Latest news with #LooneyTunes'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Final Destination Bloodlines' Review: The Freak Accident Franchise Beats the Odds with Its Best Film Yet
The high-rise restaurant disaster that kicks off 'Final Destination Bloodlines' has a 'Looney Tunes' quality to it that some critics will falsely pin on a single falling piano. Yes, there is a thousand-pound string instrument that comes crashing down several stories before flattening a bratty kid in a bow tie. But that's just the cherry on top of a perfectly cartoonish opening to the best film this fiendish horror franchise from the 2000s has ever known. Delivering the most visually impressive, emotionally compelling, and quick witted 'Final Destination' to date, co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein work wonders with a reboot that shouldn't land nearly as well as it does. Twenty-five years since Flight 180 failed to reach Paris, New Line's freak accident series — infamous for its mass-casualty events and Rube Goldberg-inspired kill sequences — returns with an unconventional script written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans. Here, the same narrative scaffolding that brought Laurie Strode and Jamie Lee Curtis back to 'Halloween' (2018) meets the more retro side of The Conjuring Universe… but in typical 'Final Destination' fashion, there's no slasher villain in sight. More from IndieWire 'Overcompensating' Review: Benito Skinner's Basic College Comedy Works Well Enough Where It Counts Logging Trucks, Swimming Pools, and Bathtubs, Oh My! We Fact-Checked Our Favorite 'Final Destination' Deaths 'Bloodlines' is a prequel/sequel hybrid that introduces, torments, and revives a legacy final girl, who didn't exist at all before now, over the course of just one film playing opposite the invisible threat of Death. That might sound like a bad idea, but the blood-soaked series' triumphant sixth installment is better for the unexpected approach. Ambition trips up this highly detailed resurrection just a handful of times, leaving behind a feat of nimble comedic tone and cohesive pacing that's even more effective than the iconic time-loop twist that directly precedes it at the end of the last sequel, 'Final Destination 5.' 'Bloodlines' zips past the 2010s and the aughts to the same day as the plane crash from the original 2000 movie in the year 1968. Lovebirds Iris (Brec Bassinger) and Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) help their atypical 'Final Destination' setup take flight with a believable but still idyllic date night reminiscent of a romantic old ad for a luxury car brand. The dramatic radiance of AMC's 'Mad Men' contorts to resemble something more like the body horror in Shudder's 'Mad God' when opening night at the Skyview ends in a cataclysmic structure collapse. Screws pop loose, glass panels break, and open flames collide with panicked dancers for a chain reaction so fatally funny it could have happened to Wile E. Coyote. It's all triggered by a careless flick of the wrist and cinema's least lucky penny: a fitting new totem for 'Final Destination' that shines brightest the instant that crappy kid's piano flattening finally sticks. You can't cheat death without seeing your fate first, and signs have always played an essential part in the 'Final Destination' universe. Still, 'Bloodlines' pushes far past its standard premonitions to explore Death's superstitious side and its complex lore more completely. The scares continue to rely on the laws of physics, creepy atmosphere, and common objects to work their magic. (If you aren't afraid of Trash Day yet, you will be.) But filmmakers Lipovsky and Stein find their groove in a unique sort of bouncy brutality. Eyes brimming with tears, reflecting back the bright teal color of her '60s party dress, Bassinger should take the following comparison — between her performance as Young Iris and that one scene with the clown shoe in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' — as a compliment of the highest order. Helping a toddler (Jayden Oniah) survive the Skyview carnage, Iris emerges as a fully formed, energized, and sympathetic horror heroine who seems like she's battled through her share of sequels before. Following in the footsteps of fan favorite Kimberly Corman (the 'Final Destination 2' lead played by A.J. Cook, who gets a solid shout-out in 'Bloodlines'), new girl Iris Campbell seems to meet her sky-high maker when a piercing scream suddenly jolts 'Bloodlines' into the present. Waking up confused in the middle of a college lecture hall in 2025, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) has been having recurring nightmares about her estranged grandmother for months. 