbally abused them while others threw things at them, or other cinema-goers, including young children.

In some cases, the cinema staff had to evict the troublemakers, and even the police was involved. One cinema manager shared that :

It’s been absolutely heartbreaking. We’ve had families who won’t even go back into the screen when we’ve tried to sort it out, families leaving before the film has even started, and of course the children have been in tears.

A few cinemas had to refund other patrons who were not pleased at all with the disruptions, especially families who brought their children for what they thought would be a fun experience.

In the end, some cinemas are refusing to allow “unaccompanied children wearing suits” to watch the movie. Odeon cinemas in the UK, for example, put up this sign :

Due to recent disturbances following the #Gentleminions trend, any group of guests in formal attire will be refused entry for showings of Minions: The Rise of Gru. Thank you.

 

Gentleminions Cinema Ban : Check Before You Leave Home!

It is sad that what seemed to be a fun trend devolved in some cases into a real problem. Those rowdy Nastyminions are spoiling the trend for the real Gentleminions, and that’s a real shame.

If you are planning to dress up to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru, please check if the cinema has a new dress code restriction. Just in case – bring a set of casual clothes.

And if they do let you go in, please be a real Gentleminion, like these Japanese fans. Enjoy the movie together with everyone else, not at their expense. Thank you!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Entertainment + Creative Industry Reopens For Vaccinated!

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The government just announced that the entertainment and creative industry can reopen for fully-vaccinated people in Malaysia!

Here is what you need to know!

 

Entertainment + Creative Industry Reopens For Fully-Vaccinated!

On 7 September 2021, the government announced that the entertainment and creative industry can reopen for fully-vaccinated people in Malaysia, from Thursday, 9 September 2021 onwards!

  • Development and broadcast of creative content through recording or live streaming
  • Live broadcast or live streaming of information or entertainment with fully-vaccinated viewers up to 30% of the studio’s capacity.
  • Indoor and outdoor filming by fully-vaccinated individuals of the creative industry.
  • Indoor busking by fully-vaccinated individuals.
  • Lounge hotel performances by fully-vaccinated individuals.
  • Cinema activities for fully-vaccinated individuals, up to 50% of the cinema hall capacity.
  • Live performances such as theatre, musical, music and comedy (through pre-registration) with fully-vaccinated attendees, up to 30% of the premise capacity.
  • Art gallery viewing in exhibition halls, museums, and art galleries (via appointments) with guests who are fully-vaccinated, up to 30% of the premise capacity.

Even though the entertainment and creative industry is reopening for fully-vaccinated people, everyone must continue to maintain COVID-19 precautions, as vaccine breakthroughs can still happen. Please continue to stay safe.

Read more : COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough : What You Need To Know!

 

More Privileges For Fully-Vaccinated People In Malaysia

Here are some other privileges for fully-vaccinated people in Malaysia :

Dining-In

  • proprietors should provide more outdoor dining capacity for better ventilation.
  • proprietors must verify that customers are fully-vaccinated, by showing their COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate or card.
  • customers are allowed to bring children 17 years or younger to dine-in.

Sports + Recreation

  • Individual sports and recreation without physical touch, in the outdoors and semi-open spaces, are ALLOWED from 6 AM until 10 PM.
  • Permitted sports include jogging, exercise, tai chi, cycling, skateboarding, fishing, equestrian sports, archery, hiking, tennis (singles), badminton (singles), golf, motorsports and so on.
  • Dine-in is allowed in sports / recreation club house restaurant and cafe.
  • Customers are FORBIDDEN to use the changing rooms and shower rooms.
  • Picnic and camping are ALLOWED, including children who are 17 years or younger, subject to strict SOP compliance.

Night + Weekend Markets

  • Customers must prove that they are fully-vaccinated by showing their COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate or card.

 

Fully-Vaccinated In Malaysia : Do YOU Qualify?

To qualify for the privileges above, you must be fully-vaccinated according to these requirements :

  • More than 14 days after receiving both doses of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccine.
  • More than 28 days after receiving a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson or Cansino vaccine.

In addition, these privileges apply to all states that have achieved adult vaccination of at least 50%.

For example, the Klang Valley achieved an adult vaccination rate of 64.7% on 14 August 2021, and therefore all fully-vaccinated adults in the Klang Valley can enjoy these privileges.

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Lenovo Fans The First To Watch Warcraft Movie

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Malaysia, 27 May 2016 – Global technology leader Lenovo, announced that they will be partnering with United International Pictures (UIP) for the premiere of the upcoming movie, Warcraft: The Beginning. Lenovo is thrilled to be part of this partnership to ensure that Lenovo customers everywhere are first to watch the Warcraft movie. Enthusiasts will also get to enjoy a range of exclusive premiums as well as opportunities to get up close at cinemas, to Lenovo devices optimized for high-fidelity sound, arresting graphics and a satisfying media experience.

As part of Lenovo’s overall strategy to ‘Never Stand Still’, the world’s number one PC maker saw an opportunity to continue developing their customer communities’ range and quality of experiences, on top of providing innovating devices that meet the latter’s diverse and evolving computing needs. This partnership with UIP will help extend Lenovo’s gaming customers’ experience on their PCs and portable screens to the big screen, in line with Lenovo’s brand commitment to offer seamless access to content.

This partnership with UIP also aligns with two of the three passion points created for Lenovo’s consumer business, namely Gaming and Movies (the third passion point being Music). Lenovo sees strong potential in each of these passion points, and will continue to develop partnerships and devices that deliver immersive and enriching experiences – such as, in this case combining passion for Games with passion for Movies.

Lenovo’s brand is known around the world for consistently enlarging the area in which device engineering and human requirement meet to spark innovation. This has placed Lenovo in the position of being the world’s leading technology company, offering a broad spectrum of products to suit any need or desire, in any situation. Now through this landmark partnership with UIP, gaming enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys a cinematic ride will go further into the high stakes, engrossing world of Warcraft than ever before.

As part of the Lenovo-UIP partnership for Warcraft: The Beginning, Lenovo Malaysia will be running a campaign from Wednesday, 1 June 2016 to Friday, 15 July 2016. During this period, the first 250 customers who purchase selected Lenovo devices will be eligible to redeem Steam vouchers, Lenovo Gaming Mouse, official Warcraft T-shirts as well as movie vouchers.

Fans of the movie can also stand a chance to win tickets to Warcraft: The Beginning through contests on Lenovo Malaysia’s Facebook page starting Friday, 20 May 2016.

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Warcraft Movie Roadshow Location

Together with Golden Screen Cinemas, there will also be several roadshows nationwide for fans to have a first-hand experience of Lenovo devices and stand a chance to win some exciting prizes. The roadshow location and dates are as follows :

 

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