SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for the series finale of “The Righteous Gemstones,” now streaming on Max. In the end, “The Righteous Gemstones” said goodbye as only “The Righteous Gemstones” could: with a masturbating monkey. Though most of the HBO series’ final episode, “That Man of God May Be Complete,” takes place at the titular […]
Trump Announces 100% Tariff on All Non-US Movies
United States President Donald Trump has declared he will be implementing a 100 per cent tariff on movies “produced in foreign lands.” The proclamation arrived via a Sunday afternoon social media post that asserted producing movies anywhere other than within the United States represents a “national security threat.”
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” wrote Trump. “Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
At this stage it’s completely unclear how such a tariff would work in a practical sense, or what productions would be specifically affected. A host of countries around the world do offer a spectrum of tax incentives that make it financially attractive for overseas productions to film in places like the UK, Australia, and a variety of European territories.
However, it’s also a reality that movies often shoot overseas because they want to transport their characters and viewers to fanciful and exotic locations. How this decree would subsequently impact the future of, say, a globetrotting action franchise like James Bond, John Wick, Extraction, or Mission: Impossible (or the production of a movie like the upcoming F1, filmed on race tracks that had the audacity to be built outside the USA) is totally unclear.
It’s also unclear how this new tariff would affect movies that are currently in production or already completed, why the plan doesn’t include TV productions, or what the fallout will be for US movies around the world if retaliation follows for penalising international productions for wanting to show their movies to US audiences.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
Sean Penn Says Donald Trump ‘Might Try to Destroy the World’
Sean Penn appeared on Jim Acosta’s Substack podcast recently to talk about the new film “Words of War,” and the discussion ranged across several topics in world politics. The always-outspoken actor and activist didn’t hold back his thoughts about the danger of President Trump and the direction the country is heading in. While talking about […]
Seven Major Questions About Trump’s Plan to Tariff Foreign Films
President Trump announced a plan on Sunday night to slap a 100% tariff on foreign-produced films — prompting a slew of questions in Hollywood. Starting with: Huh? Runaway production has been debated for decades, and in recent months there’s been a push for federal policy to address it. But nobody — nobody — in Hollywood […]
The Last of Us: Season 2 Episode 4 Review – “Secrets”
The following contains full spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4.
“What the f*ck is wrong with Seattle?” This question, posed by Dina, may not be answered in episode 4 of season 2 of The Last of Us, but it certainly serves as a showcase for the threats lurking within it. The season’s best chapter yet blends pure horror with some of the show’s most touching moments, all whilst introducing us to an intriguing new character.
Seattle’s descent into a warzone is encapsulated in the brief looks we get at WLF leader Isaac. Jeffrey Wright reprises his role from The Last of Us Part 2 and luckily for us (though not the Seraphites), he has much more room to play around in this time. The episode’s opening serves as a stark introduction, as we see Isaac turn on the fascistic FEDRA force and defect over to the WLF in explosive style. The coldness with which Wright portrays this horrific act is chilling, and is only emphasised further when we see him 11 years later.
The torture scene is undoubtedly grim, but it’s also a standout moment. It captures everything The Last of Us does so well: In a single breath, we get insight into a character’s personal motivations and a snapshot of how the cordyceps outbreak has reshaped society. Both the camera and Wright assert dominance over the Seraphite in a subtle but striking display of superiority. The hostage and his fellow cult members are treated like a lower species: Isaac’s vitriolic dialogue is the first time we hear the WLF’s slur for the Seraphites, “scars.” Isaac is demeaning, but in a way that evidently feels natural to him.
The way Isaac plays with his captive is hypnotic, cutting a Patrick Bateman-like shape as he discusses the benefits of a well-made saucepan with him. Of course, this is all just a metaphor for how the apocalypse benefits some other overs. The decline of civilization allows for people of a certain (seemingly sociopathic) mindset to rise to the top of the pyramid. Long ago, in his former life, Isaac wanted those Mauviel saucepans, but he couldn’t afford them. But now, due to the end of the world and a willingness to abandon his morals with the drop of a grenade into a truck, his dream exists inside other people’s nightmares. Another “strange benefit of the apocalypse”, indeed.