'Iris.' One of several delightfully melodramatic reveals, that's the first clue this 'Final Destination' puzzle won't operate like the earlier ones did. Soon, Stefani is speeding back to her childhood home, demanding answers about Iris and the bizarre fine-dining disaster she endured decades ago. How did Iris escape the certain doom foretold to her by that 'Shout!' needle drop? And could that terrible night have something to do with why her only daughter, Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt), abandoned Stefani and her brother, Charlie (Teo Briones), years later? After a rushed reunion with her dad, Marty (Tinpo Lee), Stefani wastes no time contacting even more of her relatives about uprooting the planet's most fucked-up family tree. Haunted by his disturbed mother and her mysterious history, Uncle Howard (Alex Zahara) doesn't want to talk about it. His wife, Aunt Brenda (April Telek), isn't related to Stefani anyway. And as for Erik (Richard Harmon), Julia (Anna Lore), and Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) — the coolest cousins to grace a major horror sequel since Alexandra Daddario hit 'Texas Chainsaw 3D' — the siblings are mostly loyal to each other. They like their parents. They like Charlie. They even love Bobby's pet turtle, Paco. But when it comes to Stefani and her crazy theories about Grandma Iris (Gabrielle Rose), news of the Campbell family's supposed curse isn't welcome. Of course, 'Final Destination' rarely wastes time explaining itself to victims who won't listen. The rare reboot with a decent title, 'Bloodlines' uses direct confrontation between characters who know each other intimately to revitalize a torture format typically reserved for total strangers. The core cast has an infectious chemistry that improves the film's tone immensely, and even situated in a generally good plot, there are portions of the story that wouldn't fly without their buzz. It's vastly more exciting to watch relatives as they simultaneously battle Death's Design and their petty grudges than it is to see single-trait caricatures getting repeatedly yanked through a twisted public health crisis. Better still, that familiarity between actors subtly affirms the work of the two 'Bloodlines' filmmakers — conveying faith in this story, comfort with their artistic collaboration, and authority over the 'Final Destination' fanbase. Having loved these movies since the turn of the century, I'll debase myself with first-person references just long enough to admit that 'Bloodlines' gave me everything I could personally need. Ranking these films is a nostalgia-laden minefield that's more sensitive than most, and yet each chapter seems to serve a distinct purpose(*) in retrospect. 'Final Destination' (2000) delivers Jeffrey Reddick's original 'X-Files' spec script idea in its purest form, but 'Final Destination 2' (2003) enjoys the smartest arc of the first five films and has already gone down in history for its indelible highway disaster. The brilliant decision to cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead — and include that tanning booth scene — in 'Final Destination 3' (2006) make it the most entertaining chapter that's specific to aughts horror, while 'Final Destination 5' (2011) continues to boast the all-around strongest collection of kills with the most stable shelf life. (*)The purpose of 'The Final Destination' (2009) is that it is the worst one. The end. (Also known as 'Final Destination 4,' that one also has the pool butt scene, which ought to count for something.) Die-hard 'Final Destination' obsessives will find plenty to pick apart when it comes to Iris' dubious survival strategy in 'Bloodlines.' Suffice to say, Clear Rivers' padded cell has never looked smarter — and some tackier sequences near the end undercut that sparkling first impression from the Skyview. Clever enough to riff on the earlier films' spotty track record with digital effects, the newest 'Final Destination' stays a smidge too true to its era by including at least one slow-mo explosion à la Michael Bay. It's a fiery splash of nonsense that's as boring to look at now as it would have been then, but the underwhelming effect feels even more maddening in the middle of near-miss climax that needs all the help it can get. Narrowly saved by a truly genius kicker (one that's oddly reminiscent of Sam Raimi's 'Drag Me to Hell,' by the way), 'Bloodlines' is the only 'Final Destination' that doesn't play both versions of its centerpiece emergency back-to-back. It's also the first of these philosophical kill-a-thons that feels like watching a real flesh-and-blood movie. An emotional death by a thousand darkly comic cuts, 'Bloodlines' wracks up little character wins along its way to rendering an impeccable kill featuring the best-written death in the entire series. Intertwining humor, horror, and heart into a jester's crown of thorns, the magnetic actor sacrificed at the main altar of that kill should be immediately canonized a 'Final Destination' saint. Silly, delicate, sharp, and mean, 'Bloodlines' has its flaws but nevertheless confirms Death's Design as a force worthy of its own special place in the horror hall of fame. A flawless goodbye for Tony Todd, whose enduring affection for the genre community oozes from the screen like a warm hug, 'Bloodlines' should appear high on any list of the Candyman's most enchanting performances regardless of when he passed. As the sun sets on William Bludworth, the latest and greatest 'Final Destination' looks to the horizon in a rapidly expanding world that Todd helped build into an institution as big as his presence. Sketched with the same boundary-pushing meticulousness 'Looney Tunes' animators once used to make Bugs and Daffy leap off the page, 'Final Destination' could have returned with the disappointing *dink* of a 2D penny. Instead, this wonderfully weird and lyrical film — a crackling ode to the perverse operatics underpinning accidents no human can explain — lands with the full weight of a frenzied jazz band. It doesn't get much better than a rude maître d' ironically denied a life-saving spot on a crowded elevator. And yet, even falling from the top of the Skyview, 'Bloodlines' will have newcomers and lifelong 'Final Destination' fans laughing about that damn piano the whole way down. A Warner Bros. Pictures release, 'Final Destination Bloodlines' is in theaters Friday, May 16. Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film reviews and critical thoughts? to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ludicrous ‘chemtrails' bill in Florida Legislature addresses silly conspiracy theory
Photo courtesy of Florida Skywatchers Facebook page. TALLAHASSSEE — If you're one of the 900 new people who move to Florida every day, you may not know this crucial secret of Florida government. I'm a Florida native, so let me clue you in. Lean in close and I'll whisper it in your ear. Are you ready? The Florida Legislature contains more cuckoos than a Swiss clock factory. Now that you're aware of this fact, how are you holding up? How's your blood pressure? Can you handle the truth? You want some evidence? Just last year, a legislator claimed his new anti-bear bill was necessary because there were bears on crack invading people's houses. This was, of course, a complete fantasy. Yet his colleagues didn't question his sanity or call the paramedics. They just passed the bill. It's the law now! This year there's one that's even kookier. I am referring to the so-called 'chemtrails' bill. In case you're unfamiliar with that debunked conspiracy theory, the folks who believe in 'chemtrails' are convinced the government (or maybe it's the Illuminati) is dispatching planes to fly over us unsuspecting Americans and spray chemicals on us. Why? The chemtrails can change the weather, say the diehards. Or maybe they can control people's minds. Or maybe they're just going to poison everybody they don't like. Who knows? After all, it's a secret, like the 1947 UFO crash landing in New Mexico. Anyway, there's a bill in the Legislature to track and attack chemtrails. Instead of being laughed out of the Capitol building, as it deserves, the bill was just passed by the full Senate, because that's what our state's elected leaders are like right now. I wish I could tell you the 'Looney Tunes' theme song played while they voted. 'The measure (SB 56), sponsored by Miami Republican Ileana Garcia, would prohibit the injection, release, or dispersion of any means of a chemical, chemical compound, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere for the purpose of affecting the climate,' my colleague Mitch Perry reported in the Phoenix last week. 'Any person or corporation who conducts such geoengineering or weather modification activity would be subject to a third-degree felony charge, with fines up to $100,000.' The bill would require the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to set up a hotline so anyone concerned about streaks in the sky can call and report them. I'm sure the DEP will jump right on those reports, just the way the agency has jumped on reports of rampant water pollution that fuels toxic algae blooms, kills seagrass, and leaves manatees to starve. I tried calling Sen. Garcia to ask her some questions about her bill. While I waited to talk to her, I was struck by a subversive thought: What if the chemtrails bill becomes law and we folks who still live in the real world use it to flip the script? What if we employ its provisions to go after the people who really ARE changing the weather — with their greenhouse gas emissions? The most shocking thing about this chemtrails bill is not that it was filed — filed, I should add, by a senator who won her seat by just 32 votes, thanks to an illegal ghost candidate scheme backed by Florida Power & Light. Nor is the most shocking thing that it passed one house of our Legislature by a vote of 28-9 and now is headed for the other. No, what's shocking is that it was endorsed by Senate President Ben Albritton and Gov. Ron DeSantis, two allegedly well-educated people. At this rate, they'll next endorse a taxpayer-funded expedition to explore how we ended up living inside a Hollow Earth. Actually, DeSantis' endorsement isn't that much of a surprise. He's happy to appease the Tinfoil Hat Brigade if it gets him a mention on Fox News or its imitators. Remember, DeSantis is the guy who appointed as his surgeon general the world's biggest vaccine skeptic and now lets him run around the state trying to convince everyone to stop preventing children's tooth decay. I sometimes wonder if he and RFK Jr. share a brain worm. But Albritton's comments threw me. He's a longtime citrus man who's familiar with the need for accurate weather forecasts. Yet he actually called this lunacy 'a great piece of legislation' that would address 'real concerns from our constituents.' If some of those constituents also think their elected politicians are all lizard people, presumably he'd be fine with legislation requiring a reptilian DNA test before administering the oath of office. 