It doesn’t look like much of Seattle is enjoying the same luxuries, however. As Ellie and Dina enter the city, they see ample evidence of endless conflict. The production design of the post-apocalyptic streets is astounding, with Capitol Hill redressed in corpses, overgrown tanks, and rust. Those streets eventually lead to a long-abandoned TV station, where the pair is greeted by a nauseating tableau: five hanged-and-disemboweled WLF soldiers. Not since the artful grotesqueries of Hannibal has such a startlingly gnarly image graced the TV screen.
It takes two to wage war, and this is the first time we’re shown that the Seraphites aren’t opposed to bloodshed. The soldiers’ intestines hanging out and dangling to the floor like extensions of the ropes their bodies hang by paint a truly gruesome image, and act as a reminder that no matter how ugly the infected are, the true monsters of this world remain human.
Speaking of infected, if there are two things we’ve learned in The Last of Us (or indeed, any scary story, show, movie, or game), it’s that going underground is never a good idea, and that red always equals danger. The episode’s steady descent into horror reaches its crescendo with the sudden arrival of runners and clickers onto the scene, as a corpse-filled carriage turns into a claustrophobic death trap. There is peril at every turn, and both Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced do a great job at selling these louder moments through physical performance, whether they’re running frantically or standing and fighting. It’s nothing compared to the terror of witnessing Dina searching through drawers for pain meds, though – a haunting flashback for any player of the game who scrambled through desks dozens of times an hour.
But much like many of my favourite sections of The Last of Us so far in its two seasons, it’s the quieter pockets that leave the most impact on me. Ellie’s rendition of “Take On Me” turns an optional character moment in the game into one that feels so crucial to the show. It really strikes a chord (pun intended) and cements Ellie and Dina’s status as a blossoming couple. It’s also beautifully lit with the blown-out hole in the wall creating a leafy frame within a frame that lets us soak in the shared looks between the two. It’s an embodiment of hope growing out of all of this devastation.
The episode as a whole is very well directed by Loki’s Kate Herron, who manages to smoothly navigate the shifts in tone over the course of the episode to great effect. This steady steering of the ship helps navigate a barrage of different emotions felt by the couple over the course of the episode’s final 10 minutes. The subway escape ending with Ellie taking a bite for Dina is a great example of adaptation for the better, further cementing their dedication to one another. Earlier we hear them describe the display of murdered bodies as “assholes killing assholes”, but this is an example that those full of heart will save those they love – even if it means taking a mushroom mouth to the wrist. Reluctantly pointing a gun at her, this is now the second time Dina has looked at Ellie with tears in her eyes. Both times with love, but now with the fear of losing it. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a few minutes that both actors sell wonderfully, ending in the release of tension as each reveals their deepest secrets to one another and confirms their feelings.
I also enjoyed the poetic final moments of the episode greatly. It’s reminiscent of season one’s end as Gustavo Santaolalla’s strings swell, but a muttering of “OK” has been replaced with “together”. It’s symbolic of a moment when Ellie and Joel walked separate ways, but here, Ellie and Dina stand hand-in-hand, ready to face what’s ahead together.
President Trump Says He Will Implement 100% Tariffs on Films Produced Outside the U.S.: ‘The Movie Industry in America Is Dying’
Donald Trump took to Truth Social Sunday to announce he is “authorizing” the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to impose a 100% tariff on “any and all” movies produced in “foreign lands.” Trump deemed foreign productions a “national security threat” to the American movie industry, adding that they not only draw […]
Charley Scalies, ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Sopranos’ Actor, Dies at 84
Charley Scalies, an American actor who appeared in two of HBO’s most celebrated series, “The Wire” and “The Sopranos,” died May 1 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 84. His death was confirmed via an online obituary. “[He was] best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend,” the obituary […]
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‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ Star Dee Wallace Says She ‘Argued’ With Steven Spielberg Over an Axed ‘Love Affair’ Between E.T. and Elliot’s Mother: ‘This Was a Family Film’
If Dee Wallace didn’t stand up to Steven Spielberg, E.T. could’ve wanted to do more than just go home. In a recent appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast, Wallace, who played Elliot’s mother Mary in the immortal 1982 classic, said there was an axed side plot in the film for a romance between her […]