'I have heard the conspiracy theories out there,' Albritton said about Garcia's bill, 'but the fact is we should not be shutting down legitimate concerns. Healthy skepticism is important. There's a lot we don't know in this field of science and people are rightfully concerned.' Because I grew up in Florida, I have a healthy skepticism toward anything Florida politicians say. Albritton's statement suggests that I'm right to be skeptical because there's a lot that's wrong with his comments. We actually know quite a lot about the weather modification attempts. We know they don't work and have mostly been discontinued. Florida law currently requires anyone who wants to modify the weather to get a permit first. A Senate bill analysis of SB 56 points out, 'There have been no applications for weather modification licenses in the past 10 years.' Four years ago, eight Western states tried cloud seeding to produce rains to end a lengthy drought. However, Scientific American reported, 'there is little evidence to show that the process is increasing precipitation.' Yet 'weather modification' is what our Legislature chooses to tackle instead of lowering property insurance rates, boosting educational test scores, or any one of a dozen more important issues. Maybe they're under some bizarre mind control method that requires them to be ineffective at good governing. Albritton's statement about people being 'rightfully concerned' about chemtrails sounds like he's endorsing the bogus claims that spread last year that the government steered two hurricanes to clobber specific communities ahead of the election. Those rumors were, of course, lies spread by the unscrupulous to fool the gullible. They became so pervasive that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had to put out a press release denying it. 'NOAA does not modify the weather, nor does it fund, participate in or oversee cloud seeding or any other weather modification activities,' it said. Given how Elon Musk is rapidly dismantling the agency now, I doubt they can control the thermostat in their office buildings, much less the weather. I wish Albritton were as supportive of the 'legitimate concerns' many of us Floridians feel about climate change. We're on the front lines of it, with our rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, higher storm surges, and increased temperatures even at night. It's hurting everything from our seafood industry to our sea turtle nesting. Heck, it's even hurting Albritton's own industry, agriculture. Hard-headed property insurance companies recognize the dangers and disruptions of climate change. Why can't our state officials? 'If lawmakers want to protect Floridians by addressing substances affecting the temperature, weather, and climate, they should hold power companies and the oil and gas industry accountable,' said longtime Florida climate activist Susan Glickman of the CLEO Institute, a non-profit dedicated to climate education and advocacy. 'The pollution they release is warming the climate in increasingly extreme and deadly ways.' But last year the Legislature voted to delete most references to climate change from state law under the well-known scientific theory of 'If We Don't Talk About It, Surely It Will Go Away.' Given how we were all beaten up by intense hurricanes and big storm surges last year, I don't think it went away. Fortunately, I see a way to take this 'chemtrails' bill and turn it into a 'let's fight climate change' bill. Let me explain. I have a confession to make: Every time I read someone's rants about chemtrails, I always crack up. That's because I always picture Cary Grant fleeing the evil crop-duster in the movie 'North by Northwest,' which is the silliest and most inefficient murder method ever attempted. Was the pilot supposed to crash into Cary and kill himself too? Cut Cary's head off with the propeller, which would make the plane stop flying? Or maybe force him to cough up a lung because of all the pesticide he was inhaling? None of these options seem practical. Similarly, the whole chemtrails theory falls apart on practical questions. How often and how much do you need to spray those chemicals in the sky to affect everyone? There are 23 million people in Florida alone. That's a lot of folks to spritz with your mind-control concoction. Seems to me you'd need WAAAAAY more chemical spraying than what we're seeing if you plan to coat every single one of us with the goop. You'd need to dump it out in quantities like the helicopter pilots dropping the contents of an entire pond on a wildfire. Nope, what we're seeing up in the sky are simple contrails — droplets of water vapor clinging to particles of soot that were emitted by an airplane's engine. So imagine my surprise when Rafe Pomerance of Rethink Energy Florida told me, 'Water vapor is a greenhouse gas.' 'Say what now?' I replied, displaying my usual incisive intellect. 'You warm up the earth, and one of the effects is an increase of water vapor in the atmosphere,' he explained. Then the vapor traps heat in our atmosphere just like carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases do. The heat that created the vapor gets amplified by the vapor. When I expressed that old healthy skepticism, he referred me to a scientist named Adam Boies of Stanford University. He's an expert on contrails. He confirmed that chemtrails are bogus and also confirmed what Pomerance told me. Some of the contrails disappear in minutes after the plane that created them leaves the area, Boies said. But some, say about 20%, linger longer. Those are the dangerous ones that can trap heat in the atmosphere. Airplane engine manufacturers are worried about this so they are working on engine designs that will stop producing contrails, he said. 'The airlines are so concerned about this that they're willing to try new fuels or rerouting flight patterns to try to avoid them,' Boies told me. Thus, for once, the Legislature might do the right thing for the wrong reason — asking people to report something that actually is a cause of climate change. That's why I think we should embrace this silly chemtrails bill and join DeSantis and Albritton in pushing it forward. Then, once the bill passes, I say we all start contacting that DEP hotline to report, say, Florida Power & Light and its fellow utilities for burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. They're building a lot of solar farms now, but they ought to replace their older plants too. The same goes for all the municipal incinerators across the state, too, and the Big Sugar companies burning their fields and sending billows of thick smoke into the communities south of Lake Okeechobee. I say we report every one of these folks messing up our state. 'Hello, DEP,' we can say, 'there's a chemical plant in Pensacola that's altering the weather with its nitrous oxide emissions. The clouds of pollutants are going up in the atmosphere and trapping heat here! You should do something about that, pronto.' Or how about, 'Hello, is this the DEP? I want to report someone for altering the weather. It's the Florida DOT. They're building a lot of roads for heavily polluting cars and trucks and doing nothing for mass transit. No electric vehicle charging stations, either. Can you get after them for that?' By the way, I never did reach the bill's sponsor, Sen. Garcia. It's too bad. I was ready to congratulate her for doing more to combat climate change than either DeSantis or his predecessor, Rick Scott. Of course, to hear me speak, she'd first have to unwrap all that tinfoil from around her head. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Coyote vs. Acme' revived after Warner Bros. shelved the Looney Tunes spinoff
'Coyote vs. Acme' revived after Warner Bros. shelved the Looney Tunes spinoff It seems as though Wile E. Coyote will get his star turn after all. The Looney Tunes villain, best known for his merciless pursuits of Road Runner, will star in the revived feature film "Coyote vs. Acme," Ketchup Entertainment confirmed in a press release Monday. The production company acquired the worldwide rights to the live-action/animated hybrid from Warner Bros. Pictures, which shelved the movie from release in late 2023. "'Coyote vs. Acme' is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling, capturing the essence of the beloved Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation," Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West said in a statement. "We believe it will resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers alike." 'We're not doing guns': Elmer Fudd loses his rifle in HBO's 'Looney Tunes' cartoon reboot Ketchup Entertainment did not share a release date for the film, which stars John Cena, Lana Condor, Will Forte and Tone Bell. The Dave Green-directed flick centers on Wile E. Coyote as he takes legal action against the Acme Corporation for its "countless faulty products that have hindered his relentless pursuit of the Road Runner." The acquisition of "Coyote vs. Acme" comes after Ketchup Entertainment distributed the 2024 Looney Tunes film "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie." The film grossed $10.5 million at the global box office. Why was 'Coyote vs. Acme' shelved? "Coyote vs. Acme's" silver-screen debut came to a screeching halt in November 2023 after Warner Bros. announced it was no longer releasing the film. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported the news at the time. The move followed the studio's shocking 2022 decision to shelve a trio of films: "Batgirl," which was mostly completed and scheduled for release on HBO Max, along with DC's "Wonder Twins" and "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt." "With the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases," a Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group spokesperson told the outlets. "With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with 'Coyote vs. Acme.' We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts and crew and are grateful for their contributions to the film." Why was 'Batgirl' shelved? Warner Bros. Discovery chief explains, and details DC Comics' future In a February interview with MovieWeb, Forte blasted Warner Bros.' cancellation of the film, telling the outlet, "It is such a delightful movie. It deserves so much better than it got. I can't tell you possibly why the decision was made to not release it. But it makes my blood boil." "I appreciate them letting us make it, but don't let us make this thing that we fall in love with and then not show it. I would understand if the thing sucked, but it's really good," Forte continued. "Maybe somehow we get to see it at some point. I hope people do. I was really proud of it." Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Javier Milei And The Risks Of Being A Donald Trump Copycat
Donald Trump's return to the White House seems to have pushed the world off its axis, even though it was a clearly plausible scenario ahead of the presidential election in the United States. Both inside the North American superpower and across the wider world, there's a feeling that every single one of Trump's orders and threats will have long-lasting effects that could derail the current world order, which in most cases means the consequences are perceived as negative. Among those who ideologically identify themselves as close to the 'new right,' Trump's victory elicits a feeling of euphoria as the 'culture wars' v 'wokeism' battle returns to the center of the political debate. Javier Milei is among those who are ecstatic with the current course of global affairs. As Argentina's President, he can congratulate himself on the early endorsement of his colleague when his chances of electoral victory weren't as certain. His 'automatic alignment' with Washington's new policies allows the self-described 'anarcho-capitalist' libertarian to show that his chemistry with Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni and the rest of the gang is more important than underlying ideology, particularly on the economic front. For now, the benefits appear greater than the drawbacks, particularly if Trump 2.0 acts like Trump 1.0 in pushing the International Monetary Fund to offer Argentina favorable terms in ongoing negotiations over a fresh financing program. Yet, there could be consequences for those importing US cultural battles to Argentina. Indeed, the response to Milei's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he ripped a page from Trump's playbook and doubled down on anti-wokeism, rather than keeping to his usual economics-focused agenda, generated a level of rejection that forced him to tone it down and explain himself. Much like during last year's marches in defence of public education and state universities, the President felt the blow but he will probably recover momentum quickly. Much like the Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, the Trump whirlwind seems to be destroying everything in its path. The early days of his second presidency seemed marked by a nervous necessity to get as much done as quickly as possible. He counts on his previous experience of four years in office and the capacity to build a team that should be much more efficient. Trump also enjoys majorities in both chambers of Congress and a favorable Supreme Court. POTUS has fully impacted on the prevailing world order by starting major trade wars with allies and enemies alike, beginning major deportations of mainly Latin American immigrants and proposed the reversal of several major issues that had become global policy agreements, including the Paris Climate Accord and even the relevance of the World Health Organization. Regarding the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Arab world, Trump went so far as to say the United States would actively take control of the area, relocate Palestinians to 'beautiful communities' abroad, and develop the real estate in Gaza to make it the 'Riviera of the Middle East.' It's difficult to determine when Trump is actually laying out a policy goal or just using his public statements as bargaining chips in his negotiations. What does seem clearer is that through his actions he's pushing 'economic autarchy' and the 'destruction of the Western Alliance,' as Financial Times journalist Gideon Rachman explained. His colleague, Martin Wolff, adds that not only is the trade war economically stupid, but it also generates unpredictability for the global superpower that weakens its position as a key ally, forcing other countries to look elsewhere for future pacts and agreements. For Milei, there's nothing but joy from what Trump's doing. It doesn't seem to bother the anarcho-capitalist economist that the Republican's protectionist and anti-globalist stance is theoretically antagonistic with his vision of a libertarian wonderland. From a political standpoint, Milei and Trump are brothers-in-arms, meaning the Argentine can only benefit from the culture wars being waged by his buddy up North. By aligning himself with Trump's agenda, Milei is looking to increase his own impact, both domestically and abroad. While Argentina's President has always opposed 'cultural Marxism,' he's now fully absorbed the Trumpian version of anti-wokeism. One of the risks of importing the United States' cultural agenda to Argentina is that he can alienate electorates that could have supported him in the upcoming midterm elections. Much like when he spoke about selling children or opening the market for selling organs, Milei sparked the ire of his critics, in this case the LGBT+ community, which in turn allowed a larger group opposed to him to bundle together and express their discontent in the streets. A similar situation occurred when the masses mobilized in favor of public education. In both cases Milei was forced to backtrack and try to explain why he had been misinterpreted by the media that were looking to hurt him politically. As his communications team, led by Santiago Caputo, knows quite well, it doesn't really matter what you meant to say, only what your audience received as the message. Milei has also ordered his Health Minister, Mario Lugones, to explain why he wishes to pull out of the World Health Organization, while indicating that he is considering pulling Argentina from the Paris Climate Agreement. In both cases he's imitating the Trump administration, and potentially moving before they do, even before it can be seen whether he's bluffing or not. One possible explanation, beyond political proximity, has to do with practical reasons. The International Monetary Fund, which is ultimately controlled by the White House, is currently Argentina's largest creditor. As revealed by The Donald's top official for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the Trump administration pushed the IMF to hand over a record bailout to Mauricio Macri in 2018 in part to try to prevent the return of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to power. Claver-Carone, who has been named special envoy to the region, was at the time Washington's appointee to the IMF. Now, Milei and Economy Minister Luis 'Toto' Caputo — who was involved in orchestrating the original loan during the Macri administration — are looking to Washington to help them secure fresh funds while cutting them some slack on lifting currency controls (i.e. 'cepo') during an electoral year. Milei's popularity is in great part tied to the economy continuing on a path toward normalization, which means lower inflation and potentially a rebound. A sudden surge in inflation would therefore be destructive, meaning that they must defend their 'strong peso' policy at all costs. The IMF has its doubts. Pegging Argentina's foreign policy to the United States is a risky strategy. Beyond the anti-woke agenda, Washington's leading geopolitical adversary is China, which is one of Argentina's most important trading partners. There's also the risk of 'importing' cultural battles that create further divisiveness. But the benefit of an extra push at the IMF board meeting, together with the political affinity between Milei and Trump, appear irresistible. For now, being a copy-cat seems like the best plan. This piece was originally published in the Buenos Aires Times, Argentina's only English-language newspaper.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Warner Bros. tearing down ‘Looney Tunes' building to favor HBO
The storied 'Looney Tunes' building is being yanked off the lot in Los Angeles as Warner Bros. seeks to tear down the historic single-story structure that was once home to Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and more. The Burbank lot will raze Building 131, which sits off Forest Lawn Drive, to make way for more modern fare: space to shoot HBO's premium content, Deadline reports. Demolition could begin sometime next week and the building will not be replaced, according to the outlet. This isn't the first time the 'Tunes' legacy has taken a backseat to HBO and its streamer Max's more adult-minded offerings. The news comes on the heels a representative for the hit streaming service, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, confirming to Deadline this month that Max removed nearly four decades-worth of classic 'Looney Tunes' animated shorts from the platform. The shorts were from the animation heyday, between 1930 to 1969. Though more recent spin-offs of 'Looney Tunes' — including a couple seasons of 2015's 'New Looney Tunes' and five seasons of 1995's 'The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries' — are still available to view, Max no longer considers children's programming a priority. It was a departure from the service's 2023 position that contrary to reports, 'Looney Tunes' would continue to be available for streaming on Max. _______
